Multivitamins  Urged for All Pregnant Women

    A recent study in Tanzaniafound 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 inDar 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 theUnited StatesandTanzania, 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 with ⁵HIV. The earlier work inTanzaniaalso 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 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/,mʌlti"vitəmin/ n.多种维生素制剂

urge /"ɜːdʒ/ v.他极力主张;强烈要求;敦促

pregnant /"pregnənt/ adj.怀孕的,妊娠的

Tanzania /,tænzə"niə; ,tɑ:nzɑ:"ni:ɑ:/ n.坦桑尼亚（非洲国家）

diabetes/,daɪə"biːtiːz/ n.糖尿病,多尿症

Dar es Salaam /"dɑ:r,essə"lɑ:m/ n.达累斯萨拉姆（坦桑尼亚首都)

folate /"fəʊleɪt/ n.叶酸盐

mineral/ ˈmɪnərəl/n.矿物; 矿石; 矿物质; 汽水; adj.矿物的，似矿物的;

fetal["fi:tl] adj.胎儿的，胎的;

lymphocyte[ˈlɪmfəsaɪt] n.淋巴细胞;

immunity[ɪ"mju:nətɪ] n.免疫力,免疫性

infection[ɪn"fekʃn] n.传染，感染; 传染病

placebo[plə"si:bəʊ] n.安慰剂;

inactive[ɪnˈæktɪv] adj.无作用的

pill[pɪl] n.药丸; 丸剂

fetus["fi:təs] n.胎，胎儿;

注释：

1.World Health Organization (WHO):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(Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island 和Connecticut)的总称。

4.Harvard University School of Public Health:哈佛大学公共卫生学院

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

More about Alzheimer"s Disease

    Scientists have developed skin tests that may be used in the future to identify people with Alzheimer"s disease¹ and may ultimately allow physicians to predict who is at risk of getting this neurological disorder.

    The only current means of diagnosing the disease in a living patient is a long and expensive series of tests that eliminate every other cause of dementia.

    “ Since Alois Alzheimer described the disease nearly a century ago，people have been trying to find a way to accurately diagnose it in its early stages²，” said Patricia Grady，acting director³ of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland. "This discovery, if confirmed, could prove a big step forward in our efforts to deal with and understand the disease. ”

    Alzheimer"s is the single greatest cause⁴ of mental deterioration in older people, affecting between 2. 5 million and 4 million people in the United Statesalone⁵. The devastating disorder gradually destroys memory and the ability to function，and eventually causes death.⁶ There is currently no known treatment for the disease.

    Researches discovered that the skin cells of Alzheimer" s patients have defects that interfere with their ability to regulate the flow of potassium in and out of the cells. The fact that the cell defects are present in the skin suggests that⁷ Alzheimer"s results from physiological changes throughout the body，and that dementia may be the first noticeable effect of these changes as the defects affect the cells in the brain, scientists said.

    The flow of potassium is especially critical in cells responsible for memory formation⁸. The scientists also found two other defects that affect the cells" supply of calcium, another critical element.

    One test developed by researches calls for⁹ growing skin cells in a laboratory culture and then testing them with an electrical detector to determine if the microscopic tunnels that govern the flow of potassium are open. Open potassium channels create a unique electrical signature.

    A spokesman for the Alzheimer"s Association said that if the validity of the diagnostic test can be proven it would be an important development, but cautioned that other promising tests for Alzheimer"s have been disappointing.¹⁰

词汇：

neurological / ˌnjʊərəˈlɒdʒɪkl / adj. 神经病学的 

potassium / pəˈtæsiəm / n. 钾

dementia / dɪˈmenʃə / n. 痴呆 

formation / fɔ:ˈmeɪʃn / n. 形成，组成

deterioration / dɪˌtɪərɪə"reɪʃn / n. 恶化，退化 

calcium / "kælsɪəm / n. 钙

devastating / ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ adj. 破坏性极大地，毁灭的

microscopic / ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpɪk / adj. 极小的，微小的

defect / ˈdi:fekt / n 缺损，毛病

signature / ˈsɪgnətʃə(r) / n. 识别标志；署名，签名，签字

physiological / ˌfɪzɪə"lɒdʒɪkl / adj. 生理的；生理学的

validity / vəˈlɪdəti / n. 效力，有效（性）

注释：

1.to identify people with Alzheimer"s disease ； 老性痴呆识别患早老性痴呆的人;Alzheimer"s disease:早

2.in its early stages：在它的早期阶段

3.acting director：执行主任

4.the singly greatest cause：唯一的重要原因

5.in the United States alone：仅在美国

6.The devastating disorder gradually destroys memory and the ability to function, and eventually causes death.这种毁灭性的疾病逐渐破坏记忆和行动的能力，最终导致死亡。

7.The fact that... suggests that...：事实表明

8.cells responsible for memory formation ：对记忆的形成至关重要的细胞

9.call for：要求

The newly developed skin tests may be used in the future to allow doctors to____

A:cure those with Alzheimer"s disease B:discover the cause of Alzheimer"s disease C:predict who might get Alzheimer"s disease D:find the consequences of Alzheimer"s disease

成熟市场（Developed Markets）

A new kind of machine (21) to take the place of humans. These machines can do jobs that are too dangerous for humans. (22) , they are being developed to work in nuclear power centers, deep waters and outer space.
This is how the new machines work. A machine is placed in an area far away from the person who controls it. The person wears a special hard hat with tiny television screens. The screens (23) the person see and hear exactly what the machine is seeing and hearing. This gives the person the feeling of being in the same place (24) the machine. The person controls the machine. The machine follows the person’s movements exactly. If the person raises his right arm, the machine raises the right arm, too. This means an (25) worker can do a dangerous job while (26) in a safe place. For example, a person can direct the machine (27) a bomb (28) gooing near the bomb himself.
The new machines are not exactly (29) robots. Robots are controlled by a computer. The new machines are controlled by a person. The new machines are called teleoperators. The nuclear power industry is especially interested in teleoperators. The machines could solve the problem of (30) radioactive materials.

A:is developing B:has developed C:develops D:is being developed

Modern industry must have developed ______.

A:before the Middle Ages B:around the 19th century C:in Greece or Rome D:machines to take tests

Passage 2

A:newly developed countries B:rich countries C:developing countries D:developed countries

TCP/IP（）are the standards around which the Intemet was developed

A:protocols B:agreements C:conventions D:coordination

Pressure in an operating hydraulic system is developed _____.

A:only by the pump as its primary function B:by resistance to the fluid flow through the system C:by the thermal input to the systems fluid D:solely by the charge applied by the accumulators