The era of the cowboy really began after the Civil War. During this decisive war the Texas cattle had roamed undisturbed in the

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问题     The era of the cowboy really began after the Civil War. During this decisive war the Texas cattle had roamed undisturbed in the wild, breeding freely on the plains and greatly increasing in number. By the end of the war, however, Texas was filled with wild cattle. The people in the mushrooming cities of the East and in the Middle West wanted more meat for their diet and local farmers could not keep up with their demands. Therefore, the need for the cowboy emerged from the demands of the people and the nature of the culture.
    These men were handy with tools and knew how to handle a horse. Some of them discovered the use of rope to catch cattle and developed the lariat (套索). Their life was not an easy one. In winter, they watched over the herds and in the springtime they selected cattle for market often driving herds of them hundreds of miles to the nearest town. The cattle were then sold to buyers and the routine would start all over again.
    His workday was long beginning before sunrise and lasting well into the night. His best friend was his horse and he spent most of his waking hours in the saddle. His speech was a mixture of Spanish and English and at night by a campfire he wove his speech into songs about life on the prairie.
    A great boon to the life of the cowboy was the building of the railroads which connected eastern cities to those out West. In 1866, when the Kansas and Pacific railroad reached the small dusty village of Abilene in Kansas, the life of the cowboy was connected to the rest of the country. Hundreds of small cow towns grew up along the old trails which led the cattle to market, and thus the west became integrated into the economic life of the country.
    Today the life of the cowboy is quite different from those early days after the Civil War. Helicopters  rather than horses are now used to round up the cattle and modern technology used in the ranches has made the cowboy’s life less formidable(难对付的). Yet, the legends which surround him continue to make his image as the masterful hero of the Wild West.
Which of the following is true about cowboys?

选项 A、They have easier life in winter than in spring.
B、They use a rope to handle the horse.
C、They spend most of their daily time on the horse.
D、Most of them know more than three languages.

答案C

解析 由第三段第二句he spent most of his waking hours in the saddle可以推测C They spend most of their daily time on the horse. 与之意义相符,其中saddle意为“马鞍”,on the horse为原文in the saddle的同义转述,故为答案。
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