At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2,000,000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages, large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.
What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options. In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the workforce, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status. A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as“merely a nurse”. Teachers many be also at fault. Many high school students are actually away from nursing, told by teachers that they are“too bright to be a nurse”.
Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal (致命的) diseases mean long hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．How nurses have been looked down upon. |
| B．Why women have chosen many different jobs. |
| C．What has caused nurse shortage. |
| D．How teachers have influenced their students. |
The Passage tells that high school teachers are at fault for .
| A．not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US |
| B．introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students |
| C．not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment |
| D．persuading the students not to be nurses |
The author writes the Passage in order to .
| A．describe the unequal treatment of women in the US |
| B．warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem |
| C．tell us women’s free choices of jobs today |
| D．call on women to choose different kinds of jobs |
It can be inferred from the Passage that .
| A．high school students think themselves too bright to be nurses |
| B．women in the US have greater career choices than those in other countries |
| C．of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed |
| D．nursing used to be a popular job among women |
Do you feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just the night before?
If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.
But don't fear. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.
Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body gives out the hormone adrenaline (肾上腺素) which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot or even sick.
If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.
When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you're doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to "STOP!" This will get your mind off the stress.
Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help gain your confidence.
Talk to yourself using positive language. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example, "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.
Last but not least, start test preparation early — three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills — for example, time management and note-taking — will give you the feeling that you are in control.
1. According to the text, people who ______ are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety.
A. worry a lot or are perfectionists B. prepare poorly for a test
C. have failed in tests before D. all of above
2. Which of the following is NOT the way to beat nerves according to the author?
A. Stop what you are doing and try to relax. B. Talk to your teacher or friends.
C. Make a full test preparation early. D. Learn to accept mistakes.
3. The underlined word “it” refers to ______.
A. the stress B. the body
C. the mind D. the hormone adrenaline
4. What would be the best title for the text?
A. What is test anxiety B. Why we have test anxiety
C. How to deal with test anxiety D. Develop a positive attitude
Foods from Around the World
Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries. Here are four people’s experiences with foreign food.
Shao Wong is a student in France. He comes from China. “I’d never tasted cheese or even milk before I came here. Cattle are rare in my part of China, so there are no dairy products. I tried milk when I first arrived in France. I hated it! I sampled cheese too, but couldn’t manage more than one bite. I love ice cream, though, and that’s made from milk.”
Birgit is from Sweden. She traveled to Australia on vacation. “I was in a restaurant that specialized in fish, and I heard some other customers order flake. So I ordered some too and it was delicious. Later, I found out that flake is an Australian term for shark. After that pleasant experience, whenever I see a new food I try it out on purpose. You know why? I remember how much I enjoyed flake.”
Chandra is a dentist in Texas. She originates from India. “I’m frightened of eating new foods because they might be made from beef. I’m a Hindu, and my religion forbids me to eat meat from the cow. It’s a sacred animal to Hindus, so that’s the reason I can’t eat hamburgers or spaghetti with meatballs.”
Nathan is American. He taught for a year in China. “My friends gave me some 100-year-old eggs to eat. I didn’t like the look of them at all. The insides were green, but my friends said the color was normal. The Chinese put chemicals on fresh eggs. Then they bury them in the earth for three months. So the eggs weren’t really very old. Even so, I absolutely refused to touch them.”
Life in a new country can be scary, but it also can be fun. Would you sample a 100-year-old egg? Would you order shark in a restaurant?
1. What kind of girl is Birgit?
A. Religious. B. Brave. C. Confident. D. Open- minded.
2. Chandra is frightened of eating food made from beef, because _________.
A. It’s against Hindus’ religion.
B. She is a doctor and she thinks beef is not easy to chew and digest.
C. She is an Indian.
D. Hindus think beef is not tasty.
3. The underlined word “Sacred” in paragraph 4 means _________.
A. frightening B. large C. man – eating D. greatly respected
4. What can you infer from this passage?
A. Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries.
B. Despite (虽然) cultural differences in food, have a try and maybe you’ll get used to it.
C. A vacation is a good way to learn about new foods. Be sure to go on vacation more often.
D. People dislike eating new foods only because their religion forbids it.
LOS ANGELES--- Two lost hikers who survived three nights in mountains thanks to supplies at a campsite of another hiker who disappeared last year described their suffering, saying they had “the real special thank” for the man who is probably dead.
The couple, Allen, 24, and Brandon Day, 28, were in Southern California for an important conference. They got lost on Saturday west of Palm Springs after wandering off a trail during what was supposed to be a day hike.
Prepared only for a brief hike, they wore light jackets and tennis shoes and had no food, spare clothing or mobile phone. With night closing in, they took shelter in a small cave and spent the night sleepless, freezing and hungry.
On Monday, they discovered a campsite in a dead valley. There was a sleeping mat, a backpack, a disposable razor(一次性剃刀), a spoon and tennis shoes. Day and Allen were delighted, thinking someone there could help them find the way out. But later they realized the place was deserted.
They found identification showing the camper was Donovan, 60, a retired social worker from Virginia. They learned later in his diary that he was an experienced hiker and he disappeared on May 2, 2005, in icy weather.
