Cowboys

1. Cowboys 1.Background Knowledge 2.Text Analysis 3.Exercises 4.Questions For Discussion

2. Background Knowledge 1. Cowboy: A cowboy is a hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback. The American cowboy, who was the product of the opening up of the vast central plains of the U.S. after the Civil War, has become a legendary folk hero, celebrated in many films and novels. The sometimes mournful cowboy songs are also very popular in the United States. Next

3. Background Knowledge In areas such as Texas in the early 1800’s, the American settlers took over the Spanish practice of using the plains for grazing cattle. At the same time they borrowed from the Spanish cattle herders their typical equipment such as the broad-brimmed hat, the bandanna ([bAn5dAnE] 大领巾) worn around the neck, the high-heeled riding boots and the leather chaps ([tFAps] [美]牧人穿的皮护腿套裤) to protect the legs. Next

4. Background Knowledge The cowboy was really created by the ‘long drive’. As the frontier moved westward after the Civil War and the Plains Indians were driven off the open lands, cowboys began to drive large herds of cattle every year from the southern plains to the new railheads in the north central plains. By the 1800’s and 1890’s the settlement of the central plains and their enclosure with barbed wire put an end to the long drive, but the cowboy continued to be employed in ranch work. Next

5. Background Knowledge The modern cowboy is more likely to be equipped with a walkie-talkie and a jeep, but the romantic, legendary figure of the cowboy —a tough, silent, independent, hard-working man who leads a lonely life battling the bad weather — has also persisted, thanks to the ‘western’ films and to the popular novels. More

6. Background Knowledge 2. Westerns: There is a genre of literature called “Westerns”. A Western is a story about the early west in America during the period of the cowboys. This period began around 1860, right after the Civil War between the Northern and Southern States. Next

7. Background Knowledge Most of the popular Western novels sold today are fictional tales about the life of ranchers and the cowboys who worked for them. These stories involve wars between competing ranchers, stories of crooked gamblers, wild women, romance, and exciting “shoot outs” between the good and the bad cowboys. The special name for “bad” cowboys is “outlaw”. They broke the laws of the land and thus lived “outside” the law. Return

8. Exercises • True/False Questions • 2. Multiple-choice Questions Return

9. True/False Questions 1.A cowboy refers to a man who takes care of cattle on horseback. 2.Cows had to be taken to the market and killed there, because there were no buyers on ranges and no lorries to carry the meat. 3.On the way to the market, the herd had to be made to move quickly, because the journey was very long.

10. True/False Questions 1.A cowboy refers to a man who takes care of cattle on horseback. (T) 2.Cows had to be taken to the market and killed there, because there were no buyers on ranges and no lorries to carry the meat. 3.On the way to the market, the herd had to be made to move quickly, because the journey was very long.

11. True/False Questions 1.A cowboy refers to a man who takes care of cattle on horseback. (T) 2.Cows had to be taken to the market and killed there, because there were no buyers on ranges and no lorries to carry the meat. (T) 3.On the way to the market, the herd had to be made to move quickly, because the journey was very long.

12. True/False Questions 1.A cowboy refers to a man who takes care of cattle on horseback. (T) 2.Cows had to be taken to the market and killed there, because there were no buyers on ranges and no lorries to carry the meat. (T) 3.On the way to the market, the herd had to be made to move quickly, because the journey was very long. (F) More

13. True/False Questions 4.Though life on the journey was very hard for cowboys, still they had a lot of time to play. 5.The greatest danger on the journey to the market was that the cows would stampede and cowboys might be hurt. 6. Railways took the place of cowboys to bring the cattle to town.

14. True/False Questions 4.Though life on the journey was very hard for cowboys, still they had a lot of time to play. (F) 5.The greatest danger on the journey to the market was that the cows would stampede and cowboys might be hurt. 6. Railways took the place of cowboys to bring the cattle to town.

15. True/False Questions 4.Though life on the journey was very hard for cowboys, still they had a lot of time to play. (F) 5.The greatest danger on the journey to the market was that the cows would stampede and cowboys might be hurt. (T) 6. Railways took the place of cowboys to bring the cattle to town.

