一项关于世界妇女状况的最新调查

40 一项关于世界妇女状况的最新调查

DATE=5-21-01
TITLE=DEVELOPMENT REPORT - World Mothers Study
BYLINE=Jill Moss¹

(Start at 1'01")This is Bill White with the VOA Special English Development Report. 
The international support group, Save the Children, has issued a new study on the condition of mothers around the world.  The report rates ninety-four countries on issues important to mothers.  They include health care and family planning services, the health of their children, education and (1) political involvement. 
(2) Sweden, (3) Norway and (4) Denmark were rated the highest, followed by other industrial countries. The United States was rated eleventh.  This is just one place ahead of (5) Cuba, which was the highest rated developing country. （6）Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Guinea Bissau were at the bottom of the list. 
Beryl Levinger was the leading researcher for the report.  Mizz Levinger says the report confirms what Save the Children has been saying for more than seventy years. The lives of children around the world will not improve unless the lives of their mothers improve.   
Mizz Levinger says there is a direct link between the health of children and the quality of health care, family planning services and education offered to mothers. 
The ten countries rated worst in the study have problems with childbirth. Less than one-third of the births in those countries are attended by trained health care (7) professionals.  Also, only three percent of the women use a system to prevent (8) pregnancies².  In these countries, one in twelve women die during childbirth. In the top ten countries on the list, the death rate for women during childbirth is only one in 6,000. 
Save the Children says more educational programs for mothers and girls will improve the ability of women to raise healthy babies.  The group says millions of lives could be saved if more money was invested³ in training programs. Mizz Levinger says family planning alone could prevent one-fourth of all deaths among new- born babies and their mothers.  It would teach women to wait two or more years between births.  In (9) addition, Mizz Levinger says education about the disease⁴ AIDS and violence at home are also needed.
The study by Save the Children is part of a new campaign aimed at improving the health and education of mothers around the world.  The group hopes to pressure lawmakers to increase international aid for women's programs.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.

注释：
(1)　 political[ pE5litikEl ]adj.政治的, 行政上的
(2) Sweden[ 5swi:dn ]n.瑞典
(3) Norway[ 5nC:wei ]n.挪威(北欧国家)
(4) Denmark[ 5denmB:k ]n.丹麦(北欧国家,首都哥本哈根)
(5) Cuba[ 5kju:bE ]n.古巴(由古巴岛及其临近诸小岛组成的国家,首都为哈瓦那)
(6) Ethiopia[ 7i:Wi5EupjE ]n.埃塞俄比亚(非洲东部国家)
(7) professional[ prE5feFEnl ]n.自由职业者, 专业人员
(8) pregnancy[ 5pre^nEnsi ]n.怀孕
(9) addition[ E5diFEn ]n.加, 加起来

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

3 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。