The youngest of five children in a middle-class family, Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day, in 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts. Although she was educated at home, Clara began teaching school herself at the age of fifteen until 1854. Later, before the Civil War (内战), Clara’s greatest achievement was the establishment (建立) of a free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey. What’s more, her only medical experience was when she cared for her invalid (病弱者) brother for two years.
When the Civil War broke out, Clara soon learned that many of the wounded soldiers had suffered from lack of medical supplies. So she asked for donations (捐款) to buy those supplies and began her own operation to hand out these supplies. In 1865, Clara built an information centre to serve war-torn families and often gave speeches. With so much work, she fell ill in 1868 and went to Switzerland to recover, where she learned something about the International Red Cross founded in 1864. But the United States could not take part then. Barton, returned home and began to establish the Red Cross in America. She worked hard, travelling to Washington for support, gave speeches and wrote articles to win the support of the public. She told people the Red Cross was not only important during times of war, but also useful in peace time. This got the attention of both the public and the politicians, and thus the American Association of the Red Cross came into being in 1881.
29. What did Clara Barton want to do during the wartime?
A. Advise the government to buy more medical supplies.
B. Help some families to rebuild their home.
C. Collect money to buy medical supplies.
D. Treat the wounded soldiers by herself.
30. According to the events in Clara’s life, which of the following is the right order?
a. Travelled to win support for the Red Cross in America.
b. Offered medical supplies to the army.
c. Established a free public school.
d. Stayed in Switzerland to improve her health.
e. Worked as a teacher at school.
A. e, c, b, d, a B. e, c, a, b, d C. e, b, c, d, a D. e, b, a, c, d
31. Clara Barton insisted on establishing the Red Cross in America because ________.
A. it could stop a war breaking out B. it was a sign of a powerful country
C. it could keep America at peace D. it could help to overcome unexpected trouble