美国西部牛仔文化.docx

1、美国西部牛仔文化美国西部牛仔文化LT牛仔的颈间通常都围着色彩鲜艳的印花大方巾。印花大方巾大都用棉布或丝绸制作，底色比较单一，主要有红色，也有蓝色和黑色，上面印着各种小图案，色彩鲜艳图案美丽的丝绸印花大方巾最为牛仔们所钟爱。印花大方巾几乎成为牛仔生命的象征，被人们戏称为“西部牧区的旗帜”，它的用途十分广泛，擦汗、洗脸、包扎伤口、遮挡灰尘、传递信号，同时，它亮丽的颜色，也是富有个性的装饰。牛仔们对自己的大方巾都倍加珍惜，每到有水的地方，牛仔都要把大方巾仔细清洗干净，然后顶在头上或握在手中，策马前行，让风吹干。牛仔死后，同伴都要在其脸上盖上一块他生前最喜爱的干净的印花大方巾，使他在另一个世界的孤寂旅

2、途中仍有最忠实的伙伴。牛仔帽 美国的牛仔帽来源于墨西哥牛仔们常戴的一种被称之为“斯特森”式的宽沿高顶毡帽。这种帽子顶部向下凹陷，而两侧帽沿则稍稍往上翻翘。除了戴上它的人显得潇洒干练外，牛仔帽还具有多方面的实用功能，不仅可以遮挡风霜雨雪、烈日冰雹，还是现成的水瓢、饭碗、枕头。西部电影中可以看到牛仔帽的演变和多样性。20世纪20年代的西部片明星喜欢把褶伸展到帽边；50年代到60年代的明星，像詹姆斯斯图尔特和史蒂芬麦奎因，他们的帽边做了夸张的卷曲；而克林特伊斯特伍德每次在西部片里出现，总是会伴随他特有的那种平坦直边的黑色牛仔帽，最传神的就有他在黄昏三镖客里的经典造型一张脸埋在了斜斜的帽子后面，一角露

3、出抽了一半的雪茄烟，神秘而传奇。 牛仔衣 早期的美国牛仔一般都穿光亮的皮套裤而非牛仔裤。带穗的皮套裤是牛仔在野外工作的必须，不仅保护双腿不受荆棘伤害，冬天还可以防寒，还可以在上面划火柴！牛仔很少穿短袖，一是防晒，其次是防止划伤。一般穿紧身无袖的皮制短上衣，内穿束袖的、花色各异的，主要以苏格兰方格绒布制作的衬衣。牛仔衬衣有胸前口袋和过肩设计，两用翻领可以配领带饰。这种装束不仅穿脱容易，干起活来也显得利索方便、精神十足。牛仔的上衣内有许多口袋，使牛仔们可以将需要随身携带的各种必需品分门别类装进衣袋里。而在西部片中，牛仔的衬衣大多被美化了，有的在前面增加了花边装饰或饰以流苏，有的还穿着制作得十分花哨

4、的麂皮衬衫。 牛仔靴 马靴在美国西部几乎和日用品一样普遍，不管是牛仔还是一般的居民都穿，材质有牛皮、鸵鸟皮、鳄鱼皮、蛇皮等等，经过压花、上色，靴子绑高底薄，鞋跟结实，不仅脚感好，还非常美观。一双质量上乘的西部靴，可以穿二三十年不变形。高筒皮套靴是牛仔们走南闯北的必备。这种靴高及小腿中部，古巴跟形，系明线，大多采用双色调，同时采用漂亮的皮雕或贴皮图案来装饰，既防水保暖，又耐磨耐穿，鲜亮迷人，套上它行动迅速敏捷，十分适合整日驱赶牛群和逐水草而居的牛仔之需。牛仔靴后面一般都装配上踢马刺。有的还在靴子上悬缀一种撞击时会发出各种清脆悦耳声响的装饰品，当他们骑马或走起路来就会传出叮叮当当的声音，显示出 “

