VOA标准英语2012--Rate of Premature Births Rising Worldwide

Rate of Premature¹ Births Rising Worldwide

The birth of a child....what should be a joyous² experience, too often ends in death if that child is born prematurely³ in a developing country.

A major report about premature delivery called "Born Too Soon" shows that globally, one in 10 babies is born prematurely. As a midwife, Carole Presern has seen newborns die.

"It's a devastating⁴ experience. It touches you and you remember those faces," she said.

Presern's organization, the Partnership⁵ for Maternal⁶, Newborn and Child Health, is one of the report's contributors --along with the World Health Organization, Save the Children and the March of Dimes⁷. She says there's much that can be done to prevent preterm births.

"You make sure people are not having their babies too young. You make sure if they have pre-existing conditions, like if they are too underweight, which is quite common in the developing world. But you've also got to look at if they've had a history of preterm birth. They need much more attention. You want to look at the spacing between births. You don't want people having their children too fast because that can lead to prematurity," she said.

Presern says if there's a danger that a baby will be born prematurely, there are simple, inexpensive things that can be done to help that baby survive.

"You can give the mother steroids before the baby is born. That helps the lungs to mature. That's a very cheap, very cost effective intervention," Presern said. 

After birth, a no-cost option is called "kangaroo care" where the baby is strapped⁸ to the mother's chest. It's highly effective because it keeps the baby warm, says Dr. Joy Lawn with Save the Children, another report co-author. 

"Kangaroo mother care, even compared to care of a baby in an incubator, halves the risk of death," Lawn said.

The report also shows premature births are rising worldwide. In rich countries like the United States, it's often due to multiple births following in-vitro fertilization -- and because of the common practice of having caesarian deliveries that are medically unnecessary. But the numbers are also rising in developing countries, says co-author Christopher Howson with the March of Dimes. 

"Over 60 percent of preterm births occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia," Howson said.

The data suggest that's where it's most dangerous to be born too soon. But no matter where a birth occurs, a baby born even a couple of weeks short of full gestation⁹ faces far more health complications than a baby born full term. And experts say continued research is needed to better understand the many causes of premature births, how to make them happen less often, and how best to help premature babies survive, and thrive. 

1 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

2 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

3 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

7 dimes   

n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年，铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句

8 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gestation   

n.怀孕；酝酿

参考例句：

• The gestation period can be anything between 95 and 150 days.妊娠期从95天至150天不等。
• This film was two years in gestation.这部电影酝酿了两年。