Is there a nationwide shortage of nurses? It’s hard to say.However, some characteristic symptoms often indicate that there is indeed a shortage.

One symptom is the vacancy rate, or the percentage of budgeted positions that are unfilled.New England’s hospitals currently report that an average of 7 to 12 percent of their registered nurse positions are vacant, the highest level since the last shortage in the late 1980s.Vermont has a relatively low vacancy rate, at 7.8 percent.But its vacancies were at 1.2 percent just five years ago.

Another symptom is the increased use of stopgap measures to fill empty positions.For instance, many nurses report an upswing in how frequently they are asked to stay past their shifts.According to Murphy, working in the St.Elizabeth’s Hospital, “The shortage has definitely created a lot of opportunities of overtime for our nurses, whether they want them or not.” Similarly, a national survey of registered nurses shows that in an average week, nurses in the U.S.work 2.4 more hours than they are scheduled to.Much of this extra time is voluntary, as nurses earn overtime pay when they stay to fill in blanks in the schedule.

When they can’t fill open positions by more traditional means, health care providers hire temporary staff to tide them over.Travelling workers are the largest part of the temporary health care workforce, hired for thirteen-week reduction at health care facilities facing short-term lack of workers.Temporary workers, mainly nurses, cost hospitals $ 7.2 billion in 2000.

“Any successful solution to the shortage depends on convincing more people to become nurses, and that is not an easy goal to reach.To achieve it,” says Buerhaus, “society needs to place more value on nursing.Legislation (法规) can’t do that – it should come from people.” And if this continues, we might have to learn to care for ourselves in the hospital.

The temporary staff hired by a hospital _______.

      A.cost a large part of the hospital’s budget

       B.meet the need for nurses in the hospital for a short time

      C.should work on a weekly basis and on a scheduled timetable 

       D.ought to work passively for thirty continuous weeks

According to Buerhaus, what is a successful solution to the nurse shortage?

      A.To convince people of the benefits of being a nurse.

      B.To ask the government for help to work out specific legislation.

      C.To publicize the past achievements of nurses.

      D.To make people aware of the importance of being a nurse.

What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “upswing” in Paragraph 3?

      A.Symptom    B.Decrease   C.Increase             D.Figure

What’s the author’s attitude towards nurse shortage?

       A.Worried        B.Indifferent     C.Doubtful      D.Optimistic


St Paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill, EC4
Underground: St Paul’s; Bus: 6,8,11,15,22,25
Open: Daily 8:00—19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.) . Entrance free
Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is crowned by a magnificent dome and its choir (唱诗班) is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.
Buckingham Palace
South end of the Mall (SW1)
Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137
Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the monarch (君主) for much of the year. (When the monarch is in residence, a flag flies over the palace.) The Mall is a very impressive wide street, leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Note: As the palace is the monarch’s official residence, it is not open to the public.
The Tower of London
Tower Hill, EC3
Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78
Open: Mon—Sat.9
Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory, among other things. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels.
Westminster Abbey
Broad Sanctuary, SW1
Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503
Open: Daily 8:00—18:00 (Mar.—Dec, Tuesday till 20:00)
Entrance free
A Benedictine abbey which already existed on the site was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065. On the way to its present form, the abbey was extended in the 13th—16th centuries, with the two west towers being added in the 18th. There are many famous tombs in the abbey, including that of the unknown Warrior and those of many poets and writers.
71. These texts are most probably taken from ______.
A. a history book about London
B. a guidebook for visitors to London
C. a book about London’s churches and cathedrals
D. a book describing London’s development
No.11 bus can take you to all three of these places:
A. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
B. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace
C. St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
D. Westminster Abbey the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
73. You can see the inside of all the buildings except ______.
A. St Paul’s Cathedral                        B. The Tower of London
C. Westminster Abbey                        D. Buckingham Palace
74.If you travel by Underground, you can visit two places by getting off at one station. What are the two places?
A. Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey
B. Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral
C. Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral
75.Among these four famous buildings, _____ is (are) free of charge.
A. The Tower of London
B. Buckingham Palace
C. Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral

