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Columbus Day （哥伦布纪念日）
[ 2003-10-09 01:00 ]
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is the day named for the famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, who was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He discovered land on October 12, 1492, in what was called the “New World.” In the United States the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
At that time in history, people in Europe liked to have goods that came from countries in the east such as Japan, Indonesia, India, and China. They called this part of the world, the Indies. The goods they wanted to buy were such things as tea, spices, and silk. Since the overland route was very long and difficult, people wondered if it would be possible to reach these countries by travelling west on the sea. It was the dream of Columbus to find a sea route to the Indies. Since most intelligent people at that time believed that the world was round, Columbus believed that by sailing west, he would eventually reach the Indies. In his personal journal he wrote: “It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel his hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail (west) from here to the (East) Indies. All who heard of my project laughed…There is no question that the inspiration was from (God), because he comforted me with…inspiration from the Holy Scriptures (Bible).”
Columbus also believed that God had called him to tell people in these distant lands about God’s love for them. His name Christopher means “Christ-bearer.”
Columbus tried to convince the leaders of Portugal, England, and Spain to finance his voyage to the Indies. Finally after much time and effort, the King and Queen of Spain agreed to give him money for the journey.
He sailed from Spain on August 3, 1492, in three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. On October 12, 1492, they marched ashore on an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador (Holy Savior). Columbus knelt down on the ground and kissed the beach. He planted a cross in honor of the Christian faith and then he prayed:
“O Lord Almighty and everlasting God, by your Holy Word you have created the heaven and the earth, and the sea…(You) have (used) us, your humble servants, that your Holy Name may be proclaimed in this part of the earth.”
Native people welcomed him. Because Columbus thought he might have reached India, he called these people “Indians.” Columbus made three more voyages and was followed by other explorers.
Although Columbus is considered the person who discovered America, this country is not named for him. It is named for another Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who claimed he discovered America in 1497. But many cities, rivers, streets, and other sites are named for Columbus.
Did Columbus Really Discover America?*
Many would say that Columbus did not discover America, because people had lived here for thousands of years.
However, in every important respect, he did discover America. This does not mean that no human eye had been cast on America before Columbus arrived. It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world.
The result, ultimately, was the United States of America. It was Columbus's discovery for Western Europe that led to the influx of ideas and people on which this nation was founded and on which it still
rests.
The opening of America brought the ideas and achievements of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, and the thousands of thinkers, writers, and inventors who followed.
Prior to 1492, what is now the United States was sparsely inhabited, unused, and undeveloped. The inhabitants were primarily hunter/gatherers, wandering across the land, living from hand to mouth and from day to day. There was virtually no change, no growth for thousands of years.
With rare exception, life was brutal and short: there was no wheel, no written language, no division of labor, little agriculture and scant permanent settlement. While Western culture certainly brought disease and other problems for the Indians, it also brought enormous, undreamed-of benefits.
* Adapted from an article by Michael S. Berliner, Ph.D., executive director of The Ayn Rand Institute. The article originally appeared in the print version of TIA, September 1992.
Zheng He (1371-1435 AD), a eunuch in the Ming dynasty, built a total of 1622 ships and made at least 7 major excursions between 1405 AD and 1430 AD, reaching Somalia and probably Europe (France, Holland and Portugal). On each trip, he led a troop of 27,800 people on more than 300 ships. On each trip, 62 major ships of this fleet were employed, each about 475 ft long and 193 ft wide, dwarfing Columbus' Santa Maria (75 ft x 25 ft) more than 6-fold.
The British submarine engineer and historian Gavin Menzies gave an astounding seminar on March 15, 2002 to the Royal Geographical Society in London. He provided evidence to support his theory that Zheng He beat Columbus by more than 70 years in discovering America. The details are presented in his book, “1421, The Year China Discovered America.”
By: Siu-Leung Lee, PhD March 16, 2002
Also see:
Remember Zheng He [Cheng Ho]
!
Columbus sailed to America on the 85-foot Santa Maria in 1492. Zheng He sailed from China to many places throughout the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, Taiwan, Persian Gulf and distant Africa in seven epic voyages from 1405 to 1433, some 80 years before Columbus's voyages.
Zheng He’s flag "treasure ship" was 400 feet long - much larger than Columbus's. In the drawing below, the two flagships are superimposed to give a clear idea of the relative size of these two ships.
Vocabulary
Overland: Travel across land instead of by sea.
Journal: A written record of the day’s events or one’s thoughts and feelings.
Inspiration: Someone or something that makes a person work hard or gives them new ideas. Voyage: A journey by ship. Ultimately: Finally; at last. Influx:
Flowing in.
Sparsely: Thinly scattered.
Virtually: Essentially; in actual fact. Brutal: Scant: Epic:【columbus,day】
Cruel; fierce. Limited; scarce.
Grand; of historical importance.
