News Bites: Recent Episodes
ICRT
News Bites brings you simple news stories in English, with extra words in Chinese to help students and second language learners here in Taiwan! Stories are written and recorded by the ICRT News Team, and uploaded every weekday morning.
Hey, you guys. Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of News Bites.
In today's news: a second life for old clothes, and is Earth in danger of being hit by a giant asteroid?
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The Moon's craters.
ClickHEREfor the full transcript!
Hello and welcome back to a brand new episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Taiwan's passport ranks 33rd in the world, and an ancient Egyptian tomb that does not belong to a pharaoh.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...4,000-year old cake!
ClickHEREfor the full transcript.
Happy Lunar New Year and welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: A man who loved snakes, since it's the Year of the Snake, and what happens to the coins people toss in Trevi Fountain.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: How the snow globe was invented!
ClickHEREfor the full transcript!
Hello and welcome back to another new episode of News Bites!
In today's news: Public shaming rolled out as punishment for repeated drunk driving, and man finds rare trove of Winnie-the-Pooh drawings and manuscripts in his father's attic.
And in today's tasty tidbit: a quiz about animals!
ClickHEREfor full transcript!
Hi there. It’s time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today’s episode: a washing machine thief, and a news reporter returns to TV with the help of AI.
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit: washing machines!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome to a brand new episode of News Bites!
In today's news: Doctors call for raising the drinking age, and Ancient Romans breathed in enough lead to lower their IQs.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: what's a gladiator?
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi everyone, welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's episode, a slow surprise falling from the sky, and a climb to the top by feel.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: New cell phone rules for elementary and junior high school students are coming soon, and a security guard's art is showing at the big museum where he works!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...okay, everyone, 3! 2! 1! where did countdowns come from?
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
Hey! Thanks for tuning-in to today's episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Taiwan's Persimmon growers struggle, and the museum of bad gifts.
And today's Tasty Tidbit is all about Wuxia.
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
Today's stories: Spiders named after a Taiwanese singer's songs, and a baby mammoth found after 50,000 years!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...if you like instant noodles, you should visit this place!
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hey, you guys! Thanks for tuning-in to today's episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Free single-use toiletries banned in hotels across Taiwan, and Germany's 'sick leave detectives' in high demand.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Sci-Fi!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan’s Presidential Hackathon winners help society, and a village in Kenya gets a 500-kilogram ring... that’s space junk!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…words for snow!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hey! It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today's episode: Record-high New Year's Eve ridership in Taiwan, and some of the most mispronounced English words of 2024.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit, we'll be taking a look at the history of the potato!
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's News Bites!
Today's stories: A record-breaking bird, and Japanese scientists figure out how to regrow teeth.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit ... training soldiers with hopscotch!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi everyone, welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's episode, safe walking space in Taipei, and a breath of fresh air somewhere in the world.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi everyone, and welcome to an all new episode of News Bites!
Coming up in today's news, fighting scammers, and struggling with crows.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
In today's News Bites:
A 90-year-old grandma lifts weight and a robot can help people walk.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…how many people live on Earth in 2025?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to this year's firstepisode of News Bites!
Coming up in today's news, trusting AI, and returning to afamous fountain.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
In today's News Bites:
Taiwan has many stars and fireworks on New Year’s Eve and an AI agent can use websites… by itself!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
How about making some New Year’s resolutions?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd liketo share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you mighthear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of NewsBites!
In today's episode: Microplastics, and a rare whale mystery.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The biggest animal in the world.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
In today's news:
A tourist was struck while trespassing the Alishan Railway, and the $20
trillion US dollar tunnel that could link New York and London.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…flowers that bloom after more than 40 years.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript! If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with
us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to
newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's episode, top Google searches in Taiwan, and squid bones help fight microplastic.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Coming up next in today's news: 13- to 15-year-old kids are getting a gift from the Ministry of Culture, and Christmas tree farmers worked hard to save trees after a hurricane!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… where in the world is Santa?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's news:
Taiwan-made e-buses head to Paraguay, and new additions to the UNESCO heritage.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…Iceland's 13 playful brothers who bring surprises instead of Santa Claus!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up in today's news: collecting buildings, and working four days a week.
In today's Tasty Tidbit....
Students from Erlin Elementary School in Changhua County tell us all about a few of their favorites!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
Coming up next in today's news: a soldier loses an arm in an explosion and gets a bionic one, and watch out for your eyes - a small cucumber shoots its seeds!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… where is all the gold in the world?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact (about gold, or anything else!), a joke, or interesting news (about bionic arms or legs, or cucumbers, or anything else!) that you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's episode: Cyberattacks, and Australia bans social media for children under 16.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's first computer virus!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's news:
A giant arriving in Taiwan, and the world's most expensive shopping street.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…drinking the same water that dinosaurs drank.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's episode, a Taiwan legislator makes history, and an epic whale of a tale.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...
We've got more jokes to tickle your funny bone!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share it with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up in today's news: Taiwan's oldest city turns 400 and throws a party to celebrate, and Salt Lake City's transit gets major upgrades.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, a guessing game for you!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey everyone, thanks for tuning-in to today’s episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Farmers in Taiwan are finding newways to deal with pesky monkeys...and a bear in Japan causes chaos in a supermarket.
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hello and welcome back to a brand new episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Workers in Tainan found an old city wall from the Qing dynasty, and a famous church in Paris has reopened after a big fire destroyed it.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…sauna culture in Finland.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome back to a brand new episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Taipei gets ranked, and we get "brain rot"!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi everyone, welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: a Taiwanese writer’s translated book gets an important award, and how about a drink made from recycled water?
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… guess the city!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi there. It’s time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today’s episode: Record Typhoon landfalls in Taiwan this year, and a banana taped to a wall sells for millions!
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit: A dust storm so large that it covers an entire planet.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome to a brand-new episode of News Bites!
In today’s news: Explore the world with the Ministry of Education, and Americans are investing in ‘hurricane-resistant’ homes.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…are clouds light or heavy?
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hi everyone, welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: a Taichung ice cream shop gets a world-famous award, and a boy finds happiness doing what he’s good at.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… bamboo!
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hey you guys, thanks for tuning-in to today’s episode of News Bites.
In today's news: Fewer people speak local languages, and South Korea convicts a man for binge eating.
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit: the world’s oldest written language.
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
In today's news, an all-new, first-ever way to learn about Taiwan, and a very demure, very mindful new Word of the Year!
Click HERE for full transcript!
In today's news:
Taiwan's LGBTQ films are featured in Spain, and the world's largest coral reef.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what's a sundog?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today's episode, the zoo thinks about legal action, andRome reacts to more gladiator battles!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, we've got a few more jokes to tickle your funny bone!
Click HERE for full transcript!
Hi everyone, welcome to an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Coming up next in today's news: A Taiwanese calligrapher writes words to think about and... have you ever found a dragon on a beach?
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…rainbows!
Click HERE for full transcript.
Hi there. It’s time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today’s episode: New Taipei’s crackdown on noisy vehicles, and a soup dumpling night riding army in China.
And today’s Tasty Tidbit is all about who invented the car.
Click HERE for the full transcript.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
In today's news: The Taipei Zoo welcomes a pygmy hippo and a hidden treasure is found!
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…a national animal that doesn’t exist!
Click HERE for the full transcript!
Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today's episode, a Taiwan scientist goes on an icy adventure, and an Egyptian pup climbs a world wonder!
Click HERE for the full transcript.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to News Bites.
In today’s news: The government allows “dragon” hunting and an Italian city’s new rules to fight overtourism.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: how many pastas can you name?
Click HERE for full transcript.
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
In today's episode, a ride for a migrating spoonbill, andrest and relaxation for a wandering koala.
Click HERE for full transcript.
_______________________________
That's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'dlike to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of NewsBites!
Coming up next in today's news: People who are homeless in Taiwan work to get stable lives, and companies are making a new food from air and something else...
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… a school puts a great name on its building!
Click HERE for the full transcript.
In today's episode: a Taiwanese barista shows off his coffee-making skills, and the world's first wooden satellite.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's first coffee shop.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's news:
Taiwan has the most cyberattacks and more crocodiles in Cambodia!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: letters, characters, numbers, and symbols.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today’s news:
Traveling abroad with your pet and traveling to the moon in style!
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: can a slug smell the world around it?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
In today's stories...
Firefighters help furry friends, and a student scientist finds a lost city.
Today's Tasty Tidbit is part two of last week's story about a New Zealand airport limiting hugging time.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's news: Too much TV could be bad for your brain, and death from gas stoves!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's first commercially available mobile phone.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's episode, we've got typhoon safety tips, and possible career options!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
On Monday, we had a student share some fun news about limiting hugging time at an airport in New Zealand.
Now, two students from Yang Ming Junior High School share what they think about this.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's News Bites:
Students in New Taipei are trying out a new sustainability program and a man hunts for new kinds of bananas.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Taichung has some bad traffic!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
In today's episode: Taiwan's first high-altitude communication balloon, and a vampire returns from the dead.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: Vampire folklore.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Today's stories...
Taiwanese scientists build the world's smallest quantum computer, and a signal from far, far, away!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…if you have something to say? Say it with a potato!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's episode...
A special train travels around Taiwan, and a giant meteor changes Earth.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
Joyce Yang from Yangming Junior High School has a story to share!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today’s episode: Taiwan looks abroad for clean energy solutions, and space junk!
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit: The largest storm in the Solar System.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's news:
How do you feel about cell phones in schools? And a new treatment may help diabetes patients.
In today's Tasty Tidbit, we've got more jokes to make you giggle.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
In today's news:
Taiwan is #1 for internet freedom, and AI helps scientists understand animal movements.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…the world's smallest guitar.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today's episode: The secret to living long, and an airport restricts hugging time.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's oldest airport.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Coming up next in today's news: presidential train cars open to the public and Japanese workers use agencies to quit jobs.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… eating competitions are popular in the U.S.!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's news:
Hot springs and flowing rivers for Taiwan's green energy future, and tiny invaders in Swiss lakes!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...Ferrari's unique engine sound.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
In today's episode, Taiwan loves of a cup of joe, and UK museum animals enjoy a chat.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
Coming up next in today's news: A Taiwanese farmer enjoys growing Taiwanese fruits and vegetables for Taiwanese in the U.S., and a teacher makes something that you can ride over land and water!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...Japan's tasty rice balls have become popular everywhere!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
In today's episode: Platform screen doors, and a new grumpy fish species.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: Ever wondered how many different species of fish there are?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
In today’s news:
A mother in Eswatini finds a special way to thank Taiwan, and the ozone layer is on track to heal after years of damage!
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…Japan’s zero-waste town!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Coming up next in today's news: the school milk program is getting more money, and an ugly painting is by… well, listen to find out!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…teens buy an oil well so it can be shut down!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Today's stories...
How Taiwan's west coast mudflats have disappeared over the last century, and scientists develop a revolutionary self-healing medical patch.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...jam, jelly, marmalade, and preserves!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
In today's episode: Big grant for fly ash washing plant, and the world's first 3-D printed hotel.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: Taiwan's volcanoes.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
Today's news stories are all about celebrating 100-year birthdays, one with a special exhibit, and one with a trip off a plane!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Elders on a runway, and Thailand says "I do!" to same-sex marriage.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit…Batman gets a Hollywood star.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
A sssssurprise at the laundromat, and a bouncy new star at a Thai zoo!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…some fun animal puns.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Taiwan wins big at an international skills competition and an island is looking for a rat… one rat!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a rap group in South Korea raps about farm life! But that's not the most surprising thing about them…
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd liketo share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you mighthear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Taiwan's largest land crab species, and a Norwegian princess marries an American shaman.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…Pies!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd liketo share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
History hiding in plain sight, and the Apache trout makes a comeback.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…fast-growing babies!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Pineapple leaves turn into clothes, and an asteroid turns into a second moon.
And today's Tasty Tidbit is out-of-this-world!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
A sushi restaurant sues a customer, and a mega den of rattlesnakes. Eww!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…the Eiffel Tower in France never rusts. Ever wondered why?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
In today's News Bites:
Keeping macaques at a safe distance, and changing the Notre Dame.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: some monkey jokes!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Taiwan has plans to make the internet safer, and scientists find more victims in a historic ruin.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a secret language only twins can understand!
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
More help for homeless animals, and the whole bean goes in the bar!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit...some dog jokes.
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
A workshop in Taiwan turns plastic waste into sunglasses, and the Paris mayor wants to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… did you eat your vegetables at lunch?
Click HERE to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites:
Taiwan introduces a ban on animal performances, and living with tigers!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…some fearful things.
Click here to see the full episode transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwanese tourists like to travel to Japan the most, with over 3 million traveling there in 2023.
Interestingly, Taiwan is also a popular destination for Japanese tourists, ranking second in a recent survey.
They’re attracted by the short flight distance, delicious Taiwanese food, among others.
________________________________
And,
No one truly knows how the pyramids of Egypt were built.
These massive structures are made from heavy stone blocks.
Scholars have proposed various theories, including a hydraulic lift.
But there isn’t any evidence to support any of them.
________________________________
Click here to see the full transcript
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and youmight hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
In today's News Bites,
A man’s curiosity led to a new eco-friendly fabric.
It is made from recycled oyster shells and plastic bottles.
People who wear clothes made from this fabric stay comfortable, warm, and dry.
And...
A man was bored during the pandemic, so he started collecting trading cards.
A woman showed him her father’s huge collection.
He bought it and now he’s having a lot of fun with it.
Click here to see the full transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
In today’s News Bites:
The Ministry of Environment in Taiwan is launching a campaign to address the issue of cigarette butts littering the environment.
The campaign involves installing cigarette waste bins in public areas and enforcing stricter penalties for littering.
The goal is to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly and create a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.
And,
The Air Guitar World Championships in Finland is a unique event where contestants pretend to play guitar without actually using one.
This year marked the 27th time the competition took place. Contestants are judged on creativity, stage presence, and overall performance.
The event promotes inclusivity and unity, welcoming people from many different backgrounds.
Click here to see the full transcript.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
In today’s News Bites...
Taiwan’s first home-built satellite, Triton, is helping scientists predict heavy rain more accurately.
Each day, Triton gathers information, which scientists turn into wind speed reports.
The Central Weather Administration already uses Triton’s wind and wave data to help forecast weather, especially during storms.
And,
Scientists have found new evidence that there is water deep below the surface of Mars.
This water is trapped in small cracks in the rocks of the planet’s crust. The discovery was made using data from NASA’s InSight mission.
Click here to see the full transcript.
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
In today's News Bites:
High-risk drivers in Taiwan are going to get shorter licenses.
Drivers who had their license revoked can only apply for a 1- or 2-year license.
They will also go through a 6-year observation period.
_________________________________________________
And...
Turning cities into sponges can help fight flooding.
Sponge cities can soak up rainwater using nature, without concrete or pipes.
They are also eco-friendly.
Click here to see the full episode transcript!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
Hello! And welcome back to another episode of News Bites. I’m Paz Bueno. And I’m Nancy Sun. We have some good news and bad news for you today: Taiwan’s wind farms are super-efficient, and breaking a 400-year heat record. And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…self-aware animals! Let’s check it out. ________________________________ 台灣離岸風電達新高 Taiwan’s Offshore Wind Farm Hits New High Renewable energy (再生能源) is becoming more and more important around the world. Instead of relying on fossil fuels (化石燃料) like oil and coal, many countries are now turning to cleaner, greener sources of energy. Renewable energy sources can help protect the environment (保護環境) and reduce pollution (減少污染). And Taiwan is working hard to use more renewable energy! One of the biggest projects we have is building offshore wind farms (離岸風力發電場). These wind farms create electricity by using the power of the wind. Taiwan Power Company (台灣電力公司) has made big improvements to its Phase 1 (第一階段的) offshore wind farm. After several months of work, the wind farm is now running at 90% efficiency! 經過幾個月的努力，這個離岸風力發電場現在的運行效率已經達到90%！ This is great news for Taiwan’s green energy plans. It wasn’t easy at first. The wind farm had to be shut down (停機) a few times to make sure everything was working well. And the team needed time to get used to the ocean environment (適應海洋環境). But since April, things have gotten a lot better. Thanks to regular check-ups and repairs, the wind farm is running smoothly. 由於定期檢查和維修，風力發電場運行得很順利。 The building for the wind farm’s operations center has taken longer to finish, though. 然而，風力發電場營運中心的建設比預期花了更長的時間。 But the company is working hard to speed things up (加緊努力) and hopes to finish the center by June next year. ________________________________ 大堡礁面臨高溫威脅！ Heat Threatens Great Barrier Reef! Global warming (全球暖化) is something we’ve been hearing about for a long time. We already know it’s changing the Earth. These changes affect (影響) not just the land, but also the oceans. In fact, some of the most beautiful and important ecosystems (生態系統), like coral reefs (珊瑚礁), are in danger because of global warming. One famous reef facing serious trouble is the Great Barrier Reef (大堡礁). Researchers in Australia recently found that ocean temperatures around the reef are now the highest they've been in 400 years! 大堡礁附近的海洋溫度已經達到400年來的最高點！ These high temperatures are causing coral bleaching (珊瑚白化), where the corals turn white and become weak. In the past nine years, there have been five major coral-bleaching events. 在過去的九年裡，已經發生了五次大規模的珊瑚白化事件。 Coral bleaching happens when the water gets too warm, and the coral loses the special algae (藻類) that live inside it. Without the algae, the coral turns white, and if the water stays hot, the coral can die. Coral is very important because it provides a home for many sea animals. The researchers hope that this new information will encourage people to act quickly to stop global warming. 研究人員希望，這些新發現能讓大家趕快採取行動，阻止全球暖化。 While the situation is serious, they believe there’s still hope (仍有希望). If the world can work together to lower temperatures, the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs might still survive (活下去). The Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage site (世界遺產). Scientists are pushing for it to be listed as “endangered” to help protect it. 科學家們正在推動將其列為“瀕危”遺產，以幫助保護它。 Saving the reef is important, not just for Australia, but for the world. ________________________________ So, in today’s News Bites… Taipower has made big improvements to its Phase 1 offshore wind farm. After several months of work, the wind farm is now running at 90% efficiency! This is great news for Taiwan’s green energy plans. ________________________________ And, Researchers in Australia recently found that ocean temperatures around the Great Barrier Reef are now the highest they've been in 400 years! These high temperatures are causing coral bleaching, where the corals turn white and become weak. The researchers hope that this new information will encourage people to act quickly to stop global warming. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Do you know who you are? That’s a deep question… Well—I mean, you can recognize yourself in the mirror, right? Of course! I know what I look like. I have self-awareness. Duh. Well, did you know humans are not the only self-aware creatures that live on Earth? Dolphins, elephants, and chimpanzees are self-aware, too! That’s amazing! It means they have a deeper understanding of the world around them and their place in it. It opens up a whole new level of thinking and feeling. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Kelly Kimura. In today's stories, top night markets for international visitors, and a big bird takes over the New York skyline. And in today's Tasty Tidbit, one student from New Taipei tells us all about a strange animal! Stay tuned for more on those stories! ______________________________________________________ 外國觀光客最愛台灣的那些夜市? Visiting Tourists Rank Favorite Night Markets We're used to visiting Taiwan's awesome night markets whenever we want. Looking to do some shopping? Feel like shooting some darts (飛鏢)? Or how about some delicious treats? Night markets are a super fun way to enjoy a night out (外出玩樂的夜晚). And visitors from other countries love night markets too. In fact, a government survey shows night markets are a favorite thing to try out for international tourists! But which ones do they like best? The survey shows the famous Shilin Night Market in Taipei was the top choice. Almost 38 percent of visitors made sure to stop by there on their trip to Taiwan. Government data shows that around 2.4 million international tourists visit Shilin Night Market every year! Then there's Raohe Street Night Market, with almost 29 percent. And rounding out the Taipei trio, is Ningxia Night Market at 17 percent. But hold up, there's lots of love for places outside of Taipei too. Down south in Kaohsiung, Liuhe Night Market takes the fourth spot. It's the most popular night market outside of Taipei, attracting almost 7 percent of international visitors. And Taichung's Fengjia Night Market takes fifth, with just over 6-percent. Overall, the survey shows that almost 6.5 million tourists visited Taiwan last year. And it seems like they had a great time. Over 97 percent said they really enjoyed their trip. And more than half said they would visit Taiwan again within five years. 去年來台的外國觀光客有將近650萬人，97%對台灣旅遊感到滿意，過一半說願意五年內再回來玩。 Many said they liked that Taiwan's people are so friendly. They also said it was very easy to get around, and the island felt very safe. ______________________________________________________ "鴿"吉拉? 巨型鴿子雕像佔領紐約高架公園 Giant Pigeon Sculpture Takes New York Something BIG is headed to New York City. What is that? It's as tall as a building. It's got sharp claws on its feet! It's not Godzilla… It's not aliens… Is that…is that a…pigeon? Pigeons are everywhere in New York City. They hang around on the streets. They look for food in parks. They sit and relax on buildings. They are a part of the city. In fact, scientists think there are more pigeons in New York City than people! They estimate (估計) that there are about 9 million pigeons in NYC, compared to 8 million people. A long, long time ago, there weren't any pigeons in the area. Scientists think European settlers (歐洲定居者) brought pigeons to the city in the 17th century. And pigeons are definitely a part of the city now. But guess what, these birds are about to get "SUPER-SIZED" The city is putting a realistic sculpture (真實的雕像) of a pigeon in High Line Park (高架公園). And this pigeon sculpture is about 5 meters tall. That's almost as tall as a giraffe! And what would you name this huge piece of art? "Giant Pigeon"? Or "Big Bird"? How about…"Dinosaur". "Dinosaur" is made by an artist named Ivan Argote. Ivan likes putting pigeons into his art. And he says he calls this sculpture "Dinosaur", because it's so big. Ivan also says dinosaurs are ancestors (祖先) of pigeons. 這隻巨型的"鴿子"名為 "Dinosaur", 是藝術家Ivan Argote 打造的雕塑。 City officials say Ivan's art is very interesting. They say he can take something familiar (熟悉)… And make people think about it in a new and different way. What do New Yorkers think about this giant pigeon statue? They'll have some time to think about it. "Dinosaur" will loom over New York City for 18 months. ______________________________________________________ So in today's News Bites: A government survey says night markets are a favorite thing to try out for international tourists! The survey shows the famous Shilin Night Market in Taipei was the top choice. Down south in Kaohsiung, Liuhe Night Market takes the fourth spot. And Taichung's Fengjia Night Market takes fifth. ______________________________________________________ New York City is putting a realistic sculpture of a pigeon in High Line Park. This pigeon is almost as tall as a giraffe! The sculpture is called "Dinosaur". ______________________________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit In today's Tasty Tidbit…. How does a lion say "hello" to other animals? It says "Pleased to EAT you!" And now 10-year-old Ray from TYK Elementary and Junior High School in New Taipei tells us all about another fun animal. ** And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit at newsbites@icrt.com.tw. And you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Jacob Ingram. Today's stories… Taiwan takes top marks for invention, and fans keep quiet for these sports. And in today's Tasty Tidbit…. Water that's boiling AND freezing? All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________ 台東國小生獲達文西發明展金牌獎 Taiwan Takes Top Marks at Innovation Competition Ever had an idea that could make life a little easier or just more fun? Inventions (發明) start with simple ideas. And this year, some Taiwan inventors (發明者) took their simple ideas… And turned everyday problems into award-winning solutions! Some of Taiwan's brightest minds just took home a bunch of medals at the 5th AII American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo. There were 14 countries, including China, South Korea, Thailand and the US, that were competing (比賽) at the expo this year. All in all, Taiwan inventors won 20 gold medals, 8 silver, 3 bronze, and even 4 special awards. Taiwan scored the highest out of all the countries! One of these cool inventions came from three clever students from Fengli Elementary School in Taitung County (台東縣的豐里國小). Lin Hung-ming, Hsu Tsu-chieh, and Chang En-kai turned a simple tape dispenser (膠帶座) into something magical! How magical, you ask? Their teachers had to put posters (海報) up in the classroom. And these students saw their teachers twisting tape around their fingers to make single-sided tape double-sided. This took a lot of extra time. So, they made something that can be added to the tape dispenser. It is shaped a bit like a "C". And this "C" helps to turn single-sided tape into double-sided tape with a quick pull! 這3名學生的發明，讓單面膠帶撕下來就成雙面膠帶。 And this "C" can be easily put away if you just need regular tape. Talk about genius! Their invention won gold and a special award! 這個"單面膠台變雙面膠台的簡便結構"拿下一面金牌與一面特別獎。 So, whether it's making tape easier to use or finding new ways to fight disease (疾病)… We can all come up with something extraordinary (令人驚奇的). Keep those ideas flowing, and maybe you’ll be next! ________________________________ 看不見的比賽：巴黎帕運"盲人足球" Silent Soccer: Why These Fans Have to Keep Quiet Sports fans… They make a lot of noise! Clapping, cheering, shouting… It's their way to support their favorite players. And it's also fun! But… Fans of these sports have to keep quiet, if they want to support their team. Blind football and goalball are a lot like soccer. But these games are for visually-impaired players (盲人足球員). Fans have to stay silent during some parts of the game. Players are people who cannot see at all. Or they can only see a little bit of light. So these players need to LISTEN. They listen for the ball and other sounds. 盲人足球員需要用聽力來進行比賽，所以觀眾必須維持安靜。 There is a little bell (鈴鐺) in the ball. This helps the players hear where the ball is going. The players also yell out to each other. This helps them work together to get the ball into the other team's net. And fans have to stay silent. An announcer will say "shh" if there is noise. This means EVERYONE is focused (專注) on what's happening on the field. These games were played at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. A player on Brazil's national team says the team can feel the fans' focus. He says they can feel that energy on the field. And the announcer also let's everyone know when it's ok to cheer. Sometimes, a runner comes onto the field with a big sign (告示牌). The sign says "GET LOUD!!!!" And everyone cheers! Some fans go to regular soccer matches too. But they say blind football and goalball are very special. So whether you're cheering loud or staying quiet, one thing's for sure… These sports show us a whole new way to be a fan and have fun! ________________________________ So, in todays' News Bites…. Some of Taiwan's brightest minds just took home a bunch of medals at the 5th AII American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo. Three clever students from Fengli Elementary School in Taitung County made something that can be added to a tape dispenser. It turns single-sided tape into double-sided tape with a quick pull! Talk about genius! ________________________________ And, Blind football and goalball are a lot like soccer, but these games are for visually-impaired players. Fans have to stay silent during some parts of the game. Players are people who cannot see at all, or can only see a little bit of light. So these players need to listen for the ball and other sounds. These games were played at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Here's something that will tickle your brain… Did you know that water can freeze (結冰) and boil (沸騰) at the same time? You need just the right temperature and just the right level of pressure, and water can be solid, liquid, AND gas, all at once! And that does it for today's News Bites. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, it's time for another episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Kelly Kimura. In today's stories, a delicious reason to travel, and new ways to build with dirt. Let's get started! ________________________________ 國內遊客重視美食 Domestic Tourists More Interested in Food When you travel, what is your reason for visiting a place? Is it the stunning scenery, the fun activities, or the delicious food? The Tourism Administration (觀光署) took a survey. They asked people aged 12 or older about traveling in Taiwan. Almost 29 percent said "convenient transportation" (交通方便) was the most important. 18 percent said "relaxation or promoting good health" was most important. And 12-percent felt "delicious food" was the most important. Even though food was third on the list, more and more people think it is important when traveling in Taiwan. Before the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情), only 8 percent thought food was most important. But there are still problems. Some people traveling in Taiwan say many places are not very unique (獨特). And delicious food may be able to help with that. Experts say local dishes and specialties (地方特產) can attract travelers. For example, have you visited Sheng-keng Old Street to try stinky tofu dishes? And experts say cafes are also becoming popular. Many people like to visit special cafes during their trip. After the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are traveling alone, or in small groups. Experts say these tourists like more local and personal (個人的) experiences. And there are now more cafes with local specialties. They sell local products (產品), like coffee beans, tea leaves or snacks made from local produce (農產品). Many cafes also open in old buildings. They renovate (整修) the buildings. It gives visitors a retro (復古) experience. Then there's also Taiwan's hot weather. When it's so hot outside, many people would rather relax in a cafe. 許多專家表示，國旅應該要結合當地美食才能更有效益。 And at the end of the day, everybody has to eat, right? ________________________________ 坦尚尼亞用泥土3D列印蓋村莊 Tanzania to Build 3D Printed Village Using Soil 3D printing has advanced rapidly over the years. Many countries now use the technology for building things. NASA is even planning to build a base (基地) on the moon using 3D printing. Many 3D printed buildings are made from concrete (混凝土) or some kind of cement (水泥). These materials are cheap. They are also durable (耐用).But, they are not really eco-friendly. Now experts have come up with a sustainable (永續) 3-D printing material. And it's made from soil (土)! In Tanzania, architects (建築師) want to build a new village. The project is called "Hope Village". There will be almost 50 buildings in the village. These buildings will be homes, schools, and daycare centers for almost 500 children! But why are these architects using soil? Humans have been building with soil since the beginning of history. But old ways of using soil make very thick walls. This means air can't get through the building very well. So the architects came up with a new kind of wall. They use 3D printing to build up layers of soil. The layers are made with curved columns (柱子). And these columns are interconnected (交錯). This leaves space for light and air to go through. And a thin wire mesh (鐵絲網) is between the layers. This makes the walls stronger. The soil for the walls can be collected close by. And the roof will be made from wood. This helps protect the walls from rain. The architects plan to make buildings for communities. And they want to train local people to use 3D printers. This will help the community build what they need themselves. 建築團隊希望透過這個方式讓當地居民能日後自己建造房屋。 ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: A survey finds that 12 percent of tourists in Taiwan felt "delicious food" was the most important. Experts say local dishes and specialties can attract travelers. And experts say cafes are also becoming popular. Experts say these tourists like more local experiences. And there are now more cafes with local specialties. ________________________________ And, In Tanzania, architects want to build a new village using 3D printing and soil. The project is called "Hope Village". There will be almost 50 buildings in the village. These buildings will be homes, schools, and daycare centers for almost 500 children! New ways of building leaves space for light and air to go through buildings. Architects also want to train local people to use 3D printers, so communities can build what they need themselves. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit For today's Tasty Tidbit…We've got a few laughs to go with your lunch. You ready? Why did the student eat his homework? The teacher told him it was a piece of cake! And…..Why do fish avoid the computer? So they don't get caught on the InterNET! And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites! I'm Kelly Kimura… And I'm Paz Bueno. Coming up next in today's news: The world's most sustainable companies include Taiwanese companies and sea lions help scientists help them! And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a university student uses Rubik's Cubes to what? Stay tuned for more on those stories! ___________________________________________________________ 台灣企業 登上全球永續企業名單 Taiwanese Companies on the World's Most Sustainable Companies List Many companies do something to help the environment (環境). But some companies make protecting (保護) the environment a big part of their business. They think about the sustainability (永續性) of the products (產品) they make, the buildings (建築) they work in, and much more. A U.S. magazine (雜誌) worked with a data (數據) company to find the most sustainable (可持?性) companies in the world this year. They started with a list of five thousand of the biggest and most powerful (實力雄厚的) companies. Then they started cutting companies from the list. They looked at many things about the companies. Companies that cause (造成) forests to be cut down or are involved with fossil fuels (涉及化石燃料) were cut. Companies that produce a lot of carbon (產生大量碳) or have caused very bad things to happen to the environment were cut. Companies that have lied about being sustainable were cut too. The list got shorter and shorter. Finally, they had a list of the 500 most sustainable companies. Taiwan has 17 companies on the list! There are six banks, three telecommunications (電信) companies, five technology (科技) companies, and two manufacturers (製造商). And… there's one cement (水泥) company! A cement company?! Cement is everywhere. It is mixed with small stones and sand to make concrete (混凝土). There's concrete in roads, sidewalks (人行道), bridges, dams (壩), and buildings from houses to skyscrapers (摩天大樓). Concrete is the most used man-made (人造) product in the world. But the cement industry (工業) produces eight percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions (二氧化碳排放量) every year. How did this Taiwanese cement company become one of the most sustainable companies in the world? It changed how it did business. It set sustainability goals (永續發展目標). It tracks its progress (追蹤它的進展) on these goals and shares the information (資訊) with everyone. It has changed the energy (能源) it uses to renewable (再生) energy. It makes cement that produces less carbon dioxide. And it does many other things. 該公司所做的事跟名單上許多其他公司一樣，這顯示水泥這樣的行業可以實現永續發展。 Congratulations - and a big thank you! - to all of them! ___________________________________________________________ 海獅助科學家一臂之力 Sea Lions Help Scientists Help Them Scientists want to help endangered sea lions (瀕危海獅). They want to protect (保護) the places these animals go. Sea lions dive to the ocean floor (潛入海底). What is the ocean floor like? Ask the scientists. What? They don't know? It's not easy to find out. To see the ocean floor, scientists have used remote controlled vehicles (遙控探測器) with cameras. They've also used ships that drop cameras deep (深的) down. But both ways are very expensive. And the ocean floor is too deep for people to go to by diving. But how about using the sea lions to carry cameras? Sea lions are sometimes called the dog of the sea. They bark (吠). They like to play. And they like to look at everything! Diving up to 90 meters deep, they look for their next meal of shark, octopus (章魚), or lobster (龍蝦) on the ocean floor. Scientists in Australia put underwater video cameras on eight female (雌) sea lions. All these sea lions had babies, so they would return in a few days. The scientists gave these sea lions some medicine to make them sleep. Then they glued a small piece of wetsuit material (潛水衣布料) on the sea lions' backs and heads. They put small cameras and tracking devices (追蹤裝置) on the wetsuit material. The devices let the scientists know where the sea lions were and how fast they were swimming. After the sea lions woke up, they went to the ocean to find food. When the sea lions returned, the scientists took the cameras and devices off of them. Then the scientists watched the videos. They saw some parts of the ocean floor for the first time! They saw lots of seaweed (海藻) and coral (珊瑚). They saw a sea lion showing her baby how to look for food for the first time too! The scientists trained AI with the videos and tracking data (數據). It can predict (預測) what is on the ocean floor in the places the sea lions didn't go. With the help of sea lions, scientists are learning how to protect these animals and the places they go. 這些瀕臨滅絕的海獅需要保護，以免受到人類活動的影響。 ___________________________________________________________ So in today's News Bites: A Taiwanese cement company is on a list of the 500 most sustainable companies in the world this year. The cement industry produces a lot of carbon dioxide. The company made a lot of changes to become one of the most sustainable. It shows that companies in industries like cement can become sustainable too. ___________________________________________________________ And… Scientists want to help endangered sea lions, so they need to protect the ocean floor, where these animals find food. But they didn't know much about the ocean floor. They put cameras on sea lions to learn more. The sea lions are helping scientists help them! ___________________________________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Some people are really good at solving the 3D puzzles called Rubik's Cubes (魔術方塊). One university student in Tainan is so good at this that he makes pictures of people with the cubes. After two Taiwanese badminton (羽毛球) players won gold medals at the Paris Olympics, the student made their pictures… with 786 cubes for each picture. Seven hundred and eighty-six cubes! That's a lot of work! The student posted videos of making the pictures on social media. Lots of people liked his pictures of the badminton players! ___________________________________________________________ And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw. You might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites. I'm Jacob Ingram. And I'm Kelly Kimura. In today's episode, we'll be talking about probiotics and fossils! And for today's Tasty Tidbit: Imagine bringing your very own pet bear to school! Stay tuned for those stories. ________________________________ 雲林水稻田添加益生菌以減少溫室氣體 Yunlin Officials Add Probiotics to Rice Paddies to Cut Carbon Emissions Do you know what bacteria (細菌) is? Bacteria are tiny living things. They can be found almost everywhere: in the air, on animals, plants, deep in the ocean and even inside your body. There are good and bad types of bacteria (好的跟壞的細菌). Good bacteria are important for keeping us healthy. It helps us digest food (消化) and absorb nutrients (攝取營養). It also supports our immune system (免疫系統). Bad bacteria, on the other hand, can harm our health. It causes many illnesses and infections. Now that we're 'up to speed' with what bacteria is, we can head over to Yunlin County for today's story. Officials there have been trying to reduce greenhouse gases from rice fields. 他們在研究怎麼減少稻田的二氧化排放。 Rice fields produce a lot of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) and methane (甲烷). These gases are bad for the environment. The officials teamed up with a local university. Together, they came up with an ingenious idea (巧妙的主意). Researchers added probiotics (益生菌), or good bacteria, to rice paddies. They said probiotics help the rice grow better and reduce (減少) harmful gases, making farming better for the planet. The researchers measured the gas emissions (測量氣體排放) and checked the environment during the rice-growing season. They say the initial results look promising. 初步結果看起來很有希望。 They found that harmful gas emissions, like carbon dioxide and methane, dropped by 80 to 90 percent. They say these big reductions can help fight climate change. It can also help Taiwan achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. 這個計畫也有助於臺灣實現2050年淨零排放的目標。 The county plans to expand this project to more areas and involve businesses. They hope farmers and companies can work together to protect the environment. ________________________________ 軟體動物的古老起源 The Ancient Origins of Mollusks Scientists have found a very old fossil (化石). How old is it? They say it is half-a-billion-years old! 五億年喔! Wow! Why do scientists study fossils? Well, fossils offer a glimpse into the past, revealing the history of life on Earth. They contain clues about how different plants and animals looked, where they lived, and how they changed over millions of years. Fossils allow scientists to piece together the story of Earth's evolution (地球的演化), like solving a puzzle, one piece at a time. Fossils can also help scientists understand more about extinct creatures, like dinosaurs (恐龍). It's like finding a really old family photo that shows how your grandparents looked when they were young! So anyway, back to this old fossil. The fossil is of a slug with spines. These creatures are known as mollusks (軟體動物). Today, mollusks come in many forms, such as snails, clams, squids, and octopuses! Scientists say the fossil shows that earliest mollusks were flat, slug-like creatures without shells. 科學家說化石顯示最早的軟體動物是扁平的、類似蛞蝓的無殼生物。 It also shows the creatures had spiny armor (帶刺的殼) for protection. This suggests it is from a very early stage in mollusk evolution. 這表明它來自軟體動物演化的早期階段。 The spines on its back likely helped it stay safe from predators (肉食動物). The mollusk fossil was found in China's Yunnan Province. Researchers said it was the size of a thumb (大小跟大拇指差不多) and looked like a rotting plastic bag (腐爛的塑膠袋). But later, they used a magnifying glass (放大鏡) to look at it more closely. Then they discovered the mollusk fossil was spiny (多刺的). The researchers described the fossil as strange, completely different from any other fossils they had ever seen. They published the findings in the journal Science (科學 (期刊)). ________________________________ So in today's News Bites: Rice fields release harmful gases that hurt the planet. So scientists added good bacteria to rice fields in Yunlin County to see what would happen. They found it helps the rice grow better and produce less harmful gas. Bacteria are tiny living things found everywhere, including inside our bodies. Some help us stay healthy, while others can make us sick. Using good bacteria in rice fields could be a big help in fighting climate change. ________________________________ And scientists found a very old fossil with spines in Yunnan, China. It's called a mollusk. Mollusks are animals with soft bodies, like snails, clams, squids and octopuses. This fossil shows that early mollusks were very different from the ones alive today. This discovery is exciting, because it helps scientists better understand the history of life on Earth. _______________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit And in today's Tasty Tidbit: It was said that the famous British poet Lord Byron kept a pet bear when he was studying at Cambridge! Byron bought the bear when he was told that he could not keep a dog in his room. So instead, he decided to get himself a tame bear as a pet. Byron was even seen taking his pet bear on walks across campus. That's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites! I'm Paz Bueno. And I'm Brody Halverson. Today's stories… Taiwan's gender income gap, and the European Union uses more renewable energy. And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a world record for counting. Let's find out! ________________________________ 男女平均所得差距1.6倍 創11年來新高 Gender Income Gap Reaches 1.6 Times, Highest in 11 Years Have you ever wondered if men and women earn the same amount of money? Well, in Taiwan, there is quite a big difference between what men and women earn. This difference is called the "gender income gap (性別收入差距)." Recently, the Ministry of Finance (財政部) shared some interesting numbers showing how much money men and women make in Taiwan. In 2022, men made an average of (平均賺到) NT$752,530 each, while women made NT$470,569 each. This means men made 1.6 times more money than women, which is the biggest gap in 11 years! Let's look at different kinds of income… In wages (工資), men earned NT$819,331 on average, while women earned NT$571,775. The gap here is 1.43 times. In profit income (利潤收入), men earned NT$72,036, and women earned NT$46,100, with a gap of 1.56 times. And in dividend income (股利收入), men earned NT$214,178, while women earned NT$131,063. The gap is 1.63 times. When it comes to retirement income (退休收入), women actually do better. Men made NT$525,159 on average, but women made NT$607,793. This is the only category where women earn more than men. ________________________________ 風能和太陽能在歐洲超越化石燃料 Wind and Sun Power Beat Fossil Fuels in Europe Renewable energy (再生能源) is energy that comes from sources that can be used again and again, like the sun, wind, and water. Unlike fossil fuels (化石燃料), which are limited and create pollution, renewable energy is clean and sustainable (永續的). A report by the climate group (氣候組織) Ember says that in the first half of this year (今年上半年), wind and solar energy produced 30% of the electricity in the European Union (歐盟). This is more than the electricity made from burning coal, oil, and gas. 這比燃燒煤、石油和天然氣產生的電力還要多。 In the EU, burning coal, oil, and gas dropped by 17% in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same time last year. 2024年前六個月，歐盟國家燃燒煤、石油和天然氣比去年同時期減少了17%。 This is good news because it means less pollution. Even though electricity demand went up a bit (電力需求上升), this change still happened. If EU countries keep building more wind turbines and solar panels (風力發電機和太陽能板), they can stop using fossil fuels. Solar power is growing fast, but the wind industry faces challenges like high costs and political opposition (高成本和政治反對). The report says 13 EU countries made more electricity from wind and solar than from fossil fuels in the first half of the year. For the first time, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and the Netherlands joined this group. 德國、比利時、匈牙利和荷蘭首次加入這個行列。 Scientists believes the EU can meet its renewable energy goals with the right policies (政策). ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… The Ministry of Finance recently shared numbers showing how much money men and women make in Taiwan in 2022. Men made 1.6 times more money than women, which is the biggest gap in 11 years! The only category where women earn more than men is retirement income. ________________________________ And, A report by the climate group Ember says that wind and solar energy produced 30% of the electricity in the European Union in the first half of this year. If EU countries keep building more wind turbines and solar panels, they can stop using fossil fuels. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit In our first story today, we mentioned a lot of numbers. It can take a long time to say big numbers out loud… So have you ever wondered how long it would take to count from 1 to 1,000,000? Well, a man named Jeremy Harper knows! Jeremy set a Guinness World Record by counting aloud to 1,000,000. He started on June 18, 2007, and finished 89 days later, on September 14. Every day, he spent 16 hours counting, and people could watch him live online. He stayed in his home the entire time and didn't shave. Jeremy's counting also helped raise over $10,000 US dollars for a charity! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites. I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Kelly Kimura. A new home for strays, and a swap for a dangerous snack. Then in today's Tasty Tidbit, the surprising origin of ketchup! All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________ 台北市建造新動物之家 Taipei Building New Animal Shelter Stray animals (流浪動物) in Taipei will soon have a new place to call home. The city is building a new animal shelter (動物收容所). The city started working on the new building this summer. The Taipei city government actually started planning (計畫，策畫) back in 2016. But the project faced many challenges (挑戰). First, the city government had to find a company that would build the shelter. Then they had to find a good location (地點). Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. And the cost of building materials (建材) went up. It wasn't easy! Overall, the project will cost $1.45 billion NT. And it will take 1,140 days to build. But when it is finished, the four-story shelter in Taipei's Neihu District will be the biggest shelter in Taiwan! And it will be more than just a temporary (暫時的) home for animals. The first floor will be a small medical center. Animals who come in can get checked by veterinarians. They might need some medical care, or medicine. On the second floor there will be space for people to visit animals. This way people hoping to adopt a pet can spend some time with an animal and see if they match. There will also be a coffee shop on this floor. The animals will live on the third floor. Cats and dogs would live in separate areas (不同的區域). And the Taipei City Animal Protection Office would be on the fourth floor. There will also be spaces for the animals to play. There will also be air-conditioning, and sound-proofing, to keep things quiet and comfortable. 台北市動物之家除了動物舍和公園之外，還會有咖啡廳、醫療中心、和互動空間。 This amazing place will open in 2028. The city hopes that the new shelter will help more animals find forever homes. ________________________________ 韓國航空公司經濟艙停供泡麵 Korean Airline Says Goodbye to Instant Noodles Have you ever spilled (灑，打翻) hot soup on yourself? Ouch! Hot food and spills can be a real danger in the kitchen. But what about in the sky? One Korean airline was also very worried about this problem. In fact, it was so worried, that it changed its inflight menu (機上餐點|). Last month, the airline stopped serving instant noodles (泡麵) to some of its passengers. If someone spills the steaming, soupy noodles… Someone could get hurt! Instant noodles have been a popular (受歡迎的) snack on the airline's flights. But the airline says turbulence (亂流) is becoming more of a problem. On flights, turbulence happens when there are changes in the air around the plane. This can make the plane shake. It can even make the plane drop down suddenly. The airline says compared with five years ago, the number of times turbulence happens on its flights have doubled. And hitting turbulence when you're holding a bowl of steaming hot soup…is definitely not good. 一家韓國的航空公司停止提供泡麵給經濟艙旅客，希望可以減少燙傷意外發生的機會。 The airline hopes the change will make its flights safer. Some people are happy about this. They said they always worry about getting burnt by the hot noodle soup. Some even said they don't like the smell. But other people aren't happy. They like the free snack. And they point out (指出) that the airline still serves other things that could cause burns. Ahem…hot coffee or tea, anyone? But the airline is making other changes too. It says it will start offering other snacks. There will be sandwiches, pizza, or "hot pockets". This is cheese, meat, and veggies wrapped in a crispy shell. Mmmm…. The airline says it will work hard to keep customers safe and happy. Turbulence can be very hard to predict (預測). And unfortunately, scientists say that with climate change, we might see turbulence happen more often than before. So if you're on a flight, remember to buckle up, no matter what snacks are on board. Safe travels everyone! ________________________________ So in today's News Bites, Taipei is building a new animal shelter. It will have a medical center, space for people to visit animals, and even a coffee shop. This amazing place will open in 2028. The city hopes that the new shelter will help more animals find forever homes. ________________________________ And, One Korean airline has stopped serving instant noodles to some of its passengers. But the airline says turbulence is becoming more common, and they hope the change will make its flights safer. It will start serving other snacks, like sandwiches and pizza. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Do you have a favorite condiment (調味品)? Ketchup is one of the most commonly used condiments. We eat all sorts of food with ketchup. We add it in burritos, dip our fries in it, drizzle it over omelets…the list just goes on! But did you know, over 100 years ago, ketchup was used as medicine? In the 1830s, a doctor claimed ketchup could cure diarrhea and indigestion. It was sold as "tomato pills". But by the 1850s, no one was buying them. And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Welcome back to another episode of News Bites! I'm Paz Bueno. And I'm Brody Halverson. In today's news: An HSR extension will be decided by year's end, and why Europe has become an epicenter for anti-tourism this summer. And in today's Tasty Tidbit… what's the shortest airplane trip you can take? Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________ 交通部年底前決定高鐵南延路線 HSR Extension to be Decided by Year's End The Taiwan High Speed Railway opened in 2007. Since then, traveling between Taipei and Kaohsiung has become more time efficient and affordable (負擔得起的). While the HSR runs along the west coast of Taiwan, there is one county that it doesn't reach (到達), Pingtung. If Pingtung residents (居民) want to go to Taipei, they have to drive or take public transportation to the Zuoying HSR station in Kaohsiung. Both transportations methods (交通方式) take between 40 minutes to an hour. Over the years, authorities (有關當局) have been discussing whether to extend the HSR into Pingtung. And there is finally some good news for the local residents! The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that a decision to extend the HSR to Pingtung is expected to be finalized before the end of the year. 交通部表示，高鐵延伸到屏東預計在年底之前決定。 They also mentioned that the extension may include a stop in urban (市區) Kaohsiung. In the current proposal (提案), there will be two stops in Pingtung County. The extension might also extend to Taitung in the future. Building a railway network around Taiwan has always been the goal of THSRC. The Taiwan Railway (台鐵) has already completed the train tracks around Taiwan. However, traveling to the east by train still takes a few hours. The HSR would be able to cut the train trip in half! As for the northeastern extension of the HSR, it was already been approved in 2020. The northeastern extension will run from Nangang to Yilan. The line will be 56.4 kilometers long and the travel time will take only 18 minutes. This is great news for commuters (通勤者) between Taipei and Yilan. Construction of the northeastern extension is expected to be completed in 2036. ________________________________ 歐洲今年暑假為何成為"反旅遊"中心 Why Europe has Become an Epicenter for Anti-Tourism This Summer Over the last 30 years, traveling abroad (出國旅遊) has become more and more common. Then the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情) happened, and the world was almost still (停頓下來) for 3 years. People around the world could only stay in their countries and homes. When travel restrictions (限制) were lifted, millions flocked out of (湧出) their countries to travel. This phenomenon (現象) was called "revenge travel (報復性旅遊)," an act of taking a trip that wasn't able to happen due to the pandemic. This contributed to (導致) a situation that has been happening over the years, "overtourism (過度旅遊)." Anti-tourism protests (反旅遊抗議) have been sweeping across (橫掃) Europe this summer. These protests took place in the Netherlands, Greece, and Spain. Thousands of local residents took part in the protests. They are protesting about rising rents and house prices in popular travel destinations, which is also their home. The pattern is also happening in other European cities. Locals are blaming the increasing costs on mass (大量) tourism. However, there are experts that don't agree with this theory. Martins, an expert in sustainable tourism (永續旅遊), said that the locals are not happy because they do not benefit (獲益) from the tourism in their area. So, what can authorities do? Zenker, a professor in tourism at Copenhagen business school, offered a solution. He said that the money that is made by tourism should be invested locally (投資在當地). Wages should be raised and more jobs should be offered to local residents. It looks like this is happening around the world. The protests might not cease (停止) until the problem is solved. ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: A decision to extend the HSR to Pingtung is expected to be finalized before the end of the year. The railway will be extended into Pingtung, and another station might be added in Kaohsiung. ________________________________ And, Europe has become an epicenter for anti-tourism this summer. Locals are protesting about overtourism all over Europe. They are protesting about rising rents and house prices in popular travel destinations, which is also their home. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Hey Brody, what's the longest flight you've ever been on? Probably Taipei to Los Angeles. What about you? The longest flight I've been on is from Taipei to New York. It takes around 15 hours! Have you heard about the shortest flight in the world? No, how short is it? It's only 2.8 kilometers long, between two tiny islands in Scotland. That's a short distance! How long does the flight take? The flight can take as little as 53 seconds! The whole trip, including taxiing, takes around two minutes. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, welcome back! It's time for a brand new episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Brody Halverson. In today's stories, social media causes anxiety among Taiwanese teens, and an emotional support alligator Wally brings joy to his community! Let's get started! ________________________________ 台灣青少年的身體形象焦慮 Body Image Anxiety Among Taiwanese Teens Do you use social media (社群媒體)? Do you scroll (滑) through Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok without thinking? Do you know what social media does to our minds? A survey from The Child Welfare League Foundation (兒福聯盟) found that social media causes body image anxiety (身體形象焦慮) for many Taiwanese teenagers. Over 70% of middle and high school students do not like how they look. This is almost 3 in every 4 kids! Many students try to change how they look by using filters (濾鏡) or editing (編輯) their photos. Sometimes, they edit their pictures so much that the pictures do not look real. Sometimes, they do not share their pictures because they worry about what other people will think of them. Seeing pretty pictures of other people causes teenagers to feel less confident (自信) about themselves. The foundation hopes people will pay attention to this problem and suggests (提議) some ways to reduce (減少) the anxiety. First, we can spend less time on the Internet and on social media. Parents can spend more family time with children away from their devices. Second, we can turn off social media notifications, so we do not check the apps as often. This will also help reduce anxiety. Third, we can practice positive affirmations. Look into the mirror and tell yourself, "I want to like you, and I want to learn how to truly love you!" Psychologists (心理學家) say that positive affirmations (正面肯定句) can help us build confidence and be happier. This means that the more positive thoughts we think and say about ourselves, the more we will believe in them! 我們對自己說越多正面肯定話，我們就會越相信自己！ It is important to know that everyone is beautiful in their own way. You are unique, and no one else is like you! ________________________________ 情感支持鱷魚沃利 Emotional support alligator Wally You might have seen therapy dogs (治療犬) around… But have you seen an emotional support alligator (情感支持鱷魚)? Wally was an emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney from Philadelphia. When Wally was 1 year old, Joie rescued (拯救) him from Florida and brought him home. Joie built a 1100-liter pond in his living room for Wally. That's about the size of 5 bathtubs! Wally liked to eat cheese puffs, and he enjoyed watching "The Lion King". He grew to about 2 meters long! Wally became Joie's important friend. He took Wally out on walks on a leash (牽繩), and Wally even slept with him in the same bed! Joie was receiving treatment for cancer, and he said Wally brought him a lot of comfort. Joie noticed that Wally calmed people down. For some reason, Wally did not bite people. Joie started taking Wally to schools and senior living centers (養老院). The students and elders were very happy to see him. Wally是一隻很特別的鱷魚，牠不會咬人，而且很和善！牠的主人常帶著牠去探望學校和老人院。 At one school, Wally met a boy with Tourette's syndrome (妥瑞症). The boy's tics (抽動) stopped while he was petting Wally. One of Wally's teeth had been wiggling (搖晃), so Joie pulled it out and gifted it to the boy! The tooth is very special to the boy to this day. Wally also helped people with anxiety and depression feel happier! Wally became very famous, gaining 153,000 followers on TikTok. Unfortunately, one day Wally was taken without permission (許可). He was caught by a trapper who did not know he had an owner and released into a swamp (濕地) earlier this year. But there are also other unique emotional support animals around. There's "Cuddle Quack" the emotional support duck, and Pita Peppa the emotional support pig, and Travis the emotional support llama (大羊駝), just to name a few! ____________________________________________________________________________ So in today's News Bites: A survey from The Child Welfare League Foundation finds that social media causes anxiety among over 70% of Taiwanese teenagers. Many use filters or edit how they look. The foundation encourages people to spend less time on social media and practice positive affirmations. ____________________________________________________________________________ And… Emotional support alligator Wally became a special friend to cancer patient Joie. Wally visited many schools and nursing homes. Wally helped many people with anxiety and depression feel happier! ____________________________________________________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit For today's Tasty Tidbit… Did you know alligators can go through up to 4,000 teeth in a lifetime? Alligators have 80 teeth, and each tooth can regrow up to 50 times! And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Lugang Dizangwang Temple is being restored, and Caesar salad turns 100 years old.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Ice-cream cones were invented by accident!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
______________________________________________________
鹿港地藏王廟修復
Lugang Dizangwang Temple in Restoration
Have you heard about the Dizangwang Temple (地藏王廟) in Lugang?
As the name suggests, it is dedicated to Dizangwang Pusa (地藏王菩薩).
People go to pray for their deceased (去世) ancestors (祖先).
The temple is an important religious center (宗教中心).
It holds rituals for the deceased.
它為往生者舉行儀式。
It was originally built in the second year of the Kangxi reign (康熙年間) back in the Qing Dynasty (清朝).
In other words, the temple was built back in 1663!
In 1985, the government designated it as a historic site (將它列為古蹟).
Lots of people visit the temple during Hungry Ghost Month (鬼月), also known as Zhongyuan Festival (中元節), every lunar July (農曆七月).
Last year during Zhongyuan Festival, the temple had around 10,000 visitors.
The temple is incredibly popular and historically important (很有歷史意義).
But over time, many paintings, artifacts and architectural elements have faded and cracked.
然而，隨著時間，許多繪畫、文物和建築元素已經褪色和破裂。
Now, a restoration project has been started.
修復工程已經啟動.
Earlier in July this year, the temple held an official ceremony, marking the start of the project.
The temple teamed up with local officials (當地政府) and they managed to raise 12 million NT!
They explained this project will focus on preservation (保存) and restoration (修復).
They wish to display (展示) the beauty of traditional culture (傳統文化) and the craftsmanship (工匠精神) that was put into building these temples.
But they say the deteriorating murals (壁畫) were both a cultural risk and a safety hazard for visitors to the temple.
The project will be completed by a team of experts, including painters and artists.
They expect it will be finished by November next year.
______________________________________________________
凱撒沙拉誕生100週年
Caesar Salad turns 100
Have you heard of Julius Caesar?
He's a famous Roman emperor (羅馬皇帝).
Maybe you've also heard of Caesar salads (凱撒沙拉)?
It sounds like Julius Caesar invented Caesar salads.
They're named after him, right?
Well, actually no!
The salad was not invented (發明) by him.
The first Caesar salad wasn't made until 1924 - that's almost 2,000 years after the famous Roman emperor died.
It just so happens that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Caesar salads!
The salad was created by an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico.
Cardini was an Italian immigrant (移民) who opened restaurants in Mexico (墨西哥) and the United States (美國).
Being short on ingredients (食材) one day, Cardini put together the salad from leftover ingredients (剩下的食材) in the kitchen.
He combined Romaine lettuce, garlic oil, eggs, croutons (麵包丁), and parmesan cheese (帕瑪森起司).
He then mixed up all these ingredients with his special dressing (沙拉醬).
People dining in Cardini's restaurant enjoyed this dish.
So, it became more and more popular.
Cardini initially intended this salad to be "finger food".
This meant it was meant to be eaten with fingers!
The original recipe of the Caesar salad used whole hearts of romaine lettuce.
凱撒沙拉最開始是用整顆羅馬生菜心。
Cardini designed it so that diners could pick up hearts of romaine lettuce and enjoy their crunchy texture.
However, many customers complained about not wanting to get their hands covered in the creamy Caesar sauce.
So, Cardini adjusted (調整) the recipe.
He started using torn pieces of lettuce so guests could easily eat the salad with forks.
Cardini would prepare the dish on the table, right in front of the guests.
This was his way of showing how fresh his ingredients were.
One century later, the dish is still prepared the same way at Cardini's restaurant in Tijuana.
Every month, 2,500 Caesar salads are served in the restaurant.
Earlier this year in July, Tijuana commemorated the centenary (100週年慶) with a three-day celebration.
They held a food and wine festival, and unveiled (揭幕) a statue (雕像) of Cardini.
______________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
The Dizangwang Temple in Lugang was built in the Qing Dynasty, more than 300 years ago.
The temple is popular and historically important, so a restoration project has been started.
The restoration will be completed by a team of experts, including painters and restoration artists.
They expect the project to be complete by November 2025.
______________________________________________________
And this year marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of Caesar salads.
The salad was created by an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico.
Earlier this year in July, Tijuana marked the centenary, or 100th year anniversary, with a three-day celebration.
They held a food and wine festival, and unveiled a statue of Cardini.
______________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that ice cream cones were invented by accident?
During a fair in St. Louis, United States, an ice cream vendor ran out of paper cups to hold his ice cream.
A waffle maker next to the vendor noticed this problem, then rolled waffles into cones to hold the ice cream.
People at the fair loved this new combination of waffles and ice cream.
Ice cream cones then became super popular.
_________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
And you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's episode we'll be talking about healthy eating and Britain's King Charles giving a royal title to a goat.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: Pound Cakes!
Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________
健康飲食和運動可降低感冒的機會
Healthy Eating and Exercise Reduces the Chance of Colds
Fed up with catching colds?
受夠感冒了嗎？
感冒真的很麻煩。
There might be a way to help you avoid them.
A new survey suggests that eating healthy foods can reduce your chances (減少機率) of catching colds!
The survey was done by the Formosa Cancer Foundation (癌症基金會).
It wanted to look into the health of young children here in Taiwan.
Some of the results were concerning (令人擔憂).
For example, the survey found that half of all school children in Taiwan do not eat enough fruits and vegetables daily.
Now, it's no secret that fruits and vegetables are healthy foods.
They have lots of good things.
They help our bodies grow strong, fight germs, and work well.
Plus, they taste yummy and come in lots of different colors and flavors.
So it's a good idea to eat them regularly.
經常吃蔬果有很大的好處。
The survey also showed that 60 percent of school children don't eat whole grains.
You know what whole grains are?
Brown rice and purple rice count as whole grains, and so does oatmeal (燕麥).
These are also very good for you.
對身體很好。
It also found that as many as 80 percent of school children don't eat soy products (豆類製品) daily.
Nutritionists (營養師) said it's not good that so many kids in Taiwan aren't eating enough healthy foods.
They stressed (強調) the importance of a healthy diet, noting that it can reduce your chances of catching colds by up to 8 percent.
They added that healthy eating and good exercise habits makes the chance of catching colds even lower!
飲食健康加上運動習慣可以有效降低感冒機率。
________________________________
珍稀山羊的皇家稱號
Royal Title for Rare Goats
Have you heard of Britain's King Charles III?
Yeah, he's basically Britain's grandpa.
In other words, he runs the country, or rather, has a lot of people to run it for him.
But did you know that he has a special ability?
He can bestow royal titles (賜予皇家頭銜).
He recently gave one to a rare breed of goats (少見的山羊種類)!
This goat breed is known for living on a small island called Guernsey.
Guernsey is in the English Channel.
The breed is now known as the "Royal Golden Guernsey Goat".
Rebecca Martin, a local, owns an eight-year-old goat of this breed.
Her goat was the lucky one chosen to represent (代表) the breed during the British King's visit.
Rebecca hopes this title will help people learn more about these special goats.
The Royal Golden Guernsey Goat has a pale blonde coat, which the British King admired.
這種山羊有一層淺金色的毛皮，很得英國國王的歡心。
These goats are known to be friendly, gentle, and good at making milk.
But they are also very rare and are on an "at risk" list.
In other words, their numbers are very low, so they could disappear.
牠們的數量非常少，有可能絕種。
Christopher Price is the head of a charity (慈善機構) that aims to raise awareness (提高認識) about rare animals in Britain.
Price said this royal title is important, because it recognizes the goat breed's value.
He also said these goats are good for the environment, because they eat certain plants.
Price thanked the British king for his support.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A recent survey showed that around half of children in Taiwan don't eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are very healthy, and help our bodies grow strong, fight germs, and work well.
Nutritionists said that eating fruits and vegetables every day can help reduce the chance of catching a cold by 8%.
They added that healthy eating and exercise reduces your chance of catching a cold even more.
________________________________
And,
Britain's King Charles III is able to bestow royal titles.
Recently he gave one to a breed of goats, so they are now known as the "Royal Golden Guernsey Goat".
This breed lives on the small island of Guernsey, and is admired for its pale blonde coat and friendly nature.
But it's also at risk of disappearing due to low numbers.
The breed is good for the environment, as it eats certain plants.
It is hoped the title will raise awareness about the breed.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Do you know why Pound Cakes are called "Pound" Cakes?
The answer is actually fairly simple!
Pound cakes are made with four ingredients (成分): flour (麵粉), butter, eggs, and sugar.
When you make pound cakes, you add a pound of each ingredient!
Pound cake is a British creation that was first made in the early 1700s.
Pound cakes have a rich, buttery flavor with a dense and moist texture (口感紮實且濕潤).
They are the perfect dessert (完美甜點) to enjoy alongside a nice cup of tea.
________________________________
That's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Internet usage increases among elderly in Taiwan and the National Gallery celebrates its 200th anniversary!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Art was once a part of the Olympics!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
________________________________
台灣老年人網路使用率增加
Increased Internet Usage Among Elderly in Taiwan
Can you imagine life without the internet?
Imagine not being able to message your friends, order food online, look up important information, or find your way around town.
Before the internet, people had to go to libraries and read through books.
They also had to carry around pocket maps (口袋地圖) so they wouldn't get lost.
It's shocking (令人震驚的) to think that the internet has only been available to the public (對外開放) for 30 years.
This means, a lot of the older population (老年人口) didn't have access to the internet when they were younger.
But as time went on, the internet became more and more popular.
Now, it connects us with people from all over the world and allows us to access information (資訊) quickly and easily.
現在，網路讓我們可以和世界各地的人交流，使我們能夠快速、輕鬆地獲取資訊。
The Ministry of Health ran a survey to analyze trends (分析趨勢) in the elderly between 2017 and 2022.
It showed that internet usage among seniors in Taiwan has increased by 50 percent.
For those aged 55 to 64, internet usage has risen from 65 percent to 87 percent.
Why?
Well, there are many factors (因素).
The internet is a lot more accessible now thanks to technology.
Smartphones and high-speed internet connections are more affordable.
Wi-Fi and mobile networks (手機網路) have expanded (擴大), so people can connect to the internet more easily.
In addition, Apps and websites are now more user-friendly (易於使用的), so they're easy to use for both the young and elderly.
With the internet at our disposal, we're able to achieve (實現) so much.
We're can self-study different subjects, FaceTime our friends, watch films at home, go online shopping, and much more.
________________________________
英國國家美術館
The National Gallery
Have you heard about Van Gogh's famous sunflower paintings?
Well, you'll be able to find one of them at the National Gallery in London!
The National Gallery opened in 1824.
The museum was founded when the British government (英國政府) bought 38 paintings from an art collector (收藏家).
Today, the National Gallery has over 2,300 paintings.
It's like a giant treasure chest (百寶箱) of art!
This year marks its 200th anniversary (200週年紀念日).
The museum has a rich collection of Western European paintings ranging from the 13th to the 19th century.
博物館內藏有豐富的13世紀至 19 世紀西歐繪畫作品。
These paintings are like windows to the past.
這些畫就像通往過去的門戶。
They show us how people lived, how people dressed, and much more!
它們向我們展示了當時人們的生活方式、穿著等等。
Lots of people from all around the world visit the National Gallery every year.
This year also commemorates (慶祝) the 100th anniversary of the museum acquiring (獲取) two famous paintings: "Van Gogh's Chair" and "Sunflowers."
To celebrate, the National Gallery will hold a Van Gogh exhibition (展覽) titled "Poets and Lovers." (詩人與戀人)
It's going to be the biggest Van Gogh exhibition in the UK since 2010!
You'll be able to witness many of his famous paintings all in one place!
The exhibition starts September 14th.
Van Gogh's art is very popular today.
You might have seen his swirly (旋渦狀的), colorful paintings in books, on TV, or even on t-shirts.
Yet surprisingly, Van Gogh wasn't famous when he was alive.
He produced more than 2,000 artworks (作品), but not many people noticed his talent (才華) back then.
Today, his work is loved by millions.
People travel far to get a glimpse of his paintings in real life.
If you visit the National Gallery, you'll get to see Van Gogh's unique (別致) artworks!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Internet usage among seniors in Taiwan has increased by 50 percent.
Over the last few years, the internet has become more accessible partially due to cheaper and faster technology.
________________________________
And this year marks the National Gallery's 200th anniversary.
It is also the 100th anniversary of the museum acquiring "Van Gogh's Chair" and "Sunflowers," two of Van Gogh's famous paintings.
To celebrate, the National Gallery will hold a Van Gogh exhibition titled "Poets and Lovers."
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that art used to be an Olympics event?
Art competitions were a part of the modern Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948.
During that time period, artists received medals for their architecture, music, paintings, sculptures and literature inspired by sports.
Pierre Coubertin is the founder of the modern Olympics.
He believed that a true Olympian had to be someone who not only demonstrates athletic strength, but also had artistic skills.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, welcome back!
It's time for a whole new year of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's stories, land crabs crossing, and snakes in pants. Let's get started!
________________________________
墾丁封路保護陸蟹
Helping Kenting Crab Moms
Why did the land crab cross the road?
To get to the ocean to lay her eggs!
It's a special time in Kenting (墾丁).
It's the time when land crabs (陸蟹) have baby crabs. How does it all work?
Many land crabs live in and around Kenting National Park in southern Taiwan.
And every year, from around May to October, land crabs are very busy.
Female land crabs hold many eggs on their bodies.
And they need to get from land to the ocean, to lay their eggs.
It's a very dangerous journey.
They climb up and down over hills.
They may cross rivers or streams.
And most dangerous of all…
They have to cross the road (過馬路).
Every year, many land crabs are killed trying to get across the road. They get hit by cars and scooters.
If they don't get help, the number of land crabs in the wild could fall even lower.
So the park is running a special program.
It's the "Stop 10, Go 10" program!
It happens on Provincial Highway 26, at a section where many land crabs try to cross.
There, the highway is 4 lanes wide.
But during this time, cars may only use 2 of the lanes. 在台26線的這一段，路從原本的4線道縮減成2線道。
And the cars can use the road for 10 minutes.
Then the road is closed for 10 minutes. It's "crab mode" on the highway!
This is when the crabs can cross safely.
Then, after 10 minutes, the road reopens again to let cars go.
And when the cars are moving, there is a special lead car. This car drives in front, and makes sure all the cars go slow.
This gives land crabs a good chance to get to the other side safely.
But there's more!
The park has also built special bridges (高架陸蟹廊道) for the crabs.
These bridges go over the highway.
It's another safe way for the crabs to get across the road.
So if you're in Kenting, or know someone who is, spread the word!Let's keep the roads and beaches safe for our crab friends!
________________________________
男子出奇招走私百條活蛇
Sneaky Snake Smuggler Caught
Hey kids, if you had to hide a snake somewhere…
Where would you put it?
Definitely not IN YOUR PANTS right?
Well, one man did just that.
And he didn't just hide one snake in his pants…
He hid over 100!
This man is a smuggler (走私者).
He wanted to sneak these snakes into China.
He probably wanted to sell the snakes there to get a lot of money.
The man was traveling from Hong Kong to the city of Shenzhen.
He told customs officers (海關工作人員) that he had "nothing to declare" (沒有要申報的東西).
But the officers stopped him.
They checked him over.
And they found 104 live snakes hidden in six bags inside his pants!
Officers say each bag had snakes of all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Most of the snakes were small.
But that is still a lot of slithery squirmy snakes to hide inside your trousers! 海關人員發現這個男子穿的褲子裡塞滿了6個抽繩袋，裡面裝滿了各種形狀、大小和顏色的活蛇。
Most countries do not let people bring in non-native animals or plants (外來物種).
That's because these animals and plants may be dangerous.
They could be harmful to native animals or plants (原生物種).
If you want to bring a non-native animal or plant into Taiwan, you have to get special permission.
And wildlife trafficking is a serious problem worldwide.
It's when people take animals from their natural homes, and sell them illegally.
It's like stealing animals from the wild.
This is bad because it hurts the animals, and can make some types of animals disappear forever.
It's also bad for the environment, and can spread diseases.
So let's all do our part and make sure animals stay safe in their natural homes!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kenting is running a special program to help protect land crabs.
It's the "Stop 10, Go 10" program!
Cars can use the road for 10 minutes, then the road is closed for 10 minutes.
This is when the crabs can cross safely to get to the beach.
________________________________
And,
Customs officers in China stopped a man and checked him over.
He had 104 snakes hidden in bags inside his pants!
He probably wanted to sell the snakes to get a lot of money.
Most countries do not let people bring in non-native animals or plants.
That's because these animals and plants may be dangerous.
They could be harmful to native animals or plants.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For today's Tasty Tidbit…
Okay, summer vacation is over, and that's no laughing matter.
But we're here to help you start school with a smile! You ready?
Why do math books always look so sad?
They are full of problems!
And one more for the road.
Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Noah.
Noah who?
"Noah more summer", it's time for school!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
Today’s stories…
A movie talks about the soil on Taiwan’s farms, and scientists find a plant that can survive on Mars.
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
新電影探索台灣土壤
New Film Explores Taiwan’s Soil
What is under our feet?
Uhh, our shoes?
And under that?
The floor?
And under that?
I don’t know, soil! It’s soil (土壤).
Yes. We live on soil.
It forms the ground beneath our feet and supports us every day.
What’s more, we grow all of our fruits and vegetables in the soil.
That’s why we need healthy soil.
The soil helps us, but do we help it back?
A new movie shows how two people have tried to improve the soil (改善土壤).
The film is called "Soul of Soil” (種土).
In this film, the director Yen Lan-chuan (顏蘭權) tells the true story of two farmers.
The first one is named A-ren (阿仁).
He gave up his job as an engineer to return to his hometown Kaohsiung and become a farmer.
A-ren tries to grow pineapples (鳳梨), but he has a problem.
A science park was built near his farm, which caused flooding and washed away the soil’s nutrients (土壤的養分).
That means the soil on his land is very poor.
A-ren tries to improve the land by using organic waste to make compost, but it is difficult to fix the poor soil. 阿仁試圖改善土地，但貧瘠的土壤很難修復。
That story really makes you feel sad.
But the second story is happier.
It is about a farmer named An-he (安和).
His first five years were full of failure, as harmful insects (害蟲) were eating his plants.
An-he kept at it, patiently working to improve the soil with organic farming methods (有機耕作方法).
Little by little An-he’s farm gets better, with earthworms and other helpful insects (益蟲) returning to his soil.
Finally in the sixth year he is able to grow honeydew melons (蜜瓜)… and now he has been farming for thirty years.
With these two stories, "Soul of Soil” wants to show people how tough it is for farmers to grow the food we all depend on.
The film also wants to inspire people (啟發人們) to take better care of Taiwan’s soil, because if the soil becomes poor, it is not easy to fix.
So the next time you eat a delicious pineapple or a melon… remember (記住) the soil it came from.
________________________________
科學家發現可以在火星上生存的植物
Scientists Find Plant That Can Survive On Mars
I wonder what plants grow on Mars (火星).
…what? Plants on Mars?
Yeah, plants on the planet Mars.
Perhaps they have Mars-trees. Or Mars-fruit.
I don’t think there are any plants on…
I know! They definitely have Mars-mallows!
Stop! You’re mad, there are no plants on Mars.你瘋了，火星上沒有植物。
Okay, there may be no plants on Mars yet.
But what about in the future?
Did you hear about the scientists who found a plant that could survive (生存) on Mars?
Actually I did. The scientists in China found it, right? It’s like a desert plant (沙漠植物).
That’s right. It is a kind of moss (苔蘚) that grows in the desert.
It’s called Syntrichia caninervis.
This moss grows in some of the harshest regions on Earth (地球上一些最惡劣的地區).
It has been found in America’s Mojave Desert, the high mountains of Tibet, and even in Antarctica.
It is very hardy, and it can live to be up to a hundred years old.
It can also survive in very dry (乾燥) places.
Scientists in China wanted to find a kind of plant that could survive on Mars, and they guessed this plant might be able to.
So, they made an experiment (實驗).
They tested the moss under conditions like those on the planet Mars (類似於火星的條件下).
They found it could survive for years at very cold temperatures.
It could also survive radiation (承受輻射).
That’s important, because Mars gets a lot of radiation from the Sun.
This desert moss could handle all of it.
But, there was one thing it could not do.
It could not keep growing in these conditions.
The scientists found they could make it grow again, but only when they brought it back to normal conditions like we have on Earth.
In other words, this plant can survive on Mars, but it cannot grow there.植物可以在火星上生存，但不能在那裡生長。
However, scientists still think this is an important discovery (重要的發現).
They think it might be the first step to finding a plant that could live on Mars.
And if plants could live there… maybe people could, too.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
A director from Taiwan made a new movie.
It follows the true story of two farmers, as they try to repair the soil on their farms.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a plant that can survive on Mars.
It’s a kind of desert moss.
Although it could survive on another planet, it could not grow there.
________________________________
Now it's time for the final Tasty Tidbit of the year!
You ready?
Do fish have summer vacation?
No, because they're always "in school"!
And that's our last News Bites episode for this semester!
We hope all you lovely listeners had fun tuning in and learning about the world with us. And thank you for sharing all those amazing facts and hilarious jokes too!
And as always, a big thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education for making News Lunchbox possible and supporting our programs.
Have a wonderful summer, and make sure to tune in again in the Fall, for all new episodes of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
Today’s stories…
A movie talks about the soil on Taiwan’s farms, and scientists find a plant that can survive on Mars.
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
新電影探索台灣土壤
New Film Explores Taiwan’s Soil
What is under our feet?
Uhh, our shoes?
And under that?
The floor?
And under that?
I don’t know, soil! It’s soil (土壤).
Yes. We live on soil.
It forms the ground beneath our feet and supports us every day.
What’s more, we grow all of our fruits and vegetables in the soil.
That’s why we need healthy soil.
The soil helps us, but do we help it back?
A new movie shows how two people have tried to improve the soil (改善土壤).
The film is called "Soul of Soil” (種土).
In this film, the director Yen Lan-chuan (顏蘭權) tells the true story of two farmers.
The first one is named A-ren (阿仁).
He gave up his job as an engineer to return to his hometown Kaohsiung and become a farmer.
A-ren tries to grow pineapples (鳳梨), but he has a problem.
A science park was built near his farm, which caused flooding and washed away the soil’s nutrients (土壤的養分).
That means the soil on his land is very poor.
A-ren tries to improve the land by using organic waste to make compost, but it is difficult to fix the poor soil. 阿仁試圖改善土地，但貧瘠的土壤很難修復。
That story really makes you feel sad.
But the second story is happier.
It is about a farmer named An-he (安和).
His first five years were full of failure, as harmful insects (害蟲) were eating his plants.
An-he kept at it, patiently working to improve the soil with organic farming methods (有機耕作方法).
Little by little An-he’s farm gets better, with earthworms and other helpful insects (益蟲) returning to his soil.
Finally in the sixth year he is able to grow honeydew melons (蜜瓜)… and now he has been farming for thirty years.
With these two stories, "Soul of Soil” wants to show people how tough it is for farmers to grow the food we all depend on.
The film also wants to inspire people (啟發人們) to take better care of Taiwan’s soil, because if the soil becomes poor, it is not easy to fix.
So the next time you eat a delicious pineapple or a melon… remember (記住) the soil it came from.
________________________________
科學家發現可以在火星上生存的植物
Scientists Find Plant That Can Survive On Mars
I wonder what plants grow on Mars (火星).
…what? Plants on Mars?
Yeah, plants on the planet Mars.
Perhaps they have Mars-trees. Or Mars-fruit.
I don’t think there are any plants on…
I know! They definitely have Mars-mallows!
Stop! You’re mad, there are no plants on Mars.你瘋了，火星上沒有植物。
Okay, there may be no plants on Mars yet.
But what about in the future?
Did you hear about the scientists who found a plant that could survive (生存) on Mars?
Actually I did. The scientists in China found it, right? It’s like a desert plant (沙漠植物).
That’s right. It is a kind of moss (苔蘚) that grows in the desert.
It’s called Syntrichia caninervis.
This moss grows in some of the harshest regions on Earth (地球上一些最惡劣的地區).
It has been found in America’s Mojave Desert, the high mountains of Tibet, and even in Antarctica.
It is very hardy, and it can live to be up to a hundred years old.
It can also survive in very dry (乾燥) places.
Scientists in China wanted to find a kind of plant that could survive on Mars, and they guessed this plant might be able to.
So, they made an experiment (實驗).
They tested the moss under conditions like those on the planet Mars (類似於火星的條件下).
They found it could survive for years at very cold temperatures.
It could also survive radiation (承受輻射).
That’s important, because Mars gets a lot of radiation from the Sun.
This desert moss could handle all of it.
But, there was one thing it could not do.
It could not keep growing in these conditions.
The scientists found they could make it grow again, but only when they brought it back to normal conditions like we have on Earth.
In other words, this plant can survive on Mars, but it cannot grow there.植物可以在火星上生存，但不能在那裡生長。
However, scientists still think this is an important discovery (重要的發現).
They think it might be the first step to finding a plant that could live on Mars.
And if plants could live there… maybe people could, too.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
A director from Taiwan made a new movie.
It follows the true story of two farmers, as they try to repair the soil on their farms.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a plant that can survive on Mars.
It’s a kind of desert moss.
Although it could survive on another planet, it could not grow there.
________________________________
Now it's time for the final Tasty Tidbit of the year!
You ready?
Do fish have summer vacation?
No, because they're always "in school"!
And that's our last News Bites episode for this semester!
We hope all you lovely listeners had fun tuning in and learning about the world with us. And thank you for sharing all those amazing facts and hilarious jokes too!
And as always, a big thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education for making News Lunchbox possible and supporting our programs.
Have a wonderful summer, and make sure to tune in again in the Fall, for all new episodes of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
Today’s stories…
A movie talks about the soil on Taiwan’s farms, and scientists find a plant that can survive on Mars.
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
新電影探索台灣土壤
New Film Explores Taiwan’s Soil
What is under our feet?
Uhh, our shoes?
And under that?
The floor?
And under that?
I don’t know, soil! It’s soil (土壤).
Yes. We live on soil.
It forms the ground beneath our feet and supports us every day.
What’s more, we grow all of our fruits and vegetables in the soil.
That’s why we need healthy soil.
The soil helps us, but do we help it back?
A new movie shows how two people have tried to improve the soil (改善土壤).
The film is called "Soul of Soil” (種土).
In this film, the director Yen Lan-chuan (顏蘭權) tells the true story of two farmers.
The first one is named A-ren (阿仁).
He gave up his job as an engineer to return to his hometown Kaohsiung and become a farmer.
A-ren tries to grow pineapples (鳳梨), but he has a problem.
A science park was built near his farm, which caused flooding and washed away the soil’s nutrients (土壤的養分).
That means the soil on his land is very poor.
A-ren tries to improve the land by using organic waste to make compost, but it is difficult to fix the poor soil. 阿仁試圖改善土地，但貧瘠的土壤很難修復。
That story really makes you feel sad.
But the second story is happier.
It is about a farmer named An-he (安和).
His first five years were full of failure, as harmful insects (害蟲) were eating his plants.
An-he kept at it, patiently working to improve the soil with organic farming methods (有機耕作方法).
Little by little An-he’s farm gets better, with earthworms and other helpful insects (益蟲) returning to his soil.
Finally in the sixth year he is able to grow honeydew melons (蜜瓜)… and now he has been farming for thirty years.
With these two stories, "Soul of Soil” wants to show people how tough it is for farmers to grow the food we all depend on.
The film also wants to inspire people (啟發人們) to take better care of Taiwan’s soil, because if the soil becomes poor, it is not easy to fix.
So the next time you eat a delicious pineapple or a melon… remember (記住) the soil it came from.
________________________________
科學家發現可以在火星上生存的植物
Scientists Find Plant That Can Survive On Mars
I wonder what plants grow on Mars (火星).
…what? Plants on Mars?
Yeah, plants on the planet Mars.
Perhaps they have Mars-trees. Or Mars-fruit.
I don’t think there are any plants on…
I know! They definitely have Mars-mallows!
Stop! You’re mad, there are no plants on Mars.你瘋了，火星上沒有植物。
Okay, there may be no plants on Mars yet.
But what about in the future?
Did you hear about the scientists who found a plant that could survive (生存) on Mars?
Actually I did. The scientists in China found it, right? It’s like a desert plant (沙漠植物).
That’s right. It is a kind of moss (苔蘚) that grows in the desert.
It’s called Syntrichia caninervis.
This moss grows in some of the harshest regions on Earth (地球上一些最惡劣的地區).
It has been found in America’s Mojave Desert, the high mountains of Tibet, and even in Antarctica.
It is very hardy, and it can live to be up to a hundred years old.
It can also survive in very dry (乾燥) places.
Scientists in China wanted to find a kind of plant that could survive on Mars, and they guessed this plant might be able to.
So, they made an experiment (實驗).
They tested the moss under conditions like those on the planet Mars (類似於火星的條件下).
They found it could survive for years at very cold temperatures.
It could also survive radiation (承受輻射).
That’s important, because Mars gets a lot of radiation from the Sun.
This desert moss could handle all of it.
But, there was one thing it could not do.
It could not keep growing in these conditions.
The scientists found they could make it grow again, but only when they brought it back to normal conditions like we have on Earth.
In other words, this plant can survive on Mars, but it cannot grow there.植物可以在火星上生存，但不能在那裡生長。
However, scientists still think this is an important discovery (重要的發現).
They think it might be the first step to finding a plant that could live on Mars.
And if plants could live there… maybe people could, too.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
A director from Taiwan made a new movie.
It follows the true story of two farmers, as they try to repair the soil on their farms.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a plant that can survive on Mars.
It’s a kind of desert moss.
Although it could survive on another planet, it could not grow there.
________________________________
Now it's time for the final Tasty Tidbit of the year!
You ready?
Do fish have summer vacation?
No, because they're always "in school"!
And that's our last News Bites episode for this semester!
