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On December 18, 1620, passengers on the British ship Mayflower came on shore at modern-day
Plymouth, Massachusetts, to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.
The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded people in England built
their own church, which was separate from the state-supported Church of England. Because of this, they
were forced to leave the country and settle in Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make
a hard living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America.
On September 6, 1620, one hundred and two passengers-called Pilgrims (朝圣者) by William Bradford,
a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony-crowded on the Mayflower to begin
the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World. On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower landed at
Provincetown Harbor. Before going on shore, 41 male passengers-heads of families, single men and three
male servants-signed the famous Mayflower contract, agreeing to form a government chosen by common
election and to obey all laws made for the good of the colony.
Over the next month, several small leading teams were sent on shore to collect firewood and hunt for a
good place to build a settlement. Around December 10, one of these groups found a harbor they liked on the
western side of Cape Cod Bay. They returned to the Mayflower to tell the other passengers, but bad weather
prevented them reaching the harbor until December 16. Two days later, the first group of Pilgrims went on
shore. After exploring the region, the settlers chose a cleared area once controlled by members of a local
Native American tribe (部落). The tribe had abandoned the village several years earlier, after an outbreak of
European disease.
That winter of 1620-1621 was really hard, as the Pilgrims struggled to build their settlement, find food and
take care of the sick By spring, 50 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers were dead. The remaining settlers
made contact with returning members of the Native American tribe and in March they signed a peace treaty (条
约) with the tribe chief. In the spring time, helped by the locals, the Pilgrims were able to plant crops-especially
corn and beans-that were necessary to their survival.
On April 5, 1621, the Mayflower and its crew left Plymouth to return to England. Over the next several
decades, more and more settlers made the voyage across the Atlantic to Plymouth, which gradually grew into
a successful shipbuilding and fishing center.
1. A group of English were forced to leave their country in 1606 because _____.
[ ]
A.their belief was different from the official Church
B. they built their own churches in a foreign country
C. they lacked financial support from the government
D. they were ambitious to build the colony in America
2. How many days did the sea journey to Provincetown Harbor last?
[ ]
A. 103
B. 96
C. 66
D. 35
3. Several leading teams were sent in order to _____.
[ ]
A. hunt for food for the passengers
B. control local Native Americans
C. build a settlement for the passengers
D. explore the region for their settlement
4. From the passage we know that _____ between 1620-1621.
[ ]
A. 52 Mayflower passengers died of some illnesses
B. Pilgrims had a good relationship with the locals
C. Plymouth turned a main center for shipbuilding
D. Pilgrims tried to plant corns and beans in winter