Multivitamins Urged for All Pregnant Women

　　 A recent study in Tanzania found that when pregnant women took vitamins every day, fewer babies were born too small. Babies that weigh less than two and one-half kilograms at birth have a greater risk of dying. Those that survive are more likely to experience problems with their development. And experts say that as adults they have a higher risk of diseases including heart disease and diabetes. The World Health Organization1 estimates that every year twenty million babies are born with low birth weight. Nine out of ten of them are born in developing countries.

　　 The new study took place in Dares Salaam. 4, 200 pregnant women received multivitamins. The pills contained all of the vitamins in the B group along with2 vitamins C and E. They also contained several times more iron and folate than the levels advised for women in developed nations. Pregnant women especially in poor countries may find it difficult to get enough vitamins and minerals from the foods in their diet.

　　 The scientists compared the findings with results from a group of 4,000 women who did not receive the vitamins. A report by the scientists, from the United States and Tanzania, appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. 3 Wafaie Fawzi of the Harvard University School of Public Health4 led the study. None of the women in the study had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The scientists reported earlier that daily multivitamins were a low-cost way to reduce fetal deaths in pregnant women infected with5 HIV. The earlier work in Tanzania also found improvement in the mothers in their number of blood cells known as lymphocytes. Lymphocytes increase the body’s immunity against infection.

　　 The new study in pregnant women who were not infected with the AIDS virus found that multivitamins reduced the risk of low birth weight. Just under eight percent of the babies born to women who took the multivitamins weighed less than 2,500 grams. The rate was almost nine and one-half percent in the group of women who received a placebo, an inactive pill, instead of the vitamins. But the vitamins did not do much to reduce the rates of babies being born too early or dying while still a fetus. Still, the researchers say multivitamins should be considered for all pregnant women in developing countries.

　　詞匯：

　　 multivitamin/7mQlti5vaitEmin/adj.多種維生素的 urge/E:dV/v.促進(jìn)/v．極力主張；強(qiáng)烈要求；敦促 pregnant/5pre^nEnt/adj．懷孕的，妊娠的

　　 Tanzania/7tAnzE5ni:E/n．坦桑尼亞(非洲國(guó)家) diabetes/7daiE5bi:ti:z, -ti:s/n．糖尿病，多尿癥 Dar es Salaam/5dB:r es sE5lB:m/n．達(dá)累斯薩拉姆(坦桑尼亞首都)folate/5fEuleit/n.葉酸鹽 mineral/5minErEl/n．礦物質(zhì)；無(wú)機(jī)鹽adj．礦物質(zhì)的；無(wú)機(jī)的 fetal/5fi:tl/adj.胎兒的, 胎的

　　 lymphocyte/5limfEsait/n.淋巴球, 淋巴細(xì)胞immunity/i5mju:niti/n.．免疫力；免疫性 infection/in5fekFEn/n．傳染，感染；傳染病 placebo/plE5si:bEu/n．安慰劑；安慰劑治療 inactive/in5Aktiv/adj.無(wú)作用的 pill/pil/n．藥丸，丸劑fetus/5fi:tEs/n.胎，胎兒

　　練習(xí):

　　 1. How many babies are born with low birth weight in the developed countries every year according to WHO?
　　 A 20,000,000.
　　 B 18,000,000.
　　 C 2,000,000.
　　 D 38,000,000.

　　 2. A pill of multivitamins may contain all of the following substances EXCEPT
　　 A all vitamins in the B group.
　　 B vitamins C and E.
　　 C much iron and folate.
　　 D antiviral substances.

　　 3. Which of the following is NOT one of the effects of multivitamins mentioned in the passage?
　　 A To reduce the rate of babies born too early.
　　 B To reduce the risk of low birth weight.
　　 C To reduce fetal deaths in pregnant women infected with HIV.
　　 D To increase the number of lymphocytes in mothers’ blood.

　　 4. What a role do lymphocytes play in the human body?
　　 A To reduce the rate of dying while still a fetus.
　　 B To raise the body’s immunity against infection.
　　 C To help prevent the development of heart disease.
　　 D To help prevent the development of diabetes.

　　 5. How many percent of babies were born with low birth weight to women who were not infected with the AIDS virus and took the multivitamins according to a new study?
　　 A Less than8%.
　　 B About 9.5%.
　　 C 1.5%.
　　 D 17.5%.

　　答案與題解：

　　 1．C 第一段最后兩句說(shuō)到，WHO估計(jì)每年有2000萬(wàn)出生嬰兒體重過(guò)低，其中十個(gè)中有九個(gè)生于發(fā)展中國(guó)家，可見(jiàn)發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家只占十分之一，故應(yīng)是200萬(wàn)。

　　 2．D 文章第二段第二、三句已經(jīng)說(shuō)明，選項(xiàng)A、B、C均是多種維生素片所含的物質(zhì)，只有D項(xiàng)沒(méi)有提及，而且也不可能。

　　 3．A 關(guān)于多種維生素制劑的作用，B項(xiàng)在第四段第二句提到，C項(xiàng)在第三段倒數(shù)第三句提到， D項(xiàng)在第三段最后兩句提到，只有A項(xiàng)在第四段倒數(shù)第二句中提到它時(shí)卻說(shuō)維生素對(duì)它不起什么作用。

　　 4．B 第三段最后一句是文章中唯一一句說(shuō)明淋巴細(xì)胞在身體中的作用的句子，故是正確答案，其他A、C、D三項(xiàng)都與淋巴細(xì)胞無(wú)關(guān)。

　　 5．A 第四段第一句和第二句已經(jīng)將本題答案說(shuō)得很清楚，其中的just under eight percent (只不足8％)正是A項(xiàng)的less than 8％。

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