16. True/False Questions 4.Though life on the journey was very hard for cowboys, still they had a lot of time to play. (F) 5.The greatest danger on the journey to the market was that the cows would stampede and cowboys might be hurt. (T) 6. Railways took the place of cowboys to bring the cattle to town. (T) Return

17. Multiple-choice Questions 1.Cowboys used to live on the huge grassland because . A)there were no big modern cities in those days B)that was the place leading directly to big cities C)they were born and brought up there D) that was the place which had plenty of grass and water for the cows Answer

18. Multiple-choice Questions 1.Cowboys used to live on the huge grassland because D. A)there were no big modern cities in those days B)that was the place leading directly to big cities C)they were born and brought up there D) that was the place which had plenty of grass and water for the cows Next

19. Multiple-choice Questions 2.Cows had to be driven along to market . A)to provide meat for people hundreds of miles away B)to keep them fresh and fat C)to save the cost in carrying them by lorries or railways D) to get closer to towns and cities Answer

20. Multiple-choice Questions 2.Cows had to be driven along to market A. A)to provide meat for people hundreds of miles away B)to keep them fresh and fat C)to save the cost in carrying them by lorries or railways D) to get closer to towns and cities Next

21. Multiple-choice Questions 3.The main task of cowboys on the trail was . A)to move round and round the cattle B)to sing and whistle softly to the cattle C)to take care of the cattle D) to make sure that the cattle could feed themselves Answer

22. Multiple-choice Questions 3.The main task of cowboys on the trail was C. A)to move round and round the cattle B)to sing and whistle softly to the cattle C)to take care of the cattle D) to make sure that the cattle could feed themselves Next

23. Multiple-choice Questions 4.Which of the following choices does not explain that the life of cowboys was hard? A)They had hundreds or maybe thousands, of cattle to take care of. B)They were fed on a chuck waggon. C)They worked in the saddle and slept on the hard ground. D) They worked on horseback for many hours everyday. Answer

24. Multiple-choice Questions 4.Which of the following choices does not explain that the life of cowboys was hard? (B) A)They had hundreds or maybe thousands, of cattle to take care of. B)They were fed on a chuck waggon. C)They worked in the saddle and slept on the hard ground. D) They worked on horseback for many hours everyday. Next

25. Multiple-choice Questions 5.Which of the following choices does not explain that their life was dull? A)Their journey to market usually took many weeks. B)They moved along very slowly. C)They could only sing cowboy songs when they had a rest. D) They had to do the same thing day after day. Answer

26. Multiple-choice Questions 5.Which of the following choices does not explain that their life was dull? (C) A)Their journey to market usually took many weeks. B)They moved along very slowly. C)They could only sing cowboy songs when they had a rest. D) They had to do the same thing day after day. Next

27. Multiple-choice Questions 6.Which of the following does not explain that their life was dangerous? A)Cows might die because of sickness. B)Indians sometimes attacked. C)The herd sometimes would stampede. D) A cowboy could be trampled to death in a stampede. Answer

28. Multiple-choice Questions 6.Which of the following does not explain that their life was dangerous? (A) A)Cows might die because of sickness. B)Indians sometimes attacked. C)The herd sometimes would stampede. D) A cowboy could be trampled to death in a stampede. Next

29. Multiple-choice Questions 7.Which of the following is the greatest advantage of using the railways to move cattle? A) It saves many cowboys. B)It can prevent Indian attacks. C)The cattle will not stampede. D) The cattle are worth more money when they arrive fresh and fat. Answer

30. Multiple-choice Questions 7.Which of the following is the greatest advantage of using the railways to move cattle? (D) A) It saves many cowboys. B)It can prevent Indian attacks. C)The cattle will not stampede. D) The cattle are worth more money when they arrive fresh and fat. Return

31. Questions for Discussion 1. What is the spirit of cowboys? 2. Is it still important today? Return

32. Text Analysis The word “cowboy” makes one think of danger and the wide open grassland. The following passage gives details about the adventurous life of cowboys. Even though the life of cowboys herding cattle to market has long since become a thing of the past, the spirit of cowboys is still inspiring the people of the United States.

33. Text Analysis The cowboys who lived in the United States of America before there were good roads or big modern cities used to live on the huge open spaces of grassland called ranges, because that was where the cows that they looked after could find plenty of grass and water. But when the time came to sell the cows, there were no buyers out on the range — they had to be taken in to market.

34. Text Analysis In the early days it was a hard job getting the cows to the markets where they were killed. It was no good killing them on the ranges because there were no lorries or railways to carry the meat. The cattle had to be driven along in a large herd to the towns where they were needed. The places with lots of people who needed meat were often hundreds or thousands of miles away from the ranges. The cattle were rounded up, and those to be sent away were kept together.

