23. Mosquitoes蚊子

New Words新單詞

blood (n.)

讀音：[blʌd]

釋義：血，血液（名詞）

die (v.)

讀音：[daɪ]

釋義：死亡（動詞）

plant (n+v)

讀音：[plɑ:nt]

釋義：植物；種植（名詞、動詞）

studied (past tense of study) (v.)

讀音：[ˈstʌdid]

釋義：學習（study的過去式）（動詞）

become (v.)

讀音：[bɪˈkʌm]

釋義：變成（動詞）

nowhere (adv.)

讀音：[ˈnəʊweə(r)]

釋義：無處，任何地方都不（副詞）

through (prep.)

讀音：[θru:]

釋義：通過（介詞）

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Mosquitoes are very small, flying insects. They are very small, but they can also be very dangerous. Some mosquitoes bite people so that they can drink the blood of those people!

蚊子是很小的飛蟲。它們很小，但它們也可以很危險。有些蚊子叮咬人，這樣它們可以吸人血。

Like many other flying insects, mosquitoes have three body parts and two small wings. They are very good at flying and very difficult for us to find and kill. Because mosquitoes are dangerous, it is very important that we know how to control them.

像許多其他飛蟲一樣，蚊子有三個身體部分和兩隻小翅膀。它們很擅長飛行，我們很難找到並消滅它們。蚊子危害大，知道如何防控它們非常重要。

If a female mosquito bites a sick animal and then bites us, we could become sick, too. If we do become sick, we should go quickly to see a doctor so the doctor can give us some special medicine. The medicine that can make us better after getting very sick from one of these mosquito bites is very strong. However, if we do not take this medicine, we could die.

如果母蚊子叮咬了生病的動物之後來叮咬我們，我們也會生病。如果我們生病了，我們應該迅速去看醫生，這樣醫生就能給我們特效藥。這種特效藥能使我們在被毒蚊子叮咬後恢復過來，藥效極強。可如果我們不吃這特效藥，我們可能會死。

It is only female mosquitoes that drink the blood of people or animals. Male mosquitoes do not live on blood and will not bite us. Male mosquitoes get their food from plants.

只有母蚊子能吸人或者動物的血液。公蚊子不以吸血為生，不會叮咬我們。公蚊子從植物中覓食。

When a female mosquito wants to eat, it flies onto the skin of an animal. Then it will start to bite through the skin. After it bites through the skin, it will drink up some of the blood of that animal. If mosquitoes do this to people, it not only hurts us (because mosquito bites do hurt), but can sometimes make us very sick or even kill us.

當母蚊子想進食時，它就飛到動物的皮膚上。然後它會開始咬穿動物的皮膚。在它咬穿皮膚之後，它會吸食動物的血液。如果蚊子對人這樣做，它不僅咬傷我們（因為蚊子叮咬確實很疼），而且有時候讓我們生重病或甚至咬死我們。

The best way to control mosquitoes is for people to make sure there is not too much old, dirty water or mud around their homes. This is because female mosquitoes like to lay their eggs in dirty water or muddy places, When the females do this, large groups of these eggs will stay in the water until the young mosquitoes are ready to come out of the eggs.

防制蚊子的最好方法是讓人們確保房子周圍沒有太多死水、泥水或泥巴，這是因為母蚊子喜歡在泥水或泥巴里產卵。當母蚊子產卵時，大批的卵會留在水裡直到小蚊子準備好破卵而出。

After the groups of young mosquitoes come out of their eggs, they will stay in the water or mud until they grow into adults and are ready to fly. However, if people make sure that there is no old, dirty water around their houses, the mosquitoes will have nowhere to lay their eggs. If there is nowhere to lay their eggs, the female mosquitoes will not be able to produce young mosquitoes.

當成群的小蚊子破卵而出之後，它們會待在水裡或者泥巴里直到它們長大成年，即將飛行。然而如果人們確保房子周圍沒有死水、泥水，蚊子就沒有地方產卵了。如果沒有地方產卵，母蚊子就沒法繁殖小蚊子了。

Like most other animals and insects, males and females need to be able to find each other. Mosquitoes need to be able to find each other so that they can produce young mosquitoes. Male and female mosquitoes have a special way of finding each other. They find each other through sound. The males know the sounds the females make, and the females know the sounds the males make. When a male hears the special sound a female makes, the male will go to where the sound is coming from to find the female.

正如許多其他動物和昆蟲一樣，公蚊子和母蚊子需要能夠找到彼此。蚊子需要能夠找到彼此，這樣它們就能繁殖小蚊子。公蚊子和母蚊子有一種特殊的方法來找到彼此，它們通過聲音尋找彼此。公蚊子懂得母蚊子發出的聲音，而母蚊子懂得公蚊子發出的聲音。當公蚊子聽見一隻母蚊子發出的特殊聲音時，公蚊子會去聲音的發源地找到母蚊子。

We can find mosquitoes everywhere in the world except for places where it is too hot or too cold for plants to grow. In most parts of Antarctica, it is too cold for plants to grow. And in some parts of Africa and Asia, it is too hot for plants to grow. However, most kinds of mosquitoes do live in hot countries. Only a few kinds of mosquitoes live in colder countries and, because water is so important for the young mosquitoes, most kinds live in places where there is water on the ground for most of the year.

