When
we are young, we learn that tigers and sharks are dangerous animals. We might
be scared of them because they are big and powerful. As we get older, however,
we learn that sometimes the most dangerous animals are also the smallest
animals. In fact, the animal that kills the most people every year is one that
you have probably killed yourself many times: the mosquito.
While
it may seem that all mosquitoes are biters, this is not actually the case. Male
mosquitoes eat plant nectar. On the other hand, female mosquitoes feed on
animal blood. They need this blood to live and produce eggs. When a female
mosquito bites a human being, it transmits a small amount of saliva into the
blood. This saliva may or may not contain a deadly disease. The result of the
bite can be as minor as an itchy bump or as serious as death.
Because
a mosquito can bite many people in the course of its life, it can carry
diseases from one person to another very easily. Two of the most deadly
diseases carried by mosquitoes are malaria and yellow fever. More than 700
million people become sick from these diseases every year. At least 2 million
of these people will die from these diseases.
Many
scientists are working on safer and better ways to kill mosquitoes, but so far,
there is no sure way to protect everyone in the world from their deadly bites.
Mosquito nets can be placed over beds to protect people against being bitten.
These nets help people stay safe at night, but they do not kill any mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes have many natural enemies like bats, birds, dragonflies, and certain
kinds of fish. Bringing more of these animals into places where mosquitoes live
might help to cut down the amount of mosquitoes in that area. This is a natural
solution, but it does not always work very well. Mosquitoes can also be killed
with poisons or sprays. Even though these sprays kill mosquitoes, they may also
harm other plants or animals.
Although
mosquitoes may not seem as scary as larger, more powerful animals, they are far
more dangerous to human beings. But things are changing. It is highly likely
that one day scientists will find a way to keep everyone safe from mosquitoes
and the diseases they carry.
Questions
1)
According to the author, some people are more afraid of tigers and sharks than
mosquitoes because tigers and sharks……………..
A.
kill more people than mosquitoes
B. are big and powerful
C.
are found all over the world
D.
have no natural enemies
2) The
main idea of paragraph 2 is:
A. How dangerous female mosquitoes are
B. What
male mosquitoes eat
C.
How people protect themselves from malaria
D.
what to do if you catch yellow fever.
3)
The underlined word these in paragraph 2 refers to…………….
A. malaria and yellow fever
B. diseases
C.
people
D.
700 million
4) It
can be understood that the introduction of dragonflies might reduce the number
of flies in a given area because dragonflies…………….
A.
work together with mosquitoes
B. kill mosquitoes
C.
cannot be killed by poisons or sprays
D.
attract bats
Dragonfly
5) What
is the main idea of the paragraph 3?
A.
Mosquito nets provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes.
B.
Poisons and sprays provide adequate protection from deadly mosquitoes.
C.
The introduction of the mosquito's natural enemies provides adequate protection
from deadly mosquitoes.
D. There is no perfect solution to the mosquito problem.
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