Reading Part A

Improving Child Survival Rates

Part A Summary Gap Fill Time Limit: 15 minutes

Instructions
• Complete the following summary using the information in the texts for this
task.
• Skim and scan the texts to find the information required.
• Gaps may require 1, 2 or 3 words.
• Write your answers in the appropriate space in the column on the right hand
side.
• Make sure your spelling is correct.
Summary Answers
1.

2.
According to the World Health Organisation
(WHO), malnutrition, pneumonia, (1)___, measles
3.
and malaria cause (2)___ percent of childhood
deaths in developing countries. In addition over 10 4.
million children are (3)___ to die each year.
Through the (4)___ of currently available medical 5.
technology, many of these deaths could be (5)___.
6.

7.

However, medical technology cannot (6)___ the 8.

underlying cause of poor health which is poor living
conditions. Almost 20% or the world’s children 9.
drink from (7)___ water sources such as (8)___.
10.
Over 500 million children do not have (9)___ while
(10)___ of the world’s children live in unclean and
11.
crowded housing conditions with more than (11)___
in a single room. 12.
These conditions of (12)___must be eliminated if
global child survival rates are to be (13)___ over the 13.

(14)___.
14.

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Part A Answer Sheet continued

Summary Answers
In recent years, the importance of the link between 15.
child rights and child survival has been put forward
16.
by the United Nations. Their charter states that every
child has the right to access (15)___necessary for
17.
treating illness and rehabilitating(16)___.
18.
The key elements of this charter include ensuring
parents and children have access to (17)___ and 19.
(18)___ in the area of child health and nutrition,
20.
breastfeeding, (19)___ and sanitation and accident
prevention. The availability of sufficient (20)___ and
21.
(21)___drinking water can also help fight against
disease and (22)___. 22.

While adhering to the UN charter will help to 23.

improve child survival rates, there are important
24.
intervention strategies which should be prioritised.
This includes using (23)___ to help prevent malaria ,
25.
providing access to (24)____ for mothers and
children and promoting (25)___. Children exposed 26.
to or (26)___ HIV also need be managed and cared
for. 27.

28.
In 1997, the cost of providing fundamental health
and nutrition for the global population was estimated 29.
to be (27)___ per year over ten years. Surely this is
affordable when one considers (28)___ spent $30 30.
billion on (29)___ and Europeans outlayed $12
billion on (30)___ food. TOTAL SCORE

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 Reading Part A

Part A
Time Limit: 15 minutes
Instructions
• Complete the summary on the answer page using the information in the four
texts below.
• Skim and scan the texts to find the information required.
• Write your answers in the appropriate space in the column on the right hand
side.
• Make sure your spelling is correct.

Improving Child Survival Rates

Source: Public Library of Open Science
Authors: Simon Pemberton David Gordon, Shailen Nandy, Christina Pantazis, Peter Townsend

Text 1
The Consequences of Child Poverty
It is estimated that over 10 million children in developing countries die each year,
mainly from preventable causes. In approximately half of these deaths, malnutrition is
a contributory cause. However, the World Health Organization has argued that seven
out of ten childhood deaths in such countries can be attributed to just five main
causes. In addition to malnutrition, these causes are pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles,
and malaria. Around the world, three of every four children seen by health services
are suffering from at least one of these conditions. Many of these deaths could be
prevented using readily available medical technologies at comparatively little cost. In
1997, the United Nations Development Programme estimated that the cost of
providing basic health and nutrition for every person on the planet was $13 billion per
year for ten years. To place this sum in perspective, in 2002, United States citizens
spent $30 billion on pizza and Europeans spent $12 billion on dog and cat food.

Text 2
Priority child survival interventions
• Newborn care, taking into consideration the life cycle approach and
continuum of care
• Infant and young child feeding, including micronutrient supplementation and
deworming
• Provision of maternal and childhood immunization and promotion of new
vaccines
• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
• Prevention of malaria using insecticide-treated nets
• Management of common childhood illnesses
• Management and care of HIV-exposed or infected children

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 Reading Part A

Text 3
UN Charter on the Rights of the Child
Article 24 of the UNCRC states that:
Member countries recognize the right of the child to the
enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to
facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health.
Member countries shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived
of his or her right to use such health care services.

In addition, governments of member countries shall pursue full implementation of this

right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures to:
• diminish infant and child mortality
• ensure provision of medical assistance and health care to all children with
emphasis on the development of primary health care
• combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary
health care through the application of readily available technology and
through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water,
taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution
• ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers
• ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are
informed, have access to education and knowledge regarding child health
and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental
sanitation and the prevention of accidents
• develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning
education and services.

If these rights were to be fulfilled, child survival rates would rapidly improve.

