News Item1 3

美國(guó)斗牛小丑的收入很可觀

News Background

新聞背景　　

斗牛小丑是隨著美國(guó)西部牛仔文化衍生出來(lái)的一種職業(yè)。

他們永遠(yuǎn)是斗牛場(chǎng)上帶給觀眾笑聲最多的人，也是光芒最容易被掩蓋的人，同時(shí)也是斗牛場(chǎng)上處境最危險(xiǎn)的人。每當(dāng)斗牛賽的間隙，斗牛小丑們就會(huì)穿著寬大艷麗的衣服粉墨登場(chǎng)，他們會(huì)借助小型爆竹、焰火等小道具在憤怒的公牛面前耍寶，博觀眾一笑。

News Transcript VOA 新聞梗概

In small towns across the American West, a favorite form of entertainment is the rodeo. It’s ashow and competition in which modern-day cowboys ride bucking horses and ornery bulls.

(Clowning around distracts bulls after riders fall.)When a rider charges out of the chute atop and agitated bucking bull, he can easily get intodeadly trouble. That’s where two cowboys in clown outfi ts, standing in the ring beside the chute,fi t into the rodeo scene. Like the competitors, they usually have on board–brimmed hats, bootsand blue jeans.

But their most important job is to whistle, shout, fl ap their arms and run about crazily to turnthe attention of an unhappy, 500 kilogram animal with sharp horns away from a fallen rider. It’sbetter to have the bull chasing nimble clowns than goring an injured bull rider.

(Rodeo clowns earn respect and a good income)The clowns can make a handsome living without ever getting on a horse or bull. RodeosNews Item1 3

Listening Comprehension

聽(tīng)力理解

1. the American West; modern-day cowboys2. D 3. C Keyeven developed an event just for them. It’s called bullfi ghting, in which clownsearn points, prize money and lots of laughs by artfully evading grouchy bulls.

When rodeo clowns are too crippled, or too old, to work the ring any longer,most of these men – and almost all of them are male – fi nd work anywhere theycan to stay around a rodeo.

1 In small towns across , a favorite form of entertainment isthe rodeo. It’s a show and competition in which ride buckinghorses and ornery bulls.

2 Like the competitors, the cowboys ( )A. Clowning around distracts bulls after riders fall.

B. Two cowboys in clown outfi ts, standing in the ring beside the chute, fi t intothe rodeo scene.

C. Clowns usually have on broad-brimmed hats, boots and blue jeans.

D. All the above.

3 According to the context, which one is not right? ( )A. The clowns can make a handsome living without ever getting on a horse orbull.

B. Rodeos even developed an event just for the cowboys.

C. Rodeo clowns earn respect and a low income.

D. It’s called bullfi ghting, in which clowns earn points, prize money and lots oflaughs by artfully evading grouchy bulls.

rodeo n.

騎術(shù)競(jìng)技會(huì)ornery a.

脾氣壞的chute n.

斜槽agitated a.

焦慮的，不安的flap v.

拍打nimble a.

敏捷的grouchy a.

不高興的crippled a.

跛腿的，殘廢的詞匯加油站在美國(guó)西部的一個(gè)小城鎮(zhèn)里，騎士競(jìng)技是最受歡迎的一種娛樂(lè)方式。他是一場(chǎng)秀，同時(shí)也是一種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，今日的牛仔騎的是突然弓背躍起要把人摔下來(lái)的馬和脾氣暴躁的公牛。

當(dāng)牛仔從牛背上掉下來(lái)之后，四周的小丑負(fù)責(zé)分散公牛的注意力。

當(dāng)牛仔從斜槽頂部掉下來(lái)，并激怒跳躍的公牛時(shí)，他就無(wú)疑陷入了致命的危險(xiǎn)境地。這就是為什么在角力場(chǎng)上的斜槽附近，會(huì)有兩個(gè)穿著全套小丑服裝的牛仔，映襯著競(jìng)技場(chǎng)面。 和競(jìng)技小丑一樣，他們通常也戴著寬邊帽，穿著長(zhǎng)靴和牛仔褲。

但他們最重要的工作是吹口哨，叫喊，拍胳膊和瘋狂的跑動(dòng)，以此讓一頭憤怒的500千克重，長(zhǎng)著尖尖的角的動(dòng)物的注意力，從掉落下來(lái)的牛仔身上轉(zhuǎn)移開(kāi)。讓公牛去追趕一個(gè)敏捷的小丑比讓其繼續(xù)去頂一個(gè)受傷的牛仔要好得多。

競(jìng)技小丑贏得了尊重同時(shí)拿到了高收入。

小丑們不用騎馬或斗牛就可以過(guò)上瀟灑的生活。競(jìng)技者們甚至僅僅專門(mén)為他們開(kāi)發(fā)了一項(xiàng)活動(dòng)，這就是所謂的斗牛。斗?？梢允顾麄冓A得尊重，得到報(bào)酬，并通過(guò)技術(shù)地躲過(guò)憤怒的公牛得到觀眾的掌聲。

當(dāng)小丑們太跛或太老而不能繼續(xù)工作時(shí)，大多數(shù)的男人，幾乎全部都是男人，會(huì)去找任何能讓他們繼續(xù)呆在競(jìng)技場(chǎng)的工作。

1 It’s a show and competition in which modern-day cowboys ride bucking horses and ornerybulls.“in which”引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，這種由介詞加關(guān)系代詞引導(dǎo)的限定分句多用于正式語(yǔ)體。例：this is the room in which i lived= this is the room where I lived從根本上講，在定語(yǔ)從句中，介+which=where。

2 It’s better to have the bull chasing nimble clowns than goring an injured bull rider.句子的主要結(jié)構(gòu)是 “It’s better to do something”最好做某事，但to后面接的是 “have somethingor someone doing something”使某人做某事，than是比較動(dòng)詞，前后銜接的成分應(yīng)該保持一致，前面是chasing后面就應(yīng)該是goring。

3 Rodeo clowns earn respect and a good income. Rodeo clowns是競(jìng)技小丑的意思。