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Second World War
1 World War II occurred during the years 1939 - 1945. It was a war that involved virtually every part of the
world and it cost the most deaths ever.
The origin of the war can be traced back to 1933 when Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany. He at
once began secretly preparing the German army to be a military
5 super power. Germany had suffered a humiliating defeat during
World War I (1914 - 1918) and Hitler wished for revenge. His
ambition was to advance German frontiers with the hop of restoring
the once mighty German empire.
In September 1939, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany
10 invaded Poland. Britain and France came to Poland's rescue and
declared war against Germany two days later. Russia, then an ally of
Germany, attacked Poland from the other side of the Polish border.
Within a month, Poland fell into the hands of the Germans and the
Russians.
15 The leaders of Italy and Japan also wanted to expand their empires. The leaders of the two countries signed
a treaty with Hitler promising to help one another with their expansion plans. The group called themselves the
Axis.
After the fall of Poland, Germany embarked on an attacking spree and defeated Denmark, Norway, Holland,
Belgium and France. All of them were conquered within a span of a few months. The threat of the vast
20 combined German army, navy and air force, also enabled Hitler to occupy Austria and Czechoslovakia
without any blood-bath. Adolf Hitler then became the supreme ruler of almost the whole of Central and
Western Europe.
Still hungering for more conquests, Hitler turned his attention to Britain. Land invasion of the nation was
impossible because of the English Channel. So the German air force tried to bomb Britain into submission but
25 it was defeated by the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain.
In the meantime, some countries on the side of the British had joined hands to form the Allies. In June 1941,
Hitler turned on Russia. This made the Russians join the Allies. In 1943, the Allied forces won a major
victory over German troops in North Africa. The Russians too were able to force the Germans to retreat from
Russia. Though weakened considerable, the German troops still persevered in fighting. The eventual
30 occupation of Germany by the Allied troops between March - April 1945 finally brought the fighting in
Europe to a stop. Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945. Eight days later, the German troops surrendered.
But World War II was not over yet. The war had spread to South-Western Asia in 1941 when Japan attacked
an American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This caused the Americans to team up with the Allies in the
war in the Pacific region. The bombings of the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 by
35 the Americans when tens of thousands of people were killed or maimed for life signaled the close of World
War II. The Japanese signed the formal surrender on 2 September 1945.
1. Complete the following table by indicating to whom or to what the word(s) underlined refer(s).
Ex: “… it cost the most deaths ever” (Line 2) The word it refers to World War II
In the phrase….
1
H
3
4
… He at once began (line
3-4)
… All of them were
conquered (line 19)
… it was defeated by
(line 25)
… This caused the
Americans to team up
with (line 31/32)
Refer(s) to…
The
word(s)
“he”
“them”
“it”
“This”
2. True or false. The sentences below are either true (T) or false (F). Write a T or F in each
statement, and then justify it with a relevant brief quotation from the text. JUSTIFY BOTH TRUE
AND FALSE STATEMENTS!
1. ____ The second World War involved only a part of the globe.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____ It was hard for the Germans to take over Poland because they did not receive any help
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ___ The USA joined the war because the Japanese attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ___ When Japan surrendered the Second World War got to an end.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Vocabulary: Choose the correct alternative
1. In the text, virtually means:
a) almost b) online
c) imaginarily
d)hypothetically
2.
a)
In paragraph two, “Advance German frontiers” means:
to h b) to have under German’s rule longer areas
3.
In paragraph five “supreme” means:
a) greatest
b) Inferior
4.
a)
c)important
In paragraph eight, “team up” means:
fight against
b) deal
c) join forces
d)Serving
d)Fight against
4. Comprehension: Answer the questions using full sentences
1.
How did World War II start?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
Which countries formed the Axis?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
How did Germany manage to occupy Austria and Czechoslovakia without any fighting?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Why did the Germans attack Britain by air?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
How did America come to participate in the war?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Critical thinking: Use full sentences
1.
If there is a Third World War, what will the consequences be? Explain yourself using more than 60 words. Use if
clause: type1.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
KEY:
1.1 True or false. The sentences below are either true (T) or false (F). Write a T or F in each statement, and
then justify it with a relevant brief quotation from the text. Justify both True and False statements!
1. ____ The second World War involved only a part of the globe.
F. Virtually every part of the world.
2. ____ It was hard for the Germans to take over Poland because they did not receive any help
F. Within a month, Poland fell into the hands of the Germans and the Russians.
3. ___ The USA joined the war because the Japanese attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
f. because Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
4. ___ When Japan surrendered the Second World War got to an end.
. T. The bombings of the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 by the Americans when
tens of thousands of people were killed or maimed for life signaled the close of World
Vocabulary: Choose the correct alternative
1. A)almost
2.
B) to have under German’s rule longer areas
3.
4.
A)Greatest
c) join forces
1.2 Complete the following table by indicating to whom or to what the word(s) underlined refer(s).
Ex: “… it cost the most deaths ever” (Line 2) The word it refers to World War II
In the phrase….
1
H
3
4
… He at once began (line 34)
… All of them were
conquered (line 19)
… it was defeated by (line
25)
…
This
caused
the
Americans to team up with
(line 31/32)
The
word(s)
“he”
Refer(s) to…
“them”
Countries//
Denmark,
Norway, Holland, Belgium
and France.
the German air force
“it”
“This”
Hitler
When Japan attacked an
American naval base in Pearl
Harbor,
Comprehension
1. It started when Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany in 1933 and wanted to seek revenge for Germany's
humiliating defeat in World war I.
2. Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Axis.
3. Germany managed to occupy those two countries without fighting because they feared the strong German
armed forces.
4. They did so because they could not cross into Britain by land due to the English Channel. Therefore, they tired
to bomb Britain into submission.
5. America came to participate in the war when Japan attacked her naval base in Pearl Harbor.