Unit2 Reading 一Trade curiosity foundation civilisation inspire distant merchant contact dynasty description ivory shell Greece Egypt prisoner escape wander court costal command renew royal giraffe generous elephant prosper expedition economic opportunity Silk Road sea route Swahili kingdom bronze statue Record of My Travels•v. 成功 , 兴隆 , 昌盛 , ( 指上帝 ) 使成功 , 使昌隆 , 繁荣n. 远征 , 探险队 , 迅速 , 派遣《经行记》In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, that is, early in the 15th century, China was, in economic progress, an advanced country in the world. At the orders of the then emperor, Cheng Zu, whose name was Zhu Di, a vast fleet set sail in July, 1405 from Liujia Harbour near Suzhou on a distant voyage. The purpose was to establish relations with foreign countries, to expand trade contacts and to look for treasures to satisfy the desire of the sovereign for luxuries. Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He worked as a seaman and then a sailing entrepreneur. Educated Europeans of Columbus’day believed that the world was round.However, Columbus and most others , underestimated the world’s size. They calculated that East Asia must lie closely where North American sits on the earth. They did not yet know that the Pacific Ocean existed.Columbus broke with tradition in 1492, sailing west in order to find a shorter route to India and China.He was the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland in the 10th century.He explored the West Indies,south America, and Central America. On May 20, 1506, the great Italian explorer Christopher Columbus died in Spain.Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He had, over a...
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