Today is Columbus1 Day2, and in New York City3 there will be a commemoration4 of the event, Columbus’s discovery of America in 1492. Many people of Italian heritage5 live in New York City, so they like to celebrate on this day. Often there will be a parade6 in the areas where they live. Many Italians came to New York City in the late 1800’s and still live in the same area, known as “Little Italy7.” If you visit New York City and want to visit some good Italian restaurants or buy special pastas8 etc., Little Italy is the place to go.
In the Midwest9 we don’t really celebrate Columbus Day. Comparatively few Italians live in our area. There are many more explorers10 (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian) who were probably here before Columbus. Most of us believe that Norwegians11 visited the “New World12” long before Columbus did, so we feel this may be a false celebration13. Anthropologists14 have found tools, camp sites15 etc. to back up16 the claims17 that the Norwegians came first. Also, a British sea captain has written a book, 1421, TheYear the Chinese Discovered America, in which he cites evidence18 that Chinese fleets sailed along the Pacific Coast of North America some 70 years before Columbus landed on the Atlantic Coast of America. Maps of the Chinese voyage19 show this to be factual20.
The American Indians21, or “Native Americans” as they prefer being called, feel that they have nothing to celebrate on Columbus Day. It was Columbus’s reporting of his voyages that brought hordes22 of people from Europe to this continent23. That caused loss of land and lives for the Native Americans because the Europeans brought with them diseases such as small pox24 that the Native Americans had no immunity to25, and they also brought weapons that Indians did not have. Consequently, thousands of them died from disease and warfare.
In the public schools26 today children will probably talk about Columbus and his adventures27, but the only other “celebration” of the day in our area will be the fact that post offices and banks will be closed. Don and I don’t plan to celebrate the day in any way, not even with Italian food, not because we don’t like Italians, but because we don’t feel they deserve some claims that have been made by Europeans.28
Notes:
1. Christopher Columbus is traditionally referred to as the “discoverer” of America. His ships landed in islands near the N. American continent on October 12, 1492. His trip was paid for by the king and queen of Spain. Columbus himself was born in Italy. This is why the Italians of the U.S. like to celebrate this day.
2. Columbus Day (哥伦布纪念日): the day of each year, October 12, when Americans celebrate the discovery of the North American continent by Christopher Columbus.
3. New York City is located on the East Coast of the U.S.
4. commemoration (纪念): an event held in memory of some important person or achievement.
5. Italian heritage: 此处heritage 既有血统又有传统的意思。
6. parade (花车游行): a procession of people or vehicles moving through a public place to celebrate an important day or event.
7. Little Italy: In the 1800’s many Italians immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New York City because they could find jobs there as well as other Italians who would help them. There are still many Italians living in New York City, many in one area that is often referred to as “Little Italy”.
8. pastas：面食
9. The Midwest (中西部) is the region in the U.S. that is located in the middle of the nation. Iowa, the state, is a Midwestern state. Although it was settled by many groups of immigrants in the 1800’s, most of these people came from northern Europe and there are relatively few Italians in the state. These northern European immigrants included many from the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
10. explorers (冒险家): people who travel to or investigate previously unknown regions or distant areas of the world.
11. Norwegians (挪威人): Norwegian explorers are given credit for “discovering” America by many anthropologists because of different cultural artifacts such as tools that have been discovered in ancient Eastern U.S. camp sites. This is thought to have occurred hundreds of years before Columbus’ arrival.
12. New World (新大陆): the name given to North America and South America by early explorers from Europe.
13. a false celebration (不该有的庆祝): a public event honoring something that did not occur.
14. Anthropologists (人类学家) are people who scientifically study human beings, their customs, beliefs and relationships.
15. camp sites: areas in which humans have lived or stayed for a period of time (人类居住地).
16. to back up something: to supply evidence to suggest that something is true (证明……是正确的).
17. claims：声称，主张
18. evidence (证据): information or observations which support or shed light on a problem or situation which is not well known or understood.
19. voyage: a long journey on a ship or in a spacecraft.
20. factual: 真实的
21. American Indians (美国印第安人) have been called that because when Columbus landed in the Americas he thought he was in India, so called the people he found there “Indians.” The name has remained in use until even now. Most of the indigenous people of the Americas have no liking for because his reports on the Americas encouraged many Europeans to immigrate, explore and settle here, eventually resulting in the Native Americans losing their land. They feel they have no reason at all to celebrate Columbus Day. In states with a large Native American population, such as South Dakota, what the rest of the nation calls “Columbus Day” is referred to as “Native American Day.” In Berkeley, California, it is called “Indigenous Day.”
22. hordes: a large number of people in a group or groups traveling from one place to another.
23. continent: a very large area of land, such as Asia or Africa, that consists of several countries 洲.
24. small pox: 天花
25. immunity to some disease: being unable to be affected by some disease 对……免役，不会生……病.
26. public schools (公立学校): schools in the U.S. which are supported by cities or states by taxation of the residents of that city or state. The U.S. has a big school system in which children learn much about the history and culture of the nation. The younger children learn a lot about the holidays and often celebrate them in class with discussions about the ethnic origins of these holidays.
27. adventures: 冒险
28. Don and I don’t plan to celebrate the day in any way, not even with Italian food, not because we don’t like Italians, but because we don’t feel they deserve some claims that have been made by Europeans.
我和堂不会庆祝这一天，不管任何形式，甚至不会去吃意大利饭菜，并不是因为我们不喜欢意大利人，而是因为我们认为欧洲人的有些说法与意大利人不符合。