Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 into a wealthy English family who were， at the time of her birth，living in Florence，Italy.She and her sister had all the advantages that money could provide. This included private tutors and a superb education which was not generally available1 to girls at that time. Florence excelled2 in Science and Maths; however there was little opportunity for her to use her knowledge.Women of her position in life were expected to get married and arrange all the domestic affairs that were important to wealthy families.But， Florence had a dream to become a nurse and when her father refused to allow her to train as a nurse， she was so upset that she became very ill. Eventually， her father relented3 and Florence started on her journey. She volunteered to work in hospitals in France and Germany and even travelled to Egypt to have formal training.Nurses were not considered to be important or valuable in those days and hospitals were generally places that only poor people would go to out of desperation.The standards of hygiene (衛(wèi)生)and medicine were very low. Florencebegan tochangeall that. In every hospital that she worked in she made sure that everything was clean and that the patients themselves were washed and well nourished（滋養(yǎng)，營(yíng)養(yǎng)）.

Florencehadbecome well known for all the wonderful improvements that she had made and for the way she had trained other young women to be good nurses. When the British army was fighting in the Crimea against Russia，the soldiers were in desperate need of medical attention. The British commander in the Crimea had heard of Florence and asked her if she would come and help.So Florence collected some of her best nurses and went to the Crimea.Conditions there were terrible.There was no water and no medical equipment. Florence and her team organized a kitchen and a laundry and worked incredibly（難以置信地）hard to improve conditions for the injured soldiers. At night she would carry a lamp as she went round the hospital and the soldiers started to call her\"the lady with the lamp.\" They would often kiss her shadow as she passed by. Florence and her team saved thousands of lives and earned the love and admiration of her countrymen （同胞，同國(guó)人） and women.

In 1860 Florence started the Nightingale Training School.The Nightingale nurses were in demand4all over the world.She advised the American President how to look after his soldiers who were injured in the Civil War. She was a guiding influence behind the founding of the International Red Cross（國(guó)際紅十字會(huì)）. In 1907， she was honoured by the King of England， Edward VII and given the Order of Merit.She was the first woman to receive this award.She died at the age of 90 on August 10， 1910. Florence could have lived a life of luxury(奢華) and comfort. She saw a need for someone to help the poor and the sick and she did everything in her power to improve the situation and to make a change. She thought little of her own comfort and she inspired thousands of young women to become nurses.

注釋：

1．a(chǎn)vailable adj．可獲得的

2．excel vi．突出，超常，勝過他人

3．relent vi. 變溫和，變寬容，發(fā)慈悲

4．in demand 所需要的

弗羅倫斯，南丁格爾1820年生于一個(gè)富裕的英國(guó)家庭，她出生時(shí)全家生活在意大利的佛羅倫薩。弗羅倫斯和姐姐享有金錢所能提供的一切優(yōu)越條件，包括私人教師和良好的教育，這對(duì)那時(shí)的女孩而言通常是無法企及的。弗羅倫斯的自然科學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)成績(jī)很好，然而她很少有機(jī)會(huì)運(yùn)用這方面的知識(shí)。在生活上處于弗羅倫斯這種地位的婦女，人們寄予的期望就是嫁人和把對(duì)有錢人家來說很重要的日常家務(wù)安排得井井有條。但弗羅倫斯的夢(mèng)想是成為一名護(hù)土，當(dāng)父親不允許她接受護(hù)士培訓(xùn)時(shí)，弗羅倫斯感到非?？鄲?，還為此大病一場(chǎng)。最終父親還是妥協(xié)了，弗羅倫斯由此開始了她的護(hù)士生涯。她志愿到法國(guó)和德國(guó)的醫(yī)院工作，甚至去埃及參加正式的培訓(xùn)。在那個(gè)年代，護(hù)士不受重視，地位也不高，一般來說，只有生活極其困苦的窮人才會(huì)去醫(yī)院工作，那里的衛(wèi)生和醫(yī)療條件都很差。弗羅倫斯開始改變這一切，在工作過的每一個(gè)醫(yī)院，她都要確保一切都是干凈的，病人得到清洗照顧和良好的膳食。

由于弗羅倫斯對(duì)醫(yī)護(hù)工作非常出色的改善，并用這套方法把其他年輕婦女培訓(xùn)成優(yōu)秀的護(hù)士，她獲得了很高聲望。當(dāng)時(shí)英國(guó)和俄國(guó)正在克里米亞交戰(zhàn)，土兵們的醫(yī)療救護(hù)極為短缺。在克里米亞的英軍司令聽說過弗羅倫斯，于是問她能否前來提供幫助。弗羅倫斯召集了手下一些最出色的護(hù)土趕赴克里米亞。那里的情況糟透了，既沒有水，也沒有醫(yī)療設(shè)備。弗羅倫斯和她帶領(lǐng)的護(hù)士小組建了一個(gè)廚房和一個(gè)洗衣間，她們竭盡全力工作以改善傷員的治療條件。晚上在醫(yī)院巡視時(shí)，弗羅倫斯都要提一盞燈，士兵們開始稱她為“提燈女神”。她走過時(shí)他們常常會(huì)親吻她身后的影子。弗羅倫斯和她的護(hù)土們拯救了成千上萬名士兵的生命，也贏得了祖國(guó)人民的愛戴和崇敬。

1860年，弗羅倫斯建立了“南丁格爾護(hù)士培訓(xùn)學(xué)校”，培訓(xùn)學(xué)校培養(yǎng)出的護(hù)士正是當(dāng)時(shí)全世界所需要的。她給美國(guó)總統(tǒng)提出建議，告訴他如何照料在南北戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中受傷的土兵。她對(duì)國(guó)際紅十字會(huì)的成立發(fā)揮了巨大的作用。1907年，弗羅倫斯受到了英國(guó)國(guó)王愛德華七世的嘉獎(jiǎng)，被授予榮譽(yù)勛章，她是第一位得到這一獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)的婦女。弗羅倫斯于1910年8月10日去世，享年90歲。弗羅倫斯本可以過上奢華和安逸的生活，但是當(dāng)看到窮人和病人需要幫助，她毅然傾己所能去改善這種現(xiàn)狀，使之發(fā)生了改變。她不看重個(gè)人的安逸生活，并激勵(lì)了成千上萬的婦女投身于護(hù)士這一職業(yè)。