5、未见其人，先闻其声”的无比威风。西部牛仔的深远影响19世纪末，东西铁路贯穿，牛仔纷纷转行，他们矫健的身影越来越少见到。随着交通发达，到了21世纪初，牛仔时代彻底结束。但牛仔时代的结束却促成西部牛仔精神的完全确立。随着美国文化的对外传播，牛仔文化随文学、电影中的西部牛仔形象逐渐深入人心。牛仔们独特的服装、语言、歌谣、娱乐方式等经过世人的演绎，成为牛仔文化的标志。牛仔们奋进、开拓的正史野史和传奇故事成为美国文化的重要内涵，激励着一代代美国人。传奇还在继续。西部小说 如果说西部牛仔体现出来的西部精神构成了美国精神的雏形的话，那么西部小说中牛仔形象的出现,则使美国精神得以定型，成为了美国精神的象征。西

6、部小说展现了西部边疆生活的艰辛，张扬出拓荒者为生存而奋斗的精神气度，这种独特环境下所锤炼的民族精神,正是美国精神的内核所在。 美国西部小说可以追溯到 1784 年约翰菲尔森发表的肯塔基的发现、定居和现状。通过这本书，美国人第一次了解到最早向西部移居的英雄丹尼尔布恩。他的果敢、刚毅、智慧，他的百折不挠的进取精神，成了人们心目中的典范，也成了“西部精神”的代名词。从此人们对神秘西部的认识发生了质的变化。美国西部小说发展中一个最伟大的成就，就是将西部英雄具体化为更具西部特色的牛仔。 欧文威斯特的杰作弗吉尼亚人被视为美国文学史上牛仔小说的起点，被誉为第一部真正的西部小说。牛仔形象从此成为永恒经典。 这

7、个“弗吉尼亚人”一出世便立刻引起无数作家的崇拜和仿效。构成“牛仔神话”的长篇和短篇层出不穷，创造了许多神采各异的牛仔形象：占恩格雷的丛林骑士和欧内斯特海科克斯的通往洛兹堡的驿道中温特斯和“金发青年”那样无私地保护无助妇女的侠士；杰克谢弗的沙恩中沙恩那样为道义和尊严而“抱打不平”的牛仔；布莱特哈特的田纳西的好友、杰克伦敦的全金谷中比尔那样不畏艰险的淘金者 鲜活的牛仔人物给读者留下了深刻的印象:在荒漠边缘即将沉没的一轮红日衬托下,头戴毡帽，脖系围巾，脚穿长靴，身挎手枪的牛仔，挥舞绳套把成百上千的长角牛聚拢，随后在牛群蹚起的滚滚烟尘中策马扬鞭，纵横驰骋、跨越大草原，夜晚篝火旁，牛仔们吟唱的抑郁忧伤的

8、旋律弥散在天边。峡谷巨川、天高地阔,粗犷正直、精力充沛的牛仔们无畏地前行。 技术牛仔 20世纪相继出现的“迷惘的一代”、“嬉皮士”、“垮掉的一代”，都不过是牛仔气文化性格的不同表现。从作为“离家出走者”开始，到从东到西的旅行者，美国人似乎从未长大，他们青春勃发。进入数字时代，更是未老便还童。就像当年发现新大陆并开辟西部一样，数字世界这个新大陆被美国发现，他们成为这个最新领域的拓疆者。电脑诞生于美国不是偶然。电脑技术的产生和发展被美国人的民族性格再次印证。持续不断地更新自己，正是所谓“美国魂”的展现。也许牛仔精神与电脑革命之间的关联是不可思议的。就像比尔盖茨在哈佛大学读的是法律专业，而他最爱看的

9、杂志却是美国社会科学和经济学家，可领导美国电脑“内行”和正规军的正是盖茨与尼葛洛庞蒂这样的非科班出身的“外行”和“技术牛仔”。技术牛仔们似乎都有一个共同的特点，盖茨、Facebook创始人、Google的布林和佩奇为了梦想都曾毅然辍学。他们不约而同将自己的领地变成了“牛仔场”。 当天资聪颖而具独立精神的大学生瑟奇布林和拉里佩奇在10年前创办Google时，他们塑造了一个体现两人自身特点的公司。他们鼓励员工自由支配20%的工作时间，用在员工自己认为最能使公司受益的地方。 Google的工程师可以自行安排上班时间，他们通常在中午时分来到办公室，在公司的自助餐厅里享有知名厨师烹饪的午餐和晚餐，然后工

