At the age of 12, Lisa has been married for three years to a young man she met just after finishing secondary school. He treated her well. She almost died during the birth of their first child, born a year after their marriage. The second child, born 18 months later, was also a girl. Lately she and her husband quarrel frequently. She wants to go to vocational school to learn skills to add to the family income, but his mother insists she stay home and produce a son.
This example is by no means exceptional. Early marriage is common in many parts of the world. Early marriage leads to early motherhood. In some developing countries, 20 percent or over half of the women give birth to their first child before the age of 18.Expectations from parents, in-laws and society are to produce a child as soon as possible. Many young wives feel pressure to bear son. This typically results in early and frequent pregnancies.
In developing countries, more than half a million women die every year from causes related topregnancy. There are four important reasons for these deaths. Birth are either “too soon, too close, too many, or to late”. According to statistics, it is young women who most die during pregnancy.
1. At what age did Lisa give birth to her first child?
2. What does Lisa want?
3. Why do women in some developing countries have babies early?
4. What are the reasons women die from childbirth?
5. What is the main idea of the passage?
Keys: 1.B 2.D3.A 4.D 5.C
