1  In 1999, an American journalist reported a surprising encounter on a tiny African island called Pate, just off the coast of Kenya.There,in a village of stone huts set amongst dense trees,the journalist met a number of elderly men who told him that they were descendants of Chinese sailors, shipwrecked on Pate several centuries ago.Their ancestors had traded with the local Africans,who had given them giraffes to take back to China;then their boat was driven onto the nearby reef.He noted many clues that seemed to confirm the islanders'tale,including their vaguely Asian appearance, the antique porcelain heirlooms in their homes, and the porcelain shards on the beaches.Evidently, this remote African village retains an echo of one of history's most astonishing episodes of maritime exploration.

1999年，一名美国记者报道了在肯尼亚海岸附近一个名叫佩特的非洲小岛上的惊人遭遇。在那里，在一个被茂密的树木围绕的石头小屋的村庄里，记者遇到了一些老人，他们告诉记者，他们是几个世纪前在佩特遭遇海难的中国水手的后代。他们的祖先与当地的非洲人进行贸易，非洲人给了他们长颈鹿带回中国；然后他们的船被推到了附近的礁石上。他注意到许多似乎证实岛民故事的线索，包括他们模糊的亚洲外表，他们家中的古董瓷器传家宝，以及海滩上的瓷器碎片。显然，这个偏远的非洲村庄保留了历史上最令人震惊的航海探险之一的回声。

2    About six centuries ago, a mighty fleet of Chinese ships ventured west to the India Ocean, reaching Ceylon, Arabia, and East Africa.The fleet included giant nine-masted junks escortedby dozens of supply ships, water tankers（巨轮）,transports for cavalry（骑兵） horses, and patrol （巡逻队）boats.The fleet's crew totaled more than 27,000 sailors and soldiers.As a comparison, Columbus'largest crew was of only about 1,500 people and the Santa Maria, the largest ship for his first voyage, was much smaller than Zheng He's largest junk.

大约600年前，一支由中国船只组成的强大船队向西航行至印度洋，到达了锡兰、阿拉伯和东非。这支舰队包括由数十艘补给船、运水车、运马船和巡逻艇护卫的巨型九桅帆船。该舰队的船员总数超过27，000名水手和士兵。相比之下，哥伦布最大的船员只有大约1500人，而他第一次航行的最大船只圣玛利亚号比郑和最大的帆船要小得多。

3 Seven times,from 1405 to 1433,the Chinese fleet set off for the unknown.These great expeditions took place about half a century before the first Europeans,rounding the tip of Africa in frail Portuguese caravels,"discovered"the Indian Ocean.The seven expeditions were all led by one man,Zheng He, one of the greatest explorers in Chinese history.

从1405年到1433年，中国船队七次出发前往未知的地方。这些伟大的探险发生在第一批欧洲人之前大约半个世纪，他们用虚弱的葡萄牙船队绕过非洲的顶端，“发现”了印度洋。这七次探险都是由一个人率领的，他就是中国历史上最伟大的探险家之一郑和。

4.Zheng He was born around 1371 in Yunnan, southwestern China.As a child, he was very curious about the world.He often asked his father and grandfather, who had been to distant places, questions about their journey, along with the people and places they encountered.From a young age, he started reading books by great scholars, such as Confucius and Mencius.Later when he served in the royal court, he received military training and became a trusted assistant and adviser to the emperor.He was also in charge of palace construction and repairs, learned more about weapons, and became more knowledgeable in ship construction.

郑和于1371年左右出生在中国西南部的云南。小时候，他对这个世界非常好奇。小时候，他对这个世界非常好奇。他经常向去过遥远地方的父亲和祖父询问关于他们旅途的问题，以及他们遇到的人和地方。他从小就开始阅读大学者的书籍，如孔子和孟子。后来，当他在皇家法院任职时，他接受了军事训练，并成为皇帝的一个值得信赖的助手和顾问。他还负责宫殿的建造和维修，学习了更多的武器知识，并在船舶建造方面变得更加博学。

5 In 1403, the emperor commanded the construction of the Treasure Fleet.Both the treasure ships and the support vessels - battleships and boats carrying grain and horses -featured divided hulls with several watertight compartments.This engineering innovation had roots in early Chinese seafaring.It allowed mariners to take unprecedented amounts of drinking water on long voyages,while also adding much-needed ballast, balance,and stability.

