Đọc hiểu lớp 7 · Tổng hợp Đọc hiểu 23

Thousands of women have served as intelligence agents for the United States and its allies since the nation began. Virginia Hall was one of the bravest and most successful spies for the Allies during World War II. Hall was born in 1906 to a rich family in Baltimore, Maryland. She studied foreign languages in college. In 1931, Virginia Hall took a job at the American Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. Then she served in embassies in Estonia, Austria and Turkey. While in Turkey, Virginia Hall suffered a tragic accident. Her gun accidentally fired while she was hunting. The bullet severely wounded her leg. Doctors removed it to save her life. After that, she wore a wooden leg to walk. She resigned from the State Department as a result. But her injury did not stop her from serving the Allies. Virginia Hall was in Paris, France when World War II began. She joined the French Army and drove a medical vehicle. Before long, however, she had to leave to escape the invading German soldiers. Later, in England, she was invited to join a secret British organization created to organize resistance. It helped form military teams in German-occupied areas of Europe. Hall learned weaponry, communications and security. Then she was sent to occupied France. She established communications with the French Resistance movement in Lyon. She successfully plotted the escape of many allied airplane crews and prisoners of the Germans. She saved many lives. Later she escaped from France over the Pyrenees Mountains in the southern part of the country during the winter. After a time in Spain, however, Hall again spied in France. This time she was working for the United States Office of Strategic Services. Hall dressed as a farm worker to hide her identity. She reported German troop movements and organized Resistance groups. By now, the Germans knew who she was. Some called her the most dangerous enemy agent in occupied Europe. The Resistance fighters she organized gained great success. As the Germans withdrew from France, the fighters killed many enemy soldiers. They took hundreds of prisoners. They exploded four bridges. They destroyed communication lines. The United States honored Virginia Hall with a Distinguished Service Cross medal when the war ended. She was the only female civilian in the war to receive this medal.

George Washington was the first president of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1797. He was a famous general who led the American colonists to freedom from British rule and he presided over the convention that created the U.S. Constitution. He wanted to retire from public service and return home. But the country’s founders wanted him to move to New York and serve as the American president. Washington accepted the job as his duty. Washington was sworn in as president in 1789. He had to invent the job of being president for all future presidents. He established a group of advisors — called the cabinet—as well as the nation’s official money. He appointed a six-member Supreme Court. And he created the Department of Foreign Affairs, now called the State Department. He hoped to act in such a way that future presidents could continue to build on what he began. From the beginning, George Washington was careful to establish a good working relationship with Congress. By his actions, he confirmed the separation of powers of the three branches of the government, as described in the Constitution. Historian Joseph Ellis says one of the best things about George Washington was his ability to give up power. At the end of the Revolutionary War, General Washington returned his sword. And at the end of his second term, President Washington simply returned home. Like many plantation owners, Washington was a slave holder. By the end of his life, Washington opposed slavery. He left a will ordering his survivors to free his slaves after his wife’s death. Three years after he finished his second term as president, Washington fell ill. On December 14, 1799, he died in his bed, surrounded by his wife, enslaved maids, and friends. He was 67. Kelly Jean Kelly and Steve Ember reported this story for VOA Learning English. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.