Superimpose: To lay one over the other. Eunuch: A male who has had his sexual
organs removed. Excursions: Expedition; outing. Submarine: A ship that travels under water.
Astounding: Amazing; surprising.
智课网IELTS备考资料
雅思口语素材：Columbus Day
摘要： 为了帮助考生们更好地复习雅思考试，小马过河网雅思频道为各位考生整理了雅思口语素材：Columbus Day(哥伦布纪念日)，供考生们参考使用，更多雅思口语辅导请继续关注小马过河网雅思频道。
下面 小马 过河网 雅思 频道为大家整理了 雅思口语 素材：Columbus Day(哥伦布纪念日)，供考生们参考，以下是详细内容。
Columbus Day
Second Monday in October
Today we take for granted that the world is round. In the fifteenth century, however, most people believed the world was flat. They thought that monsters or a trip over the edge of the earth waited for anybody who sailed outside the limits of known territory. People laughed at or jailed others who dared think that the world was in the shape of a globe.
There were educated persons, however, who reasoned that the world must be round. An Italian named Christopher Columbus was bold enough to push this notion, and ask for money to explore the seas, and find what he thought would be the other hemisphere of the earth. Portugal, Italy and England refused to support such a venture.
At that time, spice merchants were looking for an easier route to Asia. They travelled south past Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope(好望角), and continued eastward. Christopher Columbus convinced Queen Isabella of Spain that it would be easier to sail directly west and find the rich treasures of India and Asia. A new route would be found, he said, and possible new lands for Spain.
Columbus first asked Queen Isabella for help in 1486, but it was years before she agreed provided(如果) that he conquer some of the islands and mainland for Spain. Columbus would also be given the title of "Admiral of All the Ocean Seas," and receive one-tenth of the riches that came from any of his discoveries.
Finally, on August 3, 1492, he and ninety men set sail on the flagship(旗舰) Santa Maria. Two other ships, the Nina and the Pinta, came with him. They sailed west. Three long months went by. His men became tired and sick, and
threatened to turn the ships back. Columbus encouraged them, certain that they would find the spice trail to the East. On October 11th, ten o'clock at night, Columbus saw a light. The Pinta kept sailing, and reported that the light was, in fact, land. The next morning at dawn they landed.
Christopher Columbus and his crew had expected to see people native to India, or be taken to see the great leader Khan(可汗). They called the first people they saw "Indians." They had gone ashore in their best clothes, knelt and【columbus,day】
praised God for arriving safely. From the "Indians" they learned that the island was called Guanahani. Columbus
christened(命名) it San Salvador(圣萨尔瓦多) and claimed it immediately for Spain. When they landed on the island that is now Cuba, they thought they were in Japan. After three subsequent voyages, Columbus was still unenlightened. He died a rich and famous man, but he never knew that he discovered lands that few people had imagined were there.
Columbus had stopped at what are now the Caribbean Islands(加勒比海群岛), either Watling Island, Grand Turk Island, or Samana Cay. In 1926, Watling Island was renamed San Salvador and acknowledged as the first land in the New World. Recently, however, some people have begun to dispute the claim. Three men from Miami, Florida have started a movement to recognize Conception Island as the one that Columbus and his men first sighted and landed on. The controversy has not yet been resolve.
Few celebrations marked the discovery until hundreds of years later. The continent was not even named after Columbus, but an Italian explorer named Amerigo Vespucci. In 1792, a ceremony was held in New York honoring Columbus, and a monument was dedicated to him. Soon after that, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia and became the capital of the United States. In 1892, a statue of Columbus was raised at the beginning of Columbus Avenue in New York City. At the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago that year, replicas(复制品) of Columbus's three ships were displayed.
Americans might not have a Columbus Day if Christopher Columbus had not been born in Italy. Out of pride for their native son, the Italian population of New York City organised the first celebration of the discovery of America on
October 12, 1866. The next year, more Italian organisations in other cities held banquets, parades and dances on that date. In 1869, when Italians of San Francisco celebrated October 12, they called it Columbus Day.
In 1905, Colorado became the first state to observe a Columbus Day. Over the next few decades other states
followed. In 1937, then President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12 as Columbus Day. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October.
Although it is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus was the first European to have discovered the New World of the Americas, there is still some controversy over this claim. Some researchers and proponents of other explorers attribute the first sightings to the early Scandinavian Vikings(北欧海盗) or the voyages of Irish
missionaries(传教士) which predate(早于) the Columbus visit in 1492. The controversy may never be fully resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but 1992 marked the 500th anniversary of the Columbus discovery.
以上就是 小马过河 网雅思频道为大家整理的雅思口语素材：Columbus Day(哥伦布纪念日)，非常实用。更多资讯、资料尽在小马过河网雅思频道。最后，小马过河网雅思频道预祝大家在 雅思考试 中取得好成绩!
Should American Celebrate The Columbus Day?【columbus,day】
Columbus Day, which is on the second Monday of October, remembers Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. This holiday is controversial because the European settlement in the Americas led to the demise of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples.
