August 20th is World Mosquito Day, an effort to remind the public about the continuing threat of malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes.

    8月20日是世界蚊子日，設立這個日子是為了提高公眾對瘧疾以及其它蚊子傳播疾病的意識。

    Bite Back on World Mosquito Day

    Researchers waist deep into the waters of the Everglades. In the middle of the night. We kept a vigilant eye out for alligators and for venomous snakes. But the animals that actually posed the greatest danger were mosquitoes. Which were transmitting encephalitis that season.

    I'm telling that story because August 20th is World Mosquito Day. Actually, it's not a day to celebrate. More like an awareness day. Ronald Ross of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine originated World Mosquito Day in 1897. He's the guy who figured out that mosquitoes carried the malaria parasite. He got one of the first Nobel Prizes for it in 1902.

    But mosquitoes and the diseases they carry remain huge problems. Malaria alone kills more than a million people every year, mostly kids. Anybody can help in the fight by making sure there's no standing water around, where mosquitoes love to breed. For more info, check out the American Mosquito Control Association, at www.mosquito.org

    在世界蚊子日這天蚊子仍在叮咬

    深更半夜，研究者們蹚在齊腰深的沼澤地國家公園的水中。我們警惕地睜大眼睛，以防短吻鱷和毒蛇的出現。但是對人類危險最大的動物實際上是蚊子，在那個季節它們能傳播腦炎。

    我給你們講述這個故事的原因在于8月20日是世界蚊子日。實際上，這不是值得慶祝的日子，設立這個日子是為了提高人們的對蚊子傳播的疾病的意識。利物浦熱帶醫學院（Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine）的Ronald Ross在1897年首先創立了這個日子。

    Ronald Ross了解到蚊子攜帶瘧疾病的寄生蟲。因為這項成就，他在1902年獲得了第一屆諾貝爾獎中的生理及醫學獎。

    但是蚊子以及蚊子傳播的疾病仍然是個巨大的問題。每年僅瘧疾就致使1百多萬人死亡，其中大多數是兒童。通過保證住所周圍沒有靜止的水，任何人都可以在抗擊瘧疾的斗爭中起到作用，因為蚊子喜歡在靜止的水中繁殖。想了解更多的信息，請查閱美國蚊蟲控制協會（American Mosquito Control Association）,網址是：www.mosquito.org

    Vocabulary:

    Mosquito:蚊子

    Malaria:瘧疾

    Transmit:傳播

    Vigilant:警惕的

    Alligator:短吻鱷（產于美洲和中國的江河湖泊中）,也稱揚子鱷

    Venomous:有毒的

    Encephalitis:腦炎

    Awareness:意識

    Parasite: 寄生蟲

    Standing: 靜止的

    Breed: 繁殖