John Nelson, 92, grew up in Michigan and volunteered for the army in 1945.The 18-year-old managed to get accepted, despite being colorblind. He landed on the island of Iwo Jima in the first days of the American attack to take the island from the Japanese. Nelson fought day and night for 10 days before receiving a serious wound to his right arm. The other seven men in his squadron (中队) all died. American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded.
Nelson saw the American flag being raised on Mount Suribachi after the island was taken by the American forces. The arm would continue to trouble him the rest of his life. Suffering from anxiety and flashbacks, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (创伤后应激障碍).
Al Elders was a Grandville farm boy. He joined the Navy and was stationed on Guam when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9,1945, basically ended the war with Japan.
War often develops lasting friendships. But for the two World War II veterans (老兵) living at Sunset Manor in Jenison, their friendship didn’t begin until about a year and a half ago. One day, Elders noticed a man sitting at a cafeteria in the Sunset Village, and that was Nelson. Seeing his Marine cap, Elders thought they would have something to talk about. And they did. The war in the Pacific is a common bond.
The two men later worked together to serve other residents (居民) at Sunset Manor. John began detailing cars during good weather and cleaning walkers in the winter. Elders became his advertising manager. They donated most of their income to the Wounded Warrior project. John is less mobile now and is in care at Sunset. Al continues to visit and to encourage his friend. A friend of Elders’ who traveled to Iwo Jima brought back a jar filled with sand from the rocky island. Elders sent the gift, along with his own wartime collections, to the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.
26. What do we know about John Nelson?
A.He joined the army after he left university. |
B.His hometown was ruined by the war. |
C.He joined the army through strict tests. |
D.He was physically and mentally injured in the war. |
27. Why did Nelson and Elders develop a friendship?
A.They both felt sad and lonely. | B.They lived in the same place. |
C.They shared a common war experience. | D.They had helped each other during the war. |
28. We can learn from Paragraph 5 that the two friends
.
A.started a successful business | B.were devoted to contributing to the society |
C.visited Iwo Jima together after the war | D.supported young people to join the army |
29. What does the text mainly talk about?
A.How people tried to survive the war. |
B.The meaning of peace for ordinary people. |
C.Two soldiers’ touching friendship during wartime. |
D.Two old soldiers’ life experiences and friendship. |