We hope all you lovely listeners had fun tuning in and learning about the world with us. And thank you for sharing all those amazing facts and hilarious jokes too!
And as always, a big thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education for making News Lunchbox possible and supporting our programs.
Have a wonderful summer, and make sure to tune in again in the Fall, for all new episodes of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan’s has its own robot dogs, and a mother lets kitesurfing change her son’s life
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… a prizewinning chocolate maker couldn’t smell her chocolate!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣機器狗的美好未來
A Paws-itive Future for Taiwanese Robot Dogs
Taiwan’s robot dog industry (產業) is starting!
A national university (大學) and the National Science and Technology Council (國家科學及技術委員會) started a robot dog project (專案) two years ago.
They have now shown the first AI, or artificial intelligence, robot dogs developed (開發) in Taiwan.
The project developed two kinds of AI robot dogs.
Both kinds have sensors (感應器), so they can walk around by themselves (獨自的).
Since they are AI robots, they can be trained (接受訓練).
Both are being trained to use stairs and walk on different (不同的) kinds of terrain (地形).
But there are differences in how the two kinds of robot dogs are used.
Here, sweetie! Good boy! Yeahhhhh.
One is a pet.
It weighs 16 kilograms and is 53 centimeters long.
Come. Sit. Stay. Good boy!
It listens to commands (命令) and looks at facial expressions (臉部表情).
The other robot dog is a worker.
It weighs 40 kilograms and is about one meter long.
Its sensors can detect (探測) sound, temperature (溫度), gas, and other information (資訊).
It can report (報告) information immediately (馬上).
This robot dog can work in factories or other industrial settings (工業環境).
This is important for Taiwan, because some industries don’t have enough human workers.
This kind of robot dog can also help rescue workers (救援人員).
For example, in other countries, robot dogs take videos of the inside of burning buildings.
Then firefighters (消防員) know if it is safe to enter the buildings.
這些機器狗將改變我們的工作方式以及我們與科技互動的方式。
The university and the National Science and Technology Council believe Taiwan can have a robot dog industry that is successful around the world.
Why?
Taiwan can make robot dogs for about half the cost of other countries!
___________________________________________________________
風箏衝浪改變男孩的生活
A Mother Lets Kitesurfing Change Her Son’s Life
In Colombia (哥倫比亞), there is a great place for kitesurfing (風箏衝浪).
It is far from cities.
It’s on the coast (海岸) of the land of the Indigenous (原住民) Wayuu people.
At first, kitesurfers only went to the beach.
They didn’t have contact (接觸) with the Wayuu.
Wayuu kids watched the kitesurfers’ colorful kites fly over the water.
They watched the kitesurfers jump high.
It looked so fun!
But the kids and their families had no money to kitesurf.
The kids didn’t think they could ever join the kitesurfers.
Then a kitesurfing teacher started a kitesurfing school on Wayuu land.
He wanted local people to help and learn.
Two young Wayuu brothers really wanted to learn.
After (後) their mother gave them permission (許可), they started training with the teacher.
After school and on weekends, after they finished their homework and chores (雜務), the boys used every minute to kitesurf.
The younger brother had to work hard to get better.
Wayuu people have to get permission from their leaders to go to the outside world (外面的世界).
When he was 13, he got permission to go to a competition (競賽).
For the first time, he saw escalators, elevators, and traffic lights (電扶梯、電梯和交通燈號).
For every competition, he had to get permission.
When he was 18, he went to a competition in Brazil (巴西).
He wanted to stay and work as a kitesurfing teacher.
He did not get permission, but he stayed.
As a punishment (懲罰), he could not go home for two years.
It was okay with his mother.
Making a good life at home was hard.
There were few jobs.
She wanted him to live in the outside world and follow his dream.
Now he’s the only Wayuu who is a professional (職業) kitesurfer.
在母親的鼓勵下，他發揮了自己的才能，實現了自己的夢想。
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A university has developed Taiwan’s first AI robot dogs, starting a new industry.
This industry can be successful around the world.
Taiwan can make robot dogs for about half the cost of other countries.
___________________________________________________________
And…
A young boy from the Wayuu Indigenous group learned how to kitesurf.
His mother wanted him to follow his dream.
Now he’s the only Wayuu who is a professional kitesurfer.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
A Taiwanese chocolate maker caught COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) last year and could not smell anything.
She decided not to enter an international (國際的) chocolate competition.
If she couldn’t smell, how could she make delicious chocolate?
But she kept thinking about Beethoven (貝多芬).
He couldn’t hear, but he wrote beautiful music.
So… she entered the competition.
She made a chocolate with a new taste.
The taste comes from a bean that can kill you… if you eat A LOT of beans.
But one chocolate uses just a little of one bean.
The bean tastes like vanilla, almonds, and cinnamon (香草、杏仁和肉桂). Mmmmmm…
The chocolate maker won one gold, two silver and two bronze medals (一枚金牌、兩枚銀牌和兩枚銅牌) and two special prizes!
Those chocolates sound like very tasty tidbits!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It’s time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today’s episode we’ll be talking about peanuts and dumbphones.
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit: Huskies and school rules.
Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________
農試所智能乾燥機誕生
Smart Peanut Dryer
Do you like peanuts (花生)?
Have you ever wondered how they’re processed (處理)?
After they are grown (種植) and harvested (收成), they have to be dried (曬乾).
Traditional methods of drying peanuts (and other grains) requires good weather.
It also needs lots of people to turn them often, otherwise they would be unevenly (不平均地) dried.
So this hinders (阻礙) producers making lots of them.
Some producers (生產者) use big box dryers (箱型烘乾機).
But even these require a lot of physical labor.
This is hard in places where there aren’t enough workers.
So what can be done about it?
Well, researchers invented a new special machine that can dry grains.
It’s solar-powered, meaning it uses energy from the sun.
ATRI, or the Agricultural Technology Research Institute, recently demonstrated (展示) the new machine in Yunlin County.
The researchers say the machine helps dry peanuts and mixed grains more easily than traditional methods, like drying them in the sun or using big box dryers.
It has a sensor (感測器) that checks how heavy the grains are in real time.
This sensor makes sure the grains dry for just the right amount of time.
It can reduce the work farmers need to do, making their lives easier.
It also solves the problem of not having enough workers.
It's also easy to move around with a big truck (大卡車就可以運送), which makes it good for groups of farmers to share.
People in the farming industry will decide the price before it goes on sale.
________________________________
換用傻瓜手機 獲得更平靜的生活
Switching to Dumbphones for a Calmer Life
Smartphones are very convenient, aren’t they?
They allow us to stay connected with friends, loved ones and access information instantly.
They also allow us navigate new places so we don’t get lost.
We can take pictures with them too.
… And they keep us entertained!
But there are downsides (壞處) to using them.
It’s easy to get distracted (分心) by smartphones too.
They can make people ignore real-life interactions and responsibilities.
Some even say smartphones are addictive (讓人上癮).
Smartphones also collect a lot of personal data, so some people are concerned about privacy (隱私權).
Looking at screens for a long time can also cause physical problems, and make our eyesight (視力) worse.
Some people are turning to dumbphones (傻瓜手機).
Dumbphones, or feature phones, are basic phones for making calls and sending texts.
They might even take pictures, but that's not always the case.
Unlike smartphones, they don't have all the internet features and apps.
Dumbphones are becoming very popular.
Many say using a dumbphone makes them feel calmer and more present.
許多人表示使用傻瓜手機讓他們感到更平靜、更能專注於當下。
Caroline from California (加州) is one of them.
She realized she spent an entire summer glued to her smartphone (一直盯著智慧型手機), and didn’t remember anything she did.
She also couldn't even remember where she walked her dog, because she was always on her phone. So, she changed to a dumbphone.
She found using a dumbphone inconvenient (不方便) at first, but later thought it was freeing (感覺很自由).
Studies show that smartphones might be linked to rising rates of depression and anxiety.
研究顯示，智慧型手機可能與憂鬱和焦慮的增加有關。
So some groups are trying to promote reducing the use of smartphones, especially among children.
Analysists (分析者) say around 2.8 million dumbphones were sold in the United States last year.
Hopefully in the future smartphones can be used to enhance lives without the drawbacks (缺點).
________________________________
So in today’s News Bites,
Peanuts need drying after harvest, but traditional methods rely on good weather and a lot of labor.
Big box dryers exist, but they're still labor-intensive.
To address these issues, researchers created a new solar-powered drying machine that's efficient, requires less work, and is easy to share among farmers.
________________________________
And,
Smartphones are convenient, but they can be distracting and addictive.
This can lead to neglecting real-life interactions and even health problems.
A growing trend is people switching to dumbphones to regain control of their time and focus on what matters most.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Recently lots of huskies escaped from a pet cafe in Guangdong, China!
Liang from Pan Tau Elementary School in Miaoli tells us more.
…
And Belle, who’s also from Pan Tau Elementary, has some suggestions for new school rules.
…
No homework for Grades 3 to 6?
Good luck getting your teachers to agree!
________________________________
That’s it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Coming up next in today's news: A barista is making coffee greener
And in a warming world, how do we keep ourselves safe from getting too hot?
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Are there any shared birthdays in your class?
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
咖啡師正在讓咖啡更環保
Barista Is Making Coffee Greener
Coffee is very popular in Taiwan.
People bought almost 3 billion cups of coffee here in 2022.
All those cups of coffee mean there are a lot of used coffee grounds (咖啡渣).
Some of the coffee grounds are used to fertilize (當作肥料) plants or take away bad smells.
But most are thrown away.
A barista from Changhua is making his business, and coffee, greener (更環保).
His café was throwing away a lot of used coffee grounds.
That made him realize how wasteful (浪費的) the coffee industry (產業) was.
Coffee farmers harvest (採收) only the beans inside the coffee fruit.
The rest (其餘的) of the fruit is thrown away.
The barista is looking for products that use more of the coffee fruit.
Now he makes tea from the coffee fruit.
He’s also reusing coffee grounds in new products (產品).
He learned that coffee grounds can repel (驅除) insects.
There weren’t any coffee products that did this in Taiwan.
The barista and a former classmate who had an incense (線香) factory (工廠) worked together.
They made mosquito coils (蚊香) from used coffee grounds.
The mosquito coils were successful, so the barista looked for other products to make.
Now he makes coffee charcoal (咖啡炭) and soap (肥皂) from coffee grounds.
Making coffee charcoal instead of wood charcoal saves a lot of energy (能源).
Coffee charcoal takes one day to make, but wood charcoal takes a month!
With the coffee soap, the barista says people can wash their hands more quickly, so they use less water.
當地超市和連鎖便利商店都對他的產品有興趣。
The barista says that he will not stop here.
He is trying to make fuel sticks (燃料棒) from coffee grounds now.
If he can do this, he wants to build a factory to process coffee grounds.
Then he would use these fuel sticks to fuel the factory making coffee ground products!
___________________________________________________________
氣候暖化，我們要如何保護自己不要受到熱天氣的影響？
In a Warming World, How Do We Protect Ourselves from Getting Too Hot?
It is not news that our world is getting warmer.
Over the past few weeks, daily temperatures (每天溫度) of 35 degrees Celsius (攝氏) have become normal (正常).
Our bodies adjust (調整) to temperature changes.
Our brains tell our bodies to warm up or cool down when we are cooler or warmer than usual.
Our bodies have a few ways to cool down.
The most common way is sweating (流汗).
Our pores (毛孔) open, we sweat, and the sweat evaporates (蒸發).
This process (流程) cools our bodies.
Our bodies also dilate (擴張) our blood vessels (血管) and increase our heart rate (心率).
This process brings heat and blood (血液) to our skin and releases excessive (過多的) heat.
However, when temperatures are very high, our bodies might not be able to cool down fast enough.
What’s more, if we are in a hot and humid (潮濕) place, our sweat can’t evaporate.
This makes our body temperature go up.
Our brain and organs (器官) might be damaged (受損) by high body temperatures.
High body temperatures can also lead to heat-related illnesses (疾病).
They include heat cramps (熱痙攣), heat rash (汗疹) heat exhaustion (熱衰竭) and heat stroke (中暑).
How can you protect (保護) yourself from getting too hot?
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water - drink at least a glass of water every hour.
Avoid outdoor activities (戶外運動) from 11 am to 3 pm, when it’s hottest outside.
If you have to go out, wear light-colored clothes, drink lots of fluids (液體) and cover your head.
If you’re light-headed (頭暈), dizzy (暈眩的), sweating, or have a racing heartbeat (心跳加速), get out of the heat and cool down!
天氣炎熱時，老人、兒童、慢性病患者更要注意身體狀況。
We have to protect ourselves from the heat!
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A barista is making coffee greener.
He saw how wasteful the coffee industry is.
He now has made coffee-related products that reuse coffee beans or use more of the fruit.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Sometimes our bodies can’t adjust to higher temperatures.
Heat can damage our bodies.
Protect yourself and avoid outdoor activities when the sun is strongest.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How many students are there in your class?
If there are 23, there’s a fifty percent chance that two people have the same birthday!
How do we figure out (弄清楚) the probability (可能性)?
First, what is the probability that everyone has a DIFFERENT birthday?
When there are two in the class, there’s only one day that could be the same.
The probability is 364 divided by 365.
We are not going to think about leap years (閏年) here!
For a class of three, the probability is 363 divided by 365.
So… for a class of twenty-three, it’s 343 divided by 365.
Phew! Then for the probability that all the students in the class have different birthdays, we’ve multiplied all the probabilities for you.
The answer is 0.493.
That means the probability of a shared birthday is 1 minus 0.493, or 50.7 percent!
So… do you share a birthday with a classmate?
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
I’m Nancy Sun.
And I’m Jacob Ingram.
Today’s stories…
Taiwan’s new AI, and the world’s largest solar power farm.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…how long is your DNA?
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
台灣新AI超越ChatGPT-4
Taiwan's New AI Beats ChatGPT-4 in Traditional Chinese
AI, or Artificial Intelligence (人工智慧), is a popular topic these days.
Many people are talking about it.
AI is a kind of smart computer.
It can learn and do things like a human.
For example, AI can help us find information, translate languages (翻譯語言), and even play games.
Many companies are making AI to help us in our daily lives.
Taiwan has a new large language model (大型語言模型) that is better than ChatGPT-4 for traditional Chinese!
It's called the Taiwan Mixture of Experts, or TAME.
TAME was trained using a supercomputer (超級電腦) in Kaohsiung called Taipei-1.
It learned from almost 500 billion (五千億) pieces of information from different fields.
On its first try, TAME scored better than 89% of people taking Taiwan's bar exam.
在第一次測驗時，TAME的成績比百分之八十九考取律師資格的人還要好。
This exam is very hard and is for becoming a lawyer (律師)!
It also passed exams for university, traditional Chinese medicine (中醫), tour guides (導遊), and drivers.
In 39 different tests with almost 3,000 questions, TAME was the best.
It was 9.3% better than ChatGPT-4!
Making TAME took 350,000 hours of GPU work and 1,285 hours of work by 31 engineers.
TAME的製造，花了35萬個GPU小時，外加31位工程師辛苦工作了1285個小時。
Andrew Hsiao from Pegatron (和碩) said TAME is special because it is made for Taiwan and can be used in different industries (產業).
Even though it was just released last week, companies can adjust it (調整它) to see if it fits their needs.
This is a big step for AI in Taiwan!
________________________________
中國新推出的 超級光電場
China's New Super Solar Farm
Solar energy (太陽能) is power that comes from the sun.
It is a clean and renewable (可再生的) source of energy.
Solar panels (太陽能板) catch sunlight and turn it into electricity.
Using solar energy helps reduce pollution and protects the environment.
使用太陽能可以減少污染，保護環境。
China has switched on the world's largest solar farm (太陽能電場)!
It's called the Midong PV farm and is located in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
它叫做米東光伏電場，位於新疆烏魯木齊。
This solar farm can produce 3.5 gigawatts (吉瓦) of power, making it the biggest in the world.
Before this, the largest solar park was a 2.2 gigawatt facility started in 2020.
The Midong project cost 15.45 billion Chinese Yuan (人民幣) to complete.
The solar farm has over 5.26 million special solar panels that can produce a lot of electricity.
To hold these panels, they installed 1.23 million supporting piles (支撐柱).
They also built five stations to boost the power and over 208 kilometers of transmission lines to connect the solar farm to the main power grid.
他們還建了五個增壓站和超過208公里的傳輸線來連接到主電網。
China Green Development Group (中國綠髮投資集團), which was established in December 2020, is behind this project.
CGDG is a big energy investment company (能源投資公司) under the Chinese government.
Their goal is to create more than 20 gigawatts of renewable energy by the end of 2024.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
Taiwan has a new large language model that is better than ChatGPT-4 for traditional Chinese!
It's called the Taiwan Mixture of Experts, or TAME.
TAME was trained using a supercomputer in Kaohsiung called Taipei-1.
________________________________
And,
China has switched on the world's largest solar farm!
It's called the Midong PV farm and is located in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
This solar farm can produce 3.5 gigawatts of power, making it the biggest in the world.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that if you took all the DNA from your body and stretched it out, it would reach the moon and back almost 150,000 times?
That's super long!
To fit inside our cells, DNA is tightly wrapped into tiny structures called chromosomes.
This is the same for all living things, from insects to elephants.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it’s time for a new episode of News Bites…
I’m Brody Halverson.
And I’m Paz Bueno.
Today’s stories…
A Taiwanese teenager goes to play baseball in America, and thirteen young Hawaiians demand action on climate change.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…ball lightning!
Let’s get into it.
________________________________
洛杉磯道奇隊簽約台灣青少年
Los Angeles Dodgers Sign Taiwan Teen
How would you like to play for the MLB (美國職棒大聯盟)?
Wow, the major leagues!
That would be incredible.
It would be a dream come true.
Which Major League Baseball team do you want to play for?
There are so many legendary teams in America…
I’d want to join the New York Yankees… or the Boston Red Sox!
But that’s just a dream (夢想).
Sometimes dreams really do come true.
有時夢想真的會成真。
Look at the teenager from Taiwan who has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At only seventeen years old (十七歲), he’s going off to play for one of the greatest baseball teams in the world.
Oh, I’ve heard about him!
His name is Ko Ching-hsien (柯敬賢).
He’s just graduated from Pingjen (平鎮) Senior High School in Taoyuan.
Ko played a lot of baseball growing up.
He became an outfielder (外野手).
That means when his team is in the field, he goes to the outfield (外野), to catch any balls that are hit so far.
Ko is talented in the field, but he’s is also very good at batting (打擊).
When he played for Taiwan in the Under-18 World Baseball Cup, he batted five-fifty.
That means he hit the ball 55% of the time.
In baseball that is a highly successful number.
Ko’s performance was so good that he got noticed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
柯在U-18世界盃棒球賽的打擊率為 0.550，非常成功，讓他受到關注。
So, the Dodgers have signed Ko onto their team.
What’s more, they’ll give him a signing bonus (簽約獎金) worth more than 20 million NT.
Now Ko will get the chance to play for the Dodgers.
He will be teammates with some of the greatest players alive, including the world-famous Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平).
Ko’s story is amazing, but there will be more to follow his path.
The Dodgers recruiter (棒球招募人員) who brought Ko onto the team says Taiwan’s new generation of players is the best he has ever seen.
He says Taiwan’s youth talent (青年才俊) is outstanding, and he expects many others to join the MLB in the future.
________________________________
夏威夷青年逼迫政府採取行動
Hawaii’s Youth Force Government to Climate Action
How can we act on climate change (對氣候變遷採取行動)?
Yes, we really need to do something.
It is getting serious, with the sea level (海平面) rising higher and higher.
Maybe we could ask everyone to use less energy, and we could ask the government to act too.
If we ask nicely, maybe they will decide to help out.
No! There is no more time to ask nicely.
We need to demand climate action.
已經沒有時間再客氣地請求了，必須堅持行動。
That’s what happened in Hawaii, and it was a success.
What happened in Hawaii?
It started with a group of thirteen young Hawaiians (夏威夷人).
Most of them are teenagers (青少年), but they were worried about their future.
After all, Hawaii is made of small islands.
If the sea level rises, it will be a big problem for the people there.
Hawaiians have been asking their government to stop using fossil fuels (化石燃料) for transportation.
That’s because fossil fuels cause climate change.
But, for many years there had been little action.
Their government was not listening.
That’s why these thirteen young people decided to join a lawsuit (官司).
They were done waiting, and they wanted to use the law to force the government to act.
They said the government was violating their rights (侵犯他們的權利), and they got help from a law firm (律師事務所) called “Our Children’s Trust.”
The lawyers took their lawsuit to court, and in June they finally won.
According to the result of the lawsuit, transportation in Hawaii must reach net-zero (淨零排放) by the year 2045.
That means they will need to make a big change in land, sea, and air transportation.
Hawaii will need to use more climate-friendly forms of transportation, like electric vehicles, trains, biking and walking.
And they’ll need to move away from harmful transportation, like traditional cars.
The young Hawaiians are happy about their win.
But they know it is just the beginning.
They think that young people in other parts of the world will also start using their laws to fight climate change.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
A teenager from Taiwan is going to play baseball for the MLB.
Ko Ching-hsien has been signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It must be a dream come true.
________________________________
And,
Young people have forced their government to act on climate change.
The thirteen young Hawaiians joined a lawsuit and won in court.
Now, Hawaii will need to make all transportation in the state net-zero by 2045.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Ball lightning is a strange and fiery ball of light that moves through the air for a few seconds.
No one knows what causes it, and some scientists even doubt it is real.
But many people have seen it!
In 1994, ball lightning made a hole in a closed window that was 5 centimeters wide!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone! It's time for today's episode of New Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's stories…
Celebrating a panda's birthday, and exercising with a wombat.
And we've got a mix of amazing facts and giggles for you in today's Tasty Tidbit.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
大貓熊「圓仔」11歲生日會
Yuan Zai's 11th Birthday Bash
"Paws" and take a moment kids…
A "beary" special day is coming up at the Taipei Zoo.
This Saturday…
Giant Panda Yuan Zai is turning 11!
The Taipei Zoo is throwing Yuan Zai a big birthday party.
And it's inviting people to the zoo to help celebrate (慶祝).
台北動物園計劃在7月6日，為大貓熊「圓仔11歲」舉辦慶生。
There's going to be so much to do.
The party starts at 8:30 in the morning.
First, everyone will watch Yuan Zai enjoy her special birthday cake.
Last year, the zoo made her an "ice cake", with some of her favorite fruits and vegetables.
The ice was shaped like Taipei 101.
And it was decorated with carrots, grapes, kiwi, pineapples, and sugar cane.
Yuan Zai pushed the cake, and it fell onto the ground.
But she really enjoyed eating it!
I wonder what her cake will be like this year…
Next, the zoo will show everyone what pandas usually eat.
They'll show people the bamboo forest at the zoo.
This is where keepers get bamboo leaves for the pandas to eat.
And some people will even get to try making panda buns (窩窩頭).
The pandas at the zoo also eat these buns.
參加活動的民眾可以體驗製作大貓熊窩窩頭，和參觀竹林，更加瞭解大貓熊的飲食習慣。
Then the visitors get to eat too.
They'll have a special lunch at Panda Cafe in the Giant Panda House.
And the lunch comes with a panda cake too.
Finally, everyone who goes to the party gets to take home a special panda pillow.
Sounds like a time of fun, learning and panda-tastic adventures at the zoo!
________________________________
去澳洲遛袋熊
Wombat Walkers Wanted in Tasmania
They're roly-poly (圓滾滾的)…
They poop in cubes…
And many would say they're one of Australia's cutest animals.
They're wombats (袋熊)!
And these furry animals need new friends to help them exercise.
The island of Tasmania (塔斯馬尼亞州), in Australia, is looking for a "wombat walker".
Yes, you heard that right.
Wombats are a marsupial (有袋類動物).
They have brown fur, short legs, and a muscular body.
They eat plants.
And they live in forests and grassy parts of mountains in Australia.
Now, Tasmania wants someone to take wombats out for their morning walks.
工作人員要負責跟可愛的袋熊一起進行早晨散步。
The wombats live at a natural wildlife park.
And they need someone to get them out of bed.
The park says sometimes, the wombats like to sleep in (睡懶覺).
The walker needs to give the wombats lots of praise (誇獎).
And the walker needs to keep them on track.
The park also wants the walker to make sure the wombats behave (乖乖地，舉止端正).
The walker should also be ready with snacks.
Sometimes the wombats get hungry on their walk.
They need fuel to keep exercising.
The park says these walks help keep the wombats happy and healthy.
It's the wombats' favourite part of the day.
Unfortunately, this is not a paid job.
So you won't get any money for doing this work.
But, if you get chosen for the job…
You will get a free flight to Tasmania.
You can stay there for free for two nights.
And your meals (餐點) will be free too.
Sounds like a pretty good deal.
But if you're not much of an animal person, Tasmania has other interesting jobs to try out.
How would you like to be a star seeker?
You would stay up at night to help scientists watch the stars.
Or an oyster organizer?
You would harvest (採收) oysters from right out of the ocean, and get them clean and organized.
Looks like there's lots of fun and unique jobs out there!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Giant Panda Yuan Zai is turning 11!
The Taipei Zoo is throwing Yuan Zai a big birthday party.
And it's inviting people to the zoo to help celebrate.
________________________________
And,
The island of Tasmania, in Australia, is looking for a "wombat walker".
They need someone to take wombats out for their morning walks.
They say these walks help keep the wombats happy and healthy.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
What time is it when the clock strikes 13?
Time to get a new clock.
And now,
13-year-old Ryan Kuan from Da Cheng Junior High School in Nantou County has an amazingly sweet fact.
And 14-year-old Kaie Lai from Yu Shan Public Junior High School in Chiayi City tells us about one of his embarrassing moments.
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey, you guys.
It’s time for another episode of New Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news: Penghu releases sea turtles, and outdoor clothing brands using harmful chemicals.
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit, is there a way to breathe without lungs?
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
澎湖野放13隻海龜
Penghu releases 13 sea turtles
June 16th is World Sea Turtle Day (世界海龜日).
This year, Penghu officials released 13 sea turtles into the sea to mark the special date.
Over the years, Taiwan has been striving (致力於) to protect sea turtles.
A tiny island called Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球) is well-known for being a protected sea turtle habitat (棲息地).
Millions of tourists and divers visit the tiny island every year to swim with these graceful (優雅的) creatures.
Penghu is also renowned (著名的) for the protection of sea turtles.
There are a total of seven species of sea turtles in the world, five of which can be found in Penghu.
So Penghu is vital (非常重要的) to the future survival of sea turtles.
Now, back to those 13 sea turtles which Penghu officials released: 12 of them were green sea turtles (綠蠵龜), the other an olive ridley sea turtle (欖蠵龜).
Some of the green sea turtles were rescued when they were just hatchlings (剛孵化的小動物).
Rescuers thought the hatchlings were too weak to survive on their own out in the ocean.
The others were rescued because they were injured.
The Penghu Sea Turtle Conservation and Rescue Center (澎湖海龜收容救護中心) nursed the rescued sea turtles back to health.
這個中心細心照料把救回來的海龜，讓牠們恢復健康。
Researchers (研究員) attached a transmitter (發射器) to one of the sea turtles.
This is the first time they did this in Taiwan.
They want to track and study it for a whole year.
Another important place for the protecting sea turtles is Wang-an island (望安島) in Penghu County.
The island has a Green Turtle Nesting Refuge.
這個島上有綠蠵龜棲息產卵保育區。
Scientists say this is the most stable (穩定的) area for sea turtles to lay their eggs.
There are five turtle egg laying locations around Taiwan.
These are Wang-an, Lanyu, Xiaoliuqiu, Dongsha and Nansha island.
This year, there have been reports of turtles laying eggs on the beach.
專家學者們會致力於打造更安全的海龜生態。
________________________________
戶外衣物品牌仍然在使用“永久化學品”
Outdoor Clothing Brand Still Using ‘Forever Chemicals’ Despite Health Risk
Do you like outdoor activities? Many people like to be close to nature.
They like to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the views of sunlight on clear water.
Some popular outdoor activities include hiking (遠足) and mountain climbing (爬山).
However, hikers and mountain climbers might be harming the environment.
A magazine called “Ethical Consumer” recently examined some companies which make outdoor clothing.
一本名叫《道德消費者》的雜誌最近審查了一些製造戶外服裝的公司。
What they found was shocking.
82% of the companies were still using chemicals called PFAS.
Companies use this type of chemical to make fabrics (布料) water resistant (防水).
The problem is PFAS are “forever chemicals (永久性的化學品).”
This means they can take hundreds of years to degrade (分解).
So they pollute soil and water.
The chemicals also cause health problems for people.
For example, high cholesterol (膽固醇), which lots of fat (脂肪) in blood and cells (細胞).
It also causes cancer (癌症), makes it harder for people to fight off colds (感冒) and infections (感染), and makes it harder for people to have children.
So hikers who wear clothes that have these chemicals might be risking their own health.
The magazine advises (建議) everyone to only buy clothes from companies that don’t use these nasty chemicals.
Experts (專家) said PFAS have been found in rivers, and even on the slopes (山坡) of Mount Everest (珠穆朗瑪峰)!
It’s also been found inside some wild animals.
In Europe alone, there are at least 23,000 sites polluted by PFAS.
2,000 of them have high concentrations (高濃度).
They are currently few outdoor clothing companies don’t use PFAS in their products (產品).
Some of these companies even persuaded (說服) their fabric factories (工廠) to not use the harmful chemicals.
European officials are trying to restrict (限制) PFAS chemicals in Europe.
They hope to achieve this in the year 2026.
Currently, lots of countries are discussing how to restrict these chemicals, not just those in Europe.
目前，許多國家都在討論對“永久化學品” 的使用限制。
To protect our planet, we must act now!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Penghu officials released 13 sea turtles back into the ocean.
Taiwan cares a lot about sea turtles.
Xiaoliuqiu Island is famous for protecting them.
Penghu is especially important because five out of the world's seven sea turtle species live there.
Scientists even put a special tracker on one of the turtles to study more about it!
________________________________
And,
Hiking and climbing mountains are fun, but they can hurt the environment.
A magazine found many outdoor clothing companies use harmful chemicals on their clothes to make them water resistant.
These chemicals take a long time to break down, pollute water and soil, and even harm people’s health.
________________________________
And for today’s Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that insects don’t have lungs?
So how do they breathe?
They have holes on their bodies, which are called spiracles (氣孔).
These holes act like little straws, letting air come in!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another brand new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Underground treasures, underwater treasures, and new Japanese-English words!
Let's begin!
________________________________
台積電因為古蹟停工
TSMC Project Paused for Ruins
Great discoveries are often hidden underground (地下).
Many times, people find them when they dig for construction (挖掘建設).
When people build new things, they might find amazing old things.
For example, in 1974, farmers in China found the famous Terracotta Army (兵馬俑) while digging a well.
In Italy, workers found ancient Roman treasures (古羅馬的寶藏) while expanding their subway system (擴建地鐵).
And in Egypt, construction workers discovered an ancient tomb (古墓) when building a new building!
And recently in Chiayi, construction workers for a new TSMC plant (台積電工廠) made a new discovery.
They found pieces of pottery (陶器) and ceramic rings (陶環) that might be from 3,500 to 4,500 years ago.
These artifacts are from a cord-marked pottery culture.
這些文物來自繩紋陶文化。
The factory was going to use advanced Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate, or CoWoS, technology.
這個工廠本來打算使用先進封裝技術（CoWoS）。
When the old site was found, the government stepped in (介入) to protect it.
TSMC said they will follow the laws and work with the authorities (當局) on what to do next.
The Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration (南科管理局) said the artifacts (文物) found at Chiayi are fewer and more scattered (分散) compared to other sites.
They think this will not cause major delays (不會造成重大延誤).
To keep up (跟上) with their schedule, TSMC is now planning to start work on a second factory in Chiayi.
The Chiayi County Cultural and Tourism Bureau (嘉義縣文化觀光局) said that all future building projects will be watched closely (密切監視) to make sure old sites are protected.
________________________________
青銅時代時空膠囊
A Bronze Age Time Capsule
Besides being buried underground, many treasures are waiting to be discovered underwater (水下).
The ocean is filled with ancient ships (古代的船隻), valuable artifacts (珍貴的文物), and secrets from the past.
In the Mediterranean Sea, an ancient shipwreck (沉船) has been found!
This ship sank (沉沒) over 3,300 years ago during the Bronze Age (青銅時代).
That was a time when ancient Egypt was very powerful.
那時候古埃及非常強大。
The ship was found about 90 kilometers from land and about 1.6 kilometers underwater.
They found two old clay jars called Canaanite amphorae.
他們發現了兩個古老的陶罐，稱為迦南陶罐。
These jars were used to store (儲存) things like honey, olive oil, and wine.
The ship might have sunk due to a storm, strong winds, or pirates.
When it sank, it landed upright on the sea floor (垂直地落在海床上).
Many jars on the ship were still intact (完好無損), meaning they weren't broken.
This is very rare (非常罕見) for shipwrecks from this time.
A robot called a Remotely Operated Vehicle (R.O.V.) found the ship.
遙控的機器人找到了這艘船。
This robot is controlled from a ship and has cameras and lights to see in the dark deep sea.
The R.O.V. found the ship and took two jars from it to study.
The discovery team said the ship is like a "time capsule" (時空膠囊).
This means it is very well-preserved (保存得非常完好) and gives us a look into the past.
This discovery is very important because it shows that ancient traders (古代商人) traveled far from land.
This discovery will help us learn more about trade (貿易) and travel during the Bronze Age.
For now, the rest of the ship will stay underwater to keep it safe until better technology can be used to study it.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Recently in Chiayi, construction for a new TSMC plant had to stop.
They found pieces of pottery and ceramic rings that might be from 3,500 to 4,500 years ago.
TSMC said they will follow the laws and work with the authorities on what to do next. ________________________________
And,
In the Mediterranean Sea, an ancient shipwreck has been found by a robot.
This ship sank over 3,300 years ago during the Bronze Age.
The discovery team said the ship is like a "time capsule."
The ship will stay underwater to keep it safe until better technology can be used to study it.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The Oxford English Dictionary has added 23 new Japanese words.
Most of these words are related to food.
For example, "katsu" means a piece of meat, seafood, or vegetable that is deep-fried and cut into strips.
"Donburi" is a bowl of rice topped with other ingredients.
Another word, "okonomiyaki," is a savory pancake that means "what you like" and "to fry."
Other new words include "kintsugi," the art of fixing broken pottery with gold…
…and "isekai," a type of fantasy story where characters enter a different world.
These new words show the influence of Japanese culture on the English language.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's stories, pet psychics and space travel.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Counting just took a scary turn. Find out why at the end of the episode!
___________________________________________________________
農業部長談寵物溝通師行業
The Job of a Pet Psychic
Can humans communicate with animals?
Pet psychics (寵物靈媒) say they can.
A pet psychic is a person who claims to be able to communicate with animals, either living or dead.
Some pet owners worry that something is wrong with their pet.
And they ask a pet psychic for help.
Maybe the pet is not eating.
Or the pet is in low spirits (精神低落).
Sometimes the vet can't figure out why.
Some pet owners claim that seeing a pet psychic helped their pets a lot.
Others go to pet psychics because they wanted to communicate with their pets that have passed away.
This profession is growing fast in North America.
Some animal experts believe that this is happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the lockdown around the world, many people wanted deeper connections with their pets.
It is also a trending topic online.
The Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) commented on the topic.
During the meeting, a legislator (立法委員) pointed out that there are many pet psychics who claimed that they are professionally licensed (專業執照).
He then asked if the ministry plans to have laws for pet psychics.
Chen said there is no scientific evidence that proves pet psychics can communicate with pets.
He says the ministry does not recognize such a profession.
Chen says the ministry could offer guidelines for businesses working with pets.
許多獸醫建議，飼主能透過寵物的行為來了解寵物當下的需求。
___________________________________________________________
太空旅行如何影響人體
Space Travel and the Human Body
Over the last century, space travel went from a dream to reality (現實).
Now, more and more humans are traveling to space.
In 2021, several spacecraft took civilians (平民) on tourist flights.
Many countries hope that they can be the first to set foot on Mars.
Space technology is advancing quickly.
So scientists want to know more about the effects that space travel has on our bodies.
Researchers created a database called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA).
SOMA is the largest collection of data on aerospace medicine (航太醫學) and space biology (太空生物學) ever put together.
It has a lot of information on how going to space affects the human body.
Experts say SOMA will help us prepare better for future space missions.
Going to space is no walk in the park.
There are actually quite a number of health risks.
On Earth, we are shielded (保護) from space radiation (輻射) by the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field (磁場).
But out in space, this radiation can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.
That's why astronauts need to wear protective gear (裝備).
There is also no gravity (地心引力) in space.
This can cause problems with our vision, or give us headaches.
Our muscles may also get weak, and we may lose bone density.
This is why astronauts who spend a long time in space have to exercise regularly.
The data also suggests that women may recover faster than men from space travel.
When astronauts came back to Earth, the men's immune system (免疫系統) took longer to return to normal.
雖然會有風險，但科學家表示沒有資料明確顯示人類不應該探索太空。
With all this data and more to come in the future, researchers can work on avoiding the risk.
They can create better protection for the astronauts out there.
Who knows, the date of setting foot on Mars might be earlier than expected.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A pet psychic is a person who claims to be able to communicate with animals, either living or dead.
Some pet owners worry that something is wrong with their pet.
And they ask a pet psychic for help.
Some pet owners claim that seeing a pet psychic helped their pets a lot.
The Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) says there is no scientific evidence that proves pet psychics can communicate with pets.
He says the ministry does not recognize such a profession.
Chen says the ministry could offer guidelines for businesses working with pets.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Researchers created a database called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA).
SOMA is the largest collection of data on aerospace medicine and space biology ever put together.
It has a lot of information on how going to space affects the human body.
Experts say SOMA will help us prepare better for future space missions.
With all this data and more to come in the future, researchers can work on avoiding the risk.
They can create better protection for the astronauts out there.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit….
Why did the two fours skip a meal?
Because they already eight (ate)!
And now, 12-year-old Sandy Lin from Wang Liau Elementary School in Chiayi County has another one!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Coming up next in today's news: the most valuable public company in the world and how scientists are studying whale songs!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… do you know how your tongue tastes food?
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
全球最有價值的上市公司
The World's Most Valuable Public Company
Thirty-one years ago, a Taiwanese American electrical engineer (電機工程師) started a company with two other people.
He was 30 years old and younger than the other two.
But they wanted him to be the president and CEO (總裁和執行長).
The early days of the company were not easy.
Once, it only had enough money to pay its workers for one more month.
After that, the CEO often started meetings by saying, "Our company is thirty days from going out of business."
The company started doing better.
The CEO liked video games.
So his company made powerful (強大的) graphics cards (顯示卡).
They made the images (圖像) in games look more real.
To work very quickly, these cards do many calculations (計算) at the same time.
Other cards do one calculation at a time. They are much slower.
A graduate student (研究生) made a supercomputer (超級電腦) by connecting (連接) many of the company's graphics cards together!
The company began to make software (軟體) and chips (晶片) for supercomputing (超級計算).
But did many companies need supercomputing?
Maybe they did, but they didn't know this.
The company's business was slow.
A few years later, a researcher used the company's supercomputing software to train (訓練) software to recognize (認出) people's voices.
Then the researcher's student used the supercomputing software to train software to recognize images.
These were the beginning of AI systems (人工智慧系統).
These systems need to do many calculations at the same time.
The CEO changed the company's products to help other companies make AI systems.
Then the company's supercomputer trained an AI chatbot (聊天機器人).
This chatbot is very, very popular.
Anyone can use it.
And the AI boom started!
The company soon became the second most valuable public company (第二大最有價值上市公司) in the world.
Then last week, the company became the world's MOST valuable public company.
It's the third company with a value (價值) of $3 trillion (兆) US dollars or more.
Last week, it had a value of $3.3 trillion US dollars.
That's over 106 trillion Taiwan dollars!
The company does not make its products.
It has strong ties to Taiwan, with about 100 suppliers (供應商) here.
這位執行長表示，台灣「處於世界技術供應鏈的中心」。
Do you know the name of the company and its CEO?
___________________________________________________________
科學家如何研究鯨魚唱歌
How Scientists Are Studying Whale Songs
Marine biologists (海洋生物學家) and computer scientists (電腦科學家) are working together on whale songs.
They want to find out what sperm whale (抹香鯨) songs mean.
These whales have the biggest brain (腦) of all living animals.
They're also the loudest animal!
One of the marine biologists recorded sperm whale songs with underwater microphones (麥克風) for many years.
The group has thousands of hours of songs to study!
Sperm whale songs are clicks (點擊聲).
The whales make clicks when they're swimming together.
Sometimes the whales click more quickly.
Then other whales also click more quickly.
The clicks sound like a code (碼).
One pattern sounds like this: Click…, click…, click, click, click.
For a long time, the marine biologists thought there were about 30 patterns (模式).
They thought of the clicks as points on a line (一條線上的點).
But a computer science graduate student didn't like looking at the clicks this way.
She arranged (整理) the clicks differently.
The new arrangement let her see that there were many, many more click patterns.
The scientists think whales are saying something different when they change the speed or the rhythm (韻律) of their clicks.
Now the marine biologists are putting tags (標籤) on the sperm whales they're studying.
This lets the scientists know where a whale is when it sings.
They can also get video images that show how it is behaving (為人).
They want to find if there is a connection between what whales sing and how they behave.
The computer scientists are also training AI software with the whale songs.
Maybe AI can find out more about the clicks.
The scientists want AI to write whale songs one day.
Then they'll play the songs to the whales!
Hmmmm… what would these songs say?
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese American is the CEO of a US company that made very fast and powerful graphics cards for gaming.
They made AI systems possible.
The company changed its products to help other companies make AI systems.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Marine biologists and computer scientists are working to find what sperm whale songs mean.
A graduate student found many new patterns in the songs.
The computer scientists are training AI software with the whale songs to find out more about them.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The tongue (舌頭) has taste receptors (味覺感受器) for sweet on the tip (舌尖), salty and then sour (酸的) on the sides, bitter (苦的) on the back, and umami (鮮味) on the center.
That's what kids in the U.S. learn.
But that's wrong!
There are no taste receptors for only sweet, salty, sour, bitter, OR umami.
For example, you can taste sweetness (甜味) more easily with the taste receptors on your tongue tip.
But you can also taste the other four tastes.
That means if you put something sour on your tongue tip, you can taste sourness (酸味).
Scientists are still learning about taste.
Some scientists think that there may be a taste receptor for fat (脂肪).
Now they're researching how this receptor finds fat, a really tasty tidbit!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's episode we'll be talking about UFO clouds, and a woman roof ninja.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The longest novel ever written.
Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________
莢狀雲
UFO Clouds
Have you ever seen a UFO before? UFO stands for unidentified flying object. ＵＦＯ是「不明飛行物」的縮寫。
What do UFOs look like?
Think of metal plates flying in the sky.
想像一下天空中飛行的金屬板。
That might give you a pretty good idea.
Recently, many places have seen clouds that look like UFOs, including in Taiwan.
But weather forecasters (氣象研究員) said there's no need to worry.
These clouds are called "lenticular clouds" (莢狀雲). But some people call them "UFO clouds" - that's a bit easier to remember.
These clouds are thick in the middle and thin at the edges, like lens in glasses (眼鏡的鏡片).
Sometimes they stack on top of each other like pea pods (豆莢).
But they can also look like flying saucers (飛碟) or even puddings (布丁).
How do these UFO clouds form?
它們怎麼形成的？
The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) explained when stable and moist air flows over hills, it moves up and down like waves.
當又穩定又潮濕的空氣越過山丘時，會像波浪一般上下移動。
When the air is forced to rise, it cools and forms clouds.
空氣被迫上升的時候，它會冷卻並形成雲。
When the air goes down, it warms up and the clouds disappear.
空氣下降之時，它會變暖，雲消失。
This process creates these special clouds.
這個過程會產生這些特殊的雲。
Can the clouds form anywhere?
Not exactly.
The ground underneath, or terrain (地形), needs to be a particular shape.
So the clouds tend to appear in fixed (固定的) places. 它們通常在同一些地方出現。
For example, the area east of Yangmingshan sometimes gets UFO clouds.
Have you seen them before?
________________________________
屋頂女忍者
Woman Roof Ninja
In the US state of Michigan, there's a big supermarket (超市)…
…and this supermarket has a big sign (招牌) on its roof.
It's so big, in fact, that someone actually lived inside it.
Who? … a 34 year-old woman.
The woman lived inside the rooftop sign for over a year.
The sign had a small door that could be reached from the roof.
She called it an "old safe spot" (安全空間), known only to her family.
She had a computer, bed, printer (印表機) and even a coffee maker (咖啡機) inside.
She got her power from an extension cord (延長線), which led up from the store.
The woman wore black clothes and ski goggles (雪鏡).
So the police gave her a nickname: "Roof Ninja" (屋頂忍者).
How did they find out she was hiding there?
A worker on the roof found an extension cord running into the door on the back of the sign.
The worker opened the door, and he was greeted by the woman.
Staff (店員) then phoned the police (打電話給警察).
When police arrived, they asked her to open the small door and she did.
She joked with them, asking how they got up there.
They said, "Ladder (梯子). We're not roof ninjas."
The woman didn't explain how she got up there.
She had a job and asked to call her boss and get a truck for her stuff.
But the staff helped carry her belongings.
The woman was polite.
She said sorry to everyone, then left without causing trouble.
Sometimes, surprising moments and the kindness (善意) of others can change someone's life.
有時候，讓人驚喜的時刻和他人的善意可以改變某個人的人生。
"Roof Ninja's" story shows how important it is to help others and be kind.
Remember to stay hopeful and keep going when things get tough.
當事情變得艱難時，記得保持希望並繼續前進。
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Recently, UFOs clouds have been seen in various places, including Taiwan.
They are called lenticular clouds.
They are thick in the middle and thin at the edges.
They form when stable, moist air flows over hills, creating wave-like movements.
They usually appear in specific areas with suitable terrain, such as east of Yangmingshan in the Taipei Basin.
________________________________
And,
In the US state of Michigan, a 34-year-old woman lived inside a large sign on top of a supermarket.
Police nicknamed her "Roof Ninja", because she wore black clothes and ski goggles.
She left the store without causing trouble.
The story shows it's important to be kind to others and lend a helping hand to those in need.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And for today's Tasty Tidbit,
Have you ever wondered what the world's longest novel (長篇小說) is?
According to Guinness World Records, it's the French novel "In Search of Lost Time".
It was written by Marcel Proust.
It's 1.5 million words long!
That's enough to fill about 4000 pages.
Ain't nobody got time for that!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
A transgender man wins a landmark court case, dolphins are returning to India, and…if you could have a secret passage out of your room, where would it lead?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
無需手術更改性別證件
Nemo's Big Win: Changing ID Without Surgery!
Sex (生理性別) is the biological difference between males and females.
It's about our bodies and physical features.
它是關於我們的身體和外觀特徵。
Gender (社會學的性別), on the other hand, is about how we identify ourselves (如何辨識自己).
It's about how we feel inside and how we express ourselves.
它是關於我們內心的感受和表達方式。
Understanding the difference between sex and gender is very important for gender equity (性別平等).
Gender equity means that everyone, no matter if they are male, female, or transgender (跨性別者), has the same rights and opportunities.
Nemo, a transgender person, has won a landmark court case in Taiwan.
跨性別者Nemo在台灣贏得了一場重大的法律案件。
Nemo is the first person in Taiwan to change the gender on their ID card without having surgery.
Nemo是台灣第一個在沒有接受手術的情況下，成功更改身份證上性別的人。
Normally, transgender people must have surgery (手術) and get a doctor's approval (獲得醫生的批准) to change their gender on their ID cards.
But Nemo had some health problems and couldn't have the surgery.
When he asked to change his gender on his ID card without surgery, the household registration office (戶政事務所) said no.
So, Nemo took the case to court.
And the court agreed with Nemo!
They said making transgender people have surgery to change their gender is unfair (不公平).
It can hurt their health and rights.
The court said people should be able to decide their gender without having surgery.
This is a big win for Nemo and other transgender people in Taiwan.
Now, Nemo can proudly say he is a man without hiding anything.
The court told the household registration office to change Nemo's gender on his ID card to male.
The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, a group that helps people like Nemo, is very happy about this decision.
They hope this will help more transgender people in the future.
They also hope the government will change the rules so that surgery is not needed to change gender on ID cards.
Nemo's case is important because it shows that everyone should have the right to choose their gender.
It also shows that the law can protect people's rights and dignity (法律可以保護人們的權利和尊嚴).
________________________________
河中更多的恒河豚！
More Gangetic Dolphins in the River!
A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India says there are now more than 4,000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin.
根據印度野生動物研究所最近的一份報告，恒河流域現在有超過4000隻恒河豚。
Over 2,000 of these dolphins are found in Uttar Pradesh, mainly in the Chambal River (北方邦，在昌巴爾河).
This is good news because it means the river's pollution levels are going down (污染水平正在下降)…
…and the government's efforts to save these dolphins are working!
The Ganges river dolphin (恒河豚), also called the blind dolphin or Ganges susu, has the scientific name Platanista gangetica.
These dolphins live in rivers in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
這些豚生活在印度、尼泊爾和孟加拉的河流中。
They are blind (盲的) and live only in freshwater (淡水).
They hunt using sound waves (聲波) to find their prey.
Gangetic dolphins are usually alone or in small groups.
They need to come to the surface to breathe every 30 to 120 seconds, making a 'susu' sound when they exhale.
牠們每30到120秒需要浮出水面呼吸一次，呼氣時會發出"susu"的聲音。
The number of Gangetic dolphins has gone down because of several threats.
Sometimes, they get caught in fishing nets by accident.
Some people hunt them for oil used in traditional medicine.
Their homes are also being destroyed by development, pollution, and noise from boats.
The Indian government is doing many things to protect these dolphins.
They are listed under the Wildlife Protection Act, which gives them strong legal protection (法律保護).
They were also declared the National Aquatic Animal of India in 2010.
牠們還在2010年被宣佈為印度的國家水生動物。
The government has set up dolphin sanctuaries (保護區), like the Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar and the Dolphin Sanctuary in the Chambal River.
They also started Project Dolphin in 2019 to help double the dolphin population by 2030.
The Wildlife Institute of India, established in 1982, plays a big role in training people, doing research, and giving advice on wildlife conservation (野生動物保護).
Let's hope the dolphin population in the Gangetic River basin continues to go up!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Nemo, a transgender person, has won a big court case.
Nemo is the first person in Taiwan to change the gender on their ID card without having surgery.
The court told the household registration office to change Nemo's gender on his ID card to male.
Now, Nemo can proudly say he is a man without hiding anything.
________________________________
And,
A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India says there are now more than 4,000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin.
This is good news because it means the river's pollution levels are going down…
…and the government's efforts to save these dolphins are working!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
So, Brody, if you could have a secret passage out of your room, where would it lead?
If I had a secret passage out of my house, it would lead to the moon!
Because it's a place I've never been before.
13-year-old Betty from Jiufenzi Junior High School in Tainan also has a fun idea!
….
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's episode, a little love for unloved veggies, and tons of love for a K-pop star!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
This sea animal gives new meaning to the phrase "all heart"!
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
學生拯救「討人厭蔬菜」
Operation "Save the 'Bleh' Vegetables"
Hey there sprout!
We're on a rescue mission.
Some sad vegetables need saving!
Are there some vegetables that you just can't stand?
Seeing them makes you go "bleh"!
Everyone likes different things.
But there are definitely some vegetables that are a bit more…unpopular (不受歡迎).
Ahem…you know…like…eggplant, green peppers…shh.
But these veggies have a lot to give!
Many of them are packed with vitamins and minerals.
They're also full of fiber, which helps your gut (腸道) stay healthy.
These veggies are chock full of goodness!
But how do we get kids to give them a chance?
A school in Kaohsiung has a plan.
It's turning students into veggie farmers!
Kaohsiung Municipal Sinshang Primary School students are growing vegetables right on the school's balconies.
高雄新上國小的老師帶著學生在班級陽台上種了許多"討人厭蔬菜".
This year, some grade 3 students planted green peppers, bitter melon, eggplant, basil and more!
今年三年級學生種了青椒、苦瓜、茄子、九層塔等。
The students got the soil ready, and put in the seeds.
They got to see the small green sprouts (芽) grow.
They saw the green pepper and eggplant sprouts grow some beautiful flowers.
And they saw how the vegetables slowly formed from those flowers.
But…many of them still did not want to eat these vegetables.
So their teachers took the next step.
First, they helped the students learn about the nutritional value (營養成分) in each of these vegetables.
Then, they asked the students to become chefs (主廚) for a day!
The students washed, cut, and cooked the vegetables.
Some students thought the vegetables didn't taste that bad.
Some even asked for more!
And that's how these "bleh!" veggies became "yum!" veggies.
So next time you see an unpopular vegetable, remember, it might be hiding a delicious surprise!
Who knows, maybe you'll even become a veggie farmer yourself someday!
Happy eating, sprouts!
________________________________
BTS Jin辦「千人擁抱會」
BTS Jin Gives Away 1,000 Hugs
Brace yourselves BTS fans!
Get ready to sing and dance…
Because Jin is back!
BTS member Jin has just finished his service (服兵役) in the South Korean military.
The K-pop star spent 18 months in training.
The 31-year-old served as an assistant drill instructor at a training center.
Now he is returning to stardom.
And to celebrate (慶祝), Jin gave away 1,000 hugs!
BTS成員Jin正式退伍，在南韓舉辦粉絲擁抱會。
It was part of a big party for BTS fans, called "BTS Festa".
It was held in Seoul.
Before the party, 1,000 lucky fans were chosen in a raffle (抽籤).
Then that day, Jin stood onstage.
He wore a sign (吊牌) that said "Hug Me".
And the chosen fans walked up one by one to get a hug or a handshake (握手)!
Everyone was very happy.
There was a lot of happy screaming.
And there might have been some happy crying too.
Jin's bandmates couldn't be there.
RM, J-Hope, Suga, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook are still serving.
But they got to take a little bit of time off to meet with Jin at the military base (軍事基地).
They gave Jin flowers.
And RM even played their hit song "Dynamite" on a saxophone (薩克斯風).
And the band members all wrote letters to their fans.
The letters were read out loud days later, at BTS Festa.
Aside from hugging fans at the Festa, Jin also tried out some new TikTok trends.
And he sang some of his solo songs, like "Super Tuna".
He also sang the band's song "Moon".
Jin is the first BTS member to finish military service.
The band will probably get back together in June 2025.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Kaohsiung Municipal Sinshang Primary School students are growing vegetables right on the school's balconies, and cooking them.
This helped the students learn about the veggies, including their nutritional value.
In the end, some students thought the vegetables didn't taste that bad, and some even asked for more!
So next time you see an unpopular vegetable, remember, it might be hiding a delicious surprise!
________________________________
And,
BTS member Jin has just finished his service in the South Korean military.
And to celebrate, Jin gave away 1,000 hugs!
Jin is the first BTS member to finish military service.
The band will probably get back together in June 2025.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And for today's Tasty Tidbit,
It's one of the coolest creatures in the ocean - the octopus! Did you know octopuses have three hearts? Yup, you heard that right, THREE hearts!
So, how does that work? Well, two of their hearts pump blood to their gills. The gills are where they get oxygen from the water. It's like the octopus's way of taking a big, deep breath.
The third heart pumps blood to the rest of their body, making sure every part of the octopus gets the oxygen it needs to swim, hunt, and do all its amazing octopus things!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories: A man from Hsinchu spends a week in the desert, and a photo of a bird surprises people.
Let's go!
________________________________
台灣人徒步穿越非洲沙漠
Taiwanese Man Walks Across African Desert
Could you walk across the desert (沙漠)?
I don't know.
If I tried to do that, I might just die.
The desert is so hot and dry (乾燥).
It sounds really difficult.
But it's not impossible.
Some people still do it.
In fact, a guy from Taiwan recently finished a race (比賽) across the desert.
It was a man from Hsinchu County named Gao Yu-jin (高玉金).
He travelled all the way to Africa, to the country of Namibia, to join a race across the Namib Desert.
The Namib Desert is not an easy place to survive. It is the oldest desert in the world, and one of the driest.
Gao went there to join a 7-day race across the desert. It was an ultramarathon, meaning Gao had to go on foot 250 kilometers to finish the race.
高玉金從台灣新竹前往非洲納米比亞參加超級馬拉松。
Gao knew it would be very hard. The desert was harsh, and temperatures sometimes got up to 50 degrees Celsius during the day.
What's more, Gao is already 60 years old.
Many of the other racers were younger and fitter.
But Gao was determined to do it (決心這麼做).
He carried a heavy backpack with lots of water to drink.
He also had protective clothing to ward off the sun, and walking poles (登山杖) to help him keep his balance as he trekked across the desert dunes.
It was really tough (辛苦).
Gao said he felt mixed emotions during the race, such as resentment, helplessness, and pain.
He said he often thought about giving up, but still he kept on going.
他說比賽時心情很複雜，有怨恨、茫然、痛苦等等。他說他途中多次想要放棄，但是他堅持了下來。
Finally, after a week in the desert, he finished the race, getting 74th place.
After the race, he got on social media to say he was proud of himself.
Gao thanked his family for supporting him.
He said the race made him believe that every person has unlimited potential (無限的潛力).
So how about it?
Do you want to try walking across the desert?
The race happens every year.
Maybe one day, it will be you out there, testing your strength and endurance.
________________________________
攝影師贏得人工智慧攝影比賽獎項
Photographer Wins AI Photo Contest
Have you ever seen picture made by AI?
Yes. Some of them are super weird (超奇怪).
If you ask AI to make a photo of an animal, it might show you an animal with two faces!
That's scary.
On the other hand, lots of AI photos are super cool.
Sometimes, you can't even tell (看不出來) the photo was made by AI.
You know, some people use AI photos to win photography contests (攝影比賽), even if that is against the rules.
When the judges find out the photos come from AI, the photos get disqualified (被取消了比賽資格).
That makes sense, as people worry about AI replacing human artists.
But now one human artist is fighting back.
In a recent contest, the photographer (攝影師) Miles Astray broke the rules, but in the opposite way.
He took a real photo, but made it look like an AI photo.
Then he entered it in a contest for AI photos, and he won!
What was the photo?
It was a photo of a pink bird - a flamingo (紅鶴) - standing on the beach.
The flamingo looks like it has no head, like a lot of creepy AI photos do.
But it was actually a real photo of a flamingo.
The bird was hiding its head in its feathers, which is what real flamingos do when they sleep.
照片看起來像一隻沒有頭的鳥，但實際上是一隻正在睡覺的紅鶴。
The judges thought it was a weird and cool AI photo, and they gave it a prize.
Imagine their surprise (驚訝) when the photographer told them it was a real photo he took with his camera.
Of course, the photographer was disqualified from the contest.
But he feels his project was a success, because he made people think.
他讓大家思考。
He says he wants people to question (質疑) the pictures they see.
People should always ask themselves: Could that be real, or was it created with AI?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese guy raced across the African desert.
Gao Yu-jin traveled from Hsinchu to Namibia to join the 7-day ultramarathon.
It wasn't easy, but after 250 kilometers, Gao finally walked across the finish line.
________________________________
And,
A photographer surprised people when he won an AI photo contest using a real photo.
His photo of a flamingo looks weird enough to be made by a computer, but it's totally real.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know the Earth isn't perfectly round?
While the Earth may appear round, it's actually slightly flat at the top and bottom, which are called the poles.
It's also a bit wider in the middle - the equator (赤道).
This is because the Earth spins (旋轉) very fast, which causes a bulge (凸出) at the equator.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode, more problems from plastic, and elephants know their names!
And today's Tasty Tidbit takes a dark turn…
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣人體內塑化劑濃度高美國人7倍
Plasticizers in our Bodies
The world is facing a serious problem with plastic pollution.
And it may affect us in more ways than we thought.
Recently, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research Institutes (國家衛生研究院) did a study together.
The study found that people in Taiwan had 2 to 7 times more plasticizer in their bodies than people in Europe and the U.S.
Plasticizer is added to materials to make them softer and more flexible (有彈性).
Plasticizer is often added to polymer (聚合物) and PVC.
It makes it easier to change the shape of these materials.
Plasticizer is also added to concrete (混凝土) to improve strength.
Plasticizer does get into our bodies.
But experts say it takes only a few days for us to metabolize (代謝) the plasticizer.
So why are the levels so high in Taiwanese people?
It may be that we come into contact with a lot of plasticizer, and often.
We are exposed to plasticizers on a daily basis.
Often when we buy food in Taiwan, they come in plastic bags…
Even when it's hot food or soup.
When people heat food in microwaves, the plastic wrap (保鮮膜) is often still wrapped on the food.
Plasticizers in our bodies can cause many different problems.
Experts say plasticizer can affect thyroid hormones (甲狀腺荷爾蒙), insulin (胰島素) and other hormonal functions (荷爾蒙功能).
It can also disrupt menstrual cycles (干擾月經週期).
Some plasticizers impair (影響) child development, heighten cancer risks and other effects.
The experts say cutting down exposure is very important.
They say we should use reusable tableware.
And they say we should learn about different materials.
Some single-use tableware is covered with a layer of waterproof plastic (防水塑膠膜).
If the food is very hot, or the tableware is heated, there is a risk.
The plastic may release harmful chemicals.
專家建議，購買外帶食物最好能夠自備環保容器或餐盒。
Looks like the reduction of plastic tableware is something that cannot be put off.
________________________________
大象會用"名字"呼叫彼此
Elephants Call Each Other by Name
Animals have their own ways to communicate with each other.
Dolphins mimic (模仿).
Studies have shown that some dolphins call one another by making the signature (特色) whistle of the dolphin they want to call.
Some parrots also do this.
But elephants do something different.
A new study shows that elephants call out to each other using something like names!
It's a bit like our human names.
But elephants use names that they made up for other elephants.
A team of international scientists looked at the calls of two herds of elephants in Kenya.
They listened closely to the sounds these elephants made.
They played a recording to an elephant of others calling out its name.
They found the elephant responded positively (正面的) and energetically.
But when the names of other elephants were played, they did not respond.
The scientists think this shows that elephants use different sounds for each of their friends and family members.
And they know when other elephants are calling them.
The scientists say this means that elephants and humans may be the only two animals that can make up names for each other.
The scientists say in some ways, this makes sense.
They say humans and elephants share many similarities (共同點).
Both live with families and relatives.
Both live social lives.
Elephants also have highly-developed brains.
There's a saying that goes, “an elephant never forgets.”
或許還有其他動物跟我們一樣，擁有進步的溝通機制，等著我們去發現。
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A new study finds that people in Taiwan had 2 to 7 times more plasticizer in their bodies than people in Europe and the U.S.
It may be that we come into contact with a lot of plasticizer, and often.
The experts say cutting down exposure is very important.
________________________________
And,
A new study shows that elephants call out to each other using something like names!
But elephants use names that they made up for other elephants.
The scientists say this means that elephants and humans may be the only two animals that can make up names for each other.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And for today's Tasty Tidbit,
What building has the most stories?
Taipei 101?
Nope, the library!
Now, are you afraid of the dark? 6th graders Lien Yu-en and Lin Zhi-hsuan from Yunlin County's Wen-chang Elementary School think maybe you just need to understand it better!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Taiwan on the AI stage, Mexico's first woman president, and what animal would you want to be?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
人工智慧科技成為焦點！
COMPUTEX 2024: AI Tech Takes the Spotlight!
COMPUTEX 2024 ended on June 7th and was a big success.
Over four days, more than 85,000 tech buyers (科技買家) and professionals from countries like Japan, the USA, South Korea, and many others visited the event.
This year's theme was "Connecting AI," and it brought a lot of attention to Taiwan (讓台灣成為矚目的焦點).
Many companies showed off (展示) their newest AI products.
Acer and ASUS introduced new AI-powered laptops.
宏碁和華碩推出了新款 AI 驅動的筆記型電腦。
These laptops use AI to make them smarter (更聰明) and more efficient (更有效率).
There were also many new smart cars (智慧汽車) on display.
Companies showed off new car technology, including smart cockpit solutions (智慧駕駛艙解決方案).
In the communications area, Taiwan's role in advanced communications (先進通訊) was highlighted.
ASUS and ASKEY worked together to create 5G network solutions.
華碩和亞旭合作創建了 5G 網路解決方案。
Another exciting area was the Metaverse, where a company showed eye-tracking tech for augmented reality (擴增實境的眼球追蹤技術), and another demonstrated a 3D recording system (3D 錄影系統).
Many famous tech leaders (科技領袖) spoke at COMPUTEX.
Dr. Lisa Su from AMD started the event.
Other speakers included Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon, Intel's Pat Gelsinger, and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.
They talked about how AI and other technologies are changing the world.
COMPUTEX also focused on sustainability.
Companies like BenQ won the gold award for sustainable design.
ASUS and Acer both won silver, and other companies received special awards for their eco-friendly designs.
COMPUTEX 2025 will be held from May 20 to 23, 2025.
________________________________
墨西哥史上第一位女總統！
Mexico's First Female President!
Claudia Sheinbaum has made history by becoming Mexico's first female president.
She won with a big lead, getting about 60% of the votes.
Her main opponent was a businesswoman who got around 30% of the votes.
Claudia will take over (接替) from President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador on October 1st.
She promised to continue the good work of President L?pez Obrador.
She wants to keep helping people through welfare programs (福利計劃).
In her victory speech, she said this win is not just for her, but for all women.
Claudia also thanked her opponent, who admitted defeat (承認敗選).
Claudia Sheinbaum has a background (背景) in science.
She studied physics and energy engineering.
她學習物理和能源工程。
Before politics, she worked as a scientist and studied energy use in Mexico.
Her grandparents came from Bulgaria and Lithuania, fleeing from the Nazis.
她的祖父母為了躲避納粹的迫害，從保加利亞和立陶宛來到墨西哥。
Before running for president, Claudia was the mayor (市長) of Mexico City.
She was the first woman to hold this position.
An 87-year-old woman named Edelmira Montiel said she was happy to see a woman become president.
In the past, women in Mexico couldn't vote or had to vote as their husbands told them.
Claudia Sheinbaum will face many challenges as president.
She plans to tackle violence by addressing its causes and investing in welfare programs.
她打算從根本處理暴力事件，並且投資各種社會福利，來解決墨西哥的暴力問題。
She also wants to have a good relationship with the United States and protect Mexicans living there.
Claudia had strong support (支持) from the outgoing president, L?pez Obrador, who is very popular.
Many people voted for her because they wanted to continue his programs to reduce poverty (減貧計劃).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
COMPUTEX 2024 ended on June 7th and was a big success.
Over four days, more than 85,000 tech buyers and professionals from countries like Japan, the USA, South Korea, and many others visited the event.
This year's theme was "Connecting AI," and it brought a lot of attention to Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
Claudia Sheinbaum has made history by becoming Mexico's first female president.
Claudia will take over from President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador on October 1st.
She will face many challenges as president.
She plans to tackle violence by addressing its causes and investing in welfare programs.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
What animal would you be?
Where would you live, and what would you look like?
I think if I were an animal, I would be a panda.
I could eat bamboo leaves all day, and sleep as much as I want in the bamboo forest.
I would have a round body, and black and white fur!
Lin Pin-yen (林*諺) from Jiufenzi Elementary and Junior High School in Tainan City shared what his life would be like…if he were a fish!
"If I were a fish, I'd swim in the sea with shiny scales and a wavy tail.
I'd find hidden caves underwater.
I'd feel the ocean's waves gently carrying me to new places.
In the sea, I'd see big whales and tiny seahorses.
And I'd learn the language of the sea.
As a fish, I would live peacefully in the sea, loving its beauty and secrets.
If I were a fish, it would be amazing."
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone! It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode, a machine that can get energy from seawater, and tourists destroying property in a Japanese town.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: the world's best-selling video game.
Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________
把海水變成能源的神奇機器
A Machine That Can Turn Seawater into Energy
Did you know you can make energy from seawater?
A research team at National Sun Yat-sen University says they've made a machine that can break down seawater to get hydrogen (氫).
They say it's the first of its kind in the world.
Why would anyone want hydrogen?
Hydrogen is a clean fuel that only makes water as a byproduct (副產品), making it good for the earth.
Hydrogen is important because it makes green electricity.
Green electricity is made from solar, wind, or hydro power.
It doesn't use fossil fuels.
Many industries (行業) need hydrogen to make important chemicals like rocket fuel (火箭燃料).
It's also important for making metals stronger.
So, how does the machine make hydrogen from seawater?
It does it by using electrolysis (電解), which causes a chemical reaction.
The machine passes an electric current (電流) through seawater, helping water molecules (水分子) split up.
It sounds like something we should be able to do easily.
But it's not easy.
The lack of technology is a problem.
It's difficult to show that making big amounts of hydrogen is possible.
目前最大的困難之一，在於還沒有 那樣的技術，來 證 明大量生產氫氣辦得到。
But the new machine is exciting because its inventors say it can produce plenty of hydrogen.
The machine will help Taiwan accomplish its dream of becoming a zero emissions (零排放) country by 2050.
Then Taiwan won't need to buy energy like oil from other countries anymore.
The researchers have been working with the government to make their special machine.
But it's not enough.
And they are hoping other government and industry partners will work with them develop this promising technology.
________________________________
富士山美景被遮擋 觀光客卻找辦法攝影
Holes in Screen Fail to Block Mount Fuji Photos
At the foot of Mount Fuji, there is a town that enjoys amazing views of this special mountain.
This town has a long name - Fujikawaguchiko - and it's got big problems.
Tourists who are trying to take pictures of Mount Fuji have been bothering the locals that live in the area.
They've been blocking pavements, walking into busy roads, and standing on private property to take photos.
因為當地人抱怨遊客堵住了人行道、占用繁忙的道路、並且還站在私人領地上拍照。
So to stop the tourists from taking photos of the mountain, officials there put up a big black screen.
The screen is outside the Lawson convenience store.
If you take a picture from there, it looks like Mount Fuji is sitting on the roof.
But the screen didn't stop some sneaky tourists from trying to take their pictures anyway.
Destroying public property is something we should never do, particularly when we are visitors in a new country.
But some tourists don't seem to remember this, because they have cut holes in the screen and in fences.
Officials found about ten holes at eye level the day after the screen was put up.
They think some tourists made holes in the screen just the right size for a camera lens.
This kind of behavior is one reason why many people around the world don't like tourists, and not just in Japan.
In fact, overtourism (過度旅遊) is a problem in many in many countries around the world.
So governments are coming up with ways to deal with this problem.
For example, Venice in Italy charges a €5 fee for tourists to enter the city on certain days to manage the crowds.
That's about 175 NT.
The Canary Islands (加那利群島) are considering stricter rules to control the number of visitors.
In Tenerife (特內里費島), locals protested to limit tourist arrivals.
And last September, some parts of a popular heritage site in Peru - Machu Picchu (馬丘比丘) - were closed to tourists because of erosion (侵蝕).
Let's remember to respect local customs and be considerate when travelling to other countries.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A research team at National Sun Yat-sen University made the world's first prototype that can generate hydrogen from seawater.
It does this via electrolysis, which is using electricity to cause a reaction.
The team said their machine can make produce hydrogen on a large scale.
________________________________
And,
Officials in the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko put up a black screen to stop tourists taking pictures of Mount Fuji.
But some tourists are suspected of making holes in the screen.
Despite this, officials say the screen has helped reduce some problems.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Did you know the best-selling video game of all time is Minecraft?
Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies.
Have you played Minecraft before?
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Coming up next in today's news: The education minister wants to slow down on the Bilingual 2030 policy, and scientists say climate change is making air turbulence worse and more common!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… two companies and a university are making a better chocolate!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
教育部長暫緩2030年雙語政策
Education Minister Wants to Slow Down on the Bilingual 2030 Policy
Some time ago, Taiwan started the Bilingual 2030 policy.
It wants to raise the competitiveness (競爭力) of Taiwan's young people.
Young people would be able to get better jobs and higher pay.
The policy is mostly about bilingual education (雙語教育) in Taiwanese schools.
But the education minister wants to go more slowly on the policy.
He is the former president (前校長) of a national university (國立大學).
He helped to make a ten-year plan for English-only education.
The plan is for its graduate school (研究所).
The university hired (聘請) teachers with qualifications (資格).
They made new English classes.
These classes are not required (不是必修課) until 2030.
The education minister said, "These things take time, we need to slow down."
But local governments (地方政府) are trying to follow the policy in a hurry.
So sometimes new teachers don't have the qualifications the school needs.
This could make the policy fall short of expectations (達不到預期).
The Ministry of Education plans to work with local schools.
It wants to make sure new teachers have qualifications.
The education minister also said students can learn English in their daily (經) lives.
When he was the head (局長) of a city education office, it worked with a fast food chain and doctors.
Children who ordered food in English got free fries!
Children who spoke to doctors in English paid $50 Taiwan dollars less.
The minister said that children in rural (鄉村) areas have fewer bilingual resources (資源) than children in cities.
To help, the ministry will send university students to teach rural children.
教育部致力於為農村學生提供所需的英語教育。
It's great that the ministry is trying to raise the bilingual abilities (能力) of our country.
___________________________________________________________
氣候變遷使空中亂流更常見，並且更嚴重
Climate Change is Making Air Turbulence Worse and More Common
On May 21st, a Singapore Airlines plane began to shake very hard over the Indian Ocean.
This was because of air turbulence (空中亂流).
The plane was flying from London to Singapore.
But it made an emergency landing (緊急降落) in Bangkok.
The plane dropped 1,800 meters in a very short time.
Many people were hurt.
One person died.
A scientist (科學家) who has studied air turbulence said,
"It is not that we'll have to stop flying, or planes will fall out of the sky."
"I'm just saying that air turbulence will be getting more common."
There is a study about severe incidents (嚴重事件) of air turbulence.
It shows these incidents have gone up since 1979.
Wind shear (風切) is a fast change in wind strength or direction (方向).
Wind shear has also gone up since 1979.
Warmer air can make wind shear happen more often.
Other studies have also shown that climate change has led to warmer air.
And this will also cause more turbulence.
There are different kinds of turbulence.
Thunderstorms (暴風雨) cause one kind of turbulence.
Scientists think thunderstorms will get worse with climate change.
Weather centers, satellites, and radar (氣象局, 氣象衛星, 氣象雷達) help to forecast (預報) this kind of turbulence.
Then plane pilots can avoid (避免) it.
However, clear-air or invisible (晴空或看不見的) turbulence is very hard to forecast.
Scientists think clear-air turbulence will also go up.
But there is a technology (科技) that might help one day.
Using Lidar (光學雷達), test flights (試飛) can see clear-air turbulence 32 kilometers ahead of the plane.
But the technology costs too much and the equipment is too big to be used now.
隨著科技的進步，亂流的預測將會越來越準確。
For now, fasten your seatbelt (繫好安全帶) when you're on a plane, just to be safe.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
The education minister wants to slow down on the Bilingual 2030 policy.
He said bilingual education takes time and students can learn English in their daily lives.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Climate change is making air turbulence more common and severe.
Warmer air causes more turbulence.
Scientists are using technology to help forecast turbulence.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Two chocolate companies and a university are trying to make a better chocolate.
This chocolate is healthier.
It has less fat (脂肪) and more fiber (纖維).
It's better for the Earth because all of the cocoa fruit (可可果) is used.
And it makes more money for cocoa farmers!
Chocolate makers usually only use cocoa beans and some cocoa pulp (漿).
Then they put sugar in.
Cocoa-fruit chocolate also uses cocoa beans and cocoa pulp.
But it also uses the inside of the cocoa fruit shell (殼).
The inside of the shell and cocoa pulp make cocoa gel (凝膠).
Cocoa gel is very sweet.
No sugar is needed!
Only the shell is left at the end.
But it can be used for other things.
Doesn't this chocolate sound good?
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Back to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
The number of pet dogs and cats increases, nurses say ransomware is stressing hospital operations, and seeing double!
Keep on listening to find out more!
________________________________
寵物貓狗的數量 逐年增加
Number of Pet Dogs and Cats Increases
Having a pet is a great way to keep you company.
Over the past decades, the number of pets has constantly (持續) increased.
The statistics are shown in a recent survey done by the Ministry of Agriculture (農業部).
Last year, there were almost 1.5 million dogs and more than 1.3 million cats in Taiwan.
Compared to 2021, the number of dogs increased by 19% and cats by 50%.
As for other pets, there was also a 3.3% increase.
This phenomenon (現象) is happening globally.
Statistics show that there are over half a billion dogs and cats in the U.S., E.U., and China alone.
Not to mention the other countries.
The global COVID-19 pandemic (疫情) also contributed to the increase of pets.
As people were under lockdown (封鎖) in their homes, millions of them adopted a pet to keep them company.
In Australia alone, there was an increase of 1.2 million pet dogs after the pandemic.
Another reason is that as raising children is challenging, many have turned to raising pets.
As a result, the pet industry is rapidly growing.
According to the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院), the average amount that pet owners spend on a pet every year is NT$28,000.
It is estimated around NT$50 billion (寵物經濟規模達到五百多 億) are spent on pets every year in Taiwan.
Going to the vet, regular grooming at pet salons, pet food and treats, equipment and toys and so much more.
每年舉辦寵物展的場次幾乎快超越婦幼展了。
In a few years, the number of pets in Taiwan will surpass (超越) the number of children.
This also poses a problem for pet control.
Currently, the law requires pet dogs to be microchipped and registered.
Whereas, only Taipei requires owners to register cats.
The MOA is assessing the possibility of a mandatory (強制) cat registration throughout the country.
So, don’t be surprised if you see more dogs than children in the park in the near future.
________________________________
勒索軟體癱瘓醫院作業
Nurses Say Ransomware Is Stressing Hospital Operations
When a computer is attacked by ransomware, all the files are locked.
You can still turn your computer on and off, but that’s basically everything you can do.
In other words, your computer is kidnapped (綁架) by hackers (駭客).
You have to pay a ransom (贖金) of crypto currency (加密貨幣).
After that, you might receive a password to regain control of your computer.
If you don’t want to pay, you can always format (格式化) and reinstall the operating system on your computer.
But you will lose all your files.
Imagine the amount of damage ransomware can do to a company, or even a hospital.
A recent attack on a major US hospital network is endangering patient’s health.
All the nurses, doctor and staff have to shift to paper records.
With the computers down, doctors have to write paper prescriptions (處方簽).
The nurses then have to take it to a machine to enter manually (手動輸入) to obtain the medication.
With the system offline, it’s almost impossible to cross-check it with the pharmacy.
This might lead to an overdose (過量) of medication.
Due to the hack, lab results that usually take 30 minutes to 1 hour to process are now taking hours.
This will cause a delay in patient care and immediate (即時) treatment.
All these are matters of life and death.
The reason that cybercriminals (網路犯罪份子) target healthcare organizations is because they possess an enormous volume of sensitive data that can be sold for money.
Healthcare organizations also can’t afford to be offline for too long and are more likely to pay the ransom.
Experts say that many hospitals also lack sufficient cyber security measures (手段).
這些勒索軟體的攻擊，其實比大多數人認為的還要頻繁。
249 ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations were reported in America last year.
Authorities should really assist with cyber security in the healthcare industry.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The number of pet dogs and cats is increasing.
As raising children is challenging, many have turned to raising pets.
________________________________
And,
Nurses say ransomware is stressing hospital operations.
Information have to be handwritten and could delay patient treatment.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Chameleons and seahorses can move their eyes separately.
This allows them to see in two directions at the same time!
Chameleons can move their eyes independently, giving them nearly 360° vision.
And just like a chameleon, seahorses can look in different directions at once.
It’s a handy skill for hunting, allowing them to keep an eye out for both prey and predators!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan wins awards at the Robofest World Championship and an eight-year-old is a fashion trendsetter at school!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, a man mails a postcard from one cool post office to another!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣奪得世界機器人大賽冠軍
Taiwan Wins at the Robofest World Championship
Taiwan is a leader in robotics (機器人技術).
And smart students here are already becoming leaders in robotics!
Last month, the Robofest World Championship (錦標賽) was held for three days at a university in Michigan, in the U.S.
Students from 16 countries, from Grades 4 to 12, competed (競爭).
Over 500 students competed in 100 teams.
Taiwan had 50 students in 12 teams.
They won eight awards (大獎)!
In the two exhibition competitions (展覽競賽), Taiwan won first place awards.
In the senior exhibition competition, a team named "SmartHome Hub" from National Pingtung Senior High School competed against 11 teams.
The SmartHome Hub team won scholarships (獎學金) to the university for $80,000 US dollars, or over two and a half million Taiwan dollars.
In the junior exhibition competition, a team named "Dreamer" competed against 13 teams.
For this exhibition competition, teams thought of a problem that a robot could fix or something it could do.
Then they designed, made, and programmed (寫程式) their robot.
They made a video and wrote reports for the judges (裁判).
Then they showed their robot, gave a 4-minute report in English, and answered the judges' questions.
Taiwan also won in the game competitions.
In the senior game competition, a team named "Just Right," from Cheng Yi Senior High School in Kaohsiung, won first place.
It competed against 21 teams.
This team also won $80,000 US dollar scholarships.
In the junior game competition, a team named "Justice," also from Cheng Yi Senior High School, won sixth place.
It competed against 29 teams! Whoa!
The teams played a two-minute game called "Autonomous (自駕) Taxi."
Their robots picked up small balls and delivered them to different boxes.
In the game, the robots were taxis picking up and dropping off people and food orders!
In the senior medical (醫療的) robot competition, a team named "FAME" won third place.
They got scholarships for $56,000 US dollars, or $1,800,000 Taiwan dollars.
This new wave of young leaders in robotics will help Taiwan make smarter and faster robots!
這些學生的創新想法，可以幫助台灣在機器人領域更成功.
___________________________________________________________
八歲男孩成為時尚潮流領袖
An Eight-Year-Old Boy Is a Fashion Trendsetter
It's Wednesday, a school day, and the kids are looking good.
It's because of one classmate in a rural (鄉村的) school in a small rural town.
One day he decided he wanted to wear a suit to school.
That was okay. Kids in most public schools in the U.S. don't wear uniforms.
They can choose the clothes they want to wear.
So this 8-year-old boy chose a green three-piece suit: pants, vest, and jacket.
He put on a nice white shirt and a necktie too.
His classmates were surprised at first.
They didn't know why he was dressed up (穿得那麼正式)
They didn't know what to think!
Was this strange or was this cool?
Hmmmmm…
The boy kept wearing suits to school.
He knew he was dressed differently from everyone else.
But he didn't care.
He liked dressing up.
He said, "I can be who I want to be."
Kids got used to (習慣) seeing him dressed up.
One by one, they started dressing up too.
And… they thought they looked good!
It made them feel good!
Even if a dress or a jacket was itchy (發癢), they felt good.
One boy said he felt like a president (總統)!
So the boy in the three-piece suit became a fashion trendsetter (時尚潮流引領者).
And students decided that Wednesdays are "Dapper (穿著考究的) Wednesday."
Kids dress up… if they want to.
The school has a "Dapper Closet (衣櫥)."
People donate (捐贈) dressy (比較正式的) clothes there so that every child can dress up… if they want to.
One teacher thinks dressing up is a great idea.
He says the kids are different when they're dressed up.
They seem to feel better about themselves all day.
But the boy who wears suits doesn't think all kids need to dress up.
He says they should wear what they want to wear.
That's what he does!
這個小男孩有信心做自己，真是太好了.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Smart students in Taiwan are already becoming leaders in robotics.
At the Robofest World Championship, eight teams from Taiwan won awards.
Some teams also won scholarships.
___________________________________________________________
And…
An eight-year-old boy became a fashion trendsetter when he wore a suit to school.
Students didn't know what to think at first.
Then they started to dress up and liked it.
Now they dress up every Wednesday… if they want to!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For a little money, a stamp will send mail very far.
An Italian man loves stamps.
He sends postcards from interesting post offices.
He sends them to other cool post offices.
This year, he sent a postcard from the Penguin (企鵝) Post Office, the southernmost post office in Antarctica (南極洲).
He sent it to the only cave (洞穴) post office in the world.
The postcard left Antarctica on a cruise ship (遊輪).
Then it went to the U.K. by plane.
Thirty-two days after it was mailed, the postcard arrived at the cool cave post office in Slovenia (斯洛維尼亞)!
Postojna Cave is a wonderful world with a train and… baby dragons!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's episode, we'll be talking about Malayan Tigers, and football-playing AI robots!
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The king of the jungle!
Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________
臺北動物園新生報到兩瀕危馬來虎
Malayan Tigers Debut at Taipei Zoo
Exciting news from Taipei Zoo: Two Malayan tigers have just made their first public appearance.
