常春藤生活英語：Mosquito Repellent 驅(qū)蚊劑

Many people regard summer as a time for relaxing, eating ice cream, and...ouch! I just got bitten by a mosquito!

For centuries, people have been searching for effective ways to prevent mosquito bites. What they have been looking for is mosquito repellent1. This refers to anything that keeps mosquitoes away or prevents them from landing on you. Mosquitoes have always been hard to deal with. Therefore, it is not surprising that the origins of mosquito repellant are from long ago.

The first known mosquito repellent was used by ancient Egyptians. They took oil from castor oil plants2 and burned it in lamps. Ancient Romans used a mix of vinegar3, resin4, and oil to drive away insects that bite. Many other cultures, such as those in India and China, also used plants as repellents. Around 1890, the first mosquito coil5 was made in Japan. It was made of natural plant oil. Today, these coils are used all over the world. During World War II, the first chemical repellents were created. In 1946, the American government developed DEET. Since then, it has been the chemical that is most often

added to repellents.

許多人把夏季視為是悠閑放松、吃冰淇淋的好時(shí)光，還有……噢!我剛被蚊子叮了一下!

數(shù)百年來，人們一直在尋找預(yù)防蚊子叮咬的有效方法。他們所尋尋覓覓的就是驅(qū)蟲劑。驅(qū)蟲劑指的是任何能趕走蚊子，或是防止?fàn)瓊兺Ｔ谀砩系臇|西。蚊子自古以來一直都很難纏。因此，驅(qū)蟲劑的起源悠久實(shí)不令人意外。

第一個(gè)為人所知的驅(qū)蟲劑是由古埃及人所使用的。他們自蓖麻中提煉蓖麻子油，并放在油燈里燒。古羅馬人則用醋、樹脂和油的混合液來驅(qū)除會(huì)叮人的昆蟲。在印度和中國等其它文化當(dāng)中，也使用植物來作為驅(qū)蟲劑。1890年前后，日本制造了第一個(gè)圈狀蚊香。它是由天然植物油所制成。如今，世界各地仍使用這種蚊香。第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間，第一批化學(xué)驅(qū)蟲劑問世。1946年，美國政府研發(fā)了DEET。從那時(shí)起，它便成為最常被添加在驅(qū)蟲劑里的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

Building Your Vocabulary

? effective　a. 有效的

These pills are effective in curing headaches.

這些藥丸能有效治療頭痛。

Phrases for Learning

1. regard A as B　　把 A 看作 B，認(rèn)為 A 是 B

Chris regards Mandy as his true love.

克里斯視曼蒂為他的真愛。

2. refer to...　　指的是……

I wasn't referring to you when I made my comments.

當(dāng)我發(fā)表我的意見時(shí)，我指的人不是你。

3. deal with...　　解決∕處理……

Kyle had to deal with the problem by himself.

凱爾必須自行解決這個(gè)問題。

4. drive away.../drive...away　　趕走……

Mom used a broom to drive the rat away.

媽媽用掃帚把老鼠趕跑。

5. be made of...　　由……制成

This dessert is made of bananas, chocolate, and ice cream.

這道甜點(diǎn)是由香蕉，巧克力和冰淇淋所制成。

參考字詞

1. repellent　n. 驅(qū)蟲劑

2. castor oil plant　n. 蓖麻

castor oil　n. 蓖麻子油

3. vinegar　n. 醋

4. resin　n. 樹脂

5. mosquito coil　n. 蚊香

coil　n.(一)圈

Grammar Check

What they have been looking for is mosquito repellent.

(他們所尋尋覓覓的就是驅(qū)蟲劑。)

疑問詞(what, when, where, why, how 等)可引導(dǎo)名詞子句，在主要子句中作主詞、受詞或置于 be 動(dòng)詞后作主詞補(bǔ)語。在本句中，what 引導(dǎo)的名詞子句"what they have been looking for"即作主詞用。

I want to know when you'll arrive.

(我想知道你何時(shí)會(huì)到。)

注意:

how 在引導(dǎo)的名詞子句中修飾形容詞或副詞時(shí)，須將該形容詞或副詞置于 how 之后，使 how 直接修飾該形容詞或副詞。

Just go outside and you'll see how hot it is today.

(你只要走出室外就可以明白今天有多熱。)