阅读作业3

Passage oneThe writing of a historical synthesis involves integrating the materials available to the historian into a comprehensible whole. The problem in writing a historical synthesis is how to find a pattern in, or impose a pattern upon, the detailed information that has already been used to explain the causes for a historical event.A synthesis seeks common elements in which to interpret the various parts of a historical event. The initial step, therefore, in writing a historical synthesis, is to put the event to be synthesized in a proper historical perspective, so that the common elements or strands making up the event can be determined. This can be accomplished by analyzing the historical event as part of a general trend or continuum in history. The common elements that are familiar to the event will become the ideological framework in which the historian seeks to synthesize. This is not to say that any factor will not have a greater relative value in the historian' s handling of the synthesis, but rather that all factors are interrelated when viewed in a broad historical perspective.The historian, in synthesizing, must determine the extent to which the existing hypotheses have similar trends. A general trend line, once established, will enable these similar trends to be correlated and paralleled within the conceptual framework of a common base. A synthesis further seeks to determine, from existing hypotheses, why an outcome took the direction it did ; thus, it necessitates reconstructing the spirit of the times in order to assimilate the political, social, psy-chological, etc., factors within a common base.As such, the synthesis becomes the logical construct in interpreting the common ground between an original explanation of an outcome (thesis) and the reinterpretation of the outcome along different lines (antithesis). Therefore, the synthesis necessitates the integration of the materials available into a comprehensible whole which will in turn provide a new historical perspective for the event being synthesized.1. Which of the following would the author be most concerned with?A. Finding the most important cause for a particular historical event.B. Imposing a pattern upon varying interpretations for the causes of a particular historicalevent.C. Attributing the many conditions that together led to a particular historical event to a singlemotive.D. Determining when hypotheses need to be reinterpreted.2. The most important preliminary step in writing a historical synthesis would be ____.A. to accumulate sufficient reference material to explain an eventB. analyzing the historical event to determine if a "single theme theory" applies to the eventC. determining the common strands that make up a historical eventD. interpreting historical factors to determine if one factor will have a greater relative value3. The best definition for the term "historical synthesis" would be____.A. combining elements of differing material into a unified wholeB. a tentative theory set forth as an explanation for an eventC. the direct opposite of the original interpretation of an eventD. interpreting historical material to prove the history repeats itself4. A historian seeks to reconstruct the "spirit" of a time period because ____.A. the events in history are more important than the people who make historyB. existing hypotheses are inadequate in explaining historical eventsC. this is the best method to determine the single most important cause for a particular actionD. varying factors can be assimilated with a common base5. Which of the following statements would the author consider false?A. One factor in a historical synthesis will not have a greater value than other factors.B. It is possible to analyze common unifying points in hypotheses.C. Historical events should be studied as part of a continuum in history.D. A synthesis seeks to determine why an outcome took the direction it did.Passage TwoRanch LifeTo many people ranch life means the Wild West. Many children dream of becoming cowboys or cowgirls and leading romantic adventurous lives. But ranch life is in fact a hard business, demanding strength and a great deal of work.Most ranches are located in flat open country where there is plenty of grass for the cattle tofeed on. Ranchers raise cattle for the meat that people eat. Since meat is a favorite food of people everywhere, ranching is a very important job. Ranching is one of the oldest and biggest" industries in the world.Like all other kinds of farming, ranching is a difficult job. Dry weather or rainstorms can destroy the food needed for the cattle or the cattle themselves may become sick and die. The rancher must always be on guard against the dangers that nature can create.History of RanchingA long, long time ago, at the very beginning of civilized life, people began to keep cattle. These people were wanderers, driving their herd from place; to place, looking for fresh grass and water. Later, men began to settle in the places where the food and water were plentiful. They