Multivitamins Urged for All Pregnant Women
A recent study in Tanzania found that when pregnant women took vitamins every day, fewer babies were bom 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 bom with low birth weight. Nine out of ten of them are bom in developing countries.
The new study took place in Dar es 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 HTV, 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 bodys 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 bom 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 bom too early or dying while still a fetus. Still, the researchers say multivitamins should be considered for all pregnant women in developing countries.
词汇：
multivitamin/,m?ltivit?min/ n.多种维生素制剂
urge /??d?/ v.他极力主张;强烈要求;敦促
pregnant /pregn?nt/ adj.怀孕的,妊娠的
Tanzania /,t?nz? ,tɑ:nzɑ:ni:ɑ:/ n.坦桑尼亚
diabetes/,da??bi?ti?z/ n.糖尿病,多尿症
Dar es Salaam /dɑ:r,ess?lɑ:m/ n.达累斯萨拉姆
folate /f??le?t/ n.叶酸盐
注释：
1.World Health Organization :世界卫生组织
2.along with：与一起
3.New England Journal of Medicine:《新英格兰医学杂志》。New England是美国东北六州的总称。
4.Harvard University School of Public Health:哈佛大学公共卫生学院
5.infected with:感染上
练习：
1.How many babies are bom 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 bom too early.
B. To reduce the risk of low birth weight.
C. To reduce fetal deaths in pregnant women infected with HTV.
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 bodys 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 bom 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 than 8%.
B. About 9.5%.
C. L 5%.
D 17.5%.
答案与题解：
1.C第一段最后两句说到，WHO估计每年有2,000万出生婴儿体重过低,其中十人中有九人生于发展中国家,可见发达国家只占十分之一,故应是200万。
2.D文章第二段第二、三句已经说明,选项A、B、C均是多种维生素片所含的物质,只有D项没有提及,而且也不可能。
3.A关于多种维生素制剂的作用，B项在第四段第二句提到，C项在第三段倒数第三句提到，D项在第三段最后两句提到,只有A项在第四段倒数第二句中提到它时却说维生素对它不起什么作用。
4.B第三段最后一句是文章中唯一一句说明淋巴细胞在身体中的作用的句子,故是正确答案,其他A、C、D三项都与淋巴细胞无关。
5.A第四段第一句和第二句已经将本题答案说得很清楚,其中的just under eight percent 正是A项的less than 8%。
译文：孕期妇女宜多补充维制剂
近日，来自坦桑尼亚的研究显示，孕期妇女若每日补充适量多种维生素制剂，则新生儿体重过轻 的几率将明显减少。专家指出，体重过轻的新生儿死亡的风险要大大高于正常体 重的新生儿，且即使幸存下来，其成年后患很多疾病如心脏病和糖尿病的几率也会高于常人。世界 卫生组织估算，每年全世界有2,000万体重过轻的婴儿诞生，其中有90%出生在发展中国家。
此次研究试验在坦桑尼亚首都达累斯萨拉姆举行，共有4,200名怀孕妇女参加了实验。她们服 用的多维制剂包括所有B族维生素、维生素C和维生素E,同时还包括剂量超出发达国家给妇女的 建议服用量数倍的铁和叶酸盐。因为孕期妇女较常人更容易发生维生素和矿物质摄入不足的现象， 尤其是在发展中国家。
作为对照组,研究者给另外4,000名孕妇服用了不含有维生素的安慰剂。来自美国和坦桑尼亚 的科学家们共同撰写了实验报告，并刊登在《新英格兰医学杂志》上，其中来自哈佛大学公共卫生学 院的Wafaie Fawzi为此次研究的组织者。参加实验的所有怀孕妇女均非艾滋病病毒携带者。而在 更早的来自坦桑尼亚的研究报告中科学家曾指出，每日补充多维制剂对于已感染艾滋病的孕妇来说 是一种减少胎儿死亡几率的成本较低的方式。研究同时检测到，孕妇在服用多维制剂后其血液中的 淋巴细胞水平将会上升，而淋巴细胞可以增强人体免疫系统抵御传染病的功能。
此次新的研究试验表明，补充多维制剂可以显著降低新生儿体重过轻的概率。服用维生素的孕 妇组中，过轻婴儿的比重为总数的8%，而服用安慰剂的对照组中，过轻婴儿的比重接近9.5%。虽 然对于降低孕妇早产率和死胎率方面，维生素的作用并不明显。最后，科学家呼吁，发展中国家应努 力为所有孕期妇女及时补充多种维生素。