Their names are Shima and Serikin.
These tigers came all the way from France, arriving on March 1st from a special zoo dedicated to big cats (來自法國一家專門保育大型貓科動物的動物園).
Shima and Serikin spent over two months in quarantine (檢疫) and spent some time getting used to their new home.
After that, they were ready to meet visitors!
Zookeepers say Shima and Serikin have very different personalities (個性大不同).
Shima loves to play and explore her new surroundings, while Serikin is more shy and careful.
This is a big deal for Taipei Zoo, because it's the zoo's first time participating in a global program to help save Malayan tigers.
Malayan tigers live in the forests of southern Thailand and Malaysia.
They are an endangered subspecies (亞種) of tiger.
They're named after Peter Jackson!
No, not that Peter Jackson - the director the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
不是魔戒電影的導演。
They're named after another Peter Jackson, who's a notable tiger conservationist (老虎保育人士).
Jackson "earned his stripes" way back in 2005, when the Malayan tiger subspecies was discovered, and named after him.
Sadly, Malayan tiger numbers are dropping because of habitat loss and poaching.
Taipei Zoo Director Chen I-tsung (諶亦聰) says these tigers are critically endangered, which means they are at very high risk of extinction.
Deforestation for palm oil plantations (棕櫚樹園區) and urban development (城市發展) has significantly reduced their natural habitat.
This makes it harder for them to find sufficient prey and leads to increased encounters with poachers (盜獵者).
Poaching remains a major threat, driven by the illegal wildlife trade, where tiger parts like their coats (皮毛) are highly valued.
盜獵依然是重大威脅，由於老虎的皮毛非常值錢，帶來許多非法的野生動物交易。
Thankfully, conservation efforts are underway to protect the remaining Malayan tigers.
These efforts include anti-poaching measures, habitat preservation and community engagement programs.
保育措施包括反盜獵、棲息地保護和社區參與計畫。
Shima and Serikin are both very elegant and quiet, so the zookeepers ask visitors to be considerate when visiting them.
They can be found in the Tropical Rainforest Area at Taipei Zoo.
Let's help raise awareness about these beautiful animals and support efforts to protect them.
________________________________
日內瓦人工智慧展 機器人踢足球
Robots Play Soccer at AI Showcase in Geneva
Time to head over to Switzerland for this next story - the land of chocolate, mountain landscapes and luxury watches.
Recently, an A-I for Good Global Summit took place in Geneva.
最近日內瓦舉行了一場人工智慧全球高峰會，探討怎樣讓AI做好事。
You remember what A-I is, right? It stands for Artificial Intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence can do many things.
It can look at a lot of data very fast and find important information.
AI can do boring and repetitive tasks, so people can do more interesting work.
It helps with decision-making by showing patterns and predictions.
But it can do much more than that!
At the Summit, AI-controlled robots played soccer, answered trivia questions, and even poked fun at human mistakes! Cool, huh?
These robots were built by students from ETH Zurich - a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland.
這些機器人是由瑞士蘇黎世的公立研究型大學ETH Zurich的學生所打造的。
The robots kicked, passed, and tracked the ball using sensors.
The project supervisor Jan-Nico Zaech said it helps students learn and test new algorithms (演算法) that can be used in the real world.
Apart from robots playing soccer, the summit also showcased other amazing AI technologies.
For example, prosthetic limbs (義肢) that learn from users and adapt to their movements, as well as devices to help visually impaired people avoid obstacles (幫助視障人士避開障礙物的設備), and bionic pets (跟真正寵物很像的機器寵物) to keep people company.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Two Malayan tigers made their debut at Taipei Zoo after arriving from France.
Their names are Shima and Serikin.
Zookeepers say they have different personalities.
Shima is playful and adventurous, while Serikin is more reserved.
Taipei Zoo is participating in a global program to save these critically endangered tigers, whose numbers are declining due to habitat loss and poaching.
The Zoo urges visitors to be respectful.
________________________________
And,
The AI for Good Global Summit recently took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
AI, short for Artificial Intelligence, can process data quickly, perform repetitive tasks, and assist with decision-making.
At the summit, AI-controlled robots built by students from ETH Zurich played soccer and showcased advanced technologies.
These innovations demonstrate how AI is revolutionizing various fields and improving lives around the world.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And for today's Tasty Tidbit,
You might have heard that tigers are called "kings of the jungle".
Well, it just so happens that stripe pattern on a tiger's head looks like the Chinese character for king (王).
有趣的是，老虎頭上的條紋圖案與中文「王」字相似。
In Chinese culture, the tiger holds a special significance as a symbol of power, strength, and bravery.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Taiwan's millet seeds are stored in the Artic, a gardener makes music, and stories of mermaids in the Caribbean!
Let's begin!
________________________________
臺灣珍貴種子 走進北極
Taiwan's Tiny Treasures Go to the Arctic
Seeds (種子) are tiny but mighty treasures essential for our food and agriculture.
They carry the genetic blueprint of plants (植物的基因藍圖).
Protecting seeds means preserving the diversity of our crops (保護農作物的多樣性)…
…which helps us adapt (適應) to changes like climate shifts and disease.
Speaking of protecting seeds, did you know that a team from Taiwan traveled to the Arctic (北極) at the end of May?
They took 170 seeds of a grain called millet (小米) to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (挪威的斯瓦爾巴全球種子庫).
Oh, the "Doomsday Seed Vault! (世界末日種子庫)!
It's like a safe place for seeds from all over the world, right?
Exactly! It helps keep seeds safe in case of big problems like climate change, wars, or other disasters.
At the end of May, there was a ceremony in Svalbard to celebrate Taiwan's participation in this important project.
Many important people from Taiwan were there, including scientists and representatives of Taiwan's indigenous Peoples (臺灣原住民).
Millet is very important to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan.
It's a staple food and has special cultural rituals.
小米是一種主要的食物，並且有特殊的文化儀式。
These seeds will help ensure that future generations can continue to grow millet.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located in the northernmost town in the Arctic Circle (北極圈內最北邊的小鎮).
It's a very secure place, protected by natural freezing conditions and strong underground tunnels.
It can even withstand earthquakes and nuclear attacks!
它甚至能夠承受地震和核武攻擊！
By sending millet seeds to the Global Seed Vault, Taiwan is helping to protect global agriculture and preserve (保存) important parts of its culture.
It's amazing how something so small can have such a big impact on our world.
Every seed counts when it comes to protecting our planet's biodiversity (生物多樣性) and ensuring a healthy future.
________________________________
園丁的新旋律
A Gardener's New Tune
Humans have always been creative (有創意) with music, inventing countless instruments over the centuries.
From simple drums and flutes to complex (複雜的) pianos and electric guitars…
…each new instrument has brought unique sounds and styles.
People have even used everyday objects (日常物品) to make music!
Anything can become an instrument with a bit of imagination.
And now, a gardener (園丁) in England has found a way to make music with…plants!
He has introduced a whole new way to create and enjoy music.
A gardener named Martin Noble-James discovered a unique way to make music using plants.
Martin built a special machine called a synthesizer (合成器) to turn plants' electrical impulses into sounds (將植物的電脈衝轉化為聲音).
This new music style is called bio-sonification (生物聲音化).
Bio-sonification works by connecting electrodes (電極) to plants.
These electrodes pick up the plants' natural electrical signals (自然的電訊).
The signals are then transformed into music (轉化為音樂) through the synthesizer.
Martin got interested in this during the COVID-19 lockdown (新冠疫情封鎖期) and has been experimenting ever since.
He says he enjoys making music without controlling it.
Instead, he collaborates (合作) with the plants.
He finds it exciting to perform live, just plugging in a plant and seeing what happens.
他覺得現場表演很好玩，只需要插入一株植物，看看會發生什麼事。
Changes to the plants, like watering them or tearing off a leaf, can alter the sounds they produce.
假如改變植物，比如澆水或撕下一片葉子，都會改變它們產生的聲音。
Martin says that the plants produce voltage (電壓), and you can create different sounds with that voltage.
It's a unique way to enjoy music and see how plants can create beautiful sounds.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A team from Taiwan traveled to the Arctic at the end of May.
They took 170 special millet seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.
It's a place for seeds from all over the world, keeping them safe for food security and agriculture.
________________________________
And,
A gardener named Martin Noble-James discovered a unique way to make music using plants.
Martin built a special synthesizer to turn plants' natural electrical signals into sounds.
The electrical signals are transformed into music through the synthesizer.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Famous Italian explorer Christopher Columbus is known for reaching the Americas in 1492.
On January 9th, 1493, Columbus was sailing near the Dominican Republic.
While sailing, he thought he saw three "mermaids" in the water.
He said these "mermaids" were not as beautiful as the ones in legends.
But these creatures were not mermaids at all.
They were actually…manatees! manatee sound
They are large, gentle sea animals.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up in today's news: Hualien holds a racing event for snails and a new airline for dogs takes flight.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, an elementary school baseball team is going to the U.S. thanks to one woman!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
花蓮舉辦蝸牛競賽
Hualien Holds a Snail Competition
We humans have been using animals for sports ever since we were able to train (訓練) them.
We race horses and dogs.
Some people make dogs and roosters (公雞) fight.
Using animals for fights is cruel (殘忍的).
It’s also illegal (違法的) in most places.
Recently (最近), animal competitions (競賽) have become more creative (更有創意) and interesting.
Nepal (尼泊爾) has elephant soccer.
California has dog surfing (衝浪).
Here in Taiwan, we have snail (蝸牛) racing.
Yes, you heard that right: snail racing.
A snail competition was recently held in Fenglin Township (鳳林鎮) in Hualien.
Fenglin Township is well known for its slow-paced lifestyle (慢節奏的生活方式).
Ten years ago, an international association (國際協會) that promotes (推廣) a slow-paced lifestyle named Fenglin Township a “slow” city.
It’s the first “slow” city in Taiwan.
Its mascot (吉祥物) is a snail.
So snail racing and Fenglin Township are a good match (絕配)!
The snail racing competition promotes a slow-paced lifestyle.
It also brings visitors – and snails – from all over Taiwan to this beautiful town.
This year, 81 people brought snails to race in the competition.
The race is on a cloth with two concentric circles (同心圓) on it.
The snails start at the inner circle (內圈) and go to the outer (外) circle.
The first one to crawl across 33 centimeters wins.
Four races were held with about 20 snails in each race.
The winner was a Giant African Snail.
Its name is 宇宙強強滾, or “The Universe Rolls On.”
It reached the outer circle in 1 minute and 25 seconds.
The top three snails got a medal and sweet potato leaves (地瓜葉).
One woman said she had picked up ten snails a week ago.
She trained them with sweet potato leaves.
She chose the best of the ten for the competition.
Her snail won second place! It finished in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
鳳林人希望能藉由這個活動把慢活的哲學推廣出去。
___________________________________________________________
狗狗航空公司起飛
A New Airline for Dogs Takes Off
Do you have a dog?
If you do, maybe you understand how it feels to leave your dog when you go on a trip.
Poor dog!
Sure, you can take your dog with you.
It’s easy when you’re going on a road trip.
Many dogs love riding in cars.
But… what if you’re flying?
Most airlines (航空公司) only allow dogs that are less than 9 kilograms in the cabin (機艙).
However, they must be kept under the seat in a pet carrier (寵物籠).
Large dogs must fly in the cargo hold (貨艙) under the cabin.
Even on smooth flights (順利飛行), dogs are anxious (焦慮的).
They are also not comfortable.
A new airline started, and it’s what some dog lovers have been waiting for.
A pet company started it with a private jet charter company (私人飛機包機公司).
Dogs are treated like people are.
Maybe they’re treated even better!
The airline says dogs are their top priority (最優先).
Before flights, the airline serves (提供) them snacks and gives them noise-canceling earmuffs (降低噪音的耳罩).
During flights, the airline serves them drinks to help their ears with changes in air pressure (空氣壓力).
The dogs can meet other dogs or stay in their seats.
唯一的缺點是昂貴的票價.
A one-way trip from New York to Los Angeles costs $6,000 US dollars for one dog and one person.
That’s about 195,000 Taiwan dollars!
From New York to London, the price is $8,000 US dollars.
That’s about 260,000 Taiwan dollars! Wow!
The airline says the price will go down as more dogs fly with them.
It’s expensive, but this new airline is still great news for dog lovers who fly with their dogs.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Animal competitions around the world are becoming more interesting.
In Taiwan, Hualien holds snail races.
The competition promotes the slow-paced lifestyle of Fenglin.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Dogs are the top priority for a new airline.
They can sit with their owners in the cabin.
The airline serves the dogs snacks and drinks.
But the tickets are not cheap.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
A baseball team from Pingtung is Taiwan's national champion in an international baseball league.
Congratulations (恭喜)!
The players are from Yu-Tian (玉田) Elementary School and Daping (大平) Elementary School.
The next games are the international games in the U.S. in August.
The trip will cost about $4,800,000 Taiwan dollars!
The schools didn't know if they could get enough money to go.
Then a woman called one school.
She said she wanted to give the team all of the money!
The school thought she was joking (開玩笑).
That's a lot of money from one person!
But that afternoon, she sent the money to the school's bank account (帳戶)!
Wow! What a great thing to do!
Good luck to the team!
_________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Wealth Gap and Climate Action
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's episode…
Taiwan has a big wealth gap, scientists have four big ideas to fight climate change, and built-in allergy relief!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣貧富差距擴大
Taiwan's Wealth Gap Gets Bigger
Do we live in a fair society (公平的社會)?
Of course some people have more money than others.
It would be great to hear that our society is improving and becoming fairer.
But is that the way it's really going?
Unfortunately, one measure shows that things are moving in the opposite direction.
That means the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.
富人愈富，窮人愈窮。
The government has collected lots of data (數據) about this question.
Now, they say the wealth gap is increasing.
That means the difference between how much money the richest have, and how much the poorest have.
The richest families in Taiwan have 67 times more wealth than the poorest 20% of families.
台灣最富有的家有的財富是最貧窮的家的67倍。
67 times as much money? That's a huge gap.
That means for every one dollar a poor family has…
…a rich family has 67 dollars.
That's four times bigger than the wealth gap was 30 years ago.
There is some good news, though.
Taiwan has a smaller wealth gap than some other developed countries (已開發國家).
Australia's wealth gap is 93 times, and France's wealth gap is 627 times!
But why is it bad to have a big wealth gap?
Actually, there are a few reasons.
First of all, it's unfair (不公平).
It can cause feelings of anger between the rich and the poor.
This may lead to increased crime or other violence.
However, there is a more important reason.
That is, a big wealth gap hurts the economy.
巨大的貧富差距會損害經濟。
If the rich get more money, they tend to just save it (存錢).
But if the poor get more money, they will spend it (用錢), to buy the things they need.
That means shops will sell more, farmers will plant more, factories will build more, and the whole economy (經濟) will grow.
In other words, if the people with less money have more of it to spend, this will help everyone.
So, we should try to make Taiwan's wealth gap smaller.
Not just because it's more fair, but also because it will make the economy stronger.
________________________________
科學家講述最有力的氣候行動
Scientists Tell Strongest Climate Actions
How can you help with climate change (全球暖化)?
We all know the climate is changing, and the Earth's atmosphere is getting warmer.
This is dangerous for everyone, so we need to take action (採取行動).
But what can you really do?
I have an idea.
I'll make a big fridge and put the Earth inside, to cool it down.
Don't joke around (不要開玩笑), this is serious.
For real answers, we should listen to science.
A recent survey asked 380 climate scientists this question.
These are the top four answers they gave, for ways that one person can help with climate change.
調查問了 380 名氣候科學家，以下是他們最推薦的四種方法。
Let's count them down.
Coming in at number four is…
…using less energy for home heating and cooling (減少家庭供暖和冷氣的能源).
That means we need to find better ways to warm and cool our houses.
Traditional gas heaters and AC units use lots of power, which puts CO2 into the atmosphere.
But new technologies like the heat pumps (熱泵) are much more efficient.
The number three way is to eat less meat (少吃肉).
The animals we use for meat take up so much of our planet's resources!
For example, cows need a huge area of land.
They eat tons of food and fart out (放屁) harmful emissions, all for a little beef.
It's much better for the environment if we eat a vegetable-based diet.
The number two way is to fly less (少坐飛機).
That's because airplanes use so much fuel, making lots of emissions.
If you care about the Earth, just take your holiday closer to home.
And the number one way is to vote (投票).
That's right, use your vote to choose leaders (領導人) who will act on climate change.
And if you're too young to vote…
…then at least you can talk about it with people who do vote, like parents and other family.
Why is voting the best action you can take?
One person can only do a little bit.
We need to change the whole system (變整個系統).
And we can only do that if our leaders really understand the problem.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan's wealth gap is getting bigger.
That means the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.
That's not just unfair, it also harms the economy.
________________________________
And,
Scientists shared the top actions you can take to fight climate change.
They say the best thing you can do is vote for leaders who will take strong action.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that laughing can help with allergies?
If you have hay fever, try laughing about it!
A study showed that people who watched funny videos had fewer allergy symptoms for a few hours.
This means that laughing might help reduce allergies.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson!
In today's news…
Readers hit it out of the park, and buyers pay up for a rare feather.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Students from Yunlin tell us about some of their favorite news stories.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
閱讀全壘打6月起跑
Read Books for Game Tickets
"Now the batter steps up to the plate…"
"…stands at the ready…"
"The pitcher winds up the ball and…"
"It's going, going, GONE! It's a home run!
Get ready young sluggers and all-stars.
This summer, you could hit your own "big fly" by hitting the books!
It's the "2024 Home Run Readers" event.
What does reading have to do with sports?
Here's how it works…
People can get points by borrowing books from public libraries.
Once they have 10 points, they can fill out a form.
They can exchange (兌換) the form for a ticket to a CTBC Brothers baseball game.
This year, 7 cities and counties are taking part in the program.
That means there's over 200 public libraries to choose books from!
Readers have from June 11th to July 31st to do this.
可以透過合作縣市超過200個公共圖書館的線上閱讀存摺，或借閱實體書籍，累積點數。
And that's just the first inning.
There's fun for other sports fans too.
In October, "Home Run Readers" heads into overtime.
If you love basketball, this second phase is for you.
At that time, readers can also complete missions (任務).
And then they can exchange points for tickets to T1 League CTBC DEA games.
All in all, that's 16,000 baseball and basketball game tickets up for grabs!
今年預計會發放1萬6000張棒球和籃球門票。
So grab your library card, hit the books, and get ready to cheer loud!
________________________________
世界上最貴的羽毛
World's Most Expensive Feather
Some things that go on sale at auctions can be surprising.
In fact, many of these things sell for a lot of money.
There are diamonds, cars, artwork, even teeth from famous people.
But what about a single feather?
A feather was sold at auction in New Zealand, for $28,000 US dollars.
That's over $900,000 NT (九十萬塊台幣)!
It is the most expensive feather ever sold.
一根紐西蘭鐮嘴垂耳鴉羽毛，在拍賣會上以台幣約90萬元的價格售出，創下了新紀錄。
Why is it so valuable (有價值)?
The shiny black feather has a bright white tip (尖端), and it's not just any feather.
It's a feather from a huia.
Huia lived in New Zealand.
They were songbirds that made a sound like their name.
But why would their feather be so expensive?
Well, the huia is now extinct (滅絕).
Huia birds use to be all over New Zealand.
In fact, they were sacred (神聖) to the Maori people.
Their feathers were worn by chiefs and their families.
Then after Europeans arrived in New Zealand, everyone wanted huia feathers.
There was too much hunting, and huia also lost their homes when people cut down forests.
The last time a live huia was seen was in 1907.
And that's why huia feathers are now so valuable.
Experts hope the feather can be a reminder to people.
They hope it will help everyone remember the importance of protecting nature and wildlife.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The "2024 Home Run Readers" gives points for reading books.
Then readers can get tickets to some sports games.
This year, 7 cities and counties are taking part in the program.
That means there's over 200 public libraries to choose books from!
________________________________
And,
A feather was sold at auction in New Zealand, for $28,000 US dollars.
It is the most expensive feather ever sold.
The shiny black feather has a bright white tip, and is a feather from a huia.
Huia lived in New Zealand, but they are now extinct.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Here's your daily dose of laughs in today's Tasty Tidbit…
You ready?
Why do tigers have stripes?
Because they don't want to be SPOTTED!
And now we have two students from Yunlin County's Chung Shan Elementary School, telling us about their favorite news stories and thoughts about the world.
First up is 12-year-old Julia Chen!
…
And here's 10-year-old Roy Liao with his favorite.
…
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hey you guys, it's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news: The Ministry of Environment is planning to start a trial ban on free plastic bags, and Vietnam's vintage 1960s steam locomotives are back on the rails!
And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The origin of the plastic bag.
Stay tuned for more on those stories.
________________________________
環境部七月開始試辦 禁止提供免費塑膠袋
Ministry of Environment to Trial Ban on Free Plastic Bags
Plastic pollution is so serious nowadays.
Plastic waste can be found almost anywhere: High up in the mountains, deep in the forests, and even thousands of meters underwater in the ocean.
塑膠汙染很嚴重，到處都看得到：不管是在高山上，或是在森林深處，或是在海洋中都能看到塑膠垃圾。
Authorities around the world are working hard to solve the problem.
Taiwan officials have also decided to take things up a notch (更進一步).
Since 2002, the government began introducing policies (政策) to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Then in 2018, the free plastic bag ban was extended to 14 types of businesses, including convenient stores and government agencies.
Over the past two decades, the annual use of plastic bags has been reduced by about 50%.
過去二十年來，人們每年使用的塑膠袋已經減少了一半。
But the government isn't stopping there.
The Ministry of Environment wants to introduce charges (收費) for plastic bags at night markets.
That basically means vendors (攤販) at designated (指定的) night markets will no longer be allowed to offer free plastic bags.
The ban doesn't include plastic bags containing food.
That's good news for me! It means I won't have to pay extra for 鹽水雞！
If everything goes well, the trial (試辦的日期) will start in July and go on until the end of the year.
Taipei's Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) might be selected as the first night market for the trial.
Over the years, the night market has been striving (致力於) to become more eco-friendly.
Almost all the vendors have replaced disposable tableware (拋棄式餐具) with reusable ones (重複使用餐具).
The Ministry said Ningxia Night Market's vendors and customers should be more accepting of the plastic bag ban.
Let's wait and see how it goes!
________________________________
越南六零年代的蒸汽火車回來了
Vietnam's Vintage 1960s Steam Locomotives Are Back on the Rails
Have you ever gone on a train journey? Train rides can be luxurious (豪華) and enjoyable.
Some trains even have sleeping bunks for long overnight trips.
There are many train journeys that offer views so breathtaking that many people put them on their bucket list (願望清單).
For example, the Glacier Express in Switzerland offers amazing views of the Alps (阿爾卑斯山).
And the 40-hour Beijing-to-Lhasa Express transports its passengers from the neon lights of urban China to snow-capped mountains and endless blue skies of Tibet (西藏).
A train journey in Vietnam might be catching the attention of train and history enthusiasts (喜愛歷史的人).
The country has revamped (改造) a pair of vintage steam locomotives (古董蒸汽火車頭) from the 1960s.
The two locomotives are the last working steam trains in Vietnam.
They date back to when Vietnam was still a French colony (法國殖民地).
During the last few years, the trains have been restored using original parts.
The people working on them were also the last remaining steam engineers working for the national railway system.
Each train will be fitted with two retro-styled (復古風格) passenger carriages, a kitchen car and a baggage carriage (行李車廂).
The luxurious interiors are furnished to reflect the French Colonial era with mahogany (紅木) tables and chairs, gold accents (裝飾) and decorative tiles.
The carriages are also equipped with large windows to allow views of passing landscapes.
Train staff also dress in 1960s clothing, providing passengers with an immersive experience.
火車上的員工也會穿上六零年代的服裝，帶給乘客身歷其境的體驗。
The trains will travel between the central city of Da Nang and the former royal capital Hue.
So if you're looking for a retro experience during your next trip to Vietnam, this might be something to check out!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Ministry of Environment will start a trial ban on free plastic bags in July.
This is because plastic pollution is a big problem, with plastic found everywhere, even in the ocean.
Taiwan has been reducing plastic bag use since 2002, cutting it by 50% in twenty years.
Officials are eyeing Taipei's Ningxia Night Market for a trial run banning free plastic bags.
________________________________
And…
Vietnam has brought back vintage 1960s steam locomotives for a unique train journey.
These are the last working steam trains in Vietnam, restored with original parts and operated by the last steam engineers.
The trains feature luxurious, French Colonial-style interiors with mahogany furniture and large windows for scenic views.
They will run between Da Nang and Hue, offering a retro experience for passengers.
________________________________
And for today's Tasty Tidbit, here's a fun fact about the origins of the plastic bag: Did you know it was actually invented to save the planet?
Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin invented the plastic bag in 1959 as an alternative (替代) to paper bags.
Plastic bags are more durable (耐用) than paper bags, and can be cleaned and re-used.
The inventor's son said his dad always carried a folded plastic bag in his pocket whenever he went out, in case he needed to do some shopping.
Isn't it ironic (諷刺) that something originally meant to be environmentally friendly turned out to cause a bigger problem?
Next time you think of throwing away a plastic bag, consider reusing it instead.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
A study shows immigrant children have worse eating problems, and a kindergartner gets a special graduation ceremony.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…chickens could make cats less allergenic!
Let's check it out.
________________________________
新住民兒童的飲食問題
Worrying Eating Habits among Immigrant Kids
Eating disorders (飲食失調) are serious health problems that affect how people eat and feel about their bodies.
They can make people eat too much or too little…
…and it can cause a lot of stress and health issues (引起壓力和健康問題).
It's important to understand eating disorders so we can help those who are struggling (才能幫助受飲食問題困擾的人).
A study shows that children of immigrants (新住民的孩子) in Taiwan have more eating problems than their classmates.
This research was done by Professor Chen Duan-rung at National Taiwan University.
這項研究是由台灣大學陳端榮教授主持。
From March to June 2019, 729 middle school students, aged 13 to 16, from three schools in New Taipei City were surveyed.
The study found that nearly 17% of children from immigrant families had eating problems, compared to 10% of other kids.
This is a big difference.
Professor Chen found three reasons for these eating problems.
First, immigrant kids might feel different and face bullying (遭遇霸凌).
Second, they might feel pressure to be thin (可能感受到變瘦的壓力).
Third, their parents might not worry much about them becoming overweight (超重).
Mental health researcher and NTU Professor Chang Shu-sen (張書森) said that one in 10 middle school students have eating problems.
But for immigrant children, it's one in six.
This might be due to stress or other mental health issues.
Long-term (長期的) eating problems can lead to serious eating disorders, which are very dangerous.
Another professor from National Chengchi University says that some immigrant kids feel like they don't belong, even though they are successful.
國立政治大學教授說，有些新住民兒童雖然很成功，但感覺自己不屬於這裡。
Also, not being allowed to speak their native language (母語) when they were young might cause stress, leading to eating problems.
It's important to understand and support our classmates to help them stay healthy and happy.
________________________________
高空上的幼稚園畢業典禮！
Sky-High Kindergarten Graduation!
Making special memories (創造特別的回憶) when you are young is very important.
These memories can be anything from a fun day with friends to special family events.
They stay with you forever and make you happy when you think about them.
A special moment like that happened on a Frontier Airlines flight in the US (美國邊疆航空公司).
The flight attendants (空服員) celebrated a boy's kindergarten graduation (幼稚園畢業典禮).
The boy, Xavier, was traveling with his family and had to miss (錯過了) his graduation ceremony.
But the flight attendants didn't want him to miss out.
So, they decided to give him a special graduation ceremony on the plane!
A woman shared a video of the event on TikTok.
In the video, you can see Xavier smiling and wearing a graduation cap (方帽子) made by the flight attendants.
They even made a big announcement to everyone on the plane, and passengers cheered and celebrated with him (大家都為他歡呼慶祝).
Many people online loved the video.
One person, Amanda, said it was so cute when everyone got excited about the graduation.
Another person, Kathy, said it's simple acts of kindness (簡單的善行) that keep us happy.
Kay loved how everyone perked up (感到興奮) when they heard about the graduation.
Danii said it was unforgettable (難忘) to graduate over 12,000 meters up in the air.
And Anna was touched (覺得很感動) by the high fives Xavier got at the end.
The video became very popular, with over 1.2 million views.
People were moved by the kindness of the flight attendants and how they made Xavier's day special.
This story shows how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
小小的善行也能產生很大的影響。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Eating disorders are serious health problems that affect how people eat and feel about their bodies.
A study shows that children of immigrants in Taiwan have more eating problems than their classmates.
The study found that nearly 17% of children from immigrant families had eating problems, compared to 10% of other kids.
________________________________
And,
A special moment happened on a Frontier Airlines flight in the US recently.
A boy named Xavier was traveling with his family and had to miss his graduation ceremony.
But the flight attendants decided to give him a special graduation ceremony on the plane!
Many people online loved the video.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Are you allergic to cats?
Chickens might be able to help!
Some people think farm-fresh eggs can help with cat allergies.
Scientists say that could be because chickens that live near cats can develop special antibodies (抗體).
These antibodies are against a protein found in cat saliva that causes allergies in humans.
The chickens can pass these antibodies into their eggs.
So if cats eat these eggs, they might cause fewer allergies.
Scientists are still studying this idea, and there isn't much research yet.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news…
Taking the top prize by twisting balloons, or doing absolutely nothing.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit
The biggest animal in the world is all heart! Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣學生勇奪折氣球大賽冠軍
Taiwan Student Wins Qualatex Balloon Twisting Contest
Taiwan is a country with a lot of skillful people.
Many talented (有才華的) people have gone to international competitions.
And many have done very well.
Some Taiwan competitors (參賽者) have won awards for making chocolate, playing badminton, baking, and more.
And now, a student from Taichung won first place at another international competition!
11th-grader Yen Jui-chun (顏睿軍) won a balloon twisting (折氣球) contest held by Qualatex.
Qualatex is a company that makes balloons.
They have been making balloons for over a hundred years.
Every year, the company holds a balloon twisting competition.
It encourages participants to show their creativity.
This year, Yen won the competition with his masterpiece (傑作) "Alligator".
The balloon alligator stands with a toothbrush in its hand.
It has white teeth on each side of its mouth.
The toothbrush even has pink toothpaste on it.
Qualatex posted a picture of the Alligator on social media.
It praised Yen's balloon twisting techniques (技巧).
Yen says he got the idea after reading a Japanese children's book "Crocodile and Dentist."
When Yen was 4 years old, he went to a speech therapist (語言治療師).
The therapist used balloons as a tool.
Balloons really helped him speak and say words.
That sparked (激發) his interest in balloon twisting.
Since then, he has been teaching himself how to twist balloons.
Around 4 years ago, he got his first cellphone.
He then started learning from balloon twisting masters through social media.
Yen also thinks that balloon twisting brings happiness to people.
During the summer and winter vacations, he visits orphanages (孤兒院) and schools for children with special needs.
他很喜歡看見孩子學習折氣球時臉上的笑容。
Yen wants to keep going to international competitions.
He wants to let the world see Taiwan through balloon twisting.
________________________________
南韓舉辦發呆大賽
Who's Best at Doing Absolutely Nothing?
When was the last time you did NOTHING?
Just sitting there…
Spacing-out (發呆)…
Staring at blank space.
A while ago, a "space-out competition" was held in Seoul.
People tried to space-out for 90 mins without falling asleep, checking their phone or talking.
During the competition, participants' heart rates are monitored (被監測).
Whoever had the most stable (穩定) heart rate wins.
Over 4000 people applied to participate (參加).
But only 117 participants were chosen.
The youngest was a student in grade 2.
And the oldest participants were in their sixties.
The Space-out Competition was started by a visual artist Woopsyang 10 years ago.
At that time, she was burnt out (過勞) by all the stress in her life.
She felt really anxious (焦慮).
She felt that way after comparing herself with people who led busy lives.
And Woopsyang wondered why she felt so bad about doing nothing.
She thought maybe those busy people would want to space out and do nothing too.
So she created a competition where everyone could space out.
They could pause (暫停) everything, together at the same time.
Since then, the contest has expanded to cities around the world, including Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo and others.
Woopsyang said that the contest can help people realize that spacing-out is not a waste of time.
This year's winner was Kwon So-a.
She works at several jobs.
Kwon said that doing nothing is good for both mental and physical health.
But our body can only relax when our brain relaxes.
他們覺得每天花一點時間發呆有益身心健康。
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
11th-grader Yen Jui-chun won an international balloon twisting contest.
He won the competition with his masterpiece "Alligator".
Yen wants to keep going to international competitions.
He wants to let the world see Taiwan through balloon twisting.
________________________________
And
A "space-out competition" was held in Seoul, and people tried to space-out for 90 mins without falling asleep, checking their phone or talking.
Whoever had the most stable heart rate wins.
This year's winner was Kwon So-a.
She says our body can only relax when our brain relaxes.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
They're the largest animal in the world…the blue whale. These marine giants can be as long as 3 buses. Then there's the heart of the blue whale. These are also the biggest hearts in the animal kingdom.
Blue whale hearts are about the size of a car. And they weigh as much as a cow. And, if you put an enormous stethoscope up to a blue whale's chest underwater, you would only hear a heartbeat 2 times each minute!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Coming up in today's news: A hiker in Hualien survives the earthquake and a one-room school is the heart of a community!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…one word in Japanese changes a woman's life!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
地震中的白楊步道
Baiyang Trail During the Earthquake
Early in the morning on April 3rd, a young man from Germany (德國) chatted with the owner (老闆) of the hostel (青年旅館) where he was staying.
He was going to go hiking in Hualien's Taroko Gorge.
He was planning to take Shakadang Trail (砂卡噹步道), but the hostel owner thought Baiyang Trail (白楊步道) would be better.
The young man rode his scooter (小型摩托車) to Taroko Gorge.
He parked (停放) it at a store.
Then he went hiking on Baiyang Trail.
Three minutes later, his phone vibrated (震動).
Then the earthquake (地震) happened.
It was his first earthquake.
He went down to the ground!
Rocks and debris (碎片) fell onto the trail.
Rocks hit his back (背部) and legs.
A rock hit his head.
His face was bleeding (正在流血) in several places.
His right leg hurt.
But he was afraid he would die slowly if he stayed on the trail, so he got up and ran.
He stood against the side of a cliff (將身體壓在懸崖面上).
He covered his head with his arms.
And then he waited for the earthquake - or his life - to be over.
Thick dust from the rocks (岩塵) blocked (遮蔽) the sun.
He waited and waited in the dark. His phone didn't work.
He screamed (尖叫) for help.
Nobody came.
He had a red jacket.
He put it on.
He hoped the red jacket would make it easier for rescuers (救援人員) to see him.
Then he waited for help again.
Four and a half hours passed.
The earth stopped shaking as much.
The young man started to worry about being on the trail at night.
So he slowly limped (跛行) back to the store where his scooter was.
Several other injured (受傷) people were there too.
Rescuers came to the store that night.
They took all the injured people to the hospital.
The young man got back to the hostel at three in the morning.
His friends and family were very, very happy!
The man was very lucky he had listened to the hostel owner and taken Baiyang Trail.
He survived (存活).
Sadly, some hikers on the other trail did not survive.
不幸的是，有些去其他步道的登山者並沒有活下來
___________________________________________________________
社區中心的一所單室學校
The One-Room School at the Heart of a Community
A small American town has a popular ski resort (滑雪勝地)
The town is very high up in the mountains.
The road to the town is narrow (狹窄的).
But every year, half a million skiers visit!
The snow is great.
Last year, almost 23 meters of snow fell there!
The town has about three hundred people.
And it has a school.
The town needs a school so that workers with kids don't leave.
The students' parents work at the ski lodges (滑雪屋), restaurants, shops, and other businesses in the town.
What's the school like?
It's in an old storage room (舊儲藏室) in a ski lodge.
The one-room school has students from kindergarten (幼稚園) to eighth grade!
There are 14 students and one teacher.
They start the day with a walk through the resort, making observations (進行觀察) and learning about weather science.
They have a math quiz every morning.
The students play in the snow at recess (課間休息).
They enjoy being in nature (自然環境).
They ski when they have P.E.!
They're very good skiers.
Parents help with P.E. classes.
At this school, the teacher is very busy!
For each subject, every student has a different lesson!
So the students learn to work by themselves (獨立地) and find answers by themselves.
They also work together.
Every month, the students write a newspaper.
They make newspaper ads (報紙廣告) for the town's businesses and then sell the ads to them!
The students put the newspapers in ski lodges.
Every year, the students also write and act in a play (表演戲劇).
Their parents and many other people come to see it!
This small one-room school and its students, teacher, and parents are the heart of the community (社群).
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A young man went hiking on Baiyang Trail on April 3rd.
Three minutes later, the earthquake happened.
He was injured when the earthquake made rocks fall on the trail… and on him.
He was very lucky that he survived.
___________________________________________________________
And…
A popular ski resort town in America has a one-room school.
It has 14 students from kindergarten to eighth grade and one very busy teacher!
The students write monthly newsletters and every year, they act in a play.
The school has become the heart of the town!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When you go to another country, try to speak the language there, even if it's just one or two words.
One woman makes short videos of herself, using a selfie stick (自拍桿).
She posts them on social media (社群媒體).
She went to Japan.
She liked the sound of the Japanese word "kudasai."
That means "please."
In one video, she is walking and saying, "sushi kudasai, ocha kudasai, mizu kudasai, gohan kudasai, kudasai, kudasai."
"Sushi please, tea please, water please, rice please, please, please."
She wrote that these are the only Japanese words she knows.
Over 14 million people have seen the video.
Now she's the famous "kudasai girl" that fans want to meet!
One word in Japanese changed the woman's life - kudasai…. please… please.
_________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
BNews Bites 文字檔(國中)
________________________________
Hi there.
It’s time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
In today's news: more no-smoking zones for Taipei, and an all-women rock band from Saudi Arabia!
And if you could have any pet, what would it be?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台北信義區計畫六月起將禁菸場所擴大
Taipei’s Xinyi District Planning to Expand Smoking-free Zones
We’ve got some bad news for smokers (抽菸者) but good news for everyone else: Taipei health officials are planning to expand (擴大) smoking-free zones (禁菸區) in the city.
Way back in April of this year, the Department of Health announced that people were no longer allowed to smoke under covered walkways (騎樓) outside of some convenience store and coffee shop chains.
台北市衛生局公告，有些連鎖便利商店和咖啡店一樓門市前面的騎樓中不許抽煙。
So customers of these places won’t have to worry about passive smoke (二手菸) wafting in (飄進來) from outside.
In fact, that’s why we need these smoking bans.
Passive smoking, also known as secondhand smoke, can be harmful to non-smokers, causing respiratory issues and other health problems.
被動吸菸（也稱為二手煙）對非吸菸者可能有害，會引起呼吸問題和其他健康問題。
Smoking bans create a safer and healthier environment for non-smokers.
Taipei health officials started clamping down (取締) on outdoor smoking as far back as 2016.
They banned smoking in some parts of Xiangti Avenue Plaza (香堤廣場), including Songshou Square Park (松壽廣場) and under some covered walkways (騎樓).
Now, they’re planning to ban smoking in other areas!
Woohoo!
Starting from June this year, it will also be illegal to smoke on No. 20, Songgao Road (松高路２０巷人行道).
If you’re caught smoking in banned areas, you could face a fine of up to 10 thousand NT.
The Health Bureau says they're listening to what citizens want.
If more folks want smoke-free spots, they'll make it happen.
________________________________
沙烏地阿拉伯的女子搖滾樂團
An All-Women Rock Band from Saudi Arabia
JAKE! Excuse me!
What’s up?
What on Earth are you doing?
Sorry about that.
I was just practicing my singing.
我剛才只是練習一下唱歌而已。
Is that what you call singing?
I genuinely thought you were dying for a moment.
Say, have you heard of Seera?
Who’s that?
It’s an all-women rock band from Saudi Arabia!
This is what they sound like:
Sounds cool. 酷斃了！
Seera blends traditional Arabic melodies (阿拉伯式旋律) with dreamy-sounding rock guitar riffs (搖滾吉他節奏).
Seera 將傳統的阿拉伯式旋律與迷幻般的搖滾吉他節奏融合在一起。
This would unthinkable just years earlier in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is traditionally very conservative.
For example, women weren't allowed to drive until 2018 …
… and they had to abide by strict dress codes.
They also weren’t allowed to work in certain professions, such as retail, hospitality and engineering.
But Saudi Arabia has been liberalizing some aspects of its society.
沙烏地阿拉伯傳統上非常保守，但近期開始解放一些社會中的面向。
The rock band Seera is one example of the way women are finding their voice and expressing themselves through the arts.
搖滾樂團 Seera 是女性通過藝術找到自己的聲音並表達自我的一個例子。
The band’s name, Seera, can mean “life” or “biography” in Arabic.
Seera’s music style revolves around the life experiences of the band members.
They sing in Arabic.
她們以阿拉伯語演唱。
They all have stage names (舞台名字).
The drummer’s stage name is “Thing”, the guitarist “Haya”, the bassist “Meesh” and her sister’s “Nora”, who sings and plays keyboard.
At a recent concert, youths in leather jackets and black rock T-shirts swayed and danced to the band’s music.
Meesh said they didn’t know how people would react to their music.
Nora said she wanted the band to be “an inspiration for the younger generation” to express themselves.
She added that it’s OK to be yourself!
她又說道：「可以好好地做自己！」
Seera plans to release their debut album (首張專輯) later this year.
They’ve also booked a gig in Dubai, which will mark their first time performing outside of Saudi Arabia.
________________________________
So in today’s News Bites,
Taipei is making more places smoke-free.
They started by banning smoking in covered walkways near some stores and cafes, then expanded it to No. 20, Songgao Road.
If you smoke in these areas, you might get fined up to 10,000 NT.
Authorities say they will listen to what people want and might make even more places smoke-free in the future.
________________________________
And,
Seera is a rock band from Saudi Arabia with only women members.
They mix rock music with traditional Arabic melodies.
This is unusual in Saudi Arabia because it's usually very strict.
Seera wants to inspire people to be themselves.
They're planning to release their first album and perform in Dubai soon.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be? Kai, from Puli Elementary School in Nantou, tells us his…
A dinosaur, eh? You’d have to have a pretty big house for that!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!*
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Kaohsiung police find a man making fake money, and how young is too young to have a smartphone?
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…the reason dogs spin in circles before pooping.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
高雄警方逮捕假鈔犯
Fake Money Maker Caught in Kaohsiung
What can I do if I have no money?
You could get a job.
That will let you earn some money (賺錢) for yourself.
That sounds boring.
Okay… why don't you ask your family or friends for some money?
They won't give it to me.
I know… maybe I can create money.
I'll use my printer (影印機) to print it out.
Then I'll have unlimited cash.
That's a bad idea.
Making fake money is called counterfeiting (偽造), and it's against the law.
Did you hear about the counterfeiter that showed up in the south of Taiwan recently?
Yes! It started when the Kaohsiung police found some fake money.
They found 30 fake bills (假鈔) in stores and night markets around the city.
There were all kinds, 100 NT, 500 NT, even 1000 NT bills.
Police didn't know where the counterfeit money was coming from.
It could be one criminal, or it could be a whole gang of them.
They decided to use security cameras (監視器) to find out.
They found video of a man using the fake money, and they traced him back to an apartment.
When cops went to check the place out, they found a 48-year-old man with no job.
They also found lots of evidence (證據).
There were a bunch of counterfeit bills, a paper cutter, five color printers… and 22 bottles of nail polish (指甲油).
Nail polish? What did he need that for?
He used it to make the money look more real.
He would print it off the printer, cut it out, and then paint some parts with the nail polish.
Oh! You mean the shiny (閃亮的) parts of the bill?
Exactly.
But even then, the money didn't look very real.
Police were surprised (驚訝) that shop owners took the money from him, because it looked so bad.
Now they are trying to find out if the man was alone, or part of a group.
Wow. Actually, it sounds like a lot of work to counterfeit money.
Yep. It's simpler to just get a normal job.
找一份正常的工作比較簡單。
________________________________
報告顯示兒童13歲之前 不應該使用智慧型手機
Report Shows Kids Shouldn't Use Smartphones Before 13
Are you too young to have a smartphone (智慧型手機)?
Ummm… I don't think so. I'm 31 years old.
Then how young is too young to have a smartphone?
Some elementary school students have phones…
…and I even saw a baby playing with one.
A new report (報告) says kids shouldn't have a smartphone before they are 13 years old.
The report comes from France.
The President of France (法國總統) was worried about kids spending too much time using a screen.
So, he asked a team of scientists to look into it.
The result was pretty surprising.
First, they said children younger than three years old should not look at any screens (螢幕).
Not even a TV screen!
For kids 11 to 13 years old, the report says they can have a "dumb" phone (傻瓜手機).
It's a simple phone that can't connect to the internet.
At 13 years old, they can get a web-connected phone.
But they shouldn't use social media (社群媒體) until they are 18 years old.
Does that make sense? Teenagers use social media all the time.
Right. But the report says this is harming young people's emotional development.
這些科技會傷害年輕人的情感發展。
Young people get addicted (上癮), and then they find it hard to look away.
Plus, it distracts them from other things they should be learning.
Not just schoolwork, but also learning how to live in the real world (現實世界) and interact with real people.
Is this fair?
Parents are using phones all the time, even when they are with their kids!
That's a good point.
The report also says that adults should spend less time on their phones when they are with their kids.
In the end, the report blames the tech industry (科技業).
It says tech and social media companies try to capture children's attention, so it can control them.
科技和社群媒體公司要吸引兒童的注意力，好控制他們。
That's scary… and what does the President of France say?
He is also worried about the report.
He says there will be new bans and restrictions (限制) to help protect children.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Police in Kaohsiung caught a man making fake money.
He used a color printer and nail polish to counterfeit the money.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in France say kids shouldn't have a smartphone before the age of 13.
They say smartphones and social media can harm your emotional development.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
If you own a pet dog, you might have noticed that dogs spin in circles before they poop.
Scientists have discovered that's because dogs use Earth's magnetic field when they poop!
Researchers observed 70 dogs from 37 breeds over two years.
They found that dogs like to poop in a north-south direction.
This means they avoid facing east or west.
The reason why dogs do this is still unknown.
Scientists are not sure if dogs can sense the magnetic field or if they just feel more comfortable this way.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's news…
Pet-friendly taxis, and coins you can't spend.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit
Boing boing boing…it's not a rubber ball, it's a raw egg!
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台中市推廣寵物友善計程車
Taichung Offers Pet-friendly Taxi Service
Are you ready to hit the road with your furry best friend?
Taichung City is now offering a new type of taxi service.
Some taxis in the city are now "pet-friendly".
This means owners can ride with their pets.
And they do not pay extra charges for their furry friend.
搭乘寵物友善計程車時，收費模式以跳表計費，不額外加收費用。
So how does it work?
There are 16 taxi companies that have pet-friendly taxis.
The companies are listed on the city government's website (網站).
Pet owners can choose which one they like.
And many of these taxi drivers own pets too!
But hold on…
There are a few rules (規則) that you have to follow.
Before you hop in…
Make sure your pet is safe in a carrier.
And remember to help keep the taxi clean on your ride…
Or you may have to pay extra cleaning fees.
So what about the fare (車費)?
Don't worry, it's just like any other taxi ride.
You pay the regular metered fare.
Isn't that "paws-itively" amazing?
Just make sure to double-check for some special taxi types, or ones that provide special services.
Sounds like life in Taichung is very nice for pets and their owners.
And it's great timing too.
Because government data shows that Taichung ranks second in Taiwan for the number of registered dogs and cats!
政府資料顯示，台中市犬貓登記數量達超過33萬4000多隻，數量占全國第2，僅次於新北市。
That's a lot of tail-wagging and purring!
So, the next time you need to go somewhere with your pet in Taichung, why not take a pet-friendly taxi?
It's a win-win for you and your furry friend!
________________________________
等了100年！丹麥拍賣富豪錢幣收藏估值逾23億
Rare Coin Collection Up for Auction
Would you like to have a super valuable collection of coins that you can't spend?
Over 100 years ago, there was a man in Denmark, named Lars Emil Bruun.
When he was a boy, he really liked collecting coins.
After he grew up, he earned a lot of money selling butter.
And with his wealth (財富), he kept collecting rare and valuable coins.
These came from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the U.K.
In total, he collected around 20,000 coins, medals, and banknotes.
That's a lot of treasure!
But here's the coolest part.
Bruun didn't just keep his coins for fun.
He had a special plan for his treasure.
You see, Bruun lived through World War I (第一次世界大戰).
He saw the devastation (毀滅) a war like that brings.
He wanted to protect his country.
So in his will (遺囑), Bruun said his coins could not be sold or used for 100 years after his death.
During that time, the coins must be kept as a reserve (儲備金) for Denmark.
That means if another war breaks out, Denmark could use the coins for money.
And Bruun says if 100 years passed by without Denmark fighting a war, the coins could be sold.
And the money would be given to his children and grandchildren.
Lars Emil Bruun passed away in 1923.
Now, more than 100 years have passed since his death.
And his amazing coin collection is finally up for sale.
An auction house in New York is helping Bruun's family sell the coins.
The auction house says it's the most valuable collection of coins ever!
They think some may sell for around $50 US dollars…
And some may sell for over $1 million!
Altogether, the auction house thinks the collection is worth over $72 million US dollars.
Most people did not know about this amazing coin collection.
Many history experts say it's like finding a hidden treasure!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Taichung City is now offering a new "pet-friendly" type of taxi service.
This means owners can ride with their pets.
And they do not pay extra charges for their furry friend.
But hold on…
There are a few rules that you have to follow.
Before you hop in…Make sure your pet is safe in a carrier.
And remember to help keep the taxi clean on your ride…
Or you may have to pay extra cleaning fees.
________________________________
And
A man in Denmark, named Lars Emil Bruun collected around 20,000 coins, medals, and banknotes.
And in his will, Bruun said his coins could not be sold or used for 100 years after his death.
Now, his amazing coin collection is up for sale.
Altogether, experts think the collection is worth over $72 million US dollars.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
Raw eggs seem pretty fragile…but did you know you can actually make a raw egg bounce?
The trick is to soak a fresh egg in vinegar for around 2 days. The vinegar eats away at the eggshell. Then take out the egg and carefully wash it with water.
Now you can gently bounce the egg!
But not too hard! Or…SPLAT!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: A research team from National Taiwan Ocean University discovered a bacteria that consumes plastic, and a tourist in Norway was fined for getting too near a walrus.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Elevator music!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
海大研究團隊發現能分解塑膠的新細菌
NTOU Research Team Discover Plastic-Consuming Bacteria
A team from National Taiwan Ocean University recently discovered something incredible.
What would that be?
I'll give you a clue: It can do incredible things for the environment.
Care to tell me?
Oceanimonas pelagia.
Never heard of it.
It's a bacteria strain (細菌株) that can decompose plastic (分解塑膠) and partly remove diesel (去除柴油).
Consider me interested.
讓我十分感興趣。
The researchers say the bacteria strain was isolated from marine sediments along Taiwan's northern coast.
這種細菌是從台灣北部海岸的海洋沉積物分離出來的。
Do you remember its name?
Oceanimonas pelagia.
Well done on remembering that.
I just read it off the script.
This special bacteria's full name is actually "Oceanimonas pelagia NTOU-MSR1".
The researchers said not only can it degrade plastic, it can also produce plastics that are more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based plastics.
研究人員說除了能分解塑膠外，這種細菌還可以製造比傳統塑膠產品更環保的替代品。
So why is this such a big deal?
Well, plastic pollution is a big problem worldwide.
Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans, damaging marine life.
So this new discovery might just be the solution to the problem.
What's more is the bacteria can also survive in lots of different environments.
For example, environments with high salinity (高鹽度), and even a wide range of temperatures and pH levels (酸鹼值).
它有很好的環境適應能力，能夠耐受高鹽度，在各種不同溫度和酸鹼值下也都能存活。
So, what's next?
Well, the team plans to dive deeper into the potential of this bacteria.
They want to explore how it can be used to protect our environment and recycle resources.
________________________________
挪威觀光客因為太靠近海象而被罰錢
Tourist in Norway Fined for Approaching Walrus
Time to head to Norway for this next story!
Recently a tourist there was fined for approaching a walrus on the archipelago of Svalbard.
有一名觀光客因為太靠近海象而被懲罰。
He was fined 12,500 Norwegian Kroner, which is about 34,000 NT.
Fined that much just for getting too near a walrus? Yeah!
The tourist went out onto an ice floe (大浮冰) to try and take a photo of it.
But many considered his actions disrespectful and dangerous.
People nearby took photos of the man and reported him to the local governor (當地總督).
Authorities said the man "disturbed a walrus that was lying on the ice", and that bystanders (旁觀者) saw him approach the mammal.
They added, "The incident was also observed by the governor's employees".
There is a law in Svalbard which states that people must not unnecessarily disturb wildlife.
斯瓦爾巴群島有一項法律規定，人們不可以無緣無故騷擾野生動物。
The tourist was brought to the governor's office, where he accepted the fine.
According to the government's Norwegian Polar Institute, walruses were hunted in Svalbard and almost went extinct.
That was until they were protected by law in 1952.
斯瓦爾巴群島居民曾經獵捕海象，讓牠一度瀕臨滅絕，直到1952年才受到法律保護。
Even though walruses in that area have been protected since then, their numbers are still low.
To this day, they remain on a Norwegian endangered species list.
Norwegian authorities are planning to introduce more rules to protect walruses, such as lowering speed limits.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Researchers from National Taiwan Ocean University discovered a new strain of bacteria that can consume plastic.
Oceanimonas pelagia was isolated from marine sediments off the northern coast of Taiwan.
It can survive in lots of different environments that have high temperature and pH ranges, and those that have high saline levels.
Researchers hope it can help solve the problem of plastic waste in oceans.
_______________________________
And,
A tourist in Svalbard, Norway was fined around 34 thousand NT for getting too close to a walrus.
He went out onto an ice floe to take pictures of it, and the authorities say he broke the law.
Walruses there are protected by law, as their numbers are low.
That means people there are not allowed to act in a way that disturbs wildlife unnecessarily.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Do you know why elevator music was invented?
It was to calm fearful passengers who were using an elevator for the first time.
It was first introduced in the 1920's, when elevators were becoming more common.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys, get ready for another episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news: Taiwan High Speed Rail Company debunks a video about the dangers of using umbrellas on train platforms, and the first 'extreme' solar storm in 20 years lights up the sky!
… And today's Tasty Tidbit is about the size of the Sun!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
_______________________________
網傳雨天月台撐傘會觸電 高鐵闢謠
THSRC Debunks Video about Dangers of Using Umbrellas on Train Platforms
Recently a video has been circulating on the internet.
The video claims that people who hold up umbrellas (撐雨傘) on rainy days while standing on train platforms could be electrocuted (觸電).
影片聲稱，雨天時站在火車月台上撐雨傘的人可能會觸電。
It even mentioned that people could be "sucked" into the overhead wires above the trains.
影片甚至提到，人們可能會被吸進火車上方的高壓電線中。
This is, of course, not true.
Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corporation has officially refuted (反駁) the video.
THSRC said it's an old video that first appeared on a Chinese social media platform in 2016.
It was filmed at a high-speed railway station in China and has simplified Chinese (簡體字).
Despite being debunked in the past, the video sometimes re-emerges online.
雖然這部影片以前已經被駁斥，但它有時候會又出現在網路上。
THSRC clarified that passengers are safe so long as they stand behind the yellow line on the platform, even if they are holding umbrellas.
只要是乘客站在黃線後面，就沒事了，不管有沒有撐雨傘。
However, the company acknowledges (承認) if objects are held too close to the wires over the platform, there is a risk of electric shock.
Therefore, passengers are reminded not to bring long objects within a 2 meter-meter radius (半徑) of the wires.
The overhead electric wires are usually 5 meters away from the platform.
As long as passengers don't climb on top of trains, they should be safe.
This applies to all train stations in Taiwan.
Over the past twenty years, there were a few incidents of people getting electrocuted by overhead electric train wires.
But these were all isolated incidents.
這些意外都是因為個人行為而發生的。
Last year, a man was electrocuted at a railroad crossing.
He was carrying a fishing rod that was 5 meters long.
The rod came in contact with the wires and he was electrocuted.
In 2020, a man climbed onto a train at a station in Taichung.
He touched the wires when he stood up and was electrocuted.
Both men were hospitalized, and they both recovered.
So long as people don't do anything foolish when taking the train, it's a safe way to travel.
________________________________
二十年來最強太陽風暴 照亮夜空
First Extreme Solar Storm in 20 Years Lights up the Sky
Have you seen aurorae (極光) before?
They are beautiful dancing ribbons of green, red and purple light that appear in the sky.
The lights are actually caused by solar storms (太陽風暴) from the sun.
To understand how it works, we'll have to talk a bit about everyone's favorite subject: Physics!
So, our planet Earth is like a giant magnet (磁鐵).
It has a magnetic field (磁場).
When a solar storm approaches Earth, some of the energy and small particles (粒子) goes along the magnetic field lines at the North and South Poles into the atmosphere (大氣層).
These particles then interact with gases in the Earth's atmosphere, creating the beautiful lights.
Aurorae are usually seen near the poles (極地).
For example, parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Russia.
But during this month, the lights appeared in unexpected places (出現在意想不到的地方).
They were seen in the northern part of countries like the UK, Germany, China, America and even Japan.
In the southern hemisphere (南半球), the lights were also visible in parts of New Zealand and Australia.
Why were the lights seen in these places?
This is because the solar storm that struck the Earth was the strongest in 20 years.
Beautiful as it seems, it can be quite dangerous.
Solar storms can cause changes to the Earth's magnetic field and induce currents (引發電流) in power lines.
This might disrupt communications and GPS systems.
這可能會破壞通訊和全球定位系統。
Many farmers complained of problems in their tractors' GPS systems.
有些農夫說他們的聯結機全球定位系統變得怪怪的，不能使用。
The last time a storm like this happened was in October 2003.
It caused blackouts (停電) in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure (電力設施) in South Africa.
Nature truly is beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan High Speed Rail Company debunked a video which claimed using umbrellas on train platforms was dangerous.
Overhead power lines above train tracks are too far away for normal umbrellas to reach.
Therefore, so long as passengers use common sense, keeping a safe distance from platform edges, there's no need to worry.
________________________________
And,
The first 'extreme' solar storm in 20 years lights up skies in many unusual places around the world.
Aurorae are caused by solar storms from the Sun.
They are usually seen near the poles.
But because the storm was so intense, lots of countries saw them, including Japan and even Australia and New Zealand.
Although beautiful, they can cause blackouts and damage power lines.
________________________________
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
Did you know the Sun is the largest object in our solar system?
It's 100 times wider than the Earth.
It's also 10 times larger than our solar system's largest planet: Jupiter.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Hotter summers and wilder typhoons, saving coral reefs, and introducing our favorite singers!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣的氣候未來
Taiwan’s Climate Future
Studying climate change is very important.
Climate change means the weather is changing in ways that can be dangerous for our planet.
By studying climate change, scientists can understand what is happening to our world.
This helps us find ways to protect our environment (保護環境) and keep our planet safe for the future (讓地球未來更安全).
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases (溫室氣體), Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
一份新的報告指出，如果我們不控制溫室氣體，到本世紀末，台灣的夏天可能會長達七個月。
This means hotter days for much longer.
In the worst case, temperatures in lowland areas (低窪地區) could reach 36 degrees Celsius for an extra 75 days a year.
The report also talks about typhoons (颱風).
There might be fewer typhoons hitting Taiwan in the future, but they could become stronger and more dangerous.
Right now, we have about four to five typhoons each year.
This could drop to (數字可能會降到) one or two by the end of the century.
But there are more changes coming.
We could see longer dry spells (更長的乾旱期), which means a higher risk of droughts (乾旱).
At the same time, heavy rains could become more common, leading to more floods (洪水).
If temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, sea levels (海平面) could go up by 34.5 centimeters.
Climate change will also impact (影響) our health.
Diseases like dengue fever could become more common, and more people might suffer from respiratory diseases.
像登革熱這樣的疾病可能會變得更常見，患呼吸道疾病的人數可能也會增加。
The report was put together by 68 scientists and took 18 months to complete.
It was a big job!
They hope this report will help the government make good plans to deal with climate change.
Let’s all think about how we can help protect our planet!
________________________________
菲律賓的珊瑚英雄
The Philippines' Coral Heroes
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are very important to our planet.
They are like underwater cities where many fish and sea animals live.
Coral reefs protect our coastlines (海岸線) from big waves and storms.
Many people love to visit coral reefs to see the colorful fish and beautiful coral.
But coral reefs are in danger from pollution, climate change, and other problems.
It is also important to protect and help them so they can stay healthy and strong.
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts (潛水專家) are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
他們正在設立珊瑚苗圃，幫助受損的珊瑚生長和恢復。
Divers collect coral that has been damaged (受損) by natural disasters and human activities.
In 2020, a mass coral bleaching event (一場大規模的珊瑚白化) affected about 72 kilometers of coastline in Bauan.
Coral bleaching happens when high temperatures make corals lose their color and turn white.
This event inspired (激發) Carmela Sevilla, a scuba diving instructor and resort owner (潛水教練和度假村老闆) in Bauan, to start coral nurseries.
She invited other conservationists (保育人士) to join her in this important work.
They save the living parts of these corals and place them in special nurseries.
Coral nurseries not only provide a safe place for damaged corals to grow but also serve as a backup to replenish coral reefs in the future.
珊瑚苗圃不僅為受損的珊瑚提供了一個安全的生長環境，還可以在未來需要時補充珊瑚礁。
Sevilla believes that small efforts can make a big difference over time.
So far, she and her volunteers (志願人員) have collected 64 pieces of damaged coral for their nurseries.
These small actions help create a lasting impact on coral conservation.
這些小小的行動對於珊瑚保育都會有長遠的影響。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases, Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
________________________________
And,
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Who is your favorite singer?
My favorite band is Paramore.
They are an American rock band.
Zachary from Taiping Junior High School told us about his favorite musical group!
[…]
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Hotter summers and wilder typhoons, saving coral reefs, and introducing our favorite singers!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣的氣候未來
Taiwan’s Climate Future
Studying climate change is very important.
Climate change means the weather is changing in ways that can be dangerous for our planet.
By studying climate change, scientists can understand what is happening to our world.
This helps us find ways to protect our environment (保護環境) and keep our planet safe for the future (讓地球未來更安全).
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases (溫室氣體), Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
一份新的報告指出，如果我們不控制溫室氣體，到本世紀末，台灣的夏天可能會長達七個月。
This means hotter days for much longer.
In the worst case, temperatures in lowland areas (低窪地區) could reach 36 degrees Celsius for an extra 75 days a year.
The report also talks about typhoons (颱風).
There might be fewer typhoons hitting Taiwan in the future, but they could become stronger and more dangerous.
Right now, we have about four to five typhoons each year.
This could drop to (數字可能會降到) one or two by the end of the century.
But there are more changes coming.
We could see longer dry spells (更長的乾旱期), which means a higher risk of droughts (乾旱).
At the same time, heavy rains could become more common, leading to more floods (洪水).
If temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, sea levels (海平面) could go up by 34.5 centimeters.
Climate change will also impact (影響) our health.
Diseases like dengue fever could become more common, and more people might suffer from respiratory diseases.
像登革熱這樣的疾病可能會變得更常見，患呼吸道疾病的人數可能也會增加。
The report was put together by 68 scientists and took 18 months to complete.
It was a big job!
They hope this report will help the government make good plans to deal with climate change.
Let’s all think about how we can help protect our planet!
________________________________
菲律賓的珊瑚英雄
The Philippines' Coral Heroes
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are very important to our planet.
They are like underwater cities where many fish and sea animals live.
Coral reefs protect our coastlines (海岸線) from big waves and storms.
Many people love to visit coral reefs to see the colorful fish and beautiful coral.
But coral reefs are in danger from pollution, climate change, and other problems.
It is also important to protect and help them so they can stay healthy and strong.
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts (潛水專家) are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
他們正在設立珊瑚苗圃，幫助受損的珊瑚生長和恢復。
Divers collect coral that has been damaged (受損) by natural disasters and human activities.
In 2020, a mass coral bleaching event (一場大規模的珊瑚白化) affected about 72 kilometers of coastline in Bauan.
Coral bleaching happens when high temperatures make corals lose their color and turn white.
This event inspired (激發) Carmela Sevilla, a scuba diving instructor and resort owner (潛水教練和度假村老闆) in Bauan, to start coral nurseries.
She invited other conservationists (保育人士) to join her in this important work.
They save the living parts of these corals and place them in special nurseries.
Coral nurseries not only provide a safe place for damaged corals to grow but also serve as a backup to replenish coral reefs in the future.
珊瑚苗圃不僅為受損的珊瑚提供了一個安全的生長環境，還可以在未來需要時補充珊瑚礁。
Sevilla believes that small efforts can make a big difference over time.
So far, she and her volunteers (志願人員) have collected 64 pieces of damaged coral for their nurseries.
These small actions help create a lasting impact on coral conservation.
這些小小的行動對於珊瑚保育都會有長遠的影響。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases, Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
________________________________
And,
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Who is your favorite singer?
My favorite band is Paramore.
They are an American rock band.
Zachary from Taiping Junior High School told us about his favorite musical group!
[…]
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Hotter summers and wilder typhoons, saving coral reefs, and introducing our favorite singers!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣的氣候未來
Taiwan’s Climate Future
Studying climate change is very important.
Climate change means the weather is changing in ways that can be dangerous for our planet.
By studying climate change, scientists can understand what is happening to our world.
This helps us find ways to protect our environment (保護環境) and keep our planet safe for the future (讓地球未來更安全).
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases (溫室氣體), Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
一份新的報告指出，如果我們不控制溫室氣體，到本世紀末，台灣的夏天可能會長達七個月。
This means hotter days for much longer.
In the worst case, temperatures in lowland areas (低窪地區) could reach 36 degrees Celsius for an extra 75 days a year.
The report also talks about typhoons (颱風).
There might be fewer typhoons hitting Taiwan in the future, but they could become stronger and more dangerous.
Right now, we have about four to five typhoons each year.
This could drop to (數字可能會降到) one or two by the end of the century.
But there are more changes coming.
We could see longer dry spells (更長的乾旱期), which means a higher risk of droughts (乾旱).
At the same time, heavy rains could become more common, leading to more floods (洪水).
If temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, sea levels (海平面) could go up by 34.5 centimeters.
Climate change will also impact (影響) our health.
Diseases like dengue fever could become more common, and more people might suffer from respiratory diseases.
像登革熱這樣的疾病可能會變得更常見，患呼吸道疾病的人數可能也會增加。
The report was put together by 68 scientists and took 18 months to complete.
It was a big job!
They hope this report will help the government make good plans to deal with climate change.
Let’s all think about how we can help protect our planet!
________________________________
菲律賓的珊瑚英雄
The Philippines' Coral Heroes
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are very important to our planet.
They are like underwater cities where many fish and sea animals live.
Coral reefs protect our coastlines (海岸線) from big waves and storms.
Many people love to visit coral reefs to see the colorful fish and beautiful coral.
But coral reefs are in danger from pollution, climate change, and other problems.
It is also important to protect and help them so they can stay healthy and strong.
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts (潛水專家) are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
他們正在設立珊瑚苗圃，幫助受損的珊瑚生長和恢復。
Divers collect coral that has been damaged (受損) by natural disasters and human activities.
In 2020, a mass coral bleaching event (一場大規模的珊瑚白化) affected about 72 kilometers of coastline in Bauan.
Coral bleaching happens when high temperatures make corals lose their color and turn white.
This event inspired (激發) Carmela Sevilla, a scuba diving instructor and resort owner (潛水教練和度假村老闆) in Bauan, to start coral nurseries.
She invited other conservationists (保育人士) to join her in this important work.
They save the living parts of these corals and place them in special nurseries.
Coral nurseries not only provide a safe place for damaged corals to grow but also serve as a backup to replenish coral reefs in the future.
珊瑚苗圃不僅為受損的珊瑚提供了一個安全的生長環境，還可以在未來需要時補充珊瑚礁。
Sevilla believes that small efforts can make a big difference over time.
So far, she and her volunteers (志願人員) have collected 64 pieces of damaged coral for their nurseries.
These small actions help create a lasting impact on coral conservation.
這些小小的行動對於珊瑚保育都會有長遠的影響。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan are studying how our weather could change in the future if we don't do more to stop global warming.
A new report says that if we don't control greenhouse gases, Taiwan could have summers that last seven months by the end of the century.
________________________________
And,
In the coastal town of Bauan in the Philippines, scuba diving experts are helping to save damaged coral reefs.
They are setting up coral nurseries to help damaged corals grow and recover.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Who is your favorite singer?
My favorite band is Paramore.
They are an American rock band.
Zachary from Taiping Junior High School told us about his favorite musical group!
[…]
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan's air is worse for you than a pack of cigarettes. And ice cream is saving Indian farmers!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, these fish have lungs!
Stay tuned for more on these stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣空汙引起肺癌的風險高於每日一包菸
Taiwan's Air Pollution More Likely to Cause Lung Cancer Than a Pack of Cigarettes a Day
Doctors always tell people not to smoke because they could get lung cancer (肺癌).
But recent studies show that people may get lung cancer even if they don't smoke.
This is more likely (可能) when they live in areas (區域) with air pollution (空氣污染).
National Taiwan University (國立臺灣大學) did a study.
Their researchers found that breathing in (吸入) air pollution increases the risk (風險) of lung cancer more than smoking a pack of cigarettes (香菸) every day!
In Taiwan, liver (肝) cancer was the most common cause of cancer-related deaths (肝癌是所有癌症死亡原因中最常見的) twenty years ago.
Lung cancer now causes the most cancer-related deaths, with over ten thousand deaths every year.
Let's look at air pollution.
PM, or particulate matter (懸浮微粒) means very, very small solid and liquid particles (固體和液體顆粒) in the air.
How small?
PM is measured in micrometers (以微米為單位).
A micrometer is one millionth of a meter.
PM 2.5 is particulate matter that is less than two and a half micrometers wide.
In comparison (相比之下), spider silk (蜘蛛絲) is about 4 micrometers wide (寬).
PM 2.5 increased in residential areas (住宅區) over 30 years.
The researchers analyzed (分析) Taiwan's lung cancer statistics (統計數據) from 1997 to 2020.
They compared statistics for lung cancer and air pollution.
The research results show long-term exposure (暴露) to PM 2.5 increased the risk of adenocarcinoma lung cancer (AdLC 肺腺癌) by 1.044 times more than that of people who smoked over a pack of cigarettes a day.
Reducing air pollution is very important to lower the risk of lung cancer.
政府必須致力於減少工業區及大眾運輸工具的空氣污染。
If air pollution gets worse, we'll need to wear a face mask every day in Taiwan!
___________________________________________________________
從沙漠到甜點, 冰淇淋拯救了印度遭受乾旱的農民
From Desert to Dessert: Ice Cream Saves Drought-Hit Farmers in India
As the climate crisis (氣候危機) gets worse every year, droughts (乾旱) are becoming more common (常見的).
Rajasthan (拉賈斯坦邦) is a state in India known for its forts (堡壘), desert safaris (狩獵旅行), palaces (宮殿) and temples.
But for the last 20 years, the drought in that state has been very bad.
Farmers have given up on farming.
They look for jobs in other states.
Luckily, ice cream has given farmers a chance to earn money.
Ice cream has changed their lives.
No one knows when farmers began selling ice cream.
But people told stories of the snack culture in richer states.
Families and friends in those states buy ice cream, popsicles (冰棒), and sodas from roadside food carts (路邊小吃攤) until late at night.
Farmers change their mini-trucks into ice cream trucks.
Around 50,000 mini-trucks are changed into ice cream trucks every year!
50,000!
Ice cream has also created new businesses and local jobs.
There are now many service and repair (服務和維修) shops for ice cream trucks and ice cream equipment and supply (設備和用品) shops.
From November to February, farmers get ready to sell ice cream.
They get their mini-trucks changed into ice cream trucks.
They get the trucks serviced.
They buy ice cream equipment and supplies.
They buy so many ice cream posters that the local printers need extra workers to make them!
When March comes, the farmers drive to other states to sell ice cream during the hot season.
They come back home in October.
他們在外地所賺的錢，讓他們能夠在家鄉建造水泥房屋。
Now the farmers can dig wells (水井) to get water for their homes and farms.
The farmers are thankful they can sell ice cream, even though it means being far from their families for most of the year.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's air pollution is more likely to cause lung cancer than smoking one pack of cigarettes a day.
The concentration of PM 2.5 has risen in residential areas over the years.
Reducing air pollution is very important to lower the risk of lung cancer.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Selling ice cream has saved drought-hit farmers in India.
The lack of rain made farmers give up farming.
Selling ice-cream for many months a year in other states every year has changed their lives.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
In the last story, you heard "drought" (乾旱)
When there's a drought, most fish can't survive when the water they live in dries up.
But African lungfish aren't like most fish.
Lung… hmmm… in the first story, you heard "lung" (肺)
These fish have lungs!
When there's a drought, these fish go into mud (污泥).
They secrete mucus (分泌黏液) to make a pod (莢) around themselves.
Only their mouths are not covered.
This lets them breathe in air.
They don't dry up in their pods.
Everything in their bodies works very slowly.
They can stay alive in these pods for four years!
Hopefully rain falls before then!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news…
The new VP wants a better balance between men and women lawmakers, and countries around the world choose new leaders.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit
If you want to hear something more quickly, get in the water!
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
副總統希望立委女性比例達到50%
Vice President Hsiao Wants 50% Women in Legislature
Who are the women leading Taiwan?
There are lots of female (女性) mayors and lawmakers.
And don’t forget, for the past eight years, the president (總統) has been a woman.
Tsai Ing-wen was the first woman to lead the country.
It was a big deal.
After all, many countries have never elected a female leader…
…even big countries like the United States and Japan.
甚至美國、日本等一些大國也從未選出女性領導人。
What about the new leader?
Tsai’s former Vice President Lai Ching-te is becoming the new president.
He’s a man, but his Vice President (副總統) Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) is a woman.
That means Hsiao is now the top representative (代表) for women in Taiwan.
What are her goals?
Hsiao wants to increase the number of lawmakers who are women.
蕭美琴希望增加女性立法委員的數量。
She says her goal is to reach 50% female representation in the Legislative Yuan (立法院).
That means she wants at least half of the lawmakers to be women.
There are 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan .
Let’s do the math… about half of 113 is 57…
So, her goal is to get that many women lawmakers.
Taiwan already has 47.
That’s more than 40% of lawmakers, which is the highest proportion in all of Asia (全亞洲比例最高).
Still, Vice President Hsiao thinks we can do better.
Why is it important to have women in government?
One reason is equality (平等).
Men and women should have equal chances to be leaders and decision-makers.
Another reason is different perspectives (視角不同).
Women might have different ideas than men because of their unique experiences (獨特的經歷).
So a government with more women will think about more viewpoints when it makes new laws.
A third reason is to have role models (榜樣).
When girls see women with power, it shows them that they can achieve anything.
These are three big reasons, but I’m sure you can think of some more.
Let’s hope the Vice President’s goal becomes a reality.
________________________________
2024全球大選年
2024 Big Election Year Worldwide
When is the big election (大選) this year?
That depends on where in the world you go.
Taiwan had elections in January, but other countries are voting (投票) throughout the year.
Let’s check the calendar.
我們來檢查一下世界選舉年曆。
On January 13th, Taiwan elected (選了) President Lai and Vice President Hsiao.
The same month, Taiwan’s ally (邦交國家) Tuvalu chose a new leader.
The leader said he would keep a good relationship with Taiwan, which is great for us.
In February, two of Asia’s most populous (人口最多) countries, Pakistan and Indonesia, both chose new leaders.
Russia had elections in March, but people question if they were fair…
…as the winner, Vladimir Putin, has already been leader for 25 years.
There was also a vote in India.
It’s the biggest election in the world, with nearly a billion voters joining in.
這是全世界最大的選舉，近十億選民參加。
Wow, it’s only spring and there have already been so many elections.
What about later this year?
Next month is the election in Mexico.
The two main candidates (候選人) are both women.
That’s Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez.
That means Mexico will likely get its first female president this year.
Then in November, there are big elections in the United States.
It’s Donald Trump versus Joe Biden again.
Some Americans are not happy with these two.
Both men are around eighty years old, but some want a younger leader.
許多美國人認為川普和拜登都太老了。
Plus, they are also going to choose a new leader in the UK.
When is that?
The government has not announced the election date, but it should be this year.
Wow. Is that all?
Not even close.
There are also elections through the year in many other countries, such as Iceland, South Africa, Mongolia, and…
Okay, that’s enough, we get it!
好吧，夠了，我們明白了！
2024 is an important year for voters around the world.
No matter where you go, people hope to use their vote to make a change.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
Taiwan’s new Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim wants more women in government.
Her goal is to have 50% women lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan.
________________________________
And
Countries around the world are holding elections in 2024.
Taiwan voted in January, and India votes this month.
The US will vote in November.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know that sound travels much faster through water than air?
In fact, it's about four times faster! But in water, it does take more energy to get that sound going.
So, next time you're swimming, imagine a dolphin talking to its friend - the message would zip right by you!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Let's chow down on this all new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Descendants of last Dutch governor of Taiwan pay respects, an orangutan uses a medicinal plant, and…how many atoms does it take to make a person?
Stay tuned for more on these, coming up next.
________________________________
荷蘭台灣末代總督後代來台向鄭成功致敬
Descendants of last Dutch Governor in Taiwan Pay Respects
Our first story has to do with Taiwan's history.
From 1624 to 1662, the Dutch East India Company occupied Taiwan, which was called Formosa back then.
During the occupation, they built Fort Zeelandia (熱蘭遮堡) in Tainan, now known as Anping Fort (安平古堡).
Then in 1662, Koxinga (國姓爺，鄭成功) came and drove the Dutch away.
Fredrick Coyett was the Dutch governor who suffered defeat during the battle.
He was also the last governor of the Dutch occupation.
He led over a thousand soldiers and endured a siege (圍城) from Koxinga's forces for 9 months.
After the battle, Koxinga allowed the governor and his family to return to their country unharmed, and with all their possessions (財產).
For this, the governor praised Koxinga.
He told his family and descendants to never forget Koxinga's leniency (寬容).
2024 marks the 400 years since the Dutch founded Tainan.
The 14th and 15th generation descendants (後代) of the governor came to Taiwan to pay their respects at the Koxinga Shrine in Tainan.
They acknowledge that Koxinga's generosity (延平郡王祠) led to their family's prosperity (繁榮).
Cheng, a deputy secretary general (副秘書長) of the shrine and descendant of Koxinga, greeted them with a warm welcome.
The two parties shared a "historical handshake," given their family histories.
During the press conference, the 15th generation descendant shared some insights about his ancestor.
He said, "He was a very stubborn man who wanted to stand his ground and did not want to be defeated.
So, I can imagine that negotiation (談判) must have been quite difficult for him.
He had to let go of his stubbornness and show humility towards his opponent."
At that time, the Dutch East India Company never officially represented the Dutch Republic.
Therefore, both sides are happy to leave the past alone and maintain a good relationship.
往日的敵人，在四百年之後，兩邊再次締造了歷史佳話。
It looks like the legacy (遺產) will be passed on to future generations.
________________________________
科學家發現 紅毛猩猩會用自製草藥
Orangutan Discovered Using Medicinal Plant
Did you know that animals can heal themselves when they are ill?
For example, cats and dogs nibble (啃) on grass when they are sick.
Many animals also ingest (攝取) plants that have medicinal abilities.
They also rub insects or plants to relieve (舒緩) themselves of other symptoms.
However, researchers have observed a behavior that has never been seen in the animal world.
A Sumatran Orangutan (蘇門答臘紅毛猩猩) self-treated its injury using a medicinal plant!
Why is this special?
That's because the orangutan was doing the treatment (治療) like a human being!
The plant was not part of the orangutan's diet.
Usually, animals just eat or rub the plants on themselves.
But Rakus, the orangutan, chewed the plant and applied the juice to a wound on its face.
Scientist continued monitoring Rakus for a month and the wound showed no signs of infection (感染).
It repeated this process and the wound was healed.
Research on the plant shows that it has antibacterial (抗菌), anti-inflammatory (消炎) and pain-killing (止痛) properties.
Locals use the plant to treat conditions such as diabetes (糖尿病) and malaria (瘧疾).
It is still unclear how the orangutan learned to treat a wound.
It may have touched its wound while feeding on the plant and felt the effects.
Or it might have learned the behavior from other orangutans.
Whatever the reason, scientists agreed that the discovery offers new insights (見解) into natural medicinal practices.
It also shows that orangutans and humans share knowledge.
Scientists will continue monitoring the primates (靈長類) to see if the behavior is repeated.
或許，我們的祖先就是透過觀察靈長類，而發現了某些植物的藥性。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Descendants of last Dutch governor in Taiwan visited Taiwan to pay respect to Koxinga.
The descendants thanked Koxinga for letting their ancestors return home safely.
________________________________
And,
In a first, an Orangutan healed his own wound using a known medicinal plant.
It chewed the plant and applied its juice to the wound on its face.
The wound healed after a month.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
A person who weighs about 70 kilograms has nearly 7 followed by 27 zeros atom.
(7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
That's seven octillion atoms!
To understand how big that number is, here are the large numbers leading up to it: million (10^6), billion (10^9), trillion (10^12), quadrillion (10^15), quintillion (10^18), sextillion (10^21), septillion (10^24), and then octillion (10^27).
Most of these atoms are hydrogen, making up about two-thirds.
One-fourth are oxygen, and one-tenth are carbon.
That's a lot of tiny pieces making up every one of us!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news: The Nantou County Government is cracking down on noise from modified vehicle exhaust pipes, and Japan's first ever moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Have you ever wondered how many books there are in the world?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
改裝排氣管噪音免費檢測 南投規劃每月一天
Nantou County Government Cranking Down on Noise From Modified Exhaust Pipes
Normally when cars zoom past, they don't make a lot noise.
This is because manufacturers design them to be quiet.
But there are those in society that for some reason or other like to make their cars super loud.
They do this my modifying exhaust pipes (改裝排氣管).
Why do they do this?
Don't know.
Modifying exhaust pipes doesn't actually make cars faster.
All it does it make them a lot louder.
In fact, it's illegal not just in Taiwan, but in many countries around the world.
However, police often don't often go after exhaust pipe modifiers.
警方通常不會逮捕改裝排氣管的人。
So the problem of loud, annoying cars and motorcycles persists, like a buzzing fly that just doesn't go away.
Thankfully, that might be about to change soon in Nantou.
The county government there is looking to crack down (取締) on this problem.
Nantou officials say residents complained about the noise from modified exhaust pipes, especially at nighttime.
當地居民抱怨汽機車改裝排氣管的噪音，晚上特別擾人。
They said they investigated around 800 cases of vehicles with modified exhausts and found 10 percent of them to be too loud.
According to traffic regulations, all vehicles - cars, scooters and motorcycles -- that have modified exhausts have to meet noise level standards.
That basically means they can't be overly loud.
Nantou county officials announced that starting from the last Monday of each month, they're offering free checks for noisy exhausts.
Now, why all this fuss about noise, you ask?
Environment and transport officials want to make sure that when exhausts are modified, engine noise is still kept down to a reasonable level.
So, they've brought in new rules.
From 2025, it will be mandatory for modified exhausts to be checked.
If it's too loud, car owners could be fined up to 5400 NT!
Let's keep the streets peaceful and the nights quiet.
________________________________
無人探測器ＳＬＩＭ成功登陸月球表面
Japan's first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night
Japan recently send its first ever lander to the moon.
It's called SLIM…
No, not "Slim Shady"!
Just SLIM.
"S - L - I - M".
It's an acronym (縮寫) for "Smart Lander for Investigating Moon".
SLIM had a bit of a rough start.
It landed on the Moon awkwardly back in January, with its solar panels (太陽能板) facing the wrong way.
That meant it couldn't soak up any sunlight to power itself up.
這意味著它無法吸收任何陽光來為自己供電。
This little guy still managed to send back some pictures.
But later on, it had to shut down, as a freezing cold lunar night was approaching.
Surviving a night on the Moon is no easy feat.
在月球上過夜並沒那麼簡單。
Lunar nights last for 14 Earth days, and temperatures can drop to as low as -173 degrees Celsius!
Just for comparison, the coldest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89.2 degrees Celsius.
Imagine enduring extremely cold temperatures and pitch darkness for 14 days!
