James Cook was born in Britain on October 27, 1728. He
commanded three voyages of discovery for Great Britain, and sailed around the world twice. Captain Cook's voyages lead to the founding of
colonies1 throughout the Pacific by several European countries. He is considered one of the world's greatest explorers.
Cook was an
apprentice to a
shipping2 company at age 18, and joined the British
Navy3 at 27 in 1755. In 1768, the Navy appointed him leader of a scientific expedition to Tahiti to observe a
solar eclipse4 by Venus. He also had secret orders to look for a southern continent
geographers5 long believed kept the world in balance. He set out on his first voyage round the world in the ship Endeavour. The trip to Tahiti was successful. In October 1769 Cook was the first European to visit New Zealand.
On Cook's second journey he sailed
farther6 south than any other European. He circled Antarctica in his famous ship Resolution, but the ice surrounding the continent prevented the sighting of land. The existence of the Antarctica remained unproved until 1840. He returned to England in 1775 and was
promoted to Captain.
In July 1776 Cook set sail on his third voyage, again in Resolution. His
mission was to look for a possible northern sea route between Europe and Asia. In 1778 he became the first known European to reach the Hawaiian Islands. Later in 1778 Cook sailed up the northwest coast of North America, and was the first European to land on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. He continued up the coast through the Bering Strait, and entered the
Arctic7 Ocean. Great walls of ice blocked the expedition, so Cook headed back for the Hawaiian Islands. On February 14, 1779 Cook was
stabbed to death by Hawaiian natives while
investigating a theft of a boat by an islander. The expedition arrived back in England in October 1780.
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command 指挥
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colony 殖民地
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apprentice 学徒
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solar eclipse 日食
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promote 提升
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mission 使命
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stab 刺
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investigate 调查
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