In the new world*
If anyone were asked "who discovered America", the inevitable answer would be "Christopher Columbus". And this is correct, though the actual purpose of his voyage, ordered and financed by Spanish monarchs, was to find a shorter way from Europe to Asia (or, to be more specific, to India) which was known to be rich in silk, spices and, last but not least, gold.
* The Discovery of America and the First British Attempts to Settle in the New World // O'Callaghan B. An Illustrated History of the USA. Longman, 1994.
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Unit three
Ten weeks after leaving Spain, on the morning of October 12, 1492, Columbus stepped ashore on the beach of a sandy island, which he named San Salvador - Holy Saviour.
He believed that he was close to the mainland of India, and for this reason he called the friendly brown-skinned people who greeted him Los Indios - Indians. Only recently have these first Americans been described more accurately as Native Americans or Amerindians.
Europeans would soon name the new continent America in honour of the man who was the first to describe it as a continent.
There are quite a few stories and legends about other adventurous seamen who had allegedly reached the New World long before Columbus, but only one story and one name has so far been confirmed by archeological evidence. This name is Leif Ericson, "Lucky Leaf", a Viking sailor from Iceland. Well, anyhow the question that arises is why the language of the largest and most economically powerful country in North America is English and not Spanish?
When did the first English-speaking people settle in the New World? Here is the most widely recognized answer:
It only happened in the sixteenth century AD, when England was ruled by a woman - Queen Elisabeth the First.
The reign of Elisabeth the First was a great time for great people. One of such people, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, was Sir Walter Raleigh, who was an adventurer, a traveller and a poet. In July 1585 he sent ships to find a land in the New World where English people might settle. He named the land they found Virginia in honour of Queen Elisabeth who was unmarried and was considered to be a virgin. Raleigh's attempt to found an English colony, however, was not successful, and in less than a year the first British settlers had to go back to England.
It was very important for Europeans, who wanted to have their own land in the New World, to establish settlements of their own people there. So Raleigh made another attempt in 1587, but it turned out to be still more unsuccessful than the previous one. The leader of the expedition, whose name was John White, had to go back to England for supplies. It so happened that he was only able to return to America three years later. He found the place where he had left the colonists completely deserted, and all his attempts to find them ended in failure. The colony was lost and went down in history as 'the lost colony'.
(to be continued)
Names
Christopher Columbus ['knstsfa ka'Lvmbas] San Salvador
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Los Indios (Spanish) [tos'indros] Leif Ericson* [li:f 'eriksan] Elisabeth the First [I'lizabaO дэ f3:st] William Shakespeare ['wiljam 'Jeikspia] Walter Raleigh ['wo:lt9 'ro:h] Virginia [va'dsinis] John White [d3Dn 'wait]
New Words
attempt [a'tempt] л попытка
specific [spi'siftk] adj определенный, точный, специфический, особый
to be more specific точнее говоря, syn. to be more exact
holy ['hauli] adj святой
The Saviour Спаситель (Иисус Христос)
save v 1) спасать, беречь, syn. rescue
2) копить, экономить (время, деньги ), syn. economize mainland [rneinland] n материк
friendly [frendli] adj дружелюбный, дружеский, дружественный adventurous [sd'ventfaras] ad/предприимчивый, опасный, рискованный
adventure л приключение, авантюра
adventurer л искатель приключений, авантюрист allegedly [a'lecfeidh] adv якобы, будто бы
allege vутверждать без основания, голословно
evidence f'evidans] л доказательство, улика, свидетельские показания Viking [Vaikin] л викинг rule v царствовать, править страной reign [rein] л царствование
contemporary [kan'tempsran] л, adj современник, современный virgin ['v3:d3in] л, ad/девственница, девственный colony ['kDtani] л колония turn out оказаться previous ['priivias] adj предыдущий supplies [ss'plaiz] n pi. (продовольственные) запасы
deserted [di'z3:tid] adj покинутый, оставленный, заброшенный failure [feilia] л неудача, провал
fail v потерпеть неудачу
fail to do sth не сделать (не выполнить) чего-либо go down in history as войти в историю как / под названием / именем
*
A Norwegian (?), who is thought to have sailed to North America
around the year 1000 and so is
considered by some to be the first European to discover the New
World.
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-.hree
Q
uestions
for discussion.
Was Christopher Columbus the first man to describe America as a continent?
When did Columbus finish his journey from Spain? How long did this journey take?
What was the purpose of Columbus's voyage?
What is known about Leif Ericson? Where was he from?
How is the reign of Elisabeth the First described in the text?
Do you know why America was called America?
Can you remember any other examples of great geographical disco veries?
Why do you think the first British attempts to settle in America ended in failure?
EXERCISES
1. Find English equivalents in the text for the following (you may think of better Russian translations).
Если бы кого-нибудь спросили...
...хотя действительной целью этого путешествия, заказанного и финансированного испанскими монархами...
...которая, как известно, была богата шелком, пряностями и, на конец, что не менее важно, золотом.
...в скором времени европейцы назовут новый континент Амери кой в честь человека, который впервые описал его как континент.
Существует довольно много историй и легенд о других морепла вателях - искателях приключений, которые якобы достигли Аме рики задолго до Колумба...
Это случилось только в XVI веке, когда Англией правила женщи на...
Время правления Елизаветы I в Англии было великим временем для великих людей.
...где англичане могли бы поселиться...
...и менее, чем через год...
...но она оказалась еще менее удачной, чем предыдущая.
Так случилось, что он смог обратно вернуться в Америку только через три года.
...все его попытки разыскать их закончились неудачей.
Колония перестала существовать и вошла в историю как «поте рянная колония».
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