That's what SLIM had to do.
In fact, it managed to do it twice.
Poor thing.
As you can imagine, there were probably some who were worried that SLIM wouldn't survive a third.
But when J-A-X-A, Japan's space agency, sent a command …
… SLIM responded!
It woke up, emerging victorious!
Dr. Simeon Barber from the UK's Open University says this is a big deal.
這個教授說這很了不起。
He says that surviving the lunar night is a major challenge for missions on the Moon, whether they're run by robots or humans.
不論是機器人還是人類，要在月球上執行任務，平安度過夜晚都是一大挑戰。
This is not only because the moon gets really cold, but also because during the daytime, it gets very hot - as hot as 130 degrees Celsius!
That's hot enough to fry eggs on the lunar rocks.
白天的氣溫，足夠把月球岩石上的雞蛋煎熟！
And here's me thinking Taiwan was bad enough with its temperature changes.
JAXA shared a picture taken by SLIM while it was up and running again.
Let's hope SLIM keeps working smoothly!
加油！
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Some people like to make their cars loud by changing the exhaust pipes, even though it's against the law in many places.
Nantou County in Taiwan is trying to stop this because residents complain about the noise, especially at night.
They're offering free checks for loud exhausts, and starting in 2025, it will be mandatory for vehicles with modified exhausts to be checked.
If they're too loud, owners could be fined, so it's important to follow the rules.
_______________________________
And,
Japan's SLIM lunar lander survived its third freezing lunar night!
It successfully reactivates after shutting down.
Lunar missions are difficult due to extreme temperature changes.
Japan's space agency, J-A-X-A, shared pictures SLIM captured.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know there are almost 130,000,000 books in the world?
That's according to Google.
Google has been making digital copies of books for a while now.
So it has a rough idea how many there are.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Coming up next in today's news:
Two high school students have made earthquake apps, and a woman looks for the man who saved her son!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a Japanese train conductor loves Taiwan!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
兩名台灣青少年 創造了兩款大受歡迎的地震預警應用程式
Two Taiwanese Teens Made Two Popular Earthquake Alert Apps
Earthquakes have been on everyone's minds - and under everyone's feet - in Taiwan since April 3rd.
But two high school students have been thinking about earthquakes longer than that.
And they've done more than think.
They have both made earthquake alert apps (地震警報應用程式).
But wait - doesn't the Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) - the CWA - send earthquake alerts?
Yes, but it only sends alerts for earthquakes that are above magnitude (規模) five and reach level (震度) four on Taiwan's 7- level scale (測量).
We can feel earthquakes that aren't as strong.
Lin Ruei (林睿), a 17-year-old student at Fudan High School in Taoyuan, is co-founder of the DPIP Earthquake Alert System (DPIP地震速報系統).
DPIP stands for "Disaster Prevention Information Platform."
Lin Ruei and the rest of the team of about 15 people set up their own "Taiwan Real-time Earthquake Monitoring" system.
They put 136 homemade earthquake monitors on the east coast!
The app uses information from these monitors and the CWA.
Another app, Taiwan Earthquake Quick Alert (臺灣地震速報), became the most popular free app in Taiwan after the earthquake.
Eighteen-year-old Lin Tzu-yu (林子祐), a student at Kang Chiao International School's Xiugang (秀岡) Campus in New Taipei City, made it.
His app gets earthquake information from the CWA.
We can choose to get early warnings (預警) for Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hualien, or Yilan.
We can also choose the earthquake level.
Lin Tzu-yu had not made an app before.
He found out how to make one from YouTube.
He said he didn't realize that he could do something useful for society without being guided by teachers.
即使地震警報僅在地震發生前幾秒鐘發出，也夠讓您趕快去到更安全的地方。
___________________________________________________________
媽媽尋找救了她兒子的男人
Woman Looks for the Man Who Saved Her Son
A woman and her four-year-old son went to an ice hockey game (冰上曲棍球比賽).
Her son was tired and moved around a lot in his seat.
A young man they didn't know was sitting next to the boy.
The end of the game was near. It was exciting!
Then an ice hockey puck (曲棍球餅) flew out of the ice rink (溜冰場) and over a glass barrier (玻璃屏障)!
Oh!
It flew fast toward (向) the little boy!
Oh no!
The man next to the boy jumped up.
He leaned over (倚靠) the boy.
He stopped the puck with his hand… just before the puck could hit the boy's head!
Thank goodness!
The little boy had little pieces of ice in his hair! The puck dropped to his seat.
The woman was shocked (很震驚).
She thanked the man and took a picture of him and her son.
The little boy didn't know that he had almost been badly hurt.
He was just very, very happy that he got to keep the puck!
Later at home, the woman held the puck.
It was very heavy… It was heavier than a baseball.
She couldn't sleep that night.
She kept thinking about how the man saved her young son's life.
She didn't know his name, but she wanted to find him and thank him again.
So she made a video and posted it online (把影片po上網).
In the video, she talked about what had happened.
She also said there had been an empty (空的) seat on the other side of the man.
It was also the man's seat, but he hadn't moved away from her son.
She said the man told her he was meant to be there (命中注定會在那裡).
At the end of the video, the woman asked people to let her know if they knew the man.
Eight hours later, the man sent her a message (訊息)!
The ice hockey team saw the video too.
They invited the woman, her son, and the man to drop the puck (放下曲棍球餅) at the start of the next game!
這個四歲的男孩很幸運，有一個好心人救了他，讓他沒有被曲棍球餅擊中。
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Two Taiwanese high school students made two earthquake alert apps.
The apps let us know about earthquakes just before they happen.
___________________________________________________________
And…
A man saved a woman's son from being hit by an ice hockey puck.
She wanted to find him and thank him again, but she didn't know his name.
So she made a video about what had happened and posted it online.
And she found him!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
If you take a train in Yamagata, Japan, you might meet a friendly train conductor.
His name is Shunichi Inoue.
He loves having visitors from Taiwan on his train.
He said "Taiwan No. 1!" to a group of tourists.
He has a big Taiwan flag (旗幟), and he held it up in the train.
He made a little heart with two fingers and said "揪咪揪咪!"
When he left the train, he said, "再見再見!"
He didn't leave the station. He held up the flag outside of the train.
He does these things because Taiwan helped Japan during the COVID pandemic and after a very bad earthquake in 2011!
If you see him, say "hello" - oh, I mean "你好!"
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
New Taipei's Circular Line won't be fixed for a while, fishermen from Micronesia get creative, and brains get smaller and smaller.
Stay tuned for these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
新北環狀捷運線維修 需要一年
New Taipei Metro Line Needs a Year of Repairs
Why were you late today?
I was waiting for you at noon, to help me do News Bites!
Sorry. The metro line (捷運線) is still broken, so I had to ride my bike.
You mean the New Taipei Circular Line (環狀線)?
The one that was damaged in the earthquake?
Yes. Part of it is still closed for repairs (維修).
And now they say it will take more than one year to fix.
What's going on with that metro line?
It all started on April 3rd.
That's when we had the huge earthquake (地震).
Hualien was the worst hit, but we still felt strong shaking in New Taipei.
After that quake, people in Banqiao and Zhonghe Districts noticed something strange.
They looked up at the elevated metro line, and saw parts of it had moved.
他們抬頭看到捷運高架橋，發現部分路段軌道已經移動。
The sections of the bridge weren't lined up anymore.
Oh my goodness.
So did the next train go flying off the rails?
Thankfully it did not.
還好沒有火車出軌。
As soon as the earthquake started, all the trains in the area automatically stopped.
It's one of the metro's safety features (安全功能).
MRT staff helped people off the stopped trains, and walked with them to the nearest station.
That's why nobody on the trains was seriously hurt.
But the damage to the line is still serious.
The rails (鐵軌) moved 20 to 92 centimeters in seven different places.
Now the Mayor of New Taipei has met with engineers (工程師).
He says the repair work will take at least a year.
How come it takes so long?
Not only do they need to fix the damaged structures…
…they also need to find out why the damage happened.
All railways should be able to withstand (承受) this kind of earthquake, but the Circular Line did not.
Was there a mistake with the design, or with the construction?
倒底是設計還是施工錯誤？
The engineers will find out.
And until they do… you'd better find another way to get around.
________________________________
小島上的漁民獲救
Fishermen Saved From Tiny Island
What if you got stuck on a desert island (荒島)?
A little island in the ocean with nobody else living there.
I think I would survive, no problem.
沒問題，我會活下去。
Yeah, right. You wouldn't last a day.
是嘛，你連一天都活不了。
Besides, even if you did survive, could you ever escape from that island?
That's just what happened to three fishermen in the Pacific Ocean (太平洋).
They found a creative way to ask for help, and they were rescued (獲救).
How did they get stranded in the first place?
It started when the three men went out fishing.
They left their home island in Micronesia (密克羅尼西亞) on a motorboat.
When the seas got rough, water got into the motor, and it broke.
So the men had no choice but to paddle to a nearby island.
The island was so tiny that nobody else lived there.
Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard (美國海岸防?隊) had launched a search for the missing men.
They used planes to search an area of 78,000 square nautical miles.
They had searched for a week when one of the planes spotted a message on an island.
There were four letters on the beach, spelling "H - E - L - P".
The fishermen had used leaves from palm trees to spell out the word.
Then, they had to survive by eating coconuts (椰子), while they waited for someone to see their message.
Their creative thinking saved their lives.
他們很有創意的想法救了他們一命。
The US Coast Guard sent a boat to pick the men up.
What's more, the fishermen found one of the Coast Guard members could speak their local language.
It turned out the Coast Guard member was their cousin.
It was an amazing coincidence (巧合), and added to the joy they felt at being rescued.
You might say these fishermen had terrible luck (厄運), to get stranded like that.
Or you might say they had great luck (幸運), to get saved.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The big earthquake damaged a metro line in New Taipei.
Part of the Circular Line is closed now.
Engineers say it will take more than a year to fix.
________________________________
And,
Three fishermen were saved from a desert island.
The men survived for a week by eating coconuts.
They used leaves to spell out the word "HELP", which led to their rescue.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
As you grow older, your brain starts to get lighter.
Some scientists say, from the age of twenty, it loses about a gram each year.
This happens because some brain cells die and are not replaced.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's news…
Taiwan's Alishan locomotive works in Wales, and France's big baguette bags a world record.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit
Sharing a sip with the dinosaurs.
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
阿里山林鐵火車頭英國首航
Taiwan's Alishan Locomotive Hauls Passengers in the UK
Some say life is a journey.
But have you ever heard of a train taking its own journey across the world?
Well, buckle up, because today we're meeting a very special locomotive with a story to tell!
Imagine a train that's been around for 50 years!
This cool old train isn't just sitting in a museum, though.
It's on a big adventure across the world!
This amazing train, called a DL-34 locomotive, used to travel through the beautiful mountains of Alishan in Taiwan.
Now, it's chugging (發出突突聲行駛) through the hills and plains of the UK!
That's right! The DL-34 is on loan for three years to a special railway in Wales called the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.
It's like a train swap program.
車頭於2023年順利抵達英國威爾斯，經過1年的改裝後，這個月首度正式上路。
People in Wales and Taiwan have been talking about this train swap for a long time, and everyone's excited to see the DL-34 in action.
The first ride even had local leaders and train fans from all over the world, including Malaysia!
Before the DL-34 could start its journey, it had to take a long ship ride from Taiwan to Wales.
It traveled over 9,000 kilometers!
Then, the Welsh railway spent a year getting the train ready for its new home.
This train swap is part of a special friendship between railways in Taiwan and the UK.
2017年阿里山林鐵與威爾普蘭菲爾鐵路締結姊妹鐵路，開始啟動柴油機關車出借合作計畫。
The DL-34 will show off its Taiwanese spirit in Wales, and Wales even sent a different train to Taiwan a few years ago!
So next time you see a train, remember, it might just be a world traveler (旅人) with a story to tell!
Who knows, maybe one day it will even visit your town!
________________________________
巴黎法棍麵包 刷新世界紀錄
Giant French Baguette Breaks World Record
Bonjour, bakers of all ages!
Do you love bread?
Especially the long, delicious kind called a baguette (法棍麵包)?
Well, get ready to hear about a baguette so BIG, it would take you ages to eat the whole thing!
In France, a bunch of amazing bakers just created a world record for the longest baguette ever made!
This incredible bread stretched a whopping 140 meters.
That's longer than a soccer field!
And this big baguette is about 235 traditional baguettes (傳統的法棍麵包) lined up together!
It took 18 bakers to make this baguette.
They started working on it at 3am in the morning.
They worked for 10 hours, kneading, shaping, and baking this enormous loaf.
18名法國麵包師傅揉捏麵團、塑型和烘烤，最終烤出這條巨大的法棍麵包。
The traditional French baguette must be made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast only.
The bakers used 90 kilograms of flour.
And they needed a special oven on wheels!
This giant baguette is now the new official Guinness World Record holder for longest baguette!
法國巴黎麵包師傅烤出一條140公尺長的法國長棍麵包，刷新世界紀錄。
Before this, the longest baguette was baked in Italy.
That baguette was just over 132 meters long.
It was baked in 2019.
But now the title of "longest baguette" goes to the loaf in France! "Incroyable"!
Why would they do all this work, you ask?
Well, people in France are super proud of their baguettes.
This is one way to show their baking skills to the whole world!
Plus, bread is also an important part of French culture (法國文化).
After they broke the record, the bakers even shared pieces of their giant baguette with everyone watching.
What a delicious way to celebrate (慶祝)!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A DL-34 locomotive used to travel through the beautiful mountains of Alishan in Taiwan.
Now, it's chugging through the hills and plains of the UK!
The DL-34 is on loan for three years to a railway company in Wales.
This train swap is part of a special friendship between railways in Taiwan and the UK.
________________________________
And
In France, a bunch of amazing bakers just created a world record for the longest baguette ever made!
This incredible bread stretched a whopping 140 meters.
That's longer than a soccer field!
After they broke the record, the bakers even shared pieces of their giant baguette with everyone watching.
What a delicious way to celebrate!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
Hey, take a closer look at the water in your water bottle…
Do you see it?
There's a chance that the water you're drinking today is the same water that thirsty dinosaurs were drinking about 65 million years ago.
Water moves in a cycle on Earth. It evaporates from rivers, lakes and oceans into the air, becomes clouds, and rains back down onto land, and seeps back into rivers, lakes and oceans again.
This cycle has been happening for billions of years!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or an interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwanese researchers develop new methods to use less animal testing, and an overdue book is returned after 105 years!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, art is making people want to visit Taiwan!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣研究人員開發新方法減少動物試驗
Taiwanese Researchers Develop New Methods to Use Less Animal Testing
When we get sick, we take medicine (藥物) to help us get better.
When we find bugs in our houses, we use pesticides (殺蟲劑) to kill them.
When we want our skin to look better, we use cosmetics (化妝品).
Before these products (產品) are sold, they must be safe for people and the environment (環境).
Therefore, they have to be tested.
They are often tested on animals.
However, this raises the problem of the ethics (倫理) of animal testing and cruelty (殘酷) to animals.
According to an animal rights organization (動物權利組織), millions of animals are used to test products every year in the U.S.
These animals include mice, monkeys, cats, and dogs.
Until now, animal testing has been a crucial (關鍵的) step for the safety of products.
Taiwan’s Minister of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC國科會) announced that researchers have developed 102 alternative testing methods (替代測試方法).
These alternative testing methods can reduce animal testing by about sixty percent.
One of the methods uses biomimetic (仿生) skin cells for irritant (過敏原) testing.
Traditionally (傳統上), irritant testing uses rabbits (兔子).
But with biomimetic technology, researchers are able to mimic (模仿) different conditions (狀況) for human skin (人的皮膚).
This technology can also mimic animal skin cells (細胞) for pet-related (與寵物有關的) products.
Another method uses AI in various tests.
AI can evaluate (評價) the level of toxicity (毒性) of pesticides on human skin.
This method does not use animals.
Alternative testing takes only four days, which is faster than animal testing.
The minister said that the NSTC is “committed to achieving (致力於實現) the ‘three R’s’ of animal testing: replace, reduce, and refine” (替換、減少、改進).
“Replace” means to test with something else instead of animals.
“Reduce” means to lessen the number of animals used in a test.
“Refine” means to avoid (防止) or lessen the pain or distress (疼痛或苦難) of animals used in testing at any time during their lives.
He feels that Taiwan, as an advanced country (先進國家), should find other ways to test products.
目前，國內的許多政府機構以及研究單位都在朝這個方向努力。
Researchers will continue to develop more alternative methods.
___________________________________________________________
逾期105年，書本終於歸還圖書館
Overdue Book Returned to Colorado Library After 105 Years
Dr. Seuss wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.”
Before the internet, reading books was the best way to learn and get information.
And the best place to get books is a library.
Many of us have borrowed books from our school library or a public library.
And some of us have paid fines (罰款) when we forgot to return books before the due date (到期日)!
Now imagine a book being returned many years after its due date…
How about 105 years!?
How much would that fine be?
A few months ago, a book was returned to a library in Colorado, in the United States.
It was checked out (查看) on February 13th, 1919.
A worker at the library told the local TV station about the book.
She said, “It came to us from a woman who got it from her brother, who found it in their mom’s belongings (媽媽的東西).”
The worker said that the someone had written notes in the book.
She said the book was well-loved.
Maybe the book was passed down (傳下來) from parent to child in a family that loves reading.
According to the library’s rules in 1919, there was a fine of 2 cents per day on overdue books.
That adds up (總共) to $760 US dollars.
But $760 US dollars in 1919 is worth (價值) about $14,000 US dollars now! That’s over $450,000 Taiwan dollars! Wow!
It was lucky for the woman — and maybe unlucky for the library — that the library had stopped collecting overdue fines in 2020.
喜歡到圖書館借書的朋友，記得按時還書。
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Companies will need to use fewer animals for safety testing because of Taiwan’s researchers.
The researchers’ alternative testing methods can reduce animal testing by sixty percent.
___________________________________________________________
And…
In the United States, a book was returned to a library after 105 years.
With today’s money, the fine would be $14,000 US dollars.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Art on two trains in Los Angeles, California, is making people want to visit Taiwan!
People can see this colorful work of Taiwanese artist Hung Yi (洪易) on the A and E Lines until the end of October.
On the “Show Me Taiwan” train, famous sights and popular events in red and white are shown in a paper-cut style.
They include Taipei 101, Sun Moon Lake, the Big Buddha of Baguashan in Changhua, and the Matsu procession (媽祖遊行).
On the “Gourmet Taiwan” train, people can see beef noodle soup, soup dumplings, boba tea, stinky tofu, fruit, and other tasty Taiwanese treats. Yum!
Taiwan’s going to have lots of visitors from Los Angeles!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
And you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a fresh episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's episode…
A new metro line in Taipei, a big change coming for railways in the UK, and what you hear in a seashell.
Stay tuned for more on these stories.
________________________________
台北捷運淺綠線 工程進展順利
Work Moves Forward on Light Green Line
Do you ever take the Taipei Metro (臺北捷運)?
Yeah! The MRT is really convenient (方便).
It can take you anywhere in Taipei or New Taipei.
Well, not "anywhere".
There are some places the Metro doesn't reach yet.
If you live in Taipei's Wanhua (萬華) District, or New Taipei's Shulin (樹林) District, there's likely not a Metro station near your home.
But that is about to change.
Both cities are hard at work on a new MRT line.
It's called the Light Green Line (淺綠線).
It will go from Taipei's CKS Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) all the way to New Taipei's Huilong (迴龍) Station.
The new metro line will be built in 2 phases.
新捷運線將分兩期興建。
Phase 1 is all underground (地下鐵路).
The tunnel will start at CKS Hall.
From there the line will serve Taipei's Wanhua District and pass below the Xindian (新店) River.
It will snake under New Taipei's Yonghe (永和) and Zhonghe (中和) Districts.
These are some of Taiwan's most densely populated places (人口最稠密的地方), so there will be lots of passengers to use the train.
Then it enters phase 2.
That's the part workers recently started building.
The train will rise aboveground in Tucheng (土城) District and become an elevated rail (高架鐵路).
There it will meet with the Blue Line, allowing passengers to transfer (轉車).
It will cross over the Dahan (大漢) River into Shulin District.
Finally it will end up at Huilong Station in Xinzhuang (新莊) District.
At Huilong, passengers can transfer to the Orange Line, or to the Taoyuan Brown Line, which is also under construction.
The Light Green Line will save passengers (乘客) in these areas a lot of time.
People in Tucheng can get to CKS Memorial Hall Station in just 20 minutes.
For people living in Shulin, their trips downtown (去市中心旅行) will be half an hour shorter.
This project will also take cars off the road.
That's because more people can take the train instead of driving.
It will improve traffic, cut air pollution, and save passengers money.
這項計畫會改善交通、減少空氣污染並節省旅客的費用。
The project is due to finish in 2031.
So, seven years from now, you may be riding the Light Green Line yourself.
________________________________
英國工黨承諾 把火車國有化
UK's Labour Party Promises to Nationalize Trains
Who owns the trains (火車)?
That depends on the country.
In Taiwan, the government runs Taiwan Railways.
However, in the UK, trains are run by private companies.
台灣的火車是國營的，但是英國火車屬於私家公司。
If you want to take a train from one UK city to another…
…you need to book expensive tickets (車票) with a private train company.
But that may be about to change.
One political party (政黨) thinks the UK government should run passenger trains.
The Labour Party (英國工黨) say they will make sure that happens…
…but only if they win the election (選舉).
Why do they want to do this?
These days, a lot of people in the UK think their trains are terrible.
Prices are high and service is poor.
英國火車票價格很貴，服務很差。
It's been getting worse since private companies (私人公司) bought the railways from the government, 30 years ago.
These companies only cared about making money.
They increased fares so they could get higher profits (利潤).
What's more, the companies treated the train drivers poorly.
Many of the drivers went on strike (司機罷工), causing even more problems.
What a mess!
It was not always like this.
Long ago, the British government ran all the trains.
They did their best to make sure the fares were affordable, and the service helped everyone.
Their train system was the envy of the world (令全世界羨慕).
A lot of people want to bring that system back, by letting the government take control again.
And now, the Labour Party has promised (承諾) to do just that.
They say, if they win the election, they will nationalise the railways and lower fare prices.
他們說，如果當選，他們會把鐵路國有化並降低票價。
Labour has a very high chance of winning this year.
Then we will see if they actually keep their promise to all the train-riders of the UK.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A new metro line is being built in Taipei and New Taipei.
The Light Green Line will connect many districts.
It is set to finish in 2031.
________________________________
And,
The UK might nationalize trains.
That means the government will run them.
It's what the Labor Party has promised to do if they win the next election.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever held a seashell to your ear to hear the sound of the sea?
That sound you hear isn't really the ocean.
The sound comes from noise around you!
The shell's shape makes the noise bounce around inside, which changes how it sounds.
It often ends up sounding like the deep, rumbling noise of ocean waves.
So although the sound isn't really the ocean…part of the sound is the ocean if you're at the beach!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Paying a little to protect a lot, measuring snow for 50 years, and English words have more than one meaning!
Let's check it out.
________________________________
小琉球7月起收海洋保育費
Siaoliouciou's New Eco-Fee
Starting July 1st, if you plan to visit the beautiful beaches of Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) in Taiwan, there's something new to remember!
The island will start charging a small fee (收取小額費用) of $60 NT to visit three special beach areas: Shanfu, Yucheng Wei, and Duozaiping (杉福、漁埕尾和 ).
These three areas are very important because they have unique plants and animals (獨特植物和動物) that need protection.
The money from the fee will help take care of these areas.
It will be used for things like keeping the beaches clean, teaching the staff how to look after nature, and learning more about the animals and plants that live there.
這筆經費將用於保持海灘的清潔、教育員工如何照顧自然，以及了解更多生活在那裡的動植物。
But there's more!
To make sure too many people don't visit at once and harm the environment, only 300 visitors can enter at a time.
And, there are certain times of the year (特定的時候) when no one can visit.
For example, from December 1st to March 31st, these areas will be closed to give nature a break (給大自然一個休息的機會).
Also, from April 1st to June 15th, the beaches close at night until the morning to help the animals during their breeding season (繁殖季節).
If you really want to see the beaches at night, you can!
From June 16th to November 30th, there are special night tours (夜間導覽).
If you bring a flashlight, only red lights are allowed so we don't disturb the wildlife.
如果你帶手電筒，只允許用紅光，以免干擾野生動物。
In recent years, more people have visited Siaoliouciou, and it started to affect the wildlife.
A study by a marine professor (海洋學教授) found that the number of large sea creatures is much less than before.
Although they are slowly coming back, it's important to keep protecting them.
By paying this fee and following the rules, you help protect the beautiful nature of Siaoliouciou.
It's a small price for a big cause, helping us enjoy this special place without harming it.
________________________________
市民科學家測量積雪50年
Citizen Scientist Measures Snow for 50 Years
Think about your daily routine (日常生活).
What are some things you have been doing every day, for the last ten years?
Let's see…I brush my teeth every day, pet my cat, and eat meals!
Well, for the past 50 years, Billy Barr, a 73-year-old man with a gray beard, has been measuring snowfall in the mountains of the state of Colorado in the US.
在過去的50年裡，Billy Barr (比利·巴爾) ，一位留著長長灰色鬍鬚的73歲老人，在美國科羅拉多州的山區測量積雪量。
Every day, he steps out of his small cabin (小木屋) to check how much snow has fallen.
Billy started collecting snow and weather data (收集積雪和天氣數據) after graduating from Rutgers University.
He set up simple tools to measure the snow-something he began doing just to stay busy (為了打發時間而開始做的事情).
Billy is what we call a "citizen scientist" (市民科學家).
This means he is not a professional scientist (職業科學家), but he helps gather important information about the environment.
His work has been very useful for researchers trying to understand how much snow there is and how it affects water supplies (影響水資源).
His dedication (奉獻精神) shows that anyone can contribute to science (任何人都可以為科學做出貢獻).
Billy's data is very valuable (有價值).
It helps scientists understand and predict (預測) changes in the environment.
Even though he plans to retire someday, he hopes to continue his work remotely with new tools that he's testing.
即使他有一天會退休，他也希望用他正在測試的新工具，遠距離繼續他的工作。
In the end, Billy's story shows us that by paying attention to the world around us and trying new things, we can make a big difference, even in unexpected ways.
What kind of nature do you see around your home or school that you could observe (觀察) every day, just like Billy Barr?
Maybe you could start your own project to help scientists learn more about our environment!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Starting July 1st, Siaoliouciou Island will start charging a small fee of $60 NT to visit three special beach areas.
These three areas are very important because they have unique plants and animals that need protection.
The money from the fee will help take care of these areas.
________________________________
And,
For the past 50 years, Billy Barr has been measuring snowfall in the mountains of the state of Colorado in the US.
Every day, he steps out of his small cabin to check how much snow has fallen.
He is a "citizen scientist", helping gather important information to help scientists learn more about our environment.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that some English words have many different meanings?
These words are called homographs.
For example, the word "set" has 430 meanings, and "go" has 368 meanings!
But the word with most definitions is…"run"!
It is expected to have about 645 different meanings in the next dictionary that will be released in 2037.
So, "run" can mean many things, like running a program on a computer, a car running on gas, or someone running for office.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys, get ready for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Aftershocks from the April 3rd Hualien Earthquake could last for a year, and an Italian city wants to ban gelato and pizza sales after midnight.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: The shortest commercial flight in the world.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
¤¤¥¡®ð¶H¸p´£¿ô¡A¾l¾_¥i¯à«ùÄò¤@¦~
CWA Says Aftershocks Could Last For a Year
On April 3rd, a severe earthquake shook the island of Taiwan, and devastated (ºR·´) Hualien.
Since then, there have been lots of aftershocks (¾l¾_).
Aftershocks are typical after major earthquakes.
They can keep on happening for days, weeks or even months.
From April 22nd to 23rd there were over 100 quakes.
Many of them reached magnitude (³W¼Ò) 4, some reached magnitude 5, and 2 reached magnitude 6.
According to the Central Weather Administration, these quakes were the aftershocks of the April 3rd earthquake.
The aftershocks were primarily in northern Hualien County.
But now they have moved southwards.
Based on the experience of the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake (¶°¶°¤j¦a¾_), or the 9-2-1 Earthquake, more aftershocks might happen over the next 6 months to a year.
The recent aftershocks on April 22nd and 23rd were felt more strongly than those over the last two weeks.
As a result, some buildings that were already damaged by the original April 3rd quake were damaged even more.
Some buildings that were already tilting (¶É±×) collapsed completely.
The agency explained this was because these aftershocks were shallow (²L), and their epicenters (¾_¥¡) further inland (¤º³°).
According to the Seismological Center (¦a¾_¤¤¤ß), aftershocks of a significant earthquake tend to dissipate (®ø´²) over time.
However, there would be sudden high magnitude aftershocks due to stress adjustments.
Therefore there might be another large earthquake.
But it would unlikely reach magnitude 7 or higher.
Due to the expected aftershocks and the upcoming rainy season, officials are advising everyone not to go to mountainous areas, as there could be a risk of landslides (¤s±Y).
In the event of an earthquake, the agency urges everyone to follow these 3 steps:
DROP onto your hands and knees;
COVER your head and neck;
… and HOLD ON until the shaking stops.
¦a¾_µo¥Í®É¡A¿í´`¦a¾_«O©R¤T¨BÆJ¡Gw¤U¡B±»Å@¡Bæí¡C
________________________________
¸q¤j§Q«°¥« ±N¸T¤î²`©]¾P°â¸q¦¡¦B²N²O¤Î©ÜÂÄ
Italian City to Ban Gelato and Pizza Sales after Midnight
What kind of food would you want to have when you visit Italy?
Many would choose pizza and gelato.
Everyone knows what pizza is.
But what about gelatos?
Well, it's a type of Italian ice cream.
It's similar to regular ice cream, but it's made with more milk than cream, which gives it a smoother texture.
Gelato also has less air whipped into it compared to ice cream, making it denser and richer in flavor.
¸ò¤@¯ë¦B²N²O¬Û¤ñ¡A¸q¦¡¦B²N²O¸Ì±ªºªÅ®ð¸û¤Ö¡A¨Ï¥¦§ó¥[¿@§¡A·¨ý¨à§ó¨Î¡C
Pizza and gelatos are two of the most iconic representative (¥Nªí©Ê) foods in Italian culture.
Having a late-night gelato is a vital («D±`«nªº) for many Italians.
It's also an experience for the millions of tourists who visit Italy.
But now, an Italian city is planning to ban the sale for takeaway food and drink at nighttime.
You're probably wondering which city?
Well, it's Milan (¦ÌÄõ).
Milan is Italy's second largest city and fashion capital.
Milan officials say the ban is necessary to reduce late-night noises in residential areas.
Under the ban, food establishments would not be allowed to serve food and dinks between 12:30 am to 6:00 am.
Marco Granelli, a Milan city official, said, "Our objective is to seek a balance between sociability (ªÀ¥æ) and entertainment and the peace and health of our residents."
However, critics are against the ban.
They say the decision violates (¹H¤Ï) Italian culture.
¦³¤H¤Ï¹ï³oÓ¨M©w¡A§åµû¥¦¹H¤Ï¸q¤j§Q¤å¤Æ¡C
One critic called Barbieri mentions that most young people in Milan go out for dinner after 10:00 pm, especially during summertime, when it's too hot to go out during the day.
Barbieri agrees that some residents are disturbed by the noise.
But he says there are other ways to go about making it quieter during nighttime, as opposed to an outright ban on takeaway food and drink.
¥L»¡°£¤Fª½±µ¸T¤î¥~±a¶¼¹¡AÁÙ¦³§Oªºªk¨à¥i¥HÅý©]±ß§ó¦wÀR¡C
He said the city has many areas that are perfect for late night food, that won't disturb residents.
This is not the first time that officials tried a late-night food ban.
In 2013, a similar ban was dropped due to public backlash (¤Ï¼u).
There was even a protest (§Üij) movement known as "Occupy Gelato."
n¦b©~¥ÁÅv¯q¤Î°Ó®a§Q¯q¤§¶¡¨ú±o¥¿Å¥»¨Ó´N¤£®e©ö¡C
Critics hope that the authorities can come up with a plan that benefits both parties.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Aftershocks from the April 3rd Hualien earthquake could last for a year.
Authorities urge the public not to go into mountain areas due to aftershocks and the rainy season.
________________________________
And,
This Italian city wants to ban gelato and pizza sales at nighttime.
Milan officials suggest the noise is disturbing residents.
Critics say the ban goes against Italian culture.
Critics say there are other ways to go about making it quieter during nighttime.
________________________________
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that the world's shortest commercial flight is in Scotland?
It's a two minute journey from Orkney Islands "Westray" to "Papa Westray" in Northern Scotland.
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of New Bites.
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news…
A kitten fights crime, and an elderly woman becomes a baby.
And today's Tasty Tidbit is nothing to sneeze at. Stay tuned to find out what we mean!
________________________________
台中喵警長立大功
Taichung Officer Kitten Fights Crime
A new employee (員工) started work at a police station in Taichung.
But this employee doesn't really do much police work.
In fact, this employee spends a lot of time playing or sleeping!
Okay okay, it's not really a police officer.
It's a cat!
"Wu-jing-yao" (伍丼么) is a kitten that lives at the Feng-yuan District police station.
Wujingyao started life as a stray (流浪貓).
In February this year, someone found him, and brought him to the police station.
And the police station became his home.
Wujingyao is now around 4 months old, still a kitten.
He can't exactly do police work.
But he is fighting crime in his own way.
The station often shows Wujingyao on its social media pages.
The kitten helps the public learn about how to stay safe.
Wujingyao helps in other ways too.
One day, someone brought an elderly woman to the police station.
Police learned she was 81 years old, and she was lost (迷路).
The elderly woman was scared, and started to cry.
Officers introduced her to Wujingyao.
The woman started smiling right away, and played with the kitten.
After a while, the elderly woman's son came and took her home safely.
And after completing his mission, Wujingyao fell asleep in a policeman's hat.
阿嬤安全回家與家人團圓，而完成任務的伍丼么也直接在同事的外套帽子上呼呼大睡。
The police station posted this story on social media.
And they told people about how to keep seniors safe, and help them avoid getting lost (避免走失).
Wujingyao has become very popular online.
Many people leave comments on the police station's social media pages.
Wujingyao even got a special package (包裹).
It was full of canned cat food!
Police officers were amazed that Wujingyao is so popular.
They also used this opportunity (機會) to tell people what to do if they get a strange package in the mail.
Wujingyao is doing a lot to help police fight crime!
________________________________
電腦故障讓百歲人瑞返老還童
Super Flying Senior is Not a Baby, Really!
Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
Like, someone thinks you are your brother or sister.
Or maybe you and your best friend look alike?
It happens sometimes.
But sometimes, it happens to people who don't look alike at all.
Patricia lives in the United States.
Every year, she flies to another state to visit her family.
But Patricia sometimes runs into problems when flying.
You see, Patricia is 101 years old.
But the airline (航空公司) often mistakes Patricia for a BABY!
Patricia looks fabulous (極好的、絕佳的)!
But she doesn't exactly look like a baby.
It's actually a problem with the airline's computers.
Patricial was born in 1922.
But this was so long ago, that the computer system cannot understand it!
The system automatically (自動的) changes the year of Patricia's birth to 2022.
This would make her 2 years old!
航空公司的電腦系統無法處理Patricia 1922年出生的事實，自動將她改成2022年出生。
This makes Patricia laugh.
She says "It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I'm an old lady!".
But she hopes the airline can fix this problem as soon as possible.
"Being a baby" can make it hard for Patricia to fly.
One time, the airline did not have a wheelchair ready for Patricia to use.
They were expecting a baby.
Another time, Patricia's daughter had to carry all their luggage.
Patricia says every time there is a problem, the airline is very helpful.
But she says it would be nice to fix the glitch (小故障).
Even with all these misadventures (意外的遭遇), Patricia says she is looking forward to her next flight in autumn.
She says by that time, she'll be 102 years old.
And she says it will be interesting to see if the computers will have caught on to her real age by then.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
"Wujingyao" is a kitten that lives at the Feng-yuan District police station.
He has become very popular online.
The station often shows Wujingyao on its social media pages, and the kitten helps the public learn about how to stay safe.
________________________________
And
Patricia is 101 years old, and flies to visit her family in another US state every year.
But an airline often mistakes Patricia for a BABY!
Patricia was born in 1922, but this was so long ago, that the airline's computer system cannot understand it, and changes the year of Patricia's birth to 2022.
This would make her 2 years old!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, we're learning about our super speedy sneezes.
Did you know that when we sneeze, the air coming from our nose and mouth flies at speeds of around 150 kilometers per hour or even faster?
That's even faster than most cheetahs can run!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Taiwan's first electric tractor from Volvo unveiled, banquet hall frescoes unearthed in Pompeii, and the loudest animal in the world!
Stay tuned for more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣通運引進 富豪電動曳引機
Taiwan's First Electric Tractor from Volvo
According to statistics, about 12% of Taiwan's carbon emissions (碳排放) come from transportation.
And a large percentage of these carbon emissions are from vehicles on the highway.
Among all the vehicles, large trucks and tractors (曳引機) were ranked the second largest carbon emitter.
However, these large vehicles are necessary because they transport essential materials around the island.
Without them, logistics (物流) would be slow and delayed.
In order to cut down carbon emissions from tractors, Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣運通倉儲公司) has unveiled its first electric tractor.
The tractor is manufactured by Volvo and will be used to transport cement (水泥) produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台泥).
Both TTS and TCC belong to the same enterprise, TCC International Holdings (台泥國際集團).
According to TTS Chairman Koo, Taiwan has warmer climate and shorter driving distance.
This makes it the perfect place to develop electric vehicles.
Koo believes that Taiwan companies can reduce carbon emissions through electric commercial vehicles (商用車輛).
The new tractor weighs 43 tons and has a cruising (續航) range up to 300-kilometers.
This is the first of a fleet of electric tractors that will be introduced by TTS.
It is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 32%.
Selven, Volvo Trucks Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was also at the unveiling ceremony.
He said that Volvo is very determined to reach net zero emissions (零碳排放).
Many people are worried about the problem of old batteries.
Selven says that Volvo has a company called Volvo Energy.
It is in charge of recycling, remanufacturing and refurbishing (翻新) batteries so that they can be properly reused.
EVs are currently more expensive than traditional vehicles.
But as demand increases, it could help reduce the costs, making it more affordable.
全球各大企業都在為2050淨零排放而努力，台灣當然不能落人後。
________________________________
龐貝城宴會廳壁畫出土
Banquet Hall Frescoes Unearthed in Pompeii
Many are familiar with Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was buried by a volcano eruption.
The eruption happened in 79 AD and the city was buried under four to six meters of volcanic ash (火山灰).
Due to the complete coverage of the ash, the city was largely preserved, frozen in time.
The buried city was rediscovered in the 17th century.
Even up to this day, archaeological excavations (考古挖掘) are still finding artifacts that amaze the modern world.
Recently, a banquet hall has been unearthed in Pompeii.
The hall was decorated with scenes from Greek mythology (希臘神話).
One fresco (壁畫) shows the god Apollo attempting to seduce Trojan priestess (特洛伊女祭司) Cassandra.
Another shows the encounter of Helen of Troy meeting Paris, which would lead to the Trojan War.
Having not been disturbed for centuries, the frescos were exceptionally well preserved.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtreigel depicted (描繪) the Roman life back then.
"They gathered here to feast after sunset, the flickering (閃爍) lights from the candles made the images appear to move, especially after a few glasses of wine."
The mosaic (馬賽克) floor of the hall was made with over a million tiny white tiles (磁磚).
The hall was discovered in a private residence in the city.
It shows the lavish (奢侈豪華的) and high standard lifestyle of the Roman upper class 2 millenniums ago.
The tragedy and amazing discoveries made Pompeii the second-most visited tourist site in Italy.
The most visited tourist site is the Colosseum (圓形競技場) in Rome.
Currently, only about two-thirds of Pompeii have been excavated.
考古學家將會繼續挖掘，讓我們有一天能一睹羅馬帝國兩千年前的風采。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's first electric tractor from Volvo has been unveiled.
TTS has introduced the first of a fleet of electric tractors which will be used to transport cement.
It is able to cut carbon emissions by 32%, compared to fossil fueled vehicles.
________________________________
And,
Banquet hall frescoes were unearthed in Pompeii.
The well-preserved frescos showed scenes from Greek mythology.
It gives us a glimpse of the luxurious lives of the rich back then.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Sperm whales are the loudest animals in the world!
They can make sounds as loud as 230 decibels (分貝).
That's louder than blue whales, which make sounds at 188 decibels.
On land, the loudest animal is the bulldog bat.
It makes sounds at 140 decibels…but we can't hear them because they're too high-pitched for our ears.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nany Sun.
In today's news: Rumors about voice samples being collected during phone calls, and NASA has been asked to help search for the Loch Ness Monster.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Have you ever wondered what causes most colds?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
不必擔心 有人用LINE收集你的聲音
Voice Sample Rumors on LINE Messaging APP
You know those random calls you sometimes get from out of the blue?
The calls from unknown numbers?
Rumor has it some of these numbers are collecting voice samples (語音樣本).
A voice sample is a bit of someone's voice that's recorded (錄音).
It's like when you take a small piece of a song to get a feel for how it goes.
Voice samples allow you to hear what someone else's voice sounds like, and get an idea for how that person talks and expresses themselves.
So why would someone want to collect voice samples?
Well, it's for training AI to simulate the voices of real people.
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence.
It's like a smart computer program which can do things that normally only humans can do.
人工智慧現在可以做很多以前真人才能做的事。
For example, telling jokes, writing stories, drawing pictures or even carrying out a conversation.
In this case, some people are using voice samples to train AI how to mimic their voices.
據說有些人使用語音樣本訓練AI模仿人的聲音。
So why would anyone want to train AI to mimic people's voices?
Well, some shady folks out there are looking to scam others.
They want to make AI sound like relatives, parents or friends, to trick you into giving them money.
So that's why some are advising not to speak over the phone when answering calls from unknown numbers.
But is there any need to be so cautious?
接到不知道誰打來的電話時，需要很小心嗎？
Well, according to the Taiwan Fact-Checking Center, the answer is no!
那是不需要的。
The Fact-Checking Center explained that AI struggles to produce high-quality voices with just a few greeting sentences.
Cybersecurity experts agree.
網路安全專家同意。
They said that while AI can simulate human voices, it needs longer speech samples to do so effectively.
Plus, AI being used for voice fraud is still relatively rare compared to other scams.
So, what's the bottom line?
There's no need to freak out and stay silent on the phone.
But if you suspect a call might be a scam, it's still a good idea to hang up as soon as possible.
________________________________
有人呼籲美國太空總署 協助尋找尼斯湖水怪
NASA Urged to Help in New Search for Loch Ness Monster
Nestled in the Scottish Highlands lies Loch Ness.
蘇格蘭高地中隱藏著尼斯湖。
It's a picturesque freshwater lake shrouded in mystery and folklore.
它是一個風景如畫的淡水湖，籠罩著神秘和民間傳說。
What is it most famous for?
… The legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
Locals affectionately call the monster Nessie.
It's described as a large aquatic creature resembling a plesiosaur (蛇頸龍).
That's a type of dinosaur that swims in the ocean.
Nessie has been the subject of many sightings and debates.
The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster dates back to the early 1900s.
There have been reported sightings and photographs showing a dark, elongated shape (狹長的形狀) emerging from the waters.
People have been searching for the monster for many years.
In 1936, a chap called Sir Edward Mountain led the first organized expedition (探險遠征隊) to Loch Ness to search for the monster.
He took 20 men with him.
Together, they placed binoculars (望遠鏡) and cameras (照相機) around the loch, and took many photographs.
But still, they couldn't prove whether there really was a monster lurking in the waters.
Now, with the 90th anniversary of Sir Edward Mountain's exhibition approaching, there's going to be another search for the monster, and NASA is being asked to help out!
The Loch Ness Centre said it's organizing another search for the monster from May 30th to June 2nd.
It says it has asked experts to help, including scientists and universities.
It has also asked NASA to help out.
It hopes NASA can provide equipment and expertise.
Maybe with cutting-edge equipment (尖端設備) and expert help, we might finally be able to uncover the mystery of Loch Ness!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Rumors claim unknown callers are gathering voice samples for training AI to mimic voices, possibly for scams.
Experts say AI struggles to learn from short samples, so there's no need to be silent when answering the calls.
But if you suspect a call is a scam, hang up as soon as possible.
_______________________________
And,
Loch Ness is a large freshwater lake located in the Scottish Highlands.
It's famous for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, which the locals call "Nessie".
Despite lots reported sightings and searches over the years, there's no proof there really is a monster there.
The Loch Ness Centre is organizing another expedition and has asked experts to help, including NASA.
It hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that rhinoviruses are the most common cause of colds?
Rhinoviruses cause symptoms like sneezing, runny noses, and sore throats.
They're responsible for a large portion of the colds people get each year.
So, if you catch a cold, chances are it's because of rhinoviruses!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Coming up next in today's news:
A Taiwanese queen wins a race and an octopus surprises a family!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Taiwan's baby nurses are heroes!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣變裝皇后贏得變裝比賽冠軍
Taiwanese Queen Wins Drag Race
There are many ways of making Taiwan proud.
One person did this with love, creativity (創造力), and courage (勇氣).
Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅瘋) won a big contest (比賽) on American TV in April.
She became the first Taiwanese and the first East Asian to win!
She won $200,000 US dollars.
But the money wasn't what she was thinking about.
Taiwan was!
When she was introduced (介紹) on the show, she said, "Hello Taiwan!"
When she won the contest, she said, "Taiwan, this is for you!"
During the contest, she celebrated traditional (傳統的) and modern Taiwanese and
Asian culture (文化) with beautiful clothes and makeup (妝容).
She blew everyone away (她給大家留下了深刻的印象) when she dressed as a boba tea drink!
She said, "I hope I can help Taiwan shine (閃耀) bright."
Nymphia Wind was in a famous drag queen (變裝皇后) contest called RuPaul's Drag Race.
Drag queens are people, usually men, who wear dramatic feminine (明豔女性化的) clothes and exotic (異情的) makeup, usually for performances (表演).
Every year, RuPaul looks for a new drag queen superstar.
This superstar must have "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent." (魅力、獨特性、勇氣和才華)
So who is Nymphia Wind?
She's famous in Taiwan's drag world.
She loves bright yellow and bananas and often wears them.
She's a fierce (強烈的) but fun (有趣的) Asian woman.
And she's the drag persona (變裝角色) of Leo Tsao (曹米駬).
Who is Leo?
Leo was born in the U.S., and he grew up in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
He was very shy and verbally bullied (言語霸凌) in school.
He's very close to his mom.
She says drag has made him more confident (自信的).
After his military service (兵役), he performed drag in Taipei.
He went to New York in 2022.
He said, "I just wanted to come … and show a rich (豐富的), rich Asian culture in my drag."
When Nymphia Wind won, she also said, "To those who feel like they don't belong
(屬於), just remember to live fearlessly and have courage to live your truth (活出最真實的自己)."
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen said on social media,
"Congratulations to you, Nymphia Wind, for being so accomplished (有才藝的) in the difficult art form of drag, and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage (登上舞台) and win on RuPaul's Drag Race."
She added, "Taiwan thanks you for living fearlessly."
受到啟發，找到自己的方式照亮台灣！
___________________________________________________________
章魚帶給家人驚喜
An Octopus Surprises a Family
A boy has loved octopuses since he was three.
He always asked for an octopus for his birthday and Christmas.
His family gave him octopus toys, octopus t-shirts, and other octopus things.
But he wanted a REAL octopus.
He finally got one for his ninth birthday!
The boy named the octopus "Terrance."
That's a nice name for a male (男性).
He kept Terrance in a big aquarium (水族箱) in his room.
The family loved Terrance.
They fed him live food (活食), petted (摸摸) him, and really enjoyed him.
But two months later, Terrance started to act (行為) strangely.
He hid under a rock all the time.
Then eggs appeared in Terrance's hiding place!
Terrance was a female (女性)!
To the family, the eggs were just… eggs.
They'd had Terrance for two months, so there wouldn't be any octopus babies.
They were sad because making eggs meant that Terrance would stop eating and die soon.
But Terrance ate ALL the food they gave her.
One day the boy's dad was cleaning the aquarium.
An egg floated (漂浮) up.
He picked it up to look at it and POP!
A tiny (微小的) octopus came out!
The dad was very surprised!
In the next week, FORTY-NINE more octopus babies were born!
Baby octopuses will eat each other, so each time a new baby was born, they put it in a jar (罐) by itself.
The tiny babies ate tiny, tiny live shrimp (小蝦).
The family was very busy keeping Terrance and her babies alive (活)!
What a surprise Terrance brought to the family!
章魚很難照顧，所以這個家庭做得很好！
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese drag queen won a big drag queen contest on American TV in April.
Nymphia Wind showed the world how rich Taiwanese culture is.
Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-Wen congratulated Nymphia Wind.
She said, "Taiwan thanks you for living fearlessly."
___________________________________________________________
And…
A boy who loves octopuses got one for his birthday.
His family thought it was a male, but then eggs appeared.
Soon they were busy with 50 octopus babies!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
It's been almost a month since the big earthquake.
Did you see the video of baby nurses keeping many babies safe that day?
Baby beds have wheels so the babies can go to and from their mothers' rooms and the nurses' room.
The earthquake made the beds move in the nurses' room!
The nurses held the beds so babies wouldn't be hurt.
The video was in the news a lot - and not just in Taiwan!
People around the world saw it.
They were very surprised!
The nurses thought of the babies first.
People thought the nurses were great!
Many earthquakes have followed.
Some are not so small.
Baby nurses do the same thing - keep the babies safe!
Thank you, nurses! You are heroes!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
What’s up everybody, get ready for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Kelly Kimura.
In today’s stories: People race to climb trees quickly, and scientists play interesting sounds underwater.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: the shortest war in history.
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
爬樹冠軍來到台中
Tree Climbing Champions Come to Taichung
Have you ever climbed a tree (爬樹)?
It can be a lot of fun.
First, you find a good climbing tree that has a sturdy trunk (樹幹), and strong limbs (樹枝) to grab on to.
Next, you pull yourself up, one limb at a time.
When you get high enough, you can enjoy an amazing view (美麗風景).
You’ll be able to see what the birds and squirrels see.
If you’re really good at climbing trees, you can even join a tree climbing contest.
That’s what happened in Taichung recently.
The 2024 Taiwan Tree Climbing International Championship brought together tree climbers from around the world.
2024年台灣攀樹國際錦標賽匯集了來自世界各地的爬樹高手。
They came from 9 different countries.
Many of them were professional climbers.
That means their job is to climb trees, to take care of them or to study them.
For example, if a tree’s limb breaks in a storm, a professional may need to climb up and saw the limb off (鋸掉樹枝).
They may need to prune trees (修剪樹木) to make room for power lines, or to protect other trees.
Plus, there are tree researchers that need to climb trees to learn more about them.
Many of Taiwan’s tallest trees were measured by tree-climbers.
All of these climbers wear safety equipment, and use special ropes.
專業爬樹者穿戴安全裝備，並使用專用繩索。
One climber’s gear can cost more than 100,000 NT.
Climbers need a lot of special skills.
Those were the skills tested for the contest in Taichung.
Climbers competed against each other in different categories.
One category was “ascent” (速度攀爬).
That tests how fast they can climb up and ring a bell.
The bell may be 12 to 25 meters up the tree.
Another category was “aerial rescue” (空中救援).
That tests their ability to rescue another climber who is injured.
There’s a third category, called “work climb” (工作攀爬).
It tests how well a climber can move around in a tree and do certain tasks, such as sawing a branch or balancing on a limb.
Does any of that sound like fun to you?
It’s a serious job, but many climbers love what they do.
If it’s something you’re interested in, maybe “tree climber” is the career (職業) for you.
________________________________
科學家利用珊瑚礁的聲音來幫助珊瑚
Scientists Use Reef Sounds to Help Coral
In the place where you live, what can you usually hear?
The sounds of the street, your neighbors chatting, your family working or relaxing … pets playing, birds singing, or the wind in the trees.
These sounds (聲音) we hear every day are a part of our home.
They can let us know we are safe, and everything is as usual.
我們每天在家聽到的熟悉聲音，帶給我們安全感。
But people are not the only ones who get used to the sound of home.
Underwater (水下) communities have their own special sounds.
These are the sounds made by the fish, the plants, and the water in coral reefs (珊瑚礁).
Scientists have found that these coral reef sounds are important for the well-being of the coral (對珊瑚礁的健康很重要).
What’s more, they found that playing these sounds can help to heal damaged coral reefs.
How can this be?
Let’s start with what we know.
Coral reefs are an important part of the ocean ecosystem (海洋生態系統).
They are a hotspot for biodiversity (生物多樣性), providing homes for a huge number of species.
They are a source of food for many fish, and those fish are a source of food for many other animals, including people.
But coral reefs around the world are in danger.
世界各地的珊瑚礁正面臨危險。
Climate change is causing the ocean to heat up, which damages coral reefs.
Human activities like overfishing and pollution also harm the reefs.
Since the 1950s, the world has lost half of its coral reefs.
That’s why scientists now are looking for ways to protect and heal the reefs.
科學家現在尋找保護和修復珊瑚礁的方法。
In their research, they discovered something interesting.
Coral larvae, which are like baby coral, swing toward reef sounds.
They found that if they played reef sounds on underwater speakers (水下揚聲器), they could attract more coral to settle there.
Scientists think they can use this method to help rebuild coral reefs.
On top of that, this research shows that, for many species, the sound of home is important.
And ultimately, we all share the same home: Planet Earth.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
There was a tree-climbing contest in Taichung.
It tested climber’s skills, and their climbing speed.
________________________________
And,
Scientists are trying to rebuild coral reefs.
They play reef sounds on underwater speakers to attract coral.
________________________________
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that the shortest war in history lasted between 38 and 45 minutes?
It was between Britain and Zanzibar on August 27th, 1896.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Changing times for the next president, and changing genders for a surprising hippo.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
We've got students ready to give you a major case of the giggles!
Stay tuned for all that, coming up next.
________________________________
賴清德獲選時代雜誌百大影響力人物
President-elect Makes TIME's 100 Most Influential People List
Taiwan's incoming president has landed on a special list.
Lai Ching-te is one of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World".
美國TIME雜誌將總統當選人賴清德列為2024年百大最具影響力人物。
TIME is an American news magazine.
Every year, the company puts together a list.
It chooses 100 people for this list.
They are people that are changing the world.
The magazine thinks these are the 100 people who were the most influential that year.
If someone is "influential", it means they have the power to make a big difference.
And Taiwan's next president Lai Ching-te is on the list for 2024!
An introduction is written for every person on the list.
Lai's introduction was written by Jon Huntsman.
He is a former U.S. ambassador to China, and was also the governor of Utah.
美國前駐中國及駐俄羅斯大使、前猶他州長Jon Huntsman寫了推薦撰文。
Huntsman described Lai as a public-health expert who was trained at Harvard.
He says Lai cares about trust, and solving problems.
But he says Lai is also facing a lot of pressure.
Huntsman says Lai's choices will be important.
And they will change the future of democracy in Asia.
Lai Ching-te is not the only Taiwanese person to make the list.
President Tsai Ing-wen was on the list in 2016 when she was first elected, and again in 2020 when she was re-elected.
Award-winning director Ang Lee was also on the list for his work in cinema.
And basketball star Jeremy Lin and golfer Yani Tseng have also been on the list before.
________________________________
日本動物園公河馬變女兒身
Japan Zoo's Male Hippo is Ahem…a Female
Gen-chan was just an ordinary hippo.
He lives in Japan, at Osaka Tennoji Zoo.
Living at the zoo, Gen-chan did hippo things.
He swims in his pool…
He eats grass…
He poops….
But something was off…
Something about Gen-chan left zookeepers scratching their heads.
12-year-old Gen-chan did not do some of the things that male hippos usually do.
He didn't make the special sounds that male hippos use to attract (吸引) females.
Gen-chan also didn't scatter ((撒，分散) ) his poop.
This is something that male hippos do.
They poop in the water.
Then they spin their tail like a fan.
This makes their poop fly out all over the place!
This sounds a little gross.
But male hippos do this for a reason.
Their poop marks their territory (領土).
And it's also important for the environment.
That poop can help plants in the water grow.
But keepers at Tennoji Zoo never saw Gen-chan do this.
飼養員發現Gen-chan從來沒有發出求偶叫聲，也沒有甩尾巴把排泄物噴到處標出地盤。
What's going on here?
Gen-chan came to Tennoji Zoo from Mexico, when he was just 5 years old.
At that time, paperwork for Gen-chan said he was male.
Gen-chan 2017年從墨西哥進口的時候，文件上說它是一隻公河馬。
But now zookeepers wondered if there might be a mistake (錯誤).
So they tested Gen-chan's DNA.
And he is actually a SHE!
The zoo says knowing that Gen-chan is female, is very important.
They say this will help them take better care of her.
And they do not want to make this mistake again.
But they say that Gen-chan will not be getting a name change.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Lai Ching-te is one of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World".
Lai's introduction was written by former U.S. ambassador to China and former governor of Utah Jon Huntsman.
Huntsman says Lai's choices will be important.
And they will change the future of democracy in Asia.
________________________________
And
Something about 12-year old hippo Gen-chan left keepers at Tennoji Zoo scratching their heads.
He did not do some of the things that male hippos usually do.
They tested Gen-chan's DNA, and found out that he is actually a SHE!
The zoo says knowing that Gen-chan is female will help them take better care of her.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
Where do cows go on Friday nights?
They go to the "moo-vies"!
And boy oh boy…
Today, we've got a school from Yunlin County, with all the jokes.
These teens from Wen-chang Elementary School had us in stitches!
Here's one from 6th graders 劉睿辰 and 李奇恩.
You ready?
…
And here's another zinger from 6th graders 柳羽捷 and 林品秀
…
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
More pets than babies in Taiwan, animals behave strangely during an eclipse, and how much energy can you save by recycling?
Are you ready to find out more?
Here we go!
________________________________
寵物超越新生兒的數量
Pets Outnumber Babies in Taiwan
Last semester (上學期), we shared surprising news that pets outnumbered babies in Hsinchu County.
Now, this trend (趨勢) has spread across Taiwan!
More people registered their pet dogs and cats than there were babies born in 2023.
2023年，寵物狗和貓的數量超過了新生兒的數目。
Last year, there were 232,196 new registrations for pets compared to only 135,571 babies.
Among these pets, cats were especially popular (特別受歡迎), with their numbers even higher than newborn babies.
Taiwan is becoming a "super-aged society" (超高齡社會) where the number of older people is very high compared to younger people.
This change is affecting many things, including the jobs people do.
For example, there are now more doctors who specialize in taking care of pets (專門照顧寵物的獸醫) than there are pediatricians (小兒科醫生).
In 2023, there were 1,880 doctors for young children in Taiwan.
They worked in 1,048 places that provide medical care for kids.
Meanwhile, the number of veterinarians, or vets, (獸醫) has increased.
There are 5,773 vets in Taiwan, and many of them, about 69%, focus on treating pets (治療寵物).
Most veterinarians work in big cities.
This shows that in cities, more people are choosing to have pets, and they need doctors for them.
Yang Hsiao-po (楊孝柏), who has been a vet for 22 years, says pets are very important for people.
They help make their owners happier and healthier.
He noticed that these days, he mostly treats pets for serious health issues like diabetes (糖尿病) and heart disease (心臟病).
As more people in Taiwan prefer having pets, the number of animal hospitals is expected to grow.
隨著越來越多的台灣人喜歡飼養寵物，動物醫院的數量預計也會增加。
By the end of this year, there might be around 2,000 animal hospitals across the country.
This tells us that pets are becoming a big part of many people's lives in Taiwan!
________________________________
當動物遇到日全食
How Animals React to a Solar Eclipse
On April 8th, 2024, North America experienced a total solar eclipse (日全食).
This means the moon moved in front of the sun, making it dark during the day for a few minutes.
During an eclipse, not only do people find it exciting…
…but animals also behave in strange ways (出現奇怪的行為) because it suddenly becomes dark.
Long ago, people noticed that animals seemed scared or confused (害怕或困惑) when this happened.
For example, cows might go back to their barns (穀倉), thinking it's bedtime (以為睡覺時間到了).
And birds might stop singing and fall silent (寂靜無聲).
Many different animals act in their own unique ways.
Some get very quiet, like bees that stop buzzing (嗡嗡聲).
Others, like frogs, start making noise, thinking it's night time.
Even big animals like giraffes (長頸鹿) start running around, and then calm down when the light comes back.
Scientists are trying to learn more about how animals react to eclipses.
科學家想了解更多動物對日食的反應。
In a project called Eclipse Soundscapes, they asked people to help by watching and reporting what animals did during the April 8th eclipse.
More than 3,000 people sent their reports!
This will help scientists understand animal behavior better.
In some places, zoos also watched how their animals reacted.
They've found that animals can be quite confused by the sudden darkness.
They might start doing their night-time activities, like settling down to sleep, because they think it's night.
This unusual event (不尋常的事件) gave people a chance to see how nature reacts to changes in light and temperature.
And it teaches us more about the world around us!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
In Taiwan, more people registered their pet dogs and cats than there were babies born in 2023.
Last year, there were 232,196 new registrations for pets compared to only 135,571 babies.
And there are now more doctors who specialize in taking care of pets than there are pediatricians.
________________________________
And,
During an eclipse, animals behave in strange ways because it suddenly becomes dark.
Scientists are trying to learn more about how animals react to eclipses.
On April 8th, 2024, North America experienced a total solar eclipse.
Scientists asked people to help by watching and reporting what animals did during the eclipse.
And more than 3,000 people sent their reports!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When you recycle just one plastic bottle, you save enough energy to keep a light bulb on for 3 hours.
Isn't that amazing?
Recycling doesn't just save energy; it also helps our planet by reducing harmful gases that can change the weather.
So, let's make sure we recycle as much as we can!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's news:
Repairing Taroko National Park, and saving ocean corals.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
The clouds tell all!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
太魯閣國家公園需花費10億修復
Taroko National Park Repairs Will Cost $1 Billion NT
Taroko National Park is known for its spectacular (壯觀) mountains and marble canyons (大理石峽谷).
The park was established in 1986 to protect the stunning beauty of the Taroko gorge.
The gorge is a 19 km long canyon.
It's filled with breathtaking scenic views of nature.
Millions of tourists flock to see the amazing views every year.
But the park has suffered severe damage from the powerful earthquake that happened on Apr 3rd.
The gorge and nearby trails were buried in landslides (土石流) and rockslides (岩石滑落).
Facilities (設施) and structures were also severely damaged.
Access to the gorge has been closed until further notice.
According to preliminary (初步) estimates, restoring the park would cost more than $1 billion NT.
And that is only for parts of the park that the Ministry of the Interior (內政部) takes care of.
However, $1 billion NT is just a rough estimate.
There are still aftershocks (餘震) in the area which have delayed detailed assessments.
There are also severely affected areas which experts cannot get to on foot.
The assessments have to be done by aerial photography (空拍).
The April 3rd earthquake is the strongest since the 921 quake 25 years ago.
Not only did it damage the national park, it also caused many buildings in Hualien to collapse.
Even the famous hotel within the national park, Silks Place Taroko, is temporarily closed for damage assessments and repairs.
相關單位評估3個月後將能夠逐漸開放災損較不嚴重的步道。
There is no definite date for when the park will be fully reopened.
But officials are confident that they will restore the park to its former glory.
________________________________
用吸管保護小珊瑚
Boba Straws Save Young Corals
We've all see the devastating (毀滅性) effects of plastic pollution in the ocean.
That includes plastic straws.
Many people have watched the video of a vet pulling out a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nose.
But now, scientists are putting straws in the ocean to protect coral (珊瑚).
What are they thinking?
Don’t worry, these are not the usual plastic straws that we use for drinking.
It’s a biodegradable (生物分解) straw that will dissolve (溶解) in the ocean after a few months.
Scientists have been working hard to save coral reefs all over the world.
One of the solutions is growing new corals in lab and placing them in the ocean.
There is however, a major problem.
Fishes like to bite newly transplanted (移植) coral and destroy them.
This leaves the corals with a less than 40% survival rate (存活率).
One expert say parrot fish especially love biting the new corals.
He says it's like popcorn to them.
The fish lose interest as the coral grows up, but protection is needed when the corals are little.
To solve the problem, the experts and another researcher came up with a solution.
They created a small cage with biodegradable straws and put it over the new corals.
This increased the survival rate of newly transplanted corals to over 90%.
They called it the “Coral Fort.”
At first, they used regular sized straws that dissolve after 2 months.
However, the fish still wanted to bite the coral after 2 months.
They then experimented with other straws until they found the perfect one…
Boba straws (珍奶吸管)!
Boba straws are wider and thicker than average drinking straws.
And that gives just enough time for the coral to grow until the straws dissolve.
誰能想得到可生物分解的珍珠奶茶吸管竟然能保護珊瑚。
Experts hope that the Coral Fort can benefit reef restoration projects (珊瑚復原計畫) all over the world.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Taroko National Park was severely damaged after the powerful earthquake that happened on Apr 3rd.
According to preliminary estimates, restoring the park would cost more than $1 billion NT.
But officials are confident that they will restore the park to its former glory.
________________________________
And
Scientists are using biodegradable boba straws in the ocean to protect coral.
They make small cages with the straws and put them over the new corals.
This has increased the survival rate of newly transplanted corals to over 90%.
Experts hope that the Coral Fort can benefit reef restoration projects all over the world.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Looking up at fluffy clouds can be fun.
But did you know their shapes can tell you about the weather?
Stratus clouds are flat with a layer of gray. They often mean there might be a bit of rain coming.
Puffy white clouds mean nice weather.
And cirrus clouds are wispy, like long feathers. They might mean that a storm is coming!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Sidewalks are getting safer to walk on, a newly discovered planet would not be good for a bath, and using frogs to keep milk fresh.
Let's go!
________________________________
新法改善人行道安全
New Laws Improve Sidewalk Safety
Do you feel safe when you walk outside?
On some roads, the cars and the scooters drive really fast.
That's why you should walk on the sidewalk (人行道).
Cars and scooters shouldn't drive on the sidewalk.
So it's supposed to be a safer place.
But in many parts of Taiwan, the sidewalks are… not great.
For example, sidewalks may be blocked by parked cars or walls.
And many roads have no sidewalk at all.
有的人行道被堵住，有的道路根本沒有人行道。
That's bad for pedestrians (行人) who want to walk places.
And many pedestrians get hurt or killed on Taiwan's roads every year.
That's why the government is making new laws for sidewalk safety.
The laws say they must plan for safer sidewalks.
They will need to build sidewalks on city streets that don't have any yet.
What's more, if the sidewalk is blocked by a mailbox or fire hydrant, the government needs to move those things (要把它們遷走).
If someone blocks a sidewalk by building over it, they will have to pay a fine (支付罰款).
What about sidewalk safety near schools or train stations?
Those are the places where there are often more people walking.
The law covers that, too.
It says local governments can declare pedestrian-friendly zones (行人友善區) around schools, hospitals and public transit stations.
How will we know if the plan works?
They government has set a clear goal (目標).
They hope to reduce pedestrian deaths by 50% by 2030 and have "zero pedestrian deaths" by 2050.
他們的目標是到 2050 年行人的死亡數降為零。
However, some people say this goal is not strong enough.
Why should we wait until 2050 for pedestrians to be safe on the road?
That's why all kinds of people are pushing for more pedestrian safety laws.
________________________________
科學家發現 熾熱行星
Boiling Water Planet Discovered
Do you like to bathe in hot springs (溫泉)?
It's so comfortable.
You go to a hot spring, where hot water comes from the ground.
Then you can sit in the water and relax.
Did you hear scientists have discovered a hot spring planet (溫泉行星)?
Yeah, they think the whole planet is covered in hot water.
科學家認為整個星球都被熱水覆蓋。
Wow! So can we take a bath there?
I don't think so.
For one thing, that planet is very far from Earth.
It's in outer space, 70 light-years (七十光年) away from us.
Scientists only found it with a powerful telescope.
They noticed water vapor (水汽) on the planet, which makes them think it could be covered in hot water.
But there's another reason we can't take a bath there…
The water is super hot.
Scientists from England think it's more than 100 degrees!
At that temperature, the planet's ocean is hotter than boiling water (比滾水還熱).
But another team of scientists from Canada thinks it's even hotter than that.
They saw the same planet, and they think it's actually 4,000 degrees!
They think the planet is covered in hot steam (熱蒸氣).
Hmmm… I guess that wouldn't be very comfortable for humans.
That's not all.
Scientists think the planet is tidally locked (潮汐鎖定).
That means it doesn't spin around, like Earth does.
Instead, one side of the planet always faces towards its star, and the other side always faces away.
它的一邊永遠面對太陽，也就是它自己的恆星，另外一邊永遠背對著。
The bright side would be very hot.
But the dark side of the planet would be much cooler.
Maybe the dark side would be easier for life to survive on.
By the way, what's this planet called?
They call it "TOI-270 d".
That's a boring name.
Let's think of a better one.
我們來為這個星球想一個名字。
We can call it "Hydroscorch".
Or maybe "Steamtopia".
Do you have any ideas to name this hot water planet?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan's government is making new laws for sidewalk safety.
They want to build more sidewalks, and make sure the sidewalks are easy to walk on.
Their goal is to make sure by the year 2050 that pedestrians aren't dying on the roads.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have discovered a planet covered in hot water.
They think the water is more than 100 degrees.
Other scientists think it is actually hot steam.
Either way, humans probably couldn't survive there.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever smelled milk that's gone bad?
It's pretty yucky!
Long before we had refrigerators, people had to figure out how stop their milk from spoiling too quickly.
People in Russia and Finland had a special way to keep their milk fresh.
They would place live Russian brown frogs in the milk! sfx: croak!
A scientist from Moscow State University found out why this worked.
The skin of these frogs has peptides and anti-microbial compounds…
Basically, the frog's skin produces chemicals that fight germs and keep the milk from going bad!
Would you drink milk after a frog's been in it?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news: the Ministry of Agriculture launches digital ID cards for pets, and an Italian island is giving away goats for free.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's first camera.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
毛小孩有身分證 整合生老病死資訊
MOA Launches ID Cards For Pets
We've got big news from the Ministry of Agriculture (農業部).
They're rolling out something special for furry friends (毛小孩).
What might that be?
Well, it's digital pet ID cards, of course!
就是寵物數位身份證。
Now, you might be wondering what the big deal with these cards is.
They aren't just ordinary cards.
They're like a VIP pass for pets, helping with their management and welfare.
See, more and more people are welcoming pets into their families.
Right now, there are over 2 million pet dogs and cats in Taiwan, and most of them have microchips (微晶片) for identification.
In fact, the number of registered pet dogs and cats in Taiwan outnumbered newborns by nearly 100,000 last year.
去年台灣的寵物狗和貓，登記數量比新生兒多了近 十萬隻。
So pets are becoming more and more popular.
The Ministry wants to make things even easier for pet owners.
That's why it's introducing these ID cards.
The Ministry explained these digital cards will have all the important information about pets.
For example, their name, the name of the owner, if they've been neutered (絕育), and even their vaccination records (接種疫苗的紀錄).
Imagine a handy card with all these details!
But it's not just about convenience.
These digital ID cards will also help crack down on illegal breeding and smuggling of pets.
可以打擊非法繁殖和走私寵物。
With clear info on where your pet came from, it'll be easier to spot any shady business (可疑的交易).
The Ministry is also planning to make it super easy for pet owners to update their info without any hassle.
Remember, pets are not just animals! They're companions, and bring joy to many owners every day.
So, if you've got a pet, make sure to register them and grab their ID card.
________________________________
義大利小島 願意捐贈山羊
Italian Island Giving Away its Goats
Here's a quirky story coming all the way from Italy.
A tiny island off the coast of Sicily is dealing with a goat problem.
Yep, you heard that right - goats!
This island is called Alicudi.
It's super small, and only has about 100 people living there.
But the island has over 600 goats roaming around!
Now, these goats might seem cute, but they're causing quite a stir.
這些山羊也許看起來可愛，但是牠們也製造麻煩。
They're munching on people's crops, barging into homes, and basically making a mess everywhere they go.
牠們偷吃農作物，闖進人們家裡，引起混亂。
That sucks for the inhabitants (居民).
The mayor says it all started with a few goats supposedly escaping from their owner.
Then they multiplied.
他們繁殖得很快。
Now there's too many to handle.
They're causing "massive damage" to the island's landscape (也破壞風景).
But here's the twist: The Island has come up with a solution.
They're giving away these goats to anyone who wants them.
The goats would normally cost 200 euros each - that's just under 7000 NT.
But the Alicudi goats will be free to anyone who wants them!
It's not often you get free goats in life.
The goats will be checked out by a vet (獸醫會先檢查) before they are delivered.
So far, they've had requests from all over Italy, from as far as Tuscany to Lombardy.
There's also no limit to how many goats you can ask for.
So what if you ask for one million goats?
There's only 600 goats on the island, so requesting one million just isn't possible.
Well that's my masterplan to become a millionaire foiled.
I mean, imagine if you could get a million goats for free, with each of them worth 7000 NT.
All you'd have to do is sell them, then you'd be able to buy a dinky flat in Taipei (可以買一間小公寓).
Not everyone is convinced this plan will work smoothly.
Gloria, who runs a caf? on the island, is worried about how to get them off the island.
The island's terrain is mountainous, making it difficult to catch and transport the goats.
Despite the challenges, it's a creative solution to a dire situation.
Let's hope the goat giveaway helps bring some peace back to the tiny island of Alicudi!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
The Ministry of Agriculture is introducing digital ID cards for pets.
These cards will contain essential information, such as the pet's name, owner's name, neutering status and vaccination records.
The ID cards will also help to curb illegal breeding and smuggling activities.
Pet owners are encouraged to register their pets and obtain these ID cards to ensure their companions' well-being.
And,
A tiny Italian island off the coast of Sicily is giving away goats for free.
Only 100 humans live on Alicudi, but there's over 600 goats!
The goats often barge into people's homes and munch on crops, so they're causing lots of problems.
So the authorities are planning to give them away for free to anyone willing to take them.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know the world's first "camera" was invented in the year 1816?
It was invented by Joseph Nicephore Niepce and was called the heliograph.
Heliographs use sunlight to send messages over long distances, and some special ones can even capture pictures!
They work by focusing sunlight onto a light-sensitive surface, like a special type of paper, to create an image.
They've been used for various purposes, from early photography experiments to scientific observations.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: eat bugs to protect fruit, and drones deliver to prison cells in France!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… what spends most of the day in water but can't swim?
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
吃臭蟲來保護水果
Eat Bugs to Protect Fruit
Taiwan is famous for many things, and one of them is fruit.
We have some of the best fruit in the world.
We have mangos, pineapples, wax apples (蓮霧), star fruits (楊桃), lychees (荔枝), longans (龍眼), and more!
Our hard-working farmers and excellent agricultural technologies (農業技術) grow these delicious fruits.
However, there is a big problem that technology hasn't solved (解決): pests (害蟲).
One pest has been causing problems for lychee and longan farmers.
It's the lychee giant stink bug (荔枝椿象).
It damages (損害) lychee and longan trees.
The bug protects itself by releasing a stinky liquid (釋放臭的液體).
(Cough, cough) The stinky liquid burns the leaves and the fruit on the trees.
So farmers sprayed organic pesticides (他們噴灑有機農藥).
And local governments (地方政府) offered money for stink bug eggs!
But lychee giant stink bugs are still a problem.
Now, there's a new way to get rid of (消滅) them.
It's easy!
Cook and eat the stink bugs!
We can eat stink bugs?! Ummm…yum??
Ewwww!
Well, eating them is a good way to get protein (蛋白質).
And we can protect lychees and longans by eating these bugs!
But how do we cook them?
Well, now the Ministry of Agriculture's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (農業部林業及自然保育署) is giving stink bug cooking classes!
The classes teach easy ways to cook these bugs.
People in some parts of Southeast Asia and China eat lychee giant stink bugs.
But will people here eat these bugs too?
Can we eat enough to help Taiwan get rid of them and protect some of Taiwan's fruit?
台灣雖然有昆蟲料理，不過願意嘗試的人畢竟是少數。
This is a "stink" bug we're talking about…
But who knows? Maybe it's a tasty tidbit!
Hahaha! (Laughter) That's a good one!
___________________________________________________________
無人機向法國監獄牢房運送
Drones Deliver to Prison Cells in France
Deliveries by drones can cut delivery times in half.
So why aren't drones being used for deliveries?
It's because there are problems to solve first.
Flight paths (航線) are a big problem.
What will happen when many companies deliver thousands and thousands of packages a day with drones?
The sky will be full of drones!
That sounds terrible!
However, there are drone deliveries to places most people don't think about: prison cells (監獄)!
Some delivery services (送貨服務) deliver orders to prisoners (囚犯) in prisons in France and Belgium (比利時).
That is illegal (違法的), of course.
Prisoners order online.
The average (平均) order is almost $500 US dollars for one package.
They order phones, food, illegal drugs (非法藥物), books and many other things.
But the packages can't be heavier than 350 grams.
Drones can't carry more than that.
Delivery services mostly use small and quiet drones.
The drones deliver the packages late at night.
There are fewer prison guards then
深夜時.守衛人員比較少。
The drones fly with no lights on.
Prisoners shine a light (點亮一盞燈)from their prison cell windows.
The drones go to the light.
Then the prisoners put their hands out to catch their orders!
Prison guards say there are hundreds of deliveries every year.
The French government spent a lot of money on equipment (設備) to fight the problem.
But the equipment hasn't stopped all drone deliveries.
These delivery services are always thinking of new ways to deliver to prison cells.
這種貓捉老鼠的模式真是防不勝防。
Technology is great, but not when it's used to do something illegal.
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Lychee giant stink bugs damage two kinds of fruit trees every year in Taiwan.
A new idea to protect these fruits is to cook and eat these stink bugs.
And now there are stink bug cooking classes!
But can we eat enough lychee giant stink bugs to help protect some of Taiwan's fruit?
___________________________________________________________
And…
Drones are delivering orders to prison cells in France.
Prisoners order online.
The drones fly the orders to prison cell windows at night.
France's government is trying to stop these deliveries, but it's not easy.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Have you seen a hippopotamus at a zoo?
If you did, this big, interesting animal was probably in some water.
Hippos spend most of the day in water.
They need to keep their skin wet.
And they have a lot of skin!
When hippos are hot, their skin doesn't get wet with sweat.
They have something called "red sweat."
It looks like blood, but it's not.
This thick red sweat helps to keep their skin wet.
So… hippos love being in water.
But did you know they can't swim?
Their bones are too big and heavy.
Their legs are too short and thick.
When they're in a river or sea, they sloooowwwwly run.
And hippos can sleep with their heads underwater.
As they sleep, they come up for a very short time.
They take a breath (deep inhale).
Then they go back down into the water.
They don't wake up at all!
Hippos are cool in the water and out of it!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Two eateries accused of food poisoning, bad sleep can make you feel years older than you really are, and a Milky Way!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
王品旗下兩間餐廳 顧客疑似食物中毒
Two Eateries Linked to Food Poisoning
Nowadays, many people work late and don’t have time to cook.
So they either eat out or order food deliveries.
From fine dining to roadside vendors (路邊攤販), Taiwan has a competitive catering industry (餐飲業).
With so many food providers, food safety is really important.
Recently, food poisoning has been all over the news.
A while ago, many people that dined at two Wowprime restaurants (王品集團旗下餐廳) had to go to the hospital.
They ate at Truewow and Xiang La Hotpot Restaurant Ximen branch, which are next to each other.
They showed suspected food poisoning symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea (腹瀉).
Upon receiving the report, the Taipei Department of Health sent inspectors to inspect the restaurants.
At Truewow, many areas and equipment were found to be dirty, food ingredients were repacked in undated bags (未標示日期包裝), and scraps of food were found on the floor.
At Xiang La, food ingredients were also repacked in undated bags, ingredients didn’t have source documents, and kitchen countertops were dirty.
The Health Department collected swabs (用棉花棒取樣本) from patients and the kitchen area, as well as taking samples of the drinking water.
The swabs will be used to test for the source behind the food poisoning.
The restaurants were ordered to improve their hygiene (衛生) problems.
The amount of people suspected of food poisoning has exceeded the criteria (標準) for suspending operations (停業).
The restaurants were ordered to close down for investigation and submit an improvement plan.
They would be allowed to resume business after they pass the re-inspection and their improvement plans are approved.
According to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), if they fail again, they might face a fine between $60,000 to 200 million NT.
Experts commented that there are really too many cases of food poisoning happening lately.
相關部門真的必須落實食品安全檢驗，為民眾的健康把關。
________________________________
睡眠不足 讓人覺得老了
Bad Sleep can Make You Feel Older
Sleeping is important for all humans.
Experts recommend that adults should get seven hours of sleep each night.
However, sleep deprivation (睡眠不足) is becoming more common as people live in high-stress environments.
Sleep deprivation causes high levels of anxiety and depression (憂鬱).
It could even make people act more selfish.
Now, there is another important reason to sleep well.
Have you ever woken up in the morning and felt a lot older than you really are?
Or have you ever had a good night’s sleep and woke up feeling fresh and young?
There is an explanation to this phenomenon (現象).
The results of this research were published in a scientific journal by Stockholm University.
The researchers first interviewed 429 participants the age that they feel right now.
They also asked about their sleep conditions for the past 30 days.
They found out that those who experienced no days of bad sleep felt six years younger than their true age.
Those that didn’t sleep well, they felt that they had aged three months with each day of bad sleep.
For the second part of the research, they had 186 volunteers experience two consecutive (連續) nights of sleep.
Those that had bad sleep—only four hours of sleep per night—felt over four years older than their true age.
Those who had two nights of saturated sleep (睡飽了) felt three months younger.
According to experts, how old a person feels may have an important impact on health and lifespan.
Feeling older could reduce energy levels.
In time, it might lead to the lowering of motivation to exercise and socialize (交際) with people.
那些覺得自己的狀態比實際年齡輕的人，通常都比較健康長壽。
So, if you want to feel younger, just sleep well!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two eateries in Taipei have been linked to food poisoning.
Customers showed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
The restaurants were closed down temporarily for investigations.
________________________________
And,
A study suggests bad sleep can make you feel years older than you really are.
2 consecutive nights of bad sleep can make you feel four years older than you really are.
According to experts, how old a person feels may have an important impact on health and lifespan.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Our galaxy is called the ‘Milky Way’ in English.
But where does the name come from?
Well, it looks like a bright, milky band in the sky!
This is because it has millions of stars that glow brightly.
A long time ago, the ancient Romans named it ‘Via Lactea’, which means 'a milky way'!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, It's time for another episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
Today's episode proves that every dog has its day, from saving lives, to keeping everyone relaxed and happy!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did we make you yawn? Same goes for your dog!
So get ready for a barking good time, because all those stories are coming up next.
________________________________
「轉職」搜救犬立大功
Playful Pup Finds His Calling
Can you still be a hero if you fail?
Roger proves that you can!
Roger is an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever (拉不拉多).
The dog is part of a search and rescue team with the Kaohsiung Fire Bureau.
After the magnitude 7.2 earthquake earlier this month, Roger was sent to help find missing people.
The quake caused many landslides (土石流).
And Roger and his handler (領犬員) helped find the body of someone who was killed in a landslide in Taroko National Park.
Every life lost in the earthquake was a terrible tragedy.
But with Roger's help, the woman's family could give her a proper burial (葬禮).
Many people praised (誇獎) all the amazing hard work of the rescue teams and dogs.
But Roger wasn't always a search and rescue dog.
In fact, Roger was supposed to be a drug-sniffing dog (緝毒犬).
When he was a puppy, Roger went through special training.
He was supposed to help police find drugs (毒品).
But he was too playful!
Roger活潑又好動的個性，讓他無法專心嗅聞毒品而遭到淘汰。
But fun-loving Roger was perfect for another job…
Search and rescue!
Trainers say Roger has lots of energy.
This helps him keep going on long, hard searches for missing people.
Roger loves people and is friendly with strangers (陌生人).
This means he is happy to look for and find people.
And Roger is smart and independent (獨立).
He can move through new places and search where his handler can't go.
Roger was a very important part of the search and rescue mission at Taroko National Park.
And everyone saw Roger's playful side during an interview (訪問).
While his handler was talking with reporters, Roger tried to grab a microphone with his mouth!
He thought it was a toy, and made everyone laugh.
