D.H. Lawrence assailed it as “that small, high, hateful bugle.” The creature he was speaking ofwas the mosquito. Most of us think of her—only the females bite—as merely a summertimenuisance. We barricade ourselves behind screens, invest in insect repellent, and finally apply lotionswhen we inevitably get bitten. But for centuries the mosquito has been recognized as more than aninconvenience. It is also a carrier of some of the world’s deadliest diseases. 　　As a disease transmitter, the mosquito has been most frequently associated with the fever andchills of malaria. Although the United States and most developed nations have now eithereradicated or significantly controlled this disease, malaria still afflicts more than a million childrena year in Africa alone. 　　Yellow fever is another disease carried by mosquitoes. It has been brought under control inNorth America, so we tend to think of it as an exotic disease. But though it is now confined toAfrica and South America, it retains its deadly power. 　　Encephalitis, which can cause brain damage or death, is one mosquito-borne human diseasethat still appears in the United states. Common birds carry this disease too, but it’s the peskymosquito that transmits it to people. Most of the time, your risk of contracting encephalitis isminimal, but the chances increase when the mosquito population swells. So remember, screens andinsect repellent may be protection from much more than a mere nuisance.
26.This passage is primarily about
(A)the causes of malaria and yellow fever.
(B) how mosquitoes bite their victims.
(C)diseases carried by insects.
(D) the mosquito’s function as a disease carrier.