10、作到深夜；每周在公司的停车场里还安排了两次轮式曲棍球比赛；员工的日常着装随意清新，他们青睐T恤牛仔而非西装革履。著名的“盖茨装”也不过是一条磨白了的牛仔裤和一件随随便便的T恤衫,脚上穿一双蒙了尘的旧皮鞋。A cowboy tends cattle and horses on cattle ranches in North and South America. The cowboy is normally an animal herder most commonly in charge of the horses and/or cattle, whereas the wranglers work

11、 is more specific to horses. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work in and participate in rodeos, and many cowboys work only in the rodeo.The Spanish developed what we now consider the cowboy tradition, beginning with the hacienda system of medieval Spain. This style of cattle ranching spread

12、throughout much of the Iberian peninsula and later, was imported to the Americas. Both regions possessed a dry climate with sparse grass, and thus large herds of cattle required vast amounts of land in order to obtain sufficient forage. The need to cover distances greater than a person on foot could

13、 manage gave rise to the development of the horseback-mounted vaquero.During the 16th century, the Conquistadors and other Spanish settlers brought their cattle-raising traditions as well as their horses and cattle to the Americas, starting with their arrival in what today is Mexico and Florida.7 Th

14、e traditions of Spain were transformed by the geographic, environmental and cultural circumstances of New Spain, which later became Mexico and the southwestern United States. In turn, the land and people of the Americas also saw dramatic changes due to Spanish influence.The arrival of horses was par

15、ticularly significant, as equines had been extinct in the Americas since the end of the prehistoric ice age. However, horses quickly multiplied in America and became crucial to the success of the Spanish and later settlers from other nations. The earliest horses were originally of Andalusian, Barb a

16、nd Arabian ancestry,8 but a number of uniquely American horse breeds developed in North and South America through selective breeding and by natural selection of animals that escaped to the wild. The Mustang and other colonial horse breeds are now called wild, but in reality are feral horses descenda

17、nts of domesticated animals.Thus, though popularly considered as a North American icon, the traditional cowboy actually comes from a Hispanic tradition, which evolved further, particularly in the Central States of Mexico, Jalisco and Michoacn, where the Mexican cowboy would eventually be known as a

18、charro, as well as areas to the north that later became the Southwestern United States. Most vaqueros were men of mestizo and Native American origin while most of the hacendados (owners) were ethnically Spanish.9As English-speaking traders and settlers moved into the Western United States, English a

19、nd Spanish traditions, language and culture merged to some degree, with the vaquero tradition providing the foundation of the American cowboy. Before the Mexican-American War in 1848, New England merchants who traveled by ship to California encountered both hacendados and vaqueros, trading manufactu

20、red goods for the hides and tallow produced from vast cattle ranches. American traders along what later became known as the Santa Fe Trail had similar contacts with vaquero life. Starting with these early encounters, the lifestyle and lingo of the vaquero began a transformation which merged with Eng

21、lish cultural traditions and produced what became known in American culture as the cowboy. 说起美国文化，大家就会想起源自西部的“牛仔文化”(cowboy culture)，特别是随着西部电影世界的风行，通过银幕塑造了一批又一批身着牛仔裤的“牛仔英雄”(cowboy hero)， 他们在影片中独来独往，头戴“宽边帽”(cowboy hat)、 身着皮上衣和“牛仔裤”（jeans）、“皮套裤”（chaps）、 脚蹬一双饰有“刺马钉”(spur) 的“高筒皮靴”（cowboy boots）、颈围印花大方巾，骑

22、在马上（on horseback）， 个个枪法高超，劫富济贫，一向以叛逆、豪爽、侠义的英雄形象出现。而这种牛仔形象逐渐深入人心，被赋予了“个人独立”（personal independence）“生而自由”（born free）“ 勇于冒险”（daring）“ 性感迷人”（sexy and enchanting）“浓烈的乡土气息”（ a strong country flavor）等多元的社会意义，逐渐成为“美国精神”（American spirit）的典型代表。 世界上的第一条牛仔裤产自美国，但牛仔最初却出现在西班牙，而不是美国本土的产物。历史上的西班牙人在饲养和驯服牲畜方面技艺高超，他们富

