Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Picture it: a wide, open plain. Then over the horizon comes a man on a horse. It’s not just any man. He has the famous hat, the famous boots, and the famous attitude. It’s a cowboy.
Cowboys are major figures in American mythology. They are thought to be rugged loners, who are brave and tough. Many people find them very interesting, exciting, or attractive. People continue to wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots today, to try to copy this ideal.
Why do people continue to be so obsessed with cowboys? Find out what Mason and Lily think in this English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Mason: Do you like my new ironic cowboy shirt?
Lily: Oh my gosh. Why is it ironic? Do you not like cowboys?
Mason: I just think it’s funny because I’m certainly no type of cowboy. So it’s funny that I wear this type of shirt.
Lily: I like the idea of cowboys, the rugged loner who’s riding on the frontier on their trusty steed. They’re kind of rough around the edges and very quintessentially American. I find that really exciting. I don’t see why that would be funny to be ironic about.
Mason: I guess I just don’t buy into that kind of ideal. Things probably weren’t that great back in cowboy days.
Lily: Yeah, I guess you’re right. But still, cowboys are pretty hot. They’re really attractive.
Mason: OK. So let’s go through an example. What’s your favorite cowboy movie?
Lily: I really like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Mason: OK. So Clint Eastwood, he’s the ideal.
Lily: Yeah. Clint Eastwood is the rugged cowboy ideal.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Simple Past Tense" from this lesson
Quizzes
Lesson MP3
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Discussion
Mason thinks it’s pretty funny that he’s wearing a cowboy shirt, since he is nothing like a cowboy. Lily doesn’t get why it’s funny, though. She loves cowboys. She thinks they’re exciting and attractive.
Mason can’t get into that idea. He thinks that that version of a cowboy is just an ideal, and that real cowboys were probably not so glamorous. Lily doesn’t want to hear it. She still wants to believe all cowboys are just like Clint Eastwood was in old cowboy movies.
What do you think about cowboys? Do you think they represent a certain ideal? Is there a figure like the cowboy in your culture?
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