Who Really ‘Discovered’ America?
誰真的「發現」了美洲大陸?

語音播放:

You probably learned in school that an Italian named Christopher Columbus discovered America for the Spanish on 1492. The first thing to note is that ‘America’ does not refer to the United States of America but to the ‘Americas’, or the Western Hemisphere, which includes North, Central, and South America. The first place where his ships touched land was actually an island of the Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea.
你可能在學校中學到是一位叫克里斯多福.哥倫布(Christopher Columbus)的義大利人在1492年為西班牙發現了美洲。第一件要注意的是「美洲」並不只和美利堅合眾國有關,而是和「美洲區」或西半球有關連,包含北美洲、中美洲與南美洲。哥倫布的船著陸的第一個地方實際上是在加勒比海的巴哈馬群島。

語音播放:

More importantly, Columbus was not the first European to step foot in the Americas. That title actually belongs to Leif Erikson of Iceland, the Viking who built a settlement on the east coast of modern-day Canada in around the year 1000. It is difficult to know how many people lived there and for how long, but the evidence that Viking houses and iron workshops existed there is undeniable.
更重要地是,哥倫布不是第一次踏上美洲的歐洲人。這頭銜實際上是屬於冰島人萊夫.艾里克森(Leif Erikson)所有,一名在西元一千年時,在今天的加拿大東側海岸建立殖民地的維京人。因年代久遠,已很難知道當時有少人口,但維京人的房舍及冶鐵工作坊的遺跡存在於此是無可否認的證據。

語音播放:

Even more importantly, the original inhabitants of the Americas, the Native Americans (also known First Nations, aboriginal people, or indigenous people) had been living in the Americas for thousands of years (15,000 years or more!) before Columbus arrived. So it is silly to say that Columbus ‘discovered’ America.
甚至更重要的,美國原住民,原生的美洲人(又稱做第一民族,原住民或是土著人民)在哥倫布抵達前就已住在美洲有上千年之久(一萬五千年或更久!)。所以說哥倫布「發現」了美洲是有點傻的事情。

Vocabulary 好字精選

1. hemisphere (n) one half of the world (usually N/S or E/W) (地球的)半球;半球體
88% of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere.
世上有88%的人口都居住在北半球。

2. modern-day (adj) relating to modern times 現代的、當代的、今日的
This playwright is so good that some people have called her a modern-day Shakespeare. 
這位劇作家非常出色,以至於有些人稱她為現代莎士比亞。

3. iron (n) a metal 鐵;(食物中所含的)鐵質
Shelly does most of her cooking with an iron pan.
Shelly大部分的餐點都用鐵製平底鍋烹煮。

4. undeniable (adj) true, impossible to deny 無可否認的
It is undeniable that Albert is the most talented player on the team.
Albert是團隊中最有天份的運動員,這是無可否認的。

5. inhabitant (n) a person who lives somewhere (某地區的)居民,居住者
The inhabitants of this region are mostly Native Americans.
此區域的居民大部分是美洲原住民。

6. indigenous (adj) native, or original person/plant/animal 土產的;土著的;本地的
This cactus is indigenous to this region. 
這株仙人掌是此地區的原生植物。

Phrases and Sentence Patterns 句型解析

1. step foot in (phr) to stand on or arrive/go to a place  踏進
Shelly says she would never step foot in a McDonalds.  
Shelly說她再也不會踏進麥當勞一步。

2. be + ADJ to V (sentence pattern) 
It is really easy to see that you haven’t taken a shower for a while.
要察覺你已有一陣子未梳洗是一件很容易的事情。

3. had been + V-ING (grammar tense) something was happening up to a specified point in the past
Nick had been researching different wines for weeks before he finally decided to buy that one.
Nick在決定購買哪一隻紅酒前,已經做了好幾個禮拜的研究了。

Exercise 課後練習題

1. Canada, Mexico, and Brazil are in the Western ____________.
加拿大、墨西哥與巴西都位於西半球。

2. _______________ scientists can make use of far more advanced technology that ancient ones could.
現代科學家可以發明出比古代科學家更加進步的科技。

3. ______________ is commonly used for construction because it is a strong and hard metal.
鐵是常用於建築的材料,因為他是強壯且質地硬實的金屬。

4. That many animal species are dying out is an ______________ truth.
許多生物品種正在滅絕中,是一件無可否認的事實。

5. Many of the _____________ of this area have been complaining about the poor quality of the roads.
有許多此地區的原住戶們正在抱怨道路的品質不良。

6. The ______________ people of Australia have been living there for 65,000 to 75,000 years, making them the oldest continuous culture in the world.
澳洲的原住民們已住在這裡有六萬五千年至七萬五千年之久,他們是世上最古老的延續性文化。

7. Have you ever _______________ a haunted house?
你有踏進過鬼屋裡嗎?

8. It is impossible ____________ hear what the man on the hill is saying.
要從這裡聽到山坡上的那名男人說話,是不可能的事。

9. The mouse ____________ living in our house for months before we finally caught it.
我們抓到這隻老鼠之前,牠已經住在我們的房子裡長達數個月了。

解答:
1. Hemisphere
2. Modern-day
3. Iron
4. undeniable
5. inhabitants
6. indigenous
7. stepped foot in
8. to
9. had been

Comprehension Questions 閱讀理解

1. According to the article, who discovered the Western Hemisphere?
a. Christopher Columbus.
b. Leif Erikson.
c. The indigenous people.
d. We don’t really know for sure.

2. What area did Christopher Columbus actually set foot in on his first trip to the Americas?
a. Canada.
b. The USA.
c. The Bahamas.
d. South America.

解答:
1. 根據這篇文章內容,以下何人發現西半球?
a. Christopher Columbus(克里斯多福.哥倫布)
b. Leif Erikson(萊夫.艾里克森)
c. 原住民
d. 我們無法確定。

2. 事實上,以下何處是Christopher Columbus(克里斯多福.哥倫布)踏上美洲的第一步?
a. 加拿大
b. 美利堅合眾國
c. 巴哈馬
d. 南美洲

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