23、于野心、爱冒险、有绅士风度、喜欢表现自己是传统牛仔精神的代表，英语“cowboy”即由西班牙语“vaquero”直译而来（vaquero等于cowman，其中词根vaca的意思是牛）。16世纪，西班牙人在殖民过程中将牛仔传统带到了墨西哥。1846年，美国和墨西哥开战，墨西哥战败后沦为美国的一个州新墨西哥州。但是，具有讽刺意味的是，美国人在征服这一方土地后却被当地的文化特质彻底征服，好学上进的他们积极地将其融入自己的文化生活，可以说，没有其他任何区域能像新墨西哥州那样对美国牛仔文化的发展产生如此重要和深远的影响。 德克萨斯是美国西部“牧牛王国”兴起的大本营，以“牛仔之乡“(cow country

24、)闻名世界。从德克萨斯到内华达的辽阔“牧场“（ranch）上，生活和工作着许多以“养殖和驱集牛马“（livestock-handling）为业的牛仔，他们大多是非洲裔的黑人和拉美人，处在社会的底层，在美国西进运动中常年默默无闻地辛苦劳作。 19世纪70年代，随着铁路的修建以及城镇建设步伐的加快，牛仔的社会角色渐渐弱化。尽管在历史上只持续了几十年，但牛仔时代孕育的牛仔精神和文化却得到延续和发展，并对美国人的物质和精神生活产生了巨大的影响。在悄然融入美国生活各个角落的同时，牛仔文化的庆祝活动也被很好地保留并流传下来。休斯敦是一个典型的“牛仔文化之城”，每年3月这里都要举办全美最大的“牛仔节“(Ho

25、uston Live Stock Show and Rodeo)，其中“牛仔竞技表演“(Rodeo)相当精彩、刺激。和浪漫化的牛仔电影相比，这可能更接近于真正的牛仔生活，因为大多数人都在农场养殖过牛马。离市区不远的乔治牧场历史公园是体验牛仔文化的最佳去处，“掷套索“(lassoing)、“套牛“(calf and steer roping)、“骑牛“(riding cattle)和“驯马“(riding untamed horses)等，现场表演的内容极为丰富。 发展至今，牛仔文化不仅是美国大众文化的重要组成部分，而且己融入世界文化中，成为一种国际文化现象。 (Slide17) 猜测词义题 解

26、题思路：1.Explanation 对比2.Examples 因果3.Context 同义、近义关系4.Word-formation平行结构5. Common sense (Slides18-25)Exercises (Students guess the meanings of unknown words in sentences using different methods mentioned above.)1. ExplanationIt will be very hard but also very brittle - that is, it will break easily. M

27、odern medicine began with the stethoscope, a medical tool used for listening to the movements of a persons lung and his heartbeats.He was a prestidigitator who entertained the children by pulling rabbits out of hats, swallowing fire, and other similar tricks.2. Context对比关系Though Toms face has been w

28、ashed quite clean, his neck still remains grubby.John usually wastes a lot of money on such useless things, his wife, however, is very abstemious.Some human actions are learned, but quite a few other actions are innate.因果关系Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because

29、it is very elastic.The river is so turbid that it is impossible to see the bottom even when it is shallow.Since I could not afford to purchase the original painting, I bought a replica. An inexperienced eye could not tell the difference.同义、近义关系The new tax law supersedes, or replaces, the law that wa

30、s in effect last year.Mother was tall, fat and middle-aged. My aunt was an old woman, almost as plump as mother, and much shorter.平行结构Most women in Ghana-the educated and illiterate, the urban and rural, the young and old-work to earn an income in addition to maintaining their roles as housewives an

31、d mothers.3. ExamplesOn the farm they mainly raise poultry, such as chickens, ducks and geese, for their eggs and meat. I have found Lucy is quite generous, for example, whenever she meets a beggar, she gives some coins to him. 4. Word-formationWe must safeguard the world peace. A. protect B. care C

32、 .prevent D. to keep safe with gunsDont listen to his nonsense. A. having no meaning B. meaningless words C. humorous speech D. not making sense 5. Common senseMetal expands when heated and contracts when cooled.When you throw a stone into still water of a lake, you will watch a ripple spread in rings on the surface of water.We are on the night shift - from midnight to 8 a.m. - this week.