No Kids The Secret To A Happier Marriage
A new study has found that having a child can make a couple less happy with each other.
Researchers from the University of Denver conducted an eight-year study of 218 sets of parents.
Their report is called “The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality”. It is
published in the March 2009 edition of the ‘Journal of Personality and Social Psychology’. The
psychologists examined how happy couples were in the eight years after the birth of their first
child. They concluded that the first baby put a lot of stress and pressure on a marriage. Ninety
percent of couples experienced a decrease in marital bliss immediately following the birth of their
first child. Unmarried couples experienced bigger problems.
It’s not all bad news for would-be parents. Some couples in the research said their relationship was
stronger after their baby was born. Parents who were married for a long time before starting a
family were happier. Couples on higher incomes also seemed to have fewer problems. Researcher
Scott Stanley said his team’s findings did not mean children bring unhappiness in life. He said that
parents may be happier as part of a family than as a childless couple. He noted that “this type of
happiness can be powerful and positive”. Stanley also pointed out that couples who did not have
children also became unhappier with each other over time. However, he said parenthood
accelerated levels of unhappiness.
TRUE / FALSE
a. Researchers say having a child will negatively affect a marriage. T / F
b. The researchers spent eight years studying 218 different parents. T / F
c. The study looked at the impact of a couple having two children. T / F
d. Parents who weren’t married had more problems than married couples. T / F
e. The article said there was some good news for future parents. T / F
f. Richer parents were unhappier after the birth of their first baby. T / F
g. The researchers said parents could be happier than childless couples. T / F
h. Couples who did not have children stayed happy together forever. T / F
SYNONYM MATCH
1. study a. happiness
2 conducted b. kind
3. transition c. sped up
4. examined d. change

g. A greater number of people around the world are becoming vegetarian. T / F
h. Strict vegetarians should not eat cheese, yoghurt or honey. T / F
SYNONYM MATCH:
1. decade a. divided
2 common b. conclusions
3. tracked c. connection
4. separated d. ten years
5. protect e. widespread
6. findings f. aware
7. link g. followed
8. conscious h. safeguard
9. altogether i. rules out
10. excludes j. completely
Life near fast food restaurants unhealthy
New research in the USA says it is unhealthy to live in areas with lots of fast food restaurants. A
study by the University of Michigan said people who live within walking distance of fast food
restaurants have a 13 per cent higher chance of having a stroke. Lead researcher Dr. Lewis
Morgenstern and his team analyzed the social status of the 1,247 people who had strokes in an area
of Texas over a three-year period. The area was home to 262 fast food restaurants. The team
compared the stroke victims’ social status with how close they lived to the restaurants. He
concluded there was a strong relationship between the distance someone lived to fast food
restaurants and their chances of having a stroke.
A stroke is similar to a heart attack, except it attacks the brain. Strokes are among the biggest killers
in the USA. Many are the result of unhealthy eating. A diet that has a large amount of fast food and
other junk food increases the chances of having a stroke. Dr. Morgenstern’s research found that
there could be up to 33 different fast food restaurants in an area. This puts people living nearby
more at risk of a stroke. Dr. Morgenstern said he didn’t know whether it was the actual fast food
that increased the risk of stroke. He said fast food restaurants are more common in poorer
neighbourhoods where people are less educated and generally have unhealthier and more stressful
lifestyles.

secret. She also does not want the media to find out whether or not she took fertility drugs before
becoming pregnant. Dr Richard Paulson of the University of Southern California told reporters that
the octuplets were probably because of fertility drugs. He also spoke about the risks involved in
multiple births: “It's a risky decision to try to have all eight babies. I would not recommend it under
any circumstances,” he said. He added that the chances of having eight children naturally, without
drugs, were “unbelievably rare”. Twins occur in roughly 1 in 80 births; triplets in 1 in 6,400 births.
The likelihood of octuplets being born is 1 in 20 trillion pregnancies.
1. TRUE / FALSE
a. A woman in America has given birth to quadruplets. T / F
b. It is the first time ever that all babies survived beyond a day. T / F
c. Several of the babies need special machines so they can breathe. T / F
d. Doctors originally thought there were only seven babies. T / F
e. The mother wants to stay out of the public attention. T / F
f. A doctor said he believed the woman took fertility drugs. T / F
g. The doctor advised multiple births under special circumstances. T / F
h. The chance of having octuplets without drugs is over 15 trillion to 1. T / F
2. SYNONYM MATCH
1. octuplets a. enormous
2 tiny b. chance
3. early c. likely
4. huge d. premature
5. discovered e. advise
6. identity f. eight babies
7. probably g. found
8. recommend h. amazingly
9. unbelievably i. small
10. likelihood j. name
Cubans can now build their own homes
Times are changing quickly in Cuba. Cubans can now build their own houses for the first time in 50
years. The country's president, Raul Castro, has announced changes to help the nation's housing

6. serious f. salary
7. tiny g. fast
8. potential h. follow
9. wage i. changes
10. available j. small