Founded in 1764 by French traders, St. Louis today is the fifteenth largest urban area in the United States. There are many attractive destinations for touists.
★American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog
Dog lovers who visit St. Louis won’t want to miss this 14,000-square-foot museum. Inside are over 500 paintings,prints, watercolors,and a variety of other dog art objects.
The Museum is open year round,Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday 1 PM to 5 PM. Admission is $5 for adults,$2.50 for seniors, and $1 for children up to 14.
★Anheuser Busch Brewery
The Anheuser Buxch Brewery tour is not just for beer lovers.The tour includes the historic Brew House.Then the tour continues to the modern Bevo Packaging Plant. The best will be the Budweiser Clydesdale stables. The tours are always free.
★Gateway Arch
Designed by Eero Sarinen and Hannskari Bandel, it took over two years and 900 tons of stainless steel to build. It is the tallest of the country’s National Monuments. The Arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. About one milion people per year come to the top of the Arch, where there is an observation platform providing a great view of the city.
★The St. Louis Zoo
First version of the St. Louis Zoo opened in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair, but in the century since it has grown into one of the chief zoos in the world. The passenger train takes visitors around the Zoo,which contains over 9,000 animals of over 800 species.
The Zoo is open every day but Christmas and New Year,with summer hours of 8 AM to 7 PM,and hours the rest of the year of 9 AM to 5 PM.Admission to the Zoo is free.
【小题1】If a senior high school student plans to visit American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog with his parents and his five-year-old brother,he has to pay ______.

A.$8.5B.$12C.$13.5D.$16
【小题2】If you are interested in how to make beer,you can visit ________.
A.The St. Louis Zoo
B.Anheuser Busch Brewery
C.Gateway Arch
D.American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog
【小题3】Which of the following statements about Gateway Arch is TRUE?
A.People can see the city clearly on the top of the Arch.
B.It was designed by two famous Italian architects.
C.It took 900 tons of stainless steel and cement to build.
D.It is the largest of the country ‘s National Monuments.
【小题4】If you plan to visit the St. Louis Zoo, you can go there _____.
A.on New Year ‘Day
B.on ChristmasDay
C.at 5:30 p.m. in winter
D.at 8:30 a.m. in summer

Founded in 1764 by French traders, St. Louis today is the fifteenth largest urban area in the United States. There are many attractive destinations for touists.

★American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog

Dog lovers who visit St. Louis won’t want to miss this 14,000-square-foot museum. Inside are over 500 paintings,prints, watercolors,and a variety of other dog art objects.

The Museum is open year round,Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday 1 PM to 5 PM. Admission is $5 for adults,$2.50 for seniors, and $1 for children up to 14.

★Anheuser Busch Brewery

The Anheuser Buxch Brewery tour is not just for beer lovers.The tour includes the historic Brew House.Then the tour continues to the modern Bevo Packaging Plant. The best will be the Budweiser Clydesdale stables. The tours are always free.

★Gateway Arch

Designed by Eero Sarinen and Hannskari Bandel, it took over two years and 900 tons of stainless steel to build. It is the tallest of the country’s National Monuments. The Arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. About one milion people per year come to the top of the Arch, where there is an observation platform providing a great view of the city.

★The St. Louis Zoo

First version of the St. Louis Zoo opened in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair, but in the century since it has grown into one of the chief zoos in the world. The passenger train takes visitors around the Zoo,which contains over 9,000 animals of over 800 species.

The Zoo is open every day but Christmas and New Year,with summer hours of 8 AM to 7 PM,and hours the rest of the year of 9 AM to 5 PM.Admission to the Zoo is free.

1.If a senior high school student plans to visit American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog with his parents and his five-year-old brother,he has to pay ______.

A.$8.5            B.$12             C.$13.5            D.$16

2.If you are interested in how to make beer,you can visit ________.

A.The St. Louis Zoo

B.Anheuser Busch Brewery

C.Gateway Arch

D.American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog

3.Which of the following statements about Gateway Arch is TRUE?

A.People can see the city clearly on the top of the Arch.

B.It was designed by two famous Italian architects.

C.It took 900 tons of stainless steel and cement to build.

D.It is the largest of the country ‘s National Monuments.

4.If you plan to visit the St. Louis Zoo, you can go there _____.

A.on New Year ‘Day

B.on ChristmasDay

C.at 5:30 p.m. in winter

D.at 8:30 a.m. in summer

 

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