The Origin of the Teddy Bear

1 The teddy bear was born in the USA at the beginning of the 1900s. This sweet toy animal
has been very popular since then. Almost everyone knows this toy, but few people know
that it was named after President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
2 In November 1902, US President Theodore Roosevelt and some of his friends went on a
hunting trip to Mississippi. After hours of searching, Roosevelt and his group couldn’t find
any wild animals. Finally, the group chased and surrounded a helpless bear. One of the
guides asked the president to kill the bear so he could win a hunting trophy. Roosevelt
refused to shoot such a helpless animal, calling it "unsportsmanlike", and instead released
it. The next day, the story of Roosevelt's kind act appeared in newspapers throughout the
country. When this took place, a famous cartoonist named Clifford Berryman drew a
cartoon for the Washington Post about Roosevelt’s rescue of the bear. Berryman pictured
Roosevelt with his gun next to him with the bear on the ground behind his back. The
cartoon gave Morris and Rose Michtom, who were store owners in New York, a great idea.
They decided to make a bear in honor of the president's action. The Michtoms named their
bear "Teddy's Bear" and placed it in the window of their store. Instead of looking angry and
standing on all four paws like other toy bears, the Michtoms' bear looked sweet and
friendly, and stood upright. Perhaps that's why the sales of "Teddy's Bear" reached a very
high number among the public. In fact, since the interest in this toy was very high, the
Michtoms established the first Teddy bear production factory in the United States with the
help of the Butler Brothers.
3 Some Teddy bears are intended for adults. They are known as "collector’s items" or
"Designer bears". Others are for children to play with. The first type, for adults, is almost
always fully jointed, which means that the arms legs and heads are movable. The other
type is usually an unjointed bear whose arms, head and legs are stitched to the body. In
1999, in just the United States, collectors bought $441 million worth of teddy bears. As
we begin our journey through a new century, we certainly need the teddy bear's gift of
love and friendship more than ever.
A. What do the following refer to?
1. then (para.1): ___________________________________
2. him (para.2): ___________________________________
3. Others (para.3): Other ______________________________
B. Find words in the text that mean the following. Write only ONE word on each line
and do not change the form of the word.
1. award (para.2) (n.) : _______________________
2. called (para.2) (v.) : _______________________
3. on two legs (para.2) (adj.) : _______________________
4. planned and designed (para.3) (v.) :_______________________
C. Mark the following statements True (T) or False (F).
T F 1. Today, many people know where the name ‘Teddy’ comes from.
T F 2. Roosevelt’s cartoon appeared in most of the country’s newspapers.
T F 3. The Michtoms had a store in New York.
T F 4. Collectors all over the world spent $441 million on teddy bears in
1999.
T F 5. Teddy bears are a symbol of love.
D. Answer the following questions.
1. Why did Roosevelt refuse to kill the bear?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2. Where was the first toy bear exhibited?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
3. What were the TWO main differences between Teddy’s bear and the other toy bears
in the market?
a) ________________________________________________________________.
b) ________________________________________________________________.
4. Who helped the Michtoms establish the first Teddy bear production factory in the
USA?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.