The name “cowboy” conjures up many different images from movies, songs and TV. These imagined cowboys range from white-hat-wearing heroes to gun-shooting hooligans(流氓).But, cowboys are actually real people from US history.
When the US Civil War ended, many soldiers had no place to call home. So, they began to drift to the country’s rural West. Ranchers(农场主) hired these men to take care of the cattle and work around the ranch. When the ranch owner wanted to sell the cattle, the cowboys would round up the herd from the open prairie(牧场) and drive the cattle miles to the market.
With the invention of barbed wire(铁丝网),the cowboy era(1865-1890) began to come to an end. But people in the East had always been curious about their lifestyle. Many country/western songs during this time tried to capture the true cowboy spirit. Newspapers published cowboy tales in serial form and adventure novels followed. The bigger the fiction, the better the sales. These novels often portrayed cowboys as cruel and violent men. Cowboys carried the bad reputation for many years afterwards.
When movies began to be popular in the 1920s, the cowboy image changed again. Now, a cowboy became the great white knight(骑士) that loved his horse more than the beautiful ladies he rescued. As the cowboy of the “Old West” spent more time with his horse than the ladies, this era's image was not entirely false.
Then, in the 50s,Hollywood began producing so-called “spaghetti westerns(意大利西部片)”.They earned the nickname because Italian companies financed the films and TV shows. This started the decade’s “Cowboy Craze”. While this didn’t last long, it made modern country / western music, fashion and dance extremely popular.
In recent years, with the help of musicians, radio stations and bars, cowboy nostalgia(怀旧情绪) has returned. Even though his image is still changing — somewhere between ballad singing country boy and bar room fighter — there’s one thing for sure, you can’t keep the cowboy down.
1.The purpose of this story is to ______.
A．introduce cowboy movies and novels
B．introduce various productions associated with cowboys
C．show the cowboy's everlasting charm
D．inform us about the cowboy’s spirit
2.Before they became cowboys, they ______.
A．served in the army B．worked as bar-room fighters
C．owned ranches D．were adventurous explorers
3.During “the cowboy era” mentioned in the story, ______________.
A．the cowboy often came to the rescue of ladies in newspaper tales
B．the distant Wild West appealed to people in the East
C．cowboys were shown as cruel and violent men on the silver screen
D．country music started the cowboy craze which swept the whole country
4.By saying “you can’t keep the cowboy down”, the writer means that ______.
A．cowboys are real people in history B．cowboys still fascinate people
C．you can't make cowboys unhappy D．you can’t grasp the cowboy spirit
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．The cowboy has been presented in different lights in different eras.
B．Cowboys are gun-shooting hooligans, without doubt.
C．Cowboys have always been a passing phenomenon.
D．Cowboys enjoy Italian foods, for example, spaghetti.
In Europe, people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises.
A few explanations for this American style are as follows:
(1) Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.
(2) Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.
(3) Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.
Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.
1.Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.
A．the right hand B．the left hand
C．both hands D．either of the two hands
2.As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _________________.
A．show their independence of Mother England
B．show their disrespect to Mother England
C．add a new tradition to those in Mother England
D．show off their creativeness to Mother England
3.In the last sentence, the word “juggle” probably means ____________.
A．hold B．play with C．pick up D．lay down
4.Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to ____________.
A．Americans
B．Europeans and Americans separately
C．Americans and Europeans separately
D．Europeans
5.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.
B．The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.
C．The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.
D．European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.
Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?
Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate (贯穿) the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.
To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron (磁控管). He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm.
In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector (运动感应器)would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it’s on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)
While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock(家畜) farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.
1.Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage?
A．A new heating system. B．A new microwave oven.
C．A popular technique. D．The magnetron.
2.According to Paragraph 2, which of the following does not describe the characteristics of a microwave heater?
A．It directly heats people in a room.
B．It heats walls and furniture in a room.
C．It is safe.
D．It saves energy.
3.The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about ________________.
A．20 mw. / sq. cm. B．40 mw. / sq. cm. C．60 mw. / sq. cm. D．85 mw. / sq. cm.
4.According to Paragraph 4, which of the following fills the room with low-power microwaves?
A．The magnetron. B．The motion detector.
C．The microwave oven. D．The radiation-absorbing chemical.
5.Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with?
A．Microwave heaters will soon be widely used by homeowners.
B．Microwave heaters sometimes make people feel uncomfortable.
C．Perhaps microwave heaters will be first used by livestock farmers, who wish to protect their lambs in winter.
D．Microwave heaters cannot be accepted by the public because they are somewhat unsafe.
As we all know, games play a very important role in the growth of children. Children should grow along with playing games, for, __1. playing games, they can not only acquire knowledge, but also cultivate their abilities to get along with others.
However, most children _ 2. (face) with a completely different situation. Most parents fear that games will prevent children from increasing new knowledge and __3.__ the children will fail in the future examinations. So, instead of __4.__ ( let ) the children 5. find and learn naturally from their surroundings, they force their children to take part in various kinds of classes, learning English, playing 6.__ piano or practicing drawing, etc. What’s more, some parents put 7. the children’s toys which are very useful in developing children’s imagination and practical abilities.
