Lesson 9 Spinners of Steel

High above the streets in many cities men are at work. Up and up they go as they spin their web of steel beams and girders①. Few dare to do this work on high steel. The Mohawk steelworkers are among the most famous of these men.

The forefathers of the Mohawk settled in Canada when it was still ruled by France. It seems that these Indians have always been surefooted②. More than a hundred years ago an English traveler described their skill: “They will walk on the ridge of a barn or a house as unconcerned as if they were walking on the ground. They walk over deep brooks and creeks on the smallest of poles.”

Today these Indians walk on buildings rising high above the ground. They walk on bridges high above the water. One wrong step would mean sudden death.

The Mohawk began their high-in-the-sky life about eighty years ago. A crew of men started to build a bridge over the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. Most of the steelmen had been sailors. Their skill had been gained at sea; they had climbed high above a ship’s deck to work on the rigging③.

The Mohawk lived on the Caughnawaga Indian Reserve near the bridge. They watched the work. When they were warned of danger, they pretended they did not understand. After the crew had left for the day, the Mohawk climbed the shaky④scaffolding ( 脚手架). They swung back and forth among the steel beams.

Then someone had an idea: Why not hire the Indians as steelworkers? They had a rare sense of balance They were surefooted. They were quick and fearless.

Several Indian crews were trained. They in turn taught others from the reservation.

When the St. Lawrence bridge was finished, the Indians moved on to other work. They have been on the move ever since.

These men know the chances they take in their world high above the ground. Their footing many be a shaky, swaying⑤ beam. It dangles hundreds of feet in the air. There are other dangers. Some come from the weather. Rain, snow, ice, and sleet ( 雨夹雪)make the painted steel slippery. Worst of all is the whip or the wind. Even a Mohawk cannot work when the wind blows hard.

There is a legend that reminds each Mohawk of the danger. The story is known wherever steel goes up. “This great chief had amazing eyesight and muscular reflexes⑥,” a veteran beam-and-girder man said. “He never used a rivet can. He caught flying rivets with tongs. I’ve even heard he once caught a bird flying past.”

“Then one day it happened. He reached for a cable⑦, and he’d had it,” the storyteller went on. “We all know now—if you have to reach for it, let it go.”

“Never look up,” another veteran warns. “A good steelworker doesn’t look up for an instant. He’s already there. But sometimes there is a temptation: a bird wings past,or a plane.”

Danger is always there in the high world of the Mohawk. But steelwork is their life. Many of them say they wouldn’t do anything else. “The pay is great and the competition is nonexistent ⑧ ,” says Tom Smallfox, a steelworker for twenty five years.Four of his sons work on high steel.

Many buildings that spear the sky today are the work of the Mohawk. They raised the Empire State Building in New York City. They have built colleges, factories, and sports stadiums. They have spun steel across rivers and mountain passes. Each structure reminds us of its builders’ special gifts. Each is a memorial to the fearless men of the world of high steel.

(616 words)

Ⅰ . How well did you read?

1. [Note the details.] Details in an early report showed the Mohawk were___________ .

A. fast B. warlike C. surefooted

2. [Choose the reason.] In the early days, sailors often became steelworkers because they___________ .

A. were skilled in handling ropes

B. could work high in the air

C. were used to looking down on the ground

3. [Choose the reason.] The Mohawk first climbed the nearby bridge to___________ .

A. join the crew at work

B. be trained as steelworkers

C. enjoy themselves

4. [Judge from details.] Some dangers in work on high steel come from___________ .

A. shaky footing B. weather C. both A and B

5. [See the point.] The legend of the chief is a warning against___________ .

A. catching birds B. reaching for anything C. catching hot rivets with tongs

6. [Check the details.] Another action said to be dangerous is___________ .

A. looking up

B. catching hot rivets with a can

C. neither A nor B

7. [Draw a conclusion.] It is probable that .

A. most people would not like high-steel work

B. all steelworkers are Mohawk Indians

C. steelworkers are poorly paid

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.

1. A crew of men started to build a bridge over the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. (Para. 4)

A. an informal body of friends

B. man who has the same purpose

C. group working together on some task

2. It dangles hundreds of feet in the air. (Para. 8)

A. hangs loosely B. shows proudly C. walks easily

3. There is a legend that reminds each Mohawk of the danger. (Para. 9)

A. story that mixes fact and fancy

B. meaningful experience

C. hard task

4. But sometimes there is a temptation: a bird wings past, or a plane. (Para. 11)

A. peaceful state

B. something that may make a person act unwisely

C. special imagination

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

There are kinds of work besides steelwork that demand bravery and skill. Tell about one of these occupations.

LANGUAGE BOX