Famous Explorers Whose Discoveries Changed the World改变世界的著名探险家

The story of human exploration is as old as the story of civilization， and many of the stories of these explorers have become legends over the centuries. From Marco Polo， Zheng He to Christopher Columbus， let’s take a look at these celebrated explorers who made groundbreaking discoveries across the globe.

人類探险的历史与人类文明发展的历史一样久，几个世纪以来，这些探险家的许多故事已经成为传奇。从马可·波罗、郑和到克里斯托弗·哥伦布，让我们来了解世界各地有开创性发现的著名探险家。

Marco Polo （1254—1324）

马可·波罗

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo， which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Polo traveled extensively with his family， journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295， remaining in China for 17 of those years.

So much of what he claimed to have seen has been verified by researchers， academics and other explorers. Polo’s story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

马可·波罗是一位威尼斯探险家，以《马可·波罗游记》著称，这本书描写了他东行亚洲的见闻。自1271年至1295年，马可·波罗和家人从欧洲一路行至亚洲，游历各地，其中有17年在中国居留。

研究人员、学者和其他探险家证实了马可·波罗著述中自称看到的很多事物。他的著述激励了无数探险家开启探索世界之旅。

Zheng He （1371—1433）

郑和

Known as the three-jeweled eunuch Admiral， Zheng He was China’s greatest explorer. Commanding the world’s mightiest fleet of 300 ships and as many as 30，000 troops， Admiral Zheng made 7 epic voyages to southeast Asia， south Asia， the Middle East and Africa between 1405 and 1433. The voyages helped spread China’s culture and influence throughout southeast Asia， Arabia， and eastern Africa.

郑和是中国最伟大的探险家，世称“三宝太监”海军统帅。1405年到1433年间，郑和率领当时世界上最强大的舰队——海船300艘，水师人数多达3万——完成了七下西洋的航海壮举，航行至东南亚、南亚、中东和非洲。这七次远航在东南亚、阿拉伯和东非传播了中国文化，增强了中国在这些地区的影响力。

Christopher Columbus （1451—1506）

克里斯托弗·哥伦布

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator. Columbus first went to sea as a teenager， participating in several trading voyages in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. One such voyage， to the island of Khios， in modern-day Greece， brought him the closest he would ever come to Asia.

Under the patronage of the Spanish Crown， Columbus made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean between 1492 and 1502， successfully reaching the Americas. Columbus’ voyages brought about the first sustained contact between Europe and the Americas， ushering in a great era of European exploration and colonization of overseas territories that lasted for centuries and had an immeasurable impact on the historical development of the modern western world.

克里斯托弗·哥伦布是意大利探险家、航海家，他在十几岁时第一次出海，参与了几次在地中海和爱琴海的贸易航行，其中有一次到了希俄斯岛（今希腊），这是他离亚洲最近的一次。

在西班牙王室的赞助下，哥伦布于1492年到1502年间四次横渡大西洋，成功抵达美洲。哥伦布的数次远航促使欧洲与美洲第一次有了持续的接触，开辟了延续几个世纪的欧洲探险和殖民海外侵略、领土扩张的大时代，对现代西方世界的历史发展有着无可估量的影响。

Amerigo Vespucci （1454—1512）

阿美利哥·韦斯普奇

America was named after Amerigo Vespucci， a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World.

On May 10， 1497， Vespucci embarked on his first voyage， departing from Cadiz with a fleet of Spanish ships. In May 1499， sailing under the Spanish flag， Vespucci embarked on his next expedition， as a navigator under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda. Crossing the equator， they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana. On his third and most successful voyage， he discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata. Believing he had discovered a new continent， he called South America the New World. In 1507， America was named after him.

美洲是以佛罗伦萨航海家、探险家阿美利哥·韦斯普奇的名字命名的，他在探索新大陆的过程中发挥了重要作用。

1497年5月10日，韦斯普奇随一支西班牙船队驶离加的斯，开始了他的第一次航行。1499年5月，韦斯普奇在西班牙人阿隆索·德·奥赫达率领的探险队担任领航员，又一次启航。他们穿过赤道，到了如今的圭亚那海岸。韦斯普奇第三次航行是最成功的一次，发现了如今的里约热内卢和拉普拉塔河。他认为自己发现了一片新大陆，便把南美洲命名为New World（新世界）。1507年，美洲以他的名字命名。

Ferdinand Magellan （1480—1521）

斐迪南·麦哲伦

The Portuguese explorer Magellan， who participated in Almeida’s expedition and gained experience in navigation， guessed that the east side of the sea was America and believed that the earth was round. So he organized a fleet of ships and prepared to sail around the world. He later crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans， traveled through America and reached Asia， and played a pioneering role in the navigation of future generations. Toward the end of his travels， he died in the Philippines.

Magellan was the first person to sail across the Pacific Ocean from east to west. His circumnavigation of the globe proved in practice that the earth is a round body. But he also contributed to colonial overseas aggression and territorial expansion.

葡萄牙探险家麦哲伦参加阿尔梅达的远征队，积累了航海经验。他猜测大海东边是美洲，认为地球是圆的，于是组织船队，准备环球航行。后来，他横渡大西洋、太平洋，穿越美洲，最后抵达亚洲，为后人的航海事业起到了开路先锋的作用。航行快结束时，麦哲伦死于菲律宾。

麦哲伦是从东向西跨太平洋航行的第一人。他的环球航行，用实践证明了地球是一个球体；但他也助推了殖民海外侵略和领土扩张。

James Cook （1728—1779）

詹姆斯·库克

James Cook was a naval captain， navigator and explorer. After serving as an apprentice， Cook eventually joined the British Navy and， at age 29， was promoted to ship’s master. In 1768， he took command of the first scientific expedition to the Pacific.

In 1770， on his ship the HMB Endeavour， Cook charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. This area has since been credited as one of the world’s most dangerous areas to navigate. He later disproved the existence of Terra Australis， a fabled southern continent. Cook’s voyages provided the first accurate map of the Pacific and helped guide generations of explorers.

詹姆斯·庫克是一位海军上校、航海家和探险家。完成见习学徒训练后，库克最终加入英国海军，29岁时晋升船长。1768年，他率领远航队第一次南下太平洋进行科学考察。

1770年，库克在“奋进”号上绘制了新西兰和澳大利亚大堡礁的海图。从那时起，该地区被认为是世界上最危险的航行区域之一。库克后来还指出传说中的“南方大陆”并不存在，他还绘制出首张精准的太平洋海图。库克的几次远航给数代探险家指引了方向。

Word Bank

legend /'ledʒənd/ n. 传说；传奇故事

voyage /'vɔɪɪdʒ/ n. 航行

embark /ɪm'bɑːk/ v. 上船；装船

promote /prə'məʊt/ v. 提升；晋升

She worked hard and was soon promoted.