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1 The Spirit of Explorers
Viking Voyages to America
The Vikings were the first Europeans to reach America. They achieved this long before Columbus ever set sail. The Vikings were a group of people whose ancestors came from Scandinavia. They controlled the seas and coasts of Northern Europe between the 8th and 10th centuries AD. By around 900 AD, there were many places in Northern Europe where the Vikings chose to live. In 982 AD, when a man called Eric the Red decided to set sail further west, there were as many as 10,000 Vikings living in Iceland.
According to the old stories of Iceland and Norway, Eric the Red was forced to leave Icela
nd because he had committed a murder, for which he got into trouble. Eric reached Greenland and discovered that people could live in the place where he landed. He returned to Iceland and told people there about Greenland. He persuaded some people to go back with him to Greenland. Eric set sail once again, this time with 25 ships, of which only 14 made it to Greenland. Not long after Eric the Red had landed in Greenland, a man called Biarni set sail from Iceland in search of Eric's party. Biarni was hoping to join his father who was with Eric, but he was blown off course and found himself in an unknown land, from where he eventually reached Greenland.
In the year 1002, when Eric the Red's son Leif was planning a trip further west, Biarni was the man with whom Leif discussed his plans. Leif followed Biarni's directions and sailed to what is believed to be the coast of present-day Canada. He then sailed further south to an island which is now known as Newfoundland. We know about Eric the Red and Leif's deeds through stories which were written down centuries later in Norway and Iceland. They are the first records we have of Europeans sailing to the Americas.
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3 The Sea World
UNDER WATER WORLD
The Best place to See Sea Creatures
Polar World
We have polar bears and a real iceberg too! You can only see a small part of it above the water. It's three times as big underwater. Watch the acrobatic seals at feeding time. Meet our less energetic but more friendly penguins. You'll love them!
Ocean Floor
See some of the most beautiful coral and the most unusual fish in the world. Watch some fish “flying” through the water. They are less colourful than some other fish but they move beautifully.
Sea Theatre
See our intelligent dolphins.
There are fantastic shows every two hours.
Discovery Pool
Especially for younger children. They can touch crabs and other smaller creatures. They can be educated about daily life on the beach in this exciting area.
Virtual Reality Voyage
Our most up-to-date attraction. Come with us on a “virtual reality” trip to the
ocean floor and see some of the strangest fish in the world.
Noisiest Fish. Some fish c an produce sounds almost twice as loud as your speaking voice! You certainly won't find a noisier fish.
Prettiest Fish. Some fish attract other fish with a light on their body – and then eat them!
They have a huge mouth and can eat fish as big as themselves.
Watch out!
Tiniest Fish. Look carefully for the tiniest fish in the world. It is not as big as a fly in your house!
Swim with dolphins and face an attack by the most dangerous creature in the sea – the great white shark!
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4 Sea Stories
It may seem strange, but at that moment, when we were on the edge of the whirlpool, I felt calmer than when we were moving towards it. We went round and round, nearer and nearer to the horrible edge of the whirlpool. Suddenly, we went over the edge. I thought my life was over. But moment after moment passed, and I was still safe. The boat was on the inside of the huge whirlpool and we were going round in circles at great speed.
I saw clearly that there were other objects in the whirlpool – trees and barrels. I noticed that the heavier objects went down more quickly than the smaller, lighter ones. So I tied myself to a barrel to help me float. I tried to make my brother understand, but he was terrified and stayed in the heavy boat. Without waiting, I dived into the sea to try and escape.
高中英语课文About three years ago, something terrible happened to me. Those six hours of terror have broken my body and soul. You think I am a very old man – but I am not. It took less than a single day to change my hair from black to white. One day, my two brothers and I were coming back from the islands, our boat full of fish. All at once, the sky was covered with dark clouds and in less than a minute we were in a terrible storm. An enormous wave covered our boat and my younger brother fell into the sea. Our boat survived, and I was trying to recover when my elder brother put his mouth close to my ear, and screamed out the terrifying word “Whirlpool!” With the wind and waves we were going in the direction of the whirlpool, and nothing could save us!
As you can see, I did escape. I will bring my story quickly to a conclusion. Some time after I left the boat, with my brother in it, it sank into the bottom of the whirlpool. Soon afterwards, the whirlpool became less violent. Then the sky was clear, the wind calmer and the moon was shining. I was still tied to the barrel and the waves soon carried me to an area where the other fishermen were. In the end, a boat picked me up. I was very tired. The fishermen were my old friends, but they were unable to recognize me. When I told them my story, they did not believe it. Now I have told you, and I cannot expect you to believe me more than the fishermen did.
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