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Unit 1 The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Reading Comprehension
When World War II started in 1939, America supported the British, but it
was reluctant to get involved in the war directly. Then, on December 7,
1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and destroyed much of the U.S. Pacific fleet.
Actually, the attack on Pearl Harbor was not as much of a surprise as many
people believe. There had been military tensions between the U.S. and Japan
for several years. In 1941, peace talks between the two countries failed, and
it was obvious that there would soon be a war between them. In addition,
the U.S. government caught a coded Japanese message in the weeks before
the attack. They decoded 13 out the 14 parts of the message. The decoded
parts showed that the Japanese were planning an attack against the U.S.,
but they did not say where. The U.S. government did not tell the public about
these messages. On the morning of the attack, the government caught
another secret message. This one left no doubt that Pearl Harbor would be
the target of the attack, but by then it was too late. By the time the warnings
reached Pearl Harbor, the attack was already over.
The next day, President Roosevelt went on the radio to speak to the nation
about the surprise attack and to declare war on Japan. Greatly angered by
the surprise attack, thousands of young Americans signed up for military
service. America had finally entered the war. It wasn‟t until years after the
war, however, that the public learned that the attack that brought them into
the war had not been such a surprise after all.
-5-
Reading Comprehension
When World War II started in 1939, America supported the British, but it
was reluctant to get involved in the war directly. Then, on December 7,
1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and destroyed much of the U.S. Pacific fleet.
Actually, the attack on Pearl Harbor was not as much of a surprise as many
people believe. There had been military tensions between the U.S. and Japan
for several years. In 1941, peace talks between the two countries failed, and
it was obvious that there would soon be a war between them. In addition,
the U.S. government caught a coded Japanese message in the weeks before
the attack. They decoded 13 out the 14 parts of the message. The decoded
parts showed that the Japanese were planning an attack against the U.S.,
but they did not say where. The U.S. government did not tell the public about
these messages. On the morning of the attack, the government caught
another secret message. This one left no doubt that Pearl Harbor would be
the target of the attack, but by then it was too late. By the time the warnings
reached Pearl Harbor, the attack was already over.
The next day, President Roosevelt went on the radio to speak to the nation
about the surprise attack and to declare war on Japan. Greatly angered by
the surprise attack, thousands of young Americans signed up for military
service. America had finally entered the war. It wasn‟t until years after the
war, however, that the public learned that the attack that brought them into
the war had not been such a surprise after all.
-5-
