All areas of the world face a nurses shortage. But the shortage is most severe in developing countries. Many of their nurses move to the more developed nations for better pay, better working conditions and better chances for career development. For example, nearly 2,000 nurses left the Caribbean between 2002 and 2006.
The Caribbean nations currently have about 1 nurse for every 1,000 people. The ratio(比例) of nurses to population is about 10 times higher in the United States and countries in the European Union(EU). Now, more than 21,000 nurses who trained in the Caribbean are working in the United States, Canada and Britain.
Gaetan Lafortune is an official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(O.E.C.D) in Paris. He says the nurses shortage also affects industrialized countries. He says, “There is concern in most O.E.C.D.countries that the number of nurses is too small to meet the demand. And what is more worrying is that their concern is sort of growing.” Mr Lafortune says a large number of nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years. At the same time, the health care needs of aging populations are expected to grow, intensifying the shortage of nurses.
Gaetan Lafortune said, “In the U.S., for instance, some researchers have found that there may be a shortage of close to a million nurses by 2020.” The United States is 1 of the 21 countries in the O.C.E.D. Gaetan Lafortune says in the recent years many of the countries increased their efforts to hire foreign nurses. As a result of that, O.E.C.D. countries were mainly exporting their shortage problem to countries that may have an even greater need for these nurses.
What will be the main causes of the global nurses shortage in the next 10 years?
a. The demand for nurses will decrease.
b. Many nurses will be too old to work.
c. Many rich countries will hire more foreign nurses.
d. Nurses are often looked down upon.
e. Aging populations will increase rapidly
| A．a and b | B．b and c | C．b and e | D．c and d |
The underlined word “intensify” in para. 3 means “________”.
| A．strengthen | B．neglect | C．reduce | D．cause |
We know from this text that America and the EU countries ______.
| A．refuse to offer equal pay to foreign nurses |
| B．have at least one nurse out of 100 people |
| C．don’t like to train nurses of their own countries |
| D．have more serious nursing problems than the Caribbean nations |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Nursing is no longer a worthwhile profession in most countries. |
| B．The different attitudes towards nursing in different countries. |
| C．Nurses shortage will result in serious consequences. |
| D．The health care industry needs more nurses. |
Generational differences and the economy are shifting more responsibilities for children from their parents to grandparents, according to a new survey.
More than one-third of grandparents aged 50 and older contribute financially to their grandchildren’s upbringing, and 11 percent have a grandchild living with them, the poll by AARP showed.
40 percent of people who responded to the telephone survey, whose average age was 69, reported spending more than ＄500 on grandchildren over the past year beyond traditional gifts. Education costs accounted for about 50 percent, daily expenses for about 32 percent and medical and dental costs for about 18 percent.16 percent provided daycare for grandchildren.
“They are the safety nets for American families, helping to pay for practical expenses and necessities,”said Amy Goyer, AARP’s multigenerational and family issues (问题) expert.
“We see many providing daycare services, while growing numbers even have grandchildren living with them,”she said, referring to the 16 percent who watch their grandchildren while the parents are at work or at school.
Overall, nearly 90 percent of the 1,904 grandparents questioned said they play a very or somewhat important role in their grandchildren’s lives, and about 70 percent live within 50 miles of the closest one.
The poll conducted by Woelfel Research Inc. also showed that grandparents increasingly adapted to the younger generation’s life issues and preferred ways of communicating.
More than one-third connect with their grandchildren via email, Skype or text messaging, while half said they routinely discuss topics ranging from values to drug and alcohol use.
Nearly 40 percent said they had discussed dating or sex with at least one grandchild. About 60 percent said they spoke with their grandchildren at least once a week.
Most of the grandparents said they had five or more grandchildren, while one-fourth said they have grandchildren of a different race, mixed race or different ethnicity.According to Paragraph 3, what did the spending of over ＄500 last year NOT involve?
| A．Traditional gifts. |
| B．Education cost. |
| C．Daily expenses. |
| D．Medical and dental costs. |
When do the 16% of the grandparents polled take care of their grandchildren?
| A．When the parents are retired. |
| B．When the parents are working or buying gifts. |
| C．When the parents are at work or at school. |
| D．When there are three generations in the family. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．One-third of grandparents aged 50 and older assist in bringing up their grandchildren. |
| B．The grandparents surveyed offered nets to their grandchildren. |
| C．Many grandparents polled said they play an important role in their grandchildren’s lives. |
| D．A majority of the grandparents surveyed said they had five or more grandchildren. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．American grandparents are more responsible for grandchildren |
| B．Woelfel Research Inc. and AARP |
| C．Generational differences and the present economy |
| D．Grandparents and their grandchildren |
Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she was really a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take a flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on the top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled (蹒跚) off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to go and help her,”whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?”replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,”reasoned Meg.“Come on, Amy! Let’s go.”The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken.“Go and get Dad,”Amy yelled at her brother.“Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.Why were the children hiding in the tree?
| A．Because they wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely. |
| B．Because they were playing a hide-and-seek game. |
| C．Because they wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true. |
| D．Because they were pretending to be spies. |
Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when __________.
| A．her front steps were clean |
| B．she noticed the children in the tree |
| C．she was ready to take a flight |
| D．she heard the hen cackling |
Ben did not rush into helping Mrs. Tailor because _________.
| A．he thought that she could be tricking them |
| B．he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
| C．he did not see the old lady fall down |
| D．he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
Compared to the other parts of the body, our ears don’t ask for much. They don't need to be brushed once a day like your teeth. But they need some special care, especially if you like listening to music with earphones.
