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兰登《STEP into READING》第3级 Christopher Columbus 译文分享
It is August 3, 1492.
A new day begins in a busy Spanish harbor.
Three ships—the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria--- are starting out to sea.
那是1492年的8月3日
在西班牙一个繁忙的港口
三艘船——尼娜，平塔和圣玛利亚号——正准备起航
Someday these ships will be famous. People will know their names five hundred years later. But the men on board cannot even imagine that.
They are afraid of getting lost. The ocean is a great mystery.
How big is it? How long will it take to cross it? What is on the other side? Will they ever get back to Spain?
将来这些船会变得十分有名。五百年后他们的名字将会人尽皆知。但那时候船上的人们还无法想象这些
他们仍在担心会在海上迷路，大海对于他们仍是一个巨大的谜
海有多大？需要航行多久才能穿过这片海到达彼岸？对岸是什么？他们还能回到西班牙吗？
Christopher Columbus is not afraid of getting lost.
He is the captain of the Santa Maria and the leader of the voyage.
Columbus knows a lot about the sea.
He is a navigator and a mapmaker. Now he dreams of becoming an explorer,too.
Christopher Columbus却不担心在海上迷路
他是圣玛利亚号的船长，是这次航行的领队
哥伦布（Columbus）有着丰富的航海知识，
他是一位航海家，也是一位制图员。现在他梦想着成为一名探险家
The rulers of Spain---Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand---believe in Columbus. They are paying for his trip.
Columbus promises to find a new route from Spain to the Far East.
India, China, Japan---the Indies! Lands of gold and valuable spices!
If he succeeds, Spain will be rich.
西班牙的统治者——Isabella女王和Ferdinand国王——相信Columbus
他们资助了他这次的旅行
哥伦布在他们面前保证，他会找到一条从西班牙到东方的新路线
印度，中国，日本——印度群岛！
富产黄金与香料的土地！
一旦他成功，西班牙就会变得十分富有
Columbus knows the world is round. Why not travel to the Far East by sailing west?
But the world is bigger than Columbus thinks. And there is something else Columbus doesn’t know.
Two huge continents lie in his way. Nobody in Europe knows they are there.
哥伦布知道世界是圆的。那么，向西方航行，终有一天也可以到达东方
但是这个世界比哥伦布了解的还要大
还有一些事是他所不知道的：两块硕大的大陆将会挡住他的去路
在欧洲，没有人知道这两块大陆的存在
Soon the sailors cannot see land. Now they are really afraid.
What if the wind stops blowing? The ships have no motors.
What if there is a storm? The ships are small and made only of wood.
What if they run out of food?They cannot go back for more.
What if they are in danger? They cannot radio for help.
很快水手们便看不见陆地了，这时候他们更害怕了
如果风停了怎么办？他们的船可没有马达
如果起风暴了怎么办？他们的船很小，而且是木制的
如果食物吃完了怎么办？他们可没法回去多装一些
They have been at sea for almost two whole months.Where is the land Columbus promised?
Columbus points to the birds flying overhead. He points to the leafy branches floating in the water. Land must be nearby.
他们已经在海上航行了近两个月，哥伦布保证的陆地在哪儿？
哥伦布指着头顶飞行的鸟儿，他指着水中漂浮的枝条，陆地就要到了
More days go by. The sailors complain loudly.
Who cares about finding a new route to the Indies? They just want to stay alive.
Columbus must turn back now! If he does not, they will throw him overboard!
Columbus begs them to wait. Just three more days, he said.
更多日子过去了，水手们的抱怨声越来越响
谁在乎能不能找到一条到东方的新路线啊？他们只想活着回去
哥伦布必须马上掉头！如果他不照做的话，他们就把他扔到海里去！
哥伦布请他们再等一等，就等三天，他说
The first night goes by. On the second night, the lookout on the pinta sees something ahead. The moonlight is reflecting off a sandy beach.
“Land! Land!” he shouts.
The message is sent from ship to ship.
It is October 12, 1492.
第一天晚上过去了。第二天晚上，平塔号上的观察员发现前方似乎有什么东西
一片沙滩反射着月光，在前方闪闪发光
“陆地！陆地！”他大叫道
这个消息从一艘船传到了另一艘
那天是1492年的10月12日
As the sun rises, everyone can see an island.
This must be the Far East!
Three boats go ashore. The sailors are so happy to be on land, they kiss the sand.
