英语听力—环球英语 840 Saving Babies in Afghanistan

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Naseema lives in northern Afghanistan. In this area it is common that children do not live very long. Naseema was mother to eleven children. But now, only four are left. Naseema told her story to the BBC.
Voice 2
Naseema had six week old twins - babies that were born at the same time. Her babies were not growing, and Naseema was doing all she thought she could. Her body was not producing enough milk to feed the babies. So, she fed them water with a little sugar. She added dry powdered milk whenever she could pay for it. But the babies continued to be unhealthy.
Finally, Naseema visited a local health clinic. In only one month her situation changed completely! The health workers showed Naseema how to improve her diet. The amount of milk in her breasts increased. And the workers showed Naseema how to help her babies connect to her breast in a correct way. Today, Naseema’s baby twins are healthy and growing.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on saving² the lives of babies in Afghanistan. Improving women’s health by sharing information about breastfeeding and providing skilled³ female⁴ health workers can change the future for this country.
Voice 2
Afghanistan has one of the highest infant⁵ death rates in the world. The United Nation’s Children’s Fund⁶, UNICEF, says that about one in every seven Afghan children will die before their first birthday. There are many reasons for these sad facts.
Voice 1
Many Afghan women do not get the healthy food they need. Afghanistan has been a country in conflict for many years. Conflicts can make it difficult for people to get the resources they need. People also lack information about a good diet. People need vitamins and minerals in their diets to be healthy. But they may not know which foods have the most good things in them. Regina Keith is an aid worker from the group Save The Children UK. She says that many women give their best food to the men. This means the women may not get enough good food for themselves.
Voice 2
Without enough food women’s bodies become weak. When a woman’s body is weak, she may have a more difficult time breastfeeding. Problems with breastfeeding are another reason for the poor health of mothers and babies in Afghanistan.
Voice 1
A mother’s breast milk is the perfect food for babies. So, whenever possible, it is best for a mother to breastfeed her baby. Rosie Dodds works⁷ for the National Childcare Trust in the United Kingdom. She says,
Voice 3
“UNICEF estimates⁸ about one and a half million [1,500,000] babies globally, die because they are not breastfed.”
Voice 2
Mothers need to have enough good food to produce milk for their babies. But they also need more information about breastfeeding. For example, when a baby is newly⁹ born, his mother’s breasts begin to produce a substance called “colostrum.” This “early milk” is not like normal milk. It is thick and has a yellow color. Colostrum is low in fat. It contains many substances a baby needs to be healthy - like protein, carbohydrates¹⁰, and antibodies to prevent the baby from becoming sick.
Voice 1
Sadly, in many countries, including Afghanistan, there are wrong beliefs about colostrum. Regina Keith says that about forty percent of mothers in Afghanistan do not give colostrum to their babies. They believe it is dirty and infected. Instead, many women give their babies a mixture of sugar and water from a bottle. These women believe they are helping¹¹ their babies. However, this custom can cause harm. That is because it takes a few days for a mother’s body to produce real milk. Sometimes a baby can forget how to breastfeed if he bottle feeds during these early days. A mother’s body produces milk based on a baby’s demand for breastfeeding. So, if a baby does not breastfeed early on, the mother’s body does not know how much milk to produce. Often these mothers do not produce enough milk for their babies.
Voice 2
For any mother and baby breastfeeding can be very difficult. Babies may have a difficult time connecting to the breast. Infections or wounds can also make the process difficult. If a woman has problems breastfeeding, she may need help and advice from a doctor. However, cultural beliefs in Afghanistan prevent many women from seeing male doctors. And there are not many female doctors. It is even difficult for a woman to get care when there is a life-threatening problem for her or her baby. Nagis is an Afghan woman. In 2006 she had a baby girl at home. A few days later, the baby died. She could not get health care because there were no female health care workers there. Nagis says:
Voice 4
“It is generally not culturally acceptable¹² here for men to treat women.”
Voice 1
But there is hope for Afghan women. Many aid groups are working with Afghan health workers to give women information about breastfeeding. They are also working to encourage women health workers back to these areas. The aid group Save The Children UK is currently¹³ helping to train Afghan women to become health workers in country villages. These health workers can then improve breastfeeding customs in their own villages.
Voice 2
Save The Children UK is also working in the Afghan hospitals to provide more and better services to women and children. There they can give women advice and help on breastfeeding.
Voice 1
Other groups are also working to provide more women health workers in Afghanistan. Lady Health Workers is a group that began in 1994 in Pakistan. Pakistan is next to Afghanistan. The two countries share many cultural beliefs about women. Many women in Pakistan are also prevented from seeking health care. But in Pakistan, Lady Health Workers reaches out to these communities.
Voice 2
Today, Lady Health Workers is expanding its reach. They are working to provide services across the border, to Afghan women too. Afghanistan needs thousands of midwives to help women have healthy babies. Today, they only have hundreds. But through the work of groups like Save The Children UK and Lady Health Workers things are changing.
Voice 1
Around the world many mothers do not have the care they need. Many do not know the facts about breastfeeding. Or, they do not have the resources to get the help they need. Like the women and babies of Afghanistan, these women need support.
Voice 2
All people need to be educated about the importance of women’s health. That is because a healthy mother will mean a healthier, better family. Better families make stronger communities. And stronger communities make a better world.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

3 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

4 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

5 infant   

n.婴儿，幼儿；adj.婴儿的；幼稚的，初期的

参考例句：

• Tourism was then still in its infant stage.旅游业当时还处在初创阶段。
• I also need an infant's food for my baby.我要买些婴儿食品给我的孩子。

6 fund   

n.基金，资金，存款，财源，贮藏；vt.提供资金，积累

参考例句：

• They decided to set up a fund for this purpose.他们决定为此专立一项基金。
• This fund may not be drawn on without permission.这笔钱非经批准不得动用。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

10 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

13 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。