1403年，皇帝下令建造宝船队。宝船和补给船——战列舰和运送谷物和马匹的船只——都有分开的船体和几个水密舱。这项工程创新起源于早期的中国航海。它允许水手们前所未有的大量饮用水，同时也增加了急需的压载、平衡和稳定性。

6   In 1405,the emperor appointed Zheng He to head a massive fleet of more than 200 junks with a royal order to establish ties with rulers all around the Indian Ocean.It was the start of the seven great voyages of the Treasure Fleet.The junks, loaded with Chinese silk, porcelain, and lacquerware, visited ports around the Indian Ocean, where Zheng He exchanged the goods for spices, ivory, medicines, rare wood, pearls, and exotic（异国情调的） animals, sought by the Ming court.

1405年，皇帝任命郑和率领一支由200多艘帆船组成的庞大船队，奉皇家命令与印度洋各地的统治者建立联系。这是宝藏船队七次伟大航行的开始。满载中国丝绸、瓷器和漆器的帆船抵达印度洋沿岸的港口，在那里郑和用这些货物交换明朝朝廷所需的香料、象牙、药物、稀有木材、珍珠和珍奇动物。

7   During his career as a naval commander,Zheng He negotiated trade pacts,fought pirates,and brought back gifts to China.He and his crew traveled and traded not only with the cities in what are now Indonesia,Malaysia,Thailand,and India, but also with the Arabian ports of modern-day Yemen and Saudi Arabia.The rulers he encountered there were impressed by his diplomatic skills and the elaborate gifts he brought them.They agreed to send ambassadors to the Ming court.

在他的海军指挥官生涯中，郑和谈判贸易协定，打击海盗，并带回礼物给中国。他和他的船员不仅与现在的印度尼西亚、马来西亚、泰国和印度的城市进行旅行和贸易，还与今天的也门和沙特阿拉伯的阿拉伯港口进行贸易。他在那里遇到的统治者对他的外交技巧和他带给他们的精美礼物印象深刻。他们同意向明朝朝廷派遣大使。

8   In 1431,Zheng He set out with his fleet for the seventh expedition around the Indian Ocean,sailing all the way to Malindi on Kenya's east coast and stopping at trading ports along the way.Toward the end of this voyage in 1433, Zheng He died of disease.

1431年，郑和率领船队第七次环印度洋航行，一路航行到肯尼亚东海岸的马林迪，沿途停靠贸易港口。1433年，在这次航行快结束时，郑和病死了。

9    Zheng He had helped spread the culture and influence of China over a vast realm.But the war in the north then drew military investment away from the maintenance of the fleet and the royal court turned its focus to the construction and expansion of the Great Wall.Inevitably, the navy shrank and all the larger classes of ships were destroyed.This contributed to the end of the epic time of the Ming Dynasty sea voyages.

郑和帮助中国在广阔的领域传播文化和影响。但是北方的战争将军事投资从舰队的维护中抽离出来，皇室将注意力转向了长城的建设和扩建。不可避免地，海军萎缩，所有较大级别的船只被摧毁。这导致了明朝辉煌的航海时代的终结。

10    Zheng He spent years at sea sailing between China and the east coast of Africa, setting up diplomatic relationships that would reshape Asian life.His seven expeditions challenged what humans could do at sea, pushing the limits of their boats'size, complexity, and capacity for long-distance travel.They were also essential to the spread of two Chinese technologies that helped build our modern world: gunpowder and the compass.

郑和花了数年时间在中国和非洲东海岸之间航行，建立了外交关系，这将重塑亚洲人的生活。

他的七次探险挑战了人类在海上的能力，挑战了他们船只的尺寸、复杂性和长途旅行能力的极限。他们也是两项中国技术传播的关键，这两项技术帮助建立了我们的现代世界:火药和指南针。

11 Today, whether people view Zheng He as an emblem of Chinese diplomacy or as a symbol of the country's spirit of adventure and bravery, one thing is for certain: Zheng He remains one of the greatest explorers in world history, and the voyages he led stand among the great wonders in the history of ocean navigation, contributing significantly to the progress of human civilization.

今天，无论人们将郑和视为中国外交的象征，还是中国冒险精神和勇敢精神的象征，有一点是肯定的:郑和仍然是世界历史上最伟大的探险家之一，他领导的航行是航海史上的伟大奇迹，为人类文明进步做出了重大贡献。

ps：整段翻译比较好还是逐句翻译比较好啊？

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