Text 4
Underlying causes of Poor Health
While medical interventions can, in principle, prevent most young children from
dying early, they cannot remove the underlying cause of poor health, which is poor
living conditions suffered by 30% of the world’s children. For example, almost a third
of the world’s children live in squalid housing conditions, with more than five people
per room or with mud flooring. Over half a billion children (27%) have no toilet
facilities whatsoever and over 400 million children (19%) are drinking from unsafe
water sources (e.g., rivers, lakes, ponds) or have to walk so far to fetch water that they
cannot carry enough to meet minimum health requirements. The World Health
Organization has argued that: “The world’s biggest killer and the greatest cause of ill
health and suffering across the globe is listed almost at the end of the International
Classification of Diseases. It is given code Z59.5— extreme poverty” . Eliminating
extreme poverty is the key to improving global child survival rates, particularly over
the long term.

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 Reading Part A

Improving Child Survival Rates

Answer Sheet
1. diarrhoea
2. 70 (convert 7 out of 10 into a percentage)
3. estimated
4. use/usage (change to noun form)
5. prevented
6. remove
7. unsafe
8. rivers, lakes ponds (all required)
9. toilet facilities
10. almost a third
11. five people
12. extreme poverty
13. improved (change to passive voice)
14. long term
15. facilities/health care services
16. health
17. education
18. knowledge
19. hygiene
20. nutritious foods
21. clean
22. malnutrition
23. insecticide treated nets
24. immunisation
25. new vaccines
26. infected with (preposition “with” required)
27. $13 billion
28. US Citizens/Americans
29. pizza
30. dog and cat

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 Reading Part A

Highlighted Answers
 
Improving Child Survival Rates
Text 1
The Consequences of Child Poverty
It is (3)estimated that over 10 million children in developing countries die each year,
mainly from preventable causes. In approximately half of these deaths, malnutrition is
a contributory cause. However, the World Health Organization has argued that
(2)seven out of ten (equals 70%)childhood deaths in such countries can be attributed
to just five main causes. In addition to malnutrition, these causes are pneumonia,
(1)diarrhoea, measles, and malaria. Around the world, three of every four children
seen by health services are suffering from at least one of these conditions. Many of
these deaths could be (5)prevented (4) (use)using readily available medical
technologies at comparatively little cost. In 1997, the United Nations Development
Programme estimated that the cost of providing basic health and nutrition for every
person on the planet was (27)$13 billion per year for ten years. To place this sum in
perspective, in 2002, (28)United States citizens spent $30 billion on (29)pizza and
Europeans spent $12 billion on (30)dog and cat food.

Text 2
Priority child survival interventions
• Newborn care, taking into consideration the life cycle approach and
continuum of care
• Infant and young child feeding, including micronutrient supplementation and
deworming
• Provision of maternal and childhood (24)immunization and promotion of
(25)new vaccines
• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
• Prevention of malaria using (23)insecticide-treated nets
• Management of common childhood illnesses
• Management and care of HIV-exposed or (26)infected (with) children

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 Reading Part A

Text 3
UN Charter on the Rights of the Child
Article 24 of the UNCRC states that:
Member countries recognize the right of the child to the
enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to
(15)facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of
(16)health. Member countries shall strive to ensure that no child
is deprived of his or her right to use such health care services.

In addition, governments of member countries shall pursue full implementation of this

right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures to:
• diminish infant and child mortality
• ensure provision of medical assistance and health care to all children with
emphasis on the development of primary health care
• combat disease and (22)malnutrition, including within the framework of
primary health care through the application of readily available technology
and through the provision of adequate (20) nutritious foods and (21)clean
drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of
environmental pollution
• ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers
• ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are
informed, have access to (17)education and (18)knowledge regarding child
health and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, (19)hygiene and
environmental sanitation and the prevention of accidents
• develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning
education and services.

If these rights were to be fulfilled, child survival rates would rapidly improve.

Text 4
Underlying causes of Poor Health
While medical interventions can, in principle, prevent most young children from
dying early, they cannot (6)remove the underlying cause of poor health, which is poor
living conditions suffered by 30% of the world’s children. For example, (10)almost a
third of the world’s children live in squalid housing conditions, with more than
(11)five people per room or with mud flooring. Over half a billion children (27%)
have no (9)toilet facilities whatsoever and over 400 million children (19%) are
drinking from (7)unsafe water sources (e.g., (8)rivers, lakes, ponds) or have to walk
so far to fetch water that they cannot carry enough to meet minimum health
requirements. The World Health Organization has argued that: “The world’s biggest
killer and the greatest cause of ill health and suffering across the globe is listed almost
at the end of the International Classification of Diseases. It is given code Z59.5—
extreme poverty” . Eliminating (12)extreme poverty is the key to (13)(improved)
improving global child survival rates, particularly over the (14) long term.

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This resource was developed by OET Online 7
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