Roger has been working at the Kaohsiung Fire Bureau for many years now.
But he is now getting close to retirement age (退休的年紀).
When he is 9 years old, he will retire.
And the bureau will find him a loving home.
________________________________
伊斯坦堡機場「治療犬」幫旅客舒緩壓力
Canine Crew Calms Passengers at Istanbul Airport
Airports are busy places.
And these places need a lot of workers to make everything run smoothly.
Istanbul Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world.
In fact, the airport served 76 million passengers last year.
So they need a lot of workers.
Recently the airport hired five new workers.
But these workers are a bit different.
They have four legs, lots of fur, and love belly rubs!
Istanbul Airport has hired a "Therapy Dog Team".
These dogs walk around the airport with a human trainer.
And their job is to help travelers relax.
土耳其伊斯坦堡機場的「治療犬」計畫，讓5隻受過訓練的狗狗在機場「上班」，跟旅客互動，幫助大家舒緩壓力。
They go through the airport, and visit people.
People can pet the dogs and play with them.
The dogs are official airport employees.
They have official badges and uniforms.
The uniforms say "Pet Me" on the back!
And the dogs have a set schedule.
The team takes turns to work from 10am to 4pm each day.
To get ready for duty, the team trained for a year.
This is to help them get used to the airport environment, and make sure they stay safe.
And the dogs started working at the airport in February.
Kuki, a grey dog with curly fur, is the team leader.
He works hard, but also likes to take breaks.
And Alita is also on the team.
She's a border collie (邊境牧羊犬), and she's very good at helping people calm down.
The team also has a veterinarian (獸醫) to take care of them.
Many visitors have said they really enjoyed meeting the dogs.
The airport already has plans to expand the team.
伊斯坦堡機場已經計畫將「狗狗員工」增加到10隻。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Roger the search and rescue dog helped find missing people after a major earthquake in Taiwan this month.
Roger actually failed training to be a drug-sniffing dog.
But he is perfect for search and rescue work, and is now a hero.
________________________________
And,
Istanbul Airport has hired a "Therapy Dog Team".
These dogs walk around the airport with a human trainer, and help travelers relax.
Many visitors have said they really enjoyed meeting the dogs.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
(yawn)…Hey, pass it on!
We all know that seeing another person yawn can make us want to yawn too. It's like it's contagious (會傳染). But did you know that happens to dogs too?
Studies show that seeing or hearing another yawn can make dogs yawn too. This happens even if they see humans yawn, and especially if that human is their owner!
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Coming up next in today's news: the big RedBall rises again in Tainan and gas stations in space are coming soon!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…schools of fish swim quietly!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
"紅球"在台南如鳳凰冉冉升起
RedBall Rises Like a Phoenix in Tainan
Did you see the RedBall? It's so big! It's four and a half meters wide.
Uh, no. Where is it? In a playground?
Well, it was in Tainan. The city, called the Phoenix City (鳳凰城) by people there, is celebrating its 400th birthday.
It's not in Tainan anymore?
No, the RedBall's a traveling street art (街頭藝術) project (計畫).
I thought street art was writing and paintings on buildings. Don't shopkeepers get mad about it?
No, street art can be anything.
It's art for everyone to see, but it isn't there forever (永遠).
And shopkeepers don't get mad about the RedBall.
The artist (藝術家) gets permission (允許) first.
Where does the RedBall travel?
It's been to 40 cities around the world.(它去過世界四十個國家)
What happens when it goes to cities?
Well, it goes for a week or two.
Every day, it's in a different place.
The artist puts it in famous places and surprising places.
Sometimes it's squished (壓扁) between two buildings.
Sometimes it's high up in an arch (拱門)!
What do people do when they see the RedBall?
Many people stop.
They're amazed (驚訝)!
It's like a UFO (飛碟) landed (降落)!
Their phones come out.
Some people pose (擺姿勢) for photos in crazy ways in front of it.
Kids run up to it.
They poke (戳) it.
They bounce off (在上面跳) of it!
That ball must be strong!
It is. But one day in Tainan, the RedBall went pop! pssssssssssss!
The big ball burst (破裂)!
Oh no! How did that happen?
Some scaffolding (鷹架) pierced (刺穿) it.
But the artist fixed it with a patch (補丁).
Then he wrote "RedBall Tainan 2024" and drew a heart on the patch.
Now Tainan is on the Redball forever!
What a great way to fix the RedBall! Oh - and one more question: why is the ball red?
Red makes people want to play with the ball.
The artist says red means energy (活力) and love.
From the first time he thought of the ball, it's been red!
和台南鳳凰城一樣，紅球重生了，現在台南的名字將傳遍全世界.
___________________________________________________________
太空加油站 即將登場
Space Gas Stations Are Coming Soon
Three, two, one, liftoff! (升空).
A rocket launches into space (火箭發射升空了)!
Rockets have carried more than fifteen thousand satellites (衛星) up high enough to orbit the Earth (環繞地球軌道運行).
Satellites give us a lot of important information.
We learn more about space science, the Earth, our weather, and climate change
(氣候變遷).
Satellites let phone, radio, television, and other telecommunication devices (電信設備) connect (連接) to other places all over the Earth.
Satellites help us know where we are and how to go to places with global positioning systems, or GPS (全球定位系統).
But about half of these satellites stopped working.
However, they weren't broken (壞了).
They didn't have enough fuel to keep working properly (燃料用完了).
Many of these satellites exploded (爆炸).
They became space junk (太空垃圾).
Some satellite space junk burned up when the pieces fell back to Earth.
But there are almost thirty-seven thousand pieces of space junk that are ten centimeters or more.
There are one hundred thirty million pieces that are one centimeter or less.
It's difficult to clean up space junk.
And space junk is dangerous!
The pieces fly fast.
They're seven times (倍) faster than bullets!
So they can cause a lot of damage (造成損害) to rockets and satellites.
New rockets and satellites are very expensive.
But now there's a way to help satellites work longer.
It also helps to make less space junk, making space safer.
Scientists and engineers are making spacecraft that are gas stations (加油站).
They're for satellites and other spacecraft in orbit!
These space gas stations will be in orbit too.
Spacecraft will be able to refuel (加油).
Then they'll go and do their important work for us for a long time!
太空加油站可以讓太空船工作更久，有助於減少太空垃圾的產生，也讓太空更加安全。
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
The RedBall is a traveling street art project.
It traveled to Tainan for the city's 400th birthday.
The RedBall burst one day.
Now it has a new patch that says "RedBall Tainan 2024."
Now Tainan's name will travel with the RedBall!
___________________________________________________________
And…
Satellites give us a lot of important information.
But when they have no more fuel, they stop working.
They become space junk.
But soon there will be space gas stations for them!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Do you ever watch schools of fish?
A school of fish is a group of fish.
They swim together beautifully.
They swim together to stay safe from being eaten!
The number of fish in the school helps make them safer.
But something else does too!
Scientists found that swimming together makes fish quieter than when they swim alone.
A school of fish can sound like one fish!
How?
The fish don't move their tails at the same time.
They take turns.
This cancels out the sound of swimming.
When fish take turns moving their tails, another good thing happens.
The fish swim faster, using less energy!
Scientists also found that when one fish starts swimming with another fish, they get quieter right away.
And the more fish there are, the quieter the school is.
How about your school?
When there are more students, does your school get quieter?
No? Hmmmm… Maybe it's time to go swimming!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news: A tortoise-shaped pizza, and a missing dog is found over 3200 kilometers away from home.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Quakes on other planets.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
像烏龜形狀的草仔粿披薩
Tortoise-Shaped Pizza
Hey pizza lovers! Get ready because there's a new pizza in town.
A popular pizza chain in Taiwan recently unveiled a new flavor of pizza.
最近在台灣一家知名的披薩連鎖店推出了一種新口味的披薩。
You won't quite believe what it is.
The pizza is shaped like a tortoise (陸龜).
The tortoise-shaped pizza has a circular base as normal, but there's a head at the front, along with two front paws and two back paws.
The pizza toppings are all green.
Going from photos, it looks like it's topped with green mochi (麻糬) and coriander.
That doesn't sound appetizing.
好噁心喔!
And get this, the head is stuffed with red bean paste (紅豆餡).
Pizza chains in Taiwan have been known to release strange flavors.
Previously there was a pizza topped with coriander (香菜), century egg (皮蛋) and pig's blood cake (豬血糕).
There was also a pizza topped with fried squid and Oreo biscuits.
That is utterly revolting.
And then there's boba pizza…
Boba pizza topped with cheese and boba balls - the same kind found in bubble milk tea.
So what are some netizens saying about the tortoise pizza?
Well, one person said, "It looks kinda cute".
Someone else said it looks like a roadkill toad (路殺蟾蜍).
But surprisingly there are some who say they want to try it.
I know I certainly don't!
Even though tortoise-shaped pizza didn't win any Michelin stars, some say it could be a hit at parties or gatherings.
But making this pizza isn't easy.
Staff at the pizza chain said it takes twenty times longer to prepare than a regular pizza.
I don't even agree with pineapple on pizza, let alone pig's blood cake, Oreos, squid or whatever else those dastardly pizza chains devise in their twisted minds.
I mean those things are not meant for pizza.
Good pizza is topped with Italian tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella (水牛起司) and salty salami (鹹鹹的義式臘腸), with some fresh basil (九層塔).
這樣才算是回味無窮齒頰留香的披薩。
I couldn't agree more, though pineapple pizza isn't so bad.
Pineapple pizza is awful!
No, it's not!
Anyway, this turtle pizza is definitely shaking things up in the pizza world.
Who knows, maybe it'll inspire even more wacky pizza creations in the future!
Please NOOOO!!!!!!!!
________________________________
狗狗失蹤九個月後，在離家三千兩百公里之外被找到
Missing dog turns up nine months later and 3,200 kilometers from home
Moving swiftly on from that pizza, it's now time to talk about a heartwarming story (溫馨的故事).
It's about a missing dog that was found.
Aww!
So a little dog called Mishka was just living life in sunny California with her family.
But one day, she suddenly went missing. 牠突然失蹤了。
As you can imagine, Mishka's owners were distraught.
They searched and searched for Mishka for over nine months, couldn't find her.
They even posted on social media, but still nothing turned up.
Now, fast forward to just before Easter (復活節) in suburban Detroit, Michigan.
The local police get a call about a wandering stray dog (一隻流浪狗).
When they picked the dog up, they discovered it was Mishka! But here's the mystery: Michigan is over 3200 kilometers away from California!
How did Mishka make it that far?
Well, no one really knows.
The director of an animal welfare group thinks Mishka might have been stolen and then sold before ending up in Michigan.
Luckily, Mishka had a microchip (寵物微晶片) with her owners' information.
So the police were able to contact her family right away.
幸虧Mishka有寵物微晶片，所以警方能夠立即聯絡到牠的主人。
Mishka's owners didn't waste any time.
As soon as they got the call, they hopped on a plane (跳上飛機), then drove 10 hours to collect Mishka.
Thankfully, Mishka was found in good shape - clean, well-fed, and taken care of.
牠被照顧得很好。
After a check-up at the vets, she was ready to head back home to California.
So, there you have it - the incredible journey (不可思議的旅程) of a lost dog who found her way back home against all odds.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A famous pizza chain in Taiwan introduced a tortoise-shaped pizza.
It's topped with green mochi and coriander, and the head stuffed with red bean paste.
While some find it amusing or cute, others are repulsed by the idea.
Pizza chains in Taiwan have released strange creations before, using squid, Oreo and century egg as toppings.
And,
Mishka, a little dog from California, went missing.
Her owners searched for her tirelessly for over nine months, posting on social media, all to no avail.
But just before Easter, she was discovered as a stray by Michigan police, over 3200 kilometers away from her home.
Thanks to her microchip, Mishka's owners were contacted, and they promptly traveled to retrieve her.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know Earth is not the only place in the solar system that has quakes?
The Moon and planets Mars and Mercury also experiences quakes.
These are called Moonquakes, Marsquakes and Mercuryquakes.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to a brand new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Kaohsiung is very thirsty, legendary Amazons might be real, and a plant that grows ketchup and fries!
Keep on listening to find out more about these stories!
________________________________
高雄：台灣最愛喝飲料的城市！
Kaohsiung: The Thirstiest City in Taiwan!
Taiwan is known around the world for its delicious tea and unique tea culture.
Hand-shaken drinks (手搖飲) can be found all across the island!
But do you know which city spends the most money on these tea drinks?
Last year, Kaohsiung was the number one city in Taiwan for buying drinks.
People there spent a whopping $8.26 billion NT on them!
高雄人去年在這些飲料上花了整整82.6億新台幣！
According to the Ministry of Finance (財政部), there are a lot of places to buy hand-shaken drinks in Taiwan-
15,837 shops, to be exact!
And Kaohsiung has the most shops of any city, with 3,077 places, beating Tainan and Taichung.
In this competition of cities, after Kaohsiung, Tainan came in second place, and Taichung was third.
When we look at the whole country, from the north to the south, we notice more drink shops as we move southward.
當我們觀察整個國家，從北到南，我們會注意到越往南，飲料店的數量就越多。
New Taipei City, Taoyuan, and Taipei also love their drinks but have fewer shops compared to the southern cities.
When it comes to how much everyone spent on these tasty beverages, all of Taiwan spent $53.75 billion NT last year.
全台灣在這些美味飲料上的總花費，去年達到537.5億新台幣。
Kaohsiung wasn't just the city with the most drink shops; it also spent the most money on drinks.
Tainan was a close second in spending.
But, if we talk about how much money each person spends on drinks, Tainan's residents take the crown.
但如果我們講的是個人在手搖飲上的花費，台南的居民則是冠軍。
Each person in Tainan spent an average of $4,199 NT last year…
…while in Kaohsiung, each person spent about $3,015 NT.
So, whether it's a milk tea, a fruit shake, or something else entirely, it looks like the people of Kaohsiung and Tainan love their drinks a lot!
________________________________
古代女戰士或許是傳說中的亞馬遜人
Ancient Warrior Women Might be Legendary Amazons
Long ago, people believed in stories about the Amazons (亞馬遜人).
They were strong women warriors (女戰士) who were as fierce (兇猛) as any man in battle.
These women rode horses (騎馬) and used bows and arrows (弓箭).
The legends say they lived without men and were famous for their fighting skills.
While these tales seemed like just stories…
這些故事聽起來像是虛構的……
…archeologists digging up old graves have recently found clues that these warrior women might have been real!
…不過考古學家最近挖掘古墓時發現了線索，這些女戰士可能真的存在過！
In a place called Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan (在亞塞拜然的納希切萬), scientists found graves from 4,000 years ago.
They found women buried with weapons (武器) like sharp arrowheads (箭頭), a bronze dagger (青銅匕首), and even a heavy club (棍棒), as well as beautiful jewelry.
This made them think these could be the graves of the Amazons.
More discoveries support this idea.
In Russia (俄羅斯), they found four women buried with weapons.
In Armenia (亞美尼亞), there was a woman buried with an arrow in her leg from a fight.
And near Kazakhstan (哈薩克斯坦), they found a woman buried with a dagger.
What's fascinating is the evidence (證據) in their bones.
Some women had fingers shaped by using bows and arrows a lot, and their hips showed they rode horses often.
有些女性的手指因頻繁使用弓箭而變形，她們的臀部顯示她們經常騎馬。
They even found special jewelry, which suggests these women were important and respected.
他們甚至發現了很特別的珠寶，表示這些女性的重要身分。
These findings will be shown in a TV series, telling stories of these ancient warrior women.
The show will explore places where cultures mixed and traded (文化交融和貿易), and where these women might have lived.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Last year, Kaohsiung was the number one city in Taiwan for buying drinks.
People there spent a whopping $8.26 billion NT on them!
Tainan came in second place, and Taichung was third.
Kaohsiung also has the most tea shops of any city.
________________________________
And,
Archeologists digging up old graves have recently found clues that Amazon warrior women might have been real!
Scientists found graves in Azerbaijan from 4,000 years ago.
They found women buried with weapons like sharp arrowheads, a bronze dagger, and even a heavy club, as well as beautiful jewelry.
These findings will be shown in a TV series, telling stories of these ancient warrior women.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Do you like eating French fries with ketchup?
In the UK, a company called Thompson & Morgan made a special plant.
This plant can grow cherry tomatoes up top and potatoes below.
They named it the "ketchup and fries plant!"
Experts put together a tomato and a potato plant because they are like family, so they grow well together.
They use a process called grafting (移植).
After planting, you'll get sweet tomatoes in the summer.
Then, in the fall, you can dig up tasty, smooth potatoes that are great for cooking!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news:
Taiwan's J&G Fried Chicken is opening their first shop in the US, and the floating door frame from the movie "Titanic" sells for over $700,000 US dollars.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…you can't get too much sugar from fruit!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
繼光香香雞美國第一家分店開幕
Taiwan's J&G Fried Chicken Will Open Its 1st shop in the US
Where do you go when you crave (渴望) fried chicken?
Do you go to KFC, McDonalds or maybe somewhere local?
When it comes to fried chicken, other than the traditional popcorn chicken (鹹酥雞), many choose American fast-food franchises (快餐連鎖店).
These fast-food restaurants are famous around the world.
Currently, there are over 400 McDonalds and 180 KFCs in Taiwan.
But did you know that some Taiwanese restaurants are also popular overseas?
One of them is J&G Fried Chicken.
It has only 70 branches (分店) in Taiwan.
However, the company has 430 shops in countries such as Canada, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The restaurant has chosen Southern California for its first branch in the US.
It will work with 85°C Bakery Caf? (85度C), another Taiwanese restaurant, to open three branches in the US this year.
The company wants to have 150 stores in the US, and 1,000 around the world in 10 years.
The CEO of J&G Fried Chicken says the company wants to combine Taiwanese snacks and American dining culture.
Therefore, in addition to its usual menu (菜單), the restaurant will also serve fried chicken sandwiches.
J&G is not the only successful Taiwanese restaurant abroad.
The famous xiaolongbao restaurant Din Tai Feng has around 175 restaurants around the world.
Other restaurants, like Bafang Dumpling and MWD (麥味登) are also doing well overseas.
And of course, we mustn't forget the famous drink that everyone loves, bubble tea.
Famous Taiwanese bubble tea shops are also popping up around the world.
Taiwan is a country famous for its variety of food.
Now more and more people can enjoy Taiwanese food wherever they live!
經由飲食推廣台灣文化是最簡單，也最直接的方式
___________________________________________________________
"鐵達尼號"女主角救命門框高價拍賣
Floating Door Frame from Movie 'Titanic' Sells for Over $700,000 US Dollars
If you have seen the movie "Titanic," you've seen the door frame that saved Rose.
When the ship sank into the icy water, Rose climbed onto the wooden door frame.
Jack clung (抓緊) onto the edge, his body mostly in the ice-cold water.
The door frame is one of the most iconic (具代表性) Hollywood (好萊塢) movie props (道具) in cinema history.
People debated (辯論) whether Jack and Rose could have sat on the door frame together while they waited for help.
Titanic's movie director even did an experiment on this.
The result was not clear, but that's not what we're here to talk about today.
A while ago, there was an auction (拍賣會) of 1,600 Hollywood movie props.
The famous door frame was among the movie props that people paid high prices for.
The bidding (出價) started at $60,000 US dollars and went up quickly to $700,000 US dollars in just a few minutes.
The final price was over $700,000 US dollars, but the auction company did not say who the buyer was.
According to the movie director, the design (圖案) of the door frame was based on
(根據) a piece of debris (碎片) from the original Titanic.
The debris was part of a door frame from the entrance to the first-class lounge (休息室) on the ship.
There were also other famous movie props sold at the auction.
Indy's whip (皮鞭) from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" sold for over half a million US dollars.
Princess Leia's blaster (雷射槍) from "Return of the Jedi" sold for $150,000.
There are people who are really interested in movie props!
The most expensive movie prop ever sold is 007's car from the 1964 James Bond movie, "Goldfinger."
The Aston Martin DB5 sold for over $6 million US dollars. Wow!
或許擁有電影裡的道具能夠滿足人們的幻想。
Wouldn't it be cool to drive around in Batman's Batmobile?
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's J&G Fried Chicken will open its first shop in the US.
J&G's American menu will also have fried chicken sandwiches.
Taiwan is famous for its food.
Now more people can enjoy Taiwanese food wherever they live!
___________________________________________________________
And…
The floating door frame from the movie "Titanic" sold for over $700,000 US dollars.
The iconic movie prop and other famous movie props were sold at an auction.
People are really interested in movie props!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Some parents worry about their kids eating too much sugar.
Sugar?
Yes, candy and sweet drinks usually have lots of sugar.
Oh! Sugar! I love sugar!
Well, maybe it's better to eat fresh fruit then.
We can't get too much sugar from fresh fruit.
Really?
Uh-huh. Fresh fruit has sugar, but it also has lots of fiber (纖維) and water.
Fiber and water make the fruit move more slowly in your body.
They make you feel full for a longer time.
Cool! So let's go and enjoy all the delicious fresh fruit that Taiwan has! Yum!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Taiwan's place in a global air pollution report, a dolphin fossil in Peru, and who holds the record for the longest time to complete a marathon?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
台灣空氣品質在全球排名第45
Taiwan's Air is 45th Most Polluted in the World
Taiwan's air is cleaner than some places but could still get better.
That's according to a big study on air around the world.
The 2023 World Air Quality Report looked at tiny particles in the air (空氣中的微小粒子) that are too small to see but can make us sick.
These particles are called PM2.5, and they come from cars, factories, and other places.
In 2023, Taiwan ranked 45th in air pollution comparing it with 134 other places.
台灣去年在134個地區中，空氣汙染排名第45。
It had less air pollution (空氣汙染) than countries like China and Mongolia…
…but was a bit more polluted than South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.
The cleanest countries included places like Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.
And the most polluted countries were Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.
In Taiwan, the air is different depending on where you look.
Some areas have more pollution.
The government is working hard to make the air cleaner, especially in central and southern Taiwan.
They're asking power plants and factories to pollute less.
政府要求發電廠和工廠減少汙染。
But, figuring out air quality isn't simple.
It changes with the weather and where you are.
空氣品質會隨著天氣和地點變化。
For example, dust from a river can affect the air in one place, while in another part, the type of wind can change what kind of air pollution there is.
例如，河流的塵土可以影響某地的空氣，而在另一個地方，風的類型可以改變空氣汙染的情況。
The government also mentioned that the study might not have all the right numbers.
They have their own measurements (測量數據) and say the air is getting a bit cleaner than the study suggests.
So, Taiwan is trying to make the air cleaner for everyone.
It's important because clean air means healthier people.
And even though we're doing okay, there's still work to be done to make our air even better.
________________________________
秘魯發現1600萬年前的河豚化石
16-Million-Year-Old River Dolphin Fossil Found in Peru
Let's travel back in time, way, way back to when the Earth looked very different.
Imagine a time with huge animals and very big dolphins (河豚) in the rivers!
We can learn about this old world through fossils (化石).
Fossils are like clues from a long time ago, left by animals that aren't here anymore.
They help us understand what the world used to be like.
A long time ago, a big dolphin swam in rivers that are now part of the Amazon rainforest.
This dolphin was bigger than any dolphin we see today in South America.
很久以前，一隻比南美洲今天見到的任何河豚都要大的河豚，在亞馬遜雨林的河流裡游泳。
Scientists found its fossilized skull (化石頭骨) in Peru and learned it was about as long as a small car!
They estimate the fossil is around 16 million years old.
他們估計這個化石大約有1600萬年歷史。
This ancient dolphin was called Pebanista yacuruna.
It's named after a mythological creature (神話裡的動物) from stories in Peru, the Yacuruna, known for living in deep waters.
The dolphin from Peru is like a distant cousin (遠親) of the river dolphins found in India today.
Both types of dolphins used to live in the sea a very, very long time ago before they moved to rivers.
This discovery in Peru was made by scientists with the help of the National Geographic Society.
They found the dolphin's skull near the Napo River.
Even though the giant dolphins from the past are gone, the Amazon River is still home to a unique type of dolphin.
即使過去的巨大河豚已經消失，亞馬遜河仍然是一種獨特的河豚的家。
It's known as the Amazon river dolphin or the pink river dolphin.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The 2023 World Air Quality Report says Taiwan ranked 45th in air pollution comparing it with 134 other places.
They studied particles in each country's air called PM2.5.
The countries with the cleanest air included places like Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.
And the most polluted countries were Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.
________________________________
And,
Scientists found the fossilized skull of a big dolphin in Peru that's around 16 million years old.
This ancient dolphin was called Pebanista yacuruna, after a mythological creature from stories in Peru, the Yacuruna, known for living in deep waters.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The record for the longest time to complete a marathon is 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.
It's held by runner Shizo Kanakuri from Japan.
He went to Sweden in 1912 to run a long race in the Olympics…but got very tired and stopped to rest.
He never finished the race and went back to Japan quietly.
50 years later, Sweden offered Mr. Kanakuri a chance to finish the race, and he agreed!
He says, "It was a long trip. Along the way, [he] got married, had six children and 10 grandchildren."
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. Welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news,
Facing an earthquake, waiting in Paris, and the fluffy stuff.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣努力從重大地震中恢復
Taiwan Working to Recover from Major Earthquake
What were you doing on April 3rd, at 7:58am?
Were you on your way to school?
Or were you still in bed?
Whatever you were doing, wherever you were, it's now one of those moments that we will remember for a long time.
That day, at that moment, a major earthquake struck.
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the ground for some time.
The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) says the center of the quake was in Hualien County.
So that's where the shaking probably felt the strongest.
Two buildings in Hualien were very badly damaged (受損).
And the rest of the island felt a lot of strong shaking too.
Many people were on their way to work or school.
Trains and cars stopped.
Everyone tried to hold on and stay safe.
It was the biggest earthquake in Taiwan since 1999.
There were people hurt or killed, and many were missing.
Hundreds of people also needed to be rescued.
And through all that, the island continued to shake with aftershocks (餘震).
The CWA has recorded hundreds of aftershocks since the first magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit last week.
The CWA says the number of daily aftershocks is going down.
氣象署說目前還是有餘震，不過頻率會慢慢減少，但無法預測什麼時候會完全停止。
And Taiwan is now working hard to recover (復原).
After the quake, people started trying to help.
The government opened an account for donations (捐款).
The account has over $300 million NT (3億) in donated funds.
A rescue team from Turkey (土耳其) is in Taiwan to help look for missing people.
There are still many challenges up ahead.
But everyone is working together and trying to help.
________________________________
巴黎舉辦服務生賽跑
Get Ready, Get Set, Wait! Paris Holds Race for Waiters
Most of the time, a race is all about being fast.
But to win this race…
You need to wait!
Paris recently held a very special race.
It's the "Course des Cafes", or the Paris Waiters Race.
It's a race for Paris' waiters (服務生)!
More than 200 waiters took part in the race through the center of the French city.
These servers wore their uniforms, with white shirts, and black pants.
They also wore aprons (圍裙), and some wore bow ties.
They all carried a tray with a croissant, a full glass of water, and an empty coffee cup.
The race is almost 2 kilometers long.
It starts and ends at Paris City Hall.
And all these expert waiters had to get to the finish line as quickly as possible.
But they couldn't run, couldn't spill any water, and they couldn't use two hands to carry their tray!
法國巴黎舉辦「咖啡廳賽跑」，服務生端著放有水、咖啡杯和可頌的托盤在市中心競走2公里。
Judges stood at the finish line.
They checked each server's tray.
And the servers lost points for water outside the glass, and for broken dishes.
So how fast can these waiters go?
The men's winner finished the race in 13 minutes and 30 seconds.
The women's winner finished in 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
They each got a medal, and got to stay one night in a luxurious hotel (豪華的飯店).
They also got two tickets to the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics this summer.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
On April 3rd, at 7:58am, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Taiwan.
It was the biggest earthquake in Taiwan since 1999.
There were people hurt or killed, and many were missing.
There are still many challenges up ahead.
But everyone is working together and trying to help.
________________________________
And,
Paris recently held the Paris Waiters Race.
More than 200 waiters raced through the center of the French city, wearing uniforms and balancing trays.
The winners each got a medal and a one-night stay at a luxurious hotel.
They also got two tickets to the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics this summer.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Have you ever looked up at a fluffy white cloud and imagined bouncing on it?
Well, clouds are actually made up of tiny drops of water or ice crystals, floating high up in the sky.
They bump together and stick, making those big puffy shapes we see.
But don't really try to jump on one, this fluffy stuff won't hold your weight!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys.
It’s time for another episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Nancy Sun
In today's news: A Formosan black bear is euthanized after a trap injury, and recycling cannot keep pace with e-waste increase.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: Rust!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
受困的台灣黑熊，搶救四天不治
Formosan black bear euthanized after trap injury
The mountain forests of Taiwan are home to many wonderful creatures.
Among them are the Formosan clouded leopard (雲豹) which is believed to be extinct, the pangolin (穿山甲) and of course, the well-known Formosan black bear.
The Formosan black bear has an area of V-shaped white fur on its chest.
This makes it very distinctive from its other black bear cousins in Asia.
Recently, one of these bears had to be euthanized (安樂死) after it was rescued from a trap (陷阱).
Euthanize means to put an “animal to sleep”, which means to kill it in a humane way.
The bear was caught in a hunting trap meant for other animals.
An indigenous (原住民) Bunun (布農族) patrol in Taitung discovered the injured bear.
The patrol is part of a project on wildlife conservation.
The team was changing the batteries of infrared (紅外線) cameras in black bear habitual grounds when they heard a groaning sound.
They followed the sound and discovered a bear caught in a trap.
30 people were then mobilized to help carry the 93 kg male bear out of the forest.
It was sent to a veterinary hospital (獸醫診所) where it was treated for 4 days.
Unfortunately, the injuries were too severe, leading to sepsis (敗血症) and organ failure (器官衰竭).
The vet had no choice but to euthanize the bear.
This is not the first incident of a bear being caught in a trap.
There are also incidents of the same bear getting trapped twice and more.
The indigenous people of Taiwan are legally allowed to hunt a limited amount every year.
They usually hunt deer and goats, but not bears.
However, due to the size of traditional traps, bears are often caught in them.
In recent years, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has produced a new trap.
林業保育署設立的陷阱比較小，而且有感應器
This can prevent (避免) bears and baby animals from triggering (觸發) the trap.
The agency is currently encouraging indigenous hunters (原住民獵人) to use the new trap.
They hope this method can reduce the number of animals being caught accidentally.
________________________________
聯合國報告指出，電器回收趕不上廢棄物的產量
Recycling cannot keep pace with e-waste increase
Electronics are considered daily necessities (必需品) nowadays.
This includes phones, tables, laptops, screens, microwave ovens, and a lot more.
Millions of electronic products are produced every day.
And of course, millions of broken electronics are thrown away each day.
Discarded (被丟棄的) devices with a plug or battery are all defined as e-waste (電器垃圾).
According to a report released by the United Nations, 62 million tonnes (公噸) of e-waste was generated in 2022.
That is enough to fill trailers (聯結車) to line up around the globe.
The report also mentioned that only 22% of the 62 million tonnes was properly recycled (回收再利用).
The efficiency (效率) of recycling e-waste is really low.
Metals, including copper (銅), gold and iron, make up half of the 62 million tonnes.
If properly recycled, these metals are worth about 91 billion US dollars.
There is also a huge amount of plastic and glass in the waste.
Where does all the unrecycled waste go?
They end up in dumpsites (垃圾場) in countries that have few laws on e-waste or recycling targets (目標).
This causes huge damage to the environment.
There are hazardous materials like mercury (水銀) in the waste.
You remember what mercury is, right?
Mercury is a shiny, silver metal which is a liquid at room temperature (室溫).
Mercury produces a toxic vapor (會釋放有毒氣體).
It can damage the brain, kidneys and nervous system (神經系統).
So when it rains and rainwater runs through e-waste, it carries harmful materials like mercury into the soil.
When the soil is contaminated (污染), it also pollutes the water supply.
Experts say the e-waste problem is only going to grow.
This is due to many reasons like higher consumption (消耗) of electronics, limited repair options and shorter product life.
Also, less than half of the world is implementing (實施) and enforcing approaches to manage the problem.
With these numbers, e-waste is expected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.
The recycling rate is expected to fall to 20%.
科技讓我們的生活更便利，但也對環境造成傷害。
Next time you want to trade your old phone for a newer model, maybe hold on to it just a little longer.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Formosan black bear was found caught in a trap by an indigenous group in Taitung.
The bear was rescued and treated it for 4 days.
Unfortunately, its injuries were too severe, so it had to be euthanized.
________________________________
And,
Recycling cannot keep pace with e-waste increase.
The amount of e-waste produced in 2022 is 62 million tonnes.
Only 22% is properly recycled.
The rest ends up in dumpsites, and causes harm to the environment.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know the only metal that rusts is iron (鐵)?
Rust is a word we use to talk about iron and its mixtures, or alloys rather, like steel, when it gets damaged by oxygen and water.
But there are other metals that can also get damaged like this, although they might not make the same reddish-brown bits we usually see with rust.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: A publishing house in Taiwan crowdfunds a Chinese translation, and a man unearths the UK's largest golden nugget.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Yellow metal.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
「魔戒」新譯本集資逾500萬 翻譯版本引討論
New Translations for Lord of the Rings
Fly, you fools!
It's time to talk about "Lord of the Rings" again.
You remember what that is, right?
It's the classic novel by British author J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tolkien has been called the "father" of modern fantasy (現代奇幻小說).
"Lord of the Rings" is considered his "magnum opus (代表作)".
That's a fancy word meaning "great work" or "masterpiece".
It can be used to describe an artist or author's greatest work.
The book was first translated into Chinese in 1978.
The translation took several years to complete.
Since then, it's been updated and revised to accommodate different dialects and readerships.
The most familiar and circulated version in Taiwan was the translation by Zhu Xue-heng (朱學恆).
It's over 20 years old.
Now it seems another Chinese version of the novel is on the way!
Recently, a Taiwanese publishing house (出版社) launched a crowdfunding campaign (群眾集資) for a new Chinese translation not only of Lord of the Rings, but also "the Hobbit" too, which is the prequel to Lord of the Rings.
最近台灣一家出版社發起群眾集資，想要重新翻譯著名的小說魔戒和它的前傳哈比人歷險記。
The publishing house raised over 5 million NT!
But why do we need a new translation?
Well, an experienced translator said languages don't stay the same forever.
They change over time.
Take English for example.
The English spoken 100 years ago isn't the same as the English we speak today.
一百年前的英文跟現代英文有點不同。
For example, words like "internet," "smartphone," or "selfie" didn't exist a hundred years ago because those things weren't around yet.
Another example is the word "awful".
It used to mean "filled with awe".
「Awful」這個詞兒原本的意思是「充滿敬畏」。
Oh, I get it!
"Awe" and "full".
Full of awe!
Yeah, but now "awful" means "terrible" or "horrible".
So if you say "I feel awful", that's not good.
The Chinese language is also changing.
To demonstrate this, all you have to do is read an old book, like "the Travels of Lao Can" (老殘遊記).
In fact, let's read a passage from that book right now.
我們來看看老殘遊記是怎麼寫的吧。
看此風景，今兒日出是看不著的了。天風海水，能移我情，即使看不著日出，此行亦不為辜負。
No one talks like that anymore, right?
In any case, the Chinese used in the Lord of the Rings translations is considered a little bit out of date.
So who will be doing the translating?
Someone called Li Han (李函).
He has a master's degree from the University of Glasgow.
The publishing house expects the translation to launch next March!
________________________________
故障的金屬探測器找到 英格蘭最大金塊
The UK's Biggest Golden Nugget Found with Faulty Detector
Now, it's time to travel to England for this next story.
A guy called Richard Brock went on a treasure hunt, and quite literally "struck gold"!
Oh really?
What happened?
Richard is a hobbyist treasure hunter.
He goes from place to place with his metal detector.
For 35 years, he has been looking for treasure.
So how do treasure hunters look for treasure?
They use metal detectors.
These devices can find metallic objects hidden underground or underwater (地下或是水裡).
Users sweep them over the ground or along surfaces.
It emits a beeping noise (會發出嗶嗶叫的聲音) when it detects metal, like this…
Recently, Richard Brock went to Shropshire.
Shropshire is located in the West Midlands of England, near the border with Wales.
There he joined up with other treasure hunters.
Things weren't looking so good for Richard at the start.
Not only did he arrive late, his metal detector was faulty (故障的).
To make matters worse, everyone else had up-to-date equipment.
Sounds like he was all set for a bad day, right?
But soon after he started his search, guess what he found?
A golden nugget!
But this was not just any golden nugget!
It was large, weighing 64.8 grams (公克)!
In fact, it was the largest golden nugget ever found in the UK on record!
It's been named "Hiro's Nugget", but there doesn't seem to be any information on why it's called that?
In any case, the golden nugget has been valued at over 30,000 pounds.
That's over 1.2 million NT!
A golden nugget is basically a chunk of gold.
They're usually very small, and look like golden stones.
No one knows how "Hiro's Nugget" ended up in Shropshire.
Some speculate (猜測) the site where it was found used to have a railway going through it.
Maybe the nugget fell off an old mine cart while in transit (運輸過程中)?
There has to be lots of treasure out there, waiting to be discovered.
Remember to keep an eye out and who knows, you might just find a shiny piece of treasure on your next adventure!
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A publishing house in Taiwan launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new Chinese translation of "Lord of the Rings".
It raised over 5 million NT!
"Lord of the Rings" is one of the most popular fantasy stories of all time.
The current translations are considered outdated, prompting the need for a fresh rendition.
Translator Li Han will handle the new translation, which is expected to launch next March.
And,
Richard Brock, a hobbyist treasure hunter, found the largest golden nugget ever discovered in the UK.
He found it in Shropshire, England, using a faulty metal detector.
The nugget is named "Hiro's Nugget," and it's worth over 1.2 million NT!
It is speculated to have been lost from a railway that used to pass through the area.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that gold is the only yellow metal?
But gold is not just special because of its color.
It is also very valuable and has been important for a long time.
Gold doesn't get rusty or dirty.
That's why people use gold to make jewelry.
They can make very pretty things with it that will last a long time!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's stories…
How a laser could fight cancer, how our food affects the planet, and how a "bee's-eye-view" helps find the sweet spot.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
偵測癌細胞的雷射系統
A Laser that Finds Cancer Cells Fast
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (衛生福利部) says cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan for 41 consecutive (連續) years.
But now there may be a new way to fight cancer.
It's a breakthrough (突破) in medical technology.
A team at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology has developed new technology.
It is a laser that can detect cancer cells in an hour.
When cancer happens in a human body, a tumor (腫瘤) grows in the affected part.
The tumor then releases circulating tumor cells (CTCs 循環腫瘤細胞) that spreads the cancer throughout the body.
That's how cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
One way to fight cancer is to find it early.
And to find it, doctors follow CTCs.
Usually, doctors take a little bit of the patient's blood.
They send the blood to a lab to get tested.
Experts do the testing and look at the results.
It usually takes at least two weeks to get the test results.
All this takes a lot of time, work, and money.
CTC tests are not covered by National Health Insurance.
The tests cost around $15,000 to 20,000 NT.
This may be a lot of money for some people.
But NTUST's new laser can quickly scan (掃描) for CTCs.
The team says this uses less materials and costs less money.
The old way of testing also kills the CTCs.
But the new laser allows the CTCs to stay alive.
This way, the live CTCs can be cultured (培養) for cancer drug testing, speeding up early treatment.
這項科技目前正在申請醫療儀器認證中，預計3年後能量產。
The team hopes this technology would make a change in cancer treatments.
________________________________
科學家提議蟒蛇肉為食物來源
Could Python Meat Change the Way We Eat?
The effects of global climate change have been threatening (威脅) our food sources.
Traditional farming takes up a lot of resources.
You need land, food, water, and more.
The carbon footprint (碳足跡) that traditional farming produces is also shocking.
Researchers are trying to find a more sustainable (永續) meat source that is eco-friendly.
And they might have just found the answer…
Snake meat.
Not just any snake, but the long and enormous python (蟒蛇).
Snake meat is considered a delicacy (佳餚) in many countries.
To meet this demand, commercial snake farming has been popping up (出現) in recent years.
Snake meat is healthy in some ways.
It is high in protein and low in saturated fats (飽和脂肪).
Some say it tastes like chicken.
Some researchers think python farming has a low impact on the environment.
They believe snakes do not need to be fed often.
They say the snakes can even go months without eating.
On top of that, pythons can be fed waste meat, such as rats or dead animals.
They also don't need much water.
Sometimes they can drink the dew (露水) that forms on their scales (鱗片) every morning.
Pythons don't need a lot of space.
They seem to be able to tolerate (忍受) small confined (狹窄) spaces.
Compared to other animals, pythons are relatively easy to farm.
But some feel that treating animals this way is wrong.
There are still many questions that need to be answered.
And more research needs to be done.
Many also wonder if people would be willing to eat snake meat.
縱使養殖蟒蛇作為食物有一些好處，那也要人們願意接受才行。
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
A team at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology has developed a laser that can detect cancer cells in an hour.
The new laser uses less materials and costs less money.
The team hopes this technology would make a change in cancer treatments.
________________________________
And,
Researchers are trying to find a more sustainable meat source that is eco-friendly, and they're thinking about python meat.
Some researchers think python farming has a low impact on the environment.
But some feel that treating animals this way is wrong.
There are still many questions that need to be answered.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Many people like looking at beautiful flowers.
But did you know that these flowers have "secret signs" for bees?
Bees see the world differently. They can see ultraviolet light. And under this light, many flowers have patterns and colors that humans can't normally see.
These patterns and colors help bees find pollen (花粉).
So next time you see a bee buzzing around a flower, remember, they're not just smelling the roses, they're seeing the secret signs!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, get ready for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
A Taiwanese Youtuber hits ten million subscribers, and a Japanese mayor makes a town more baby-friendly.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what animal is mostly water?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
玩武術特技的YouTuber獲得千萬訂閱者
Tricking YouTuber Gets 10 Million Subscribers
Hey Brody, can you do a flip?
Sure, no problem. Just watch me.
Ouch! Okay, it's not easy to do a flip.
That's right. If you want to learn, you need a good teacher.
Fortunately, you can see how to do it on YouTube.
Some YouTubers teach their viewers how to do flips, kicks, and twists.
It's called "tricking", and it's super popular.
武術特技又叫做"tricking"，它包括了跳躍和空中翻滾，非常流行。
In fact, one tricker on YouTube recently reached ten million subscribers (訂閱者).
And he's from Taiwan!
That means he's the first Taiwanese YouTuber to reach ten million subscribers.
His name is Wu Chi-hsuan (吳奇軒), and his channel is called "Chi Hsuan Tricking".
Watch his videos, and you can learn all sorts of amazing movements.
In one video, he teaches a student how to do a cartwheel (側手翻).
First, he shows her, wheeling onto his hands and back to his feet.
Then, he explains to her the different steps of the motion.
Last, he helps her as she tries the cartwheel herself.
The lesson showed her and all the viewers (觀眾) how to do this awesome stunt.
Why does Chi-hsuan love tricking so much?
He says "It's very liberating because you can create your own movements and style."
He also says "Mastering one move gives a sense of achievement and makes you want to keep pushing yourself."
How did his channel (頻道) get so popular?
He got interested in tricking after it came to Taiwan from the US, more than twenty years ago.
In 2016 Chi-hsuan uploaded his first YouTube video.
奇軒2016年上傳了他的第一個YouTube影片。
At first, he didn't get many subscribers.
That changed in 2022, when he started making shorter videos and they went viral (爆紅).
Last year, his videos got more than 2 billion views and 70 million likes.
Now he has ten million subscribers.
He's got fans all over the world, especially in North America and Southeast Asia.
So what is Chi-hsuan's next move?
He says he wants to take part in action movies.
He wants to use tricking to show the world that Taiwan has lots of action talent.
________________________________
日本市長讓父母的生活更輕鬆
Japanese Mayor Makes Parents' Lives Easier
Why are parents so busy?
They have a lot worry about.
They need to take care of their kids every day, bringing them to daycare (托兒所), to school and everywhere else.
Parents also need to work, to get the money to feed their kids.
No wonder (難怪) people are not having as many children these days.
It's just too difficult.
In many countries, the population is shrinking, because so few kids are born.
許多國家的人口不斷減少，因為新生兒太少了。
That's a big problem.
And in one Japanese city, a mayor is working to solve it.
His name is Yoshiharu Izaki.
He's the mayor of Nagareyama, a city near Tokyo (東京附近的城市).
His city has a special system (特別的制度).
Every morning, parents from the city take the train into Tokyo to work.
And they just leave their kids at the train station (火車站).
Then, a bus brings the children to daycare, so the parents don't have to worry about it.
In the evening, the parents can just pick their kids up at the train station again.
Wow, that's super convenient (超方便)!
It's all part of Mayor Yoshiharu's plan to make parent's lives easier.
What else is his city doing?
It's adding more parks and greenery (綠化面積).
The mayor wants people to think of Nagareyama as "the forest city nearest to Tokyo."
That way, parents don't have to go far to bring their kids to the park.
Is the mayor's plan working?
Yes, it is.
Nagareyama has a birth rate of 1.5.
That means each woman has an average of 1.5 children.
Nagareyama的出生率為1.5，這意味著每個女性平均有1.5個孩子。
It's much higher than the birth rate for the rest of Japan.
But it's still pretty low.
The birth rate needs to be 2.1 or higher for the population to grow (人口成長).
That's why Mayor Yoshiharu wants to improve his plan, and share it with other mayors.
If parents can save time, they might have more kids…
…and spend more time relaxing with their kids.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A Taiwanese YouTuber has reached 10 million subscribers.
His channel is called "Chi Hsuan Tricking".
He teaches people how to do amazing tricks, like jumps, flips and cartwheels.
________________________________
And,
One city in Japan is making life easier for parents.
Nagareyama lets parents drop off their kids at the train station, on their way to work.
It saves the parents lots of time, and is improving the birth rate.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Humans are made up of 50-75% water.
On average, a human adult body has about 60% water.
But do you know which animal has the highest water content?
It's jellyfish! (水母)
They are made of 95% water!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan dishes you've never tried and a 10-year-old girl sees a Japanese wolf on a shelf!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…comets smell really bad!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
這些台灣菜來自哪裡？
These Taiwan Dishes Are From Where?
Do you like "Taiwan ramen"?
Taiwan ramen?! I've never heard of it.
What? We're in Taiwan. Let's go and try some.
Okay. Wait… Hey, there's no Taiwan ramen in Taiwan!
Taiwan ramen is a popular dish in Nagoya (名古屋), a city in Japan.
People in Nagoya LOVE Taiwan ramen.
Where's it from? Nagoya!
A Taiwanese chef (廚師) in Nagoya made noodles for his workers' lunch.
He had eaten danzai noodles (擔仔麵) in Taiwan.
In Nagoya, he changed the danzai soup from shrimp (蝦) to chicken.
He put chives (韭菜) and bean sprouts (豆芽) in the soup.
He put lots of garlic (蒜) and chili pepper powder (辣椒粉) in some ground pork (豬絞肉).
Now this spicy ground pork (辣肉燥) is called "Taiwan mince" (肉燥).
A customer (顧客) said the dish looked delicious.
So the chef put Taiwan ramen on the menu!
Now Taiwan ramen is at over two hundred ramen shops in Nagoya.
People who don't like spicy food order "Taiwan ramen American."
People who love it order super spicy "Taiwan ramen Italian."
There are other Taiwan dishes that people in Nagoya love.
There's Taiwan mazesoba. It's Taiwan ramen with no soup.
Chives, Taiwan mince, and a raw egg yolk (生蛋黃) are on top.
Taiwan mazesoba was first made when a chef couldn't make good Taiwan ramen soup.
He was going to throw away the noodles and Taiwan mince.
But a worker asked him to make a dish without soup!
There's Taiwan curry (咖哩). It has lots of spices (香料), onions (洋蔥), and potatoes (馬鈴薯).
It has Taiwan mince and a raw egg on top.
Taiwan curry was first made when a chef put leftover (剩下的) Taiwan mince on curry for his workers.
There are many other Taiwan dishes in Nagoya.
They all have Taiwan mince in them!
Any dish with Taiwan mince in it is delicious to people there.
When a dish goes from one country to another country, it can change A LOT.
And that's great!
Would you like to try a Taiwan dish in Nagoya one day?
___________________________________________________________
十歲女孩發現日本狼標本
10-Year-Old Girl Finds a Japanese Wolf
Hinako, a Japanese girl, loves animals.
She's especially interested in animals that are extinct (滅絕的).
When she was three, she saw a Japanese wolf specimen (標本).
It was at a natural history museum (自然歷史博物館)
From then, she studied the animal.
She looked at pictures of Japanese wolf specimens for hours.
Over one hundred years have passed since someone saw a living one.
When Hinako was 10, she went on a tour (參觀).
It's held just once a year at the large research department (研究部) of the museum.
They hold two million specimens for the museum!
Hinako saw a dog-like (跟狗很像的) specimen on a dark bottom shelf (放在底層的架子上).
Its tail was bushy (濃密的).
Its neck and front legs were short.
It was small, but it wasn't a dog.
She thought it looked like a Japanese wolf!
There were only four specimens in the world.
Was this specimen a Japanese wolf too?
The next day, she sent a message (訊息) to the museum about the specimen.
They answered three months later.
The museum thought it was a mountain dog.
Japanese wolves were sometimes called mountain dogs.
Hinako was excited.
She did a lot of research.
She found a zoo in Tokyo got two Japanese wolves in 1888.
She thought this specimen could be one of them.
She wrote a report (報?).
It won an award (獎項) from the Japanese education ministry (教育部).
Two researchers wanted to do research and write a scientific paper (科學論文)with her.
They found a genetic analysis (基因分析) of the specimen matched (匹配) with the Japanese wolf.
But the specimen's head had differences (差異) from other Japanese wolf specimens.
It turned out that the specimen didn't have a skull (頭骨)!
Maybe the person who made the specimen had never seen a Japanese wolf.
They finished the scientific paper.
Hinako is thirteen years old now.
She's in junior high school.
There's still a lot for her to find out about the Japanese wolf!
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Taiwan dishes are popular in a city in Japan.
All the dishes have a spicy ground pork called Taiwan mince in them.
But none of them are eaten in Taiwan.
When a dish goes from one country to another, it can change a lot!
___________________________________________________________
And…
A young girl saw a specimen.
She thought it looked like an extinct Japanese wolf.
But nobody knew if it was a Japanese wolf.
The girl and two researchers did research and found that it was!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Have you ever seen a comet (彗星)?
They look like a ball of light with a long tail.
They fly very fast and very high in the sky.
We don't see them often, so they're exciting to watch.
Thirty-eight years ago, more than one million visitors went to Kenting National Park to see Halley's Comet!
It was very cloudy, but they still went!
Only about twenty thousand people saw the comet!
Now scientists say comets smell bad.
They smell like rotten (腐爛的)eggs, pee, and vinegar (醋).Pee-ew!
It's good that they're so far away!
Thirty-eight years from now, Halley's comet comes back.
Will you think of how it smells then?
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Good afternoon! Welcome to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
Hsinchu helps stray animals, the world's first Dragon Ball theme park, and the longest poem in the world!
Let's jump right into these stories.
________________________________
新竹市成立動物管制隊
Hsinchu City Establishes Animal Control Team
Stray animals are pets that don't have a home.
They roam (遊蕩) our neighborhoods, parks, and streets, trying to survive.
While some are shy and keep to themselves…
有些動物很害羞，喜歡單獨行動…
…others are friendly and approach people, hoping for a little bit of kindness.
…但也有一些很友善，會接近人類，希望得到一點點關懷。
Taking care of these animals and making sure they're safe and healthy is a big job.
And Hsinchu City is making sure this job gets done!
The city government has created a special team called the Animal Control Team (動物管制隊).
Their job is take care of stray dogs and cats (流浪狗和貓).
They help these animals by sterilizing them (絕育).
And they rescue animals that are in trouble.
They're working all day and night to make sure every animal gets the help it needs.
The people in Hsinchu City are helping out, too!
The city set up a 24-hour emergency animal rescue notification system (24小時動物緊急救援通報機制).
People can use it to report animals that need rescue, which means more animals are getting saved.
That's teamwork at its best!
這就是最棒的團隊合作！
But that's not all.
Hsinchu City is also making sure animals are taken care of from the moment they're born until they're no longer with us.
新竹市也確保動物從出生到離世都受到妥善照顧。
They offer services like free cremation (火化) for stray animals.
And they also make it cheaper for pet owners to have the same service for their pets.
And for a bit of extra fun, Hsinchu is planning more pet parks!
That means more spaces for pets and their owners to play and enjoy the outdoors.
Hsinchu City is becoming a friendlier place for animals, thanks to the Animal Control Team and new pet parks.
It's great to see how much they care for our furry friends!
________________________________
全球首座《七龍珠》主題樂園
World's First "Dragon Ball" Theme Park
"Dragon Ball" is a very popular manga and anime that many people around the world love.
《七龍珠》是一部全世界許多人都喜愛的超人氣漫畫和動畫。
It's about a young boy named Son Goku (孫悟空) who goes on exciting adventures to find seven magical orbs (神奇寶珠) called "Dragon Balls."
These orbs are very powerful because if you collect all seven, a dragon named Shenron (神龍) appears and can make any wish come true.
Since the story started in 1984, "Dragon Ball" has made lots of TV shows, movies, and toys.
People love it because of the exciting fights, great friendships, and it teaches us to never give up.
Now, imagine being able to walk into Goku's world!
Saudi Arabia is planning to build the world's first ever "Dragon Ball" theme park.
沙烏地阿拉伯計畫建造全球首座《七龍珠》主題樂園。
There's going to be a huge 70 meter tall dragon right in the middle.
中央將有一座高達70米的巨龍。
…and more than 30 fun rides to explore!
還有超過30座好玩的遊樂設施等你探索。
However, not everyone is happy about this plan.
Some fans are worried because of the country's human rights issues (人權問題).
They're talking about it online, sharing different opinions.
The company making this park is owned by Saudi Arabia's government.
They are working with the Japanese company that owns "Dragon Ball."
This theme park is part of a bigger plan to make Saudi Arabia known for fun and tourism.
It's going to be near the capital, Riyadh.
Sadly, the creator of "Dragon Ball," Akira Toriyama, passed away recently.
Fans all over the world are remembering him and how much they love the adventures of Goku and his friends.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Hsinchu City is becoming a friendlier place for animals.
The city government has created a special team called the Animal Control Team.
Their job is take care of stray dogs and cats.
The city government also plans to build more pet parks.
________________________________
And,
Saudi Arabia is planning to build the world's first ever "Dragon Ball" theme park.
"Dragon Ball" is a very popular manga and anime that many people around the world love.
However, not everyone is happy about this plan.
Some fans are worried because of the country's human rights issues.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The Mahabharata is the longest poem in the world.
It's a special text that teaches about Hinduism (印度教).
It has 74,000 parts called verses, all adding up to 1.8 million words.
Imagine talking day and night for two weeks - that's how long it would take to say the whole thing without stopping!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
A black bear makes a comeback, a fuzzy find almost fools scientists, and super sticky stuff.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
受傷台灣黑熊回歸森林
A Formosan Black Bear Makes a Big Comeback!
It was another peaceful day out in Taitung County.
The sun was shining, the grass was green, the birds were singing…
And a Formosan black bear was walking near a road when…
Ouch!
The bear got caught in a trap!
It was a rope trap.
The bear was very scared, and climbed up a tree to hide.
幾個月前，台東山區1隻台灣黑熊因前肢誤中套索受傷躲到樹上。
People from an Indigenous village close by found the bear.
And they called forest rangers (護林員) and experts in to help.
Everyone worked together to rescue the bear.
They saw that it was a male bear, about 3 or 4 years old.
They named him "Lanihu".
At first, they saw that the bear's front paw (熊掌) was very badly hurt.
They were worried that they may have to cut it off to save the bear.
But after seven months of nutritious (營養的) food, and medical care, Lanihu got better!
The people helped Lanihu go back into the forest.
And Indigenous villagers asked mountain spirits to help protect Lanihu.
Formosan black bears have a special place in Indigenous culture.
To many tribes, the bears are brave warriors, and leaders in the forest (森林中的王者).
They are also sacred (神聖的), and in some tribes, it is forbidden to kill a Formosan black bear.
Forest officials say they put a tracking device on Lanihu.
This way they know where Lanihu is in the wild.
And this makes it easier to help him if he is in danger.
Officials also thanked Indigenous tribes for their help in saving bears.
And they hope they can keep working with Indigenous communities and people living nearby to help protect Formosan black bears.
________________________________
澳洲發現毛毛的新甲蟲
Beetle Almost Mistaken for Bird Poo
What's fuzzy all-over, and kind of looks like bird poo?
It's a newly-discovered beetle!
A scientist was in a forest in Australia.
As he was walking, something caught his eye (吸引他的目光)…
Something white and a little fuzzy on a leaf…
He thought it was bird poo.
When he looked closer, he realized it was a longhorn beetle.
The beetle was red and black, with long white hairs all over its body.
研究員無意中發現這個長角甲蟲家族的新品種，剛看到還以為是鳥糞。
The scientist went home, and quickly looked through all the books and papers he could find.
He wanted to find out more about this amazing beetle.
But none of the pictures he saw looked anything like his fuzzy beetle.
He asked other experts.
And they were sure that this beetle was a totally new species (物種).
But that wasn't all.
This beetle was in fact, a new genus (屬), that's a new family of species!
They named the beetle "Excastra albopilosa".
That's Latin for "from the camp", and "white and hairy".
But why is this strange-looking beetle so hairy?
Some scientists think the white hairs help protect the beetle.
The hairs make the beetle look like it is covered in fungus (菌).
And this would make it look less tasty (不怎麼好吃) to birds.
The scientists are also amazed that no one has found this beetle before.
They are looking for more, to study the beetle in detail (仔細研究).
They say this also shows that there could be many more species in nature that we haven't found yet.
And many could be in danger of extinction.
In fact, scientists believe there could be 5.5 million insect species in the world.
And they say only 20 percent of these have been found.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Formosan black bear got caught in a trap.
People from an Indigenous village close by and forest rangers all worked together to rescue the bear.
They named him Lanihu.
After seven months of nutritious food, and medical care, Lanihu got better!
The people helped Lanihu go back into the forest.
And,
A scientist in Australia found a new species of longhorn beetle.
The beetle was red and black, with long white hairs all over its body.
They named the beetle "Excastra albopilosa".
This beetle was in fact, a new genus, that's a new family of species!
They say this also shows that there could be many more species in nature that we haven't found yet.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Ever wonder how geckos defy gravity?
They can walk on walls, or even on the ceiling!
It's all because of tiny hairs on their feet.
These hairs are called setae.
These setae have millions of tiny, tiny branches.
And these branches make a force that makes things stick together.
They're like millions of tiny sticky pads.
These hairs are the secret behind the gecko's wall-walking ways!
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys, it's time for another episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: The government wants ease traffic rules, and some French cheeses are at risk of going extinct.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Teeth!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
政府提出交通微罪 不開放檢舉
Government to Ease Minor Traffic Violations
Taiwan has been called a "living hell for pedestrians".
有人說「台灣是行人地獄」。
It came from a Facebook page by the same name that went viral.
這個說法來自[行人地獄]臉書專頁，引起廣泛的注意。
The government strove (努力) to change the situation.
It toughened up the traffic rules.
政府於是加強交通違規執法。
Though it might have gone a bit too far.
但是可能做過了頭。
Police received lots of minor traffic violation reports and became overwhelmed.
警方收到太多交通違規檢舉案件，沒有辦法處理。
Minor traffic violations (情節輕微的違規事項) are those that incur a fine of 1,200 NT or less.
Now the government is wanting to ease some of the rules.
Currently there are 59 traffic violations that the public can report to authorities.
The government wants to take 10 of these away, leaving 49 reportable violations.
Some of the cut violations include talking on a handheld phone while driving, smoking cigarettes while driving, and illegal parking.
Authorities hope that reducing the number of reportable traffic violations will ease the burden off the police (減輕警察的負擔).
But it's causing some backlash!
The amendment angered road safety activists (社會運動人士).
One group commented that talking on a handheld phone while driving is "extremely dangerous" and it endangers road safety.
They also say that illegal parking violates the rights of road users and blocks emergency vehicles.
Even scholars (學者) are worried that easing traffic violations would make Taiwan less safe for pedestrians.
________________________________
法國起司可能會失傳
French Cheeses at Risk of Extinction
When something goes extinct it disappears completely.
Animals and plants can go extinct.
But did you know foods can go extinct too?
One reason is because fewer people learning traditional crafts (傳統技藝).
So the techniques are not being passed down (流傳下來).
But for some popular French cheeses on the verge of extinction, there's another reason.
The fungi (菌) used to make these cheeses are going extinct.
Fungi promote fermentation (發酵) and give cheese its aroma (香氣), color and flavor.
Take Camembert cheese for example.
For the French, it's not only a delicious snack, it's also a national pride.
In the past, cheesemakers used several strains (品種) of a fungus for Camembert.
Different strains of fungus result in different aromas, colors and flavors for cheeses.
不同品種的真菌會給乳酪帶來不同的香氣、顏色和風味。
About 100 years ago, cheesemakers started using a specific fungus strain known as Penicillium camemberti, or "P. camemberti" for short.
This strain of fungus became the gold standard for Camembert cheese, and others.
This allowed the aroma, color and flavor of the cheeses to be consistent (一致的).
However, there's a downside.
The fungus is changing genetically.
In other words, mutations (變異) are developing in the fungus' genome (基因組合).
隨著時間的推移，此菌的基因組開始發生變異。
So the original P. camemberti fungus will no longer exist.
This means Camembert cheese as we know it really is on the verge of extinction.
Other cheeses are also facing a similar problem. So French cheese lovers around the world are worried.
What can be done about it?
Well, experts are saying cheesemakers can use other fungi that's closely related to P. camamberti.
While this may save Camembert from extinction, it won't taste or smell quite the same as the original.
只要是消費者願意接受這微小的變化，卡芒貝爾起司就不會消失。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has been called a living hell for pedestrians.
The government toughened up traffic rules, but police became inundated with minor traffic violation reports.
So the government is now easing the rules.
But many are worried this will make Taiwan less safe for pedestrians.
________________________________
And,
Some French cheeses are at risk of extinction.
This is because fungi used to make many cheeses are disappearing.
Experts have suggested cheesemakers can use strains of fungi that are similar to the original.
But this might result in the taste and smell of famous cheeses being slightly different in the future.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit. Did you know that human teeth are the only part of the body that can't heal themselves?
This is because teeth are not made of live tissue. They are made of enamel, which cannot regenerate in the same way cells can.
So that's why it's important to take care of your teeth! Because if you lose them, there's no getting them back.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Thank you for listening to today's News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Today's stories…
Making money from convenience, saving newspaper kiosks, and the power of popcorn.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
台灣超商營業額破4千億大關
Taiwan's Convenience Store Craze
Convenience stores are a part of daily life in Taiwan.
We go there to pay bills, buy tickets, pick up packages…
Not to mention the usual necessities (必需品) and 24-hour services.
台灣有很多便利商店門市，民生用品種類多、而且24小時全年無休又服務多元化，讓它成為民眾生活中重要一部分。
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部) says as of December 2023, there were 13,706 convenience stores in Taiwan.
That's an average of one store for every 1,703 people.
Taiwan’s density (密度) of convenience stores exceeded (超越) Japan in 2016.
That made us the country with the second-highest density of convenience stores in the world.
South Korea is highest on the list, with 57,617 convenience stores.
That’s one store for every 897 people.
We see lots of convenience stores in Taiwan.
Sometimes, you can even see 3 stores on the same intersection (交叉路口).
And all those stores together means a lot of money.
The government says convenience stores in Taiwan made a total of $ 412.6 billion NT last year.
The stores have two peak sale periods.
The first one is in January, which is considered hot pot season.
Some people skip the supermarket, and buy their ingredients at convenience stores.
They think convenience stores are closer and open 24/7.
The second peak season is from July to August, during summer.
During the hot weather, drinks and ice-cream sales go through the roof (飆升).
And many convenience store chains promote membership.
When members buy something, they can accumulate (累積) points.
They can exchange these points for things at the store.
The stores will also roll out limited co-branded (聯名) products from time to time.
That includes famous cartoon characters, bags or even model cars.
All these promotions help increase sales.
Another source of revenue is from selling coffee.
Many adults like to get a cup of coffee before school or work.
Major convenience store chains sell a lot of coffee
In fact, if you stack up all the coffee sold by three major convenience store chains in 2020…
They would be higher than 100,000 Taipei 101s!
That's a lot of coffee! No wonder, it’s called black gold.
________________________________
義大利標誌性報亭沒落
Italy’s Disappearing Newspaper Kiosks
Have you ever seen a news kiosk?
It’s a stall that sells newspapers, books and magazines.
30 years ago, they could be seen all over Italy.
No street or plaza (廣場) was complete without a news kiosk.
For many locals, it was a place to socialize (社交、互動).
When you picked up a newspaper, you could also chat with neighbors, or talk about politics, soccer and the weather.
But over the years, newspaper sales have been going down.
And that meant the number of kiosks went down too.
In 2004, kiosks sold about 9.5 million newspapers every day.
But by January this year, kiosks only sold around 950,000 every day.
So over the past 20 years, two thirds of Italy's kiosks have closed down.
Italy's government wants to keep kiosks around.
It is offering incentives (獎勵) up to $2,000 euros for kiosks to stay open.
But kiosk owners say that money can't solve problems in the long term.
One owner says "Everything is online, no one reads papers and magazines anymore.”
Some owners say the only way to keep kiosks open is to diversify (多樣化).
And that is exactly what many are doing right now.
為了生存，許多報攤開始販賣紀念品給遊客。
Many kiosks now sell fridge magnets, baseball caps, T-shirts, football cards and more.
The future of newspaper kiosks is uncertain.
But there are still people out there working to protect their culture.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The government says convenience stores in Taiwan made a total of $ 412.6 billion NT last year.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs says as of December 2023, there were 13,706 convenience stores in Taiwan.
In fact, Taiwan is the country with the second-highest density of convenience stores in the world.
________________________________
And,
The number of newspaper kiosks in Italy is going down.
Italy's government wants to keep kiosks around, and it is offering incentives up to $2,000 euros for kiosks to stay open.
But kiosk owners say that money can't solve problems in the long term.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Today's Tasty Tidbit is all about the power of popcorn.
Have you ever wondered how popcorn pops? It all has to do with water and heat!
Inside a kernel of popcorn, there's a tiny bit of water. When things get hot, the water turns to steam and quickly expands. This creates more and more pressure inside the kernel until…
POP!
The kernel explodes, turning into fluffy popcorn!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome to today's episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
Kaohsiung offers sunny savings, a man gets hundreds of vaccines, and an adorable arctic selfie!
Let's get started!
________________________________
高雄推動太陽能補助計畫
Kaohsiung Promotes Solar Subsidy Program
Imagine living in a world where the air is cleaner, the Earth is greener, and our energy comes from the endless power of nature.
This isn't just a dream; it's becoming a reality!
We now have renewable energy sources (再生能源) like the sun, wind, and water.
Unlike the energy we get from coal or oil, renewable energy never runs out.
從煤炭或石油獲得的能源總會用完，再生能源卻取之不盡，用之不竭。
Using renewable energy helps us cut down on (減少) harmful gases that are bad for our health and the environment.
Plus, it helps us save money and creates jobs for people who install and maintain these green energy systems.
此外，它還幫我們省錢，並且創造工作機會，因為需要人力安裝和維護再生能源系統。
In Kaohsiung City, there's exciting news for people who care about the Earth and saving money!
The city government is offering a subsidy (補助) for residents who want to put solar panels (太陽能板) on their roofs.
Since March 20th, people can apply for the subsidy program.
They can get up to 200,000 NT (可以獲得最高20萬台幣) to help pay for these solar panels.
This year, Kaohsiung has set aside 10 million NT, just for this (留了1000萬台幣的預算)!
Last year, thanks to this help, many solar panels were installed.
These panels can power (供電) thousands of houses for a long time.
Plus, people who have solar panels can even make money by selling the extra electricity back to the city (可以將多餘的電力賣回給市政府來賺錢)!
These panels also help to keep houses cooler (保持房屋涼爽) when the weather is hot.
So, if you live in Kaohsiung and are interested in the idea of a cooler home, saving money, and helping the planet…
Now is the time to think about solar panels!
________________________________
德國男子 接種217劑疫苗
German Man Gets 217 Vaccine Shots
From 2020 to 2022, the world faced a big challenge.
COVID-19 spread all over the planet, changing how we live in big ways.
COVID-19在全球蔓延，大大改變了我們的生活方式。
We all started wearing masks (口罩) to keep safe.
And getting vaccinated (接種疫苗) became very important.
Vaccines (疫苗) help us not get sick from the virus.
To be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, health organizations said people needed to get two vaccine doses, and a booster shot.
要對抗COVID-19，衛生組織表示人們需要接種兩劑疫苗和一劑加強針。
It's also recommended (建議) that people get more than one booster shot (不止一劑的加強針) to protect them from the virus.
So maybe you know someone who got 3, 4, or even 5 vaccine shots…
But what happens if you get more than that?
A 62-year old man from Germany got more doses of COVID-19 vaccines than recommended.
He got 217--that's right--217 vaccine shots in 29 months!
他在29個月內接種了217劑疫苗！
Why did he do it?
He says he was curious (好奇) about what would happen if a person got vaccinated against COVID-19, many, many times.
At one point, he was getting shots almost every day.
And people started to wonder what he was doing.
Researchers (研究人員) recently studied him and found something interesting.
They found that getting so many shots didn't change his health much (他的健康狀況沒怎麼改變).
He didn't get sick with COVID-19, but it's not clear why.
Doctors and scientists are very interested in what happens to him.
But they remind us this is just one person's unusual story.
這只是一個人的不尋常的故事。
This story is fascinating, but we should always follow professional health advice (專業的健康建議).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Kaohsiung City is offering a subsidy for people who want to put solar panels on their roofs.
Since March 20th, people can apply for the subsidy program.
They can get up to 200,000 NT to help pay for these solar panels.
________________________________
And,
A 62-year old man from Germany got 217 COVID-19 vaccine doses.
He says he was curious about what would happen if a person got vaccinated against COVID-19, many, many times.
Researchers found that getting so many shots didn't change his health much.
He didn't get sick with COVID-19, but it's not clear why.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The word "selfie" means taking a photo of yourself.
This fun word became really popular and was even added to the English dictionary in 2013.
Today we've got a special report about a unique selfie, coming from 10-year old Vincent, who studies at He-Mu Elementary School in Chiayi County!
--
Penguin selfies? I have to go take a look!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
You’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news: An Invoice Lottery winner disqualified, and a set of dentures auctioned for big bucks.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: Rainbows on Venus.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
統一發票兌獎 中獎者被取消資格
Uniform Invoice Lottery Winner Disqualified
Have you ever bought something in Taiwan?
Many places give you a receipt (發票) after you buy something.
These receipts are special in Taiwan.
Because if you hold onto them, you might have a chance at winning money!
This is called the Uniform Invoice Lottery (統一發票).
Receipts, or invoices, have eight-digit numbers on them.
發票上有八位數字的號碼。
Every two months the government announces a list of winning numbers.
If the number on your receipt matches a winning number or parts of it, you can win money.
The more receipts you have, the higher your chances of winning.
That’s certainly what one trickster (耍花招者) thought.
A guy bought lots and lots of cheap items from online stores.
He collected lots of receipts, i.e. uniform invoices.
In fact, he collected more than 10 thousand invoices from last May to this February.
從去年五月到今年二月他蒐集了一萬多張發票！
That’s a heck of a lot of receipts!
He ended up winning 30,000 NT from these receipts.
But authorities found out what he was up to.
They said over 90 percent of his purchases were small and irregular.
他們說他超過九成的購買是小額且不規律的。
In other words, it did not fit regular consumption patterns.
換句話來說，它不符合常規消費模式。
This breached the rules of the Invoice lottery.
違反了統一發票中獎的規矩。
So what happened next?
Officials wrote the person a letter, informing him that he broke the rules.
The man then voluntarily returned the winnings.
So if you want to win in the Uniform Invoice Lottery, you have to play fair.
________________________________
邱吉爾的假牙 拍賣價格上萬美元
Churchill's Teeth Sell for Thousands at Auction
This next story is about teeth.
But not just any ol’ teeth.
It’s about Winston Churchill’s teeth.
是關於【溫斯頓．邱吉爾】的牙齒。
Now, you might have heard of him.
Winston Churchill was Britain’s Prime Minister (英國首相) during the Second World War (第二次世界大戰).
He led his country with courage and determination.
He inspired people with his powerful speeches and never gave up, even in the toughest times.
But did you know Churchill had a secret?
He wore false teeth, which are also called “dentures” (假牙).
Dentures were so important to him that he always carried two sets with him.
假牙對他來說如此重要，他總是隨身帶著兩副。
And recently a set of his dentures sold at an auction for a whopping 18,000 Pounds.
That’s about the same as 23,000 US dollars, or 732,000 NT.
這副假牙賣了兩萬三千美金，或是七十三萬兩千台幣。
It’s believed up to four sets of dentures were made for him, one of which was buried with him.
一般相信他總共訂做了四副假牙，其中一副跟著他入土為安。
The set sold at the auction was mounted on gold, and were designed by his dentist.
Gold dentures? Wow!
It was made for him when he was 65 years old.
Another item sold at the auction was the microphone reputedly used by Churchill to announce the end of World War Two.
It sold for 11,500 Pounds, which is over 400,000 NT!
________________________________
So in today’s News Bites,
A man bought lots of cheap things to get receipts for the Uniform Invoice Lottery.
He won 30,000 NT, but officials found most of his purchases weren't normal.
They told him he broke the rules.
So he gave the money back.
Top of Form
And,
A set of dentures belonging to Winston Churchill sold at an auction for 18 thousand Pounds.
The set sold was mounted on gold.
It was made for him by his dentist when he was 65 years old, at the start of World War Two.
It is believed Churchill owned four sets of dentures, and always carried two with him at all times.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that a rainbow on Venus is called a glory?
Now, Venus is a hellish place, with surface temperatures as hot as a wood-fired pizza oven.
I won’t ever be cooking my pizzas on Venus. That’s for sure!
Even though Venus has a very different atmosphere than Earth, it still has some similar things happening in its sky.
A glory happens when sunlight hits tiny drops of acid in Venus' air.
These drops scatter light, making a circular rainbow-like shape.
These circular rainbows are called “glories”.
Unlike Earth's rainbows, which come from water droplets, Venus' glories come from acid droplets.
Ouch!
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
Biker pups, behemoth blueberries, and blink and you'll miss it.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
新北市待養毛孩學當機車族
Shelter Pups Train to be Scooter Buddies
Have you ever dreamt of cruising down the road with your furry best friend, the wind blowing through your hair, and fur?
Well, buckle up because the New Taipei Animal Protection Office has a barking good idea!
Many people ride scooters (機車) in Taiwan.
Scooters are cheaper than cars.
And they are useful for short distances (短距離) and busy roads.
So the office wants to help animals get used to scooters.
This may help them get adopted.
And the animals can fit into their new owner's daily life more easily.
The office says workers at its animal shelter in Bali District are working with dogs there.
They are helping the dogs get comfortable around scooters.
They help the dogs get used to the sounds of the scooter engine.
This is so the dogs don't get scared when it goes "VROOM"!
And the workers help the dogs learn how to sit safely on a motorcycle.
They also use special equipment so the dogs can be comfy and protected.
新北市動保處教狗狗當機車族，訓練在適當防護下坐機車，熟悉搭車感覺。
They say some doggos are natural biker pups.
But some dogs get a little scared.
Just like learning tricks, some dogs get it faster than others.
But the most important thing is that they all get a chance to find a loving forever home.
And the Animal Protection Office is reminding everyone that safety comes first!
If you're taking your furry friend on a scooter ride…
Make sure they have a leash or harness to keep them secure.
動保處也請民眾載毛寶貝出門前一定要做好相關安全措施。
A happy and safe animal is the best riding buddy!
________________________________
澳洲農場種出巨無霸藍莓
Supersized Superfood: Australian Farmers Grow Giant Blueberry
Hey there fruit fans.
Buckle up for a berry good story!
Blueberries are a small round fruit.
They are dark purple or blue, with a light sweet taste.
Usually, blueberries are about the size of a marble (彈珠).
But some farmers in Australia have grown a giant blueberry that would crush them all!
This giant blueberry is bigger than a ping-pong ball (乒乓球).
It weighs 20.4 grams, which is about 10 times heavier than a regular blueberry.
This colossal blueberry didn't just magically happen.
The group of farmers have been working on this for a long time.
Blueberries are known to be good for you, full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (抗氧化劑).
In fact, they are often called a "superfood".
And the farmers say more people are now eating blueberries as snacks.
But they say people want bigger berries.
So they developed a special kind of blueberry, called the Eterna.
They say Eterna blueberries are usually bigger than regular blueberries.
And they say Eternas are still full of blueberry flavor (味道).
The farmers thought their giant blueberry might be the biggest in the world.
They told the Guinness World Records about it.
And the Guinness World Records confirmed that it was now officially the heaviest blueberry ever recorded.
這顆藍莓獲得金氏世界紀錄認證，成為世界最大藍莓的新紀錄保持者。
For now, the farmers are keeping the giant blueberry in the freezer (冷凍庫).
And they say they are still trying to decide what to do with it.
But so far, they say they don't plan on eating this giant berry.
農場團隊說，他們都捨不得吃掉這顆藍莓，還在思考要怎麼處理它。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The New Taipei Animal Protection Office is helping the dogs learn how to sit safely on a motorcycle.
This may help them get adopted and fit into their new owner's daily life more easily.
They say some doggos are natural biker pups.
But some dogs get a little scared.
Just like learning tricks, some dogs get it faster than others.
But the most important thing is that they all get a chance to find a loving forever home.
And,
Farmers in Australia have grown a giant blueberry that's bigger than a ping-pong ball.
It weighs 20.4 grams, which is about 10 times heavier than a regular blueberry.
The Guinness World Records confirmed that it was now officially the heaviest blueberry ever recorded.
For now, the farmers are keeping the giant blueberry in the freezer.
And they say they are still trying to decide what to do with it.
But so far, they say they don't plan on eating this giant berry.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Why do we say something is "as fast as lightning"?
Well, that's because lightning is really, really fast!
A bolt of lightning can travel at an incredible speed of about 430,000 kilometers per hour!
Just how fast is that?
It would take lightning less than one second to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
We wouldn't even have time to finish a blink before it's done.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. Welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's news,
The future of laser technology, and a tasty way to save ancient history.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
A tiny bug that packs a big punch!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣研發雷射防空系統
Laser Systems to Protect Taiwan
Laser technology has changed a lot.
We use lasers in many places that we don't even think about…
From the QR-code scanner at the convenience store near your home, to equipment for surgery (手術).
This technology can be used in so many ways.
Lasers are also used in military technology.
Now, we're not talking about laser guns and light sabers, at least, not yet.
We're still a long way from that.
Laser weapons are also known as directed-energy (指定向能量) weapons.
They are electromagnetic (電磁) systems.
They take chemical or electrical energy and turn it into focused energy.
This energy can hit something far away.
Scientists believe this can help protect people from dangers in the sky.
Many countries are working on this type of technology.
Traditional weapons and defense systems are very expensive.
And they also cost a lot of money to maintain (維修).
Laser technology may be cheaper.
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has been working on this technology.
Last year, the institute made a low-powered prototype (原型).
Now, they've made a 50 kilowatt laser system on a vehicle.
The institute says the laser system can neutralize (消除) dangers in the sky.
It can target drones, missiles or rockets.
And it can use a quiet electronic attack to stop them.
這個雷射系統可以破壞無人機、慢速機、和其他的空中武器。
Scientists still have to do more tests on the laser system.
But they hope the system can be used to protect Taiwan in the future.
________________________________
山葵能幫助保存古莎草紙
A Spicy New Way to Save Ancient Papyrus
It's green…
It's mushy…
And whew!
It really makes your nose burn and your eyes water!
Do you like wasabi?
It often looks like a light green paste (漿糊).
And many people eat it with sushi.
But be careful!
If you have too much in one bite, it can be quite spicy!
And it can also clear up your stuffy nose.
Now, scientists have found a whole new way to use wasabi!
No, not for food.
They use it to preserve (保存) papyrus rolls!
Papyrus is a type of material (材料) used long ago.
It's made from the stem of a water plant.
Thousands of years ago, it was used to make sails (船帆), rope, baskets and many other items.
Ancient Egyptians also used it as paper, for writing and painting.
It was used throughout the ancient Mediterranean (地中海) world.
This means many ancient texts found by archaeologists are written on papyrus.
The papyrus tells us a lot of about ancient history and culture.
But since papyrus is made from a plant, it's fragile (脆弱).
Papyrus is often damaged by fungal infections (黴菌感染).
When fungus grow on papyrus, the papyrus cracks and the paint disappears.
In fact, scientists say the bio-deterioration (生物腐蝕) of papyrus is a worldwide problem.
Museums all over the world were looking for a way to keep papyrus safe.
And that way may be wasabi!
Scientists mixed water and wasabi powder.
Then they put the wasabi on aluminum foil (鋁箔) and left some near papyrus infected with fungus.
Wasabi vapors (氣體) got onto the papyrus.
After three days, the scientists found that the fungus on the papyrus was gone!
And, the papyrus was stronger by 26 percent.
They were amazed!
And compared with other disinfectants (消毒劑), wasabi is safer and greener for the environment.
Scientists are now trying to find out if wasabi can be used on other materials.
誰能想到山葵除了美味，竟然能保存古文物。
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has made a special laser system.
The institute says the system can neutralize dangers in the sky.
They hope the system can be used to protect Taiwan in the future.
________________________________
And,
Scientists are preserving papyrus rolls with wasabi.
They mix water and wasabi powder, then leave that close to papyrus infected with fungus.
The wasabi helps kill the fungus and makes the papyrus stronger.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Fire-breathing dragons only live in stories. But how about a tiny real-life bug that shoots super-hot stuff out its backend?
The bombardier beetle has two chemicals in its body. When it is in danger, it mixes the chemicals to make a really hot spray, and shoots out the chemicals. That explosive spray can get up to almost 100 degrees Celsius!
Anything that tries to eat this beetle will probably regret it!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news: Two Taiwanese grandmas are movie stars and scientists go deep in the ocean to find new kinds of life!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…don't eat fried toothpicks!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
台灣奶奶和外婆成為電影明星
Two Taiwanese Grandmas Become Movie Stars
During the pandemic (疫情), a movie director (電影導演)stayed at his parents' house in California.
He couldn't make any movies.
So he made videos of his grandmas.
This was nothing new.
He's been making videos of them since he was a kid.
His paternal grandma (奶奶)is 97 years old.
She says she feels like she's 100 years old.
His maternal grandma (外婆)is 86 years old.
She says she feels like she's 20 years old!
They're from Taiwan.
Now they live with their children in California.
They're like sisters (像姐妹一樣).
They sleep in one bed.
They take care of each other (互相照顧).
They cook, sing, dance, and read the newspaper together.
They do morning exercises (晨練), work in the garden (做園藝), and arm-wrestle (扳手腕) with each other.
They laugh a lot!
They even joke (開玩笑) about… uh, can we say this here? Farts! (放屁)
They have happy and sad times together.
In the end, their grandson made a short movie about them.
It's called Nai Nai and Wai Po, and yes, that's "Grandma and Grandma" in English.
Why did he make the movie?
Well, because of the pandemic, some people didn't like Asian people (亞洲人).
Some older Asian people were attacked (被攻擊).
He wanted everyone to see older Asian people as real humans, not stereotypes (刻板印象).
Then the movie was nominated (被提名) for the most famous award for movies in the United States (美國最有名的電影獎).
The grandmas were movie stars (電影明星)!
The grandmas dressed in beautiful red clothes.
They walked on a red carpet (紅地毯)when their movie opened!
They were in a famous fashion magazine (著名時尚雜誌) !
They wore custom-made designer clothes (設計師服裝) to the awards ceremony (頒獎典禮)!
The movie didn't win the award, but it changed the grandmas.
Thinking of her movie director grandson, Nai Nai wants parents to support their kids' interests and let them follow their own paths (奶奶希望父母支持孩子的興趣，讓他們走自己的路).
The movie made Wai Po realize she still has value in society.
這部電影讓外婆覺得，她在社會上仍然有價值。
She hopes kids will become closer to their grandmas and grandpas when they see the movie.
