Sometimes when the rain falls hard and fast on you, it might hurt a little.
But what happens when it hits a mosquito? A 2012 study says when a raindrop falls on a mosquito, it's like when a bus hits a person. Besides, the little insect is hit by a raindrop about once every 20 seconds. So why don't we see many dead mosquitoes after it rains?
A mosquito is as big as a raindrop, but it is much lighter — 0.002 g only. This saves its life in raindrop attacks. Because the mosquito is so light, when it is hit by a raindrop, it won't experience a force that is strong enough to kill it.
The study also found that when a mosquito is hit by a raindrop, the insect is pushed by the raindrop and falls together with it. But the mosquito doesn't get wet easily because it is covered with hairs which keep off water. After dropping about 6 cm, it will roll off the raindrop and fly away.
However, this trick isn't always successful. If the mosquito flies too low when it is hit by the raindrop, it won't have time to fly off. Then it will hit the ground and meet its death.
force 力量
What is the trick that the mosquito uses in rain?
A
It shakes its body fast enough to get water off
B
It drops with the raindrop and then rolls off it
C
It flies behind the raindrop and pushes it away
D
It rides on the raindrop and lands on the ground
正解：(B) It drops with the raindrop and then rolls off it
答案集中在第三段，整段就是在拆解這個 trick 的動作分解：蚊子被雨滴打中後，不硬碰硬，而是被雨滴推著一起往下掉，掉了大約六公分之後，從雨滴上滾開、飛走。把這串動作跟選項比對，(B) 的 drops with the raindrop and then rolls off 就是原文 falls together with it 加 roll off the raindrop 的換句話說。會考細節題很少讓你在選項裡看到原文的字，它會換一套說法，考你認不認得出「同一件事的另一種講法」。