May 12th—International Nurses Day is an important date to all nurses. The tireless efforts of nurses all over the world are celebrated every year on May 12th, because it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing.
Nurses are appreciated in many different ways on International Nurses Day, also called IND. People are encouraged to take time to thank a nurse who has been there for them or their loved ones during days of sickness. Do you know the history of International Nurses Day?
It all began in 1953, when Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to proclaim (宣布) a Nurses Day. However, he did not do so at that time. The International Council of Nurses has celebrated on May 12th since 1965. In January 1974, this day was finally officially made International Nurses Day.
Because this day is all about celebrating nurses’ endless contributions (贡献) to society, taking this opportunity to show a nurse who has taken care of you how much you appreciate him or her is very meaningful on this day. If you are feeling especially grateful for the way a certain nurse took care of you (fed you, brought you a blanket, monitored your vital signs, made sure you were getting the right pills, changed your wound dressings, helped you get to the bathroom, let you cry on his or her shoulder, or any of the hundreds of other things nurses do), May 12th is the day to show that gratitude. So take a trip down to the hospital with a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, or anything else you think that particular nurse might like.
Some people, after having spent months in the hospital with a serious condition, decide to order pizza or cake for the entire medical team that was looking after them, a gesture that team is guaranteed (肯定的) to remember you for forever, if you should decide on it. However, as mentioned before, it’s the thought that counts the most. A nurse’s main goal is to help you get through treatment and get better, so just knowing he or she succeeded is a reward in itself.
1. When is International Nurses Day?2. What are people encouraged to do on international Nurses Day?
3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
4. What is a nurse’s main goal?
2 .
Did you know that humans aren’t the only species (物种) that use language? Bees communicate by dancing. Whales talk to each other by singing. And some apes talk to humans by using American Sign Language.
A female gorilla, Koko, was born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4th, 1971. Koko learned sign language from her trainer, Dr. Penny Patterson. Patterson began teaching sign language to Koko in 1972, when Koko was one year old. Koko must have been a good student, because two years later she moved onto the Stanford University campus with Dr. Patterson. Koko continued to learn on the campus until 1976. That’s when she began living full-time with Patterson’s group, the Gorilla Foundation. Patterson and Koko’s relationship has blossomed ever since.
Dr. Patterson says that Koko has mastered sign language and known over 1,000 words, and that Koko makes up new words. For example, Koko didn’t know the sign for ring, so she signed the words finger and bracelet. Dr. Patterson thinks that this shows meaningful and constructive use of language.
Not everyone agrees with Dr. Patterson. Some argue that apes like Koko do not understand the meaning of what they are doing. Some people who don’t believe that say that these apes are just performing complex tricks (戏法). For example, if Koko points to an apple and signs red or apple, Dr. Patterson will give her an apple. They argue that Koko does not really know what the sign apple means. She only knows that that if she makes the right motion, one which Dr. Patterson has shown her, then she gets an apple. The debate is unresolved, but one thing is for certain: Koko is an extraordinary ape.
It seems like Patterson and Koko have a good relationship, but not everyone agrees with it. Some people believe that Patterson is humanizing the ape. They think that apes should be left in the most natural state possible. Even Dr. Patterson struggles with these feelings. When she was asked if her findings could be duplicated by another group of scientists, she said, “We don’t think that it would be ethical (道德的) to do again.” She went on to argue that animals should not be kept in such unnatural circumstances.
As for the future, Dr. Patterson and the Gorilla Foundation would love to get Koko to an ape preserve (保护区) in Maui, but they are having trouble getting the land. So unless you have a few million dollars to spare, Koko’s going to be spending her time in Woodland, California with Dr. Patterson. Koko probably doesn’t mind that. If she moved to Hawaii, she’d have to give up her Facebook page and Twitter feed, and she’s got like 50 thousand “likes”. Some may deny (否认) that she knows sign language, but nobody says that she doesn’t know social networking.
1. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the second paragraph?| A．To describe the environment in which Koko lives. |
| B．To tell readers how Dr. Patterson developed Koko’s living skills. |
| C．To advise Patterson to free Koko after she learnt on the campus. |
| D．To make an introduction about Koko and Dr. Patterson’s background. |
| A．Koko has mastered sign language without a doubt. |
| B．Everybody likes how Dr. Patterson has raised Koko. |
| C．Some people think that Koko only signs to get food. |
| D．The Gorilla Foundation has got a land for Koko to stay naturally. |
| A．To disagree with someone. | B．To fool them. |
| C．To copy something. | D．To be disproven through debate. |
| A．Bees, whales, and apes like Koko all use language to communicate. |
| B．Koko uses sign language but some think it’s just a trick. |
| C．It is natural for gorillas to learn sign language like humans. |
| D．If you want a lot of “likes” on Facebook, get a talking gorilla. |