___________________________________________________________
紐西蘭水域 科學家發現百種新海洋物種
Scientists Find 100 New Marine Species in New Zealand Waters
Did you know the ocean covers 71% of the Earth?
What's in it?
Well, we know about 240,000 of the ocean's marine species (海洋物種). Wow!
But there are many that we don't know about.
Scientists think there are over two million marine species!
Some scientists explored (探索) a very deep part near the coast (海岸) of New Zealand.
How deep was it?
Four thousand eight hundred meters!
Is that a lot?
Well, Jade Mountain (玉山), the tallest mountain in Taiwan and East Asia, is almost 4,000 meters tall!
The scientists found almost 1,800 marine animals!
So far, there are 100 new species in this group.
They think they will find more species in this group.
They found many new mollusk (軟體動物) species and three new fish species.
They also found a very small star-shaped marine animal.
It's just one centimeter wide (寬).
Nobody knows what it is.
Maybe it's a coral (珊瑚動物).
Looking for new marine species sounds fun and interesting. But is it important?
Yes, it's very important.
Marine ecosystems (生態系統) have plants, animals, and very, very small living things
called microbes (微生物).
Marine ecosystems help life on Earth.
Their food chains include fish that feed billions of people.
Marine ecosystems take in about a quarter of the carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) made from human activities (人類活動).
The deep ocean has fifty times more (多五十倍) carbon than our atmosphere (大氣層)!
This is one way marine ecosystems regulate the climate (調節氣候).
Scientists are trying to understand more about marine life to help marine animals… and us!
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Two Taiwanese grandmas become movie stars!
One grandma hopes the movie will help kids become closer to their grandmas and grandpas.
___________________________________________________________
And…
Scientists explored a deep part of the ocean near the coast of New Zealand.
Understanding marine life is important because the ocean helps life on Earth.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Don't eat those toothpicks!
When you eat, does food sometimes get between your teeth?
Maybe you use a toothpick to pick the food out.
In South Korea, some toothpicks are environmentally friendly.
They are made from starch.
Noodles, rice, and bread are some foods that have starch.
Hmmm. Does that mean we can eat the toothpicks too?
Well, no. But someone tried frying them.
Uhhhh…What happened?
The toothpicks looked like crispy rice noodles!
Many people tried frying toothpicks and posted pictures online too.
The South Korean government became worried.
They're telling people not to eat these toothpicks.
They aren't food!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
Aging farmers turn to robots to take care of Taiwan's farms, and a Russian cosmonaut sets a record for his time in space.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a mammal with no stomach.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
無人機取代老農夫
Drones Replace Aging Farmers
Do you know any farmers (農夫)?
Yeah, my grandma and grandpa are farmers.
They live in the countryside (鄉下).
They have been farming all their lives.
What about you?
No…Everybody I know lives in the city.
In fact, not many young people in Taiwan are farmers now.
Most farmers are older people.
According to statistics, the average farmer is 60-some years old.
根據統計，農夫平均年齡在60多歲。
Many of them will retire soon, and there will not be enough young farmers to replace them.
Who will grow the food and run the farms?
There are a few solutions (解決方案).
One idea is to invite people from other countries to work on the farms.
That's already happening.
There are more and more immigrants (移民) working in agriculture.
Another idea is to use drones (無人機).
Those are like robots.
People can control them remotely (可以遙控).
Many of the drones can fly, too.
That means they can move faster than people, and reach many places more easily.
無人機的移動速度比人快，許多地方更容易去。
Recently, the government has been trying a new way to use drones.
They are testing the drones in sugarcane fields (甘蔗田).
It's a lot of work to take care of them.
But so far, the drones have done quite well.
Each drone is even more efficient (更有效率) than a human.
What's the job, exactly?
They need to attach insect larvae (昆蟲幼蟲) to each sugarcane plant.
The larvae will become helpful insects, which will help reduce harmful insects.
A person needs an hour or two to do this for a small field.
But the drone can finish the same field in just 5 to 10 minutes.
It's a promising result (這是很好的結果).
Now, the government is cooperating (合作) with farmers to get more drones into the fields.
There are still lots of jobs for people on farms.
Drones can't do everything.
But they can go a long way in helping a new generation (新一代) grow food in Taiwan.
________________________________
太空人待在太空的時間 創新紀錄
Cosmonaut Sets Record For Time in Space
How much time can a person spend in space (太空)?
Most astronauts (太空人) only spend six months or a year in space.
They can't stay there for too long.
It's not healthy to spend too much time in a place with no gravity (沒有重力的地方).
But some do anyway.
Did you hear about the man who spent two-and-a-half years in space?
He's still there now.
His name is Oleg Kononenko.
He's a cosmonaut, which means an astronaut from Russia (俄羅斯).
Cosmonauts have set a lot of records.
The first man in space was a Russian, Yuri Gagarin.
And so was the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova.
Now, a cosmonaut has set another record.
俄羅斯太空人創造了另一項紀錄。
Oleg Kononenko has broken the record for most time spent in space.
He broke the record back in February, after spending 878 days in space.
How did he stay in space for so long?
Well, it wasn't all in one trip.
Oleg has logged that time during five separate trips to space.
Oleg是五次太空旅行加起來，總共待了那麼久的時間。
By the time his mission (任務) ends in September, he will have logged 1,110 days in space.
Most of that time was on the International Space Station, or ISS (國際太空站).
How does Oleg feel about his time in space?
He says as technology gets more advanced, the job has become more complicated.
他說，科技越進步，太空人的工作就變得越複雜。
He is also a little sad that he didn't spend more time with his children.
But he's proud (自豪) of the work he's done.
Oleg is still doing experiments (實驗) on the ISS.
There he works together with astronauts from America and other countries.
Even though Russia and America have a poor relationship right now (現在美俄關係不好), they can still work together to learn more about space…
…and both can benefit from the long experience (長期經驗) of Oleg Kononenko.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
New drones are being tested on Taiwan's sugarcane farms.
The drones can work much more efficiently than people.
It's good, because many of Taiwan's farmers are getting old, and there are not enough young people replacing them.
________________________________
And,
A cosmonaut has set the world record for total time in space.
Oleg Kononenko has spent more than two and a half years in space over his career.
He's still up there, working on the International Space Station.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Platypuses and echidnas are very special animals because they are the only mammals that don't have a stomach.
When they eat, their food goes directly from their throat to their intestines.
Scientists believe this unique feature evolved a long time ago, around 450 million years!
But, why platypuses and echidnas don't have a stomach is still a mystery.
Isn't that interesting?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello there, and welcome to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
Today's stories…
Officials consider a new holiday, a shark's epic journey, and the origin of blessing people when they sneeze!
Let's check it out.
________________________________
勞動節可能成為國定假日
Labor Day Might Be a National Holiday
Hey Jake, what's your favorite holiday?
It's got to be New Years' Eve.
I love that it's so close to Christmas, so it's like a double holiday!
What about you?
Even though it's not a national holiday here in Taiwan, my favorite holiday is Christmas!
I love putting up a Christmas tree (裝飾聖誕樹), baking cookies, and watching Christmas movies in December!
Holidays are special times when we pause from our daily routines (日常生活) to celebrate, remember, or enjoy time with the people we love.
In Taiwan, we have a set number (固定數量) of holidays each year.
It's usually around 115 to 116 days.
Recently, government officials have been thinking about adding one more holiday to our calendar (日曆).
They're talking about making Labor Day a special day off (假日) for everyone!
Labor Day is observed on May 1st.
勞動節是在五月一日。
Right now, some people don't have to work on this day, but schools and some jobs still do.
This idea sounds great because while some parents are off work, their kids still have to go to school.
It was proposed (提出) by Legislator Lin I-chin (立法委員林宜瑾).
She says Taiwan should give people a day to enjoy with their families.
Premier Chen Jien-ren (行政院長陳建仁) says the government is considering (考慮) making Labor Day a national holiday.
However, they need to figure out (解決) a few things first…
Like how to pay for overtime (加班費怎麼算) for important jobs like police and firefighters.
They are still reviewing (審查) the idea and need to do more checks to see how it would work out.
Once they have all the information they need, they will make a decision and share it with everyone.
So, there's a chance that soon, everyone in Taiwan might get to enjoy Labor Day together!
________________________________
大白鯊吸引科學家的目光
Great White Shark Catches Scientists' Eye
Marine scientists (海洋科學家) are interested in learning about animals that live in the sea.
Using special technology, they can keep track of (追?) sea creatures on their adventures.
For example, sharks (鯊魚)!
Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and they keep the ocean's ecosystem healthy.
鯊魚有各種形狀和大小，它們維持海洋生態系統的健康。
To learn more about them, scientists use tags that attach to the sharks' fins.
科學家在鯊魚鰭上裝設標籤。
When a shark swims to the surface, the tag sends a signal to satellites in space.
當鯊魚游到水面上，標籤就發送信號給太空中的衛星。
This "ping" (「嗶」) tells scientists where the shark is.
Recently, marine scientists are tracking an interesting female (雌性) great white shark.
They named her LeeBeth, and she is 430 centimeters long, and 1,179 kilograms!
That's the size of a small car!
LeeBeth has been on a long journey in the Gulf of Mexico (墨西哥灣).
Experts have been closely following her travels.
專家一直密切關注她的旅行。
They say her moves are really unexpected (出乎意料).
She was tagged in December last year, near the US state of South Carolina (美國的南卡羅來納州).
Scientists say she's special because she's traveled farther west in the Gulf of Mexico than any great white shark known before.
科學家說，她很特別是因為她在墨西哥灣向西旅行的距離超過了之前任何已知的大白鯊。
LeeBeth is also the champion of "pinging" more than any other shark they've tagged.
LeeBeth也是「嗶」次數最多的鯊魚，超過了他們標記的其他任何鯊魚。
This shark was last spotted near the US states of Texas and Louisiana (靠近美國的德州和路易斯安那州).
That means she's traveled more than 3,200 kilometers.
LeeBeth's adventure is helping scientists learn more about great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.
Her journey is a big deal because great whites are rare in this part of the sea.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Government officials have been thinking about adding one more holiday to our calendar.
They're talking about making Labor Day a special day off for everyone!
They are still reviewing the idea and need to do more checks to see how it would work out.
________________________________
And,
Marine scientists are tracking a great white shark in the Gulf of Mexico.
They say she's special because she's traveled farther west in the Gulf of Mexico than any great white shark known before.
LeeBeth is also the champion of "pinging" more than any other shark they've tagged.
Her journey is a big deal because great whites are rare in this part of the sea.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
A long time ago, in the 14th century, people started saying "bless you" when someone sneezed.
sneeze
Bless you!
Thank you.
This began because Pope Gregory the VII, wanted people to say it to him.
He believed it would keep him safe from the Black Plague (黑死病).
In Spanish, you can also say "salud", and in German, "gesundheit!"
Both mean 'good health', as a way to wish the sneezer to stay healthy!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: Taiwan is working with NASA to monitor air pollution, and a runaway train travels over 64 kilometers without a driver.
And in today's tasty tidbit: One of the oldest professions in the world, and it has to do with teeth!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣與美國太空總署合作 監控空氣品質
Taiwan Working With NASA on Asia Air Quality Project
NASA sent a special airplane to Taiwan to help make the air cleaner.
The Ministry of the Environment (環境部) told us all about it.
Wait, hang on a minute.
What's NASA?
NASA stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
It's a government agency in the United States.
It's responsible for researching space.
So if there's aliens out there, NASA will be the first to know about them.
And the Ministry of the Environment?
They're the government folks in Taiwan who are responsible for protecting and conserving the environment.
環境部負責環境和生態保護。
I see.
Anyhow, NASA originally planned to send two airplanes, but one had a problem with its engine.
So only one airplane went to Taiwan.
It's called the Gulfstream G-III.
The G-III flew high in the sky, taking pictures and collecting data.
G-III 飛上高空，拍攝照片並收集資料。
The data and images it collects will help scientists understand pollution better,
它蒐集的資料和圖像會讓科學家更瞭解空氣汙染。
The Ministry of Environment and NASA watched the air in Taiwan for hours.
They looked at central, southern and eastern Taiwan to see if the air is clean.
他們查看了台灣中部、南部和東部，看看空氣是否乾淨。
In addition to the air, they examined the weather and the land as well.
除了空氣外，他們還檢查了天氣和土地。
It was a big project!
The Ministry of the Environment says it will use the information to find ways to keep the air healthy.
It will keep working with NASA.
But it might take a bit of time for the next flight to happen.
________________________________
失控列車 自己行駛了64公里
Runaway train travels 64 kilometers Without Driver
Now, let's head over to India for the next story.
It's about a runaway train that travelled 64 miles without a driver.
A train going by itself without a driver?
Sounds like a ghost story.
聽起來像是鬼故事
I know, right?
But I can assure you no ghosts were involved in this one.
Phew, okay.
真是鬆一口氣。
I can't stomach scary stories.
我不敢聽恐怖故事。
So the train was on its way from Jammu to Punjab in the northwest.
It stopped in Kathua to change crew.
But the driver and his helper alighted (下車), and forgot to apply the handbrake.
他們忘了拉手煞車。
Oh dear.
You might have seen handbrakes in cars.
Handbrakes are normally between the driver's and front passenger's seats.
手煞車通常位於駕駛座和前排的乘客座位之間。
They're often a lever that can be pulled up or pushed down.
Handbrakes stop cars moving when parked.
Now, because the train was parked on a sloping track (火車停在斜坡上) and the handbrake wasn't engaged, you can imagine what happened next.
The train went by itself down the sloping track!
It reached a speed of nearly 100 kilometers per hour.
It moved through around five stations, and travelled over 64 kilometers.
Lots of videos were shared on social media that showed the train zooming past at speed (很快開過去).
Thankfully, railway officials put wood blocks on the tracks, and this helped slow the train down.
Local reporters say the train came to halt in the village of Uchi Bassi.
Officials say no casualties were reported in the incident.
Phew! Talk about good luck.
Now, people are investigating what happened to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Trains are exciting, but we must make sure they are safe too.
India has one of the biggest railway networks in the world.
印度擁有世界上最大的鐵路網絡之一。
It has thousands of kilometers of tracks.
Every day, over 13 million people travel on trains in India, and tons and tons of goods are moved from place to place.
So it's a big responsibility to keep it running smoothly and safely for everyone.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites,
Taiwan partnered with NASA on an air quality project in Asia.
NASA sent a special airplane to Taiwan to help monitor and improve air quality.
The G-III analyzed air, weather and land to find ways to keep air clean and healthy.
Taiwan says it will keep working with NASA.
And,
A train in India traveled over 64 kilometers without a driver.
The driver and his helper forgot to engage the handbrake during a crew change in Kathua.
Because of this and because the train was parked on a sloping track, it took off by itself.
Fortunately, railway officials managed to slow down the train using wood blocks, and no one was hurt.
Investigations are underway to prevent similar incidents in the future.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that one of the oldest professions in the word is dentistry?
Humans have been performing dentistry for over 10 thousand years!
How do we know?
Well, it's all thanks to archaeology!
Archaeologists believe that dental procedures have been practiced since ancient times.
This includes drilling teeth to remove decay or applying substances to soothe toothaches.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
A pangolin pops by the store, and the mystery of whale songs.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
A bird, a TV show host, and a big election! We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode.
________________________________
穿山甲逛台東超商
Pangolin Strolls through Convenience Store
Guess who stopped by a convenience store on World Pangolin Day?
A real-life pangolin (穿山甲)!
That's right, the pangolin is a mammal (哺乳類動物) that lives in Asia and parts of Africa.
They have large scales (鱗片) on most of their bodies.
It's like armor (盔甲), and helps protect them from predators.
And pangolins are the only mammal that have these scales!
They also have long tongues that help them catch ants and termites (白蟻).
Usually, they live in forests.
But recently, one of these armored animals strolled right into a convenience store!
That night, a worker at the store in Taitung County heard the doors open.
And the worker said "Welcome! 歡迎光臨!"
But no one came through the door.
Then he looked down…
And he saw something small and dark.
It was a pangolin!
The worker was shocked.
He was worried the pangolin could get hurt.
So he quickly called police.
店員仔細一看竟發現剛進門的「客人」竟是保育類穿山甲，趕快打電話請求警察協助。
They put the pangolin safely in a box.
And they took the pangolin to a wild animal hospital.
Vets said the pangolin was healthy and could return to the forest.
This is a good reminder that wild animals are…well, wild.
If you ever see one, don't chase or bother them.
Just keep a safe distance, and they'll probably move away on their own.
動保人員說如果遇上野生動物以不打擾為原則，記得保持安全距離。
Protecting wild animals is a team effort.
We can all do our part to keep these amazing animals safe.
________________________________
科學家解開鯨魚歌唱之謎
Whale Song Mystery Solved
Deep beneath the ocean waves…
A symphony unfolds…
But this music doesn't come from instruments made of metal or wood…
This music comes from the throats of giants!
For whales, the ocean is their home…
But it's also their concert hall.
They fill the ocean with their haunting and beautiful songs.
But how do these enormous animals make this amazing music?
Scientists have recently learned the secret behind their underwater melodies.
They looked very closely at baleen whales (鬚鯨).
That includes blue whales, and humpback whales.
These are whales that do not have teeth.
They have plates on their mouth, called "baleen".
They use these plates to catch tiny animals in the ocean.
Baleen whale songs are also amazing.
The blue whale makes the loudest long sounds of any animal.
In fact, their "songs" can be heard hundreds of kilometers away.
But for a long time, we didn't know how baleen whales made these amazing sounds underwater.
Now scientists have learned that baleen whales have a special "voice box".
科學家找到大型鯨魚身上的「語音盒」，這個特殊的結構讓牠們可以在水裡發出奇妙的聲音。
It's big and U-shaped.
And there's a big cushion of fat.
This "voice box" lets the whales "sing" by recycling air.
It also makes sure the whales don't breath in water when they sing.
Scientists say this new discovery is "super-exciting".
But they are also worried.
They know these songs are a "must" for whale survival.
It's the only way baleen whales can find each other to mate (交配) in the ocean.
But the whales often can't hear each other's songs…
Because of the noise made by ships.
Our ocean noise makes it harder for whales to communicate over long distances.
Just imagine trying to tell your friend something…
But everyone around you is shouting!
The scientists hope their findings can help us learn more about whales, and how to protect these endangered giants of the sea.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Recently, a wild pangolin strolled right into a convenience store!
The store worker quickly called police, and the pangolin was taken to an animal hospital.
Vets said the pangolin was healthy and could return to the forest.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have now learned that baleen whales have a special "voice box".
This "voice box" lets the whales "sing" underwater.
The scientists hope their findings can help us learn more about whales, and how to protect these endangered giants of the sea.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Today's Tasty Tidbit is a real hoot!
You ready?
Why does the flamingo lift up one leg?
Because if it lifted both legs it would fall over!
And now, 8 year-old Andy from Xisong Elementary School in Taipei tells us how a TV show host helped some very special birds.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
A new age for stamps, a new way to talk it out, and a tiny sea creature packs a BIG punch.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
中華郵政和集郵的樂趣
Chunghwa Post Hopes to Revive Stamp Collecting
When was the last time you wrote something BY HAND, and sent it through mail?
If you wanted to send a letter halfway around the world, it used to take months!
Now, you can send a message instantly to someone far away with the click of a button.
In the past, many people liked to collect (收集) stamps.
These were small stickers that you stuck onto mail.
It shows how much money you paid to send something.
But now, most people are sending messages online.
And less people collect stamps.
But one company is trying to bring back stamp collecting as a fun hobby!
The Chunghwa Post has a stamp-collecting program.
It sends newly-issued (發行) stamps to subscribers (訂閱者).
Twenty years ago, there were 31,000 long-term subscribers.
But today there are only 15,000 left.
Chunghwa Post says stamps are like a country's "business card" (名片).
It says through stamps, you can learn about a country's history, culture and more.
And sending letters with these stamps to other countries allows others to know more about Taiwan.
The stamps of Taiwan are divided into three categories…
Stamps that are used as postage (郵資), commemorative (紀念性) stamps for special events and special themed stamps.
Chunghwa Post has some ideas to help everyone enjoy stamp collecting.
The company thinks elementary students would have fun collecting stamps.
The company says it has lots of things that students can use.
And they think stamp experts could be invited to schools to tell students about what they know.
Chunghwa Post is also introducing stamps with special themes.
The stamps show famous cartoon characters that many young people like.
雖然集郵的人數減少了許多，但許多收藏家還是非常熱衷於這個活動。
For them, every stamp is a piece of art and history.
________________________________
人工智慧治療師能超越真人嗎？
Can AI Therapists Help Us?
Artificial intelligence has brought a lot of changes for the world.
And more changes may be coming.
Some people believe AI can help mental health.
A woman is going through a hard time.
She just lost her job, and moved back in with her family.
She and her boyfriend have been arguing (吵架) a lot.
The woman wanted some help.
So she tried seeing a therapist (心理治療師) once a week.
She hoped this would help her get through her struggles (困境).
But it wasn't working very well.
She didn't feel she could be totally honest with the therapist.
And she didn't want to burden (負擔) her friends with her problems.
One night, she logged on to a website called "character.ai".
It's a chatbot (聊天機器人) that can talk like a real person.
The woman used the website to build herself a personal psychologist (心裡醫師).
She made the chatbot "caring, supportive and intelligent".
And she talked with the chatbot a few times a week.
When she was worried about finding a job, the chatbot gave her positive reassurance (安慰).
When she couldn't muster (鼓起) the energy to exercise, the chatbot encouraged her.
The woman says she felt like the chatbot was just a normal person talking to her.
And the chatbot "lived" in her cell phone.
It was always patient and always ready to talk.
The woman says she doesn't have to worry about what she says.
Since AI took a huge step through ChatGPT, people have grown used to talking to AI.
Now, millions are using chatbots for emotional needs.
This raises the question, can talking to an AI therapist help us?
There are definitely some advantages (好處).
But experts say there are some downsides (壞處) too.
We might rely (依賴) too much on chatbots.
In the end, it's not a real person.
It might not give appropriate (適當的) advice like a real therapist.
So AI can help us with some emotions.
But we should still get professional help if we need it.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Chunghwa Post is trying to bring back stamp collecting as a fun hobby!
It has a stamp-collecting program.
And it believes through stamps, you can learn about a country's history, culture and more.
And,
Can talking to an AI therapist help us?
There are definitely some advantages, but experts say there are some downsides too.
We should still get professional help if we need it.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Animals make lots of noises. There are some really loud ones. But what's the loudest living animal? Hmm…
Nope. Uh uh. Nope, not that one either.
It's a shrimp!
The Tiger Pistol Shrimp lives in the ocean. It has a special large claw. When it snaps this claw, it makes an air bubble that bursts with a loud CRACK! This crack can be over 200 decibels. That's louder than a gunshot!
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw. You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
Taiwan's gender pay gap becomes smaller, and the Tower of London's new Ravenmaster.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…can you guess which game has more possible moves than the number of stars in the sky?
Keep on listening to find out!
________________________________
性別平等薪水日 今年比去年早達成
Taiwan Marks Earlier Equal Pay Day
The gender pay gap (男女之間的薪水差距) is when women and men get paid differently for doing the same job.
Around the world, women usually earn (賺) less money than men for similar work.
In Taiwan, a special day called Equal Pay Day shows us how long women have to work after the new year to earn what men made the previous year.
台灣有性別平等薪水日，這個日子告訴我們，男子工作一年所賺的錢，女子要一年又五十幾天才能賺到。
This year, that day was February 23rd, which is four days sooner than last year.
今年這個日子在二月23號，比去年提早了四天。
This means women are getting closer to earning the same as men.
But there's still a long way to go.
但是還有很長的路要走。
In 2023, women earned about 14% less than men.
This means they had to work 54 extra days to make the same amount of money.
Women made an average of (平均每小時賺得) NT$318 per hour, while men made NT$373.
Even though the gender pay gap has gotten a bit smaller over time, it got a little worse after COVID-19.
But in 2023, the gap became smaller again.
Especially because more jobs in services (服務業) were available, and many of these jobs were taken by women.
Compared to other places in the world (與世界其他地方相比), Taiwan is doing quite well in making sure men and women are paid more equally.
For example, the pay gap is much larger in Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
The idea of Equal Pay Day started in the United States in 1996.
It was created to help people understand that men and women should be paid the same for the same work.
Taiwan has been marking (標記) this day every year since 2012 to show how it's making pay equal for everyone.
It's a step forward in making sure everyone gets a fair chance (公平對待), no matter if they are a man or a woman.
________________________________
倫敦塔的新烏鴉守護者
The Tower of London's New Ravenmaster
The Tower of London in England (英格蘭) is a place with a lot of history.
It's been a palace (皇宮), a prison (監獄), and even a zoo.
Now, it's a place where lots of tourists come to learn about history and see the Crown Jewels (皇家寶石).
There's a legend that has been told about the tower for centuries.
倫敦塔有一個傳說，已經流傳了好幾個世紀。
It's about a prophecy that says the tower and the British kingdom will face great trouble if the ravens that live there ever leave.
這個預言說，如果住在塔裡的烏鴉離開，倫敦塔和英國將面臨巨大的麻煩。
To prevent this, the Tower assigns a person, called a ravenmaster, to take care of them.
為了防止這種情況發生，倫敦塔指派了烏鴉守護者來照顧牠們。
And this very special job has just been given to Michael "Barney" Chandler.
Chandler is 56 years old, and he is a Yeoman Warder, or "Beefeater" (皇家侍衛).
They wear special uniforms (制服) and look after the tower.
They also guide tours (導覽) and do special ceremonies (進行特別儀式).
Now, he's the new ravenmaster at the Tower of London.
According to the legend, there must always be six ravens at the tower.
Chandler promises that while he's in charge, the number of ravens will never drop below six.
Chandler and his team take care of seven ravens - that's one extra, just in case!
These ravens are name Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar, Branwen and Rex.
They are very smart, almost as clever as a 7-year-old child (幾乎和七歲的小孩一樣聰明)!
Chandler says he loves working with them because they all have different personalities (各有不同的個性).
Chandler makes sure the ravens are healthy and happy.
Even though their feathers are trimmed to keep them from flying away, these clever birds sometimes manage to escape.
即使它們的羽毛被修剪，免得牠們逃走，這些聰明的鳥兒有時候還是會設法逃脫。
Chandler says working with the ravens is never boring because they are so smart and always full of surprises (充滿驚喜).
He's making sure to take care of them well, and keeping the ancient legend alive (維繫這個古老傳說).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Equal Pay Day shows us how long women have to work after the new year to earn what men made the previous year.
This year, Taiwan's Equal Pay Day arrived four days sooner than last year.
This means women are getting closer to earning the same as men.
But there's still a long way to go.
________________________________
And,
Michael "Barney" Chandler is the Tower of London's new ravenmaster.
He has to make sure the number of ravens at the tower never drops below six.
According to an old prophecy, if the ravens ever leave the tower, the British kingdom will face great trouble.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
There are endless possibilities hidden in the game of chess.
There are so many possible moves they outnumber (數量多於) the stars in the sky!
Every time you move a piece, you can choose from thirty-eight different moves next.
In a chess match, each player makes about forty moves.
That means the total number of possible moves is ten to the power of 126.
There are still many chess moves people haven't even thought of yet!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there.
You’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news: Taiwan delves into space exploration, and a passenger plane missing windows.
And in today’s tasty tidbit: The fear of long words.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
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台灣加入「巨型麥哲倫望遠鏡」計畫
Taiwan Teaming Up with Six Countries to Build Giant Magellan Telescope
Taiwan is known for many things.
Among them are high-tech manufacturing, night markets, scenic landscapes …
Don’t forget bubble milk tea.
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.
You know, I haven’t had one of those in a while.
So, have you got any news for us today?
As a matter of fact, I have!
I was about to say …
我正要說呢 …
Taiwan might soon be well-known for its contributions to space exploration.
台灣正在深入太空探索領域.
Isn’t that exciting?
Taiwan is teaming up with six other countries to build something cool.
It's called the Giant Magellan Telescope, or GMT for short.
它叫巨型麥哲倫望遠鏡。
This telescope isn't just any telescope.
It's going to be one of the biggest and best in the whole world!
這架望遠鏡會很厲害的。
It will even be better than the famous Hubble Space Telescope.
You remember what the Hubble Space Telescope is?
It’s basically a super-powered camera in space.
It orbits the Earth and takes really clear pictures of objects in space, like stars, galaxies and planets.
它繞著地球運行，拍攝宇宙中的物體，如星星、星系和行星，拍攝的圖像非常清晰。
It's going to be built in Chile.
When it's finished around the year 2030, it'll be able to take super-detailed pictures of things in space!
Taiwan will be working with six countries on research on this new GMT telescope.
Those are the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel and South Korea.
Taiwan is going to give light sensor parts (光感測器) and super accurate measuring tools (精密測定檢查儀器).
Scientists from Taiwan will also teach them how to do precise laser cutting (精密激光切割).
For Taiwan's astronomers, being part of this project is a dream come true.
Plus, by teaming up with other countries, Taiwan is making new friends in the world of space exploration.
________________________________
飛機窗戶不見
Passenger Plane Missing Window
You won’t believe what happened in this next story.
A plane took off from London, bound for Florida.
It had 11 crew members and 9 passengers on-board.
But two of the window panes (玻璃窗) were completely missing!
What?! No way.
Shortly after take-off the passengers said the cabin seemed noisier and colder than normal.
Crew members investigated, and they discovered a missing window.
But by then, the plane was already 4000 meters in the air!
飛機飛到逾4000公尺高空才發現窗戶不見。
How can no one notice if a window is missing from a plane?
Crazy, right?
So what happened afterwards?
The pilots acted quickly, reducing speed and turning the plane around.
They touched down safely in London.
Thankfully, no one got hurt.
But it was a close call.
Inspectors then examined the craft.
They discovered a second missing window.
They also discovered a dislodged (鬆脫的) window and a window protruding slightly from its frame (稍微突出的).
They later found one of the missing panes on the runway.
But it was shattered.
So how did the windows in the plane end up getting damaged?
It turns out it could’ve been due to a film shoot that took place the day before the flight.
原來可能是跟飛行的前一天一場拍攝有關係的。
Air accident investigators think high-power flood lights on the film set may have damaged the windows.
These are really big and strong lights that are used to brighten up big areas, like a football field at night or a park when it's dark.
They're called "floodlights", because they flood the area with light.
The lights were placed fairly close to the aircraft, and shone on it for over nine hours.
This caused the stuff around the windows to become warped (扭曲的).
The investigators say if things were different, it could've been more serious.
________________________________
So in today’s News Bites,
Taiwan is teaming up with six other countries to build a large telescope.
It’s called the Giant Magellan Telescope.
It will rival the Hubble Space Telescope.
When it’s built, it will be able to take lots of clear pictures of space.
________________________________
And,
A passenger plane with missing and damaged windows took off from London, bound for Florida.
Crew members didn’t discover them until after the plane was over 4000 meters in the air.
Thankfully, the pilots landed the plane safely, and no one was hurt.
Investigators believe that high-powered flood lights from a film set damaged them.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that the fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
Uh, say that again.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
I give up.
This 36-letter word was first used by the Roman poet Horace in the first century BCE, which is around 3 thousand years ago.
Horace used that word to criticize writers who used too many long words.
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Coming up next in today's news:
Taiwan's aging doctor problem, gene-edited pork could be coming to your dining table, and why it's a good idea not to step on ants!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
________________________________
台灣面臨醫生老化的問題
Taiwan's Aging Doctor Problem
Population (人口) aging is one of the main problems of this century (世紀).
It is when the number of older people goes up and the number of younger people goes down for a long time.
This is happening because people are having fewer and fewer children.
In the future, there won't be enough workers for many kinds of jobs.
Doctors are aging too.
Some are worried that there may not be enough doctors in the next ten years.
According to the Taiwan Medical Association (台灣醫療協會TMA), the average age of Taiwanese doctors is over 51.
Doctors in Taiwan are divided into 23 departments.
Obstetricians and gynecologists (婦產科) are the oldest, with an average age of almost 57.
In second place are family doctors, with an average age of 54.
Very close to family doctors are ophthalmologists (眼科), with an average age of almost 54.
The youngest doctors are radiation oncologists (放射腫瘤科), with an average age of almost 47.
TMA says the real problem is not about the age of doctors.
Taiwan currently has 55,000 doctors.
Doctors in Taiwan do not have to retire (退休).
About 1,300 medical students become doctors every year.
The number of doctor deaths each year is less than this number.
TMA says the real problem is the uneven (不平均) number of doctors in different departments.
Some departments do not have enough doctors.
For example, about 400,000 babies were born in Taiwan every year 20 years ago.
However, last year, only about 130,000 babies were born.
Seeing this, young doctors do not choose to be pediatricians (小兒科).
Every year, there are 130 jobs for pediatricians but only around 90 people become pediatricians.
Hoping for more pediatricians, the government (政府) is giving bigger bonuses (獎金) to pediatricians who specialize (專長) in caring for children under four years old.
專家表示，這類的獎勵因該要擴展到所有醫療科系。
This will make sure there are enough doctors in every department.
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基因改良豬肉未來可望上餐桌
Gene-Edited Pork Could Be Coming to Your Dining Table
Ever since scientists discovered gene-editing, it has been used in various fields.
One of them is agriculture (農業).
Gene-editing is used to grow crops (農作物) that are resistant (抵抗) to some diseases (疾病).
Now, scientists want to use gene-editing on other food, for example, meat.
A virus is making some pigs sick.
It can cause pneumonia (肺炎) in baby pigs and stop adult females from having babies.
The virus also makes pigs more vulnerable (脆弱) to bacterial infections (細菌感染).
This virus can cause pig farmers around the world to lose $2.7 billion US dollars a year.
There are vaccines (疫苗) for this virus, but they are not always effective.
Scientists found that the virus looks for part of one gene.
Researchers at a company edited the gene.
Pigs with these edited genes will then have descendants (後代) that are more and more resistant to the virus.
To earn government approval, the company must show that the altered (被改變的) gene is safe.
They must also show that the gene can be passed to descendants and can protect them from the virus.
Some organizations and farmers are excited about the new technology because this virus causes pigs to get sick and farmers to lose a lot of money every year.
However, some animal welfare organizations (動物福利組織) think very differently.
They say that keeping too many animals in one place is the main reason that diseases spread quickly.
專家們擔心如果牲畜都對疾病免疫，那它們就會被圈養在比目前更差的環境。
That's because the animals would not get sick.
They think agribusiness (農業企業) should stop keeping too many animals in one place, not develop gene-edited animals.
If all goes well for the company, they will get government approval next year.
So don't be surprised if you see gene-edited meat at the supermarket in a few years.
________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has an aging doctor problem.
There are actually enough doctors in Taiwan.
The main problem is the uneven distribution of doctors among the departments.
And,
Gene-edited pork could be coming to your dining table.
Scientists are working to make pigs safe from a virus.
Some organizations and farmers are excited about the new technology because this virus causes pigs to get sick and farmers to lose a lot of money every year.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Smelly Ants
What's that smell?!
Oh, that's from ants.
They're those busy little bugs that you sometimes find in your kitchen, looking for food.
When many kinds of ants are angry, in danger, or crushed under your shoe, a very strong smell comes out of them.
Maybe you've smelled trap-jaw ants. Taiwan has them.
They smell like chocolate! Mmmmm…?
Some ants smell like lemons! Oh!
Some smell like vinegar. Ooof!
And some smell like blue cheese or rotten coconuts. Ugh! Pee-ew!
If you see a line of ants, don't step on them!
________________________________
Thank you for listening to today's News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to us at newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome back to News Bites.
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Climate change raises risk of forest fires in Taiwan, and EU farmers’ frustrations grow.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…let’s talk about made-up words!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
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氣候變遷增加台灣森林大火的機率
Climate Change Raises Risk of Forest Fires in Taiwan
Taiwan has magnificent forests and mountains.
Around 60% of the island is covered by forests.
That is over 2 million hectares (公頃), around 20,000 square kilometers.
With so many forests covering the island, it also increases the risk of forest fires.
Although Taiwan is surround by the ocean, there is still a dry season.
It starts from November to April of the following year.
Due to the change of the global climate, experts are predicting it will lead to a greater chance of forest fires.
Researchers from National Chung Hsing University (中興大學) and Utah State University (猶他州立大學) conducted a study.
They predicted that the weather conditions of Taiwan will change in the future.
The team found out that Taiwan’s temperature and wind speed are increasing.
This will reduce humidity (濕度) and cause organic matter in the soil to dry out.
All these would lead to a longer dry season and increase the risk of wildfires.
Dryer leaves and wood and easier to ignite (點燃), and it will spread really fast.
More fire prevention belts (防火林帶) should be constructed in high-risk areas.
With all this information, Taiwan can develop better strategies to diminish (減少) the impact of wildfires.
According to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (農業部林業及自然保育署), 90% of forest fires are due to human factors.
For example, it happens a lot during Tomb Sweeping season.
Many cemeteries (公墓) are in the mountains or near a forest.
One of the traditions is to burn paper money for the ancestors.
If precautions are not taken, a sudden gust of wind can blow the burning papers into the trees.
Other factors include camping, burning trash, discarding a burning cigarette butt and many more.
All these incidents can be avoided.
為了保護台灣美麗的森林，我們必須遵守規定，降低野火的風險。
________________________________
歐盟農夫 集體抗議複雜的規定
EU Farmers’ Frustrations Grow
Earlier in February, tens of thousands of farmers were protesting (抗議) all over Europe.
They demanded protection against cheap imports, and looser (寬鬆的) environmental rules.
Among the demands, there is one that stands out: more respect for farmers.
Over the years, countries around the world have been working hard to be eco-friendly.
The European Union have imposed (實施) strict regulations to various industries, including farming.
On the surface, that might seem like a good thing.
However, according to the farmers, it’s really annoying.
They have to follow the rules and regulations up to the slightest detail.
For example, Dochy, a Belgium farmer, said they have to register all artificial fertilizer (人造肥料) online within 7 days of purchase.
Then, they have to register exactly how it is spread on every single plot of land (在每塊土地上如何施肥).
They have to register how many kilos and how it is distributed.
If there is a slight error, the farmers would be fined.
There are also bureaucratic (官僚的) deadlines imposed on the farmers.
For example, certain crops have to be sown (播種) by September 1st.
Even if the weather is not suitable for sowing, the farmers still have to comply (遵守).
Or they would be placed with a fine.
On Dochy’s computer, there is a government farming program.
He has to register all the statistics (數據) of his farm, fertilizer, pesticides (農藥), production and harvesting.
“They also supervise us with satellite images and even with drones,” he said.
Similar stories come up at all the farmers’ protest all around Europe.
The farmers understand the need for environmental rules.
Dochy says that farmers live by nature, but you can’t control nature.
It looks like there are going to be countless negotiations ahead.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Climate change is raising the risk of forest fires in Taiwan.
The weather is going to be dryer in the future.
This increases the risk of trees and leaves catching fire.
________________________________
And,
EU farmers are growing more and more frustrated with all the new regulations.
They have to follow the rules up to every slightest detail.
They are demanding change from the authorities.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
There are many made up words in English.
Roald Dahl, who wrote "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," made up more than 500 new words and names.
Think about "Oompa-Loompas" and "Scrumdiddlyumptious" – they came from his imagination!
In 2016, the Oxford University Press even made a special dictionary with almost 8,000 words that Dahl liked to use, mixing real and made-up ones.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Kelly Kimura.
In today's stories…
He's definitely real, and "bear-y" polite, and a purple superfood helps power-up our health.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…?
An animal that carries a whole ecosystem on its back?
Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣黑熊「站姿」引發網友熱議
A Bear-y Special Star at the Zoo
Meet "Bobby".
He's a 19-year-old Formosan black bear, and he lives at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung.
But Bobby isn't just your average bear.
Bobby has a "bear-y" special skill (技能).
He stands up and walks like a person!
In fact, Bobby and his skill stole the spotlight earlier this month.
He stood up, and walked slowly towards visitors.
Everyone got very excited.
When he got close to the visitors, Bobby even nodded his head, almost like he was saying "hello"!
Many people started taking photos and videos.
Bobby's behavior (行為) was so surprising, some people wondered if he was really a bear!
Some even joked that Bobby was probably a zoo worker in a bear costume.
高雄壽山動物園的台灣黑熊「波比」站姿太挺直，讓遊客懷疑是不是工讀生假扮。
So many people talked about Bobby, that even Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai shared Bobby's photo online.
The mayor also posted a photo of Bobby eating sugar cane (甘蔗), to show he is a real bear.
This actually isn't the first time that Bobby has stood on two legs to say "hello" to visitors.
He did the same thing just a few years ago, and also left everyone confused.
The mayor of Kaohsiung at that time had to explain things.
She said the bears in Kaohsiung are real.
She said the city doesn't allow "unsafe" behavior at work.
Bobby's tricks are funny.
But he also reminds us of something important, that Formosan black bears are in danger.
Data shows that there are just 200 to 600 Formosan black bears left in the wild in Taiwan.
And they are the only bear species that live in Taiwan's wilderness.
Formosan black bears are an endangered species.
The bears, along with other endemic (特有的) species like the leopard cat and Formosan Pangolin, need our help.
We need to do our part to protect the environment, and all living things!
________________________________
美國推出基改紫色番茄
The Power of the Purple Tomato
Calling all gardeners and fruit lovers!
How would you like to try a tomato that looks like a juicy grape, and packs a superfood punch?
Well, hold on to your watering cans…
Because the Purple Tomato is finally here!
Wait a minute….
Tomatoes are mostly red, orange, or green, right?
Yes, but the Purple Tomato is genetically modified.
It's a genetically modified organism, or GMO (基因改造生物).
But wait!
Don't run away screaming "Frankenfood!" just yet!
This purple fruit isn't a lab monster.
Scientists spent 20 years making the Purple Tomato.
They borrowed some genes from a snapdragon flower.
These genes give the tomato its purple color…
AND, they give the tomato lots of "anthocyanin".
Anthocyanin is good for your health!
It's the same thing that gives blueberries and eggplants their color, and also makes them superfoods.
這種紫色基改番茄帶有兩個取自「金魚草」的基因，讓他含有大量的抗氧化物「花青素」。
Regular red tomatoes that we plant have anthocyanin too.
But it's mostly in the leaf and stems, not in the red tomato itself.
So Purple Tomatoes make it easier to get that anthocyanin into our bodies!
Scientists ran some tests.
They added Purple Tomatoes to food for some mice.
And mice that ate Purple Tomatoes lived 30 percent longer than mice that didn't.
研究人員把一些基改紫番茄加入老鼠的飼料中，結果發現這些老鼠的壽命明顯增長。
The Purple Tomato will be the first GMO crop (農作物) sold directly to home gardeners in the US.
So would you plant these powerful purple superfoods in your garden?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Bobby the 19-year-old Formosan black bear lives at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung.
He stands up and walks like a person!
Many people were amazed, and some even wondered if he was really a bear!
________________________________
And,
Scientists have made a Purple Tomato.
The tomato has lots of "anthocyanin", which is good for your health.
The Purple Tomato will be the first GMO crop sold directly to home gardeners in the US.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit….
They may be slow, like reeealllly sloooooowwwww…..
But sloths carry whole ecosystems in their fur!
That's right, it's like a mini rainforest growing on the sloth's back.
Tiny green algae grows on the fur. This algae is food for little green moths. And tiny beetles love eating these moths!
The sloth gives them a safe place to live on its fur.
But these critters aren't freeloaders!
All these living things help the sloth look and smell like the forest, helping it hide from predators.
And the moths and beetles eat the sloth's dead skin and parasites, helping keep the sloth clean and healthy.
They're like a personal spa for the sloth!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news:
New Taipei has a new way to process food waste, and old stuffed animals are getting a new life!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…you are more than human!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
新北高效堆肥廠試運轉
New Taipei Launches High-Efficiency Composting Plant
What happens to the food we don't eat?
It becomes food waste.
Just one city, New Taipei City, collects over two hundred sixty thousand kilograms of food waste every day!
Now, this city has a new high-efficiency composting plant (高效堆肥廠)!
It's in trial operation (試營運).
From April, this composting plant will turn fifty thousand kilograms of food waste into compost every day!
Food waste can be processed (處理) more quickly.
This cuts down on bad odors from rotting food.
This plant is part of New Taipei's plans to diversify (多樣化) the ways it processes food waste.
The ways include traditional (傳統的) composting, bioenergy (生物能源) production, and innovative methods like black soldier fly breeding (繁殖黑水虻).
The city is working with a major paper mill (造紙廠) to produce bioenergy.
This produces 90% less carbon (碳) than traditional composting!
It processes waste efficiently, and also aligns with net-zero emissions goals (符合淨零排放的目標).
This helps the city make progress in environmental sustainability (環境永續性).
At New Taipei's black soldier fly breeding plant, larvae (幼蟲) process twelve thousand kilograms of waste daily.
The larvae are scavengers (腐食性動物).
They eat anything!
This black soldier fly breeding plant also turns fly larvae into high-quality protein (蛋白質).
The larvae are given to poultry (家禽) and fish to eat.
This adds to circular economy (循環經濟) efforts.
The leftover fiber (廚餘的纖維) from food waste and the black soldier flies' poop can be used to improve soil (改良土壤).
Cities work hard to process food waste.
Food waste is a big problem for Taiwan.
Let's all try not to waste food!
___________________________________________________________
絨毛動物玩具的新生活
A New Life for Stuffed Animals
A woman in England helps the Earth by rescuing (營救) old stuffed animals (填充玩具).
She saves them from becoming dog toys or going into a landfill (垃圾掩埋場).
Many stuffed animals are made with manmade materials (人工材料).
In a landfill, they would take hundreds of years to break down.
The oil, natural gas, and water used to make them would be wasted.
So she made a company.
It's an environmentally friendly adoption agency (收養機構) for stuffed animals!
People give her their old stuffed animals instead of throwing them away.
But they do something special first.
They write a message about the stuffed animal's personality (性格) or life.
Personality??
Yes. Knowing about the stuffed toy's personality helps a new person know if they want to take it home.
When the old stuffed animal arrives at the company, the woman gives it a spa treatment (水療護理).
What?? A spa treatment?
Yes! She washes it with lots of soap.
She sterilizes (消毒) it with steam (蒸氣).
She dries it carefully.
She fluffs up the fur (讓絨毛蓬鬆起來).
She puts in new stuffing
也會裝新的填充物進去。
She sews up holes.
She carefully cleans its eyes.
When the spa treatment is done, the stuffed animal is very clean!
It doesn't always look new, but it's good enough to go to a new home.
The woman says the life and love the stuffed animals had makes them more valuable
(更加珍貴).
She sells these secondhand (二手的) stuffed animals at a big department store!
She puts them in environmentally friendly gift boxes.
She puts the messages about them on the boxes.
The woman also sells some of the stuffed animals on her company's website.
People buy them fast!
The new owners can send her photos and news about their stuffed animal.
She puts these on her website so the old owners can see their stuffed animal's new life!
She thinks that no new stuffed animals need to be made.
There are already so many!
The woman rescues many stuffed animals and gives half of her profits to charity
(把賺來的錢一半捐給慈善機構).
Let's do good things too!
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
New Taipei has a new high-efficiency compost plant.
It will turn 50 thousand kilograms of food waste into compost every day.
___________________________________________________________
And…
A British woman is helping the Earth by saving stuffed animals.
She asks the old owners to write a message about them.
She cleans and sterilizes the stuffed animals and sells them at a department store.
The woman says the life and love they had make them more valuable.
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know there are more bacterial cells (細菌細胞) than human cells in your body?
By number of cells, the average person is about 56% bacteria!
Does that sound like a lot?
Before a 2016 study, scientists thought we were 90% bacteria!
Bacteria are very, very light.
So by weight, we are more than 99.7 percent human.
The bacteria of the average adult weighs about 200 grams in total.
Human males have 40 trillion bacterial cells.
Most of them are where food travels through the body.
Scientists say these bacteria are necessary for health.
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw.
You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys, it's time for a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's episode: Two students find something amazing in Hualien, and Kobe the dog saves his neighborhood.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Fruit that's radioactive.
Stay tuned for more on these stories coming up next.
________________________________
花蓮發現古代珠寶
Students Find Ancient Jewelry in Hualien
Do you like to wear jewelry (珠寶)?
It can look beautiful when you put it on.
Sometimes I wear a necklace (項鍊) around my neck.
I also want to wear earrings (耳環).
But I'm afraid to get my ears pierced (穿耳洞).
People have been wearing jewelry like necklaces and earrings for a long time.
Have you heard about the students who found some mysterious (神秘的) jewelry in Hualien?
The two girls study at Tsing Hua (清華) University.
Recently, they went to help out at the Hualien Archeological Museum (花蓮縣考古博物館).
They had internships (實習) at the museum.
That means they got a chance to help the museum and gain some experience.
But on their first day, something incredible happened.
They were searching an archaeological site near Hualien, when they found something buried in the ground.
It looked like a piece of jade.
學生在考古遺址中發現了埋在地下的一塊玉石。
One of the students recognized the thing from her textbook.
It was a piece of jewelry, and it looked very old.
In fact, the jade jewelry was 2,700 years old.
It started as a jade earring.
The jade it was made of came from Taiwan.
The earring was carved into a shape that was half person and half animal.
Such a thing was rare and valuable.
耳環雕刻成半人半獸的造型，十分罕見，很有價值。
So the person who wore it must have been important.
But at some point, the earring was broken.
It also had a hole cut in it, to put a string through.
The students think that when the earring broke, it was attached to a string to become a necklace.
But that was all thousands of years ago.
I wonder how long it was in the ground before the students discovered it?
Good thing it was finally found.
還好終於被發現了。
Now anyone can see this ancient jewelry.
Just go to the Hualien Archaeological Museum to check it out.
________________________________
聰明狗狗 及時阻止瓦斯外洩
Dog Saves Neighborhood From Gas Leak
Have you ever smelled a gas leak (瓦斯外洩)?
You might smell it if you accidentally leave the gas stove on.
It's stinky, with a smell like rotten eggs (臭雞蛋的味道).
It's also dangerous.
Gas can catch fire easily.
If there's a lot of it, the gas can even cause an explosion (爆炸).
A gas leak can also come from a broken pipe (破損的瓦斯管).
That's what recently happened in the US city of Philadelphia.
It could have caused a serious disaster…
…but it didn't, thanks to one smart dog.
Woof! Woof!
So what's the story?
It started when a woman saw her dog Kobe digging a hole in her yard.
一位女士看到她的狗狗Kobe在院子裡挖洞。
The woman thought it was so strange.
Kobe was a good dog, and he didn't usually dig holes.
It turns out, there was a gas leak under the hole.
It was coming from a gas pipe underground.
If the gas leak caught on fire, it could have blown up the whole neighborhood.
如果瓦斯外洩著火，整個街區都可能被炸毀。
And Kobe was the one who smelled the leak.
Somehow, the dog knew something was wrong.
Philadelphia city workers came to fix the pipe, and the woman made a video for social media.
People from around the world loved the story of the hero dog Kobe.
女子在社群媒體上發布了一段影片，網友都愛Kobe的故事。
One person commented, "This is beautiful. Dogs are SO SMART and so is mom."
Another person said, "That dog saved lives. Give him a medal (獎牌)."
Now, the woman wants to spread the message to everyone.
If you smell a gas leak, let somebody know.
Remember, it smells like rotten eggs.
It could be a matter of life and death (生死交關).
You might save your neighborhood, just like Kobe saved his.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites,
Two students found some ancient jewelry in Hualien.
They found it during their internship at the Hualien Archaeological Museum.
It was a piece of ancient jade that used to be an earring and a necklace.
And,
A dog in Philadelphia saved his neighborhood from a gas leak.
Kobe dug a hole to let people know where the gas leak was.
If not for Kobe, the whole neighborhood could have exploded.
________________________________
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that bananas are radioactive (放射性)?
Bananas contain a small amount of potassium (K/鉀).
Some of this is potassium-40, which is radioactive.
But don't worry.
It's not harmful in such a small amount.
In fact, you would have to eat thousands of bananas in a short time to receive a dangerous dose of radiation from them.
Even a greedy guzzler (貪吃的人) wouldn't be able to do that.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Helping turtles too much might not be good for the environment, and an old book becomes valuable treasure.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…can you imagine standing for 12 years?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
海龜麻煩：幫助一個可能傷害另一個
Turtle Trouble: Helping One Can Harm Another
Nature is like a finely tuned orchestra (合作無間的管弦樂團), where each animal plays an important role.
Each one has a special job that helps everything live together in peace (和平共處).
But sometimes, when people try to help, they can accidentally cause problems (意外地造成問題).
Scientists have discovered something interesting about sea turtles and their eggs on Orchid Island (蘭嶼).
For many years, people have been trying to protect these turtles and their eggs from being eaten by other animals.
多年來，人們努力保護這些海龜和牠們的蛋不要被其他動物吃掉。
They did this to help more baby turtles reach (爬到) the ocean.
However, a new study shows this might not be the best idea (這可能不是最好的主意).
Sea turtles are very important to Orchid Island.
They lay their eggs on the beach (在沙灘上產蛋), which helps bring food from the ocean to the land.
This food is not just for the baby turtles, but for other animals too.
But because people wanted to save the turtles, they put up fences (圍籬) to keep other animals away from the eggs.
This made it hard for some animals, like snakes, to find food.
These snakes used to eat turtle eggs, but with the fences up, they started eating lizard eggs instead.
這些蛇過去吃海龜蛋，但圍籬設立之後，蛇開始吃蜥蜴蛋。
This change has made it difficult for lizards to survive (生存) on the island.
The number of lizards has gone down a lot because there are not enough eggs for the snakes to eat.
由於蛇沒有足夠的蛋吃，蜥蜴的數量大大減少。
The scientists think we need to find a better way to help sea turtles without hurting other animals.
They suggest that letting some of the turtle eggs be eaten by other animals might actually be good.
他們說讓其他動物吃掉一些海龜蛋，實際上可能有好處。
This way, the food from the ocean can still help the land, and all animals can have enough to eat.
Helping one animal might cause problems for another if we're not careful.
________________________________
舊書換來千金
Old Book Turns Pennies into Thousands
Imagine finding a treasure in a place you least expect.
想像一下在最不可能的地方找到寶藏。
Sometimes, things that don't look special at first can turn out to be very valuable (很有價值).
Once upon a time, almost 30 years ago, someone found a very special book in a second-hand shop (二手店) in south London.
It was a rare version (稀有版本) of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," the first book about a famous young wizard named Harry Potter.
This wasn't just any book, but a "proof copy," (校對本) which means it was made before the final version to check for mistakes.
The best part?
It was bought for just a few coins (只花了幾枚硬幣就買到), along with two other books for only 40 British pence.
That's about 15NT for three books!
For years, the person who bought the book didn't think it was anything special.
It was just another book on the shelf.
它只是書架上的另一本書。
But then, they learned that some Harry Potter books were selling for a lot of money.
So, they decided to sell this special book at an auction (拍賣會).
And guess what?
This old book that cost pennies was sold for 11,000 British pounds!
這本僅花幾毛錢買到的舊書賣了一萬一千英鎊！
With extra charges (額外的費用), the total came to 14,432 pounds.
That's just over 578,000 NT.
A private buyer (私人買家) in the U.K. decided to buy it.
The book even had a little mistake inside.
書內甚至有一個小錯誤。
It says the author is "J. A. Rowling" instead of "J.K. Rowling."
This mistake makes the book even more unique.
This proof copy started the whole Harry Potter magic for people all around the world.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Scientists have discovered that overprotecting sea turtles and their eggs on Orchid Island might not be a good idea.
Because people wanted to save the turtles, they put up fences to make it hard for some animals to eat them.
But now, these animals started eating lizard eggs instead.
This change has made it difficult for lizards to survive on the island.
________________________________
And,
Almost 30 years ago, someone found a rare version of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in a second-hand shop in south London.
It was originally bought for about 15NT, along with two other books.
Recently, the book was sold at an auction for just over 578-thousand NT in total.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know there are people called standing babas in Indian culture?
They make a promise to never sit, lay down, or squat for twelve years!
They do this to reach a special kind of spiritual understanding that you can't get if you sit down.
During the day, they rest their arms on a small hammock, and at night, they rest their torso…but always keep one leg on the ground.
I wouldn't be able to stand it!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Kelly Kimura.
and I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
More robots and drones for firefighters, air pollution makes flowers smell less appealing to pollinators and the reason why your dog tilts its head when you're talking to it.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
政府將為消防員採購機器人與無人機
More Robots and Drones for Firefighters
Being a firefighter is an honorable (光榮的) job that comes with lots of risks.
They are one of the first responders (急救員) to respond to various emergencies.
They save lives while putting their own lives in danger.
That's why they need lots of special equipment to help protect themselves.
Thanks to the advancement of technology, there are now many inventions that can help firefighters with their rescue missions.
The government plans to invest $1.1billion NT to procure specialized firefighting gear.
There will be 88 firefighting robot vehicles and 88 drones equipped with infrared (紅外線) sensors.
The equipment will be deployed by 22 firefighting units across the country.
When responding to a factory fire, firefighters sometimes have little information about the interior of the factory.
A robot vehicle could be sent in to gather various kinds of information.
They can scan for survivors, detect hazardous (有毒) materials and gas, and gather details of the floor plan (平面圖).
They can also douse (澆熄) flames with water.
For an emergency in a tunnel, the robot would also be able to gather valuable information.
Other than building fires, firefighters also have to cope with emergencies in natural landscapes.
This is where the drones come in.
During forest fires, the drones would be able to provide real-time images to rescue workers on the ground.
They would also be crucial for locating distressed trekkers in the mountains, or even for locating shipwreck (船難) survivors in the water.
長久以來，災難現場的有限資訊造成了許多消防員的受傷。
The government hopes that this equipment can protect the safety of these first responders.
________________________________
空氣污染減少花香對授粉者的吸引力
Air Pollution Makes Flowers Smell Less Appealing to Pollinators
Pollinators (授粉者) are essential to our eco-system.
Bees, birds, butterflies and many other animals are responsible for helping plants reproduce.
Without them, our food supply would collapse (崩壞).
That's why experts around the world are asking farmers reduce the use of pesticides (農藥).
The pesticides not only kill pests but also bees.
A recent study shows that air pollution is also affecting pollination.
Researchers found out that emissions (排放) from cars and factories are breaking down
(分解) wild plant fragrances (香氣).
The fragrance from plants is essential for attracting pollinators.
The experiment studied the interaction between primroses (晚櫻) and hawk moths (天蛾).
Primroses are wildflowers that only bloom (開花) at night.
The hawk moth is a nocturnal (夜行性) insect pollinator.
The researchers first captured air samples that contained the flower's fragrance.
Back at the lab, they analyzed the fragrance and reconstructed the chemical components that attract the moths.
They then made an artificial flower that contains these chemicals.
The researchers also put pollutants on the flower.
The fake flower was placed in a wind tunnel with a healthy flower.
The team then released two species of hawk moth into the tunnel.
One species reduced visitation of the fake flower by 50%.
The other species stopped visiting the polluted flower completely.
The team also placed their polluted flower in a field of healthy primroses.
The visitation of moths to the polluted flower fell by 70% in one night.
This would drastically (大幅) reduce the seed production of the primroses.
In the final stage of the experiment, the team designed computer models.
The model analyzed how plant scents interacted with air pollution.
They found out that air pollution has reduced the distance pollinators can detect scents by 50%.
It is happening in most cities around the world.
This phenomenon is known as "sensory pollution (感官污染)," which means artificial elements are messing with animal senses.
專家表示，他們需要更深入的研究來了解這個現象是否也影響其他物種。
One thing for sure is that humans need to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The government plans to buy 88 robots and 88 drones, to be deployed by 22 firefighting units across Taiwan.
This equipment will greatly improve the safety of firefighters responding to fires and other emergencies.
And,
Air pollution makes flowers smell less appealing to pollinators.
Chemicals in the air are messing with the hawk moths' ability to sense a flower.
This is happening around the world to pollinators.
Humans need to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Do you have a dog?
Does your dog's head tilt (傾斜) when you're talking to him?
If it does, he's trying to find out where sounds are from faster.
He's also trying to find words he knows, like "sit" or "lie down."
He's listening to how you are speaking to him too. Are you happy? Angry?
Some dogs don't tilt their heads very much.
They listen for sounds less.
But they're looking at you more!
They want to find out the same things!
Whether your dog is tilting his head or not, he wants to understand what you're saying and feeling.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
Thank you for listening to today's News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw. You might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to a brand new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Changhua becomes more digital, and a Spanish song inviting friends to come over and play goes viral!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…let's talk about French time!
Keep on listening to learn more.
________________________________
數位化校園的數位學生證
Smart IDs for Smarter Schools
Smartphones, smart TVs, smart vacuums, smart washing machines…
智慧手機、智慧電視、智慧吸塵器、智慧洗衣機…
…smartwatches, smart lights, smart refrigerators…
…智慧手錶、智慧燈光、智慧冰箱…
…and, well, the list goes on.
Smart technology is everywhere!
Every day, we use technology to chat with friends, find information, and even order food.
It makes things faster, easier, and sometimes, more fun.
As technology grows, it's becoming a big part of how we learn and communicate at school too.
And in Changhua County, schools have been getting a cool tech update (科技升級)!
The county has introduced digital student IDs (數位學生證) in 212 schools.
It's making daily school life easier and more fun for everyone.
Imagine this: With just a tap (嗶) of your digital ID, beep you can check in and out of school, borrow books from the library, and even get discounts (折扣) on buses and bikes.
That's super convenient (方便).
County Magistrate Wang Hui-mei (彰化縣長王惠美) showed off these new IDs at Yongjing Elementary School (永靖國小).
She explained how these IDs work with a special app called彰化校園e指通or "Campus e-Zhitong".
This app connects schools, teachers, and parents, making sure everyone know what's happening at school.
But there's more!
These digital IDs aren't just for show (不僅僅是為了好看).
They help parents keep an eye on their kids' school attendance (上學情況) and even how they spend their pocket money (零用錢).
For kids who need a little extra help, there's also a feature for digital meal vouchers (數位餐券), making lunchtime easier.
Changhua County is also looking to the future by setting up special centers for AI and technology learning (AIoT智慧聯網教育中心).
This means kids can get hands-on with the latest tech (親自體驗最新科技).
Changhua County is leading the way in making schools smarter and safer.
With these digital IDs and the e-Zhitong app, going to school just got a whole lot more exciting.
________________________________
流行歌曲席捲全球
Catchy Tune Takes over the World
When something becomes super popular overnight, we say it "went viral" (走紅).
Lots of people want to go viral nowadays.
Everyone secretly wants to become a superstar.
When Christell Rodriguez was five-years-old, she wanted to be a singer.
She participated on a TV talent show in 2003, and sang a catchy song called 'Dubidubidu'.
她參加了電視達人秀，唱了一首朗朗上口的歌曲「Dubidubidu」。
The song, which talks about driving around and inviting friends over, became a big hit (熱門歌曲) in her home country, Chile (智利).
But as time went by, people started to forget about it.
Fast forward to now, 20 years later, and Christell's song is making a surprise comeback!
20年後，Christell的歌曲意外地回歸了！
Thanks to the power of the internet, social media, and music streaming services (音樂串流服務), 'Dubidubidu' is being loved all over again.
This time, it's not just in Chile, but in countries like Japan, Germany, Finland, and South Korea.
It even reached number one on Spotify's Viral Top 50 in Japan!
它甚至在日本Spotify的Viral Top 50中，排名第一！
Christell was surprised to see her song become popular again.
She found out when she saw a video of a cat moving its head to her song that people were sharing online.
Now, she's excited that more and more people will enjoy her song and share it on social media.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
In Changhua County, schools have been getting a tech update.
The county has introduced digital student IDs in 212 schools.
Students can check in and out of school, borrow books from the library, and even get discounts on buses and bikes using their smart IDs.
________________________________
And,
A Chilean girl named Christell is going viral for a song she sang 20 years ago!
She participated on a TV talent show in 2003, and sang a catchy song called 'Dubidubidu'.
The song talks about driving around and inviting friends over.
The song is popular in Japan, Germany, Finland, and South Korea.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The way we think about time is standardized.
We know there are 60 seconds in one minute, 60 minutes in one hour, and 24 hours in a day.
But did you know there was a different way people thought about time?
During the French Revolution, the government of France used the "French Republican Calendar."
For 12 (Gregorian) years, there were 100 seconds in a minute, ten hours in a day, ten weeks in a month, and twelve months in a year.
They used a decimal system for time, so an hour had 100 minutes, and a minute had 100 seconds.
How would you spend a 10-hour day?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news…
A non-emergency with a big price tag, and fairytale ending for a mermaid dog.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
How does our air get hotter than the Sun? We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
旅客害火車急煞 最高恐罰100萬
Sleepy Passenger Gets Emergency Brake Blues
Ah…taking the train can be such a relaxing way to travel…
Unless somebody pulls the emergency brake!
Someone on a super-fast train in Taiwan hit the "big red button".
But it wasn't exactly for an emergency.
Police say the man from Taitung was on an EMU3000 train.
The train was going from Taitung to Hualien County.
And the man fell asleep…and missed his stop.
So what did he do?
He got up and pulled the emergency brake!
這位睡過頭的旅客擅自轉動車長閥，導致列車臨停台東金崙站。
The train came to an unplanned stop at Jinlun Station.
But now, this snoozing passenger may face a hefty fine…maybe up to $1 million NT!
That's definitely more than the cost of a ticket!
鐵路警察局表示，任意操控鐵路站、車設備，或以他法妨害系統設備正常運作，可裁處1萬元以上、100萬元以下罰鍰。
Fortunately the train wasn't damaged (受損).
Everyone on the train had to get off.
They had to take another train to get to their stop.
But at least no one was hurt.
So what should you do if you miss your stop on the train?
Railway police say you can ask the conductor for help.
They say the emergency brake is ONLY for emergencies!
Using that for any other reason is breaking the law.
鐵路警察局呼籲，搭乘列車應遵守秩序，若不小心過站，可以向列車長尋求協助。
________________________________
美人魚小黑狗 重獲新生
Ariel the Mermaid Dog Gets Her Happy Ending
A dog named after a princess has found her happy ending!
The black puppy was found abandoned (丟棄) in a parking lot in the UK.
But she was just a little different from other puppies.
She had six legs!
英國一隻11週大的小狗天生擁有6條腿，被棄在一間超市的停車場。
Her rescuers named her "Ariel", because her two extra legs looked a little like a mermaid's tail.
Vets checked her over.
They said Ariel was mostly healthy.
But she needed an operation (手術) to remove her extra legs, or they could hurt her in the future.
The vets said they had never seen a puppy quite like Ariel.
The surgery to remove her extra legs would cost around $9,000 US dollars.
But her rescuers did not have that much money.
They posted Ariel's story online.
Word about the mermaid dog spread around the world.
And everyone wanted to help.
In the end, Ariel got more than $19,000 US dollars in donations.
Two vets worked on Ariel for her surgery.
It was very complicated, and they had to be very careful.
But in the end, they left Ariel with four working legs.
Ariel的手術過程很順利，隔天就能起來走動、吃吃喝喝了。
The puppy is now resting and getting stronger in a foster home (寄養家庭).
Her foster family is helping her practice using her legs.
They say she is already playing and eating, and is a very happy puppy!
And more than 200 people have asked about adopting (領養) Ariel.
They hope Ariel can soon find her furever home!
________________________________
So, in today's news…
A man on a train fell asleep and missed his stop.
He pulled the emergency brake to stop the train!
But now, this snoozing passenger may face a hefty fine…maybe up to $1 million NT!
________________________________
and…
Ariel the six-legged puppy was found abandoned in a parking lot in the UK.
She had surgery, and now has four working legs.
Her foster family hopes she can soon find her furever home.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
What's faster than fast and hotter than hot?
Sometimes when things are super-fast, we say they're "as fast as lightning". But lightning is not just fast folks!
A single bolt can heat the air around it to five times hotter than the Sun's surface!
So that blinding flash, and then the ear-splitting thunder? That's the air itself exploding from the heat!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there. You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram, I'm Nancy Sun and I'm Ron Stuart!
Welcome to the show, Ron.
In today's news: Mountain trekkers ask fire bureau to deliver food and hermit crabs are using trash as shells.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Almonds and peaches! Oh!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
登山客請消防局外送食物
Mountain Trekkers Ask Fire Bureau to Deliver Food
In the past, firefighters in Taiwan had to do everything.
Other than putting out fires, they even had to catch snakes and remove beehives.
In order to lighten the workload (減少工作量), animal-related issues were assigned (指派) to local agriculture bureaus (農業局).
This allowed firefighters to focus mainly on what they do best: Putting out fires (滅火).
A while ago, the Nantou County Fire Bureau received a call asking them to deliver food.
The call came from a group of mountain trekkers who had ran out of food.
Mountain trekkers out of food, eh?
I guess they didn't have any "lembas bread" with them.
Or maybe a greedy guzzler (貪吃的人) in the group ate the whole lot!
Uh, what bread?
Lembas bread!
That's how Frodo and Sam made it to Mordor.
那是電影《魔戒》裏面，兩個哈比人佛羅多和山姆吃的麵包。
They lived off of lembas bread, which can stay fresh for months.
Uh, lembas bread is from Lord of the Rings, Jake.
I don't think it exists in real life.
That's disappointing.
Anyhow, after making sure the trekkers were not in any danger or had any medical emergencies, the Bureau refused the request to deliver food.
"There ain't no rest for the wicked," as the saying goes.
Likewise, there ain't no food delivery in the mountains.
But boy, them trekkers got some nerve.
他們好大膽！
Imagine askin' fire folks to deliver yo lunch!
The trekkers were taking on the famous South Third Section (南三段).
It's an arduous trail (陡峭的步道) across the Central Mountain Range (中央山脈).
Usually it takes about 10 days.
They originally planned to finish their trek at the village of Dongpu (東埔) in Nantou county.
However, the group met the recent cold wave which brought freezing weather to the mountains.
I'm still feelin' the chill from that cold wave.
No, wait! It's just the air con.
Oh! …
The trails at high altitudes (高海拔的地方) were frozen.
This slowed down the group, meaning they could not make it to their destination on time.
They did not prepare enough food for the extra days.
As a result, the leader of the group called the fire bureau and asked them to deliver food.
After the bureau refused, the leader then called companies in Nantou that specialize in mountain trekking services.
They provided guides and porters (搬運工) who could carry food and supplies to their site.
The fire bureau also kept in contact with the trekking group to make sure they got to their destination safely.
Remember, folks, it's not a good idea to misuse emergency services.
________________________________
全球百分之六十的寄居蟹 以垃圾為家
Hermit Crabs Using Trash as Shells Across the World
Have you ever seen a hermit crab?
They are usually small crabs that use marine snail shells (海蝸牛的殼) as protection.
Over the past decade, pictures and videos of hermit crabs using human litter as homes have been circulating the internet.
They use anything they can find: Lego pieces, bottle caps, soda cans and many more such items.
Who da heck be throwin' Lego in the trash?
I mean, come on, folks!
Recently, researchers have used these internet sightings to conduct an analysis (分析).
They tried to find out how often hermit crabs repurpose our waste.
他們想知道，寄居蟹如何使用人類製造的垃圾。
The study identified 386 instances (實例) of crabs wearing shells taken from trash.
Out of the 16 species of terrestrial hermit crabs (陸生寄居蟹) identified, 10 were spotted wearing trash.
This behavior occurred in every tropical region (熱帶區域) on the planet.
The researchers scoured through thousands of hermit crab pictures and videos on the internet.
They found out that 85% of the chosen trash was plastic.
Metal, glass and other materials comprised the remaining 15%.
There are a few theories as to why the crabs are making homes out of human trash.
One of them is the decline of the number of marine snail shells.
A reason for this might be humans picking up the shells off shores and using them as souvenirs (紀念品).
Whoopsie…
Therefore the crabs may be turning to plastic as it's more readily available.
However, there aren't enough statistics (數據) to support this theory at the moment.
Phew! Dodged a bullet there…
Other experts suggested the crabs preferred plastic, as it's lighter and easier to carry.
But they have not yet studied the effects trash shells have on the crabs.
Nevertheless, they are confident plastic pollution inside our ocean is seriously damaging the ecosystem.
A study in 2019 showed more than half a million hermit crabs die each year after getting stuck in bottles and other trash.
Alright, folks! Let's make more of an effort to recycle, reuse and repurpose plastic waste.
________________________________
So in today's news,
Mountain trekkers ask fire bureau to deliver food.
The trekkers were slowed down due to the cold front and ran out of food.
The fire bureau responded that food delivery is not included in their emergency services.
And,
Hermit crabs are using trash as shells across the world.
This phenomenon has been spotted in every tropical region on earth.
Experts warn plastic pollution is damaging the eco-system.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know almonds are a member of the peach family?
Wait, what?! No way!
The family is scientifically known as Rosaceae.
Ain't nobody goin' to remember that.
This botanical family encompasses a diverse range of plants, including not only peaches and almonds but also cherries, apricots, plums and even roses.
Almonds and peaches may seem different in appearance and taste, but they share common ancestry and genetic characteristics.
You learn something new every day.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
How tall must you be to become a firefighter?
And scientists find some very, very old chewing gum.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…have you seen a frog being sick?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
女子因消防員身高要求 控訴政府違憲
Woman Challenges Government over Firefighter Rules
Firefighters (消防員) have a hard job.
They face danger all the time.
But people respect them, because of the work they do.
For some young people, it is a dream to become a firefighter.
They want to help others and serve their community.
有些人夢想成為消防員，這樣可以幫助別人。
For example, there is a woman named Chen (陳).
She wants to become a firefighter.
Chen took the certification test (消防人員考試), and she passed it.
There's only one problem…
The government says she is too short for the job.
They say a women needs to be at least 160 centimeters tall to become a firefighter.
政府規定，女性身高必須至少達到 160 公分才能成為消防員。
But Chen is only 158.9 centimeters tall.
That means she is 1.1 centimeter too short.
So the government did not accept her for the job.
Now, Chen is suing the government (控告政府).
She has brought her case to the Constitutional Court (憲法法院).
This special court decides if the country's laws follow the constitution.
The constitution protects people's rights (人民的權利).
It gives everyone the right to work in government.
That's why Chen says the height requirement is a form of discrimination.
陳說，身高要求是一種歧視。
However, the government does not agree.
They say the height requirement is important.
The rules make sure firefighters are strong enough to do their job.
What's more, they say if the firefighters are too short, it may be dangerous for public safety or for other firefighters.
Still, Chen insists (堅持) that the rule is not fair between men and women.
Men must be 165 centimeters tall to join, and 90% of men meet this requirement.
But women must be 160 centimeters tall to join, and only 45% of women are.
That's why Chen thinks the law is not balanced (不平衡).
The Constitutional Court will listen to both sides carefully.
They will make a decision by this summer.
Then Chen will know if she can become a firefighter, or if she really is too short for the job.
________________________________
科學家研究有一萬年歷史的口香糖
Scientists Study Chewing Gum from 10,000 Years Ago
Have you ever found some old chewing gum (口香糖)?
I found this gum under my chair.
Gross (噁心)! It looks like someone was chewing on it, and then just left it there.
I wonder who it was…
Scientists in Sweden (瑞典) recently found something like that.
It was gum someone had been chewing on.
But that gum was ten thousand years old.
Now, scientists are studying it to learn more about how people lived long ago.
The gum is black and covered in teeth marks (牙齒印記).
Scientists say it's made of tree resin (樹脂).
They think people chewed the gum to use as a kind of glue (黏合劑).
After they chewed it, they could use it to make tools.
Other scientists think they used the gum as a medicine.
They found it buried next to some bones in the ground.
科學家發現口香糖埋在一些骨頭旁邊。
But the interesting part is, the scientists found DNA on the ten-thousand year old gum.
That told them the gum was chewed by teenagers (青少年).
Scientists could also learn about the teenager's diet (飲食習慣).
The DNA showed that the teenagers ate trout meat and deer meat.
They also ate apples and hazelnuts.
DNA顯示青少年吃了鱒魚肉、鹿肉、蘋果、榛果。
Scientists think this discovery is amazing.
This DNA from the gum is the only way scientists can know for sure what people used to eat.
They were surprised by how many different things people used to eat.
It seems like ancient people had a rich diet.
But there was some bad news, too…
The DNA on the gum showed that one of the teenagers had a bad tooth infection (嚴重的牙齒感染).
The scientists guess her teeth fell out soon after she chewed the gum.
Maybe, in the past, people didn't know how to brush their teeth.
過去人們也許不知道怎麼刷牙。
Whatever the case, it's so cool to think your gum could tell future people all about your life.
Maybe, in 10,000 years, people will find your gum.
What will it say about you?
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
The government says you need to be 160 centimeters tall to be a firefighter.
But one woman who is shorter says the rule is not fair.
She wants to be a firefighter, and the Constitutional Court is hearing her case.
________________________________
And,
Scientists found some old gum from 10,000 years ago.
It was chewed by ancient teenagers.
Scientists used DNA from the gum to learn what the teens used to eat.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When you eat something that's been sitting out for too long, you might feel a bit nauseous.
Sometimes, you might even get rid of the bad microbes you ate by throwing up, or vomiting.
But did you know…frogs CAN'T vomit?
When a frog eats something toxic, it throws up its entire stomach!
Like turning a pocket inside out, the frog will dump out its stomach…
…wipe it clean to remove toxic food…
…and then put it back inside its body.
Wild!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news…
Play to sharpen your mind, and swipe your palm to pay.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
14,998, 14,999…annnnnd 15,000! What have we done for the day? We'll explain at the end of the episode!
________________________________
台北長照中心徵麻將志工
Mahjong Mania Helps Seniors
Did you hear this sound over the Lunar New Year holiday?
Mahjong is a big part of game culture in many parts of the world, especially in Asia.
The game was developed in 19th century China, during the Qing Dynasty (清朝).
The word "Mahjong" means "sparrow" in southern Chinese dialect (方言).
Many say that the name refers to the bird-like sound the tiles make when reshuffling (洗牌).
Over the years, the game grew popular in Asia.
It also became popular in western countries.
It's mostly a game for 4 players.
They use up to 144 tiles, all with different symbols and numbers.
Each player tries to collect the strongest set of tiles to win.
There are many different ways to win.
Each player has to plan carefully.
They also have to pay attention to what other players are doing.
And this is why some research says playing mahjong may help elderly people who have mild cognitive impairment (輕度認知障礙).
A long-term care center in Taipei was looking for volunteers.
They wanted these volunteers to play mahjong with the elderly.
They were looking for seniors aged 65 years or older, and college students.
Students who volunteered could also get credits for school.
The center planned to take 5 volunteers.
But within a week, they got hundreds of applications (申請)!
More seniors are now taking classes to play mahjong.
研究顯示打麻將能為長輩帶來許多的益處。
Playing mahjong requires lots of focus, calculation and coordination (協調性).
All these challenges can help fight the symptoms of dementia (失智).
And, as it is a 4-player game, you need to interact (互動) with people, which also helps fight dementia.
This helps lower the possibility of depression (憂鬱) and improve mental health.
For the seniors that are disabled and have difficulty leaving their house, online mahjong is also an alternative (替代方案).
Who would have expected that a traditional game could help the well-being of the elderly?
________________________________
付錢只要"刷掌"?
Just Swipe Your Hand to Pay
Nowadays, people can do almost anything with a swipe of their cards or phones.
They do this for rides on public transportation, or to pass through security at their offices.
What if you can do all these things…with just a swipe of your hand?
The technology of biometric scanning (生物辨識) is not new.
Face, fingerprints, even retinal (視網膜) scanning have been on the market for some time.
But they have only been used in specific areas.
Now, a company in China wants to make palm scanning (刷掌) mainstream.
Tencent, the company that owns Wechat, is launching a palm payment system in China.
For traditional palm scanning, users press their palm on machines to scan.
But after the COVID-19 pandemic, some people do not want to do this.
Tencent's system uses infrared (紅外線) cameras to look at palm prints and the veins (靜脈) under the skin.
The users only have to hold their hands over the sensor.
The company says the system is like facial recognition (臉部辨識).
But they also say it is more accurate (準確).
The company says people can look a lot like each other, like twins.
But even twins have different palm prints and veins.
The company thinks the system can save people the trouble of carrying physical items (實體).
Currently, more than 1,500 shops in Guangdong, China are using the system.
However, experts have warned that technology like this is risky.
The system would store a lot of important data about people.
That data could be stolen by cybercriminals (網路犯罪份子).
Other experts say that this technology could also be used to monitor (監控) people.
The system would make it very easy to track where you go, and what you do.
Do you think this technology is a tool or a danger?
你覺得這種科技為人類生活帶來的是方便還是危險?
________________________________
So, in today's news…
A long-term care center in Taipei was looking for volunteers to play mahjong with the elderly.
Playing mahjong requires lots of focus, calculation and coordination.
All these challenges can help fight the symptoms of dementia.
________________________________
and…
Tencent is launching a palm payment system in China.
The company thinks the system can save people the trouble of carrying physical items.
However, experts have warned that technology like this is risky.
Do you think this technology is a tool or a danger?
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
What are we talking about in today's Tasty Tidbit?
Oh, you just did it… Oh, you just did it again… Wow, you just can't stop doing it, can you?
Did you know that we humans blink over 15,000 times a day?
It's not just a funny habit. Your eyelids are like windshield wipers on a car.
Every time you blink, your lids clear away gunk in your eyes. And blinking keeps your eyes moist and sparkling!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next in today's news:
The latest dance craze hits Ningxia Night Market! And a French boy lived alone for two years.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit… the hardest things about snails!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
___________________________________________________________
讓孩子們為之瘋狂科目
A Subject Kids Are Crazy About
Have you been to Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) in Taipei's Datong District?
It's well known for delicious Taiwanese traditional street food (街頭傳統小吃).
Many of the food stalls (餐車) are forty to fifty years old.
You can find oyster omelets (蚵仔煎), boiled chicken (鹽水雞), stinky tofu (臭豆腐), and many more things to eat!
But for one special night, Ningxia Night Market was popular (受歡迎的) for another reason!
It held a dance contest (舞蹈比賽).
Teenagers and children danced.
They didn't dance just any dance.
They danced the kemusan (科目三) dance!
Kemusan means "Subject Three" in English.
It's thought that the dance began two years ago at a wedding in China.
A wedding guest showed his dance moves.
This dance has gone viral (爆紅) on social media.
Together, videos of people dancing kemusan have gotten billions of views.
Back at the night market, some dancers wore leather (皮革) jackets and high-top sneakers (高筒運動鞋), or denim jackets and sunglasses.
But clothes weren't the important thing to see here.
The dancers swung (搖擺) their knees left and right.
They rolled their feet sideways (側身) to the outer edge of their shoes.
They crossed their arms and twisted their wrists (扭動他們的手腕) to a fast beat.
And that was just some of the dance!
Other people ate the night market's food and watched the dancers move.
People like to dance kemusan using their own style (風格). And that's great!
The dance makes them feel happy and full of energy.
Many post their own videos on social media.
They hope to go viral!
Some businesses (公司) have joined in on the kemusan dance craze.
One restaurant chain has a dish named kemusan.
The restaurant's workers do the kemusan dance when someone orders the dish.
As for the Ningxia Night Market, they wanted new young customers (顧客) to visit.
They also wanted customers to spend more.
That's why they had this fun kemusan dance contest!
Have you tried this dance?
___________________________________________________________
男孩在法國獨自生活了兩年
A Boy Lived Alone for Two Years in France
A nine-year-old boy lived in a small town in France.
He went to school every day.
He did very well in school.
Fifth grade and then sixth grade went by.
Nobody worried about him.
Nobody knew he was living by himself.
What happened?
His mother went to live with her boyfriend.
But she didn't take her son.
His mother and her boyfriend lived in another town.
That town was five kilometers away.
The apartment where the boy lived had no heat or electricity (電) sometimes.
There was no hot water.
He couldn't take a hot shower (淋浴) or have a hot bath.
The boy tried to keep warm by sleeping in three comforters (棉被).
The mother brought food to her son… sometimes.
But it was all junk food (垃圾食物).
He ate cakes and canned (罐頭的) food.
Sometimes he had no food.
He stole (偷) tomatoes from his neighbor's balcony.
Some neighbors gave him some food.
But they didn't think he lived by himself.
They saw his mother come to the apartment where her son lived.
They saw her leave without her son.
It took a long time before they thought she wasn't living with her son.
How long? Two years!
Then they called the police.
When the police came, they found an empty refrigerator.
The trash can had cake wrappers (包裝紙) and empty (空的) cans.
His mother had nothing of hers in the apartment.
Then the police found his mother.
She said her son lived with her.