built houses for themselves and shelters and yards for their animals. These were the first ranches. CowboysRanch life has always centered around the cowboy, one of the most colorful people in the history of the American West. Stories about cowboys are very popular in America and all over the world. People think of cowboys as free people, unafraid to battle with wild animals, living close to nature, with the trees and the sky and the stars. Today there are far fewer cowboys, and they no longer live as they did. But their hold on the imagination is still strong. The old-time cowboy is the hero of many books, films and songs. He is a national hero and a treasured part of the national past.The American cowboy first appeared in Texas around 1836. Soon ranches spread and cowboys were working in almost every part of the West. .Cowboys' lives centered around the rbundup and the cattle drive. Every winter and summer the cattle fed at the ranch. In the spring and autumn the cowboys rounded up the cattle, and separated the beef cattle from the rest of the herd, and drove them over many miles of open. Country to the nearest railroad station. From there the cattle were sent to slaughterhouses. In the 19th century, railroads were few and far between. Driving the cattle was a long hard job. There was danger' from cattle thieves. The cowboy rose at sun-up to start the cattle moving. They drove them all day through the heat or dust or wind. The men were often on horseback 15 hours a day. Cowboys had to be skillful and strong. They had to be skilled horsemen and good gunmen. Their clothing was made for protection. The wide-brimmed hat was worn to protect them from the sun,dust and the rain. The gun protected them against Cattle thieves.Now much of the adventure has gone out of the cowboy's life. He no longer has to struggle with thieves. Most ranches are quite close to railroad stations, so the long cattle drive is a thing of the past. Modern inventions have taken over many of the cowboy's old jobs. The modem cowboy must often be a technician himself in order to use the new devices for the. care of cattle and for the running of the ranch.adventurous a. 冒险的civilize v. (使)文明herd n. 畜群roundup n. 聚拢slaughterhouse n. 屠宰场wide-brimmed a. 宽边的the Wild West 荒野西部（美国）Texas 得克萨斯（美国州名）1. Choose the correct answer according to the content:1. The passage is. mainly about ____.A. cowboys and their lifeB. cowboys in modern timesC. the building of the fast ranchesD. the dangers nature can create for cowboys2. Ranching is a very important job because ____.A. it is interesting and adventurousB. people like the life of a cowboy or a cowgirlC. people everywhere like to eat meatD. it can make a lot of money3. Cowboys today ____.A. live as they did beforeB. live a modern lifeC. are often on horseback 15 hours a dayD. usually live far away from railroad stations4. In the past cowboys had to be good gunmen because _____.A. they also hunted while driving their cattleB. they used guns to round up their cattleC. they 'had to battle with those who stole their cattleD. they often struggled with other cowboys for good places5. According to the passage, ____.A. most of the modern ranches are far away from the railroad stationsB. slaughterhouses are usually located near the ranchesC. in the past the roundup and the cattle drive were the most important activities of the cowboysD. cowboys today still have to fight against cattle thieves.2. Choose the best answer for the underlined part;1. Many children dream of becoming, cowboys or cowgirls and leading romantic adventurous lives.A. excitingB. interestingC. fantasticD. legendary2. The ranchers must always be on guard against the dangers that nature can create."A. be careful aboutB. fight againstC. be ready forD. avoid3. These people were wanderers, driving their herd from place to place, looking for fresh grass and water.A. homeless peopleB. cowherdC. horsemenD. roamers4. Today there are far fewer cowboys, and they no longer live • as they did. But their hold on the imagination is still strong.A. powerB. attractionC. insistenceD. influence5. In the 19th century, railroads were few and far between.A. rareB. far from each otherC. available to few peopleD. far away3. Translate from English into Chinese:1. But ranch life is in fact a hard business, demanding strength and a great deal of work.2. Dry weather or rainstorms can destroy the food needed for . the cattle, or the cattle themselvesmay become sick and die.3. Ranch life has always centered around the cowboy, one of the most colorful people' in thehistory of the American West.4. People think of cowboys as free people» unafraid to battle with wild animals, living close tonature with the trees and the sky and the stars.5. In the spring and autumn the cowboys rounded up the cattle, and separated the beef cattle fromthe rest of the herd, and drove them over many miles of open country to the nearest railroad station.4. Answer the following question in English within 80 — 100words:What changes have happened to the cowboy's life?。