侯冬意

Florida， the State of the USA

美國佛羅里達州的州名來自西班牙語。西班牙航海家胡安·龐塞·德萊昂在1513年4月2日發(fā)現(xiàn)了這片地方。時值西班牙人稱為Pascua Florida的節(jié)日，所以此地被德萊昂命名為La Florida。

Near present-day St. Augustine， Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore1 on the Florida coast， and claims the territory2 for the Spanish crown.

在今天的圣奧古斯?。ǚ鹆_里達州東北部的港口城市）附近，西班牙探險家胡安·龐塞·德萊昂在佛羅里達州的海岸登岸，并宣稱其為西班牙王室的領(lǐng)地。

Although other European navigators3 may have sighted the Florida peninsula4 before， Ponce de Leon is credited with the first recorded landing and the first detailed exploration of the Florida coast. The Spanish explorer was searching for the “Fountain of Youth”， a fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. Ponce de Leon named the peninsula he believed to be an island “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Pascua Florida.

雖然其他歐洲航海家在那之前也許看到過佛羅里達半島，但龐塞·德萊昂被認為是第一個有記載的登陸并詳細勘探佛羅里達州海岸的第一人。這位西班牙探險家當時正在尋找傳說中的水源“青春之泉”，據(jù)說它能帶來永恒的青春。龐塞·德萊昂將他認為是座島嶼的半島命名為“拉佛羅里達”，因為他發(fā)現(xiàn)此地時正是Pascua Florida節(jié)（西班牙節(jié)日）期間。

In 1521， he returned to Florida in an effort to establish a Spanish colony on the island. How-ever， hostile5 Native Americans attacked his expedition soon after landing， and the party retreated to Cuba， where Ponce de Leon died from a mortal wound suffered during the battle. Successful Spanish colonization6 of the peninsula finally began in 1565， and in 1819 the territory passed into U.S. control under the terms of the Florida Purchase Treaty between Spain and the United States.

1521年，為在島上建立一個西班牙殖民地，龐塞·德萊昂重回佛羅里達。然而，在他登陸后，敵對的印第安人襲擊了他的探險隊。他們撤退到今天的古巴一帶，在那里龐塞·德萊昂死于戰(zhàn)斗中受到的致命傷。西班牙最終在1565年成功殖民了這個半島，而在1819年西班牙和美國簽訂了《佛羅里達州購買條約》后，美國取得了這片土地的控制權(quán)。

Notes：

1. ashore adv. 在岸上；上岸

2. territory n. 領(lǐng)土，領(lǐng)域

3. navigator n. 航海家

4. peninsula n. 半島

5. hostile adj. 敵對的；懷敵意的

6. colonization n. 殖民；殖民地化