Exercises

Ex.1.Find the words with the following meanings in the text / найдите в тексте слова со следующими значениями:

1. To hold something tightly

2. To train a wild animal to obey you and not to attack people

3. To make animals move together in a group

4. A person, group, or organization that you compete with in sport, business, a fight etc

5. To compete for something or to try to win it

6. Someone who competes in a contest

7. Something that happens or exists as a result of things that happened at an earlier time

Ex.2. Find the following words in the table and make a word using the odd letters. The words lay only on a vertical or across the table / Найдите в таблице приведенные ниже слова и составьте новое слово из лишних букв. Слова расположены по горизонтали или по вертикали.

speed sport award rope strength buck winner

leap cowgirl rider ranch saddle legacy chest

rodeo hold

b	u	c	k	b	l	e	a	p	r
s	w	i	n	n	e	r	o	r	i
p	c	o	n	t	e	s	t	a	d
o	c	o	w	g	i	r	l	n	e
r	l	e	g	a	c	y	s	c	r
t	c	h	e	s	t	h	p	h	a
s	a	d	d	l	e	o	e	r	w
e	v	e	n	t	d	l	e	o	a
y	r	o	d	e	o	d	d	p	r
s	t	r	e	n	g	t	h	e	d

Ex.3. Find English equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text / Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний:

Участник соревнований, ранчо, бесконечные восемь секунд, дружеское состязание, конкурирующие пастухи, комфортные современные арены, крупный план, соседние ранчо, расцвет американского фермерства, призовые выплаты.

Ex.4. Translate the following words and phrases into Russian / Переведите на русский язык следующие слова и словосочетания:

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, award prize money to contestants, the cowboy holds on with his other hand, the determined rider, a leather strap around the horse’s body, dust himself off, the spirit of the Old West, winning competitors, giant screens, week-long, neighboring ranches, spectator event.

Ex.5. Translate the following in a written form / Сделайте письменный перевод следующего отрывка из текста:

In the past, most rodeo cowboys came from families with ranching or rodeo backgrounds. About a third of modern competitors have no such connections, but there are ways for even a city slicker to learn the sport. Children as young as three can start out as “mutton busters,” holding on as long as they can on the back of a sheep. At age eight, they qualify for National Little Britches Rodeo and as teenagers for Junior Rodeo. Many future rodeo cowboys learn rodeo skills through high school and college rodeo. But most modern competitors get their training at the rodeo schools held throughout the year, often organized by leading professional cowboys.

Beginner or veteran, amateur or pro, spectator or performer, all rodeo aficionados would no doubt agree with the description offered by the National Professional Rodeo Association (NPRA), an organization that sanctions rodeos across the U.S. Midwest. Rodeo, says the NPRA, is “the most intense, bone-jarring two hours in sports – 8 seconds at a time.”

Ex.6. Open the brackets using the word in them in the right form (infinitive with or without “to” or gerund) / Раскройте скобки, поставив глагол в форму герундия или инфинитива с частицей “to” или без нее:

1. The horse leaps, trying (throw off) the determined rider. - The horse leaps, trying to throw off the determined rider.

2. The cowboy might (earn) a good score.

3. Instead of (gather) around dusty corrals, fans sit in comfortable arenas.

4. The Romans flocked to the Colosseum (watch) gladiators battle all manner of exotic animals.

5. Native Americans rode horses (herd) cattle.

6. Two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met Deer Trail, Colorado, (settle) an argument over who was better at (perform) everyday ranching tasks.

7. (Receive) a good score, the rider must (spur) the horse in time with animal’s bucking actions.

