夏天是蚊子活跃的季节。蚊子的叮咬不仅让人不舒服，还会传播疾病，所以科学家一直在研究如何消灭蚊子。
To kill off mosquitoes
by Ella Hurworth
A population of the world's most invasive（侵入性的） mosquito species was almost completely wiped out by an experiment on two islands in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, according to a study published Wednesday.
mosquito /məˈskiːtəʊ/ n. 蚊子
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ n. 物种（单数和复数都是species）
wipe out 消灭
province /ˈprɒvɪns/ n. 省
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
The experiment successfully reduced the female Asian Tiger Mosquito population – the main source of bites and disease transmission – by up to 94%, reducing the number of reported human bites by 97%.
successfully /səkˈsesf(ə)li/ adv. 成功地（由successful加后缀-ly变成副词）
source /sɔːs/ n. 来源
bite /baɪt/ n. 叮咬
transmission /trænzˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 传播
It isn't the first attempt by researchers to reduce mosquito populations across the world. In 2018, scientists from the Imperial College of London used gene-editing tools to render female mosquitoes sterile, while males developed normally and continued spreading the genetic mutation（突变）.
attempt /əˈtempt/ n./v. 尝试
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的后缀-er）
gene /dʒiːn/ n. 基因
edit /ˈedɪt/ v. 编辑
tool /tuːl/ n. 工具
render /ˈrendə(r)/ v. 使成为、使得
sterile /ˈsteraɪl/ adj. 没有生育能力的、不育的
normally /ˈnɔːməli/ adv. 正常地（由normal加后缀-ly变成副词）
spread /spred/ v. 传播、扩散
genetic /dʒəˈnetɪk/ adj. 基因的
One of the Chinese study's researchers, Xi Zhiyong, a professor at Michigan State University, has been a longtime pioneer in this field of study. Running a mosquito factory in southern China, he previously attempted to use sterilized male mosquitoes to mate with unaltered females. "We're building good mosquitoes that can help us fight the bad ones", Xi said.
Michigan /ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ n. 密歇根州（美国北部的州）
longtime /ˈlɒŋtaɪm/ adj. 长久以来的（由long和time组成）
pioneer /ˌpaɪəˈnɪə(r)/ n. 开拓者、先驱
field /fiːld/ n. 领域
run /rʌn/ v. 运营
sterilize /ˈsterɪlaɪz/ v. 使不育（由sterile加后缀-ize变成动词）
mate /meɪt/ v. 交配
unaltered /ʌnˈɒltəd/ adj. 未被改变的（由alter的过去分词加上表示否定的前缀un-）
In the new study, published by the International Journal of Science, Xi and his colleagues attempted to cut mosquito numbers even further by limiting both male and females' ability to reproduce. Female mosquitoes were sterilized with low level radiation while the males were infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, then both were released during the peak breeding seasons in 2016 and 2017 on two islands near Guangzhou city.
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
cut /kʌt/ v. 减少
limit /ˈlɪmɪt/ v. 限制
reproduce /ˌriːprəˈdjuːs/ v. 繁殖
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平、数量
radiation /ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 辐射
infect /ɪnˈfekt/ v. 感染
bacterium /bækˈtɪəriəm/ n. 细菌、病菌（bacteria /bækˈtɪəriə/ 是复数）
release /rɪˈliːs/ v. 释放
peak /piːk/ adj. 顶峰的、最大值的
breed /briːd/ v. 交配繁殖
The results were so successful they nearly eradicated the entire female mosquito population on the two islands. In a statement, mosquito ecologist Peter Armbruster said the trial was one of the most successful mosquito reduction trials to date given mosquitoes' stubborn survivability.
eradicate /ɪˈrædɪkeɪt/ v. 消灭、根除
entire /ɪnˈtaɪə(r)/ adj. 全部的、整个的
statement /ˈsteɪtmənt/ n. 说明、陈述
ecologist /ɪˈkɒlədʒɪst/ n. 生态学家
trial /traɪəl/ n. 试验（由try加后缀-al变成名词）
reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 减少
to date 到目前为止
given /ˈɡɪv(ə)n/ prep. 考虑到
stubborn /ˈstʌbən/ adj. 顽固的、难以去除的
survivability /səˌvaɪvəˈbɪləti/ n. 生存能力
Mosquitoes pose grave threats to human health beyond just irritating bites. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the insects as "one of the deadliest animals in the world," due to their ability to rapidly spread deadly diseases such as dengue fever and malaria（疟疾）. Guangzhou, a densely populated metropolis（大都市） with a tropical climate, saw around 37,350 people infected with dengue fever during an outbreak in 2014.
pose /pəʊz/ v. 引起、带来（问题）
grave /ɡreɪv/ adj. 严重的
threat /θret/ n. 威胁
irritating /ˈɪrɪteɪtɪŋ/ adj. 令人不快的、惹人生气的
insect /ˈɪnsekt/ n. 昆虫
deadly /ˈdedli/ adj. 致命的、致死的
rapidly /ˈræpɪdli/ adv. 快速地
dengue /ˈdeŋɡi/ fever 登革热
densely /ˈdensli/ adv. 密集地（由dense加后缀-ly变成副词）
populate /ˈpɒpjuleɪt/ v. 居住、生活于
tropical /ˈtrɒpɪk(ə)l/ adj. 热带的
outbreak /ˈaʊtbreɪk/ n. （疾病等）爆发
There is currently no effective vaccine or treatment for most mosquito-transmitted diseases, leaving controlling the insects' populations one of the most effective control methods, according to the International Journal of Science.
currently /ˈkʌr(ə)ntli/ adv. 现在、目前（由current加后缀-ly变成副词）
effective /ɪˈfektɪv/ adj. 有效的（由effect加后缀-ive变成形容词）
vaccine /ˈvæksiːn/ n. 疫苗
treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ n. 治疗、疗法（由treat加后缀-ment变成名词）
transmit /trænzˈmɪt/ v. 传播
control /kənˈtrəʊl/ v./n. 控制
Experts said the Asian tiger mosquitoes are particularly hard to eradicate using conventional population control methods, such as pesticides（杀虫剂） and removing stagnant water where the insects lay their eggs. The white-striped mosquitoes have been described as "highly invasive" and have spread from Asia to almost every continent over the past 40 years, according to the study's authors.
conventional /kənˈvenʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 常规的
stagnant /ˈstæɡnənt/ adj. （水、空气等）不流动的
lay /leɪ/ v. 产卵
white-striped 具有白色条纹的
continent /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ n. 大陆、大洲
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