She said she didn't know why her son said she left him for two years.
But neighbors in her new town didn't know about her son.
This boy was very brave (勇敢的)!
He was having a hard life, but he went to school every day.
He was such a good student that nobody thought anything was wrong.
Now he is in foster care (寄養).
A new family will take good care of him!
___________________________________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Ningxia Night Market in Taipei had a dance contest.
Teenagers and children danced the kemusan, or Subject Three dance!
This dance is viral on social media.
It makes people who dance it feel happy and full of energy.
Some businesses have joined in on the kemusan dance craze too!
___________________________________________________________
And…
A French boy lived in an apartment by himself for two years.
His mother gave him only cakes and canned food.
He had a very hard time with no heat, hot water, or electricity.
But he went to school every day and was a very good student!
___________________________________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit
Snails have teeth!
They have one thousand to twelve thousand teeth!
There are many lines of teeth… on their tongues!
When a tooth wears out or breaks, a new one grows in.
For some kinds of snails, that's just three teeth a day.
For other kinds, that's several hundred teeth falling out or growing in a day!
Snail teeth wear out and break, but they are strong too.
Sea snail teeth are one of the strongest natural materials in the world.
Sea snails crush rocks with their teeth!
___________________________________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's stories…
A man's face appears in a grain of rice, and mountain goats start to come out at night.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…how busy is your body?
Let's check it out.
________________________________
新總統的臉 出現在一粒米上面
New President Appears in Rice
Do you remember the election last month?
Yeah. Taiwan's voters chose Lai Qing-te as the next president.
During the election, his face was everywhere.
There were huge ads in every city.
His face was on big buildings and billboards.
I even saw him on the side of a bus.
選舉期間，到處都可以看到賴清德的廣告。
But now, his face has appeared in a much smaller place…
…carved into a grain of rice (刻在一粒米上).
What? You mean just one tiny grain of rice?
Yes. An artist carved it there with a little knife.
The artist is Chen Feng-xian (陳逢顯).
I know about him! All of his art is tiny.
他所有的藝術作品都很小。
His portrait (肖像) of Lai is only half a centimeter long.
The face is so small, you need a magnifying glass (放大鏡) to look at it.
Even though the work is so small, it took Chen three days to finish.
Why did Chen use a grain of rice?
He says rice is connected to the livelihood of the people.
Even though grains of rice are tiny, people depend on them to live.
Chen says he wanted his art to remind Lai of something important.
That is, our leaders need to remember the small things that make up our livelihood.
陳希望總統當選人明白，稻米跟人民的溫飽息息相關，他盼望新總統以民生為念。
Where is the tiny portrait now?
It's on display at Chen's museum in New Taipei City.
His museum is filled with all kinds of tiny art he has made.
Some are made from a grain of sand (一粒沙).
Others are made from a sesame seed (一粒芝麻).
Chen's latest work is a tiny golden dragon.
陳的最新作品是一條小金龍。
He made it to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The dragon is also less than 1 centimeter long.
He says it's the smallest golden dragon in the world.
You can check out the dragon, Lai's portrait, and the other works at the Chen Feng-xian Museum in Xindian.
________________________________
全球暖化導致山羊改變夜間行為
Global Heating Makes Goats Come Out at Night
How do you stay cool when the weather is hot?
When the sun is bright, at the hottest part of the day…
You can turn on the air conditioning (冷氣).
Or you can get some ice cream (冰淇淋).
But what about animals?
They don't have air conditioning or ice cream.
They have to find other ways to cool down (冷卻).
They may wait until night to come out, even if it's more dangerous for them.
That's what scientists from Italy have found out.
They discovered that as the climate gets warmer…
…mountain goats are changing to a nocturnal lifestyle.
科學家發現，隨著氣候變暖，山羊改變了夜間生活方式。
They studied one kind of mountain goat called an Alpine ibex.
The Alpine ibex (高山野生山羊) is a powerful animal, with huge horns on its head.
Even though it's strong, the goat has a natural predator.
Wolves come out at night to hunt the goats.
山羊的天敵是狼。
That's why the Alpine ibex usually comes out to find food during the day, and hides during the night.
Scientists from the University of Sassari wanted to learn more about these goats.
The scientists put GPS collars on some wild goats.
That let them track the goat's activity.
科學家用 GPS 項圈追蹤山羊的活動。
The scientists were surprised by what they discovered.
On hot days, more goats were coming out at night…
…even in areas that have lots of wolves.
It's not safe for these mountain goats.
There is danger from the wolves.
And it's harder for the goats to climb in the mountains at night.
The scientists think the Alpine ibex is doing this to escape the heat of day (躲避白天的熱氣).
And as global heating increases, the days will just get hotter.
What's more, other animals may be doing the same thing.
Now scientists want to learn more about how climate change affects the ecosystem (生態系統).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
An artist carved a tiny portrait of the newly elected president Lai Qing-te.
The picture is on a grain of rice, and it's less than half a centimeter long.
The artist, Chen Feng-xian, is a master when it comes to making tiny art.
________________________________
And,
Mountain goats are starting to come out more at night, so they can stay cool.
Scientists from Italy found that the goats are changing the time they come out.
They think it might be connected to climate change.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Here's a surprising fact for you: Every thirty seconds, your body is super busy!
On average, it makes a whopping 72 million red blood cells that keep you energized and healthy.
But that's not all; you also lose about 174,000 skin cells!
And your brain? It's on a sprint too, generating around twenty thoughts in that half a minute.
So, in just a blink, you're creating, shedding, and thinking at an amazing rate.
Isn't it fascinating how much happens inside us without even noticing?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news…
A superhero in a school uniform, and an ancient site with a modern twist.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Oh, excuse you Earth! Earth burps too? We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
高中生緊急CPR救援長者挽回一命
Student Saves Elderly Man
Not all superheroes wear capes.
Sometimes, a superhero is…a student.
One real-life superhero named Zhang Jing-lun used bravery and superfast reflexes to save a life!
Imagine this…
You're waiting for your train at the train station.
Suddenly, someone nearby collapses (倒下).
What do you do?
This really happened to Zhang Jing-lun.
He was waiting for a train in Taoyuan…
When an elderly man close by fell down, and didn't get back up.
Jing-lun burst into action (採取行動).
The high school student heard workers at the station calling for help.
He told them he was certified to give emergency aid (急救).
He knew how to perform CPR (心肺復甦術).
Jing-lun checked the elderly man.
The man was not breathing, and did not have a pulse (沒有脈搏).
So Jing-lun started CPR.
And he asked train station staff to go get an AED (自動體外心臟電擊去顫器).
Police also helped.
This may surprise you, but it's not the first time Jing-lun has done CPR for someone.
When he was in junior high, he performed CPR on his grandpa.
Unfortunately, Jing-lun could not save him.
This time around, Jing-lun was determined things would be different.
He worked very hard to bring the elderly man back to life.
Jing-lun said he was very scared.
And when he finally heard the man's heartbeat come back, he was so happy that he cried.
The student says he made his grandpa a promise that he would help save lives.
張靖綸說救人是對爺爺的承諾。
Jing-lun worked hard and got his first-aid certification (急救執照).
He also started a first-aid team at school.
The team works at school events, helping make sure everyone stays safe.
And Jing-lun also got his EMT license (EMT緊急救護技術員資格)!
He says he is just doing his part to help people.
And Jing-lun's story shows that we all have the power to make a difference!
________________________________
馬來西亞景點「黑風洞」將設電扶梯
Ancient Malaysian Site to Get Escalator
Visiting an ancient temple in Malaysia sounds like an amazing experience.
But first, you have to climb lots of stairs!
The Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur may be around 400 million years old.
The caves are a religious site and a big part of an annual festival every year.
Many tourists visit every year.
黑風洞是印度教的聖地，據說有約4億年的歷史。
The Batu Caves are famous for its big flight of rainbow-colored stairs.
But those stairs are a problem for some visitors.
To reach the temple in a limestone cave at the top, you have to climb 272 steps!
目前，遊客必須爬272層階梯才能到達頂部石灰岩洞穴中的寺廟。
Does that sound a little tough?
Well, people who take care of the site are thinking about adding an escalator.
They want to help the elderly, and people with disabilities.
They say they want everyone to be able to reach the top and experience the temple's magic.
And they also want to build a "hall" (大廳) that can be used for special events.
黑風洞的管理委員會打算在此設一座電扶梯，希望為那些無法或不願意爬272層階梯的人們提供另一個選擇。
But hold on, not everyone is happy about the escalator express!
Some are worried that the escalator will be bad for the caves.
They think such a modern machine would ruin the history of the caves.
Other people just don't think it's needed.
So do you think the escalator will solve problems, or create problems?
________________________________
So, in today's news…
High school student Zhang Jing-lun helped save an elderly man who collapsed.
He performed CPR and brought the man back to life!
The student says he made his grandpa a promise, and he is just doing his part to help people.
________________________________
and…
The Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur is famous for its 272 rainbow-colored steps.
Now people who take care of the site are thinking about adding an escalator.
But some are worried that the escalator would ruin the history of the caves.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know… the Earth burps? Sort of, kind of burps?
Our planet lets out these burps from "geysers".
It's hot water, steam, and minerals from deep underground.
These geysers can shoot water up really high, like up to 90 meters into the sky.
That's about 30 floors high!
Deep inside the Earth, things are super-hot and bubbly, and when the pressure gets too high…
BOOM!
Up comes a geyser, letting out all that built-up energy!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Salutations.
You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: A giant yellow duck returns to Kaohsiung, and a blind mole unseen for 90 years.
And in today's tasty tidbit: The unexplored depths!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
黃色小鴨鴨重返高雄
Giant Rubber Duck Returns to Kaohsiung
Something big is back in Kaohsiung, something that hasn't been seen there in over 10 years.
Is it clear skies?
No.
Is it clean air?
No.
What is it, then?
A giant rubber yellow duck!
就是一隻胖大的黃色小鴨鴨！
How big are we talkin'?
32 meters tall!
三十二公尺。
That's about the height of a ten-story building!
那大約是一棟十層樓的高度！
The rubber duck hadn't been seen in Kaohsiung in over 10 years.
It was created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.
Last time the rubber duck visited, lots people came to see it.
This brought in lots of money for the city.
On January 27th of this year, over 40 thousand people gathered to cheer for the duck's return.
Kaohsiung's mayor and Hofman himself welcomed the duck.
The duck is floating in Love River Bay (愛河).
But wait, there's more!
There was a baby race too! The babies wore duck-themed clothes!
還有一場嬰兒競賽！ 嬰兒穿著鴨子主題的衣服！
Tickets sold out fast.
It was a huge hit!
The babies might not have known they were racing, but they sure were cute.
Hotels also joined in on the fun.
The Grand Hotel had a fountain full of ducks.
Other hotels ran special offers.
One offer in particular was for those with the surname "Huang (黃)", which means "yellow"; they could get a discount.
I'm getting Salmon Chaos vibes from this…
More recently, another giant rubber yellow duck appeared.
Another one?
Yeah, so now there's two apparently.
I guess the other one got lonely, or something.
The two ducks kissed on Valentines' Day.
Aww, fun!
So, if you're in Kaohsiung, go check out the giant yellow ducks, snap some photos, and have fun with the events.
________________________________
科學家和狗狗 重新發現消失的鼴鼠物種
Scientists and Sniffer Dog Rediscover Lost Mole Species
Now, let's talk about something else that hasn't been seen in a very long time.
Meet the De Winton's Golden Mole (德溫頓金鼴鼠).
This mole is considered one of the most-wanted lost species.
這隻鼴鼠被視為是最受歡迎的消失物種之一。
It's a tiny mole about the size of a mouse.
牠是一隻細小的鼴鼠，大約和老鼠一樣大小。
It has a shiny gold-colored coat that looks like sand.
牠有一層閃亮的金色外衣，看起來像沙子一樣。
It is blind (盲目的), and lives underground.
Even though it can't see, its sense of hearing is so good it can detect movement aboveground.
它的聽覺非常敏銳，可以探測到地面上方的移動。
The species hadn't been sighted since 1936!
It had been lost for over 80 years.
已經消失了80年。
The last time it was sighted was in Port Nolloth, which is in South Africa.
But recently scientists re-discovered this mole!
De Winton's moles live in burrows (地洞) that are hard to reach.
They rarely leave tunnels behind them.
This makes them even harder to find.
So, how did scientists detect this mole?
They relied on samples of environmental DNA.
You know DNA, right?
去氧核醣核酸。
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid in English.
That's quite a mouthful.
那個詞兒真是難唸。
Anyhoo, DNA is a molecule that carries genetic information for each living thing.
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is DNA that animals shed (脫落) as they move around, like skin cells (皮膚細胞) and hair (毛).
In June 2021, the team went on an expedition to Port Nolloth.
Guess what they took with them?
… A sniffer dog called Jessie!
Woof! Woof!
With Jessie's help, they collected lots of soil samples (土壤樣本).
They looked for eDNA of the golden mole in the samples to figure out where moles were located.
With lots of persistence and effort, eventually they found 11 of the golden moles!
The team was ecstatic.
They said even though many people doubted the golden mole was still out there, they had good faith it had not gone extinct (絕種).
Not only did they find the De Winton's golden mole, they also discovered another rare mole called Van Zyl's golden mole (Van Zyl 的金鼴鼠)
And that, is how a sniffer dog and scientists teamed up to bring back the mystery mole from the "sands of time"!
Let's keep exploring and stay curious!
________________________________
So in today's news,
The iconic 32-meter-tall rubber duck returns to Kaohsiung after a decade.
It was created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.
The duck's reappearance sparked city-wide festivities, including baby races and duck-themed hotel offers.
The giant rubber duck was joined by another, and they kissed on Valentine's Day.
And,
Scientists rediscovered the De Winton's Golden Mole, missing since 1936 in Port Nolloth.
Using eDNA and Jessie the sniffer dog (Woof!), they found 11 of these moles.
They also found another rare species: Van Zyl's golden mole.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
Did you know that more than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored and unmapped.
This makes it one of the least understood parts of the Earth.
The deep ocean presents numerous challenges for exploration, including extreme pressure, darkness, and cold temperatures.
These conditions make it difficult for traditional exploration methods.
________________________________
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! Are you excited to be back in school?
Let's dive into this semester's first News Bite!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A new discovery in Taiwan, and a mouse who found a chore!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…tiny creatures that talk to your brain!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
南台灣發現新魚種！
New Fish Discovered in South Taiwan!
Even in our big, explored world, scientists are still finding new animals we didn't know about before.
我們探索過的大世界，科學家還是會發現之前不知道的新動物。
These discoveries happen in deep oceans, tall mountains, and everywhere in between (以及其他的所有地方).
Each new animal teaches us more about how amazing our planet is.
It also shows us how important it is to take care of nature (保護自然), because every animal has its special place on Earth.
Scientists in Taiwan have found a new kind of fish that only lives in Taiwan's southern waters.
台灣的科學家發現了一種新的魚類，只生活在台灣南部的水域。
This special fish was found in the Kaoping River (高屏溪), near the Yushan Mountain (玉山).
The fish has a name that honors the Yushan Mountain (紀念玉山而命名的), called Hemimyzon yushanensis.
It's different because it has a sleek shape with tiny white spots on its greenish-brown skin.
它之所以不同，是因為它有著流線型的身體，身上有著微小的白點，皮膚是綠棕色的。
It also has unique fins (獨特的鰭) that are not like those of other fish found in Taiwan's rivers.
The discovery was part of a big study by Professor Chen I-shiung (陳義雄教授) and his team.
They explored (探索) rivers in Taiwan for two years, from 2022 to 2023.
They visited many places and found 30 types of fish and seven kinds of tiny sea animals (小型海洋動物).
The team learned that this new fish needs clean water to live.
This reminds us how important it is to keep our environment clean.
這提醒我們保持環境清潔的重要性。
We should not throw trash in nature, especially in mountains and rivers.
This special find (特別的發現) shows us how much we still have to learn about the animals living in Taiwan's beautiful nature.
________________________________
小老鼠的打掃任務
Mouse on a Cleaning Mission
Imagine finding your room magically clean every morning.
想像一下，每天早上醒來你的房間都神奇地變乾淨了。
All your toys and books are put back in their place (放回原處).
Now, think about a small mouse doing all the cleaning for you!
In Wales, a man named Rodney Holbrook found out that a tiny mouse was tidying up his shed almost every night for two months.
在威爾士，一位名叫Rodney Holbrook的男子發現，有一隻小老鼠幾乎每晚都在整理他的小屋達兩個月之久。
Rodney, a wildlife photographer (野生動物攝影師), was puzzled (困惑) when he saw things moving back to their spots without anyone touching them.
To solve this mystery, he set up a night vision camera.
為了解開這個謎團，他設置了一個夜視攝影機。
What he found was astonishing (令人驚訝)!
A mouse was caught on camera, organizing his shed like a little cleaning expert (攝影機拍到一隻老鼠，像個小清潔專家一樣清理他的小屋).
Rodney lovingly calls it the "Welsh Tidy Mouse".
Rodney把這隻老鼠暱稱為"威爾士整潔小老鼠"。
This clever mouse gathered small items like clothes pegs (衣服夾), corks (軟木塞), and nuts (堅果).
The mouse put them away neatly in a tray.
小老鼠將它們整齊地放在一個托盤裡。
Rodney even tested (測試) the mouse by leaving out different objects to see if it could move them.
Sure enough (果不其然), the mouse proved to be a hard worker, even carrying cable ties (電線束帶) to their proper place.
Rodney was amazed by his little helper.
He now leaves the tidying up (整理) to the mouse, knowing that everything will be back in order by morning.
This isn't the first time a mouse has been seen doing such tasks.
A similar story happened in 2019 near Bristol, where a mouse was found stockpiling items (囤積物品) in a man's shed.
These stories show us how even the smallest creatures can do big things, like a scene straight out of a cartoon movie (就像卡通電影演的一樣).
Just like in "Ratatouille," (料理鼠王) where a rat dreams of cooking, our real-life "Welsh Tidy Mouse" shows us that sometimes, reality can be just as magical as the movies.
有時候，現實可以和電影一樣神奇!!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists have found a new kind of fish in Taiwan's southern waters.
This special fish, called Hemimyzon yushanensis, was found in the Kaoping River, near the Yushan Mountain.
The discovery was part of a big study by Professor Chen I-shiung and his team.
________________________________
And,
A man in Wales found out that a tiny mouse was tidying up his shed almost every night for two months.
He set up a night vision camera and caught the clever mouse!
The "Welsh Tidy Mouse" gathered small items like clothes pegs, corks, and nuts, and put them away neatly in a tray.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that the tiny creatures living in your stomach can actually talk to your brain?
These little helpers are called gut microbiota (腸道菌群), and they have a big job.
They can influence how you feel or even change parts of your personality.
So, next time you're feeling happy, sad, or a bit grumpy, remember, it might just be your gut microbiota chatting with your brain.
This gives a whole new meaning to the saying "you are what you eat."
So, choose your snacks wisely, because they might be shaping more than just your meals, but your moods and personality too!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's stories…
A sword dancer goes to France, and monkeys see some old friends.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a fact about rats!
Let's get into it!
________________________________
台灣劍舞者走紅法國
Taiwanese Sword Dancer Famous in France
Do you like dancing?
Sure, it's fun.
Lots of people know how to dance.
But can you dance with swords?
That's right! It's called sword dancing (劍舞).
It's difficult, it's dangerous, and it looks amazing.
In fact, a sword dancer from Taiwan has become famous in France.
The dancer's name is Tsai Hong-yi (蔡宏毅), but everyone calls him Titos Tsai.
Recently, Titos danced on a TV show called "La France a un Incroyable Talent".
It's a popular talent show, and the French people voted him into second place.
Titos在法國熱門選秀節目中獲得第二名。
It was all because of his incredible performance.
First, Titos dances with two flaming swords (火焰劍舞).
He flips them around and throws them in the air.
Then, Titos does a blindfolded dance (蒙著眼睛跳舞).
A cloth is tied over his eyes so he can't see anything.
But he still does the dance perfectly.
Titos even shaved his head bald, so he could spin a sword on his head.
Finally, he dances with six swords at once (六劍舞).
He not only uses his hands, but also his back, his knees and his feet.
Just when you think he's about to drop them, Titos keeps his balance (保持了平衡).
The show's judges were very impressed.
節目的評審團印象深刻。
How did he put on such a successful dance?
Titos says he used Taiwanese culture for his performance.
While he is dancing, four Taiwanese drummers (鼓手) play music for him.
Titos says he used to dance at temple fairs and parades in Taiwan.
Titos曾經在台灣的廟會和遊行中跳舞。
In 2020, he started putting videos online.
He said he wanted to allow the world to see Taiwan.
His videos were viewed over 100 million times.
Last year, Titos went on an American talent show.
The American judges liked him, but he did not get picked.
But he kept going, finally appearing on the French talent show.
He says French people were able to notice the creativity of his performances.
Titos說法國人注意到他表演的創意。
He thanked his fans from France, Taiwan and around the world for supporting him.
________________________________
猴子可以認出老朋友
Monkeys Can Recognize Old Friends
Have you ever run into an old friend?
You might meet someone on the street who you haven't seen for years.
Maybe your childhood friend, or your elementary school classmate.
You may not even recognize them!
Especially if it's been a long time since you saw them last.
久別重逢的老朋友，你可能都認不出來了！
Scientists recently did a study (研究) about recognizing old friends.
Only it wasn't with people.
It was with monkeys (猴子).
They wanted to know if monkeys could recognize their old friends.
The scientists tested two kinds of monkeys, chimps and bonobos.
科學家研究了黑猩猩和倭黑猩猩。
Amazingly, these monkeys could recognize other monkeys they had spent time with, even if they hadn't seen each other in decades.
It was a surprising result.
Scientists didn't expect these animals to have such a long memory (長記憶力).
How did they do the test?
The scientists showed each monkey two photos (兩張照片).
One photo was another monkey they used to know.
The other photo was another monkey they had never met.
Then, the scientists watched the monkey's eyes as it looked at the two photos.
They found that monkeys pay a lot more attention to pictures of other monkeys they knew.
猴子們花更多的時間看它們以前認識的猴子的照片。
What's more, the monkeys spend more time looking at photos of other monkeys they liked.
According to the scientist, that means monkeys remember each other better if they had a positive relationship (正面的關係).
That makes sense.
Even for humans, we tend to remember the people we like, and forget the people we don't care about.
So, monkeys are more like people than we thought.
They might run into old friends in the forest, and recognize them.
I wonder how a monkey says "long time no see?"
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
A Taiwanese sword dancer got famous in France.
Titos Tsai danced with swords on a talent show, and he won second place.
He got his start dancing at temple parades in Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
Monkeys can recognize their old friends.
Scientists tested monkeys with photos of other monkeys they used to know.
Just like people, monkeys remember the other monkeys that they like the most.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know rats can't throw up?
Rats have a special body design that stops them from vomiting.
They have a strong barrier in their throat and their muscles and nerves are not set up for vomiting.
Instead of throwing up, rats have other clever ways to avoid getting sick from bad food.
They learn quickly not to eat food that makes them feel bad.
Also, if they feel sick, they eat things like clay to help.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news…
Tasty eats on Taiwan trains, and the science of feeling full.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
How is your brain like a vegetable? Find out at the end of the episode!
________________________________
台鐵便當紅到日本
Taiwan Railway Bento Finds Fans in Japan
Eating bento (便當) on a train has been a tradition for many people in Taiwan.
Some passengers really enjoy the nostalgic (懷舊) braised pork rib lunchboxes.
And it seems that many people in Japan enjoy the lunchbox too.
Recently, the railway's special bentos were part of a food fair in Japan.
600 classic pork rib bentos went on sale.
The bentos used a vintage (復古) stainless-steel lunchbox, and a special bag.
It cost $685NT.
And it was sold out within 2 hours!
Taiwan officials say the food fair was a good time to promote (推廣) railway travel.
Train bento has been an important part of railway culture in Taiwan.
A long time ago in Taiwan, railway tracks that connected the north and the south were built.
That made traveling more convenient, but travelers also needed food.
At that time, food wasn’t sold on the trains, only at some train stations.
Vendors (攤販) began popping up on train platforms to sell bentos.
Passengers would hold their money out of the carriage (車廂) windows.
And the vendors would take the money, and hand them a lunchbox.
As train travel became more and more popular, so did the lunchboxes.
Different areas started making different flavors, with their own special style.
Some of the popular railway bentos are the Chishang (池上) bento, the Fulong (福隆) bento and the Fenchihu (奮起湖) bento from Alishan.
In 1960, the railway began its own catering (提供食物) service.
And that was when bentos became available on trains.
For those who grew up during the 50s to the 70s, railway bentos are extra special.
During that time, having a railway bento usually meant that you were traveling somewhere.
It might be a family trip, or going back to your hometown during the Lunar New Year.
對於許多人來說，鐵路便當代表著快樂的回憶。
Railway bentos are a unique part of Taiwan culture that is worth promoting to the world.
________________________________
震動藥丸製造飽足感
A Vibrating Pill that Makes You Feel Full
Many people are paying more attention to their health nowadays.
We try to get more exercise.
And we try to eat right.
But sometimes doing that regularly (有規律的) can be hard!
And sometimes it's easy to mix up what is healthy and what isn't.
Scientists have come up with a new pill.
This pill vibrates (震動).
That's because the pill has a tiny vibrating motor and a battery made of silver oxide.
The whole pill is about the size of a large vitamin pill.
這種膠囊的大小跟維他命差不多，內含一個振動馬達，由銀氧化物電池供電。
In the past, scientists have found that when a muscle is vibrated, it creates a feeling that the muscle has been stretched.
Stomach muscles also stretch when we are full.
The body then sends a signal to stop eating.
So scientists used this to make the vibrating pill.
And the pill is supposed to make you feel full.
Scientists have tested the pill on pigs.
These pigs have a similar digestive (消化) system to humans.
And they found that the pigs ate 40 percent less food than usual.
The pill also did not hurt the animals.
It passed through the animals’ digestive system within 4 to 5 days.
This pill is still in its trial (實驗) period and hasn’t been tested on humans yet.
There are still many more tests to be done.
But just feeling full doesn't mean your body is healthier.
It's more important to choose healthy foods, exercise regularly, and take good care of yourself.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Recently, special railway bentos from Taiwan were part of a food fair in Japan.
The bentos used a vintage stainless-steel lunchbox, and a special bag.
And it was sold out within 2 hours!
Taiwan officials say the food fair was a good time to promote railway travel.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have come up with a new vibrating pill that makes you feel full.
This pill is still in its trial period and hasn’t been tested on humans yet.
But just feeling full doesn't mean your body is healthier.
It's more important to choose healthy foods, exercise regularly, and take good care of yourself.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Here's some "food for thought"….
Did you know that your brain weighs about the same as a head of cauliflower?
Even though that's not huge, your brain is like a powerful supercomputer, learning new things every day.
Some scientists believe it can store as much information as 4.7 billion books!
So keep learning, keep playing, and keep your brain happy!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, you’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Paz Bueno.
In today's news: Salmon Chaos makes a return, and an Australian woman becomes the queen of Denmark.
And in today’s tasty tidbit: The country that eats the most chocolate!
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
鮭魚之亂再度回歸
Salmon Chaos Makes a Return
In March 2021, something strange happened in Taiwan.
Lots of people changed their names.
You are probably wondering why.
It has to do with conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain Sushiro (壽司郎).
In March of that year, Taipei branches of Sushiro ran a promotional campaign (優惠活動) on the 17th and 18th.
They said anyone whose Chinese name sounds like 鮭魚 (“salmon”) can get a 10 to 50 percent discount.
And anyone who had the word 鮭魚 in their name could eat for free.
If only Sushiro would have foreseen the chaos!
但願…壽司郎能預測那次優惠活動會引起多大的混亂！
According to reports, over 300 people changed their name just for the event!
People got creative with their names.
One person named themselves “Liao Salmon (廖鮭魚)”, another was “Zhangjian Salmon (張簡鮭魚)”.
Sounds like they had a “fin-tastic” time.
In Taiwan, people can change their name up to three times.
That meant lots of people changed their name to get free sushi, then changed it back.
But some people ran into a problem…
For example, a medical student changed his name to Zhang Salmon Dream (張鮭魚之夢).
But because he had already changed his name twice before, he was unable to change it back.
因為他已經用掉兩次改名機會，所以他後來就用完改名額度了。
That meant he ended up being stuck with his “dream” name.
The whole ordeal made quite a splash.
But Jake, isn’t this old news?
Why bring up something that happened almost three years ago?
Well, recently Salmon Chaos made a surprise return, just before Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election.
The Taiwan Design Research Institute and the Central Election Commission teamed up to design new election materials.
【台灣設計研究院】與【中選會】合作來設計關於選舉的嶄新材料。
This included ballots (選票) and voting notifications (投票通知單).
But they ran into a problem.
I think I see where this is going…
They discovered some people still had very long names, containing the word "salmon".
This meant the name field (姓名欄位) in the form had to be enlarged (擴大).
This is inconvenient for those with normal-sized names.
Remember folks, always think twice before changing your name for free sushi.
________________________________
澳洲平民女變身成為丹麥王妃
Australian Woman Becomes Queen of Denmark
Get ready for a royal story that's like a fairy tale but real.
Meet Princess Mary from Australia…
She's all set to become the Queen of Denmark soon!
Before becoming a princess, she was a marketing executive (行銷專員).
It all started during the 2000 Summer Olympics.
She met Prince Frederik of Denmark inside a Sydney pub.
Can you believe it?
A pub meeting turned into a royal love story!
Can you imagine them telling their kids the story of how they met?
“Daddy, how did you meet Mummy?”
“Och, we met in a pub, wee laddie.”
How unroyal is that?
真不像皇家的故事!
Before moving to Denmark, Mary took a special course on being fancy.
The course was called deportment (儀態) and etiquette (禮節).
甚麼東西?
It's like a crash course in being super confident, having great posture and being magnetic.
這門課程叫做美姿美儀；這是一門讓你具自信、有良好儀態並具有魅力的速成班。
Magnetic, eh?
Mary paid the equivalent of around 25-thousand NT for this course.
That’s a lot of money.
Mary’s teacher had no clue Mary was dating a prince.
Mary kept it a secret.
Mary and Frederik got married in 2004 and now have four kids.
That’s a lot of kids.
On New Year's Eve, Frederik's mom, Queen Margrethe II, surprised everyone.
She said she'll step down after being queen for 52 years!
丹麥女王瑪格麗特二世在新年夜宣布退位，令人震驚。
她已經當女王五十二年！
Mary's teacher, Teresa Page, is super proud of her.
Teresa said Mary was a top-notch student, always smart and engaged.
Now, the pub where they met is flying the Danish flag.
So, that's the magical journey of Princess Mary … from an Aussie pub to the grand Danish palace!
________________________________
So, in today’s news…
Salmon Chaos resurfaces in Taiwan!
In 2021, Sushiro's promotion campaign led to lots of name changes.
Three years later, some people still have lengthy names containing the word "salmon".
This has caused issues in the redesigning of future election materials.
And,
An Australian marketing executive is set to become the new queen of Denmark.
Princess Mary met Prince Frederik inside a pub during the 2000 Summer Olympics, and they married four years later.
This chance encounter blossomed into a royal love story.
Recently, Queen Margrethe II announced her retirement after a 52-year reign.
Princess Mary is now set to ascend the Danish throne.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
The country that eats the most chocolate per year is Switzerland.
The Swiss are not only renowned for their fancy watches, but also their love of chocolate.
This is also reflected in the country’s chocolate industry.
Switzerland is famous for producing some of the finest in the world.
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello there! Welcome to a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
A different way to ring in the New Year, and a very old man in Italy.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a bird that flies for years!
Keep on listening to find out more!
________________________________
哭泣迎接新年
Crying in the New Year
Crying.
Laughing!
Or even getting a little angry.
These are all normal ways to show how we feel (表達情感).
Emotions (情感) are part of being human.
Whether we feel super happy or a bit sad, it's okay to express those feelings.
Sometimes, crying can actually make us feel better.
Just like laughing with friends.
Or talking about what's bothering us.
In Taipei, a very different and special event happened on New Year's Eve.
A person on the internet made a plan called "Crying at Daan Forest Park While Ringing in the New Year."
一名網友推出「在大安森林公園一邊哭一邊跨年」活動。
This event was inspired by a famous movie called "Vive L'Amour."
這個活動受到一部著名電影《愛情萬歲》的啟發。
In the movie, the actress Yang Kuei-Mei (楊貴媚) cries on a park bench for seven minutes.
The idea of the event was to remember this scene from the movie (電影中的這個場景).
More than 10,000 people online said they were interested in this event.
And on New Year's Eve, hundreds of people actually went to Daan Forest Park to join in.
Some people cried because of sad things that happened in the past year.
But the mood was happy and friendly.
有些人因為過去一年發生不開心的事情而哭泣，但整體氣氛卻是愉快和友好的。
The person who thought of this event said it was just for fun (只是為了好玩).
They didn't expect many people to come.
They wanted people to be happy and enjoy the New Year in their own way.
The actress Yang Kuei-Mei heard about the event.
She was surprised and happy that people really care about the movie.
She even said she would like to go to this event next year if it happens again.
This unusual event turned a scene from a movie into a real-life event where people could share their feelings and start the New Year with a special memory.
________________________________
義大利最長壽男人辭世
Italy's Oldest Man Passes Away at 111
Staying healthy (保持健康) is really important.
Eating well, exercising, and staying happy are all things people around the world do to live very long lives.
In Italy, the oldest man in the country passed away (過世) at 111 years old.
His name was Tripoli Giannini.
He believed in living a simple life with less stress.
他的信念是簡單、沒有壓力的生活。
He lived in a small town called Cecina.
Giannini was almost the oldest man in Europe, just a little younger than a man from France.
His son, Tripoli Romano, shared that Giannini had hoped to live forever but passed away on New Year's Eve.
他的兒子Tripoli Romano分享說，Giannini曾經希望能永遠活下去，但在新年前夕離世了。
He was 111 years and 133 days old.
In Italy, there are many people who live to be over 100 years old.
In 2023, there were about 22,000 people in Italy who were 100 or older.
Most of them were women.
Giannini was born in 1912 and saw a lot in his life, including two World Wars and two major pandemics.
Giannini出生於1912年，他在他的一生中見證了許多事情，包括兩次世界大戰和兩次大流行病。
On his 111th birthday, he shared his lifestyle tips: eat simple food with some wine, don't get stressed or smoke, and be thankful for each day.
在他的111歲生日上，他分享了他的生活方式建議：吃簡單的食物，喝一點葡萄酒，不要壓力或吸煙，感謝每一天。
People often say the Mediterranean diet (地中海飲食), which includes lots of fruit, vegetables, and olive oil (橄欖油), is why many Italians live such long lives.
This diet is thought to keep people healthy and help them live longer.
I guess I should order more Italian pizzas!
我應該多點義大利披薩！
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A netizen made a plan called "Crying at Daan Forest Park While Ringing in the New Year."
This event was inspired by a famous movie called "Vive L'Amour."
It turned a scene from a movie into a real-life event where people could share their feelings and start the New Year with a special memory.
________________________________
And,
In Italy, the oldest man in the country passed away at 111 years old.
He believed in living a simple life with less stress.
People often say the Mediterranean diet, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables, and olive oil, is why so many Italians live such long lives.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Hey Jake, what's the longest flight you've been on?
I would have to say Amsterdam to Taipei.
It takes roughly 13 to 14 hours to get from Amsterdam to Taipei. What about you?
14 hours! Flying from New York to Taipei.
Did you know there's a bird that can fly even longer than that?
This incredible bird is called the sooty tern.
It spends most of its life in the air, over the open ocean.
So it does everything while flying? - Eating, drinking, and even sleeping?
Yes! But when it's time to start a family, the sooty tern comes down to land.
That's the only time it rests its wings, just to breed and take care of its young.
How fascinating!
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey you guys! It's time for a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Cosplayers have a wonderful night at the museum, and people try to get treasure from the bottom of the sea.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…growing teeth!
Let's dive into these stories.
________________________________
Cosplayers來到故宮博物院
Cosplayers Come to National Palace Museum
Do you like cosplay?
That's short for "costume play".
It's a fun kind of art, where people dress as their favorite characters.
Cosplayers get together to show off their costumes, take photos and have fun.
They usually choose costumes from cartoons, comic books, movies and video games.
But there's another kind of cosplay too, where people dress in historical costumes (古裝).
This kind of cosplay can let you feel like you've traveled back in time!
For example, take the event at Taipei's National Palace Museum (故宮博物院).
The museum recently held their "Night of Revelry" (今夜嗨翻故宮).
Everyone at this party dressed in clothes from China's Han Dynasty (漢朝).
You could bring your own costume or rent one there.
The event was inspired by a famous painting at the museum, called "Spring Morning in the Han Palace" by the painter Chiu Ying.
活動的靈感來自博物館內畫家仇英的一幅名畫《漢宮春曉圖》。
This painting shows nobles (貴族) living in a huge palace in imperial China.
There are princes and princesses, court musicians and officials, dancers and gardeners.
These nobles are all painted with beautiful clothes.
They are relaxing peacefully and showing off their elegant manners.
The cosplayers at the museum wanted to copy these scenes in real life.
They hoped to recreate the feeling of life in the palace.
Cosplayers想要重現古代生活的感覺。
The event was really popular.
More than 3,000 people took part.
The cosplayers took photos with each other, and with historical items from the museum.
There was a fashion show (時裝秀), and an orchestra (國樂團) playing ancient music.
There were even artists to paint portraits (肖像) of the cosplayers.
It was a warm feeling for everyone there that night.
If you missed the event, don't worry…
The National Palace Museum will have another party next winter.
________________________________
哥倫比亞打撈 沈船上的寶藏
Colombia Recovers Sunken Treasure
Have you ever heard of "sunken treasure" (沉沒的寶藏)?
That means treasure at the bottom of the ocean.
Sometimes, a ship sinks with some expensive things on it.
The treasure can sit underwater for a long time, waiting for someone to find it.
That's what happened in Colombia (哥倫比亞).
It's a country in South America, near the Caribbean Sea (加勒比海).
More than 300 years ago, a ship called the San Jose sank in this sea.
The San Jose was a Spanish treasure ship.
The ship was filled with millions of gold and silver coins, as well as precious gems.
這艘船當時滿載金幣，銀幣和寶石。
For years, everyone thought it was lost.
But in 2015, the ship was found at the bottom of the ocean.
Now, the government of Colombia says they want to collect the treasure.
哥倫比亞政府現在說，它要打撈這些寶藏。
They say since this ship is off the coast of Colombia, it belongs to Colombia.
Plus, the treasure came from South America (南美洲) in the first place.
They say this treasure should return to the people of South America.
But other people think it's a bad idea.
They worry the government will destroy the ship's remains (船的殘骸), so they can grab the treasure.
They also worry that Colombia might just sell off the treasure.
It's a lot of treasure, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
寶藏估計價值數十億美元。
Besides, other people want that treasure too.
It will not be easy to decide who gets the treasure, or what to do with it.
But, Colombia's government is moving ahead with the plan.
They want to start collecting the treasure in April or May.
他們想在四月或五月開始把這批寶藏弄到手。
And nobody knows how much treasure is really on the San Jose.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National Palace Museum recently held a cosplay event.
More than 3,000 people dressed in historical costumes.
They wanted to re-create a famous painting, called "Spring Morning in the Han Palace".
________________________________
And,
A country in South America wants to get treasure from the bottom of the ocean.
Colombia plans to raise the treasure of the San Jose this spring.
It has gold, silver and gems worth billions of dollars.
But people disagree over what should happen to the treasure.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever lost a tooth and wish you could just grow a new one?
Well, scientists are able to do that!
…sort of.
They can take special cells from baby teeth and use them to grow new ones!
It takes 15 years.
They haven't grown a whole mouth yet, but soon, everyone might have their own tooth garden!
No more fake teeth, just your own sparkly smile!
So take care of your baby teeth if you have them, because they might sprout something amazing!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you??d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Changes in radio, and a cat beamed back from outer space!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
Sit back with a bucket of popcorn, we're taking you to the movies! Stay tuned for that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
廣播聽眾9年流失逾4成
What's in the Future of Radio?
Do you listen to the radio?
Many people who grew up in the 80s and 90s remember tuning in to their favorite radio programs every day.
During that time, the radio kept people company (陪伴).
But now in the digital era, the number of radio listeners have been falling.
The government took a new survey.
This survey is done every 3 years.
The survey found that radio listeners have dropped more than 40% in 9 years.
Nowadays, people watch videos or surf the internet on their cellphones.
Others listen to music or podcasts.
The majority (大多數) of radio listeners are the drivers on the road.
They listen to traffic reports or the news while commuting (通勤).
Other loyal listeners say that they like the real-time (即時) effects of a radio program.
That's because most programs are hosted live by a DJ.
It can feel like the DJ is talking to you.
Listeners also like the feeling of nostalgia (懷舊) and surprise when a familiar oldie (老歌) is played.
Many listeners even enjoy calling in to shows to share their comments.
Even though the number of listeners is declining, the radio still is still irreplaceable (不可取代) in some ways.
Radio transmission is more convenient and would work in the situation of war.
電視及網路訊號比較容易被切斷，但廣播不會。
Some experts say radio stations should consider transforming to "listen on demand."
Whatever changes it might adopt, it looks like radio broadcasting will still be around for quite some time.
________________________________
"喵星人"影片從外太空傳回地球
NASA Streams Cat Video from Space
Cats can be funny, and a bit strange.
Sometimes, it's almost like they're from another planet.
NASA has sent a video from space, back to Earth.
The video shows a cat playing.
This cat wasn't an alien though!
The video was filmed on Earth.
NASA was using the video to test technology for communicating from space.
It did not send the video using traditional radio waves.
Instead, NASA used infrared (紅外線) laser to send the video.
They put the laser on a spacecraft named "Psyche".
Psyche was launched into space in October 2023.
It is heading for an asteroid belt (小行星帶) between Mars and Jupiter.
And Psyche sent the video back to Earth, from a distance of more than 30 million kilometers away!
That's about 80 times the distance between Earth and the Moon!
NASA wanted to send a video that would be meaningful, but also fun.
So they chose the 15-second video of an orange cat, named Tater, chasing a laser pointer.
This video took less than 2 minutes in ultra-high definition (解析度).
That's faster than most broadband (寬頻) internet connections.
This is a breakthrough in space communication.
This type of technology is already used in satellites orbiting around Earth and the Moon.
But this experiment shows that we can now send visual communications from beyond Earth's orbit (軌道).
Psyche is still moving further out into space.
And NASA will try to send their cat video every week.
They will keep doing this until Psyche reaches a distance similar to Mars later this year.
They hope in the future, astronauts will be able to use this technology to send videos from Mars, or even further.
往後的太空通訊應該會更快速更可靠。
Wouldn't it be interesting if someone or something other than humans received the transmission?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A government survey finds that radio listeners have dropped more than 40% in 9 years.
Some people focus more on videos and social media on their cellphones.
But radio broadcasting is very important during emergency situations.
________________________________
And,
NASA has sent a video from space, back to Earth, showing a cat playing.
This experiment shows that we can now send visual communications from beyond Earth's orbit.
NASA hopes in the future, astronauts will be able to use this technology to send videos from Mars, or even further.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Lights, camera, action! It's all about movie magic today…
You ready?
Why can't you give Elsa a balloon?
Because, she'll "Let It Go"!
And now, 12-year-old Ben from Niao Song Elementary School in Yunlin tells us about his favorite movie!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Welcome back, you're listening to a whole new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up next…
Cancer treatment funded by the government, and keeping cats in Singapore!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Some distinctive patterns found in nature…and on us!
Keep listening to learn more.
________________________________
台灣首次全民健保涵蓋的CAR T細胞治療
The First NHI-Funded CAR T-cell Therapy
Cancer (癌症) is a disease where cells in the body grow out of control.
It can happen almost anywhere in the body and affects many people around the world.
Treating cancer is a big challenge.
Doctors often use treatments like chemotherapy (化療), radiation (放射線治療), or surgery (手術).
These methods aim to kill or remove cancer cells (癌細胞).
But sometimes, they can be hard on the patient's body.
對患者的身體影響較大。
Now, scientists are looking for new ways to fight cancer more effectively (有效) and with fewer side effects (副作用更小).
One of these new methods is called CAR T-cell therapy (CAR T細胞治療).
It's a type of treatment that uses the patient's own immune system (免疫系統) to fight the cancer.
And this year, a woman in her 70s has become the first patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy covered by the National Health Insurance (全民健保).
She's being treated for a type of cancer known as DLBCL (擴散性大B細胞淋巴瘤的癌症).
Nine years ago, she was first diagnosed with DLBCL and had gone into remission (進入緩解期).
Sadly, her cancer returned two years ago.
That's where CAR T-cell therapy comes in.
It's a special treatment that changes a patient's white blood cells (白血球) to help them fight cancer better.
This treatment is really expensive, costing about $8 million NT.
But now, thanks to the NHI system, it's available to more people in Taiwan (變得更加普及).
This therapy has shown promising results.
About 40% of DLBCL patients can completely beat their cancer, and another 13% show significant improvement.
However, because it's so costly (成本高昂), the NHI is currently only funding this treatment for certain types of cancer patients.
Every year, the NHI plans to spend around $800 million NT to provide this life-saving treatment to 110 cancer patients.
This month, six more patients will receive CAR T-cell therapy.
This step is a big deal in Taiwan's healthcare.
It shows a strong commitment (堅定承諾) to use advanced treatments and make them accessible to more people.
________________________________
新加坡放寬 寵物貓法令
Pet Cat Laws in Singapore Change
Cats are such great companions (伴侶).
They're playful, independent, and can be really affectionate (跟人很親).
They're perfect for apartment living too!
They don't need much space and are pretty low maintenance.
不需要太多空間，而且照顧起來相對簡單。
In Singapore, a big change is coming for cat lovers!
For 34 years, cats were not allowed in most apartments.
But soon, this rule is going away.
People like Sunny, who secretly kept her cat Mooncake, will not have to worry about fines anymore.
像Sunny這樣偷偷養貓的人不必再擔心罰款了。
Why the change?
Well, many people in Singapore love cats.
A survey in 2022 found that 9 out of 10 people think cats are great pets for apartments.
So, the government decided it was time to update the rules (更新規則).
But it's not just about letting cats live in apartments.
There are new plans to keep cats safe and happy.
Each home can have up to two cats.
Cats will need a microchip and a license.
寵物貓需要有晶片和執照。
This change is exciting for cat owners.
Plus, it might help more rescued cats find homes.
也許可以讓更多被拯救的流浪貓找到家。
Singapore is known for having lots of rules.
For example, you can't buy or import chewing gum there.
And until now, you couldn't have cats in most apartments.
But times are changing!
Some people think the new cat rules could be better.
They want all cats to be sterilized (絕育) and owners to take full responsibility for their pets.
This is important because sometimes cats need help, like when they get sick or hurt.
Overall, this new law is a big step forward for cat lovers in Singapore.
It shows that the city cares about its furry citizens (毛茸茸的市民) and the people who love them.
Now, cats like Mooncake can live happily and safely in their homes.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A woman in her 70s has become the first patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy covered by the National Health Insurance.
She's being treated for a type of cancer.
This treatment is really expensive, costing about $8 million NT.
But now, thanks to the NHI system, it's available to more people in Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
A big change is coming for cat lovers in Singapore!
For 34 years, cats were not allowed in most apartments.
But soon, this rule is going away.
People like Sunny, who secretly kept her cat Mooncake, will not have to worry about fines anymore.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
There are many distinctive patterns in nature.
Just like our fingerprints are all different, each zebra has its own special pattern of stripes.
No two zebras have the same stripes, making them as unique as our fingerprints!
And speaking of fingerprints, did you know that koala bears have fingerprints too?
What's really surprising is that koala fingerprints are so similar to human fingerprints that even experts can have a hard time telling them apart!
Nature sure has some interesting ways of making each creature special.
What's something about you that makes you unique?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, you're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news, Taipei Police capture a fugitive teacher and a fanfiction writer files a lawsuit.
And in today's tasty tidbit: Diamonds in pencils.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台北警方逮捕逃犯教師
Taipei Police Capture Fugitive Teacher
In December 1999, something really bad happened in a karaoke bar in Taipei.
A person was shot and killed.
One of the suspects (嫌犯) was a guy.
His nickname … Teacher Chen (陳老師).
The police tried to catch Chen, but he managed to stay hidden for a very, very long time.
Chen avoided being caught by not having any ID, not staying in one place and moving mostly at night.
He walked or biked to not attract attention, like a shadow moving in the dark.
他步行或騎?踏車，以免引起注意，就像黑暗中移動的影子一般。
For many years, "Teacher Chen" was like a tricky puzzle for the police.
Chen knew how the police worked.
So he cleverly moved around different places without them finding him.
In the last two years, he returned to a neighborhood in Taipei.
Maybe he thought the police wouldn't be looking for him anymore?
But guess what?
The police got a secret tip about where he was.
警方收到了一個有關他的住處的秘密線報。
They then formed a special team to catch him.
Even though Police didn't have a photo of him, they identified him using his fingerprints.
儘管警方沒有他的照片，他們用了他的指紋來辨認他。
Police took him to the Shilin Prosecutor's Office (士林地方檢察署).
They suspect he was involved in the murder.
________________________________
《魔戒》同人小說作者提出訴訟
Lord of the Rings Fanfiction Writer Files a Lawsuit
Have you heard of Demetrious Polychron?
I'm sorry, who?
Didn't think so.
But maybe you've heard of Lord of the Rings?
Yes, I have.
Lord of the Rings one of the most famous and best-selling fantasy books of all time.
It's a story about a hobbit called Frodo Baggins, who goes on a journey to destroy a powerful ring.
Along the way, he is joined by humans, elves, dwarves, and wizards.
Together, they face various challenges and battles against the dark forces led by the evil Sauron.
The story explores themes of friendship, courage, and the struggle between good and evil in the fantasy world of Middle-earth.
That's right!
It has sold over 150 million copies.
它賣出一千五百萬本。
Now, imagine writing your very own sequel (續集) to this story.
Meet Demetrious Polychron…
He wrote a book called "The Fellowship of the King".
Oh, come on!
見鬼了！
He just took the title from the first volume of Lord of the Rings.
他只是用了《魔戒》一部曲的標題，做了一點改變。
That might be the case.
有可能。
The first volume of Lord of the Rings is called "The Fellowship of the Ring".
《魔戒》系列的第一部曲名為《魔戒現身》。
In any case, he thought it was the perfect sequel.
But guess what?
He got into some serious trouble.
他陷入了麻煩之中。
Oh, did he now?
Yes! Back in 2017, Polychron tried to team up with the Tolkien Estate to publish his book.
在2017年，Polychron曾試圖與托爾金遺產委員會合作來出版他的書。
They said, "No."
他們直接拒絕他了。
But he went ahead and published it on his own anyway in 2022.
他在２０２２年偏偏自己出版。
Fast forward to 2023, he actually sued (提出訴訟) the Tolkien Estate and Amazon.
What? How come?
Polychron claimed they stole ideas from his book for their TV series, "The Rings of Power".
Polychron聲稱他們偷了他書裏的?容，用於他們的電視系列《力量之戒》。
And get this, he wanted a whopping 250 million US dollars!
That. Is. Insane.
As you can expect, things didn't quite go his way.
正如你所預料的，事情並未那?順利。
The judge ruled that Polychron's book was actually copying stuff from Amazon's show, not the other way around.
法官裁定Polychron的書實際上是在抄襲亞馬遜的電視系列，而不是亞馬遜偷他的。
The court ordered Polychron to destroy all physical and digital copies of his book.
法院命令Polychron下架所有實體書和數位拷貝。
They also ordered him to pay $134-thousand US dollars in legal fees to the Tolkien Estate and Amazon.
他們還命令他支付十三萬四千美元的法律費用給托爾金遺產委員會與亞馬遜公司。
Ouch!
Talk about a tough day for poor old Polychron!
Lesson learned, folks: Don't mess with the magic of Middle-earth!
________________________________
So, in today's news…
A fugitive teacher was arrested by
Police suspected he was involved in the murder inside a Karaoke Bar in 1999.
"Teacher Chen" evaded the police for over 20 years.
But eventually they found him!
And,
A Lord of the Rings fanfiction writer sued the Tolkien Estate and Amazon.
Demetrious Polychron accused them of stealing ideas from his novel, the Fellowship of the King.
Polychron wanted a whopping 250 million US dollars!
But his lawsuit backfired.
The judge ordered Polychron to destroy all copies of his book.
He also had to pay 134-thousand US dollars in legal fees.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
Did you know Diamonds are made from the same chemical as the lead in pencils?
Pencil lead is not actually made of lead (Pb/鉛), but rather graphite, which is a form of carbon (C/碳).
Diamonds are also made of carbon.
The difference between Diamond and Graphite is the arrangement of the carbon atoms.
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, you're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Chiayi Township hails new fly larvae composting system, and a small turbine that can harness the power of passing cars.
And in today's tasty tidbit:
The longest word in the English language without a vowel.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
嘉義推廣黑水虻消滅廚餘
Chiayi township hails new fly larvae composting system
Processing food waste has always been a tricky problem.
When we discard food waste, we have to separate the cooked and uncooked food waste.
As a result, many people just don't separate them, or even just discard food waste with trash.
Now, there is a method that might be the best solution to food waste processing, fly larvae (幼蟲).
We're not talking about the common household fly that we hate so much.
The black soldier fly looks more like a wasp (黃蜂) due to its long body.
The fly's larvae can eat almost any organic waste.
This makes them perfect for dealing with discarded food or agricultural (農業) waste.
The waste management office in Chiayi's Meishan Township adopted a fly larvae-based composting (堆肥) system earlier this year.
They system now processes around 200kg of food waste per day.
Previously, the food waste was naturally decomposed.
But the process took 3 to 6 months and generated significant carbon emissions.
Using the new system, the larvae eat up the food waste while lowering the carbon emissions.
The excrement (排泄物) of the larvae is also an excellent organic fertilizer (肥料).
Another surprising use of the larvae is that it can be used as animal feed (飼料).
The larvae is actually rich in high quality protein and fatty acids.
The life cycle of the fly is 28 to 35 days.
When the larvae enter the pupa (蛹) stage, they can be fed directly to poultry or fish.
There are studies that show chickens that feed on black soldier fly larvae produce more eggs.
Chiayi county magistrate (縣長), Weng, praised the project highly.
Weng plans to promote this system to all the waste management offices in Chiayi.
He said the flies are "probably the second most beneficial insect species to humanity, after bees.
能夠吃掉廚餘、減碳、製造肥料，甚至成為動物飼料。
It certainly doesn't get better than that.
________________________________
這部小型風力發電機能靠車輛產生的風力發電
This small turbine can harness the power of passing cars
The wind is a great resource for energy.
Over the centuries, humans have been harnessing (駕馭) the wind for many functions.
The best example is the windmill, where people used the power of the wind to mill (研磨) grains.
Nowadays, gigantic wind turbines are installed near the coast to generate electricity.
A major downside (缺點) of wind turbines is that they don't work when there is no wind.
But a company have made a turbine that can capture the wind created by a passing car.
The turbine made by Alpha 311 is nothing like the traditional wind turbines.
Wind turbines usually look like giant electric fans.
The CEO, Thompson, said they built the first prototype (原型) during the Covid lockdown in 2020.
The Alpha 311 turbine is made of carbon fiber (碳纖維) and has a cylindrical (圓柱體) shape.
It is attached to a pole and the whole thing is 1.8 meters tall.
The advantage of its size makes it able to be installed anywhere.
When installed on a rooftop, it can create power from the wind.
When installed by the road, it can harness the air movement of passing vehicles.
Thompson said that if the turbine is installed on a highway, it can produce 30 times the power of a 300W solar panel.
The company's next step is to test the effects when the turbines are mounted onto lampposts.
Theoretically, the turbines would be able to power the street lamps immediately.
The excessive (過多的) power can go back into the grid (電網) and used for other purposes.
The turbines can do more than producing energy.
They can also be fitted with sensors to monitor (監控) the air quality or traffic flow.
The company has received numerous interests from parties around the world.
They include stadiums, factories, gas stations and many others.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Chiayi Township hails new fly larvae composting system.
The larvae of the black soldier fly can eat organic waste, produce fertilizer and become animal feed.
And,
This small turbine can harness the power of passing cars.
The new turbine can be installed anywhere and capture the wind created by passing vehicles.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know the longest word in the English language without a vowel is "rhythms" (節奏)?
English has five vowels.
Those are A, E, I, O and U.
And now for today's joke…
What do you call a fake noodle?
An "impasta"!
HAHA! It sounds like the word "imposter" but spoken with a New York accent.
You're an "impasta", Spiderman!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Good afternoon, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
A bird of prey shows up in New Taipei City, and some Korean students are not happy about their big test.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…let's visit a magical place in Hawaii!
Stay tuned for more on these stories.
________________________________
一隻老鷹在新北市出現
Hawk Appears in New Taipei
Have you ever heard a hawk's call (老鷹的鳴叫聲)?
That's the sound of a bird of prey (猛禽).
Hawks usually live in the wild.
But recently, one of them appeared (出現) in New Taipei City.
And the government is trying to find out where it came from.
What happened?
People first noticed the hawk living near a bike path.
It made its home beneath a bridge, under the Xin-dian Shui-yuan Expressway.
人們注意到新店水源路下方棲息著一隻鷹。
It is strange for such a bird to show up in the city.
So, the Animal Protection Office (動物保護防疫處) came to check it out.
This government office makes sure animals are healthy and safe.
When they caught the hawk, they were surprised
The bird was actually a Harris's Hawk (栗翅鷹).
This is a big hawk from the Americas.
Harris's Hawks are smart and social (喜愛社交).
They get along well with humans.
What's more, this hawk was wearing an ankle ring.
這隻鷹的腳踝竟然戴著一個圈圈。
That's a ring it wears on its foot, to show that it is a pet.
But, the hawk's ring did not say who it belongs to.
So now the Animal Protection Office is looking for the hawk's owner (主人).
They say the hawk is in good health.
But they have no idea who its owner might be.
沒有人知道主人到底是誰。
It's tricky because a lot of people actually own hawks.
They train (訓練) the hawks to hunt small birds and rats.
And the Harris's Hawk is the most popular kind of hawk to train.
However, Harris's Hawks are still wild at heart (內心還有野性).
If they are not taken care of, they might attack people or harm the environment.
That's why the government wants to return this hawk to its owner.
Because we can't have wild hawks flying around New Taipei City.
________________________________
學生因考試時間不公平提起訴訟
Students Sue over Unfair Test Time
Do you want to go to college (大學)?
Then you need to take the college entrance exam (大學入學考試)!
It's an important test, and many students find it stressful.
When the test day comes, you write as much as you can, and hope your time doesn't run out…
So how would you feel if the teacher accidentally (不小心) ended the test early?
That's what happened to some students in South Korea.
The students were so angry that they sued the government.
一些韓國學生控告政府，因為大考提前結束。
Do you think that's reasonable?
Well, in South Korea, the test is a big deal.
It's called the "Suneung" (修能), and it's one of the hardest tests in the world.
The test is eight hours long, and covers several subjects.
Many students feel like their whole future depends on this one test score (考試成績).
After all, the score determines (決定) which university a student can get into.
And that determines what job they can get and what kind of life they can lead.
On the test day, the whole country stays quiet so students can focus (集中注意力).
But recently, something bad happened to one group of students.
During the first part of the test, the bell rang early.
It was only 90 seconds early… but the students felt like it hurt their score.
Many students were so upset they couldn't focus on the other parts of the test.
很多學生非常沮喪，沒有辦法專心完成別的科目考試。
Some of them even gave up and went home.
Now, 39 students have joined a lawsuit (訴訟).
They are suing the government for 20 million won each.
That's about half a million NT (五十萬台幣).
They say that's the cost of studying for another year to take the test again.
Maybe it seems ridiculous (荒謬), but it's not the first time this has happened.
Last year, another group of students sued the government when their test ended 2 minutes early.
And they won.
In a way, it makes sense (有道理).
Everyone asks these students to study so hard.
At least they deserve a fair chance.
學生至少應該得到公平的機會。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A hawk was recently found in New Taipei City.
It's a Harris's hawk, and it used to be somebody's pet.
Now the city government is looking for the hawk's owner.
________________________________
And,
Some students in South Korea are suing their government.
That's because a teacher ended their college entrance exam 90 seconds early.
The students think it's unfair that they got less time.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Imagine a beach with sand that's not golden or white, but green!
Yes, you heard that right - green sand!
This special beach is called Papakolea Beach.
Now, you might wonder, how did the sand turn green?
It's all thanks to a special kind of rock called olivine.
This rock comes from deep inside volcanoes.
When a volcano erupts, it spews out this rock.
Over time, the waves and wind crush it into tiny, tiny pieces.
These pieces mix with the sand, giving it a beautiful green color.
Papak?lea Beach is one of the rarest beaches in the world.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram!
In today's news,
A yellow duck returns, and a slithery surprise at a tennis game.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
How do dolphins get some shut-eye? Learn the surprising answer at the end of the episode!
________________________________
黃色小鴨重返高雄
Giant Rubber Duck Returns to Kaohsiung
Rub-a-dub-dub…
A giant rubber duck is back for a quacking good time!
A famous rubber duck is heading back to Kaohsiung later this month.
This giant yellow duck is a piece of art.
It was made by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.
The duck is actually famous around the world.
It has been on show in many cities.
Hofman actually makes a new duck for every city.
The first giant rubber duck was made for Saint-Nazaire, a city in France, in 2007.
Since then, his toy ducks have floated (漂浮) in the waters of almost 30 cities around the world, including Osaka, Los Angeles, and Auckland.
And the duck has been shown in Taiwan many times too.
In 2013, it visited Keelung, Taoyuan, and Kaohsiung.
That duck was 18 meters tall.
That's more than 4 floors high!
At that time, it was on show in Kaohsiung for 32 days.
And 3.9 million people visited the duck during that time.
This time around the rubber duck will float around in Love River Bay.
It will stay there from January 27th until February 25th.
「黃色小鴨」預計1月27日至2月25日在高雄愛河灣展出。
Hofman visited the bay.
The artist checked that it would work for the duck.
He also said the city had grown a lot in 10 years.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai says the duck will be in Kaohsiung just in time for the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival.
The mayor says people visiting the area may start to see pictures of the duck on famous places in the city.
周邊也會舉行市集與冬日遊樂園等活動，還有高雄的一些地標和新建築也許也能看到黃色小鴨的logo。
And he says many other fun events will be held near Love River Bay.
There will be a holiday market.
And there will winter wonderland activities.
________________________________
布里斯本網賽 世界第二毒蛇出沒
A Tennis Tale with a Slithery Surprise
Tennis is an exciting sport.
Professional tennis matches are very intense (激烈).
There is often a lot of prize money.
And the players are very famous.
You never know what's going to happen.
The yellow ball flying back and forth often keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
But one recent tennis match was a shock, even for the players!
It happened in Australia, at the Brisbane International.
Tennis star Dominic Thiem was playing against James McCabe.
Both players were hitting hard, and doing their best.
But suddenly, a slithery surprise showed up on the tennis court (網球場).
It was a snake, a real, live snake!
And this wasn't just any old snake…
It was an eastern brown snake.
This snake is the second most venomous (有毒的) snake in the world.
Experts say this snake lives in many parts of Australia.
In fact, they say the bite of an eastern brown snake causes more deaths than any other snakes in Australia.
這條蛇是東方褐蛇，也被稱為「世界第2毒蛇」，毒液含有強大神經毒素。
And this eastern brown snake slithered onto the court!
Dominic said he really loves animals, but this was a very dangerous situation.
The snake was quite close to the ballkids (球童).
Everyone tried to stay calm.
They called a snake catcher.
The snake catcher safely scooped up the snake…
And the game was back on!
Actually at first, Dominic was not doing very well.
It looked like he was about to lose.
But he did not give up.
Even after the snake scare, he kept trying hard.
He fought back, point by point…
Until he turned the tables, and won the match!
Dominic says this surprising match was something that has never happened to him.
And he says it's something he'll definitely never forget!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A famous giant rubber duck is heading back to Kaohsiung later this month.
This piece of art made by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman will float around in Love River Bay.
It will stay there from January 27th until February 25th.
________________________________
And,
Tennis star Dominic Thiem was playing against James McCabe, when a snake slithered onto the court.
It was an eastern brown snake, the second most venomous snake in the world.
A snake catcher safely took the snake away.
And Dominic won the match!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Getting some "shut-eye" means getting some sleep.
And that kind of makes sense, because usually you would shut your eyes to sleep.
But did you know, that dolphins sleep with one eye open? They rest half their brain at a time. The left eye will be closed when the right half of the brain sleeps, and vice versa.
This helps them keep an eye out for sharks or other types of danger!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news,
A sparkling soda comeback, and healing robots made by you for you.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
One of our listeners tested his skills out in the wilderness.
Hear all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
蘋果西打復活了
Apple Sidra's Comeback
Apple Sidra is a popular soda (汽水) in Taiwan.
It has a history of almost 60 years.
It was first made in 1965.
And it can be found in the refrigerator of many local restaurants, especially "rechao (熱炒)" and seafood restaurants.
The company that makes Apple Sidra is Oceanic Beverages.
They say that Apple Sidra is made without any preservatives (防腐劑) or artificial flavor.
But the makers of the gold-colored soda ran into some trouble earlier this year.
Someone saw some white sediment (沉澱物) in bottles of the soda.
Health officials tested the soda.
And they checked the factory in Taoyuan that made the soda.
They found some problems.
They found mold (霉) and yeast (酵母菌) in the sediment.
And there were some problems at the factory too.
Health officials ordered the factory to shut down for some time.
工廠遭桃園市衛生局令停工。
It couldn't make any Apple Sidra during this time.
Many customers were surprised when the soda was not on store shelves anymore.
Some complained that they could not find an apple soda that tasted the same.
Oceanic Beverages worked on making improvements for six months.
Officials let the factory restart.
And health officials checked the sodas that it made.
They said all the sodas met safety standards (標準).
Many people have made videos introducing Taiwanese drinks to people in other countries.
Some of them really enjoyed Apple Sidra.
蘋果西打產線已經恢復出貨，產品也通過地方衛生局的檢驗了。
________________________________
Tiny Robots Made from Human Cells
人類細胞做出的"活體機器人"
The advancement of technology in medicine is incredible (難以置信的).
Scientists have made tiny groups of human cells that can move on their own.
They call them "anthrobots" (人類機器人).
And these anthrobots could help us fight disease!
The idea actually came from "xenobots." (異種機器人)
Xenobots are tiny robots made by stitching frog embryo (胚胎) cells together.
They can group themselves together.
And they can even move over surfaces and through liquid.
But xenobots are not made from human cells.
This means they cannot be used to fix problems in the human body.
But anthrobots can!
Scientist did an experiment.
They wanted to see if anthrobots could help heal wounds (治癒傷口).
They put a layer of neurons (神經細胞) in a dish.
Then they scratched (刮傷) the neurons.
And they put the anthrobots near the scratch.
Within days, the neurons regrew, and the wound closed.
Scientists are still trying to find out how the anthrobots helped heal the wound.
They also tried the experiment with other substances (物質).
But they did not get the same result.
This healing was quite surprising to scientists.
Because the cells were not genetically modified (基因改良).
They were just grown from a single adult human lung cell.
This means that they can use anyone's cells, even cells from elderly patients.
The genes don't have to go through editing and that saves a lot of time and work.
The anthrobots ability to heal could lead to many uses in regenerative medicine (再生醫學).
Regenerative medicine is about fixing or even replacing (撤換) parts of the human body that have been damaged.
Now, scientists are trying to grow human organs (器官) in the lab.
They want to find out what triggers (引發) the anthrobot's healing mechanism.
And they hope to use it to repair damaged organs in the human body.
科學家希望這些使用人類細胞製造的機器人可以修復人類的身體。
It sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Apple Sidra, a popular soda in Taiwan, ran into some trouble earlier this year.
An Apple Sidra factory had to shut down after white sediment was found in the soda.
There were some other problems at the factory too.
But after six months of improvemetns, health officials say the soda now meets safety standards.
And,
Scientist have made tiny groups of human cells that can move on their own.
These "anthrobots" have helped heal wounds in neurons.
The scientists hope to use anthrobots to repair damaged organs in the human body.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Learning and having an adventure out in nature sounds like a lot of fun!
Here's a joke to start you off.
You ready?
Where do young trees go to learn?
"Elementree" school!
And here's 5th-grader Anthony Su from Chiaoyong Primary School in Pingtung County, to tell us about his wilderness adventure.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news,
Some people say "money talks", and that's definitely what we're talking about today, from Taiwan's riches, to a surprise left at a homeless shelter!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
These "out-of-this-world" numbers are right here on Earth. We'll tell you all about it, at the end of the episode.
________________________________
全球最富國 台灣排第14名
Taiwan Ranks 14th Richest Country in the World
Cha-ching!
Is Taiwan one of the richest countries in the world?
A magazine called "Global Finance" made a list.
It looked at how much a country made in a year.
This is the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Imagine it like your family income (家庭收入).
Every time you do homework, wash the dishes, or walk your dog, you are adding to your family's income.
It's the same with a country.
When a baker bakes bread, or a scientist makes a new medicine, or a farmer grows crops, they are adding to the country's GDP.
A higher GDP usually means the country is making more, and the economy is strong.
Of course, GDP doesn't give us the whole picture of how well a country is doing, it's just one part.
But it can tell us about how well the country is doing in the "business of making stuff".
So how is Taiwan doing?
Well, Global Finance says Taiwan was the 14th richest country in the world this year.
The magazine's list says Taiwan's GDP is the 14th highest, out of 193 countries and territories.
美國「全球金融」雜誌公布2023年世界最富裕的國家排名，台灣名列14。
To calculate each country's GDP, the magazine took information from the International Monetary Fund (國際貨幣基金組織).
It also looked at things like inflation (通貨膨脹), and how many people live in the country.
Based on all that, who was at the top of the list?
Global Finance says the richest country in the world in 2023 was Ireland.
Luxembourg was second.
And Singapore was third.
Some big countries were further down on the list.
The United States was 9th, Japan was 38th, and China was 77th.
But the magazine also says many things can change these numbers.
It says its list is just one way to look at finance (財政) around the world.
________________________________
遊民收容所收到金光閃閃喬丹鞋款
Shiny Shoe Surprise! Rare Air Jordans Donated to Shelter
It's a mystery, a miracle, and a whole lot of moolah!
A homeless shelter (遊民收容所) in the US got a special donation.
The shelter has a donation bin.
It's a box where people can leave things that they would like to donate (捐).
One day, a shelter worker was taking things out of the bin.
He saw something shiny at the bottom.
It was a pair of gold-colored sneakers.
The sneakers looked a lot like a pair worn by a famous film maker.
But the worker thought the sneakers couldn't be "the real thing".
The shelter asked an expert.
And the expert said yes, these sneakers are real, and very valuable (值錢).
They are a pair of gold Air Jordans.
The sneakers were especially designed for American director (導演) Spike Lee.
He wore a pair of these shoes to the 2019 Academy Awards.
And the director won an Oscar that night.
設計師於2019年為史派克李設計了這雙鞋，史派克李穿著它們出席同年的奧斯卡頒獎典禮，並獲得最佳改編劇本獎。
And in total, Mr. Lee has four pairs of these gold Air Jordans.
But he says he did not donate his sneakers.
He says his shoes are all size 9.
But the gold sneakers given to the shelter were a size 12.
So the identity of the donor remains a mystery.
But the shoes are also a miracle (奇蹟) for the shelter.
The gold sneakers were sold at an auction for $50,800 US dollars.
That's about $1.6 million NT (160萬台幣)!
Workers at the shelter were so happy that they cried.
The money will help them buy clothes and food for people at the shelter.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A magazine called "Global FInance" says Taiwan was the 14th richest country in the world this year.
The magazine's list says Taiwan's GDP is the 14th highest, out of 193 countries and territories.
The richest country in the world in 2023 was Ireland.
But the magazine also says its list is just one way to look at finance around the world.
And,
A homeless shelter in the US got a special donation.
It was a pair of gold-colored Air Jordans.
The gold sneakers were sold at an auction for $50,800 US dollars.
The money will help them buy clothes and food for people at the shelter.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We've got more numbers for you.
Did you know that there are about 8 billion people on Earth…
But there's around 20 quadrillion ants alive on Earth right now?
That's 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants!
Think about it this way…
That's about 2.5 million ants for every one person on Earth!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm John Seaward.
In today's stories…
A Kaohsiung neighborhood gets ready to move, and two scientists find something amazing deep in the Earth.
And in today's tasty tidbit: Electricity in the human brain.
Let's check it out.
________________________________
高雄大林蒲村民準備搬家
Kaohsiung Neighborhood Prepares to Move
Have you ever been to Kaohsiung?
Maybe you've been to Siaogang District (小港區).
It's one of Taiwan's biggest industrial areas (工業區).
It's really heavy industry down there!
There are big factories, making steel (鋼鐵), oil (石油), and every kind of chemical (各種化學品).
There's a company building huge ships, and a power plant burning coal.
小港工業區有工廠、造船廠、發電廠。
And right in the middle of it, there's a little village where people live.
It's called Dalinpu Village (大林蒲村).
For many years, the people of Dalinpu have had to live next to all of these factories and power plants.
Every day, they eat and sleep surrounded by the pollution (污染) from the industrial areas.
Now, the government (政府) says it will help the people move away from there.
They have agreed to spend 80 billion NT on the move.
The money will provide (提供) new homes to almost 6000 people from Dalinpu.
政府提供八百億元幫助近六千名居民搬家。
They will be able to escape the pollution, and live in a cleaner area.
Not everybody wants to leave Dalinpu.
Even though the air is dirty, some residents (居民) still regard it as home.
Some people have even lived there since before the area became an industrial zone.
But most people want to go.
In 2017, they had a vote, and 90% of people agreed to relocate.
90%的居民投票決定搬遷。
Now they need to decide where to go.
Many of the details (細節) still need to be worked out.
But people agree that they can't stay there much longer.
Each year, the pollution gets worse.
So, the residents of Dalinpu are getting ready to say goodbye to their old neighborhood (舊社區) and say hello to a cleaner, safer living environment (生活環境).
________________________________
地球內部的另一個行星
Another Planet Inside Earth
What is inside our planet (行星)?
Yes, our planet Earth (地球)!
We live on the surface (地表).
But if you dig down, deep into the ground, what is at the center of the planet?
In the past, people thought there might be a secret world down there.
Later, scientists found out that the core of the earth is made of hot rock and oceans of magma.
科學家知道地球的核心是由岩漿組成的。
But recently, scientists have made a startling discovery (驚人的發現).
They think there might be another planet inside Earth.
How can that be?
It started when scientists tried to test a theory (檢驗理論).
They wanted to know how the moon (月亮) was made.
According to the theory, another planet called Theia crashed into Earth billions of years ago.
根據理論，數十億年前，另一顆名為Theia的行星撞擊了地球。
The crash melted both planets, and blew lots of dirt and rocks into space.
Then, this rock came together to form the moon.
Scientists thought it was an interesting idea, but they weren't sure it was correct.
After all, nobody was around billions of years ago, so how could they know?
A couple scientists thought if planet Theia had crashed into Earth, maybe some pieces of Theia would still be inside our planet.
兩位科學家認為Theia 的一些碎片可能仍然存在於我們的地球內。
Dr Qian Yuan from California and Professor Hongping Deng from China used a computer to test the idea.
The test showed that part of the planet Theia would remain as blobs of rock (岩石團) inside Earth.
The amazing thing is, there really are two huge blobs of strange rock in the earth.
The blobs are deep underground, 3,000 kilometers below Africa and the Pacific Ocean.
他們確實在地下三千公里處發現了兩塊巨大的岩石。
Scientists know these blobs are different from the rest of Earth, but for a long time they have not known where these blobs come from.
Now, Dr Yuan and Professor Deng say these blobs might come from the planet Theia.
If that's true, it means there are parts of a completely different planet buried (埋著) under our feet.
Now, the scientists want to test rocks from the moon.
If the moon rocks are similar to the underground blobs in Earth, then maybe both of them came from the planet Theia.
如果月球岩石跟地下岩石團相似，那它們可能都來自Theia行星。
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
All the people from a Kaohsiung neighborhood are preparing to move away.
Dalinpu Village is polluted, because it is near an industrial area.
Now, the government has set aside some money to help nearly 6000 residents find new homes.
And…
Scientists think there might be another planet inside Earth.
They think the planet Theia crashed into Earth billions of years ago.
That crash might have left parts of Theia inside Earth, and also created the moon.
________________________________
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know that the human brain generates about 20 Watts of electrical power?
While the brain represents only about 2% of a person's total body weight, it consumes about 20% of the body's energy.
The electrical activity generated by the brain, often measured in watts, is roughly equivalent to the power consumption of a dim light bulb.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, you're listening to an all-new episode of news bites!
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news…
Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers, and giant goldfish are bad news for lakes.
And in today's tasty tidbit: An animal with three hearts.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
基隆實施"神秘客"計畫提升公車服務
Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers
Buses are a very important part of public transportation.
In Taipei alone, there are around a million commuters (通勤者) who take the bus every day.
With so many passengers, service quality and safety are essential (必須的).
That's why the Keelung City Government implemented a "mystery passenger" program.
這就是基隆市政府實施神秘客計畫的原因。
In this type of program, mystery passengers are hired to check how well drivers are doing their job without them knowing.
Mystery passengers monitor the driver's driving habits and attitude towards passengers.
The main purpose of the program is to observe the service and conduct of bus drivers.
To the driver, mystery passengers will appear as just a normal passenger.
This means the driver won't know when they are being evaluated.
In November, there were 3 complaints about bus drivers made to the city's hotline.
The first driver skipped stops on the route, causing passengers to miss their bus.
The second driver had a bad attitude towards elderly passengers.
The third driver closed the door too quickly and a passenger was pinched (夾) by the doors.
All three incidents were investigated and proven to be true.
The drivers were given warnings and required to go through counseling (輔導).
Other previous complaints include speeding, running red lights and delays.
The Keelung City Bus Management Office hopes that a mystery passenger program will encourage the drivers to be more attentive (細心) and considerate (周到).
'神秘客'將會不定時搭乘隨機路線。
In contrast to the few reckless (魯莽) bus drivers, most drives are kind and friendly.
There were also reports of compliments (稱讚) made to the hotline.
A particular bus driver, Zhou, was complimented for being kind and attentive.
On the other hand, it's not easy to be a bus driver.
They have long working hours and drive the same routes numerous times every day.
They are under stress to be on schedule, and they can only go to the restrooms when they return to the bus terminals.
They are also seriously understaffed and overworked.
Therefore, some people suggest authorities should improve workplace environments for bus drivers.
Because happy drivers will make passengers happy.
________________________________
巨大的金魚會傷害湖泊
Giant goldfish are bad news for lakes
Do you have a goldfish?
The goldfish is one of the most common household pets.
Their bright colors are pretty to look at as they swim around in a fish tank.
However, when people are tired of them, they might release the goldfish into a lake or pond.
看膩金魚者有可能會把之釋放於湖泊或池塘裏。
This seems like a good harmless solution, as fish belong in water.
But the situation is actually quite the opposite.
Given the right environment, the goldfish can grow up to almost 50 centimeters and weigh 4 kilograms.
It's unbelievable that a fish that small can become the size of a football!
In lakes, goldfish can root up (連根拔起) plants, consume native vegetation and spread diseases (傳播疾病).
This will cause damage to the native ecosystem (生態).
Researchers are now studying their patterns, finding a method to remove them from the lakes.
They are called invasive species (入侵物種).
The situation is usually created by abandoning pets, just like the green iguana invasion in southern Taiwan.
Green iguanas (綠鬣蜥) were originally imported as pets from South America.
When people grew tired of them, they were just abandoned in the wild.
The green iguana has no natural enemies in Taiwan.
This allowed it to reproduce at an astonishing (驚人的) speed.
There are also some religious parties that practice a ritual which releases captive (圈養) animals into the wild.
The intention (意圖) is good, but it actually causes problems for the local ecosystem.
Recently, many venomous (有毒的) snakes were seen in the mountain areas in central Taiwan.
Local residents reported seeing religious parties releasing the snakes into wild.
The snakes slithered (滑) into houses, causing panic among local residents.
動物專家們請求社會大眾不要棄養寵物。
If you see someone releasing animals into wild, notify the local authorities.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers.
The mystery passenger will be on random bus routes to evaluate the driver's behavior.
And,
Giant goldfish are bad news for lakes.
When abandoned, goldfish can grow up to the size of a football and cause damage to the local ecosystem.
Therefore, experts are urging people not to abandon pets anywhere.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
Did you know that octopuses have three hearts?
你知不知道章魚有三顆心臟？
Two pump blood to the gills, and one pumps it to the rest of the body.
其中兩顆將血液送到鰓，另一顆將血液送到身體的其他部分。
And now for today's joke…
Why did the cow go to outer space?
Because it wanted to see the moooon!
Haha! That is one of the funniest jokes ever written.
I couldn't agree more.
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Welcome back to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news: The first blue whale exhibit in Taiwan, and the possible first Native American team in the Olympics.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…an accidental icy treat!
Keep on listening to learn more!
________________________________
台灣首次展出藍鯨骨架
Taiwan's First Blue Whale Exhibit
Blue whales are the biggest animal in the world.
They're longer than a basketball court, and heavier than an airplane.
They're also very important for keeping the marine ecosystem in balance (維持海洋生態平衡).
And, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has a special new exhibit: a giant blue whale skeleton!
國立海洋生物博物館有個特別的新展覽：一個巨大的藍鯨骨架！
This exhibit is really exciting because it's the first time Taiwan is showing a blue whale skeleton (骨架).
Three years ago, people found the body of a young blue whale on the coast of Taitung.
This was a big deal because blue whales are rare (很稀有).
Records say the last time a blue whale was seen near Taiwan was more than 100 years ago.
記錄顯示，上一次在台灣附近看到藍鯨是在一百多年前。
Restoring the whale's skeleton took a lot of work.
把藍鯨骨頭恢復原狀花了很多功夫。
Experts spent three years carefully studying it and putting it together (組裝).
The whale is huge - about 20 meters long and weighs a ton!
這隻鯨魚非常巨大 - 大約20米長，重達一噸！
The exhibit doesn't just show the whale's bones.
The special display makes the whale look like it's diving in the ocean (看起來像在海洋中潛水).
This helps us imagine how the whale lived and moved in the water.
This exhibit is not only interesting but also teaches us a lot.
It shows how important it is to protect our oceans and the creatures that live in them.
People are really excited to see this exhibit.
It's a great way to learn about marine life (海洋生物) and why we should take care of our oceans.
So, this blue whale exhibit is more than just a display.
It's a chance to learn, be amazed, and think about how we can help protect our oceans and the amazing animals that live in them.
________________________________
從古老根源到奧運夢想
From Ancient Roots to Olympic Dreams
Lacrosse (長曲棍球) is a very old sport.
Long ago, Native American people invented it.
很久以前，美洲原住民發明了這項運動。
They played it for fun and to solve problems between tribes (解決部落間的問題).
They played it on wide fields using sticks made from hickory and catgut.
他們在寬闊的田野上，使用由山核桃木和貓腸線製成的棍子來玩。
They see the game as a gift from their Creator.
他們認為這個遊戲是他們的造物主賜予的禮物。
Now, lacrosse is a popular sport played all over the world!
A team called the Haudenosaunee Nationals wants to play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
一支由加拿大和美國原住民組成的國家隊，希望在2028年洛杉磯奧運會上比賽。
The Haudenosaunee Nationals are a lacrosse team made up of Native American players.
Why is this a big deal?
Well, they come from the people who first invented and played lacrosse!
Last summer, they showed their skills, finishing in third place at the World Lacrosse Championship (在長曲棍球世界錦標賽中取得第三名).
Now, with lacrosse added to the 2028 Olympics (隨著長曲棍球被納入2028年奧運會), there's a chance for them to play under their own flag.
US President Joe Biden is supporting the idea (支持這個想法) because of their unique connection to the sport.
But there's a problem.
To play in the Olympics, teams have to come from countries that everyone knows.
The Haudenosaunee team is from a group of Native American communities in the U.S. and Canada.
They don't fit the normal rules for Olympic teams.
The International Olympic Committee, which runs the Olympics, once made an exception by creating a refugee team.
國際奧林匹克委員會曾經破例讓一支難民運動員隊伍參加奧運。
But they're hesitant (猶豫不決) to do something similar for the Haudenosaunee.
