新西兰英语 172 Folic Acid in Bread

　　On September 18th, all New Zealand bread was going to have folic acid added to it. However, now the government has decided¹ to wait three years.
New Zealand and Australia have an agreement about food standards. Australia is going to add folic acid to all bread in September so New Zealand planned to do the same. Many people do not like the idea of adding something to their food and they have protested about this. They say too much folic acid could cause health problems.
Folic acid is Vitamin B9. It is necessary for cell growth, especially at a time of very fast cell growth like early pregnancy². Women need folic acid just before they get pregnant and soon after, to prevent birth defects in babies like spina bifida where the spine³ does not form properly. Men who are planning to father children, also need folic acid.
Folic acid is present in many foods like spinach⁴, beans and peas and some fruit. It is also present in wheat but wheat loses this natural folic acid when it becomes flour. This is why many countries add it to flour.
Canada says that there has been a 46% drop in birth defects such as spina bifida, cancer and heart problems since folic acid was added to bread.
The Bakers⁵ Association says that they will now add folic acid to some bread, including the cheapest bread, so that people have a choice.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

3 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

4 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

5 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》