the North-West Passage
/ðə ˌnɔːθ west ˈpæsɪdʒ/
/ðə ˌnɔːrθ west ˈpæsɪdʒ/
- a sea route along the northern coast of the US between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. From the end of the 15th century, many explorers looking for an easy route to Asia tried to find the North-west Passage, including Sir Francis Drake and Captain Cook. But it was not until 1906 that the first journey through, taking three years, was made by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. The Canadian government claims the North-West Passage as part of Canada, but the US government regards it as an international area of water. For various reasons, including the ice, very few ships have ever used it.
西北通道：沿着美国北海岸在大西洋和太平洋之间的一条海路。从15世纪末开始，包括弗朗西斯·德雷克爵士和库克船长在内的许多探险者都在寻找通往亚洲的便捷路线。但是直到1906年，挪威探险家罗尔德·阿蒙森（Roald Amundsen）才进行了为时三年的第一次旅程。加拿大政府声称西北通道是加拿大的一部分，但美国政府将其视为国际水域。由于各种原因，包括冰，很少有船使用过它。