Mona was about to give birth. She expected the 40km journey to the hospital would take four hours from her home on top of rocky mountains. But with no roads—suffering pains and in bad weather—it took seven hours instead. “With every step the camel took forward, I was torn apart,” she said. When the camel could go no further, Mona got down and walked the final leg of her journey with heavy steps.

While holding on the camel tightly, Mona feared for her safety and that of her unborn child. “The road was rocky,” she said, recalling the “physically and mentally exhausting trip. There were times I prayed that God would take me away and protect my baby so I could escape the pain.” Mona has no memory of arriving at the hospital but she does remember being filled with hope after hearing her baby’s cries. 

The roads to the hospital from nearby villages are narrow. Women, family members, or partners often assist pregnant women for hours through the hills to the hospital. Salma Abdu, 33, who was accompanying a mother, said that halfway through her journey she saw a pregnant woman who had died at night on her way. 

A woman dies every two hours during childbirth from preventable causes in Yemen, according to Hicham Nahro of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Yemen. Mr Nahro said it was often the case that women in remote areas did not have regular check-ups or seek help unless they started bleeding or were in severe pain. Fewer than half of births are assisted by a skilled doctor. Hospitals are lacking qualified staff, equipment and medicines, and investment in roads and infrastructure has stalled. Only one in five of the functioning facilities can provide reliable maternal and child health services.

1.What did Mona experience during her journey?

A Mild pain.

B Pleasant weather.

C Water route.

D Long suffering.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第一段的“suffering pains and in bad weather”“seven hours”“With every step the camel took forward, I was torn apart”等可知，在路途中，蒙娜经历了痛苦、坏天气、长时间、以及骆驼每走一步，自己就像被撕碎一样的痛。故选D。

2.How did Mona feel on the way to the hospital?

A Disappointed and annoyed.

B Miserable and concerned.

C Frightened and regretful.

D Astonished and uneasy.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段的“feared for her safety and that of her unborn child”“physically and mentally exhausting trip”“I prayed that God would take me away and protect my baby so I could escape the pain”可知，蒙娜在去往医院的路途中担心自己和腹中胎儿的安全，她想摆脱痛苦。由此可知，她很痛苦，又很担忧。故选B。

3.What are Salma Abdu’s words intended for?

A Stressing the pregnant woman’s weakness.

B Expressing the dangers of giving birth.

C Showing the hardships during the journey.

D Revealing problems of delivering at night.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第三段中前半部分的描述可知，从村庄到医院的路很窄，孕妇需要在很多人的帮助下，花费几个小时才能走到医院。由此可推知，后面的列举Salma Abdu所说的话是为了强调去往医院的路途遥远艰辛。故选C。

4.What does the last paragraph try to tell us?

A Yemen’s outdated infrastructures.

B Poor medical condition in Yemen.

C People’s difficult life situation in Yemen.

D Lack of professional doctors in Yemen hospitals.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据最后一段的关键词“preventable causes”“did not have regular check-ups or seek help”以及最后三句可知，也门很多孕妇在分娩时死于可预防因素，很多偏远地区的孕妇没有定期检查，成熟医生少，医院缺乏合格的工作人员、社保和药品，道路和基础设施跟不上等可知，最后一段想要告诉我们的是，也门的医疗条件很差。故选B。