太阳升起后，船上的每个人都看到了前方的岛屿
那一定就是东方！
三艘船靠岸了，水手们登上陆地后十分激动，他们亲吻着土地
There are people on the island. Columbus calls them Indians because he thinks he has reaches the Indies.
He names the island San Salvador. He says it now belongs to Spain.
But the island really belongs to the people who live there.
The Indians have never seen men with swords. Why have they come? What will they do?
这个岛上有一些原住民。哥伦布叫他们印第安人，因为他认为他到达的就是印度群岛
他把这个岛叫做圣萨尔瓦多，宣布这个岛已归西班牙所有
但这个岛真正属于岛上的原住民
印第安人从未见过带着剑的人们，他们为什么来这儿？他们想干什么？
Columbus gives the Indians shiny beads and tiny bells. The Indians give Columbus soft, cool cloth and colorful birds.
People in Europe do not have cotton or parrots.
The Indians are wearing gold rings.
Columbus asks questions with his hands. Where does the gold come from? The Indians do not understand.
哥伦布送给印第安人闪亮的珠子和小巧的铃铛
印第安人送给哥伦布柔软、凉爽的布料和彩色的鸟儿
欧洲人可没有棉布和鹦鹉
印第安人戴着金指环
哥伦布打着手势想与他们对话，你们的金子是从哪儿来的？但是印第安人不能理解
Columbus sails further west to look for gold.
He visits other islands. He meets more Indians. Most are helpful and friendly.
They live in grass houses.They sleep in rope beds called hammocks. They travel in long boats called canoes.
Columbus sees many new things. But where is the gold?
哥伦布又向西航行了许久，想找到金子
他登上了其他岛屿，遇见了更多的印第安人，大部分印第安人都十分友好
他们住在草房子里，睡在用绳子编成的床上，他们称它为吊床；用长长的船（他们称之独木舟）来航行
哥伦布见识了许多新事物。但是，金子到底在哪儿？
Early one morning a strong wind drives the Santa Maria aground. The ship is wrecked!
Columbus moves to the Nina.But there is not enough room for everyone on the tiny ship.
Many sailors must stay behind on the island.
一天早上，一阵强风使圣玛利亚号搁浅了，圣玛利亚号因此毁坏了
哥伦布（包括圣玛利亚号上的船员）转移到了尼娜号上
这样一来，这艘小船便容不下所有人了，许多水手被留在了岛上
Soon the Nina and the Pinta are ready to sail back to Spain.
The ships are already loaded with many new kind of food---corn, potatoes, peanuts, papayas, avocados.
Columbus has also forced six Indians to come with him.
People in Spain have never seen Indians.
不久后，尼娜号和平塔号便准备驶回西班牙了
船上载满了许多新的食物——玉米，土豆，花生，番木瓜，鳄梨
哥伦布还要求六个印第安人与他一起回国
西班牙人还从未见过印第安人呢
On the way home the weather changes.
Day after day fierce winds batter the ships. Huge waves wash over the decks.
Even Columbus is afraid of sinking.
返程时天气恶劣了许多
日复一日猛烈的风冲击着船只，巨大的海浪涌到了甲板上
这回连哥伦布都开始担心了
On March 15, 1493, Columbus finally reaches Spain.
The voyage has lasted thirty-two weeks!
Columbus rides on a mule to visit the king and queen.
Everywhere along the way people gather to cheer him and to see what he has brought back.
1493年的3月15日，哥伦布终于抵达了西班牙
整场航行持续了长达32个星期！
哥伦布骑着骡子去见国王和女王
路两旁挤满了欢呼的人群，人们都想看看他带回了些什么
Columbus is a hero.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella listen to his stories.They call him “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.”
They believe he has found a new route to the Indies. They have no idea that San Salvador and the other islands he visited are not part of the Indies at all!
哥伦布成为了一个英雄
Ferdinand国王和Isabella女王听了他的故事，他们叫他“海洋上将”
他们相信哥伦布的确找到了通往印度群岛的新路线，丝毫没有怀疑圣萨尔瓦多以及哥伦布登上的其他岛屿根本不是印度群岛的一部分（事实上还远着呢）！
For the rest of his life, Columbus never knows how truly great his discovery is.
He has really found a new world---a world that no one in Europe knew about. It is called America!
一直到去世，哥伦布也不知道他的发现是多么伟大
他发现了一个新世界——一个欧洲人都不知道它存在的世界。这个世界叫做美洲！
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