美国小学英语教材3:第176课 哥伦布和他的儿子迭戈(2)

 I have heard, too, that one of these friars, named Perez, is a friend of Isabella, Queen of Spain. 我还听说，这些修士中有一位名叫佩雷斯的人，是西班牙王后伊莎贝拉的朋友。

He might ask her to let me have ships for my voyage. 他可以请求王后为我的航行准备船只。

So Columbus — for that was the name of Diego's father — knocked at the convent door. 于是，哥伦布，也就是迭戈的父亲，敲响了修道院的大门。

The friar who opened it spoke¹ kindly² to the thoughtful looking man and his bright-faced boy and invited them to come in and rest. 开门的修士对这位看起来很有思想的人和他聪明伶俐的孩子说话很和善，他邀请他们进来休息。

Then, after the travelers had been given something to eat and drink, the friars gathered around Columbus to hear his story. 接着，在两位旅行者吃喝之后，修士们便聚在了哥伦布的身边，听他讲他的事情。

In those days almost everyone except Columbus thought that the earth was flat. 那个时候，除了哥伦布外，几乎其他所有人都认为地球是平的。

When he tried to get ships for a long voyage to prove that the earth is round, 当他试图得到船只进行远洋航行来证明地球是圆的时，

men laughed at him and were not willing to give him money. 人们嘲笑他，不愿意资助他。

Columbus told the eager friars how long he had tried to get help. 哥伦布告诉这些渴望知识的修士他曾经花了多长时间来努力寻求帮助。

Then, spreading out a map upon the table, he pointed³ to India, far away to the east. 接着，他在桌子上展开了地图，指出遥远东方的印度。

If I can only get ships to sail in, he said, "I will prove that the world is round. 他说：只要我能找到船只航行到那里，我就能证明地球是圆的了。

For I will sail westward⁴ over the ocean. 因为我要向西穿过大洋。

When I have sailed a long time, I shall come to India on the other side of the world. 航行很长一段时间后，我就会到达地球另一端的印度。

Then we shall not need to go to India by the slow journeys that take so long by land." 那样，我们就不必通过漫长的陆地旅行到达印度了。

 

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。