The first English attempts to colonise North America were controlled by individuals rather than companies. Sir Humphrey Gilbert was the first Englishman to send colonists to the New World. His initial expedition, which sailed in 1578 with a patent granted by Queen Elizabeth was defeated by the Spanish.
A second attempt ended in disaster in 1583, when Gilbert and his ship were lost in a storm. In the following year, Gilbert’s half-brother, Sir Water Raleigh, having obtained a renewal of the patent, sponsored an expedition that explored the coast of the region that he named “Virginia.” Under Raleigh’s direction efforts were then made to establish a colony on Roanoke Island in 1585 an6 1587.
The survivors of the first settlement on Roanoke returned to England in 1586, but the second group of colonists disappeared without leaving a trace. The failure of the Gilbert and Raleigh ventures made it clear that the tasks they had undertaken were too big for any one coloniser. Within a short time, the trading company had supplanted the individual promoter of colonisation.
Choose the correct answer from a, b, c or d:
1. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title to the passage?

a) The Regulation of Trading Companies
b) British-Spanish Rivalry in the New World
c) Early Attempts at Colonising North America
d) Royal Patents Issued in the 16th Century
2. The passage states that first English people involved in establishing colonies in North America were .................... .
a) requested to do so by Queen Elizabeth
b) members of large trading companies
c) immediately successful
d) acting on their own
3. According to the passage, which of the following is a fact about Sir Humphrey Gilbert?
a) He never settled in North America.
b) His trading company was given a patent by the queen.
c) He fought the Spanish twice.
d) He died in 1587.
4. The first expedition to the North America was in .................... .
a) 1577                            b) 1579                      c) 1582             d) 1584
5. The underlined word “sponsored” means .................... .
a) funded                      b) found                       c) lost             d) took care
6. At last, the second team of the colonists .................... .
a) returned home                                          b) found in the sea
c) disappeared                                              d) built houses on the island
7. Because the trials of colonisation failed, people .................... .
a) used trade to get on the island
b) used weapons to get on the island
c) organised trips to this island
d) left the island without discovering
8. Why was Sir Water Raleigh try to invade the island?
a) To build houses in it.
b) To create an English colony there.
c) To buy it to other country.
d) To store the weapons of army there.