Maybe your mum or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they are quite right. Loud noise might cause hearing loss for a short time or even forever. Think that earphones are a good way to escape from tour parents’ eyes? Well. It may not be as good a way as you expect. American doctors have studied a group of 44,000 people who used earphones more than 15 hours per week. The doctors found that 37,000 of them were getting hearing problems.
If you use earphones for too long a time, your ears might feel painful. You could also lose your hearing for the rest of your life. So don’t wear your earphones too long. Use them less than one hour a day. Want sharp hearing? Don’t forget to do the following: Try to stay away from places where there is too much noise, like a disco. If you have to go, wear earplugs. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying "WHAT???" when you are older.Using earphones "may not be as good a way as you expect" because _______.
| A．your parents know what you're doing |
| B．it can cause hearing problems |
| C．it makes your parents angry |
| D．most of you use them improperly |
If you want sharp hearing, you should _____.
| A．have your ears specially trained |
| B．often wear earplugs and clean out the earwax |
| C．take good care of your ears |
| D．choose what you listen to carefully |
"WHAT???" in the last sentence is an expression showing that the speaker____.
| A．has become impatient |
| B．speaks in a loud voice |
| C．is slow in understanding |
| D．asks for a lot of repetition |
On Friday, June 20th, 29 dogs along with their owners came to Santa Rosa, California. They came there to take part in an unusual competition—one that seeks out and honors the World’s Ugliest Dog. Now in its 26th year, the competition is one of the biggest attractions at the annual Sonoma County Fair.
Among the leading competitors were Cupcake, who was adopted (收养) from a local dog rescue center in January and Shorty, who would have been put to sleep if its owner, Jason, wasn’t kind enough to pick it up. Also competing was 11-year-old veteran Grovie. Described by his owner as short and funny, the Chinese pug is a local resident who has taken part in this contest several times. Then there was 2002 “World’s Ugliest Dog” and “Ring of Champions” winner, Rascal. The 7lbs naturally hairless dog with very few teeth comes from an impressive background (背景). His grandfather, Chi Chi, holds the Guinness World Record for winning the title “World’s Ugliest Dog” seven times!
But all these impressively “ugly” dogs had no chance against Peanut. The two-year-old dog was badly burnt in a fire which caused him to lose his lips, most of his body hair and eyelids. Besides winning the title, $1,500 USD in cash and a large trophy (奖杯), the first time winner also enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City where he made scheduled appearances on the Today Show and the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
The competition is a great way to honor these dogs, many of whom get their unusual looks because of human abuse (虐待). But most importantly, it raises awareness about their adoption by showing the world that ugliness does not prevent dogs from becoming very loving pets.Who play the biggest role in the competition mentioned in Para. 1?
| A．The dog owners who are good at keeping dogs. |
| B．The people who have adopted dogs. |
| C．The dogs that have unusual skills. |
| D．The dogs that look very ugly. |
It can be inferred that Jason adopted Shorty probably because he .
| A．thought Shorty would win the competition |
| B．loved Shorty’s appearance very much |
| C．didn’t want Shorty to be homeless |
| D．didn’t want Shorty to be killed |
What can we learn from Rascal’s impressive background?
| A．He comes from a family of ugly dogs. |
| B．Most of his family members are well-known. |
| C．His grandfather had won the competition seven times. |
| D．Seven of his family members had won the competition. |
According to the last paragraph, the competition wants to .
| A．show that not all people are kind to dogs |
| B．call on people to adopt ugly dogs |
| C．tell people that loving pets usually don’t look good |
| D．warn people not to judge dogs by appearances |
We all have fond memories of taking a few lazy months off after the stress of A-levels. So now that summer has arrived, let’s take full advantage. It goes without saying that summer vacations are the perfect time to go traveling.
Tickets go up greatly when you turn 26, so make the most of cheaper rates while you’re eligible.
Overseas volunteering won’t amaze future employers, but it can be very useful. Finding a reliable (可靠的) company that won’t cheat you is important, as is discovering a program that interests you. There are plenty of websites where you can see other people’s suggestions.
Of course for most of us, money is tight. To avoid overspending you can combine employment and vacation. Hannah Warn, a psychology (心理学) student at the University of Winchester, is spending her summer at Camp America where students enjoy a good time on a summer camp. “Being thrown into something where I don’t really know what to expect is exciting,” she says. “It gives me a chance to experience being away from home in a different way.”
Those with a talent for languages might also consider working abroad as an au pair (互惠工人). The work may be a chance to involve yourself in a new culture while your employer pays most of the bill.
If you have an idea of the sort of career you’d like, getting work experience is wise. In many careers, graduating with only your degree to show for your three or four years just won’t make it. Send applications (申请) off early and to as many places as possible. Make sure you take a well-earned break this summer.It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．students who quit school will pay more for travel |
| B．students may enjoy lower-price tickets when traveling |
| C．students should have a longer summer vacation than ever |
| D．students will be offered part-time jobs during the vacation |
The underlined part “you’re eligible” in Para. 2 can best be replaced by “”.
| A．you have more free time | B．you’re tired of school life |
| C．you enjoy traveling a lot | D．you’re of the right age |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the example of Hannah Warn?
| A．Camp America offers jobs to students. |
| B．Psychology students are good at saving money. |
| C．Students had better choose a camp related to their future job. |
| D．A camp is a good place to combine employment and vacation. |
According to the passage, who is more likely to get a job after graduation?
| A．John, who got excellent academic records during his university years. |
| B．Lily, who worked abroad as an au pair during summer vacations. |
| C．Tom, who got working experience related to his future job in college. |
| D．Mary, who got a degree after studying four years in a famous university. |