Twins may be more common today than at anytime in history. Researchers analyzed records from 165 countries and found a significant rise in twin birth rates since the 1980s, with one in 42 people now born a twin. According to the survey, the global twin birth rate has risen by one-third, on average, over the past 40 years.
“The trends are really quite striking,” said Christiaan Monden, a professor at Oxford University. “Over the past 40 years we’ve seen a strong increase in twinning rates in rich and developed countries. Globally, twinning rates have risen from nine to twelve per 1,000 births since the 1980s, but the picture varies from country to country. The greatest rises are seen in North America (71%), Europe (60%) and Asia (32%). In the UK, twinning rates rose about 62%. In the Oxford study, a decrease of more than 10% was found in only seven countries over the dates surveyed. “The absolute number of twin deliveries (分娩) has increased everywhere except South America,” Monden said. “In North America and Africa, the numbers have increased by more than 80%, and in Africa this increase is caused almost entirely by population growth.”
Raj Mathur, a doctor at St. Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, said, “It doesn’t surprise us that twinning rates have increased because the availability of assisted reproduction (生殖) has increased and also because women are slightly older when they have their first children, and both those things will increase the twinning rate.”
“The majority of twin babies are completely fine, but there is no doubt that a twin pregnancy (怀孕) carries greater risks for the mother and the baby. So when we can avoid it, we should avoid it. The principle we follow is simply summed up by the phrase ‘one at a time’,” Mathur said.
【小题1】What do we know about the survey?| A．It saw a world population growth. | B．It lasted nearly fifty years. |
| C．It was the first research about twins. | D．It was based on plenty of data. |
| A．South America. | B．Asia. | C．Europe. | D．Africa. |
| A．It’s dangerous to be with child. | B．It’s wise to bring up a single baby. |
| C．It’s best to have one baby at a birth. | D．It’s unavoidable to give birth to a twin. |
| A．The Principle of Delivering Babies |
| B．More Twin Babies Than Ever Before |
| C．No Doubt About the Present Twinning Rates |
| D．A Great Breakthrough in Human Reproduction |