除了在植物無法生長的極熱和極寒之地，我們能在世界各地找到蚊子。南極洲的大多數地方都太冷了，植物無法生長。可是大多數種類的蚊子確實生活在炎熱的國家。只有少數幾種蚊子生活在較冷的國家，因為水對小蚊子來說尤為重要，大多數種類的蚊子都生活的地方一年中大部分時間地表有水。

Like bats and some other animals, mosquitoes will sometimes sleep for many weeks at the coldest time of the year. Sometimes, they will sleep in large groups in holes in the ground. They will wait there until the temperature is right. When the temperature is right, the mosquitoes will fly out of the holes and the females will start to lay their eggs.

像蝙蝠和一些其他的動物，蚊子有時會在一年中最冷的時候睡好幾周。有時候，它們會成群睡在地上的洞裡。它們會在那兒等著直到溫度合適。當溫度適宜時，蚊子會飛出洞，母蚊子會開始產卵。

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Mom and Dad are talking about the garden.

媽媽和爸爸正在談論花園。

Mom

I think we should do something about the garden

Dad

What? What do you want to do?

Mom

Well, there are too many places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

Dad

Really?

Mom

Yes. There are lots of places where water just stays on the ground and doesn’t go away. Some parts are very muddy, too.

Dad

What’s wrong with that?

Mom

Don’t you know? Female mosquitoes like to lay their eggs in places like those. They lay their eggs and the young mosquitoes grow in water that stays in the same place for a long time.

Dad

Really? I didn’t know that.

Mom

Well, they do. It’s important to make sure there’s nowhere for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. If we don’t, we could have thousands and thousands of mosquitoes around here!

Dad

Oh yes, you’re right. We should control mosquitoes, shouldn’t we?

Mom

Yes, we should. We don’t want mosquitoes to bite our children. If mosquitoes bite our children, our children could get very sick.

Dad

All right. I’ll do something about the garden tomorrow.

Mom

Good. Oh, look!

Dad

What? What’s wrong?

Mom

There’s a mosquito now!

Dad

Where?

Mom

There! Right there on your arm! A big one!

Dad

Oh, yes… there – I killed it.

Mom

Good. Now look at your arm. There’s blood all over your skin.

Dad

M…mm.., I’ll go to the bathroom and wash it off. Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?

Mom

Yes, there is. There is something else.

Dad

What’s that?

Mom

Can we take the children to the zoo on Saturday?

Dad

Again? We took them just a few weeks ago.

Mom

I know, but Lee and Pat are studying all about animals now. It would be good for them if we could go and see some of the animals so they could see for themselves.

Dad

Oh, all right. We’ll go to the zoo early on Saturday morning. But let’s not stay too long – there’s a game I want to watch on television on Saturday afternoon.

Mom

All right. We won’t stay too long. Now go and wash that blood off your arm!

媽媽

我覺得我們應該整理一下花園。

爸爸

什麼？你想怎麼做？

媽媽

花園裡有太多地方供蚊子產卵。

爸爸

真的嗎？

媽媽

是的。花園裡很多地面有積水不退，有些地方也很泥濘。

爸爸

那有什麼問題嗎？

媽媽

你不知道嗎？母蚊子喜歡在那樣的地方產卵。母蚊子在長期積水的地方產卵，小蚊子在那裡長大。

爸爸

真的嗎？我不知道啊。

媽媽

它們就是這樣。確保沒有地方讓蚊子產卵非常重要。如果我們不這麼做，我們這周圍會有成千上萬只蚊子！

爸爸

哦對，你說得對。我們應該防控蚊子，對吧？

媽媽

是的。我們不想讓蚊子叮咬我們的孩子。如果蚊子叮咬了我們的孩子，我們的孩子會生重病。

爸爸

好吧。我明天會整理一下花園。

媽媽

好極了。噢，看！

爸爸

什麼？什麼問題？

媽媽

現在就有隻蚊子！

爸爸

在哪兒？

媽媽

在那兒！就在你胳膊上！一大隻！

爸爸

噢，是的……在那兒——打死它了。

媽媽

好極了。現在看看你的胳膊。皮膚上全都是血。

爸爸

呃……呃呃，我會去浴室沖洗乾淨。還有別的什麼你想跟我聊聊嗎？

媽媽

是的，還有別的事情。

爸爸

是什麼？

媽媽

我們能在週六帶孩子們去動物園嗎？

爸爸

又去？我們幾周前才帶他們去過。

媽媽

我知道，但是李和佩特現在正在學習關於動物的所有知識。如果我們能去看看一些動物，讓他倆親眼看看這會對他倆有好處。

爸爸

噢，好的。我們週六早上早點去動物園。但我們不要待太久了——週六下午電視上有場比賽我想看。

媽媽

好的。我們不會待太久的。現在去洗掉你胳膊上的血！

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Questions

1. Why do female mosquitoes bite people?

2. What should we do if we become sick after amosquito bite?

3. How can we control mosquitoes?

4. How do male and female mosquitoesfind each other?

5. Why are there no mosquitoes in Antarctica?

6. What did Pat’s dad do to the mosquito on his arm?

7. Are there mosquitoes where you live?

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