Cowboys

Cowboys

1. Background Knowledge

2. Text Analysis

3. Exercises

4. Questions For Discussion

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.

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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 ([] 大领巾 ) worn around the neck, the high-heeled riding boots and the leather chaps ([] [ 美 ]牧人穿的皮护腿套裤 ) to protect the legs.

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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


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.

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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.

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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.

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Exercises

1. True/False Questions

2. Multiple-choice Questions

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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.


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.




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)




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)

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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.


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.




5. The greatest danger on the journey to the market was that the cows would stampede and cowboys might be hurt. (T)




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)

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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


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

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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


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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


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


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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


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

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.


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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.


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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.


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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


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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.


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.

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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.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the spirit of cowboys?

2. Is it still important today?

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, steady pace. 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.

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.

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.

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Word to Know

cowboy [] 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。

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Word to Know

range [] 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。

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Word to Know

lorry [] 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。

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Word to Know

herd [] 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。

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Word to Know

round (up) [] 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。

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Word to Know

trail [] 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。

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Word to Know

waggon [ ] 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

Word to Know

shelf [] 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。

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Word to Know

saddle [] 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。

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Word to Know

sickness [] n. 疾病 =illness

e.g. They were absent because of sickness.

他们因病缺席。

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Word to Know

flood [] vi. （河水）上涨 =overflow

e.g. The rivers are flooded by heavy rainstorms.

河水因为暴风雨而上涨。

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Word to Know

stampede [] vi. & n. （畜群）惊跑 =sudden rush of frightened animals

e.g. Twelve horses were killed in the stampede.

在畜群惊跑中，十二匹马被踩死了。

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Word to Know

trample [] vt. 践踏，踩 =tread heavily on with the feet

e.g. You wouldn’t like to be trampled to death by elephants.

你不会愿意被象踩死。

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Word to Know

steady [] adj. 稳定不变的 =unchanging

e.g. But his eyes were still keen, and his step though slow was steady.

但是他的眼光仍然敏锐，他的步伐虽然缓慢却很稳定。

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Word to Know

pace [] n. 步伐，步速 =rate of walking or running

e.g. He finds it hard to keep pace with all the developments in nuclear physics.

他发现要赶上核物理学上所有的发展很难。

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Word to Know

gang [] n. 一群，一伙 =group of persons going about or working together, esp for criminal purposes

e.g. Don’t get mixed up with that gang; they spent too much time drinking and gambling.

不要同那一帮人混在一起，他们终日饮酒赌博。

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Word to Know

whistle [] vi. 吹口哨 =make a whistle

e.g. The driver whistled before reaching the level-crossing.

货车司机在抵达平交道之前先鸣汽笛。

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Word to Know

equipment [] n. 装备；器材 =things needed for a purpose

e.g. This is a factory with modern equipments.

这是一家有现代化设备的工厂。

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Phrases And Expressions

take in 收拢e.g. Orders were given to take in sail.

已发布了收帆的命令。

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day after day 日复一日地e.g. We waited day after day, but the expected visitor never arrived.

我们日复一日地等待，但期待中的来访者从未来到。

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go wrong 出毛病，出差错e.g. All our plans went wrong.

我们所有的计划都失败了。

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round and round 环绕…不断地兜圈子e.g. The wheel was turning round and round.

车轮不停地旋转。

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Word to Know

out on the range:

on the range far away from towns and cities

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Word to Know

On the trail:

On the track followed by cattle to the market

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Word to Know

to take cattle on the trail:

to drive the herd to market

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Word to Know

railway cars:

(BrE) train carriages

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Sentence Explanation

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.

到了贩牛季节，他们又不得不将牛群赶到市场出售，因为没有买主会到牧场来。

they had to be taken in to market:

the cows had to be driven to market

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It was no good killing them on the ranges because there were no lorries or railways to carry the meat.

在牧场上宰杀牛是无用的，因为那里没有卡车和火车来运输牛肉。

It was no good:

It wouldn’t be wise.

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The tail board of the waggon made a good shelf:

The back part of the waggon could open outwards so it served very well as a shelf.