8. Bareback bronc riding requires the cowboy (ride) a wild, unsaddled horse for eight seconds.

9. He may (use) only one hand (hold) on.

10. Cowboys had (tame) wild horses by (break) them to the saddle.

11. This event also requires the rider (synchronize) his spurring action to the animal’s bucking movements.

12. Using just one hand (hold) onto a thick rein, the cowboy must (try) (stay) firmly in a saddle.

13. The cowboy keeps the steer (run) in the right direction.

14. The goal is (ride) a horse as quickly as possible.

15. Their real job is (distract) angry bulls.

16. There are a lot of ways (learn) the sport.

Ex.7. Put the right conjunctions into the gaps (try to avoid using “that”) / Вставьте подходящие союзы (постарайтесь избегать использования союза “that”):

1. Welcome to the wild world of rodeo, a uniquely American sport which combines the glamour and big money of 21^st century professional athletics with the spirit of the Old West.

2. What started as friendly contests between rival cowhands has grown into a mega-business ………. attracts 23 million spectators and millions more television viewers every year.

3. The American cowboy can trace his origins back to the Spaniards …….., in the 1500s, introduced both cattle and horses to Mexico.

4. The earliest cowboys were the vaqueros, Spanish servants or Native Americans ………. Rode horses to herd cattle.

5. These include Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming, the largest outdoor rodeo, ………. Since 1919 has billed itself as “the daddy of ‘em all”; and the Calgary Stampede in Alberta, Canada, ………. draws thousands of American as well as Canadian spectators.

6. They may also stage special events for youngsters, beauty pageants, and fun competitions such as chuck wagon races, ……… recall the days when drivers of the wagons …….. brought food to cowboys on the range would race each other back to town.

7. The roughstock events, …….. are scored according to the cowboy’s performance, include bareback bronc riding, bull riding and saddle bronc riding.

8. Timed events, in ……… the contestant tries to complete a task in the fastest time, include steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping and barrel racing.

9. Besides the cowboys ………. compete, other personnel are crucial to the success and safety of these events.

10. Among the most important are the rodeo clowns and bullfighters ……… often entertain the audience between events but ……… real job is to distract angry bulls and lure them away from cowboys on the ground.

11. Beginner or veteran would no doubt agree with the description offered by the National Professional Rodeo Association (NPRA), an organization ……… sanctions rodeos across the U.S. Midwest.

Ex.8. Change the following sentences using compound sentences with attributive subordinate clauses / Преобразуйте следующие предложения в сложноподчиненные предложения с определительными придаточными:

1. The earliest cowboys were the vaqueros, Spanish servants or Native Americans. - The earliest cowboys were the “vaqueros” who were Spanish servants or Native Americans.

2. Cowboys often rode wild horses and roped calves for branding – activities re-created in today’s classic rodeo events.

3. This include Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming, the largest outdoor rodeo.

4. This is also Pendleton Roundup in Oregon, known for its logo of a cowboy on a bucking horse with the slogan “Let ‘er Buck”.

5. In this event, another legacy of the working ranch, a cowboy on horseback chases a calf and throws a looped rope over its head.

6. Of the 7,000 cowboys, the members of the PRCA, probably only 1,000 or so are able to earn a living a rodeo.

7. The cowboy must hold on with just one hand to a “rigging”, a handhold similar to a leather suitcase handle.

Ex.9. Rewrite the following sentences using the gerund forms instead of infinitive forms / Перепишите предложения, меняя инфинитивную форму глагола на герундиальную:

1. If he hangs on for an interminable eight seconds and the horse continues to buck with all his might, the cowboy might earn a good score. - If he hangs on for an interminable eight seconds and the horse continues bucking with all his might, the cowboy might earn a good score.

2. The Romans flocked to the Coliseum to watch gladiators battle all manner of exotic animals.

3. The earliest cowboys were the vaqueros, Spanish servants or Native Americans who rode horses to herd cattle.

4. Using just one hand to hold onto a thick rein, the cowboy must try to stay firmly in the saddle.

5. The goal is to ride a horse as quickly as possible.

6. Their real job is to distract angry bulls and lure them away from cowboys on the ground.

7. During the winter and summer seasons, professional cowboys travel constantly to compete in dozens of rodeos.