35. Text Analysis On the trail the leader was the trail boss, who told the men which jobs to do. He decided where they should camp at night. Hundreds or maybe thousands of cattle were taken on the trail. The herd was not made to move too quickly — if they rushed along they would get thin and not be worth much at market. Some cowboys rode beside them, some in front and others at the back. Cows which moved too slowly were hurried along. Cows which tried to get away were made to go back to the herd.

36. Text Analysis Of course, the chuck waggon went too. “Chuck” was a cowboy name for food, and so the chuck waggon was where the cook did his work and carried his stores of food. The tail board of the waggon made a good shelf. The cook was able to feed the cowboys, but the cattle had to find their own food on the trail. They ate as they moved along.

37. Text Analysis It was a long, slow job, and the herd covered only about fifteen or twenty miles each day. This meant that the journey to market took many weeks. All this time the cowboys worked in the saddle and slept on the hard ground. They began work as the sun rose and they were on their horses for many hours day after day.

38. Text Analysis Many things could go wrong on the trail. Cows were lost through sickness and accidents; perhaps a rain storm caused a river to flood so that the herd could not cross; Indians sometimes attacked. But the greatest danger was that the herd would stampede. The cows would become so frightened or wild that they would rush away before the men could stop them. A cowboy could be thrown from his horse and trampled to death in stampede. Even if no one was hurt, it might take days to round up the cattle after they had stampeded.

39. Text Analysis Because of the danger of stampede, the trail boss and his men did everything they could to keep the cattle quiet. During the day the herd was moved along at a slow, steadypace. At night when most of the men were asleep, a gang of cowboys would ride round and round the herd, singing and whistling softly. This was to let the cows know that everything was all right.

40. Text Analysis The cowboys worked very hard and had little time to play. When they were resting on the trail they would play cards, tell stories, sing cowboy songs and mend their equipment.

41. Text Analysis When railways were built there was no need to take cattle on the trail. Instead they were put into railway cars and taken quickly to the markets. Today a fast cattle train will take a few hours to do a journey which once took the cowboys and their herds many days or weeks. The cattle will also arrive fresh and fat where they would have become tired and thin. From Guided Comprehension and summary, Oxford University press, 1982. Approximately 660 words. Return Summary

42. Word to Know cowboy [5kaJbCI] n. 牛仔 =man (usu on horseback) who looks after cattle in the western parts of the US e.g. Cowboys are typical images of US Westerns. 牛仔是美国西部片的典型形象。 Return

43. Word to Know range [reIndV] n. 放牧地，牧场 =area of grazing ground e.g. He spent his childhood in the range in Tianshan. 他在天山的牧场度过了童年。 Return

44. Word to Know lorry [5lRrI] n. 运货汽车 =long, low, open motor-vehicle, for carrying goods by road e.g. Tom has been a lorry driver for twenty years. 汤姆已经当了二十年的货车司机。 Return

45. Word to Know herd [h\:d] n. 牧群，兽群 =number or company of animals, esp cattle, feeding or going about together e.g. There is a herd of elephants in the forest. 森林里有一群大象。 Return

46. Word to Know round (up) [raJnd] vi. 驱拢（牲口） =drive together e.g. The cowboy rounded up the cattle together. 牧人把牛群驱赶到一起。 Return

47. Word to Know trail [treIl] n. 乡间小道；崎岖小路 =path through rough country e.g. You should have the courage to blaze a trail. 你应该有作开路先锋的勇气。 Return

48. Word to Know waggon [ 5wA^En ] n. 运货马车 =four-wheeled vehicle for carrying goods, pulled by horses or oxen e.g. Four wagons are needed to deliver the goods. 运这批货需要四辆马车。 Return

49. Word to Know shelf [Felf] n. 架子 =flat, rectangular piece of wood, glass, or other materials, fastened at right angles to a wall or in a cupboard, bookcase, cabinet, etc e.g. The sugar jar is on the second shelf from bottom. 糖罐子在从下面数第二层架子上。 Return

50. Word to Know saddle [5sAdl] n. 马鞍 =leather seat for a rider on a horse e.g. The bicycle saddle is too high for his children. 自行车座对他孩子来说太高了。 Return