A
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 may 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.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇议论文。分析了女孩不想当护士的原因。许多高中学生之所以远离护理，是因为老师告诉他们“你们太聪明了，当一名护士是不值得的”。目前，在美国60%的医院护士短缺，将会对医疗护理的质量造成威胁。
1．What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
A．How teachers have influenced their students.
B．What has caused nurse shortage.
C．How nurses have been looked down upon.
D．Why women have chosen many different jobs.
B [段落大意题。根据“The answer lies in not one but several causes.”可知，第二段主要分析了女孩不想当护士的原因，故选B。]
2．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．persuading the students not to be nurses
D．not asking the government to raise the nurses'payment
C [细节理解题。根据第二段中“Many high school students are actually away from nursing，told by teachers that they are‘too bright to be a nurse’．”可知，许多高中学生之所以远离护理，是因为老师告诉他们“你们太聪明了，当一名护士是不值得的”，故选C。]
3．Why does the author write the passage?
A．To warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem.
B．To call on women to choose different kinds of jobs.
C．To tell us women's free choices of jobs today.
D．To describe the unequal treatment of women in the US.
A [写作意图题。根据第一段的“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.”可知，作者想让人们重视护士问题，故选A。]
4．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed.
B．Women in the US have greater career choices than those in other countries.
C．High school students think themselves too bright to be nurses.
D．Nursing used to be a popular job among women.
D [推理判断题。根据第二段中“In the past，women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices：nursing or teaching.”可知，过去妇女到外面找工作，经常选择护士和教师，故选D。]
