Twice a week, Adam Knox jumps into a four-wheel-drive pickup and climbs to a forest high in the mountains. “You feel like you’re in Jumanji, or one of those adventure-type movies,” Knox says. “This is where the native birds live.” They’re in danger of going extinct because of avian malaria, a disease spread to birds by mosquitoes. Knox is a drone pilot. He goes into the forest to release more mosquitoes. That may sound strange, but it’s cutting edge. Instead of chemicals, “this technique uses mosquitoes to fight mosquitoes,” says scientist Christa Seidl.

And now, conservationists are delivering mosquitoes to the forest by drone. Knox calls this a “breakthrough”. When the mosquito project began, in 2023, helicopters were the only available means. “It’s been a long road to get here, with a lot of trial and testing,” he says. “But at this point, we have a system that can fly in these difficult environments.” Plus, drones are quieter, cost less, and allow more flexibility with timing. Since April, Knox has been using drone technology to help drop half a million mosquitoes a week.

Honeycreepers (管舌雀) live in Hawaii, and nowhere else. There used to be more than 50 species. Now there are only 17. Unlike honeycreepers, mosquitoes are not native to Hawaii. Even after they were introduced, they lived only at lower elevations. But as temperatures have warmed, mosquitoes have moved higher into the mountains — to honeycreeper habitat. A single mosquito bite can kill a honeycreeper.

The mosquitoes Knox drops into the forest are in biodegradable pods (可生物降解的胶囊)  holding 1,000 insects each. The mosquitoes are males, so they don’t bite or transmit disease. They’ve been raised in a lab and bred to carry a natural bacteria that prevents them from reproducing with wild females. Pods are loaded into the drone at the launch site. After liftoff, Knox releases them by remote control. When these mosquitoes mate with wild ones, the eggs that are produced won’t hatch. “This lowers the mosquito population over time,” Seidl says, especially since most females mate only once. It also gives honeycreepers time to bounce back. “The goal,” Farmer says, “is to get them off the endangered species list.”

Conservationists aren’t sure how long the recovery will take. Until then, Knox will continue doing drone drops.

1. 1.Why does Adam Knox go into the mountain forest?

A    To experience adventures.

B    To protect native birds.

C    To study mosquito diseases.

D    To drive his pickup truck.

2. 2. Which is NOT a drone advantage mentioned in the passage?

A    Reduced cost.

B    Quieter sound.

C    Faster delivery.

D    Better timing.

3. 3. What enabled mosquitoes to reach honeycreeper habitats?

A    Higher temperatures.

B    Human interventions.

C    Forest landscape alterations.

D    Bird migration patterns.

4. 4.How do the released mosquitoes ultimately help honeycreepers?

A    By reducing pest population.

B    By providing food source.

C    By breeding with wild ones.

D    By carrying beneficial bacteria.