In the second half of the 15th century, European sailors began to plan voyages that would take them beyond the limits of the world they knew. The new interest in the world came in part from the Renaissance (文艺复兴), but the main reason was to set up new trading links with spice (香料) producing lands in Asia.

　　Spices were a necessary part of everyday life for the Europeans. Refrigeration (冷藏) had not yet been invented, so the only way to keep meat was to salt it. Adding spices helped to hide the salty taste. The spices also hid the taste of meat that had gone bad.

　　The Turks defeated the Byzantine Empire in 1453, cutting the land link between Europe and Asia. If spices were to reach Europe, a sea route to Asia had to be found. Prince Henry, the Navigator of Portugal, set up a school for sailors and encouraged the exploration of the African coast. In 1486, Bartholomeu Dias and his crew became the first Portuguese sailors to reach the southern tip of Africa, but he turned back because his crew was unwilling to travel any further. Ten years later, Dias helped another Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama, plan a voyage around Africa to India.

　　Christopher Columbus hoped to reach India by sailing west. When the Portuguese king would not sponsor his voyage, he asked Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. After six years, they agreed. When Columbus reached a group of islands across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, he was certain he had reached his goal. Columbus called the native people Indians. This is why the Caribbean islands are known as the West Indies. Columbus made three more voyages to the Caribbean, but he never realized his mistake.

　　1．European sailors explored the world mainly to ________．

　　A．find new land

　　B．challenge the limits of sailing skills

　　C．spread the spirit of the Renaissance

　　D．get spices

　　2．Spices were important for the Europeans because

　　 ________．

　　A．they were used to preserve meat instead of salt

　　B．they made meat preserved by salt taste better

　　C．they were used in everyday cooking

　　D．they were more expensive than salt

　　3．Bartholomeu Dias and his crew turned back from the southern tip of Africa because ________．

　　A．they had finished their task

　　B．they were not skilled enough to go any farther

　　C．the sailors didn't want to go any further

　　D．Dias wanted to help another Portuguese sailor

　　4．We can infer from the last paragraph that Christopher Columbus ________．

　　A．really reached India

B．had never reached India