20、A group of Canberra women is doing its best to stop babies born with AIDS in poor countries being sent home wrapped in newspaper. The women, residents of Weston Creek’s Araluen Retirement Village, want to give these babies, from many different countries, a better start in life.

The women’s work is adding to about 59,000 jumpers already sent to poor communities in Vanuatu, Ethiopia, Romania, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. People from Australia, and now Britain, have united together to form the Knitting Circle for Newborn AIDS Babies and keep the bodies of newborn babies warm. Communities in Peru, South America and Vietnam have requested jumpers made by the knitting circle, indicating that there is still more to do, so founders Lyn and Ken Begley have been working hard to get more people donating to the project.

According to UNAIDS, 4.1 million people were newly infected and 570,000 children died from HIV in 2005 worldwide. The Melbourne couple’s attention was drawn to such figures, and concern for the living conditions of babies in the African country of Malawi rose after the media reported that the American singer Madonna had adopted a Malawian AIDS orphan. Their concern led them to start the knitting circle by asking for hand-made jumpers, wool, yarn and coin donations for shipping costs. Araluen Village resident and Canberra Quilters member Sister Elizabeth Lusby brought the idea to the village because she was concerned for the babies.

“It was just the miserable story of the poor little babies going home in newspaper. It’s a awful.” Sister Lusby said. “I just left some copies of the information on the notice board and said if you want to help, you can, and lots of people did.” Craft director Lynn Stead said helping people through knitting was not new for Araluen Village residents. Their handiwork raised hundreds of dollars for local charities each year.

1．The purpose of the Knitting Circle is to _________.

       A．provide warm jumpers for newborn AIDS babies in poor countries

       B．knit around sixty thousand jumpers for newborn AIDS babies

       C．draw the world’s attention to the living conditions of African countries

       D．stop babies from being born with AIDS in some poor counties

2．Which of the following does NOT contribute to the foundation of the Knitting Circle for Newborn AIDS Babies?

       A．Madonna’s adopting an AIDS child whose parents were dead.

       B．That communities in poor countries required them to give a hand.

       C．That the newborn AIDS babies had no necessary clothes to wear.

       D．Figures concerning the worldwide situation of AIDS.

3．Where does Lyn and Ken Begley live?

       A．Canberra.            B．Araluen.              C．Melbourne.          D．Malawi.

4．Who set up a knitting circle at Araluen Village?

       A．The Begleys.    B．Madonna.  C．Elizabeth Lusby.      D．Lynn Stead.