Today's reading is taken from BBC's Magazine. The full title is Coffee, wine, cheese: How much can pregnant women have?, and has to do with the changes in diet women have to go through when pregnant.
Before reading the article and having a go at the multiple choice reading comprehension below, discuss the changes pregnant women have to go through in their lifestyle, food-wise and with all other aspects of their routine.
Read the article now and check whether your guesses about changes in diet were right.
Read the article again and choose the option a, b or c which best completes the sentence or answers the question. Only one answer is correct.
1 Emily Oster set out to find out
a how many coffees a day she could have when pregnant.
b how safe it was for pregnant women to drink coffee.
c why her doctor disagreed with the literature on this issue.
2 Oster felt
a guilty because she was having more coffee than she should.
b terrible during her pregnancy.
c unwell during the early stages of her pregnancy.
3 Which sentence is true, according to the text?
a Randomizing women for these studies is not a good idea, because women differ in many ways.
b Readers of Expecting Better can find clear-cut conclusions on how to proceed with coffee.
c Sick women when pregnant usually drink less coffee.
4 How much alcohol can a pregnant woman drink?
a Heavy excessive drinking is dangerous for everybody.
b It’s better to abstain altogether, according to some studies.
c Regularly after the first weeks if you don’t overdo it.
5 According to the UK's National Health Service,
a mental or physical disability can result in any levels of alcohol intake.
b the lower alcohol the mother drinks the lower the damage for the foetus.
c you’d better do without any alcohol at all.
6 Oster
a could safely eat most items on the list of restricted foods.
b didn’t want to tell friends and relatives she was pregnant.
c read the list of forbidden foods openly.
7 For Oster
a doctors are often reluctant to explain things to women.
b in practice most pregnant women have to make important decisions on their own.
c women have to show some initiative before talking to their doctor.
The article Coffee, wine, cheese: How much can pregnant women have? gives us a good opportunity to discuss our diet and how beneficial or harmful some foods can be.
Are you a healthy eater?
Do you ever buy ready-made foods?
Are you addicted to any food?
What food is beneficial/harmful when having specific health issues? For example, if you're constipated you'd better skip bananas, bread, cheese.
Key:
1b 2c 3c 4c 5c 6a 7c
