step by step 第三册 lesson 120

Lesson 120 Dodge¹ City

Lesson 120

 

Dodge City

 

Dodge City, Kansas, 1870.

Through countless² movies, TV shows and pulp³ novels, the name Dodge City has become a legend----the wildest cow town in the western frontier.

Much of the mythology⁴ surrounding old Dodge City centers on the town lawmen. Wyatt Earp and Bat Mastersor were real peace officers in early Dodge City. On television, Marshal Matt Dillon has thrown more outlaws⁵ in jail than a cactus⁶ has thorns.

The modern day counterpart to these legendary⁷ lawmen is Dodge City's Chief of Police Oakley Ralf.

Like the city itself, a lawman's life has changed considerably⁸ over the years. An occasional desperado needs rounding up. But Chief Ralf spends most of his time working on department administration for Community Relations----a term that might have made a frontier sheriff choke in his beer.

In 1878, Dodge City's population was about 600. Today, it's 15, 000. The city has a new Civic⁹ Center and two colleges. Of course, while it's true that Dodge City is keeping pace with modern times, its citizens aren't about to forget her well-known history.

At the of Boot Hill, Dodge City's famous old Front Street is reproduced just as it was in 1872. There's a museum, an apothecary¹⁰ shop, a frontier doctor's office, old fort Dodge Jail. And if you're thirsty, you could still get a glass of soda¹¹ pop at the Long Branch Saloon.

Back in the 1800s, a cold drink wasn't the only comfort sought at the local saloon by trail-weary cowpokes. And while it's true there were a few career women in the old West, most were kept corralled at home.

Today in Dodge City, a woman's place is anywhere she wants. Nancy Trower decided¹² that she wanted to be in the City Commission----the town's governing body. She campaigned for the office and was elected. The other members of the City Commission voted Nancy Mayor of Dodge City recently and she now serves as the city's chief elected official.

One of the few things that has not changed much through the years is the nature of Dodge City's economy. During the frontier's great cattle era, Dodge became a major shipping¹³ point for trail herds¹⁴. Its growth depended on the value of agriculture in general and cattle in particular.

Today, cattle-raising is still the biggest industry, but the ranchers who buy and raise cattle are a new breed. Harold Poe, for example. With a college degree in agriculture, Poe spends much of his time in town rather than in the fields. He lives in Dodge City and works in a local bank.

Cattlemen like Harold Poe buy most of their animals at auctions¹⁵. Dodge City has two such large stock outlets¹⁶ and they run full the year round. There is also a busy packing plant which dresses and packages beef.

Dodge City has changed just as other small towns in western America have changed.

There's a big difference between this city's past and present. Like a wise, old Kansas' cowhand¹⁷, Dodge holds on to just enough of both.

1 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

2 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

4 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

5 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

6 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

7 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

8 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

9 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

10 apothecary   

n.药剂师

参考例句：

• I am an apothecary of that hospital.我是那家医院的一名药剂师。
• He was the usual cut and dry apothecary,of no particular age and color.他是那种再普通不过的行医者，说不出多大年纪，相貌也没什么值得一提的。

11 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

14 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

15 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

16 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 cowhand   

n.牛仔，牧牛工

参考例句：

• Do you know the legend of the Cowhand and Weaver Maid?你知道牛郎和织女的传说吗？
• A cowhand herds cattle past a petroleum processing plant.一个牧牛人赶着一群牛在一家石油加工厂附近经过。