A
EddieMcKay,aonce-forgottenpilot,isasubjectofgreatinteresttoagroupofhistorystudentsinCanada.
ItallstartedwhenGrahamBroad,aprofessorattheUniversityofWesternOntario,foundMcKay’snameinafootnoteinabookaboutuniversityhistory.McKaywasincludedinalistofuniversityalumni(校友)whohadservedduringtheFirstWorldWar,buthisnamewasunfamiliartoBroad,aspecialistinmilitaryhistory.Outofcuriosity,Broadspenthoursatthelocalarchives(档案馆)inafruitlesssearchforinformationonMcKay.Tiredanddiscouraged,hefinallygaveup.Onhiswayout,Broad’sglancehappenedtofallonanexhibitingcaseshowingsomeoldnewspapers.Hiseyewasdrawntoanoldpictureofayoungmaninarugbyuniform.Ashereadthewordsbesidethepicture,heexperiencedathrillingrealization.“Afterlookingforhimallday,therehewas,staringupatmeoutoftheexhibitingcase,”saidBroad.Excitedbythefind,Broadaskedhisstudentstocontinuehissearch.Theycombedoldnewspapersandothermaterialsforclues.Gradually,apicturecameintoview.
CaptainAlfredEdwinMcKayjoinedtheBritishRoyalFlyingCorpsin1916.Hedownedtenenemyplanes,outlivedhisentiresquadron(中队)asaWWIflyer,spentsometimeasaflyinginstr uctorinEngland,thenreturnedtothefront,wherehewaseventuallyshotd ownoverBelgiumandkilledinDecember1917.Butthere’smoretohisstory.“Forabrieftimein1916hewasprobablythemostfamouspilotintheworld,”saysBroad.“HewascreditedwithdowningOswaldBoelcke,themostfamousGermanpilotatthetime.”Yet,inaletterhome,McKayrefusedtotakecredit,sayingthatBoelckehadactuallycrashedintoanotherGermanplane.
McKay’swarrecordsweredestr oyedduringaWorldWarIIairbombingonLondon—anexplanationforwhyhewasallbutforgotten.
Butnow,thankstotheeffortsofBroadandhisstudents,amarkerinMcKay’smemorywasplacedontheuniversitygroundsinNovember2007.“IfoundmyeyesfillingwithtearsasIreadtheword‘deceased’(阵亡)nexttohisname,”saidCoreyEverrett,astudentwhofoundapictureofMckayinhisuniform.“Thiswassuchasimpleexampleofthefactthathehadbeenastudentjustlikeus,butinsteadoffinishinghistimeatWestern,hechosetofightanddieforhiscountr y.”
56.WhatmadeProfessorBroadcontinuehissearchformoreinformationonMcKay?
A.Auniform.ofMcKay.B.AfootnoteaboutMcKay.
C.AbookonMcKay.D.ApictureofMcKay.
正确答案：D
