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，设立这个日子是为了提高公众对疟疾以及其它蚊子传播疾病的意识。

    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

    在世界蚊子日这天蚊子仍在叮咬

    深更半夜，研究者们蹚在齐腰深的沼泽地国家公园的水中。我们警惕地睁大眼睛，以防短吻鳄和毒蛇的出现。但是对人类危险最大的动物实际上是蚊子，在那个季节它们能传播脑炎。

    我给你们讲述这个故事的原因在于8月20日是世界蚊子日。实际上，这不是值得庆祝的日子，设立这个日子是为了提高人们的对蚊子传播的疾病的意识。利物浦热带医学院（Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine）的Ronald Ross在1897年首先创立了这个日子。

    Ronald Ross了解到蚊子携带疟疾病的寄生虫。因为这项成就，他在1902年获得了第一届诺贝尔奖中的生理及医学奖。

    但是蚊子以及蚊子传播的疾病仍然是个巨大的问题。每年仅疟疾就致使1百多万人死亡，其中大多数是儿童。通过保证住所周围没有静止的水，任何人都可以在抗击疟疾的斗争中起到作用，因为蚊子喜欢在静止的水中繁殖。想了解更多的信息，请查阅美国蚊虫控制协会（American Mosquito Control Association）,网址是：www.mosquito.org

    Vocabulary:

    Mosquito:蚊子

    Malaria:疟疾

    Transmit:传播

    Vigilant:警惕的

    Alligator:短吻鳄（产于美洲和中国的江河湖泊中）,也称扬子鳄

    Venomous:有毒的

    Encephalitis:脑炎

    Awareness:意识

    Parasite: 寄生虫

    Standing: 静止的

    Breed: 繁殖