•THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. THE PILGRIMS.

Christopher Columbus was born in Italy but lived in Spain for a long time.

He was a seaman and made many sea voyages.

In 1492 the King and the Queen of Spain gave Christopher Columbus money and ships to go to India.

But the voyage to India was very long and very difficult

Christopher Columbus decided to reach India round the world.

He believed that our Planet is round and he sailed west.

Columbus thought it was India. But it was not. It was a new land, a new continent. People called it “the New World’’.

After 4 weeks sailing his ships the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria reached some land.

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Till the end of his life Columbus was sure that he had found a new way to India.

Amerigo Vespucci visited “the New World” later than Columbus, but he came to the conclusion that it was a new continent.

He told about his thoughts in the letters to friends and soon his name appeared on the maps: first-the southern part of the continent, then the norhern part got the name “America”

But Americans remember Columbus. On the second Monday of October they celebrate Columbus Day with parades and parties.

So America was discovered by Columbus in 1492. But European people came to the New World to develop new territories later. Among those who came for freedom was a small group of English people. They called themselves The London Company. They wanted to start a new life and to have no religious problems they had in England.

On the 6 th of September in 1620 they left England on a small ship the Mayflower and sailed for 66 dangerous days. Later they were called The Pilgrims.

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On the 11 th of December they landed. Having found a suitable place, they build a village which was later called New Plymouth .

They called their new home New England. But they were not the first people to live there.The Wampanoag Indians were the native there.

The Pilgrims’ first winter was difficult. Many of them died because it was very cold and they had little food.

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The Indians helped them. They brought vegetables and food, taught the Pilgrims hunting, fishing and planting corn, pumpkins and beans.

Next autumn the settlers had a great harvest. They prepared a holiday dinner and invited the Indians. It was the first Thanksgiving Day.

They gave thanks for their new home, the first harvest and for surviving during that terrible winter.

Thanksgiving Day is the national public holiday now.

It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November with holiday dinners and thanksgiving cards which are sent to everybody who has helped you in this life.

• • • • • • • • http://englishon-line.ru/audirovanie-pesni.html

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http://festival.1september.ru/articles/573907/ http://pgbooks.ru/want_to_know/geoblog/columbus.php

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%82%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%82 %D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%90%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8 http://www.licey.net/english/compositions/day http://pedsovet.su/load/321-3-2 http://poiskm.com/artist/258203-Pirati Karibskogo-morya • http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%82%D1%86%D1%8B %D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%8B

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