完形填空：（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
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 __36__ cattle at low cost and send them by railway to the eastern __37__．But someone had to __38__ the cattle and get them to the nearest railroad．This was the job of a cowboy．Sometimes the __39__ was more than a thousand kilometers away and it could take as __40__ as six months to move the cattle．The __41__ was long but the cattle were driven __42__ as not to lose __43__．Then they could be sold at a good price．
Most cowboys were young, __44__ men．A good horse _45__ their job of moving cattle much easier．A good cowboy __46__ cows and knew how to control them．At night,he __47__ to the cows to keep them calm．
In the late 1800s,America was changing from a nation of farm to one of __48__ and cities．The cowboy seemed __49__ compared with other Americans doing ordinary jobs．
Today,the __50__ of cowboys has __51__ greatly．One change is the use of trucks．The job is not so hard __52__ it used to be．And cowboys are better __53__ now．They are _54__ to be married．Some of them are farmers or teachers or truck drivers．Some work for big companies．
__55__ at night and on weekends,they become cowboys．These part-time cowboys increase the total production of meat,keeping the beef price low．

A．get B．buy C．sell D．raise

A．markets B．countries C．cities D．stories

A．deal with B．find out C．look after D．pay off

A．road B．railroad C．state D．farm

A．good B．much C．long D．far

A．journey B．trip C．tour D．travel

A．hurriedly B．smoothly C．slowly D．carefully

A．mind B．direction C．head D．weight

A．unmarried B．proud C．strong D．educated

A．had B．made C．found D．helped

A．recognized B．understood C．owned D．kept

A．whispered B．shouted C．cried D．sang

A．towns B．factories C．companies D．villages

A．free B．brave C．easy D．pleased

A．manner B．job C．life D．mind

A．changed B．developed C．improved D．realized

A．that B．as C．which D．what

A．known B．paid C．treated D．dressed

A．afraid B．eager C．worried D．likely

A．Because B．And C．When D．But