eliminate illustrate proficiency representation
retain scarcely sufficient
Because there are no written records, not much is known about who first discovered the Hawaiian Islands. Most historians assume that the Islands were reached by explorers from another (1) ________ island such as Tahiti. However, the voyage would have been dangerous in those days before compasses and accurate maps were invented. Early ocean explorers would (2) ________ their position by the stars and (3) ________ discoveries they had made such as islands. They were also skilled at reading (4) ________ signs from the wind and waves. However, in a rough ocean far from land, even a slight (5) ___________ in navigation could be (6) ___________. We know that the Hawaiian Islands were eventually discovered and populated, but we will never know how many previous voyages failed.
1. 相比之下,经线的测量则受时间的影响。(tempered)
2. 托勒密本人对广阔世界的知识大多是通过阅读等间接获得的。(armchair)
3. … assume their positions at the sun’s command.
4. The zero-degree parallel of latitude is fixed by the laws of nature, while the zero-degree meridian of longitude shifts like the sands of time.
5. … and turns the determination of longitude, especially at sea, into an adult dilemma – one that stumped the wisest minds of the world for the better part of human history.