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.

Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers. You’re nervous. Who are these people? How do you start a conversation? Fortunately, you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag (标签). The chips send back name, job, hobbies, and the time available for meeting-whatever. Making new friends becomes simple

This hasn’t quite happened in real life. But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.

An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product, under your pet’s skin, even under your own skin. Passive RFID tags have no energy source-batteries because they do not need it. The energy comes from the reader, a scanning device, that sends out energy (for example, radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.

Such a tag carries information specific to that object, and the data can be updated. Already, RFID technology is used for recognizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport. Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records. At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP (very important person) section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.

Take a step back:10 or 12 years ago,you would have heard about the coming age of computing. One example always seemed to surface: Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk. The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler

RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon. “The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices, connected wirelessly,” predicts Dr.J.Reich. Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology. It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags, they say. We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it. And how many beers. Accompanied by how many biscuits. w*w*When Marconi invented radio, he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication. Not for pop music. Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future. Here’s a wild guess: Not for buying milk.

1. The article is intended to______.  

A. warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology

B. explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology

C. convince people of the uses of RFID technology

D. predict the applications of RFID technology

2. We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags, people        .

A. will have no trouble getting data about others

B. will have more energy for conversation

C. will have more time to make friends

D. won’t feel shy at parties any longer

3. Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of        .

A. scanning devices              B. radio waves   C. batteries              D. chips

4. Why are some people worried about RFID technology?

A. Because children will be tracked by strangers.

B. Because market competition will become more fierce.

C. Because their private lives will be greatly affected.

D. Because customers will be forced to buy more products.

5. The last paragraph implies that RFID technology        .

A. will not be used for such matters as buying milk

B. will be widely used, including for buying milk

C. will be limited to communication uses

D. will probably be used for pop music


Before coming to France, I always thought that French people wear formal clothes. But, when I arrived in Paris, I came to know why France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers from all over the world to come.
On the boulevard of Champs-elysees, there are many fashion shops of famous brands, such as Chanel, Dior, Pierre Cardin. In daily life, however, most of Parisians never wear clothes like those on the super models. On the opposite, I found people in Paris often dress in very simple designs and usually in dark.
Such situation doesn‘t affect French designers to create more and more new styles. But I would say people in Paris dress more formally than those in the rest of France. In other French cities, what people wear are usually casual dresses, such as T-shirts and jeans.
French people act as the fashion leaders, but they accept other clothes styles as well. Montpellier, the city I live in, is in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. Here are many immigrants(移民) from Algeria, Morocco and other African countries. The Arabian and African cultures are influential(有影响的) in this city. Therefore, you can find a lot of young people dress in the North African style.
1. France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers from all over the world because             .
A. French people never wear fashionable clothes
B. French designers are creative
C. French people accept fashionable clothes and other styles
D. both B and C
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The majority of Parisians always wear formal clothes.
B. Most of Parisians never wear fashionable clothes.
C. Parisians usually wear casual dresses like T- shirts and jeans.
D. Most Parisians often dress in simple designs and usually in dark.
3. The underlined part “boulevard of Champs-elysees”possibly is             .
A. a name of a famous street in Paris           B. a name of a famous person in Paris
C. a name of a famous city in France           D. a name of a famous brand in France


第二部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下面短文,从A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A
How Americans Began to Eat Tomatoes
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.
36. After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?
A. Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.
B. Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.
C. Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.
D. In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.
37. The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes___.
A. while he was in Paris              B. when he was a little boy
C. because his parents told him so       D. from books
38. According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?
A. the President himself       B. a French cook
C. the President’s cook       D. the President’s wife
39. From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were       .
A. people from other countries       B. from France
C. people of his own country        D. men only
40. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes.
B. All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice.
C. All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice.
D. None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.

Before coming to France, I always thought that French people wear formal clothes. But, when I arrived in Paris, I came to know why France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers from all over the world to come.

On the boulevard of Champs-elysees, there are many fashion shops of famous brands, such as Chanel, Dior, Pierre Cardin. In daily life, however, most of Parisians never wear clothes like those on the super models. On the opposite, I found people in Paris often dress in very simple designs and usually in dark.

Such situation doesn‘t affect French designers to create more and more new styles. But I would say people in Paris dress more formally than those in the rest of France. In other French cities, what people wear are usually casual dresses, such as T-shirts and jeans.

French people act as the fashion leaders, but they accept other clothes styles as well. Montpellier, the city I live in, is in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. Here are many immigrants(移民) from Algeria, Morocco and other African countries. The Arabian and African cultures are influential(有影响的) in this city. Therefore, you can find a lot of young people dress in the North African style.

1. France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers from all over the world because             .

A. French people never wear fashionable clothes

B. French designers are creative

C. French people accept fashionable clothes and other styles

D. both B and C

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The majority of Parisians always wear formal clothes.

B. Most of Parisians never wear fashionable clothes.

C. Parisians usually wear casual dresses like T- shirts and jeans.

D. Most Parisians often dress in simple designs and usually in dark.

3. The underlined part “boulevard of Champs-elysees”possibly is             .

A. a name of a famous street in Paris           B. a name of a famous person in Paris

C. a name of a famous city in France           D. a name of a famous brand in France

 

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