Question

完形填空 　　In history, a real cowboy was a simple farm worker on horseback．He spent a long time a day outdoors working with cows．The work was dirty, tiring and not very well paid． 　　People in the western states had to 　　1　　 cattle at low cost and send them by railway to the eastern 　　2　　．But someone had to 　　3　　 the cattle and get them to the nearest railroad．This was the job of a cowboy．Sometimes the 　　4　　 was more than a thousand kilometers away and it could take as 　　5　　 as six months to move the cattle．The 　　6　　 was long but the cattle were driven 　　7　　 as not to lose 　　8　　．Then they could be sold at a good price． 　　Most cowboys were young, 　　9　　 men．A good horse 　　10　　 their job of moving cattle much easier．A good cowboy 　　11　　 cows and knew how to control them．At night, he 　　12　　 to the cows to keep them calm． 　　In the late 1800s, America was changing from a nation of farm to one of 　　13　　 and cities．The cowboy seemed 　　14　　 compared with other Americans doing ordinary jobs． 　　Today, the 　　15　　 of cowboys has 　　16　　 greatly．One change is the use of trucks．The job is not so hard 　　17　　 it used to be．And cowboys are better 　　18　　 now．They are 　　19　　 to be married．Some of them are farmers or teachers or truck drivers．Some work for big companies． 　　　　20　 at night and at weekends, they become cowboys．These part-time cowboys increase the total production of meat, keeping the beef price low． (1) [　　] A． get B． buy C． sell D． raise (2) [　　] A． markets B． countries C． cities D． stories (3) [　　] A． deal with B． find out C． look after D． pay off (4) [　　] A． road B． railroad C． state D． farm (5) [　　] A． good B． much C． long D． far (6) [　　] A． journey B． trip C． tour D． travel (7) [　　] A． hurriedly B． smoothly C． slowly D． carefully (8) [　　] A． mind B． direction C． head D． weight (9) [　　] A． unmarried B． proud C． strong D． educated (10) [　　] A． had B． made C． found D． helped (11) [　　] A． recognized B． understood C． owned D． kept (12) [　　] A． whispered B． shouted C． cried D． sang (13) [　　] A． towns B． factories C． companies D． villages (14) [　　] A． free B． brave C． easy D． pleased (15) [　　] A． manner B． job C． life D． mind (16) [　　] A． changed B． developed C． improved D． realized (17) [　　] A． that B． as C． which D． what (18) [　　] A． known B． paid C． treated D． dressed (19) [　　] A． afraid B． eager C． worried D． likely (20) [　　] A． Because B． And C． When D． But

Answer 1

答案：1．D;2．A;3．C;4．B;5．C;6．A;7．C;8．D;9．A;10．B;11．B;12．D;13．B;14．A;15．C;16．A;17．B;18．C;19．D;20．D;
解析：

(1)	at low cost“以低的花费/代价/成本”。养牛时当然追求低成本，将来卖牛时当然应当是高价钱，这样才能从中获得更高利润，从此处可知36空选raise cattle(养牛)。
(2)	从下文可看出是要先走公路后上火车，然后卖牛，所以此处应选markets(市场)。
(3)	牛仔(cowboy)的工作是“赶牛”上火车，所以应是look after(照料)。
(4)	因为上文已出现railroad，及表语more than a thousand kilometers away，所以用railroad。
(5)	表达要take(花费)6个月的时间，自然用as long as(长达)，才与句意吻合。
(6)	四个选项虽然都有“旅行”之意，但只有journey可表示“路程，行程”。
(8)	7、8两个空是相互联系在一起的，都要根据后边的句子“be sold at a good price”,所以不能让牛瘦了，因此用not to lose weight。因此只有“slowly”慢慢走，不让牛过于劳累，牛才不会减重。
(9)	因为一出去就是6个月，因此最好是未婚男人——不必照料妻子和孩子，选项C应当也不错，但不如A项与上文联系紧。
(10)	句子最后有easier，用于此句型(形容词作宾补)的词此处只有found和made，不是“发现容易”，而是“一匹好马会使他的赶牛的工作容易得多”，所以选B项。
(11)	只有“懂得牛”——有这方面的常识和积累的经验，才是一个好的cowboy，也才能“know how to control them”。
(12)	音乐/乐曲能使人/动物心态平和下来，这是一般的常识。所以用sang“唱歌”；B、C两项为“大叫大喊”，容易激怒、急躁；而whispered“小声，耳语”也不对，一个cowboy带一群牛，他不可能跟一头头牛去说。
(13)	这是美国扩大工业生产的时期，因此句子里用了“changing from a nation of farm to…”，farm应和factories相对，而不会和towns/villages相对，因为不属同一类。
(14)	工厂的工作是跟大机器连在一起，工厂都有严格的纪律要求，因此相比较而言，cowboys就比较free了。
(15)	最后一段说的都是他们的变化，通读后知道都是生活方面的。
(16)	下一句话第一个词就是one change，说明此处用changed。
(17)	用了比较句型not so hard as。
(18)	该空其实用B、C、D项都不错，表示“付的工资高了”“对待得好了”“衣着穿得更讲究些了”，但是treated最佳，因为只有雇方对待他们更好了，才会有较高的工资，也才会有钱去买衣服。而known“更出名了”，与上下文不吻合。
(19)	be likely to do“可能……”，这与前面9空unmarried前后呼应。be eager to be married此处的意思也不错，但要表达“cowboy的生活改变了”结果之一是才“有可能”去谈婚论嫁，而不是过去不想结婚，现在“渴望”结婚，A、C选项与这段话“变化”不吻合。
(20)	前面是for big companies“为大公司干活”，后面是become cowboys，前后转折，所以用But。