The piligrims

The Pilgrims were puritans, that is to say, people of England who objected to the form of religious feelings shown to God and religious services used in the Church of England. King James punished all who refused to follow laws and traditions of the Church of England and to give money to support it. These people had to leave their country and went to Holland trying to find religious freedom there. But they were not allowed to own land in Holland and, besides, they did not want their children to grow up and become Dutch speaking people. They wanted to remain English; so, they soon returned to England with the idea of leaving for America. There, where the lands were still wild, they hoped to build homes for themselves and start a new life based on their own ideals of religious and civil rights. Pilgrim Fathers decided to form a colony that should be governed by just and equal laws, established by common agreement.

With the idea of a New England in America some of the strongest English people crossed the broad Atlantic on the little ship known as " The Mayflower". These people were independent and God-fearing. Some of them were also learned.

The departure of the Pilgrims from England marks a period in history. Towards the end of November in 1620, this company of about a hundred persons, with Captain Miles Standish as their leader, landed on Cape Cod, not far from where Boston now is. A short time after landing, they found a suitable place to live and, about Christmas, began to cut trees and build houses. Winter came on, and they were not prepared for difficult times. Many of them got ill and about half of them died. But those who survived did not give up; they were not easily discouraged by the difficulties.

In the spring and summer following that hard winter, their crops grew, and the colony became rich. They made friends with the Indians and were not afraid of them. At last, they felt sure that they had found the land that they had hoped to find so long. In the autumn, they decided to have a great holiday and to unite in giving thanks to God for everything they had received. They also invited the Indians, and all sat down together to celebrate the first Thanksgiving Day in America.

II. Answer to the questions:

1. This text tells us about

(A) strong people from America who formed a colony not far from the place where Boston now is.

(B) strong and determined people from England who did not share religious views of the Church of England and left for America to form there a new colony based on their own religious beliefs.

(C) supporters of the Church of England who went to America to start their religion there.

(D) a lot of English people who called themselves Pilgrims and who decided to leave for America because there was a lot of land there to cultivate and to grow crops.

2. Pilgrims are

(A) people from Holland who first came to England and then to America to find a better life there.

(B) a group of English puritans who sailed to America to escape from the religious beliefs of the Church of England and to make a new kind of society based on their religious ideals and beliefs.

(C) a group of Americans who shared the religious beliefs of the Church of England and started a colony to show their religious feelings to God.

(D) European people who did not want for some reason to stay in Europe any longer.

3. The Pilgrims decided to leave for America with the idea in their minds

(A) to form a colony there which they wanted to base on equal religious and civil laws established by common consent.

(B) to find some suitable settlements where they could live far away from the Church of England.

(C) to travel about America and to learn much about it because many of them were educated people.

(D) to share their knowledge of agriculture with the American Indians.

4. They crossed the Atlantic

(A) in many boats that were badly equipped and many of them sank on their way to America.

(B) on a big ocean liner that was very quick and comfortable.

(C) on a ferry-boat on which they also brought horses, tracks and a lot of other things.

(D) in a little sailing vessel, called " The Mayflower", which landed at the end of November 1620 on Cape Cod.

5. Sometime after landing

(A) they grew crops and got very rich.

(B) they decided to return to England because winter came and they were not prepared for its difficulties.

(C) they found a place where they began to build houses and though that winter was severe and many of them died, those who had survived, grew crops next autumn, a year later, and became rich.

(D) they opened schools and hospitals in the Indian settlements.

6. The first Thanksgiving Day in America

(A) was arranged by Pilgrim settlers as a day of prayer for everything God had given them and where Indians were invited because they helped the Pilgrims to grow crops in that hungry winter of 1620 when the Pilgrims landed in those places.

(B) was arranged by the Hollanders who came to America to find a better life.

(C) was organized by the Americans who decided to thank God for the crops he, had given them.

(D) was arranged by the Indians for the knowledge of agriculture the Pilgrims had shared with them.