个陌生的大陆，上面住着未曾见过的人，他们完全不同于欧洲人。他认为，这就是印度的一部分。

当他带着他的发现回来时，举国欢庆，人们把他看作为西班牙发现新世界的英雄。成群的人们排着队伍站在他经过的道路边，大家都渴望向他致敬。国王和王后也邀请他到宫殿来，兴致勃勃地聆听他在航海过程中的故事。从没有哪个平民像他一样获得如此尊重。

但是有些人却嫉妒这位发现者，他们在别人赞扬他时吹毛求疵。“谁是哥伦布？”他们问，“他做过什么？他不就是从意大利来的穷领航员吗？难道其他海员就不能像他一样横跨大洋吗？”

一天，哥伦布出席一个西班牙绅士为他举行的授予他荣誉的宴会。几个这样的人也在场。他们狂妄自大、自以为是，没过多长时间就开始想方设法为难哥伦布了。

“你只不过在海对岸发现了陌生的大陆，”他们说，“但那又算得了什么呢？我们不明白为什么大家没完没了地谈论它。谁都可以像你一样航船飘过大洋，谁都可以像你一样沿着那一面的岛屿航行。这是世界上最简单的事情！”

哥伦布没有作声，他从盘子里拿了一个­鸡­蛋，对着所有客人说：“先生们，你们之中有谁能让这个­鸡­蛋站稳呢？”

在场的人逐个尝试了一番，但­鸡­蛋转了一圈，没有一个人能把­鸡­蛋竖起来。最后，所有的人都说这是无法办到的事情。

于是，哥伦布拿起­鸡­蛋，将相对较小的那一端在桌子上轻轻一磕。就这样，蛋壳被磕破了一点，接着­鸡­蛋就毫不费力地在桌子上竖了起来。

“先生们，”哥伦布说，“还有比这更简单的事情吗？这是世界上最简单的事情！你们居然说不可能！谁都可以做到——只是需要有人告诉他怎么做才行。”

Columbus and the Egg

CHRISTOPHER Columbus discovered America on the 12th of October, 1492. He had spent eighteen years in planning for that wonderful first voyage which he made across the Atlantic Ocean. The thoughts and hopes of the best part of his life had been given to it. He had talked and argued with sailors and scholars and princes and kings, saying, “I know that, by sailing west across the great ocean, one may at last reach lands that hāve never been visited by Europeans.” But he had been laughed at as a foolish dreamer, and few people had any faith in his projects.

At last, however, the king and queen of Spain gāve him ships with which to make the trial voyage. He crossed the ocean and discovered strange lands, inhabited by a people unlike any that had been known before. He believed that these lands were a part of India.

When he returned home with the news of his discovery there was great rejoicing, and he was hailed， as the hero who had given a new world to Spain. Crowds of people lined the streets through which he passed, and all were anxious to do him honor. The king and queen welcomed him to their palace and listened with pleasure to the story of his voyage. Never had so great respect been shown to any common man.第

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