货车的后挡板正好当架子用。

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The cattle will also arrive fresh and fat where they would have become tired and thin:

The cattle will be fresh and fat when they arrive at the (market) place whereas they would have become tired and thin if they had been taken on the trail.

牛被运到市场时依然生气勃勃，膘肥肉厚，而再也不象过去沿途驱赶时那样筋疲力尽，骨瘦如柴。

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if they rushed along they would get thin and not be worth much at market.

如果急速赶路，牛会掉膘，到了市场牛就卖不出好价钱了。

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Many things could go wrong on the trail.

一路上许多事会出岔子。

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where(=whereas)

where 可用来表示对比，即“而”，其意思与 whereas ， while相同，但不如 whereas 那么常用。如：e.g. They want a house, where we would rather live in a flat.

他们要一座房子，而我们宁愿住在一套公寓里。

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There/It is no use/good + 动名词表示“……是无用的”，如：e.g. It’s no use offering to help when it is too late.

事后帮忙，无济于事。e.g. There’s no use asking her — she doesn’t know anything.

问她毫无用处——她什么都不知道。

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The cattle had to be driven along in large herd to the towns where they were needed.

必须把大批的牛群赶到需要它们的城镇去。

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The cattle were rounded up, and those to be sent away were kept together.

先把牛群集拢，然后把要赶到城镇去的牛关在一起。

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Cows which tried to get away were made to go back to the herd.

把要走散的牛赶回到牛群里去。

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A cowboy could be thrown from his horse and trampled to death in a stampede.

如果牛群惊跑，牛仔可能会从马背上掉下来，活活被踩死。 (picture)

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In the early days it was a hard job getting the cows to the markets where they were killed.

在早期，把牛群赶到市场上去屠宰是一项非常艰苦的工作。

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Hundreds or maybe thousands of cattle were taken on the trail.

上百头或甚至上千头的牛被驱赶上路。

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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.

在整个旅途中，牛仔们白天骑在马背上，夜间露宿荒野。他们日出而作，长途跋涉，日以继夜地赶路。

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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.

牛的数量会因疾病和事故而减少；也许一场暴雨引发的洪水会阻止牛群通行；印第安人有时也会来袭击。 (picture)

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The cows would become so frightened or wild that they would rush away before the men could stop them.

牛群会因惊恐而四处逃窜，而牛仔们却来不及阻拦。

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During the day the herd was moved along at a slow, steady pace.

在白天，牛群以缓慢稳定的速度前进。

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Indians attack


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Cows stampede

Questions

Answer

What is a cowboy?

Questions

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What is a cowboy?

A cowboy is a man who herds cattle on horseback.

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What does a typical cowboy look like?

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What does a typical cowboy look like?

He wears a broad-trimmed hat, a brightly coloured kerchief around his neck, blue jeans and high-heeled riding boots.

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What kind of life did a cowboy lead?

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What kind of life did a cowboy lead?

He moved from place to place on horseback, tending large herds of cattle. He had to battle with the bad weather, wild animals, and sometimes with Indians. So his life was full of hardships and adventures.

Main Idea

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Introduction:

The cattle had to be driven to town as there were no buyers on the ranges and no lorries or railways to carry the meat to towns if the cattle were killed there.

Main Idea

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Development:

The journey to the market often took many weeks and it was full of dangers. The cowboys lived a very hard life on the trail. They had to put up with all kinds of dangers.

Main Idea

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Conclusion:

Railways changed cowboys’ way of life. They provided a quicker and more efficient means of bringing cattle to town.

Summary of The Text

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This text presents us one aspect of the life cowboys lived — getting the cows from ranges to the market. The journey was long and dangerous: cows might fall sick and die; the weather was bad and changeable; Indians sometimes attacked; and the greatest danger was that the cows might stampede and cowboys would be hurt or even killed if such a thing took place. So the cowboys lived a very hard life on the journey. When railways were built, they took the place of cowboys. They took the cowherd to the market very quickly, and saved the cowboys a long, insecure traveling to town.

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