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阅读理解训练题（七十六） 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（= say that you will hurt somebody ff 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 woman 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 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（地位）。 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 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 drawn - out 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. | 
