Some of the early battles of the Civil War were fought near the city of Washington, D.C. A woman named Clara Barton worked in a government office in Washington. When she saw the dead and wounded soldiers, she wanted to help. So she decided to become a nurse. She wanted to go to the battlefields and care for the soldiers.
It was not easy for Clara Barton to become a nurse. Nursing, especially on the battlefields, was considered work for men. Many army doctors did not want to work with women. But Clara Barton didn't listen.
During the five years of the war, Barton helped thousands of men. After one battle, for example, Barton and some of the other nurses spread hay on a hill and helped carry wounded soldiers over to the hay, They carried more than 3,000 men. They then worked through the night, and made bandages for the men who were bleeding.
Besides caring for the soldiers on the battlefields, Barton also traveled around the country getting medicines and supplies. She spoke to important people in the government, and got them to improve conditions in the hospitals.
When the war was over, Clara Barton went to Europe to rest. There she learned about the International Red Cross. The Red Cross helped wounded soldiers and also helped victims of disasters like storms and earthquakes. Barton returned to the United States and convinced the government to join the Red Cross. In 1881 Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.
1. Where did Clara Barton work at first?
a. In a hospital
b. In a government office
c. In a police station
2. How did Clara want to help soldiers?
a. She wanted to give them money.
b. She wanted to become a nurse.
c. She wanted to talk to important people about improvements.
3. What difficulties did Clara meet when she was finding new job?
a. There were only men there.
b. She didn’t have enough skills.
c. She didn’t want to work.
4. What also did Clara do for soldiers?
a. She gave them money.
b. She gave them clothes.
c. She got medicine and supplies for them.
5. What idea did Clara bring from Europe?
a. To be against wars.
b. To make an organization to help people.
c. To open her own hospital.
6. What is the main idea for the Red Cross?
a. To keep peace.
b. To make medicine for people.
c. To help people.
7. What is the synonym for the word ‘wounded’ (paragraph 1)?
a. Brave
b. Dead
c. Injured
d. Confident