8. is a piece of good advice to those parents: 9. you want to expect your child to be able to accomplish something, you must first of all develop his ability to adapt to the new surroundings. That cram education can lead to nothing _ 10. a failure in the children’s growth.
A great many people are disappointed because of unrealistic expectations.
Walking up to a department store’s cloth counter, a(n) 1 young woman said, “I want to buy this material for a new dress. How much does it cost?”
“Only one 2 per yard,” replied the smirking (自鸣得意的) male clerk.
Not to be taken back by the funny words, the woman said,” That’s fine! I’ll take ten yards.”
With 3 written all over his face, the clerk 4 measured out and wrapped the cloth, then held it out teasingly, 5 forward to receive his “ 6 ”.
The woman got the package quickly from the clerk and pointed to a little old man standing beside her. “Grandpa will pay the bill instead of me,” she 7 .
He was no doubt disappointed. But in the course of living, many people are 8 when others do not 9 their expectations. In order to be happy, some expectations must be dropped. These three particular 10 and unhealthy expectations are some of the main causes:
1. Expect too much 11 .When others say, “Thank you,” or in any way to show their gratitude, be happy. It is a gift!
2. Expect others to make you happy. They simply cannot do that. Make yourself happy and 12 your joy with others.
3. Expect not to be 13 . At times, people will simply not come through for you in the way you need. 14 them and move on.
Get rid of these three unrealistic expectations and you can begin to expect more 15 right away!
1. A．tricky B．attractive C．ugly D．generous
2. A．kiss B．pay C．dollar D．cent
3. A．happiness B．enjoyment C．expectation D．courage
4. A．hurriedly B．slowly C．patiently D．curiously
5. A．setting B．sitting C．leaning D．taking
6. A．reward B．payment C．bonus D．money
7. A．smiled B．begged C．waved D．thought
8. A．encouraged B．disappointed C．annoyed D．surprised
9. A．live up to B．go against C．go without D．hope for
10. A．reasonable B．proper C．unimportant D．unrealistic
11. A．profit B．kiss C．appreciation D．disappointment
12. A．spare B．share C．make D．control
13. A．put down B．let down C．taken down D．thrown down
14. A．Forgive B．Punish C．Blame D．Praise
15. A．happiness B．encouragement C．excitement D．pride
At the beginning of the twentieth century, many people thought that the Americanfamily was falling apart.A century later, we know that this was not the case. However,although the family is still alive in the United States, its size and shape were very different100 years ago.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were mainly two types of families in theUnited States: the extended and the nuclear. The extended family usually includesgrandparents, parents, and children living under the same roof. The nuclear familyconsists of only parents and children.
Today there are many different kinds of families. Some people live in “traditional” families, that is, a stay-home mother, a working father, and their own biologicalchildren. Others live in two-paycheck families, single-parent families, adoptive or foster,families, blended families (where men and women who were married before marry againand combine the children from previous marriages into the new families），childlessfamilies, and so on.
What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s the birthratebegan to fall and the divorce rate began to rise. Women were suddenly choosing to go tocollege and take jobs outside the home. In the 1930s and 1940s, many families faced seriousfinancial, or money problems during the Great Depression, when many people lost theirjobs. During World War II（1939-1945)，5 million women were left alone to take care oftheir homes and their children. Because many men were at war, thousands of these "war widows" had to go to work outside their home.
During the next ten years, the situation changed. There were fewer divorces, andpeople married at a younger age and had more children than the previous generation. It wasunusual for a mother to work outside the home during the years when her children weregrowing tip. Families began leaving cities and moving into single-family homes in thesuburbs. The traditional family seemed to be returning.
In the years between 1960s and 1990s, there were many important changes in thestructure of the family. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, the divorce rate doubled andthe birthrate fell by half. The number of single-parent families tripled, and the number ofcouples living together without being married doubled again. In fact, the single-parenthousehold, once unusual, has replaced the "traditional" family as the typical family in theStates. If we can judge from history, however, this will probably change again in thetwenty-first century.
The Changes of the American Family
|
Main comparisons |
Contexts |
|
|
Different___1____ |
There were two __2___ types of families in the past, ___3____, the extended and the nuclear. |
|
|
Nowadays __4___types of families can be seen than before. |
||
|
Changes in different ___5_____. |
In the 1900s and 1940s |
Many of the women had to work outside due to the __6___of money., thus causing the fall of __7__and the rise of divorce rate. |
|
In the 1950s |
Divorce rate slided and there were more children . The families tended to be ___8___ again. |
|
|
In the years between 1960s and 1990s |
Different types of familes__9____. Traditional families are no longer the typical ones in America. |
|
|
A trend worth noting |
||
|
Author’s opinion on changes |
The present structure is ___10____; it will experience changes again in the near future. |
