Here’s my third in a series of articles that I woudl use for reading comprehension practice. This time it is about babies. Even if you do not have a baby, you can benefit from learning more about babies, mothers and related stuff. Enjoy!
Thanks to the writer and the BBC for this wonderful article.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415
- Expectant mothers: women who are going to have a baby (so they are pregnant already!)
- starter kit: a collection of things given to someone who is going to start something: for example this.
- To date back: to start or originate at a specific date.
- Outdoor gear: clothes and equipment used outside buildings.
- nappies: pieces of clothing or synthetic material used by babies to control pee and poo.
- Mattress: the thick surface on the bed where people sleep.
- Cardboard: a material stronger than paper and weaker than wood.
- Cash grant: an quantity of money given to a person in order to pay for something. That money must be given back but without paying an interest or at a very low.
- Opt for: choose something.
- Mothers-to-be: pregnant women.
- to steer: to make something go in a specific direction: a car, a ship, a group of animals. (Steering wheel: what a driver uses to move the car right or left.
- nascent: something that started recently.
- Welfare: socially accepted conditions that are needed by everyone. Usually found in the expression “welfare state“.
- Rite of passage: an event or activity that is considered necessary to start a new period in life, typically adulthood. (note: “-hood is a very frequent ending that signals an abstract noun, such as: neighbourhood, childhood, parenthood…”)
- Eager: excited about a future event; looking forward to something.
- to rely (heavily) on something: to use something as help. If you rely heavily on something it means that you are using it a lot as help. For other meanings of rely on, please look here.
- unaffordable: so expensive that you can’t pay for it. (to afford: to be able to pay for something)
- free of charge: you don’t have to pay anything.
- to be spared the effort: if you are spared the effort, you don’t have to do something that would have been an effort for you. See spare.
- to take care of: to make sure that something or someone is in good condition, safe, healthy.
- deliberately: something has been done with a specific intention.
- fabric: a clothing material elaborated in a specific manner: cotton, wool, polyester, spandex, flannel…
- flannel: a fabric used very commonly for things such as winter pyjamas or shirts. Very warm.
- ready-made clothes: clothes which you buy in the shop, instead of buying the fabric and making them at home.
- stretchy fabrics: fabrics such as spandex (lycra) which are very useful for some baby clothes.
- sleeping bag: you sleep in one of these when you go camping.
- disposable nappies: one-use nappies which you buy at the supermarket.
- Cloth nappies: nappies made of cloth (usually cotton or linen) which are washed and re-used.
- fall-out of favour: something which people used to like, but not anymore.
- on environmental grounds: for reasons connected with the protection of the environment.
- to encourage: to motivate someone to do something, helping them, creating favourable conditions…
- Parenting: the activity of being a parent (being a father or a mother).
- all along: from the beginning to the end without relevant interruptions. See along.
And in addition to all this, Pulma says, the box is a symbol. A symbol of the idea of equality, and of the importance of children.
- to remove: to take away from a place or situation.
- breastfeeding: giving a baby its mother’s milk.
- picture book: usually a children’s book, with very little or no text.
- to handle: to use and manipulate. Typical in boxes “handle with care“.