Письмо 1
Dear Mr. Brokaw:
I have learned so much about the “Greatest Generation” from my own father, Donald T. Atkinson.
One very interesting part of my dad’s life was that he was one of five survivors from a B-17 plane wreck during WW2. On May 7, 1943, Dad was the flight engineer and upper-turret gunner on the B-17 called the Big Moose as they were traveling to Europe to join the 100th Bomb Group. Well into this trip, the crew noticed that they were off course. Later they discovered that the enemy had used tactics to disrupt the locational beams of our American aircraft. Not knowing about this evil diversion, the Big Moose ran out of gas and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 150 miles off the coast of Iceland. As the crew was spewed into the dark, freezing, and treacherous waters, Dad assisted those injured to a life raft that was floating upside down. He desperately tried to hold on to two of the badly hurt crewman, but one was unfortunately slipped away with a huge wave and was never seen again. Five of the seven surviving crew members were rescued by a British tanker called Onslaught. After 30 days on this tanker, while trying to dodge the ever-present enemy submarines, the crew of the Big Moose was returned to the USA (but only to be reassigned to another plane and hop back over to join in the deadly war games).
My father has vivid memories of these times, the emotions, the hopes, the fears, the losses. He stays in close contact with his Army Air Corps buddies and joins them every other year at the 100th Bomb Group reunion. During the reunion conventions, hundreds of veterans gather to reminisce and recognize the heroes of this time.
The purpose of this letter is to tell you about a very unique and extremely interesting event that has taken place since my father’s crash into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Over 50 years since that fateful day in 1943, a young Icelandic man was fishing off the coast of Iceland. His deep-sea fishing lines became entangled, and he pulled up a major part of the Big Moose B-17 aircraft with guns still intact. This find is now on display in a museum in Reykjavik, Iceland. The fisherman tirelessly spent years trying to uncover the names of the crew members who were on board this aircraft. The crew of the Big Moose were finally located and notified of this miraculous event. Needless to say, they all were very elated and intensely surprised. My father has since sent his Mae West flotation device that saved his life on May 7, 1943, over to Iceland to be part of this display.
For my Dad’s 77th birthday I plan to surprise him by taking him to visit his retrieved plane at this museum in Reykjavik, Iceland. I can’t wait to experience the reunion between Dad and this B-17. I want to relive this adventure and really learn to appreciate what Dad and so many others went through to ensure our freedoms of today.
Kay Atkinson Ball
Задания к письму

Pre-reading
Task 1. Look at the pictures, read the title of the story and discuss the following questions:
1. What do you think this story about?
2. Which war do you suppose is described here?
3. Have you read anything about this war before?
4. Did our country take part in this war?
5. Did any of your relatives take part in this war? If yes, who? What did they do? Do you know much of their life in wartime and after war?
6. What do you know of the Second Front during WW2? If yes, where did you get this information?
Task 2. Vocabulary Work
a) Match the words with their definitions Match the words with their definitions
convention a person who survives, especially a person remaining alive
after an event in which others have died
wreck something, especially a vehicle or building, that has been
badly damaged or destroyed
survivor interrupt (an event or process) by causing a disturbance or
problem
disrupt help (someone), typically by doing a share of the work
buddy harmed, damaged or impaired
injured keep
hold on to extremely large, enormous
assist save from a dangerous or distressing situation
huge ( informal) a close friend
rescue (AmE) a large meeting or conference
b) Study the words
Crew, enemy, beam, aircraft, spew, treacherous, raft, desperately, hurt, unfortunately, dodge, submarine, Moose, reassign, deadly, loss, reminisce, fateful, entangle, intact, tirelessly, notify, elated, retrieve, appreciate, ensure

c) Study the word combinations. Pay attention to the prepositions
Upper-turret gunner, join smth, be off course, evil diversion, run out of smth, crash into the ocean, float upside down, slip away , hop back, vivid memories , stay in close contact with, be on display, be on board, go through


Post-reading
Task3. Use of Vocabulary
a) Word-formation. Look through the text again and form the new words
Fate роковой
Fortunately к несчастью
Assign переподчинить
Union воссоединение
Live вновь пережить
Survive оставшийся в живых
Location базовый, установочный
Tire без устали
Extreme чрезвычайно
Need ненужный, излишний
b) Complete the sentences putting the given words in the appropriate grammatical form if needed.

Extremely, to stay, hundred, to take place, to run out of, to rescue, huge, to go through, treacherous, one

1. This event _________________since we moved to Iceland that fateful year.
2. Everyone was ________________ disappointed at not getting a letter.
3. After what they ________________during that war they’ll never forget it!
4. The______________ thing to do was to find the crew members.
5. As far as we __________________fuel we had to land.
6. The man made a __________________difference to the team.
7. _______________of people were injured in WW2.
8. Not all of them ____________________from the fire.
9. A vacationer was swept away by the______________________ currents we had ever seen.
10. On the way home that event _______________________with me.

Task4. Answer the following questions:
1. Who wrote this letter? Why?
2. What happened to Donald T. Atkinson on May, 7, 1943?
3. Why were they flying to Europe?
4. Why were they off course?
5. Did all the crew members survive from the wreck?
6. How were they rescued?
7. How long did it take them to return to the USA?
8. Was the WW2 over for the survivors after that wreck?
9. Does Donald T. Atkinson stay in contact with his army buddies?
10. Why is Iceland mentioned in this letter?
11. What is the author of the letter going to do on Donald T. Atkinson’s 77th birthday?

Task5. Speaking
Have you read about Americans’ participation in WW2 before? Has your attention towards it changed after reading the letter?
What do you think of the survivors? How can you characterize these people?
Describe your emotions after reading this letter?
Did any of your relatives take part in WW2? If yes, do you know anything about them in wartime? Tell your classmates about it.