To find how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of disclosing and controlling more land, of expanding trade beyond their borders and of spreading their faith across the world .In 1535, Francois I ,King of France, ordered a navigator named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a passage to India.
Cartier first arrived at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he wanted to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this Gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Stadacona, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term “Canada” entered the country’s history. Apparently the word “Canada” came from an Indian word “Kanata”, which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Stadacona or Quebec. What a huge “village” Canada is!
In the early sixteenth century, the King of France ordered Cartier to ______
A.find the new world. |
B.go and visit the American Indians |
C.build an entirely new country |
D.get more information about America and find a way to Asia |
Having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence Cartier thought _____
A.he had already got to India |
B.he had sailed into the Atlantic |
C.it was a water passage to the East |
D. it was a water way to the New World |
In the early sixteenth century, Quebec was only ____.
A.an Indian village |
B.a little town in southern Canada |
C.the place which we call Canada now |
D.a village at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence |