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

Lost a German Dog
Address: Stoneywood Circle, Mableton, GA, 30126
Please help up find our missing boy. He escaped through the backyard fence this morning. Weighing pounds, he is black and wearing a blue collar. He was last seen beside the Cooper Lake. If anyone finds it, please call us. Thanks.
Meghan: 678-458-2045
Dave: 678-350-6959
Found an Orange Cat
Address: Marietta, GA
I found an orange cat with medium—length hair in the Indian Hills neighborhood. He is an adult cat, and may even be an elderly cat. He is extremely thin, and has probably been missing from his home for a while. His legs, which give him a little bit of trouble, have some old mjuris. Call me and he prepared to answer questions to de termine if this is truly your cat.
Dog Found
Address: Tujunga, CA
The dog has been wandering the streets of Tujunga. She is very sweet. Please let me know if you are looking for this wonderful girl. Be prepared to answer questions.
Julia: 834-600-2316
Lost Camera
Address: Uvalde, Tx, 78801
I lost my camera yesterday. I believe it was left in a car at about 2:30 p.m. on my way to the St. Louis Airport or at the Airport. I would love the camera back. It has every picture that I have taken since Jan. 1, 2009. It is a Kodak EasyShare Z612 camera in a black case. Please contact me if you have found it.
Cindy: 689-346-2389
1．The purpose of the text is to____________.
A．tell people to be careful with their things
B．show how many things are lost or found
C．help people find the things they have lost
D．list the information about the lost things
2．All the four pieces of information include___________ .
A．the exact and detailed addresses of the four people
B．the places where the things were lost or found
C．the colors and sizes of the lost or found things
D．the ways in which the things were lost or found
3．If you find a black dog with a blue collar beside the Cooper Lake, you may call__________.
A．Meghan at 718-322-5809       B．Julia at 834-600-2316
C．Cindy at 678-458-2045   D．Dave at 678-350-6959
4．Why do John and Julia ask callers to answer questions?
A．To make sure whether they are the real owners.
B．To test whether they can raise the animals well.
C．To write an essay with the detailed information.
D．To make an appointment with the real owners.

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．
【小题1】The temporary staff hired by a hospital _______．

Lost a German Dog

Address: Stoneywood Circle, Mableton, GA, 30126

Please help up find our missing boy. He escaped through the backyard fence this morning. Weighing pounds, he is black and wearing a blue collar. He was last seen beside the Cooper Lake. If anyone finds it, please call us. Thanks.

Meghan: 678-458-2045

Dave: 678-350-6959

Found an Orange Cat

Address: Marietta, GA

I found an orange cat with medium—length hair in the Indian Hills neighborhood. He is an adult cat, and may even be an elderly cat. He is extremely thin, and has probably been missing from his home for a while. His legs, which give him a little bit of trouble, have some old mjuris. Call me and he prepared to answer questions to de termine if this is truly your cat.

Dog Found

Address: Tujunga, CA

The dog has been wandering the streets of Tujunga. She is very sweet. Please let me know if you are looking for this wonderful girl. Be prepared to answer questions.

Julia: 834-600-2316

Lost Camera

Address: Uvalde, Tx, 78801

I lost my camera yesterday. I believe it was left in a car at about 2:30 p.m. on my way to the St. Louis Airport or at the Airport. I would love the camera back. It has every picture that I have taken since Jan. 1, 2009. It is a Kodak EasyShare Z612 camera in a black case. Please contact me if you have found it.

Cindy: 689-346-2389

1．The purpose of the text is to____________.

A．tell people to be careful with their things

B．show how many things are lost or found

C．help people find the things they have lost

D．list the information about the lost things

2．All the four pieces of information include___________ .

A．the exact and detailed addresses of the four people

B．the places where the things were lost or found

C．the colors and sizes of the lost or found things

D．the ways in which the things were lost or found

3．If you find a black dog with a blue collar beside the Cooper Lake, you may call__________.

A．Meghan at 718-322-5809       B．Julia at 834-600-2316

C．Cindy at 678-458-2045   D．Dave at 678-350-6959

4．Why do John and Julia ask callers to answer questions?

A．To make sure whether they are the real owners.

B．To test whether they can raise the animals well.

C．To write an essay with the detailed information.

D．To make an appointment with the real owners.

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．

1.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  [来源:ZXXK]

         D．ought to work passively for thirty continuous weeks

2.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．

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

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

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

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