Leif Ericson discovers America in the year 1000. In our early childhood many of us learned to repeat the lines: 列夫·埃里克森发现美洲（1000年）多数人在孩提时代就学会讲述下面的句子：

　　Columbus sailed the ocean blue, In fourteen hundred, ninety-two. 1492，哥伦布航海，海正蓝...

　　We thought that he was the first European to visit America. 我们认为哥伦布是第一个造访美洲的欧洲人，

　　But nearly five hundred years before his time Leif Ericson had discovered the New World. 但是，几乎远在此前500年列夫·埃里克森就发现了这个新世界。

　　He was a Northman and the son of Eric the Red. 列夫是北欧人，他是雷德·埃里克森的儿子。

　　Eric had already founded a colony in Greenland, and Leif sailed from Norway to make him a visit. This was in the year 1000. 埃里克森已经在格陵兰岛创建了一块殖民地，列夫从挪威出发开始其航海之旅去探望埃里克森，这一年是1000年。

　　Day after day Leif and his men were tossed about on the sea until they reached an unknown land where they found many grapevines. 日复一日，列夫和他的随从在大海中颠簸，后来他们来到了一个不知名的陆地，并发现许多葡萄藤。

　　They called it Vinland or Wineland. They then sailed northward and reached Greenland in safety. 他们把这块陆地叫做文兰德或“酒兰德”，随后他们向北航行安全抵达格陵兰岛。

　　Precisely where Vinland was is not known. But it certainly was part of North America. 确切地讲，没有人知道文兰德在哪里，但是，它肯定是北美的一部分。

　　Leif Ericson, the Northman, was therefore the real discoverer of America. 因此，北欧人列夫·埃里克森是美洲的真正发现者。

　　2.Early European Travelers. The people of Europe knew more of the lands of Asia than they knew of Vinland. 2．早期欧洲旅行者——欧洲人对亚洲大陆的了解比他们对文兰德了解要多。

　　For hundreds of years missionaries, traders, and travelers visited the Far East. 数百年来，欧洲的传教士、商人和旅行者不断造访远东，

　　They brought back to Europe silks and spices, and ornaments of gold and of silver. 他们带回丝绸、香料和金银饰物。

　　They told marvelous tales of rich lands and great princes. 他们讲述着关于富庶大陆和伟大君主的故事。

　　One of these travelers was a Venetian named Marco Polo. He told of Cathay or China and of Cipango or Japan. 其中一位旅行者是威尼斯人马可·波罗，他谈到中国和日本。

　　This last country was an island. Its king was so rich that even the floors of his palaces were of pure gold. 后者是一个岛国，它的国王如此富足，他甚至用纯金铺就宫殿。

　　Suddenly the Turks conquered the lands between Europe and the golden East. They put an end to this trading and traveling. 土耳其人突然征服了位于欧洲和富饶东方之间的土地，他们截断了这条商贸与旅行之路线，

　　New ways to India, China, and Japan must be found. 因此，必须找到通往印度、中国和日本的新航线。

　　3. Early Portuguese Sailors. One way to the East seemed to be around the southern end of Africa 3．早期葡萄牙航海者——通往东方的一条道路似乎在非洲南端附近

　　if it should turn out that there was a southern end to that Dark Continent. 如果在非洲存在这样一个南端地带的话。

　　In 1487 Portuguese seamen sailed around the southern end of Africa and, returning home, called that point the Cape of Storms. 1487年，葡萄牙水手航行到非洲南端附近，他们返回葡萄牙，并把所看到的地方叫做“风暴角”。

　　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. 不过，葡萄牙国王认为从此有了靠海路通往印度的很大希望，因此，他将其名改为“好望角”。

　　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). 10年后，一位勇敢的葡萄牙航海者达伽马真的通过好望角到达印度，并于1497年安全返回葡萄牙。