8．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．．
36．The purpose of this story is toD．
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
37．Before they became cowboys，theyA．
A．served in the army
B．worked as bar-room fighters
C．owned ranches
D．were adventurous explorers
38．During"the cowboy era"mentioned in the story，B．
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
39．By saying"you can't keep the cowboy down"，the writer means thatB
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
40．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to？A
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．
分析 本文是一篇议论文，文章主要介绍在不同时期人们对cowboy的不同理解．美国内战结束后一些小说经常把牛仔描绘成残酷和暴力的男人．当电影开始流行在1920年代，牛仔形象又变了．现在，一个牛仔成为伟大的白衣骑士．最近牛仔的形象仍然是变化的．近年来，在音乐家、电台和酒吧的共同努力下，牛仔怀旧潮开始回归，牛仔仍然让人着迷．
解答 36．D 主旨大意题．根据全篇文章来理解可知，文章的主要介绍在不同时期人们对cowboy的不同理解，即告知读者有关 cowboy 的相关信息，故选D．
37．A 细节理解题．根据第二段"When the US CivilWar ended，many soldiers had no place to call home．So，they began to drift tothe country's rural West．Ranchers（农场主） hiredthese men to take care of the cattle and work around the ranch．When the ranchowner wanted to sell the cattle，the cowboys would round up the herd from theopen prairie（牧场） and drive the cattle miles to the market．"可知，美国内战结束后，许多士兵无家可归，他们开始前往该国西部农村，农场主雇用他们照顾牛和农场工作．即他们在成为牛仔之前是在军队里服役的． 故选A．
38． B 推理判断题．根据文章第三自然段中"Butpeople in the East had always been curious about their lifestyle．"可知，东部的人们一直好奇他们的生活方式．故选B．
39． B 推理判断题．根据"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"可知，牛仔仍然让人着迷，故选B．
40． A 主旨大意题．通读短文可知，文章的主旨为介绍在不同时期人们对cowboy的不同理解．故选A．
点评 解答细节理解题时，一个常用的方法就是运用定位法，即根据题干和选项中的关键词从原文中找到相关的句子，与选项进行比较从而确定答案；推理判断题既要求学生透过文章表面文字信息推测文章隐含意思，又要求学生对作者的态度、意图及文章细节的发展作正确的推理判断，力求从作者的角度去考虑，不要固守自己的看法或观点．
