英语博客： Stetson Hats.

 I know a few people who have Stetsons. Infact, when my brother was visiting a few months ago, he bought himself a couple. They are good quality, and last for a long time. Where he lives is very sunny, so they are a charming, and unusual way to get shade in New Zealand. Stetson is an icon¹ of American society. It's typically American, like baseball, and Elvis Presley. Close to the end of the 19th century, the Stetson Hat Company was the biggest in the world, producing over three million hats a year. Even in our little, downtown museum, we have a glass case that is dedicated² to the Stetson company. I had no idea that women's hats were also made. John B. Stetson started his company in 1865. Initially³, only men's hats were made. It wasn't until the 1930's that ladies hats were also made. The company is based in Garland, Texas, and is now one of the largest in the country. This success story is said to have started when John Stetson went to Colorado to prospect⁴ for gold. While he was there, the story goes, he made a hat out of the untreated leather taken from furs that he had collected on his journey. Because his father was a hatter, he had experience with materials and design. He wanted to show off what he could do to his friends. The resulting hat was soft, and protected him from the elements. What started out as a joke, proved to be the first stepping stone to a business. This hat had a wide brim, a large crown (or head piece), and could even be used to carry water. Apparently⁵, later on, John's group met a cowboy who paid him five dollars in gold for the hat. It was this experience that encouraged him to create his signature hat, 'The Boss of the Plains'. He replicated⁶ the fashionable hats, but when he launched his own design, it was then that he became successful. The original company was sold in the 1970's to another company, but it, to this day, retains the Stetson logo for those particular hats. I have noticed around town, that some men, especially of Hispanic origin, or older caucasian men, will wear a Stetson for an elegant occasion. When it's time to dress up, the Stetson hat comes out of its box, to put the finishing touches in a formal situation.

 

Grammar notes.

 

Related vocabulary and expressions: a couple, initially, ...is said to , proved to be.

 

1. The eclairs in the bakery looked amazing, so I bought a couple.

 

2. Initially, sales were slow at the beginning of the season, but then things improved.

 

3. She is said to have been seven feet tall and covered in hair.

 

4. The cheapest wine proved to be the very best.

 

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 replicated   

复制( replicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Later outplant the seedlings in a replicated permanent test plantation. 以后苗木出圃栽植成重复的永久性试验林。
• The phage has replicated and the donor cells have lysed. 噬菌体已复制和给体细胞已发生裂解。