英语新闻∣南方蚊子疑似变少，网友：终于连蚊子都要被热死了？

英语新闻∣南方蚊子疑似变少，网友：终于连蚊子都要被热死了？

Have you noticed feweritchy, red bumps on your skin this summer? It's probably due to the hot, dry weather this summer.

今年夏天，瘙痒红肿的蚊子包少了很多，原因就是今年夏天炎热干燥的天气。

The right amount of rain at the right time is needed for mosquitoes to breed because it lays eggs on the surface ofstagnantwater.

蚊子的繁殖需要合适的环境和适当的降雨量，因为蚊子会在死水表面产卵。

Individuals reared at higher temperatures may develop more rapidly compared to lower temperatures, but adults tend to be smaller with reduced fitness given that size is often positively related tofecundity.

在较高温度下长大的个体可能比在较低温度下成长得更快，但成年个体往往体型较小，适合度降低，因为体型通常与繁殖能力呈正相关。

As temperatures climb higher, mosquito activity can decline. Mosquitoes will bite less when it becomes excessively hot.

随着气温上升，蚊子的活动会减少。天气过于炎热时，蚊子叮咬的次数就会减少。

Higher temperatures also make any diseases they carry more active and hence moretransmissible. So when mosquitoes are around, a cool spell following very hot temperatures could be ripe for mosquito borne diseases, as highly infectious mosquitoes increase their biting activity.

虽然高温不利于蚊子生存，却有利于蚊子携带的病毒传播。只要一息尚存，高温之后的凉爽期，很可能就成了蚊子传播疾病的最佳时机。

Mosquito speciesthat transmit diseases mainly include Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles. Thediseases includemalaria, filariasis, and dengue.

主要有三类蚊子会传播疾病：库蚊、伊蚊和按蚊，传播的疾病包括疟疾、丝虫病、和登革热等。

Beekeepers in European reported unusual deaths of honeybee queens, drones and small colonies. Drones, which are the reproductive males, spontaneously ejaculate when they die from stress.

最近连月高温，许多欧洲国家出现蜜蜂连续死亡，而且死去的大部分是雄蜂。雄蜂对温度十分敏感，高温的压力下，雄蜂的自然反应是射精，然后死去。

Worryingly, male fertility likely begins to decline well before the drones die. This means that after a heat wave, new queens—the reproductive females—will have fewer opportunities to mate. Colonies headed by poorly mated queens are more likely to collapse, and this could pose problems for farmers who rely on honeybees topollinatetheir crops.

就算雄蜂熬过了高温，生育能力也会受损。等到热浪过去，蜂后与雄蜂的交配机会减少，可能会导致整个蜂群的崩溃。依赖蜜蜂授粉的植物也会遭殃，其中有不少是人类赖以生存的农作物。

To the end, the decline of mosquitoes is also a wake-up call from nature. If left unchecked, climate change and environmental degradation will eventually affect human beings.

说到底，蚊子变少，也是大自然对我们敲响的警钟。如果放任气候变暖、环境恶化，终有一天会波及人类自身。

itchy

英[ˈɪtʃi]美[ˈɪtʃi]

adj.（使）发痒的

stagnant 

英[ˈstæɡnənt]美[ˈstæɡnənt]

adj. 不流动的，停滞的

fecundity

英[fɪ'kʌndətɪ]美[fɪˈkʌndətɪ]

n. 多产； 肥沃； <动>产卵力

transmissible

英[træns'mɪsəbl]美[træns'mɪsəbəl]

adj. 可传送的，可遗传的

pollinate

英[ˈpɒləneɪt]美[ˈpɑləneɪt]

vt. 给…传授花粉