In Europe, people paid for goods with gold or silver.
在欧洲，人们用黄金或白银买东西。
He could not understand how people could pay for food and valuable things with paper!
他不明白，人们如何能用纸买食物和贵重的东西！
He was also confused by the black stones people used to burn for fuel.
人们作为燃料点燃的黑色石头，也令他很迷惑。
The black stones were coal, but Marco had never seen coal before!
黑色石头是煤，但马可以前从未见过！
In 1291, after 17 years of service to the Emperor, Marco returned to Italy.
1291年，在朝中任职17年后，马可回到意大利。
He was now a very wealthy man. Not long after his return, a local war broke out near his town.
他现在是一个非常富有的人。他回国后不久，一场区域战争在他家乡附近爆发了。
During the war, Marco was the captain of a warship but was caught by the enemy and put into prison.
战争中，马可是一只军舰的首领，但被敌人俘获关进了监狱。
However, Marco was lucky enough to meet another prisoner who enjoyed listening to his stories about China.
然而，马可很幸运，他遇见另一名很爱听他讲中国的故事的囚犯。
The prisoner was an author and he took dictation while Marco told all his stories to him.
这名囚犯是一名作家，马可给他讲故事的时候，他记下了马可的口述。
The prisoner then wrote the stories in a book called The Description of the World,
后来，这名囚犯把故事写进一本叫《马可·波罗游记》的书，
which became one of the best-selling books in Europe.
这本书成为欧洲最畅销的一本书。
Although people enjoyed reading his book,
虽然人们爱读他的书，
many of them thought that Marco's stories about China were too fantastic to be true.
但许多人认为马可有关中国的故事太离奇而不可信。
But Marco always stood by his tales.
但马可总是坚持他所讲的故事是真的。
Just before he died, aged 70, Marco was asked the question, "Was it all true?",
他70岁快去世之前，有人问马可，"那都是真的吗？"，
to which he replied, "I have only told half of what I saw!"
他回答，"我仅仅说了我看见的一半！"