Some Americans celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of their country with church services and other activities. On the other hand, some Americans oppose to celebrate this day, and appeal to abolish it. So, I ‘m going to talk about should Americans celebrate or abolish Columbus Day?
There are different opinions among people as to the Columbus Day.Some people suggest that Columbus Day should not be celebrated because he wasn't the one who found America. There were already people(Native Americans.) living there. Plus the only thing that Columbus did was he caused death and destruction. He was a slaver and a genocide. He killed a tone of Native Americans to get what he wanted. He also destroyed a lot of land on the way. Nowadays, Americans celebrate Columbus Day is unfired to the Native Americans
whose motherland was destroyed by Columbus in that old time. We should recall the past event in deep feeling instead of parade and celebrate it.
On the other hand. Some of Americans think the Columbus Day should celebrate as usual. Firstly, they think that Columbus Day means much more than the discovery of America. It is more of a symbolic holiday - one that celebrates what was to come: democracy, freedom, the United States. Secondly, Although Columbus did not discover America, he did bring it into the limelight, the first to do so. The arrival of Columbus brought forth the beginning of recorded history in the Americas. This is an achievement worth celebrating. Besides, the arrival of Columbus also brings to light the achievements reached during the Renaissance. These ideas include innovations in agriculture, in medicine, in art, in music, in religion. And, most importantly, govenrment. What’s more, the US has also traditionally admired Columbus - the proof is in the facts. Look at all the cities named after him - Columbus, Ohio for example.
As far as I can see, Americans should celebrate Columbus Day. Not only because of the Columbus Day became a federal holiday in all 50 states after Congress passed a law, but also
because it is an indication that a new country’s birth.
In August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history.
Up to now, over 60 years have passed since this event. But the controversy about this atomic bombings was never stopped. Some people think the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be remembered as a war crime,but there also have people think this is a necessary evil. As far as I can see, the former opinion holds more weight. To be honest, as a chinese people, I still have many prejudices on Japan. During Word War 2, millions of Janpens came to China because of their greed. They hoped to invade China and caused 30 millions of Chinese died at least.So, you may consider that I will be happy to see American bombed those places, it turned out just the opposite, I oppose it because I am a chinese. Because I am a chinese people, I know the feeling to lose families, I know the result after the war and the feeling of innocent people. Anyway, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be remembered as a war crime.
Here I list some reason to prove my opinions that atomic bombs were not justified. First of all, they were on the losing side anyways, they would have surrendered before it. Second, American didn't have to drop it on Japan itself, they could've dropped it near the harbor and scared them into surrendering once they saw the true power of the bomb. Third, if Americans had just modified the Potsdam Proclamation(A proclamation that demanded that the Japanese surrendered unconditionally without any say) so that they could've agreed to something. Fourth, many Japanese were killed, yes, if Americans hadn't dropped it then both sides would have had casualties, but the area they bombed had six civilians for every soldier. More civilians were killed than soldiers in both of those bombings. Fifth, people around the area today still have radiation poisoning and cancer and many other illnesses because of the bomb.
From the above, it is unnecessary for Americans to bomb the Japen.It seems that the US made a big experiment in Japan to test the quality of the atomic bomb. On the other hand, it is looks like a kind of show off to the Soviet Union even the whole word.
Nowadays, Peace and development are the themes in the
context of the contemporary era.
一、整体解读
试卷紧扣教材和考试说明，从考生熟悉的基础知识入手，多角度、多层次地考查了学生的数学理性思维能力及对数学本质的理解能力，立足基础，先易后难，难易适中，强调应用，不偏不怪，达到了“考基础、考能力、考素质”的目标。试卷所涉及的知识内容都在考试大纲的范围内，几乎覆盖了高中所学知识的全部重要内容，体现了“重点知识重点考查”的原则。
1．回归教材，注重基础
试卷遵循了考查基础知识为主体的原则，尤其是考试说明中的大部分知识点均有涉及，其中应用题与抗战胜利70周年为背景，把爱国主义教育渗透到试题当中，使学生感受到了数学的育才价值，所有这些题目的设计都回归教材和中学教学实际，操作性强。
2．适当设置题目难度与区分度
选择题第12题和填空题第16题以及解答题的第21题，都是综合性问题，难度较大，学生不仅要有较强的分析问题和解决问题的能力，以及扎实深厚的数学基本功，而且还要掌握必须的数学思想与方法，否则在有限的时间内，很难完成。
3．布局合理，考查全面，着重数学方法和数学思想的考察
在选择题，填空题，解答题和三选一问题中，试卷均对高中数学中的重点内容进行了反复考查。包括函数，三角函数，数列、立体几何、概率统计、解析几何、导数等几大版块问题。这些问题都是以知识为载体，立意于能力，让数学思想方法和数学思维方式贯穿于整个试题的解答过程之中。
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