A Modern Marco Polo’s Food Journey in China

Antonio’s thought of coming to China was from the story of Italian explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324) who traveled to the same country over 700 years ago. “When I was a child, I saw The Travels of Marco Polo on TV,” he said. “The beautiful Chinese food completely shocked me and I decided one day I would explore this country myself.”

Now this Italian cook has a restaurant in China. Crazy about Chinese food, Antonio often traveled around China to find new ideas in his early days. Last year, he visited some cities along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (大运河). “What interested me most was not only the food, but also the people, their kindness, and the customs passed down,” he said. Tai’erzhuang is one of the cities along the Grand Canal Antonio has visited. In this centuries-old water town, he tried the thin and crispy Shandong pancakes with green onions. In the past, the pancakes were made from grains (谷粒) transported through the Grand Canal. The pancakes show the creativity of Shandong people and their cooking skills.

Recently, Antonio shared stories of the “food journey to the east” on social media. Many people left messages, saying that they were interested in Chinese food and culture. Antonio has realized that many foreigners will fall in love with learning about traditional Chinese culture if it is presented in a way they can understand. Antonio is becoming one of the modern “Marco Polos” who are attracted (吸引) by amazing Chinese culture and show it to the world. Though Italian and Chinese foods are very different, they share certain similarities, such as the use of noodles, which is a common thread (线) in both cultures. Antonio said, “Food is a bridge to bring people together. (A) ______.”

1.1. What made Antonio want to come to China?

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解析：选The beautiful Chinese food in The Travels of Marco Polo.（或 Seeing the beautiful Chinese food in The Travels of Marco Polo on TV.）。该题考查对文章细节信息的提取能力，核心是锁定安东尼奥来华的动机。从原文第一段可知，安东尼奥小时候在电视上观看《马可・波罗游记》时，被其中精美的中国美食深深震撼，这一经历让他下定决心亲自探索中国。因此答案需紧扣 “《马可・波罗游记》中的精美中国美食” 这一核心信息，无论是简洁表述还是包含 “电视观看” 的完整表述，只要准确涵盖关键要素，均可得分。

2.2.What did Antonio do in his early days in China?

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解析：选He often traveled around China to find new ideas.。本题属于动作细节考查题，需聚焦 “早年在中国” 这一时间限定条件。原文第二段明确提到，安东尼奥痴迷中国美食，早年常游历中国各地，目的是寻找美食创作的新灵感。解题时需精准提取 “游历中国各地” 和 “寻找新灵感” 这两个核心动作与目的，无需额外添加无关信息，保持答案与原文表述的一致性即可得分，同义替换符合语义也可。

3.3.根据短文，完成句子(A)。

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解析：选It helps people from different countries understand each other.。该题侧重逻辑衔接与主题延伸，需结合前文 “食物是连接人们的桥梁” 及全文文化交流的核心主题补全句子。前文已将食物比作 “桥梁”，补全句需体现 “桥梁” 的具体作用 —— 促进人与人、国家与国家之间的理解与沟通。原文围绕中外文化交流展开，因此答案需贴合这一语境，确保语义连贯、逻辑通顺，只要符合 “食物连接不同群体、增进理解” 的核心逻辑，如 “它让各国人民跨越隔阂、心意相通” 等表述，均视为正确答案。