【精英翻譯】的部落格

Are You a Mosquito Magnet?  為什麼蚊子特別愛叮你？

─Debbie Rinehart

精英翻譯社轉自http://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0058/268931/web/

　 　SOME people are mosquito magnets. Even when they cover themselves in repellent, a mosquito will find that one unprotected spot of their skin to bite. In contrast, there are people who can spend whole days outdoors without repellent, and they won't get bitten once. Why do mosquitoes target some people more than others?

　　有些人特別容易吸引蚊子。就算他們全身擦滿防蚊液，蚊子還是能找到他們皮膚沒有保護到的地方來叮。相較之下，有些人可以整天在戶外沒擦防蚊液，卻一次也不會被叮。為什麼蚊子特別針對某些人而不叮其他人呢？

　　To bite you, mosquitoes must first find you, and they do this by smelling the carbon dioxide (CO2) in your breath. Large people produce more CO2 than small ones, which is why adults are often bitten more than children. Pregnant women exhale a greater-than-normal amount of CO2, so they are at a higher risk, too.

　　蚊子要叮你，必須先找到你，而牠們是聞到你呼吸中的二氧化碳（CO2）做到的。體型碩大的人比體型嬌小的人產生更多二氧化碳，因此大人通常比兒童更常被叮。懷孕婦女呼出的二氧化碳量也比平常多，所以她們的風險也比較高。

　　Mosquitoes are also attracted by the scent of certain chemicals in sweat, and the concentration of these chemicals depends on genetic factors. Since mosquitoes drink blood, it's not surprising that they have blood-type preferences. Type O blood is particularly tasty to them, followed by Type B and then Type A.

　　蚊子也會被汗水中某些化學物質的氣味吸引，而這些化學物質的濃度取決於基因因素。由於蚊子吸血，牠們對血型有偏好並不令人意外。O型血對牠們來說尤其美味可口，接著是B型，再來是A型。

　　Though you can't fight nature, you can reduce your chances of being bitten. Wear light-colored clothes, apply repellant, and use a mosquito net. Mosquitoes can't bite you if they can't reach you.

　　雖然你無法對抗自然，但你可以降低被叮的機會。穿淺色衣物，塗防蚊液及使用蚊帳。如果蚊子無法接近你，就叮不到你了。