Question

Many people have low iron in their blood. But pregnant women need extra iron for their own health and their baby's health. Iron is important to the development of a baby's brain and central nervous system.

In poor countries, however, providing all pregnant women with iron supplements can be a financial issue. Some experts say giving supplements to babies after they are born is enough.

Someone who disagrees is Paul Christian, a nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Maryland. She and other scientists have been doing research in Nepal. She says their latest findings should settle any question about the value of making sure every pregnant woman receives iron supplements.

Iron is a micronutrient. Micronutrients are important substances that are found in small amounts in foods.

The researchers first completed a study among poor women in Nepal ten years ago. During pregnancy some of the women received supplements containing iron and folic acid.

Professor Christian says that study showed the supplements could improve child survival.

Now the children are older. The researchers returned to Nepal and tested their neurological(神经的) development. They found improved intellectual and fine motor abilities among those whose mothers had received iron and folic acid during pregnancy and for three months after.

The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Another new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, looks at levels of vitamin D in babies. It says newborns with the lowest levels were twice as likely to develop respiratory infections(呼吸道感染)as those with normal levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D helps build strong bones and strengthens the body's defenses against disease. The vitamin is commonly added to cow's milk and also found in supplements. But vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin. The body naturally produces it from sunlight.

Carlos Camargo from Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and other researchers did the study. It followed more than nine hundred children in New Zealand until they were five years old.

1.The passage is intended to tell us that_________.

A. iron is as important as Vitamin D to people’s health

B. pregnant women need much more iron and Vitamin D

C. in poor countries babies are lacking iron and Vitamin D

D. iron and Vitamin D may lead to smarter, healthier children

2.When expecting a baby, a woman doesn’t necessarily receive some extra_________.

A. iron    B. folic acid    C. vitamin D    D. supplements

3.It can be learnt from the passage that__________.

A. providing all pregnant women with extra iron may be difficult for all countries

B. plenty of micronutrients can be found in foods that you eat in your daily life

C. it’s more possible for babies lacking vitamin D to suffer from respiratory infections

D. all the vitamins that you need to keep healthy can be received from the sunlight

4.The underlined words in Paragraph 5 refer to_________.

A. a micronutrient    B. a food    C. a metal    D. a medicine

Answer

1. D

2. C

3. C

4. A

【解析】

本文想要告诉我们：铁和维生素D可能会使孩子更聪明、更健康。

1.主旨大意题。根据第一段Iron is important to the development of a baby's brain and central nervous system．可知铁对一个婴儿的大脑和中枢神经系统发育很重要；根据倒数第二段Vitamin D helps build strong bones and strengthens the body's defenses against disease．可知维生素D有助于强健骨骼，增强人体、抵御疾病；再根据全文内容可知，本文想要告诉我们：铁和维生素D可能会使孩子更聪明、更健康。故选D。

2.细节推理题。根据第五段During pregnancy some of the women received supplements containing iron and another micronutrient，folic acid．可知妇女在怀孕期间收到的一些补充剂含有铁和其他微量营养素：叶酸。由此推知，当一个女人怀孕了，不一定会收到一些额外的维生素D。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第三段It says newborns with the lowest levels were twice as likely to develop respiratory infections（呼吸道感染） as those with normal levels of vitamin D．可知含维生素最低的新生儿患呼吸道感染的几率是那些维生素D水平正常的两倍．由此可知，缺少维生素D的婴儿更有可能患呼吸系统感染。故选C。

4.词义猜测题。根据第五段During pregnancy some of the women received supplements containing iron and another micronutrient，folic acid．可知妇女在怀孕期间收到的一些补充剂含有铁和其他微量营养素：叶酸。由此可知，folic acid是一种微量营养素。故选A。