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<注意>hints:Norse;Greenland; Erik the Red;Leif;Newfoundland;Christopher Columbus;Isabella; Caribbean Sea
Historians believe that the Norse may have been the first Europeans to arrive. They came from Greenland, where Erik the Red had started a settlement around 985. In 1001, Erik's son, Leif, explored the northeast coast of what now is Canada. Remaining pieces of Norse houses were found in northern Newfoundland. It took almost 500 years for other Europeans to reach North America, and another 100 for them to build permanent settlements. The first explorers did not know about America. They were looking for a way to go to Asia from Europe by sea. Other Europeans who arrived later - mostly Spanish and Portuguese, but also Dutch, French, and British - came for land and the riches of the "New World" . The most famous explorer was Christopher Columbus. He was Italian, but Queen Isabella of Spain paid for his trips. Columbus landed on islands in the Caribbean Sea in 1492. He never reached what is now the United States.
历史学家认为西斯堪的那维亚是第一批欧洲人到达的地方。他们来自于格陵兰，大约985年Erik the Red在格陵兰定居。在1001年，Erik的儿子Leif探索现在加拿大的东北海岸。保留的一些西斯堪的那维亚的房子在纽芬兰北部被发现。其他的欧洲人差不多花费了500年到达北美洲，又100年去建设长期的定居点。第一批探索者对于美洲不了解。他们寻找一个路线沿海从欧洲到亚洲。之后到的其他欧洲人大部分是西班牙人和葡萄牙人，而且还有荷兰人，法国人和英国人，他们的到来是为了新世界的土地和财富。最著名的探索者是克里斯托弗 · 哥伦布。他是意大利人，西班牙女王伊莎贝拉为他的旅程支付了所有费用。在1492年哥伦布登陆加勒比群岛。他从未到达今天的美国土地。