Captain James Cook was a British explorer and navigator'. He made three journeys to the Pacific Ocean, during which he discovered its main coastline. He was born on November 7, 1728 in England. As a teenager James dreamed of sea trips and ships. At the age of 17, he started working on a ship. There young James began to study different subjects: algebra, geometry, navigation and astron- In June 1757 Cook joined one of the King's ships as a captain's assistant. For five years he served in North America. In that time he made a map of the west cost of North America. Later in 1768 James Cook travelled to the Pacific Ocean as head of the expedi- tion and its captain. That was his first trip around the world. He explored the un- known land called "Terra Australis'. Cook's second round-the-world trip took place in 1772. It lasted for four years. He was head of the expedition again and led two ships the Resolution and the Adventure. The crew? was big. There were not only sailors but some scientists, too. The ships reached New Zealand. As a result of the trip, Cook brought back a detailed map of New Zealand and a map of the Australian west coast. Scientists discovered some new types of animals and plants. The report of the team was interesting and important. In 1776 James Cook took his last trip on the ships the Resolution and the Discov- ery. He discovered the North Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was difficult because of the bad weather. For the whole winter the team had to stay on one of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1779 there was a conflict between the crew and native people of the island. They killed Captain James Cook. The expedition returned home in 1780 without their captain. James Cook was a great explorer. For 12 years he sailed around the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and Australia. He made the most complete maps of the area for that time. His work was very important and useful for people from all over the world. 15 глаголов настоящего времени