Read the article and answer the questions below.
We have a new man at the periscope, on this afternoon in question; I was sitting on the fire step, cleaning my rifle, when he called out to me: “There’s a sort of greenish, yellow cloud rolling along the ground out in front, it’s coming.” But I waited for no more, grabbing my bayonet, which was detached from the rifle, I gave the alarm by banging an empty shell case, which was hanging near the periscope.
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At the same instant, gongs started ringing down the trench, the signal for Tommy (English soldiers) to don his respirator, or smoke helmet, as we call it. Gas travels quietly, so you must not lose any time; you generally have about eighteen or twenty seconds in which to adjust your gas helmet.
1. In the paragraph above, "don" probably means:
a. Take off b. Throw away c. Put on d. Inspect
2. Why must you get your gas mask on in a hurry?
a. Take off b. Throw away c. Put on d. Inspect
2. Why must you get your gas mask on in a hurry?
German gas is heavier than air and soon fills the trenches and dugouts, where it has been known to lurk for two or three days, until the air is purified by means of large chemical sprayers. We had to work quickly, as Fritz (German soldiers) generally follows the gas with an infantry attack. A company man on our right was too slow in getting on his helmet; he sank to the ground, clutching at his throat, and after a few spasmodic twistings, went West (died). It was horrible to see him die, but we were powerless to help him.
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In the corner of a traverse, a little, muddy cur dog, one of the company’s pets, was lying dead, with his paws over his nose. It’s the animals that suffer the most, the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats and rats, they having no helmets to save them. Tommy does not sympathize with the rats in a gas attack.
3. Who are Tommy and Fritz?
I trained my machine gun on their trench and its bullets were raking the parapet. Then over they came, bayonets glistening. In their respirators, which have a large snout in front, they looked like some horrible nightmare.
All along our trench, rifles and machine guns spoke, our shrapnel was bursting over their heads. They went down in heaps, but new ones took the place of the fallen. Nothing could stop that mad rush. The Germans reached our barbed wire, which had previously been demolished by their shells, then it was bomb against bomb and the devil for all. |
Suddenly, my head seemed to burst from a loud “crack” in my ear. Then my head began to swim, throat got dry, and heavy pressure on the lungs warned me that my helmet was leaking. Turning my gun over to No. 2, I changed helmets. The trench started to wind like a snake, and sandbags appeared to be floating in the air. The noise was horrible; I sank onto the fire step, needles seemed to be pricking my flesh, then blackness.
4. Why do you think Arthur Empey blacked out?
I was awakened by one of my mates removing my smoke helmet. How delicious that cool, fresh air felt in my lungs. A strong wind had arisen and dispersed the gas. They told me that I had been “out” for three hours; they thought I was dead.
The attack had been repulsed after a hard fight. Twice the Germans had gained a foothold in our trench, but had been driven out by counter-attacks. The trench was filled with their dead and ours. Through a periscope, I counted eighteen dead Germans in our wire; they were ghastly sight in their horrible-looking respirators. |
I examined my first smoke helmet, a bullet had gone through it on the left side just grazing my ear, the gas had penetrated through the hole made in the cloth. Out of our crew of six, we lost two killed and two wounded. That night we buried all of the dead, excepting those in No Man’s Land. In death there is not much distinction, friend and foe are treated alike.
5. What do you think Arthur Empey meant when he said:
“In death there is not much distinction, friend and foe are treated alike.”
“In death there is not much distinction, friend and foe are treated alike.”