零起点美语-Who Discovered America?

Who Discovered America?

Did the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus really discover America? It's believed that travelers from China got there first. They crossed the Pacific to Mexico in the fifth century. In fact, Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492 and never got to North America. America was not even named after Christopher Columbus. It was named after Amerigo Vespucci, who landed in America in the late fifteenth century.

　　真的是意大利探险家克里斯多弗‧哥伦布发现美洲的吗？一般相信来自中国的旅行者最先到达那里。他们在第五世纪时即横渡太平洋到了墨西哥。事实上, 哥伦布在1492年登陆巴哈马群岛, 但却未曾到达北美洲。美洲甚至不是以克里斯多弗‧哥伦布的名字命名的。它是以在15世纪末登陆美洲的亚美利哥‧维斯浦奇的名字命名的。