C

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(="say" that you will hurt somebody if they don’t do what you want) 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(职业选择). 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 work force, but their choices 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(地位). A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as “just a nurse”. Teachers may be also at fault. Many high school students are actually being steered(劝导) 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 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.

63. Why is America facing its worst nurse shortage?

A. Because American health conditions are becoming worse and worse.

B. Because more and more women prefer to be teachers and doctors.

C. Because women have been provided with many different jobs.

D. Because women no longer choose to be nurses.

64. The passage tells us 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

65. The author wrote this 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 choice of jobs today

D. call on women not to be nurses

66. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. High school students think themselves too bright to be nurses.

B. Women in the US have greater career choice 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.

 完形填空(共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分)

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。

Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are ___16___ than housewives. Evidence shows that ___17___ are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows ___18___ the unemployment rate increases by 1%, the death rate increases correspondingly(相应的) by 2%. All this ___19___ one point: Work is helpful to health.

Why is work good for health? It is because work keeps people busy, _20__ loneliness and solitude. Researches show that people feel __21__ and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are ___22___. Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard. Work serves as __23___ between man and reality. By work, people ___24___ each other. By collective activity, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of  work _25__ the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and makes him liable to (易于)___26__.

__27___, work gives one a sense of fulfillment and a sense of ___28___. Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When ___29_ finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __30___ a patient or a teacher sees his students ___31___, they are happy __32___.

From the above we can come to the conclusion ___33___ the more you work, __34___ you will be. Let us work hard, __35__ and live a happy and healthy life.

16．A．more healthier  B．healthier          C．weaker               D．worse

17．A．career women   B．the busy          C．the jobless        D．the hard-working

18．A．whenever     B．whether           C． though             D．since

19．A．comes down to   B．equals to        C．adds up to           D．amounts to

20．A．on          B．at               C．in        D．away from

21．A．interested    B．joyful     C． unhappy    D． worried

22．A．busy         B．free       C．lazy                   D．empty

23．A．a river         B．a gap              C．a channel            D．a bridge

24．A．come across         B．come into contact with    

C．look down upon          D．watch over

25．A．means                 B．stands        C．equals                  D．matches

26．A．success            B．death              C．victory                        D．disease

27．A．Besides               B．Nevertheless    C．However  D．Yet

28．A．disappointment   B．achievement   C．regret                  D．apology

29．A．a worker    B．a farmer           C．a writer               D．a manager

30．A．manages              B．controls        C．operates on             D.  deals 31．A．raise                   31．B．grow  C．rise                            D．increase

32．A．in a word          B．without a word  C．at a word    D．beyond words

33．A．that                      B．which                C．what                          D．不填.

34．A．the lonelier and weaker                  B．lonelier and weaker

         C．happier and healthier                      D．the happier and healthier

35．A．study well      B．studying well      C．study good      D．studying good

A couple of years ago, those who forecast that oil price would reach $ 100 a barrel were seen as doomsters. However, now some are predicting $ 200 a barrel.
Had economists been told that oil price would barely pause at $ 100 before reaching the recent peak of nearly $ 127, they would no doubt have forecast terrible economic consequences. But the global economy, though interrupted by the high price of energy, is still chugging along. Meanwhile, inflation has picked up, but the headline rates of inflation (通货膨胀率) in most developed countries are nowhere near the levels seen in the 1970s and 1980s.
There are three explanations for the oil price’s unclear impact. The first is that nowadays developed economies are more efficient in their use of energy, thanks partly to the increased importance of service industries and the diminished role of manufacturing(制造业). According to the Energy Information Administration, the energy intensity of America’s GDP fell by 42% between 1980 and 2007.
A second theory is that the oil-price rise has been steady, not sudden, giving the economy time to adjust. Giovanni Serio of Goldman Sachs points out that in 1973 there was a severe supply shock because of the oil embargo(石油禁运), when the world had to cope with 10%-15% less crude almost overnight. Not this time.
The third explanation turns the argument on its head; rather than oil harming the global economy, it is global expansion that is driving up the price of oil.
The most important factor is the shift in favor of the developing economies. America has responded to high price in familiar fashion: UBS forecasts that demand will drop by 1.1% this year and will be no higher in 2010 than it was in 2004. But the demand from China and other emerging markets is more than offsetting(抵消) this shortfall.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly talking about?

Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college.

Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes；she hopes to get a master’s degree （M A）. With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well.

The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school，like that in many high schools in the United States is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period，which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M.，Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make out examinations，check homework at all，Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.

1.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school？

A．four years         B．eight years         C．twelve years       D．twenty years

2.According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？

A．a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree

B．a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree

C．a master’s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree

D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree—a master’s degree

3.How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far？

A．one              B．two              C．three             D．none

4.Which of the following sentences is not true？

A．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates

B．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality.

C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees.

D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states.

5.According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.

A．lonely            B．free              C．funny            D．busy

The public commonly associates steroid use with big-time athletics. But the drugs may be even more of a menace to teenagers. The synthetic hormones can stunt a young person’s growth by prematurely closing the ends of the long bones in the skeleton. That means a 1.7 metre, 15-year-old high school student who uses steroids “might get bigger but won’t get any taller”, according to a US doctor.

Nearly seven percent of boys in the US try steroids before the end of high school, according to a 1988 study by professors Charles Yesalis and William Buckley, of Penn State University. The estimate comes from a poll of 3,400 seniors in 46 public and private schools across the US.

“Abusers of Steroids did it to improve their appearance and to excel at sports,” Professor Yesalis said. “Parents, teachers and coaches make boys believe that to be an ideal male you need to have these. Then they say: ‘you can’t play games to have fun; you play games to win.’”

“Such attitudes put many high school athletes at high risk of becoming abusers of steroids,” said Mike Gimbel, director of Baltimore County Office of substance Abuse. “For these athletes, the pressure to perform is incredible,” he said. “It was inevitable that it would seep down to high school level.”

The word “big-time” in Paragraph 1 most nearly means “________”.

A. long time               B. good time            C. top rank               D. modern

Why are steroids even more of a threat to teenagers?

A. Because they make teenagers grow too tall.

B. Because they make teenagers get too big.

C. Because they prevent teenagers from getting taller and taller.

D. Because they give teenagers too much pressure.

Which of the following statements is implied but not mentioned?

A. School athletes have too much pressure.

B. Steroids can help people have lots of muscles.

C. The pressure chiefly comes from parents, teachers and coaches.

D. Girls are not interested in steroids.

Which of the following is a good title for this passage?

A. Drugs and Sports

B. The Pressure to School Boys are Too Much

C. School Boys are Interested in Drugs

D. School Athletes Risk Damage from Drugs