They found articles in his backpack: a warm sweater for Allen, dry socks for Day and matches. They lit a small signal fire to attract a helicopter crew in the distance, but the crew did not see them.
On Tuesday morning, Day created “a really big smoke signal” that finally attracted a helicopter crew. They were examined at a hospital and had only bruises(擦伤).
“We feel great. We’re thankful. We feel like we’ve been given a second chance,” said Day, who expressed that they wouldn’t give up hiking even after this experience.
1. The passage most probably appears in ________.
A. an advertisement B. a newspaper C. a travel guidebookD. a travel journal
2. Why did Allen and Day go to Southern California?
A. To go for a short hiking in mountains. B. To search for the hiker missing a year ago.
C. To attend an important conference. D. To enjoy the scenery of Palm Springs.
3. Which of the things the couple found helped them the most?
A. Tennis shoes. B. A sleeping mat. C. a warm sweater. D. Matches.
4. Which of the following statements is TURE?
A. The couple realized the campsite was deserted the moment they found it.
B. The couple at first thought the person in the camp could help them out.
C. It was the icy weather that led to Donovan’s disappearance and death.
D. This experience would prevent the couple hiking again in future.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Dear Ralf,
I have received your letter from school and am glad to know that you are becoming responsible enough to decide on your career.
You are now in the final year of college and are about to start more independent life in society. You know that a generation divides us, and the conditions of social life were different in my days. However, all I can say as advice is that you must select a career wisely. The first consideration is your interest. You can only succeed and feel happy when you do something you enjoy. Your job must be both gainful and satisfying. Then, you must read up on the latest books on the field you are aiming at. Also, you should get familiar with the men and women in the profession of that field. When mind and heart function together, success is inevitable(必然的).
No career is more or less important than any other career. It takes different people to operate the machine of life. I think your interest may lie in the field of making TV programs. Your great communication skills, your active participation in school plays and the prizes you have won in speech competitions all point in that direction. So a career in Mass Communication and TV film production proves suitable for you. If you succeed and make it in that field, fame and treasure will both follow.
Think a thousand times before making any final decision regarding your career. Anyhow, I want you to be a man of success.
I know that you are mature(成熟的) enough to think for yourself.
With all the best wishes!
Your loving father
1. We can infer that Ralf wrote a letter to ask for advice on how to ________.
A. prepare for a competition. B. communicate with others
C. choose a career D. get good marks
2. What can we know about Ralf?
A. He has graduated from college. B. He gets on badly with his father.
C. He has taken part in school plays. D. He won prizes in the field of making films.
3. Ralf’s father thinks that ________.
A. fame is more important than treasure
B. every career is of the same importance
C. Ralf is too young to make a decision himself
D. there is no real understanding between parents and children
4. The father suggests that his son should ____________.
A. consider his interest first when choosing a career.
B. make friends with successful people.
C. be never proud when making progress
D. be active in school activities.
A centuries-old tradition of wearing a white horse-hair wig in court ended for many judges when a simpler new dress code came into force．
While judges in criminal cases will still wear them, those in civil and family hearings will appear bare-headed in court, wearing a new-style plain black robe, the British government said．
After a long debate, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Philips, head of the judiciary(司法部) in England and Wales, finally ordered the changes in an attempt to modernize the courts．
Wigs have been an emblem(象征) of the British legal system since the 17th century when the fashion for wearing them in wider society went through to the courts．For hundreds of years before the reign(统治)of Charles II, judges and lawyers were expected to come to court with short hair and a beard．
The decision to abandon wigs has disappointed traditionalists who argue that they give judges an air of authority and impartiality．Wigs could also protect them from angry members of the public．John Mortimer, the barrister and author of the “Rumpole of the Bailey” books, opposed the changes．“The idea’s ridiculous! A barrister without his wig would be like a doctor without a stethoscope（听诊器）,” he wrote in a newspaper article when the changes were first proposed．
However, modernists argue that wigs are a hangover from the past that could intimidate people in court．In a newspaper interview, Lord Phillips described wigs as an anachronism（不合时宜之物）that gave the public a false impression of judges．
A Ministry of Justice survey last year found 70 percent of court workers wanted to keep wigs, compared to 42 percent of the public．
1．The reasons why wigs should be kept are the following EXCEPT________．
A．to build up the fair image of the judges．
B．to keep the judges from the harm from the audience．
C．to make the audience fear the judges．
D．to symbolize justice．
2．According to the British government, wigs will still be worn in ________．
A．murder cases B．divorce cases C．property cases D．real estate cases
3．The underlined word ‘intimidate’ in Paragraph 4 means ________．
A．frightened B．dissatisfied C．amused D．annoyed
4．Based on the article, which of the following inferences is TRUE?
A．Wearing wigs were very popular in the 17th century in Britain．
B．A stethoscope to a doctor is what a wig to a traditionalist．
C．The courts started the fashion of wearing wigs．
D．Many people favor the wigs for the judges．
5．The article is mainly about _________．
A．the difficulty in abandoning wigs in court．
B．the history of wearing wigs and the end of it．
C．abandoning wigs for many judges and the debate caused by it．
D．the opinion of the public and court workers on abandoning wigs．