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Chapter 1
第一章
The European Discovery Of America
歐洲人發現美洲
1.Leif Ericson discovers America, 1000.—In our early childhood many of us learned to repeat the lines:
1．列夫·埃里克森發現美洲（1000年）——多數人在孩提時代就學會講述下面的句子：
Columbus sailed the ocean blue, In fourteen hundred, ninety-two.
1492，哥倫布航海，海正藍……
We thought that he was the first European to visit America. But nearly five hundred years before his time Leif Ericson had discovered the New World. He was a Northman and the son of Eric the Red. Eric had already founded a colony in Greenland, and Leif sailed from `Norway to make him a visit. This was in the year 1000. Day after day Leif and his men were tossed about on the sea until they reached an unknown land where they found many grapevines. They called it Vinland or Wineland. They then sailed northward and reached Greenland in safety. Precisely where Vinland was is not known. But it certainly was part of North America. Leif Ericson, the Northman, was therefore the real discoverer of America.
我們認為哥倫布是第一個造訪美洲的歐洲人，但是，幾乎遠在此前500年列夫·埃里克森就發現了這個新世界。列夫是北歐人，他是雷德·埃里克森的兒子。埃里克森已經在格陵蘭島創建了一塊殖民地，列夫從挪威出發開始其航海之旅去探望埃里克森，這一年是1000年。日復一日，列夫和他的隨從在大海中顛簸，后來他們來到了一個不知名的陸地，并發現許多葡萄藤。他們把這塊陸地叫做文蘭德（Vinland）或“酒蘭德”（Wineland），隨后他們向北航行安全抵達格陵蘭島。確切地講，沒有人知道文蘭德在哪里，但是，它肯定是北美的一部分。因此，北歐人列夫·埃里克森是美洲的真正發現者。
2.Early European Travelers.—The people of Europe knew more of the lands of Asia than they knew of Vinland. For hundreds of years missionaries, traders, and travelers visited the Far East. They brought back to Europe silks and spices, and ornaments of gold and of silver. They told marvelous tales of rich lands and great princes. One of these travelers was a Venetian named Marco Polo. He told of Cathay or China and of Cipango or Japan. This last country was an island. Its king was so rich that even the floors of his palaces were of pure gold. Suddenly the Turks conquered the lands between Europe and the golden East. They put an end to this trading and traveling. New ways to India, China, and Japan must be found.
2．早期歐洲旅行者——歐洲人對亞洲大陸的了解比他們對文蘭德了解要多。數百年來，歐洲的傳教士、商人和旅行者不斷造訪遠東，他們帶回絲綢、香料和金銀飾物，他們講述著關于富庶大陸和偉大君主的故事。其中一位旅行者是威尼斯人馬可·波羅，他談到中國和日本。后者是一個島國，它的國王如此富足，他甚至用純金鋪就宮殿。土耳其人突然征服了位于歐洲和富饒東方之間的土地，他們截斷了這條商貿與旅行之路線，因此，必須找到通往印度、中國和日本的新航線。
3. Early Portuguese Sailors.—One way to the East seemed to be around the southern end of Africa—if it should turn out that there was a southern end to that Dark Continent. In 1487 Portuguese seamen sailed around the southern end of Africa and, returning home, called that point the Cape of Storms. But the King of Portugal thought that now there was good hope of reaching India by sea. So he changed the name to Cape of Good Hope. Ten years later a brave Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama, actually reached India by the Cape of Good Hope, and returned safely to Portugal (1497).
3．早期葡萄牙航海者——通往東方的一條道路似乎在非洲南端附近，如果在非洲存在這樣一個南端地帶的話。1487年，葡萄牙水手航行到非洲南端附近，他們返回葡萄牙，并把所看到的地方叫做“風暴角”，不過，葡萄牙國王認為從此有了靠海路通往印度的很大希望，因此，他將其名改為“好望角”。10年后，一位勇敢的葡萄牙航海者達伽馬真的通過好望角到達印度，并于1497年安全返回葡萄牙。
