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Jim Madison was walking through the American Cemetery (公墓) at Normandy one day in 2001 when
his eyes fell on a grave marker that caught him by surprise, "Elizabeth A. Richardson, American Red Cross,
Indiana July 25, 1945". The chance discovery led to his new book-An American Woman in World War Two,
which tells about the war through the eyes of Richardson.
Richardson joined the Red Cross in 1944 and worked on a Clubmobile-a converted bus from which she
and other women served coffee and chatted to American soldiers scattered across England and France. More
important than the food, they were a reminder of home for lonely and miserable soldiers.
She died at 27 in a crash of a two-seater L-5 Sentinel aircraft. She was one of four women buried at the
American Cemetery at Normandy.
Madison said the present understanding of World War Two just focused on the experiences of male soldiers,
but women were also important to the war effort and brought their own views to the conflict. "The point I try
to make in the book is how close Richardson came to understanding war," he said. "She saw the effects of it,
and she grieved (感到悲痛)."
When Madison returned from Normandy in 2001, he managed to contact Richardson's younger brother,
Charles Richardson Jr. It was her family's keeping of her letters and diaries that made possible the book,
which quoted from them extensively.
Madison believes America's fascination with World War Two will outlive those who fought it and the
generations that follow them. Since the late 1980s, he has taught undergraduate courses on the war at Indiana
University, and he said students obviously warm up to the subject.
He said he sometimes talked to World War Two soldiers who "have a sense that young people don't know
and they don't care". "I tell them it's the opposite", he said.
1. How did Jim Madison get the idea of writing a book about World War Two?
A. His friends suggested it.
B. He got it quite by accident
C. It was requested by Richardson's brother.
D. It was arranged by his university.
2. The passage suggests that women working in the Red Cross, like Richardson, _____.
A. provided warmth and encouragement to soldiers
B. were braver than male soldiers
C. didn't experience much suffering during the war
D. had a good understanding of the cruelty of the war
3. What made Madison's new book special?
A. That it was based on a real life story and focused on the cruelty of war.
B. That it talked about war from a woman's point of view.
C. That it quoted a lot from Richardson's letters and diaries.
D. That it reminded people of those who contributed in World War Two.
4. According to Madison, today's American youth _____.
A. know a lot about World War Two
B. don't respect World War Two soldiers
C. are eager to learn about World War Two
D. are more interested in learning about male soldiers