If they do, it could open the door for other unrecognized groups to ask for the same thing.
如果他們這樣做，其他沒有被承認的團體可能會要求同樣的待遇。
This could make things really complicated (複雜) for the Olympics.
Despite these challenges, the Haudenosaunee have a lot of support.
儘管面臨這些挑戰，這個原住民隊伍得到許多支持。
World Lacrosse and the organizers of the LA Olympics are helping too.
世界長曲棍球組織和洛杉磯奧運會也在幫忙。
They want to find a way for the team to play.
It's exciting to see a team with such a special history be in the Olympics.
We hope they can make it!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has a special new exhibit: a giant blue whale skeleton!
Experts spent three years carefully studying it and putting it together.
It's a chance to learn, be amazed, and think about how we can help protect our oceans and the amazing animals that live in them.
________________________________
And,
A team called the Haudenosaunee Nationals wants to play in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
They come from the people who first invented and played lacrosse!
But to play in the Olympics, teams have to come from countries that everyone knows.
World Lacrosse and the organizers of the LA Olympics are supporting the team to find a way they can play.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And…
Today's Tasty Tidbit is all about a sweet, icy treat - the Popsicle (冰棒)!
Did you know it was invented by accident?
In 1905, an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson left a mixture of powdered soda, water, and a stirring stick outside overnight.
It was a chilly night, and the next morning, he discovered the mixture had frozen to the stick, creating a frozen pop!
He called it the "Epsicle."
It was so popular with his friends that, when he grew up, he patented the idea and renamed it "Popsicle."
That's how this icy treat was born!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news,
A broken trunk, and a tree that grows with you.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
It's a lunch you'll never forget!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
象鼻岩斷裂墜海
Elephant Trunk Rock Collapses into the Sea
Attention nature lovers and selfie stars.
We have some sad news.
Remember that giant rock that looked like an elephant?
Sadly, a part of that big rock has fallen into the sea.
Elephant Trunk Rock was a famous part of Taiwan's landscape (風景、景觀).
The rock is in New Taipei, close to Shen-ao Fishing Harbor.
It looked like a giant elephant with a long trunk (象鼻), standing in the sea.
新北市瑞芳深澳的「象鼻岩」，是一個外型像大象的海蝕洞。
Actually, there are many interesting rocks in that area with amazing shapes.
The famous Queen's Head (女王頭) rock is there too.
It's in Yehliu Geopark.
And the rock looks like a woman's head, with a crown, and a long neck.
But many of these famous rocks won't be around forever.
In fact, Elephant Trunk Rock lost its trunk earlier this month.
And it's all because of nature.
Over time, the seawater and winds change the rock.
The salt, water, and wind make the rock weak.
And experts say the wind and waves were extra strong that afternoon, just before Elephant Trunk Rock fell down.
海水長期沖蝕加上自然風化，造成象鼻部分斷裂。
Elephant Trunk Rock used to be a popular spot.
Many people would visit to take photos there.
But some of those people would climb onto the rock.
This was very dangerous, and could have damaged (損壞) the rock.
So in 2020, officials set up a warning line around the rock, to keep people safe.
Right now, the rest of Elephant Trunk Rock is still off-limits.
Officials are asking everyone to stay away from the rock for safety.
目前象鼻岩附近地質不穩定，已管制禁止遊客進入。
________________________________
聖誕樹循環出租
Rent-and-Return Christmas Trees
It's the day after Christmas.
No more delicious Christmas treats.
We've got to say goodbye to beautiful Christmas decorations.
And worst of all, in some countries, there's a sad sight in the streets…
Used Christmas trees, left by the road.
The lifeless brown trees will be picked up by garbage trucks, and taken to landfills (垃圾掩埋場).
In many parts of the world, these traditional Christmas trees were living trees.
They were cut down especially for Christmas.
And they are thrown away after Christmas is over.
But the world is changing.
More people feel that cutting down the trees is wasteful (浪費) and bad for the environment.
Now, there is a greener way to enjoy Christmas.
You don't have to cut down a living tree.
And you don't have to buy a plastic tree.
Some companies now have living Christmas trees FOR RENT (出租).
They grow Christmas trees on a farm.
They take care of the trees through most of the year.
When December comes around, people come to the farm, to pick out a tree.
The companies put the tree in a pot.
Customers take the tree home and decorate it for Christmas.
They need to remember to water their living tree too.
And when Christmas is over, people take their tree back to the farm.
The tree is replanted.
And it keeps growing until next year.
顧客可以一月再歸還聖誕樹，之後公司會把樹重新種植。
The companies call it "rent, water, return".
You can even rent the same tree every year.
Some companies say a 1 meter-tall Christmas tree could be 1.3 meters tall next year.
So the tree grows with you!
They say their trees are not perfect.
People who rent these living trees can't forget to water them.
And some needles (松針) will fall from the trees.
But the trees will keep living for years.
And when the trees get over 200 centimeters tall, they "retire" (退休).
The companies plant these big trees in the forest.
This helps the environment and cuts waste.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Elephant Trunk Rock was a famous part of Taiwan's landscape.
But part of the rock broke off and fell into the ocean.
Seawater and wind slowly made the rock weak.
And experts say the wind and waves were extra strong that afternoon, just before Elephant Trunk Rock fell down.
And,
Some companies now have living Christmas trees for rent.
They grow Christmas trees on a farm.
Customers take a tree home and decorate it for Christmas.
When Christmas is over, people take their tree back to the farm, and the tree is replanted.
And it keeps growing until next year.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Are you enjoying your lunch today?
Nothing like a good laugh to go with your food.
You ready?
Why did 4 and 4 skip lunch today?
They already 8!
And here's Andy from Chupei Junior High School in Hsinchu County to tell us the special person he would choose as his guest for lunch.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there, you're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
First off, before we begin … it's the 25th of December today.
And that means it's Christmas, everybody!
Merry Christmas, Jake!
And a Merry Christmas to you too, Nancy!
Well done on making it this far into the year.
Haha!
In today's news, an expedition to an abandoned forest and a couple drive from the North to the South Pole in an electric car.
And in today's tasty tidbit: the tallest mountain in the solar system (太陽系中最高的山).
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
救援任務拯救受傷的勘測人員
Rescue Mission Saves Injured Surveyors
Have you ever been on an expedition (探險) before?
No, I haven't.
What about you?
I have been on many expeditions.
My last one was to Family Mart to buy a sweet potato.
I don't think that counts as an expedition, Jake…
Does it not?
No, no! An expedition is a journey undertaken for exploration, research or adventure.
Expeditions are typically organized and planned.
They normally involve challenging or dangerous environments, such as mountains, jungles, snowy wastes, or remote places.
Ahh! So you have to go to a dangerous or faraway place, like the Arctic?
And you have to go there to explore, to conduct research or for adventure?
Yes. Therefore popping down to Family Mart doesn't count.
Right then.
Well, now that I know what an expedition is, I do have a news story to share, something that happened recently in Taiwan.
I'm sure you can't wait to hear it.
Recently in Tainan, a team of eight surveyors (勘測人員) went on an expedition to an abandoned forest in the mountains.
An abandoned forest?
That sounds spooky.
You bet.
So what were they doing there exactly?
They went there to survey the forest, which had been abandoned for 30 years.
In this case, surveying means to examine a piece of land and collect data about it.
They were also inspecting a disused helipad (直升機停機坪) to see if it could still be used.
That doesn't sound too bad.
However, they soon found out they bit off more than they could chew.
不過，他們很快就發現他們承擔超過自己所能勝任的任務。
One of the eight surveyors fell and injured themselves.
Two others suffered from altitude sickness (高山症) and hypothermia (失溫症).
And to make matters worse, adverse weather conditions, such as dense fog and heavy rain, made rescue efforts more difficult.
They were stranded (滯留的) in that abandoned, remote forest for three days.
Oh, my!
Imagine being stranded for three days.
That must have been terrifying.
Thankfully, after the weather conditions cleared, a rescue helicopter airlifted them to hospital.
They have all received medical treatment, and have no issues.
Note to self: Stick to safe walks, and avoid abandoned forests!
________________________________
一對夫妻從地磁北極到南極駕駛電動車
Husband and Wife Team Drive from Magnetic North Pole to South Pole in Electric Car
Have you ever wondered about the ends of the Earth, where it's super cold?
Well, get ready for a frosty expedition, as we talk about the North and South Poles!
The North Pole is way up in the Arctic (北極地區), surrounded by icy waters.
The South Pole is in Antarctica (南北州), the fifth-largest continent.
Now, imagine driving from one pole to the other in an electric car.
That's what husband-and-wife team Chris and Julie Ramsey did!
It's a tale of freezing temperatures, polar bears, and making history.
They set off in March from the Magnetic North Pole (地磁北極) in Canada, driving their Nissan Ariya electric car.
They then drove through the United States, and then through South America.
In total, they drove over thirty-thousand kilometers, travelling across fourteen different countries.
總共，他們開車行駛超過三萬公里，穿越了十四個不同的國家。
They reached Antarctica on December 15th.
Imagine driving through all those places in one car!
Now, why is this so special?
Well, it's the first time ever that a car has made this incredible journey!
Their car was also powered by solar and wind energy.
他們的汽車是由太陽能和風能驅動的。
The journey wasn't easy.
The weather was so cold that they both got frozen eyelashes (他們的睫毛都結了冰).
They even saw polar bears (北極熊).
But the couple loves a good challenge.
They previously drove from London to Mongolia in an electric car.
In any case, the couple couldn't believe they made it to the South Pole after years of planning.
The couple not only fulfilled their dream, but also made history while raising awareness about climate change.
這對夫妻不僅實現了他們的夢想，也因為提高人們對氣候變遷的意識，創造了歷史。
Keep dreaming big, and who knows where life might take you one day!
________________________________
So, in today's news…
We talked about expeditions.
Expeditions are organized journeys for exploration, research or adventure.
Recently, eight surveyors went on a real expedition to an abandoned forest in Tainan.
Unfortunately, one surveyor got hurt, two got sick, and bad weather made rescue efforts difficult.
Luckily, a helicopter rescued them when the weather cleared, and they're all safe now.
And…
Husband-and-wife adventurers, Chris and Julie Ramsey, drove an electric car from the Magnetic North Pole all the way to the South Pole in Antarctica.
Their car was powered by solar and wind energy.
The couple covered over 30,000 kilometers, crossing 14 countries.
The Ramseys, known for their love of challenges, had previously driven from London to Mongolia.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
The tallest mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons on the planet Mars.
It stands about 22 kilometers high.
火星的奧林帕斯山高約22公里。
The tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, is about 8.8 kilometers high.
世界第一高峰聖母山高約8.8公里。
That means Olympus Mons is roughly three times the height of Mount Everest.
於是乎奧林帕斯山大約是聖母峰高度的三倍。
It is a shield volcano (盾狀火山).
Shield volcanos have broad bases and gentle slopes.
Who knows?
Maybe Chris and Julie will become the first couple to drive up Olympus Mons in a planetary rover (行星漫遊車).
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hello everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun!
In today's stories…
Taiwan's students are number one in civics, and the reason it's good to sing to babies.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a color we can see that doesn't exist!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣公民學 世界第一
Taiwan's Students Top in Civics Knowledge
Do you study civics (公民學)?
In this class, you might learn how the government works.
Or you might learn about your rights (權利).
These are things you need to know, if you want to be a better citizen (公民).
That's what "civics" means.
It's about learning how to be a good citizen.
If you're a student in Taiwan, you have probably taken a civics class.
Are these classes worth it (值得嗎)?
By one measure, they are.
A new study says Taiwan's students know more about civics than any other country.
這項研究指出，台灣學生比其他國家的學生更了解公民學。
It's called the "International Civic and Citizenship Education Study".
It asks questions to eighth-grade students (國二的學生) around the world.
That includes 24 countries, such as France, Italy, and Brazil.
These questions aim to find out how much students knows about civics.
For example, they ask why a person might join a political party (政黨).
They ask about the right way for a police officer to behave (行為).
They also ask how to fight fake news (假新聞).
It turns out, Taiwan's students know a lot about these questions.
And Taiwan's score (成績) is getting better.
Fifteen years ago, Taiwan was in fourth place (第四名) worldwide, with a score of 559.
But now the country has moved up to first place (第一名), with a score of 583.
Why is the score so good?
Maybe because students in Taiwan take civics as a class.
In other countries, students learn about civics, but they don't always have a special class for it.
In addition, the study asks students what they think about social issues (社會議題).
Compared to other countries, Taiwan's students show the highest support for gender equality.
跟其他國家相比，台灣學生對性別平權的支持度最高。
That means equal rights for men and women.
They also show the most support for immigrants' rights (移民權利) and environmental protection (環保).
On top of that, these students trust their government much more.
These are all good results (好的結果).
This study shows that Taiwan's students know a lot about civics.
But will they actually act like good citizens?
That's for you to decide.
學生的行為是不是真的就像個好公民，這由你來回答。
________________________________
唱歌給嬰兒聽可以幫助他們學習
Singing to Babies Helps Them Learn
How does a baby learn to speak?
When a baby is born, it can't say anything.
By the time it's two years old, it can say simple words.
嬰兒滿兩歲才會講簡單的話。
For a long time, nobody knew how babies learned words.
But recently, scientists from the University of Cambridge (劍橋大學) found the best way to teach a baby how to speak.
And that is singing.
Of course, lots of people like to sing to babies.
Parents sing simple songs to communicate (溝通) with their baby.
Now, scientists say that singing helps teach babies how to use words.
There are two reasons.
One reason is that songs have a strong rhythm (節奏).
Babies can hear rhythm before they understand words.
嬰兒在了解單字之前就能聽到節奏。
Every language has a special rhythm.
And babies can use this rhythm to guess what words mean.
The second reason is that songs have tone (音調).
That means they use high sounds and low sounds, with some words rising and other words falling.
So, babies can use rhythm and tone to learn how to speak.
嬰兒使用節奏和音調來學習如何說話。
That's why the scientists say parents should sing to their babies as much as possible.
There are lots of nursery rhymes (童謠), or special songs for babies.
Next time you're with a baby, you can try singing "Pat a Cake."
The song goes like this:
"Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man."
"Bake me a cake as fast as you can."
"Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B."
"Put it in the oven for Baby and me."
That's an old nursery rhyme from England (英國).
Maybe the baby won't understand each word.
But it will hear the rhythm and the tone clearly.
這首來自英國的古老童謠，可以讓嬰兒清楚地聽到節奏和音調。
And this will help the baby learn to speak.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A new study shows Taiwan's students are top in the world for civics knowledge.
These students know a lot about how to be good citizens.
But just knowing it is not the same as really using it.
________________________________
And,
Scientists at the University of Cambridge say we should sing to babies.
When babies hear songs, it helps them learn how to speak.
This is because songs have rhythm and tones that babies can hear clearly.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How many colors does a rainbow have?
Well, let's see…there's red…orange…yellow…green…blue…indigo…and violet!
That makes seven!
But what about pink? How come it's not on the rainbow?
That's because it doesn't really exist!
Pink is actually a mix of red and violet, two colors at opposite ends of the visible spectrum (可見光譜).
Our brains blend these colors to create pink.
But it in the spectrum of light, there's no pink.
It's a color that exists only in our perception!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time, for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Changes in entertainment, and the best way to ride a gondola.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Imagine walking around all day and tasting your shoes! What animal does this? Find out at the end of the episode!
________________________________
有線電視面對娛樂產業轉變
Cable TV Faces Changing Entertainment Industry
Many people like watching TV.
The television was invented about a century ago.
Since then, TV has been a mainstream (主流) kind of entertainment.
Grab some snacks and drinks, and you're ready to watch your favorite show or movie.
In the last 10 years, the technology of television has advanced a lot.
But government data shows that the number of cable subscribers fell to a new low this year.
That means fewer people are paying for cable TV now.
In fact, the number of cable subscribers has been falling for many years now.
Now, around 4.55 million people pay for cable TV.
Why is this happening?
Many people are finding entertainment in other places.
Some are now using streaming platforms (串流平台).
On these platforms, there's no commercials.
And you can pause anytime you like.
Some people also say that shows on TV are not very interesting anymore.
They say there are too many reruns (重播).
And some say many of the shows are about the same.
Some cable TV companies are trying ways to bring back customers.
Some of these companies now offer broadband (寬頻) internet service with cable TV.
But many customers only want internet service.
They don't watch cable TV.
And other companies now offer internet and streaming platforms along with their cable TV.
Even with offers like this, the number of subscribers still dropped.
有線電視訂閱者的減少也導致許多頻道的停播。
It looks like the way we find entertainment is definitely changing.
________________________________
遊客站立自拍，威尼斯貢多拉翻船
Best Stay Sitting on Venice Gondolas
Some tourists visiting Venice landed in deep water, after not following the rules.
The five visitors were enjoying a ride on one of the city's famed gondolas (貢多拉).
The gondolier (船夫) was moving the boat under a low bridge.
And the visitors all moved to one side of the boat.
They wanted to take a selfie (自拍).
The gondolier had asked them to stay sitting during the ride.
But maybe they didn't understand.
With everyone standing on one side, the boat capsized (翻覆)!
Everyone fell into the water.
No one was hurt, but one visitor lost their cellphone.
The gondola was not damaged.
But the soft cushions (軟墊) and blankets all fell into the canal (運河).
Italy has been trying to find ways to deal with tourists who do not follow the rules.
Many people are traveling again, and Italy is getting lots of visitors.
And some are behaving badly.
Some travelers swam in Venice's canals, even though that is against the law.
One person carved words onto the walls of the Colosseum (羅馬競技場).
Two other visitors threw their scooters down the Spanish Steps in Rome.
Some say this kind of bad behavior is a phenomenon (現象) called "holiday madness."
They say it happens because traveling to another place gives us a feeling that no one knows who we are.
Some may feel like no one will catch them even if they do something bad.
Psychologists (心理學家) also say these people want internet clout (影響力).
They want more likes and followers.
Many other tourists are worried that this bad behavior will bring stricter restrictions (規定).
We need to respect the culture and rules of the place we're visiting.
未來，我們如果只能從遠處觀看古蹟及博物館展示品的話，那就真的太可惜了。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The technology of television has advanced a lot, but government data shows that the number of cable subscribers fell to a new low this year.
Many people are finding entertainment in other places.
Some are now using streaming platforms.
Some people also say that shows on TV are not very interesting anymore.
It looks like the way we find entertainment is definitely changing.
________________________________
And,
Five visitors fell into the water on a gondola ride in Venice.
They stood up and moved to one side of the boat to take a selfie, and the boat capsized!
Everyone fell into the water.
No one was hurt, but one visitor lost their cellphone.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For today's Tasty Tidbit…
No spoons needed! Do you ever wonder how butterflies enjoy the sweet taste of nectar? You might be surprised to learn…that butterflies taste with their FEET!
Yup, those delicate little legs have something called "tarsal chemoreceptors". These parts help the butterfly taste their food. So when a butterfly lands on a flower, those parts tell them if the nectar will taste good. And yes, if a butterfly lands on you, it can probably taste you too!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Google Taiwan's top searches, and the mystery of a missing tomato.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
It's not all fun and games in the world of chess. Stay tuned to find out more.
________________________________
2023年Google台灣搜尋排行榜出爐
Taiwan's Most Googled in 2023
We're getting close to the end of the year.
And we know what was on everyone's minds in 2023.
Google Taiwan says we all wanted to know about things that affected our lives, sports events, and international news.
The company is sharing the results of its "Year in Search 2023" report.
The report lists the most-searched-for things on Google each year.
This year's report covers December 2022 until end of November 2023.
Google 公布了台灣2023年度搜尋排行榜，列出今年台灣網友最關注的新聞和議題。
Google Taiwan says "typhoons" was its most-searched term this year.
The company says many typhoons and tropical storms came close to Taiwan this year.
And not many typhoons have passed over land in Taiwan in recent years.
So many netizens in Taiwan were interested in this topic.
今年台灣周圍有許多颱風形成，加上這幾年比較少颱風中心登陸，所以「颱風」成為台灣網友最熱門的搜尋焦點。
ChatGPT was second, and the World Baseball Classic was third.
These were definitely a part of our lives this year.
What was next on the list?
Google says "NT$6000 universal cash remittance" was fourth.
"iPhone 15" was fifth.
And "Israel" was sixth.
Google also looked at other types of most-searched terms.
The company says many movies and TV programs were talked about on Google.
And it says Taiwanese crime thriller "Copycat Killer" was the most-searched-for TV series on Google in Taiwan.
The series follows the story of a police officer trying to find a killer.
Many people also used Google to search for travel destinations.
The company says Okinawa in Japan was the most-searched-for on Google.
Hong Kong was second, and Osaka was third.
What about Google searches worldwide?
The company says its top news story this year was the Israel Hamas war.
Searches for the "Titanic submarine" was second.
And "Turkey earthquake" was third.
________________________________
太空之謎「流浪番茄」找到了
The Case of a Missing Space Tomato
"Space Station to Houston, come in Houston"
"This is Houston. Reading you loud and clear."
"Houston be advised…we have found THE TOMATO."
"Roger that Space Station, we confirm, THE TOMATO has been found."
A space mystery has finally been solved.
A tiny tomato disappeared on the International Space Station earlier this year.
This tomato wasn't just a healthy snack.
It was part of a very important experiment.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio helped grow tomatoes on the ISS.
Scientists want to see how well vegetables would grow in space.
Eventually, they want to grow vegetables on the moon, or on Mars.
So, after the tomatoes were harvested, each astronaut on the ISS got some.
Frank also got a tomato too.
He carefully put the tomato into a plastic bag.
And he says he stuck the bag onto the wall using velcro (魔鬼氈)
You have to remember that there is almost no gravity on the International Space Station.
If things are not secured (固定好), they may float away.
And maybe that was what happened to Frank's tomato.
The astronaut says when he came back, the tomato was gone!
太空人Frank在太空站種植小番茄，收成後有一顆番茄竟不翼而飛。
How hard is it to find a tomato in space?
Well, the International Space Station is bigger than a six-bedroom house.
And there's 25 years-worth of stuff on it.
Plus, in microgravity (微重力), things can easily float away to who-knows-where!
Frank spent around 20 hours looking for the tomato.
But he didn't find it before he had to come back to Earth.
The missing tomato became a mystery (謎).
Some people thought Frank may have EATEN the tomato!
But now, eight months later, NASA says the tomato has been found.
They did not say where they found it, but everyone knows now that Frank is innocent (無辜的).
Aside from tomatoes, NASA has also grown other plants in space.
They've grown cabbage, kale, and even flowers!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Google Taiwan is listing its most-searched-for things this year.
It says "typhoons" was its most-searched term this year.
ChatGPT was second, and the World Baseball Classic was third.
________________________________
And,
A tiny tomato disappeared on the International Space Station earlier this year.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio lost the tomato, which is part of a very important experiment.
Many people thought Frank ate it.
But now, eight months later, NASA says the tomato has been found.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For today's Tasty Tidbit…
We're looking into the secret history of the word "checkmate". It doesn't just mean that you win in chess. It actually carries a special message.
"Checkmate" actually comes from the Persian phrase "shah mat". It translates to "the king is dead".
So the next time you outsmart your opponent and say "checkmate"…
You'll know that you're announcing the fall of a king!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei rolls out vaccines to protect boys, and scientists discover an interesting solar system!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…an unusual walking fish!
Keep on listening to find out more about that, coming up next!
________________________________
台北市提供 人類乳突病毒疫苗給國中男生
HPV Vaccinations for Boys in Taipei Schools
Have you ever heard of HPV?
It's a tiny germ (病毒) that can make people sick.
HPV stands for human papillomavirus.
HPV是人類乳突病毒的縮寫。
It's really common and can spread easily (容易傳播).
Sometimes, it can cause things like warts (疣), and other times, it can lead to more serious problems.
That's why doctors say it's important to protect ourselves from it.
Starting next September, Taipei will offer HPV vaccinations for junior high school boys.
This plan was announced by the city's Department of Health (衛生局).
The vaccinations will be given at 93 schools, just like they do for girls each year.
HPV can cause serious health problems.
For women, it's linked to cervical cancer (子宮頸癌).
For men, it can cause head and neck cancers (頭頸癌).
HPV can also lead to genital warts (生殖器疣) in both boys and girls.
HPV is not just spread through sexual contact.
HPV不僅僅透過性接觸傳播。
For example, a doctor once saw a baby with genital warts from HPV.
The baby probably caught it from the parents while changing diapers (換尿布).
The HPV vaccine is safe and effective (安全又有效).
It's important to get vaccinated because most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.
接種疫苗很重要，因為大多數人一生中都會感染HPV。
In Taipei, the vaccination rate for junior high school girls is already high, at 91%.
在台北市，國中女生的疫苗接種率已經很高，達到91%。
Now, the city plans to spend more money to offer free HPV vaccines to boys too.
Parents and the students must agree in writing before a boy can get the vaccine.
________________________________
六顆行星的宇宙之舞
Cosmic Dance of Six Planets
Far away, in a distant corner of space, there's a rare solar system (太陽系) with a special secret.
Astronomers (天文學家) have discovered something amazing there…
Six planets moving together in perfect harmony!
六顆行星完美地一起運行。
This cosmic dance is happening 100 light-years away from us and it's billions of years old!
In that solar system, the planets are a bit like Neptune (海王星), but smaller.
All of those planets are closer to their star than Mercury is to our Sun.
所有這些行星，都比我們太陽系的水星更靠近它們的恆星。
That means they orbit (環繞軌道) really fast!
What's super cool is that their orbits are perfectly lined up.
它們的軌道完美地排列起來。
It's like a pattern (模式).
When astronomers found some planets, they guessed (猜測) where others would be.
And they were right!
To find these planets, scientists used special tools.
One is called TESS, a NASA satellite (衛星) that's been finding new planets for five years.
Another one is a European satellite.
They work together to spot these faraway worlds (遙遠的世界).
Soon, the James Webb Space Telescope will join in.
It will look at these planets to see what their air is like.
Do they have lots of gas, or maybe even water?
它們是否有很多氣體，或者甚至有水？
This discovery is really important.
It helps scientists understand what solar systems look like when they're brand new.
這個發現可以幫助科學家了解太陽系在剛形成時的樣子。
Our solar system has had lots of things happen to it, like asteroids crashing into planets (小行星撞擊行星).
But this new solar system is quiet and peaceful (安靜平和), just as it was when it started.
Finding a place so calm and in sync (平靜且同步) in space is really rare and exciting.
Scientists are eager (迫不及待) to learn more about it.
This could help us know more about the beginnings of space and maybe even our own solar system.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Starting next September, Taipei will offer free HPV vaccinations for junior high school boys.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a tiny germ that can make people sick.
Sometimes, it can cause things like warts, and other times, it can lead to more serious problems.
It's important to get vaccinated because most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.
________________________________
And,
Astronomers have discovered six planets moving together in a rare solar system.
All of these planets are closer to their star than Mercury is to our Sun.
Scientists are excited to learn more about it to know more about the beginnings of space.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever seen a fish that walks?
Meet the mudskipper, a fish with an interesting talent!
Mudskippers don't just swim; they use their fins to walk on land.
They can be seen hopping around on muddy shores, looking a bit like tiny water-loving frogs.
What's even more amazing is that mudskippers can breathe air when they're out of the water.
They store water in their gills, which lets them take a stroll on land.
Mudskippers spend time catching bugs and hanging out with other mudskippers on land, then dive back into the water when they need a swim.
A walking, air-breathing fish?
Now that's a splashy surprise!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there, you’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Paz Bueno.
In today's news,
The public is urged to use spare coins to help cut carbon emissions … and Italian designers use fruit peel to make furniture.
Wait, did you just say fruit peel?
Uh, yeah…
How can you make furniture from fruit?
That’s just what it says…
Right then.
And in today’s tasty tidbit … the deepest part of the ocean.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
TOP OF TAIWAN
央行邀民眾一起讓硬幣動起來減碳。
Public urged to use spare coins to help cut carbon emissions.
What do you do with the coins you get from buying things?
Do you keep them in your purse or wallet?
Or do you put them in your piggy bank (撲滿)?
Coins are heavy, and that’s why a lot of people don’t like bringing them.
But now, the Central Bank (中央銀行) are asking people to spend their coins to help cut carbon emissions.
Now you might be wondering, what does spending coins have to do with carbon emissions?
As technology advances every day, e-payments (行動支付) are getting more convenient.
You can pay with the swipe of a card or cellphone.
It’s so much faster than counting your coins for the exact amount.
As a result, many people leave them at home.
Therefore less and less coins circulate (流通) on the market.
However, business owners still need them to give change (找零錢) to customers.
This is especially true at traditional markets and night markets.
They have to exchange bills for coins at the bank.
But there are not enough coins circulating, as a lot of them are sitting in people’s homes.
So, the central bank will have to make more to meet the demands.
To do this, they would have to buy the materials, which are mined (採礦).
The materials are then be minted (鑄幣) into coins.
The process from mining to minting would create unnecessary carbon emissions.
The Central Bank also added that making deposits with coins can also help the cause.
There are seven financial institutions (金融機構) that are equipped with automated coin deposit machines.
All you have to do is just locate them and pour the coins into the machines.
很難想像花錢與存錢竟然也可以救地球。
So, let’s all start hunting for coins under our beds, couches and empty our piggy banks.
________________________________
GOING GLOBAL
義大利設計師用果皮製造家具。
Italian designers use fruit peel to make furniture.
In a perfect world, everything can be reused, reused and recycled.
But in the real world, that is not the case.
According to a report by the Circle Economy Foundation, only 7.2% of used materials are being fully recycled and reused.
The rest just end up in landfills (掩埋場) or incinerators (焚化爐).
But what if there is perfect material that could be reused over and over again, and is biodegradable (生物分解)?
A group of designers from Italy might just have the answer.
An Italian company named Krill Design created a biomaterial (生物材料) called Rekrill.
The material is made from fruit peel, orange seeds and coffee ground waste.
The food waste is first dried and crushed into a very fine powder.
Then, it is compounded with a biodegradable plastic alternative (替代品) known as PHB.
The powder makes the PHB more rigid (堅硬).
The compound is put into a 3D printer to print the products.
Currently, the company manufactures products like bookends, stools, clocks and bowls.
If the product is discarded after a few years, the company will recover it.
It will then be crushed and used to print other new products.
If the material ends up in the ocean by mistake, it is fully biodegradable.
Di Maio, the director of the company, said that Rekrill is as sturdy (結實) as wood.
It will not degrade unless it’s touched by water, bacteria or acidity (酸性).
When it breaks down in the ocean, it’s even safe for the fish to eat.
Despite all these advantages, there is one obstacle (障礙).
Rekrill is expensive.
It costs 6 time more than common plastic.
Di Maio said the process is difficult and expensive.
So he can understand the reason why other companies aren’t doing it.
However, he is hopeful that in the near future, Rekrill would be widely accepted.
這個材料能夠重複回收使用，還能生物分解。
What’s more to ask for?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The public are urged to use spare coins to help cut carbon emissions.
The Central bank encourages the public to spend the coins lying at home.
If more coins circulate on the market, we won’t have to make new coins.
This helps cut carbon emissions.
And,
Italian designers are using fruit peel to make furniture.
They created Rekrill, a material made from food waste.
This material can be reused multiple times and is biodegradable.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know the deepest part of the ocean is the Marianas Trench?
It is around eleven kilometers deep.
It is so deep that it’s pitch dark.
That means if you held up your hands to your eyes, you would not be able to see them.
Not only that, the pressure from all the water down there is the same as one-hundred elephants standing on your head.
I wouldn’t like to have one elephant stand on my head, let alone one-hundred!
________________________________
And now for today's joke…
What do you call a cow in full armor?
Sir Loin.
Haha! Did you come up with that joke?
I wish I did.
________________________________
Thank you for listening to today’s News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for a new episode of News Bites…
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today’s stories…
People in Taipei march for wildlife, and some unique items go up for sale in Japan.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…a day that’s longer than a year!
Let’s check it out.
________________________________
台北為野生動物而走
Taipei March for Wildlife Rights
What wild animals live in Taiwan?
Well, there are pangolins (穿山甲).
These cute creatures love to eat ants.
There are also muntjacs (山羌).
They are little deer that live in the mountains.
And do you know the Taiwan Blue Magpie (臺灣藍鵲)?
Yeah! What a beautiful bird.
But what about stray dogs and cats (流浪犬 流浪貓)?
Are they wild animals?
Not exactly.
Stray dogs and cats come from cities.
They don’t really belong in the wild.
In fact, they often attack wild animals.
流浪的狗和貓不屬於野外，其實他們常常攻擊野生動物。
This is a big problem.
That’s why people recently held a protest in Taipei.
It was called the “2023 Walk for Wildlife”.
University students planned the event.
大學生策劃了這個活動。
They say more wild animals are getting hurt by stray dogs and cats.
What’s more, stray dogs and cats spread diseases (傳播疾病) to wild animals.
This is a disaster (災難) for Taiwan’s wildlife.
Just ask Philip Liao (廖).
He works at Taitung’s wildlife rescue center (台東的動物救援中心)
Philip says the center has seen sixteen injured muntjacs this year.
The poor muntjacs had all been attacked by stray dogs and cats.
Philip joined the Walk for Wildlife because he wants the laws to change.
He was one of more than four thousand people who came to protest at the Legislative Yuan (立法院).
They say the government should not let stray dogs and cats into ecological areas.
他們說政府該禁止流浪狗貓進入生態保護區。
That way, fewer dogs and cats will come to places where wild animals live.
Wild animals have been here a lot longer than dogs, cats, or people.
Many wild animals are unique to Taiwan, and it is their only home.
So let’s have some respect (尊重) for wildlife.
We have a responsibility (責任) to protect wild animals…
…because we all live on this island together.
________________________________
京都 可以買賣人孔蓋
City of Kyoto Sells Manhole Covers
What can you see when you walk on the street?
You might see the shops and the signs, the cars driving by, or the people around you.
But if you look down on the ground, you will see something else.
You’ll see manhole covers (人孔蓋).
They look like circles made of iron (鐵做的).
Every street has them.
They cover manholes.
Those are holes in the ground for workers to get under the streets.
That’s where the city keeps water pipes and electrical lines (水管和電纜).
The covers can be boring (無趣), or they can be quite beautiful (漂亮).
And in Japan, these covers are a big deal.
Japanese manhole covers are like works of art.
Many are decorated with colorful designs.
日本的人孔蓋，很多有色彩繽紛的圖案。
For example, in the city of Osaka (大阪市), the covers have a picture of Osaka Castle.
In Tokyo (東京市), they are decorated with cartoon animals.
Other cities decorate the covers with pictures of famous people or flowers.
For many cities, it is a tourist attraction (旅遊景點).
People go there just to check out these iron covers.
Some people in Japan even like to collect them.
有些人甚至喜歡收集人孔蓋。
Recently, the city of Kyoto (京都市) decided to sell its old manhole covers.
The city sold each one for 3000 yen.
That’s just 650 NT.
It’s a win-win situation (雙贏的局面).
The city gets some money, and collectors (收藏家) get a special item.
Lots of people are interested in buying these covers.
Why do collectors love these things so much?
After all, it’s just an old piece of iron.
Well, people love that they’re so unique (獨特).
When they buy one, it feels like they own a piece of the city’s history.
收藏家感覺自己擁有城市的一部分歷史。
Now, many cities in Japan have started using decorated manhole covers on the streets.
The trend (趨勢) is even spreading around the world.
So the next time you walk down the street…
…take a look at what’s under your feet.
________________________________
So, in today’s newsbites…
There was recently a march for wildlife rights in Taipei.
University students planned it, and over four thousand people came.
They want to protect wild animals from stray dogs and cats.
________________________________
And,
In Japan, the city of Kyoto is selling its old manhole covers.
These heavy iron covers can be found on any street.
They are beautiful works of art, and people want to collect them.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus?
This might sound strange, but it's true!
Venus rotates on its axis very slowly.
It takes about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, which is a day on Venus.
However, Venus orbits the Sun faster than it spins on its axis.
It takes only about 225 Earth days for Venus to go all the way around the Sun, which is a year on Venus.
So, a single day on Venus lasts longer than an entire year on the planet!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hello hello! You're listening to a brand new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
AI translation helps travelers in Taiwan, and hibernating squirrels could help humans!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…let's talk about a food that never goes bad!
Keep on listening to find out what is it, at the end of the episode!
________________________________
AI幫助來台灣的遊客
AI Helps Tourists in Taiwan
Traveling to a new country is super exciting!
But sometimes there's a challenge: language barriers (語言障礙).
Language barriers make it tricky (困難) to ask for directions, find out about cool places, or even order food.
You might use hand gestures (手勢), draw pictures, or even try a few words in the local language.
But what if there was an easier way to communicate (溝通) while exploring new places?
Imagine being able to chat in your own language and get all the information you need!
想像一下，用自己的語言交談，並且獲得你需要的所有訊息！
That's what's starting to happen in Taiwan, and it's making traveling a lot smoother (順暢) for visitors.
The Tourism Administration is putting in special kiosks (機台) that can talk in different languages to help visitors.
This is great news for people coming from other countries.
The Tourism Administration is doing this because they expect lots of visitors next year - about 12 million!
觀光署預計明年會有很多外來遊客 - 大約1200萬人！
They want to make sure everyone can get help and information easily, even if they speak English, Japanese, or Korean.
Usually, information counters have people who speak different languages, but they can't be there all the time.
通常，旅遊詢問台有會說不同語言的人，但他們不可能一直在那裡。
So, these new kiosks use artificial intelligence (人工智能), to understand different languages.
They work any time, so visitors can always get help.
These kiosks are not only helpful; they also show how advanced Taiwan's technology is.
這些機台不僅實用，還展示了台灣的先進技術。
The AI is so good, it's like talking to a professional interpreter (專業翻譯員) with three years of experience!
The kiosks also use cool transparent screens (透明螢幕) and super-fast 5G internet to make the conversation feel real.
Right now, you can find these kiosks at Taipei International Airport and Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei City.
If people like them, they will put more kiosks in other airports and 13 scenic areas (風景區).
They're even planning to add more languages in the future.
This is a big step to make visiting Taiwan easier and more fun for everyone!
________________________________
北極松鼠幫助科學家研究人類健康
Scientists Study Arctic Squirrels' to Help Humans
Animals in the wild have developed some special skills to survive and thrive in their environments.
野生動物為了在自然環境中生存和繁衍，發展出了一些特殊技能。
For example, cats can see really well in the dark.
Octopuses can change colors.
And in the freezing Arctic, ground squirrels have a superpower.
When winter comes, they don't just sleep - they lower their body temperature to freezing levels (把體溫降到冰點) and stay like that for up to eight months!
This is called hibernation (冬眠).
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are studying these amazing squirrels.
They want to understand how these Arctic ground squirrels can sleep in such cold temperatures and wake up just fine in spring.
他們想弄明白這些松鼠如何在超低溫中睡覺，然後春天醒來時毫髮無損。
This could help humans too, especially in treating injuries and diseases (傷痛和疾病).
Here's how these squirrels hibernate:
They go into a deep sleep (深度睡眠狀態) called 'torpor.'
Their heart beats very slowly, and they breathe only once a minute.
它們的心跳非常慢，一分鐘只呼吸一次。
They can stay super cold for weeks!
But then they warm up a little bit to make important things their bodies need, like glucose and immune cells (葡萄糖和免疫細胞).
Scientists think if they can learn how squirrels do this, they might create medicines to help humans.
For example, people with brain injuries could benefit.
腦部受傷的人可能會受益。
Lowering body temperature can slow down brain damage (減緩腦部損傷).
So, if scientists can find a way to safely lower human body temperatures, it could help treat injuries like strokes (中風).
The scientists are also excited because this could help astronauts too.
Imagine astronauts sleeping like these squirrels on long space trips!
The research is still going on.
And it might take years before humans can hibernate like these squirrels do.
But it's exciting to think of all the possibilities!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Tourism Administration is putting in special kiosks that can talk in different languages to help visitors.
They want to make sure everyone can get help and information easily, even if they speak English, Japanese, or Korean.
If people like them, they will put more kiosks in airports and 13 scenic areas.
________________________________
And,
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are studying Arctic ground squirrels.
They want to understand how these squirrels hibernate.
This could help humans in treating injuries and diseases, or in planning long space trips!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When we buy food, we often check the expiration date (有效日期) on the package to make sure it's still good to eat.
Most foods have an expiration date because they might not be safe to eat or taste good after some time.
But there's one food that doesn't have this problem: honey!
Natural honey that is properly preserved will not expire.
People have found honey in very old Egyptian tombs, more than 3,000 years old, and it's still good to eat!
Honey lasts so long because it doesn't have much water and it's very acidic.
That makes it hard for bacteria to live in honey.
Bees also add an enzyme (酵素), and that helps keep honey good for a very long time.
So, honey is not just tasty, it's also amazing because it can last for years and years and years!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news,
The sound of music, but not after 10pm, and a comeback from extinction.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit:
We've got a great place to get some peace and quiet. We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
北市住宅區禁夜間音樂商業行為
Taipei Bans Music for Business after 10PM in Residential Areas
We know pollution is bad for the environment and our health.
But we often forget about one type of pollution…noise pollution.
During daytime, we hear a lot of noises.
Some of those noises come from traffic, construction, and the sounds of people going to work or school.
But at night, some of those noises are very annoying (令人困擾).
That noise pollution can make it hard for us to sleep.
The World Health Organization says night noise levels should be less than 40 decibels (dB 分貝).
That's about the sound of a quiet library.
According to a study, around 30% of people who live in Taipei deal with noise levels of 45 dB at night.
That is the legal limit for night noise.
Some of these night noises come from restaurants.
In Taipei City, many restaurants and cafes are in lanes and alleys.
They're often on the 1st floor of residential buildings (住宅).
Sometimes this noise can bother people who live nearby.
In the first 10 months of this year, the city government got more than 1,500 complaints about noise caused by restaurants.
More than half of these restaurants were in residential areas (住宅區).
When the government checks the noise level, the levels are not over the legal limit.
But people living nearby still say the noise level is too high.
So, the city government is now changing laws.
Now, businesses in residential areas are not allowed to play music after 10pm.
This includes using music equipment, like amplifiers (擴大器) and speakers (喇叭).
台北市環保局禁止住宅區晚上10點至隔日上午8點播放音樂致妨礙安寧的商業行為。
If a business does not follow the law, it could be fined between $3,000 and $30,000 NT.
The law applies to restaurants, bars, cafes, convenience stores, and other shops.
And things that make noise are not allowed, such as using a leaf blower (吹葉機) or other cleaning work.
People can make a report to the city's citizen hotline, if someone breaks the law.
________________________________
渡渡鳥有望復活？
"De-Extincting" the Dodo
Humans have come a long way as a species.
But we have also caused damage to the ecosystem.
Over the past few centuries, many species have gone extinct.
As we need more land, we cut down forests.
And cutting down forests makes animal species go extinct even faster.
The dodo bird (渡渡鳥) was discovered in the 1500s.
Less than 80 years after it was discovered, it was wiped off the surface of the Earth.
But now, scientists have a plan to bring them back.
A genetic engineering company named Colossal Biosciences is working closely with top researchers.
They want to "de-extinct" (復活) the dodo.
Scientists need to figure out the Dodo's genetic information, also known as a genome (基因組).
But the bird is extinct.
So scientists will study the genome of the Nicobar pigeon.
The pigeon is the Dodo's closest living relative.
By doing this, scientists hope to rebuild the Dodo's genetic code.
If they are successful, they will then use genetically-modified (基因改造) chickens to breed real dodos.
The dodo is not the only species on the "De-Extinction" list.
The company is also trying to bring back woolly mammoths (長毛象).
They are using DNA from frozen mammoths to reengineer the genome of an Asian elephant.
In their labs, they're searching for ways to grow a mammoth calf.
The company says its work could prevent extinction of other species.
Some endangered species only have a few animals left.
This means they don't have genetic diversity (基因多樣性).
This makes boosting the population very challenging.
The company says its gene-editing techniques could help increase genetic diversity.
And its breeding techniques could help increase the number of young born.
All these ideas could save endangered species.
The company says it could successfully breed a live mammoth in 2028.
或許，我們有一天真的能見到活生生的恐龍。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Taipei City government has changed the law, and now businesses in residential areas are not allowed to play music after 10pm.
If a business does not follow the law, it could be fined between $3,000 and $30,000 NT.
The law applies to restaurants, bars, cafes, convenience stores, and other shops.
________________________________
And…
A genetic engineering company named Colossal Biosciences wants to "de-extinct" the dodo.
The dodo is not the only species on the "De-Extinction" list.
The company is also trying to bring back woolly mammoths.
And the company says its work could prevent extinction of other species.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Today's tasty tidbit will awe you into silence.
Imagine a room so quiet, you can almost hear your own heartbeat. Deep within the Microsoft headquarters in Washington, lies the world's quietest room.
This room is designed to absorb almost all sound waves. It has a sound level of minus-9 decibels. That's quieter than even your own breath! Scientists use this room to test equipment.
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Gold-winning chocolate, and the world's rarest lobster
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We're having fun with food today. Hear all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
台灣巧克力師勇奪世界巧克力大賽冠軍
Taiwan Chocolatier Bags Gold Medals at International Contest
It's the sweet taste of victory!
A Taiwan chocolatier has won many prizes at an international competition.
Queenie Wu took part in the International Chocolate Awards World Final earlier this month.
The competition (比賽) was held in Florence, Italy.
Judges tried to find the best chocolate in the world.
Everyone in the final had won competitions in their country.
Wu was invited to the final after winning silver and bronze in the Asia-Pacific regional contest.
And she did very well at the final in Italy.
Queenie won three gold medals, two silvers, one bronze, and six special prizes!
Many of the chocolates she made for the competition had flower flavors or fruit puree (果泥).
One of her gold-winning chocolates was called "Comfort chocolate bar - Jasmine & Strawberry".
今年吳葵妮製作的野薑花、埔里玫瑰、茉莉花、青芒果等等花果口味全部得獎。
Queenie says using fresh fruit for her chocolates was very challenging.
She says most of the time, frozen puree is used to make fruit jelly in chocolates.
And every fruit has different amounts of fiber, water, and sugar.
It took her a year to find the best way to use fresh fruit.
Queenie說新鮮花朵和水果，每種纖維質含量、甜度和水份都不同，這些都會影響巧克力的味道。
This is the third year in a row that Queenie has won gold at the world finals.
She said she chose to use flowers in her chocolates to show the power of women.
Queenie says many chocolate-makers are men, and she wants to be a voice for women.
She hopes her success can encourage other women to get into the chocolate business.
________________________________
漁民捕獲罕見雌雄同體「雙色」龍蝦
The Rarest Lobster in the World
Bowie the lobster is all kinds of rare.
In fact, many say Bowie is the rarest lobster in the world!
Bowie is a split-color lobster.
Half of its body, from head to tail is blue.
And the other half is red.
AND…
Bowie is also half-male, and half-female!
The blue side is male, and the red side is female.
How does that even happen?!
Well, Bowie was caught by a fisherman in the US.
The fisherman noticed right away that the lobster was two different colors.
And his friend shared many videos about the lobster on social media.
People online suggested that the lobster be named Bowie, after pop star David Bowie.
Other names were also suggested, like "Two-Face", "50 Percent" and "Lobstery McLobsterface".
Soon, Bowie became internet famous!
But how rare is a lobster like Bowie?
American lobsters can be blue, green, brown, orange, and red.
Their color is determined by (取決於) their genes and the food they eat.
But most of the time, their body is just one color.
Experts say 1 out of 50 million lobsters may be bicolored.
專家說這種先天基因變異的「雙色龍蝦」，捕獲率只有5000萬分之1。
Scientists say this is because of mutations (突變) that happen before the lobster is born.
And they say many bicolored lobsters are both male and female.
BUT, scientists say that if Bowie were to be cooked…
It would turn red, just like any other lobster.
雖然Bowie是雙色龍蝦，但只要經過烹煮，甲殼上的顏色就會跟所有其他的龍蝦一樣消失，變成紅色。
So what's next for Bowie?
It is being kept as a pet for now.
It may be hard for Bowie to survive in the wild, because it looks so different from other lobsters.
And its owner wants to find out if Bowie can lay eggs.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan chocolatier Queenie Wu has won many prizes at the International Chocolate Awards World Final.
She won three gold medals, two silvers, one bronze, and six special prizes!
Many of the chocolates she made for the competition had flower flavors or fruit puree.
________________________________
And,
Bowie is a half-blue, half-red lobster.
And Bowie is also half-male, and half-female!
It is being kept as a pet for now.
And its owner wants to find out if Bowie may lay eggs.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Today's Tasty Tidbit is so good, we could just eat it up!
Let's hear it.
What did one slice of bread say to the other before a fight?
"You're toast"!
And here's 12-year-old Bonnie from Sin Bi Elementary School in Chiayi County, with an interesting fact about a new type of snack.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news: CUSTOMS OFFICERS, and THE MISSION TO MARS.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: The world's oldest eating tool (世界上最古老的餐具).
Keep on listening to learn more!
Without further ado, let's begin.
________________________________
機場海關揭示一宗重大的毒品
Airport customs reveal a major drug bust
Most countries have a customs service (海關).
It is run by customs officers (海關官員).
They are responsible for checking goods to make sure nothing or illegal dangerous enters or leaves the country.
他們負責檢查行李和貨物，以確保沒有危險或違法的物品進入跟出境。
They work mostly at ports, airports and border checkpoints between countries.
他們主要在港口、機場和邊境管制站工作。
They are most commonly seen at airports, inspecting passengers' luggage.
他們最常見於機場檢查旅客的行李。
Have you ever been stopped by a customs officer before?
你有沒有被海關人員攔查過？
No, I haven't.
Well, I have. It was because I forgot to put my toothpaste into a plastic bag.
是因為我忘了把牙膏放在小塑膠袋裏。
Luckily, I was not arrested.
Thanks for that, Jake.
Anyway … some customs officers use sniffer dogs (嗅探犬).
Sniffer dogs are very clever.
They are able to sniff luggage and containers to detect if there are any bad stuff, like drugs and weapons, hidden inside.
I wonder if they used sniffer dogs to bust Bald Head's drug operation.
Excuse me?
Did you not hear about 'Bald Head' and his two accomplices (幫兇)?
Uhh…
Well, let me tell you more.
Sometimes, criminals give themselves nicknames to keep their real names secret.
有時候，犯罪團夥的成員會給自己取綽號，以避免洩露真實姓名。
The big boss, or 老大, of a drug cartel (販毒集團), gave himself the nickname 'Bald Head' (光頭).
Okay…
Customs officers recently found two people trying to bring drugs into Taiwan.
最近海關官員揭示兩個嘗試走私毒品入境的人。
They hid drugs inside containers labeled as protein powder.
這兩個人把毒品藏在標示為蛋白質粉的容器內。
After the police questioned them, the two individuals said they were working for someone called 'Bald Head.'
So where is 'Bald Head' now?
At the moment, I'm afraid 'Bald Head' is still at large.
目前為止，恐怕光頭大老逍遙法外！
He is wanted by five different police stations.
五所不同的警察局正在追蹤他。
________________________________
日本火星衛星探測器發射時間將推遲至2026年度
Japan Postpones Launch of Mars Moon Probe to 2026
You've heard of Mars, right, Nancy?
南熙，你聽說過火星吧？
Yes, I have.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in our solar system.
火星是太陽系中距離太陽第四遠的行星。
That's correct.
Now, our planet Earth has just one moon. But did you know that Mars has two moons?
地球只有一顆衛星，火星則有兩顆。
Two moons?
Yup. Pretty cool, huh?
Their names are Phobos and Deimos.
它們的名字分別是火衛一和火衛二。
Now, you may be wondering why I'm bringing up the subject of Mars and its two moons.
It seems a bit random, doesn't it?
Especially after hearing about the Bald Head story.
Randomness is aplenty in my scripts.
Anyway, you might have heard in the news recently …
Japan plans to launch a probe to both of Mars' moons to collect soil samples (土壤樣本).
Most space missions focus on studying Mars itself, not its moons.
大部分的太空探索任務主要集中於研究火星本身，而非其衛星。
However, Japan delayed the launch of its Mars moon probe by two years.
不過，日本將火星衛星探測器發射時間延期兩年。
為甚麼？
The reason is that their H3 rocket (火箭) failed in March.
Before space probes go to their destination, they have to be lifted off the Earth quickly.
We use carrier rockets (運載火箭) to accomplish this.
Carrier rockets can travel very fast.
They typically reach speeds between 25-thousand and 40-thousand kilometers per hour.
運載火箭通常達到時速二萬五千至四萬公里的速度。
That's 83 to 133 times faster than the top speed of Taiwan High Speed Rail!
這比台灣高鐵的全速快83到133倍！
When a carrier rocket is flying, equipment detaches and continues into space, while the rocket falls back to Earth.
當運載火箭飛行時，設備會自行分離並繼續往太空前行，而火箭則會墜回地球。
If a carrier rocket isn't foolproof, there's no way to leave Earth.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
…we talked about customs officers and what they do.
They are responsible for checking goods to make sure nothing dangerous enters or leaves the country.
Some customs officers use sniffer dogs.
And…
Japan postpones the launch of their Mars Moon Probe to 2026.
This is because their H3 rocket failed in March.
Carrier rockets are used to send things like satellites and probes into space.
運載火箭被用來把衛星和探測器等物品送入太空。
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
The oldest eating tool is probably the knife.
People have used knives to cut and prepare food for thousands of years.
At first, knives were likely made of stones.
Never in my life have I used a stone to cut anything…
Neither have I…
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's stories…
Motorcycle drivers want to use Taiwan's highways, and breakdancers help kids in Gaza.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…do you know about collective nouns?
Keep on listening to learn more about all of these!
________________________________
重機騎士想要上國道
Motorcyclists Want to Use National Highways
What's that sound?
Woah, check out those heavy motorcycles (重機)!
Motorcycles, eh? You mean like scooters (機車)?
Kind of. Motorcycles and scooters both have two wheels.
But a heavy motorcycle is much bigger.
And its engine is more powerful.
So they're not scooters.
重機比機車更強大。
Does that mean you can drive them on the highway, like a car?
Not exactly.
And many motorcyclists think that's a problem.
Recently they had a protest (抗議示威) in Taipei.
It was on the street outside of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, or MOTC (交通部).
Hundreds of motorcycles showed up.
All down the road, you could hear these big bikes revving their engines.
一路上都能聽到重機引擎的聲音。
Thousands of other people came to support them, too.
What did they want?
They want to be able to use national highways.
It all has to do with Taiwan's road laws (交通規則).
The MOTC says anyone can use smaller roads.
But scooters and motorcycles can't use the big national freeways (國道).
They can't really use provincial highways (省道), either.
In the past, people thought it was too dangerous to let motorcycles on these high-speed roads (高速公路).
But motorcyclists say it is actually safer.
If they can't use the highways, they often have to take small, dark mountain roads, which may be unsafe.
重機如果不能上公路，必須走又小又黑的山路，這可能不安全。
They also want the government to change some other laws for heavy motorcycles.
They want to be able to turn like cars, and to park in more places.
So how did the government (政府) respond to these protests?
The MOTC says it is not ready to talk about changing the law.
They say most people still don't want motorcycles on national highways.
交通部回應，大多數人民還不希望重機上國道。
The protesters were not happy (不滿) with this answer.
They say they will keep spreading their message, until they get a chance to change the law.
________________________________
地板舞者幫助加沙的孩子
Breakdancers Help Kids of Gaza
Have you ever seen breakdancing (地板舞)?
It's a really cool activity.
Imagine someone dancing with a lot of energy, jumping, flipping, and spinning on the floor.
That's breakdancing.
It's popular all over the world, even in Gaza (加沙).
That's part of Palestine, in the Middle East.
加沙是中東巴勒斯坦的一部分。
Maybe you heard about Gaza in the news.
There's a war going on there, and many people are trapped.
That includes two breakdancers, Ahmed and Karim.
由於戰爭，許多人被困在加沙，包括兩個舞者Ahmed跟Karim。
When the war started, they could not leave Gaza.
At first, they spent five days hiding in their houses.
When Ahmed and Karim came out, they saw many homes were destroyed.
They also saw the kids from those homes were now living in camps.
許多房屋被摧毀了，許多孩子必須住在難民營裡。
They noticed how hard it was for the kids, and decided to do something about it.
Ahmed and Karim got together with their friends and started a group called the Camp Breakerz Crew.
They go to the camps, and teach breakdancing.
地板舞隊去給難民孩子舉行跳舞活動。
The families and kids gather in a big circle to watch.
The Camp Breakerz Crew teaches the kids how to do jumps and flips.
The kids can learn how to spin on the floor (在地上旋轉).
Everyone is excited, and many kids want to try the dance moves.
Ahmed says it makes him feel good.
He says "When I see this number of children and families around me, I feel a sense of responsibility (責任感)."
He also says "To see the children respond is a pleasure. It makes me feel proud (自豪感)."
He knows his group is really helping the kids of Gaza.
It's not just for fun, either.
Ahmad says breakdancing gives them the energy to stay strong and focused.
Karim adds that the dancing helps the kids relieve stress.
他們說跳舞給大家力量並有助於緩解壓力。
The war is still going on today, and many kids are still stuck in Gaza.
But Ahmed and Karim are there helping.
The Camp Breakerz Crew will keep on dancing, no matter what.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Motorcycle riders had a protest in Taipei.
They want to change the laws, so they can ride heavy motorcycles on highways.
They say it is safer, but the government says that most people don't want that.
________________________________
And,
A group in Gaza is teaching kids how to breakdance.
The Camp Breakerz Crew helps kids whose homes have been destroyed in the war.
They say breakdancing can help the kids of Gaza stay strong and relieve stress.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that groups of animals have some really funny names?
The names of groups are called "collective nouns."
There are many animals that have really interesting collective nouns!
Here are some of my favorites:
A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance."
Imagine them showing off their bright pink feathers!
And what about a group of crows?
They're called a "murder" of crows, but don't worry, they're not as scary as it sounds.
Have you ever heard of a "parliament" of owls?
It's like they're having a wise old meeting in the trees.
And let's not forget a "crash" of rhinos - sounds like a noisy bunch!
Do you know about other funny collective nouns?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
3D printing helps cancer patients, and hot pot oil makes planes fly.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Learning English does take some work, but learn this one word, and you can use it in hundreds of different ways! Hear all about it at the end of the episode.
________________________________
3D列印口顎彌補物
Taiwan's First 3D-printed Prosthetic Jaw.
3D printing is used a lot in making prosthetics (義肢).
In the past, making prosthetics was very expensive.
They had to be custom-made for every user.
Each user's prosthetic was different.
It took a lot of time and effort.
But now, 3D printing helps make prosthetics in a much shorter time.
And they can be made with very detailed specifications (規格).
Recently, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI 工研院) and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (KVGH 高雄榮總) worked together on a project.
They developed Taiwan's first 3D-printed prosthetic jaw.
The prosthetic jaw would help oral cancer patients (口腔癌病患).
Some experts say around 10,000 people in Taiwan are diagnosed (診斷) with oral cancer every year.
Around 60% of these people have to undergo reconstructive (重建) surgery of their jaw.
This type of surgery usually involves using the patient's leg bone to build back the jaw.
But doing this means it can be harder for the patient to move around after the surgery.
And the shape of the leg bone is very different from the jaw bone.
This means patients will look different.
And it could change the way they eat and speak.
Many patients who had this surgery could only eat liquid food (流質食物).
Now, all this may change because of 3D printing.
ITRI and KVGH made a 3D-printed jaw using titanium (鈦金屬).
ITRI tested the jaw more than 500 million times.
They had to check the "bite" of the jaw, to make sure the jaw fitted and worked properly.
Testing began in 2019, and there are currently 9 patients who are using the 3D-printed jaws.
None of these nine patients complained of their device coming loose.
超過50%的病患已經恢復咀嚼的能力。
________________________________
火鍋廢油飛上天
Leftover Hot Pot Oil Gets Second Life as Aviation Fuel
Did you know that oil from your hot pot could power a plane?
That is exactly what the Sichuan Jinshang Environmental Technology company is doing.
They collect leftover hot pot oil.
Then they export it to be turned into aviation (航空) fuel.
The city of Chengdu (成都) produces 150,000 tons (公噸) of leftover oil each year.
The company collects the oil from various restaurants around the city.
At the restaurant, the leftover oil is first poured into a special filter (過濾器) that separates oil from water.
Then, collectors arrive to pick up the cans of red grease.
The oil is sent to Jinshang's treatment plant (處理廠) on the outskirts of the city.
There, the oil is further refined (精煉) to get rid of impurities (雜質) and water.
The oil becomes a yellowish industrial-grade oil.
That oil is then sent to clients that further process it into "sustainable aviation fuel." (SAF 永續航空燃料)
SAFs can reduce CO2 emissions by 80 %.
All this is part of efforts to reduce food waste.
各國政府也在努力減少食物的浪費。
We can all do more to help cut food waste, if we avoid buying or ordering more food than we can eat.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Industrial Technology Research Institute and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital have made Taiwan's first 3D-printed prosthetic jaw.
The prosthetic jaw would help oral cancer patients.
Testing began in 2019, and there are currently 9 patients who are using the 3D-printed jaws.
________________________________
And,
A company in China is turning leftover hot pot oil into aviation fuel.
SAFs can reduce CO2 emissions by 80 %.
All this is part of efforts to reduce food waste.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, the word with the most meanings in English is only three letters long!
According to the Guinness World Records, the word "set" has the most meanings in the English language. It has 430 different meanings, listed in the dictionary! It can be used as a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. For example, you could say "I set my alarm clock", or "He's set for life", or "The sun set over the horizon".
But another three-letter word also has hundreds of meanings…"run"! For example, "The dog runs away", or "The government runs the country", or "The river runs through the valley".
Which English words boggle your mind?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to a whole new episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Two new spiders discovered in Taiwan, and Mexico's mission to save axolotls.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…the world's smallest mammal!
Keep on listening to learn more!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣發現兩種新蜘蛛
Two New Spiders Found in Taiwan
Spiders are fascinating creatures.
There are over 40,000 different kinds of spiders around the world.
They have eight legs and belong to a group called arachnids, which include scorpions and ticks.
蜘蛛屬於一個叫做節肢動物的大家族，這個家族還包括蠍子和壁蝨。
Spiders are known for spinning webs (結網), their unique way of moving, and sometimes, their spooky appearances (恐怖的外觀).
And guess what?
Scientists in Taiwan have discovered two new spider species (品種) in the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島)!
The first one is called the Parilarilao trapdoor spider (巴利澤敖海穴蛛).
This spider lives in intertidal zones (潮間帶), and builds special nests with trap doors (帶陷阱門的巢穴).
They're cleverly designed so they don't get flooded when the tide comes in.
它們的設計非常巧妙，潮水漲潮時不會被淹沒。
These spiders only show themselves when it's time to catch food.
The name "parilarilao" comes from an indigenous word.
It means "living at the end of Taiwan."
The second new spider is the Taiwanese tree-dwelling wolf spider (樹穴狼蛛).
Unlike most wolf spiders, these live in trees.
And they are quite big, over 2 centimeters!
They were found in tree holes in various parts of southern and eastern Taiwan.
Its scientific name "Hogna arborea" combines "wolf spider" and "living on trees."
The team of scientists comes from the Endemic Species Research Institute (生物多樣性研究所).
They worked for years together with local universities and international experts to confirm these spiders as new species.
They collected lots of spiders, studied their DNA, and compared them to other spiders from around the world.
他們收集了很多蜘蛛標本，研究它們的DNA，並將它們與世界各地的其他蜘蛛進行比較。
These discoveries are exciting because they add to Taiwan's rich biodiversity (生物多樣性).
Who knows what other fascinating creatures are waiting to be found?
________________________________
拯救墨西哥鈍口螈
Axolotl Rescue Mission
Speaking of fascinating creatures…
Have you heard of axolotls (墨西哥鈍口螈)?
In Mexico, scientists are worried about this unique salamander (獨特的蠑螈).
They're asking people to help save these amazing creatures.
Unlike other salamanders, axolotls live in water all their lives.
They have long bodies, short legs, and tails.
What's really cool about them is their ability to heal themselves.
真正酷的是它們的自我療癒能力。
They can even regrow parts of their heart or brain!
它們甚至能夠再生心臟或大腦的部分！
Unfortunately, axolotls are endangered (瀕臨滅絕).
Their numbers have dropped a lot, especially in Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City (墨西哥城附近的索奇米爾科湖).
Years ago, there were thousands of axolotls there, but now there are only a few.
The water has become dirty, and other fish are eating their food and babies.
To help, scientists at Mexico's National Autonomous University started a program called "AdoptAxolotl."
People can donate money (捐款) to help save the axolotls.
The money goes to cleaning the lake and raising axolotls in safe places.
Last year, this program was a big success.
It raised over US$26,000!
This year, they're doing it again.
People can "adopt" (領養) an axolotl for a month with a US$30 donation.
Smaller donations help buy food, and bigger ones improve the axolotl's home.
小額捐款可以幫助購買食物，大額捐款則用於改善墨西哥鈍口螈的生活環境。
Donors (捐款者) can even visit the place where axolotls are being raised.
The money will support the scientists and help bring back axolotls in their natural home.
The scientists also want to count how many axolotls are left in the wild.
This will help them protect these incredible animals better.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan have discovered two new spider species in the Hengchun Peninsula!
The first one is called the Parilarilao trapdoor spider.
The second new spider is the Taiwanese tree-dwelling wolf spider.
The scientists worked for years with local universities and international experts to confirm these spiders as new species.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in Mexico are worried about axolotls because they are endangered.
They are unique salamanders with the special ability to heal themselves.
To help, scientists started a program called "AdoptAxolotl."
People can donate money to help save the axolotls, and help bring back axolotls in their natural home.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat.
Well, its actual name is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, but people also call it the bumblebee bat because it's tiny.
It's so small that it can sit on your thumb!
This little bat is about 1 to 1.3 inches long and has a mass of 2 grams!
It lives in Thailand and Myanmar, in Southeast Asia.
And it likes to live in limestone caves near rivers.
This tiny bat eats insects and comes out to fly mostly at dusk.
Do you know about other interesting animals?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
A warm winter, and a record-breaking wig.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
What English words do you use all the time? We've got the one that's used the most! Stay tuned to find out more.
________________________________
今年迎接暖冬
Taiwan to See Warm and Humid Winter
Winter is coming.
But you may have to PUT AWAY your warm winter coat.
This year's winter in Taiwan might be a bit different.
The Central Weather Administration says the coming winter will be warmer and wetter than usual.
中央氣象署預估今年冬季和春季「氣溫偏暖、雨量偏多」。
That's because of something called El Nino.
El Nino is a weather pattern.
It happens when parts of the Pacific Ocean get warmer.
This warmer water can change the weather all over the world, including in Taiwan.
氣象署說，聖嬰現象的反氣旋環流，會導致北方的寒冷空氣比較不容易向南到台灣。
The CWA says that temperatures in Taiwan this winter will be about 18-20 degrees Celsius in December.
Then in January, it will be about 16-19 degrees.
And in February, it will be about 17-19 degrees.
That's a bit warmer than usual!
It will also be wetter than usual.
The CWA says that rainfall in December will be about the same as in past years.
But there will be more rain in January and February.
So, maybe keep your umbrella and raincoat handy for this winter!
________________________________
奈及利亞假髮師打造世界最長假髮
How Long is the World's Longest Wig?
Hair's something that will amaze you!
Imagine a wig so long, it could stretch over seven Olympic-sized swimming pools!
That's exactly what Helen Williams made!
She is a wig maker from Lagos, Nigeria.
And she made a wig that's a whopping 351 meters long!
Making this amazing wig took Helen 11 days.
She used 1,000 bundles of hair.
She also needed 12 cans of hairspray, 35 tubes of hair glue, and 6,250 hair clips!
All in all, she spent almost $2,500 US dollars.
Helen Williams花了11天時間，製作了一頂351公尺長的假髮，成功打破金氏世界紀錄。
Helen has been making wigs for eight years.
She makes up to 300 wigs per week. That's a lot of wigs!
Helen said that it wasn't easy to find the materials (材料) to make the wig.
Still, her experience as a wig maker helped her.
She also said that she felt exhausted sometimes.
But her friends and family encouraged her to keep going.
Helen 說做這頂假髮的過程中，有時候會感到筋疲力盡，但是朋友和家人都鼓勵她，幫助她保持專注。
Helen's perseverance paid off!
Her wig is now the longest handmade wig in the world.
It's kept in her office, and people can come see it whenever they want.
What an amazing achievement!
Helen's story is an inspiration to everyone.
She showed that dreams can come true, no matter how big or small, or LONG they are.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Central Weather Administration says the coming winter will be warmer and wetter than usual.
That's because of the weather pattern, El Nino.
The CWA says that temperatures in Taiwan this winter will be about 18-20 degrees Celsius in December.
Then in January, it will be about 16-19 degrees.
And in February, it will be about 17-19 degrees.
That's a bit warmer than usual!
It will also be wetter than usual.
So, maybe keep your umbrella and raincoat handy for this winter!
________________________________
And,
Helen Williams, a wig maker from Nigeria, made a wig that's 351 meters long!
It could stretch over seven Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Making this amazing wig took Helen 11 days.
She used 1,000 bundles of hair.
She also needed 12 cans of hairspray, 35 tubes of hair glue, and 6,250 hair clips!
All in all, she spent almost $2,500 US dollars.
Her wig is now the longest handmade wig in the world.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, the word "I" is the most used word in the English language.
We use it all the time to talk about ourselves. For example, you could say "I love to learn English," "I'm going to the store," or "I hope you have a nice day."
Can you guess what's the second most used word is? It's "the"!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
The hidden dangers of hotpot, and fighting rising waters.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
What would you say if you met an alien? Hear all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
北市抽檢火鍋料，5分之1不合格
Hotpot Ingredients Fail Inspections.
Taiwan is known for its delicious delicacies (美食).
One of these tasty treats is hotpot.
Taiwan has many different types of hotpot.
Many people enjoy eating hotpot, especially when the weather gets cold.
Going to a hotpot restaurant is convenient.
We don't have to get the ingredients, or clean up afterwards.
But is the food safe or healthy?
The Taipei Department of Health recently finished a random inspection (隨機抽查) of hotpot ingredients.
They chose 55 items to test.
They checked for pesticide residue (農藥殘留), food additives (食品添加物) and other harmful substances.
They include 15 types of vegetables, 15 frozen processed foods, 10 meat products, 5 seafood items, 5 soybean products and 5 peanut powders.
Five vegetables were found with pesticide residue levels over the legal limit.
Two peanut powder items had excessive (過多的) levels of aflatoxins.
Three tofu products contained benzoic acid, a preservative (防腐劑).
Most of the items that failed the inspections were taken from well-known hotpot restaurants.
Out of the 3 tofu items, 2 had no labels or information on the company that made the food.
The restaurants using those tofu items were each fined $30,000 NT.
All these items have been removed from the shelves.
The restaurants' branches (分店) now have to check if they use the same supplier.
This problem is not only found in restaurants.
Experts say excessive pesticides can also be found on the vegetables that we buy to take home.
Fruits and vegetables have to be washed with running water.
Then they have to be soaked for 10 to 20 minutes, then washed again with running water.
專家們建議消費者向有良好商譽的商家購買食品。
Authorities also urge farmers to use pesticides appropriately (適當) to lower excessive residues.
Hot pot is delicious, but we should also pay attention to the quality of the food we eat.
________________________________
馬爾地夫建造人工島嶼
Maldives Building Islands as Sea Levels Rise
Global warming is a serious problem that the world has to face.
And it is more dangerous for some countries than others.
The rise in global temperature has caused glaciers (冰河) and ice sheets (冰原) to melt into the ocean.
This causes the water level of the ocean to rise over the years.
According to statistics, the sea level has risen about 21 to 24 cm since 1880.
Some experts say that by the end of the century, the sea level is going to rise at least 30 centimeters.
This threatens low-lying (低窪) areas, especially island countries.
Maldives is an island in the Indian Ocean.
Many people like to go there for holidays.
It is famous for its white sand beaches, turquoise lagoons and vast coral reefs.
Sadly, this island paradise is in danger because of the rising sea level.
80% of the country is less than 1 meter above sea level.
If ocean waters keep rising, the Maldives could become completely submerged (沈沒).
The former president of the country wanted to buy land in neighboring countries.
He warned that citizens might need to move to another place.
The current president Mohamed Muizzu has promised that they would survive.
He says the Maldives can work on land reclamation (填海造地) and building the island higher.
A giant sea wall (海堤) already surrounds the capital of Maldives.
The wall protects the city against the waves.
The country has also built Hulhumale.
It's an artificial (人造) island.
The island was built 2 meters above sea level.
It's designed to withstand (抵擋) the rising waters.
There are also plans to build other islands and sea walls.
如果一切順利，這些計畫或許能夠拯救這些即將沈沒的島嶼。
But environmental and rights groups are warning Maldives.
They say that land reclamation must be done with care.
And the work must follow environmental protection laws.
Maldives has a rich ocean environment.
So experts and researchers are still trying to find a better solution.
The best solution would save the country and protect the environment at the same time.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Department of Health recently finished a random inspection of hotpot ingredients.
Five vegetables were found with pesticide residue levels over the legal limit.
And other items were found to have too much preservatives or toxins.
The restaurants and manufacturers were fined.
________________________________
And,
Maldives is in danger because of the rising sea level.
The country built Hulhumale, an artificial island 2 meters above sea level.
There are also plans to build other islands and sea walls.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Today's Tasty Tidbit is out of this world!
You ready?
What do aliens like to drink?
"Gravi-tea"!
And here's 12-year-old Danny from Shih Min Elementary School in Yilan County on what he would say to an extraterrestrial.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit, to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear your voice at the end of an episode.
Tune in again next time, for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! You’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram.
And I’m Paz Bueno.
In today’s news:
Unlimited travel, and ultra-processed foods!
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…
Did you know that the average temperature on the surface of the planet Venus (金星) is as hot as a wood-fired pizza oven?
Keep on listening to learn more about that, coming up next!
________________________________
T-Pass將台北的交通減少7.3%
T-Pass Reduces Traffic in Taipei by 7.3%
Have you heard of T-Pass?
你聼說過T-Pass嗎？
Can’t say that I have.
Why don’t you tell me more?
It’s a monthly transport pass for northern Taiwan, granting users (使用者) unlimited travel on buses and the MRT.
It even includes YouBike.
Wait, did you say ‘unlimited travel’ (無限旅行)?
I did indeed!
沒錯!
That means you can take as many journeys as you want, without having to pay extra.
And you only have to top up (加值) once per month.
Gee, that’s pretty handy for getting around.
這對出遊來說非常方便。
You’ll be able to save money on travel fares too.
還可以節省旅行費用。
What’s more, is that since July 2023, over 2 million passes have been sold.
This has resulted in a 7.3 percent reduction in Taipei traffic.
As you may know, it’s very busy in the city, especially during rush hour.
Less traffic not only eases road conditions (不僅可以緩解道路狀況), but also it’s good for the planet.
With fewer vehicles on the road, there's a decrease in air pollution (空氣汙染) and greenhouse gas emissions (溫室氣體排放), contributing to a better living environment.
因交通減少而空氣汙染與溫室氣體排放量降低，藉以營造更為良好的生活環境。
Well, I better go get a T-Pass right away!
那麼我馬上去弄一張T-Pass!
________________________________
【超加工食品】是甚麽東西？
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Processed foods are those that have been changed from their natural state.
加工食品是指那些經過自然狀態改變的食品。
This can involve adding artificial ingredients (化學添加).
Artificial ingredients include preservatives, which is stuff to make them last longer, flavor enhancers like MSG (味精), and colorings, to name a few.
化學添加物包括可延長保存期限的防腐劑、味精等增味劑及色素等。
They can be found almost everywhere, in the supermarkets, convenience stores, and in night markets.
Some examples include instant hot pot, dried noodles, convenience store bento boxes, frozen pizzas, instant ramen, and … bubble tea (珍珠奶茶).
Oh man, but I like bubble tea!
Ultra-processed foods, on the other hand, contain ingredients “never or rarely used in kitchens”, or stuff that make them “more appealing” (更有吸引力).
For example, dou gan (豆干) contains certain chemicals to improve its texture (口感).
Therefore dou gan is considered an ultra-processed food.
Oh well … I guess I have to say ‘bye bye’ to Dou Gan.
Some other examples include chicken nuggets, soda, French fries, and even some types of yogurt.
Eating too many processed and ultra-processed foods is unhealthy (不健康).
They contain things that aren’t good for our bodies.
That’s why it's always a good idea have a balanced diet (均衡飲食).
Eating a variety of fresh and non-processed foods is important for better health.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites:
Over 2 million sold T-Passes has resulted in 7.3% less traffic in Taipei.
This eases road conditions, and improves the environment.
With fewer vehicles on the road, there's a decrease in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to a better living environment.
________________________________
And …
Processed foods are foods that have been changed a bit from how they're found in nature.
Ultra-processed foods contain ingredients rarely used at home, like chemical agents.
Both types of foods aren’t good for our bodies, so we should try to eat less of them!
Eating a variety of fresh and non-processed foods is important for better health.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Venus, often called Earth's twin, is very different from our planet.
And did you know?
The planet is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty!
It's extremely hot, hot enough to melt lead.
Venus spins in the opposite direction to Earth, and its days are longer than its years.
Long ago, Venus might have had oceans, but now it's dry and rocky.
We study Venus to learn about other planets.
Venus is super-hot because it has lots of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere and it's closer to the Sun, making its surface very, very hot.
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's episode…
A competition for land in Longtan, and a doctor who wants you to eat insects.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit…a pink lake!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
科技與祠堂爭奪土地
Technology and Temples Compete for Land
What is in northwestern Taiwan (台灣西北部)?
This corner of the country is famous for making computer chips (電腦晶片).
Many companies have factories (工廠) in Hsinchu and Taoyuan.
They make some of the most advanced technology in the world.
It's an important business for a small country like Taiwan.
But there is something else.
That place has many temples, graves and other historical sites (古蹟).
Some of them are hundreds of years old, and highly important to local people.
And because Taiwan is not very big, there is a competition for land.
高科技工廠和當地人爭奪台灣有限的土地。
It's new technology versus old temples.
That's what happened in Longtan (龍潭).
It's a beautiful area close to the mountains near Taoyuan City.
Recently, a top company decided to build a new factory in Longtan.
The factory would make semiconductors (半導體).
The company promised it would bring money and opportunities to Longtan.
The new factory would manufacture 600 billion NT worth of computer chips every year.
Plus, it would provide nearly 6,000 jobs.
該工廠可以提供近6,000個就業機會。
But, they would need to buy a lot of land to build the factory.
And the people who live on that land didn't want to sell it.
It was their home, and their families had lived there for generations
本地人世世代代住在那裡。
These families have old temples on that land, where they pay respects to their ancestors (祭拜祖先).
And their ancestors' graves (祖先的墳墓) are there, too.
The company tried to change their minds, but the people just didn't want to move.
Recently, the company cancelled plans for the Longtan factory.
本地人不要搬家，所以公司取消了工廠的計畫。
They said they would find a different place to build it.
This kind of thing is happening all over the country.
Many people are worried about it.
The semiconductor industry is important for Taiwan.
Plus, technology around the world depends on computer chips made in Taiwan.
But, history is also important, and it cannot be replaced (無法替代).
As we move into the future…
…we need to find a compromise (遷就) between technology and temples.
________________________________
科學家說我們應該吃昆蟲
Scientists Say We Should Eat Insects
Do you like to eat insects?
You could try some cricket cookies, or some worm flour waffles.
Or do you think that sounds strange?
It's true that most people rarely eat insects.
A lot of people think it's yucky.
But in some communities, people eat insects all the time.
有些人覺得吃昆蟲很噁心，但有些人則天天吃。
And scientists say we should all eat more insects.
That's what Dr. Kelemu says.
She is the director of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology.
Kelumu博士是國際昆蟲生理學與生態學中心的主任。
This center in Kenya studies everything about insects.
Dr. Kelumu says insects are a good food source.
That's because insects are nutritious (有營養).
She says they have a lot of protein (蛋白質).
That means insects can give us energy.
They also have lots of nutrients, like zinc and iron.
昆蟲含有鋅和鐵等營養素。
That's why more than two billion people around the world eat insects.
Insects can even be used to make cooking oil (食用油).
Dr. Kelumu also says that eating insects is better for the environment.
It's more sustainable (可持續) than eating meat.
That's because of how much food we need to feed animals.
To make 1 kilogram of beef (牛肉), a cow needs to eat 25 kilograms of food.
On the other hand, insects only need to eat 2.2 kilograms of food.
牛需要吃25公斤才能生產一公斤肉，而昆蟲只需要吃2.2公斤。
So we don't need to feed insects as much, to get the same amount of food.
For these reasons, people should eat more insects.
It's healthy for our bodies and for our planet.
So, if you're willing to add insects to your diet, you could help make our world a better place.
Who knows… you might even find them delicious (好吃).
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
Two groups of people disagreed over how to use land in Taoyuan's Longtan district.
A technology company wanted to build a big factory there.
But the local people didn't want to sell the land where they've lived for generations.
________________________________
And,
A doctor wants everyone to eat more bugs.
Dr. Kelumu says insects can be a healthy part of our diet.
She says eating insects is also better for the environment.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Lake Hillier is a special lake in Australia.
It's famous for its bright pink color.
This lake is about 600 meters long and 250 meters wide, surrounded by sand and trees.
The pink color stays the same even if you take the water out of the lake.
This color comes from tiny organisms living in the lake, like algae and red bacteria.
An explorer first wrote about this lake in 1802.
Even though the lake has lots of salt, like the Dead Sea, it's safe to swim in, but you need permission first.
Do you know about other lakes around the world?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
Searching for staff, and solving the Sphinx mystery.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Here's what happens when AI takes over! Stay tuned.
________________________________
旅宿業缺工
Hotels Facing Staff Shortage
More people are traveling nowadays.
That's because the COVID-19 pandemic has eased (減低、緩解)
This means now, there is more demand for accommodation (住宿), especially during holidays.
But there is also a huge shortage (短缺) of workers.
During the pandemic, many hotel workers were laid off.
But now, many workers do not want to go back.
They have found new jobs, and do not want to return to the hospitality industry (旅宿業).
Some data shows that many hotels are 30 percent short of workers.
Others are 70 percent short of workers in the housekeeping department (房務).
So many hotels have changed their check-in time, from 3pm to 5pm.
Some say that working in hotel housekeeping is very tiring.
And some say the pay is not high enough.
有些學者說低薪才是招不到員工的主因。
Other workers say there isn't a high chance of getting a promotion (升遷).
The government is thinking about turning to migrant workers (移工) to help the shortage.
Officials also suggested that hotels can hire more middle-aged women and elderly workers.
They say employers need to change their mindset and give these workers a chance.
Other officials say the hotel industry does hire such workers.
But they say many are not interested in working in the industry.
Whatever the reason, everyone is hoping to find a solution to the problem.
Or customers may have to keep waiting a little longer to check in.
________________________________
人面獅身像不是埃及人蓋的？
Wind May Have Helped Sculpt Egypt’s Famous Sphinx.
A Sphinx is a creature from myths (神話).
It is a being with the head of a human and the body of a lion.
A very famous statue of a sphinx, is the Great Sphinx of Giza.
The statue was made 4,500 years ago.
It is one of the largest sculptures (雕像) in the world.
Archeologists (考古學家) have wondered how it was made for a long time.
It was carved from one giant piece of limestone (石灰岩).
Experts now think a natural rock formation may be the sculpture’s foundation (底座).
These rock formations are known as “Yardang” (雅丹).
Yardangs are made from wind erosion (風化).
When the desert wind blows sand onto the rocks, the softer parts erode (被侵蝕).
And the harder parts stay.
A team of researchers in New York tested this theory.
They took a mound of clay and stuck it inside harder materials.
Then they ran a stream of water over it.
Slowly, a sphinx-like shape appeared.
The harder material became the head.
And other "parts" also developed.
這項實驗結果指出，人面獅身像的形狀或許是大自然的傑作。
So the scientists think this may have been the first step for making the Sphinx.
Then ancient highly-skilled craftsmen worked on the rock to create the details.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The hospitality industry is facing a shortage of workers.
Many workers do not want to go back.
Some data shows that many hotels are 30 percent short of workers.
Others are 70 percent short of workers in the housekeeping department.
________________________________
And,
Experts have a new theory about how the Great Sphinx of Giza was made.
They believe a natural rock formation may be the sculpture’s foundation.
Then ancient highly-skilled craftsmen worked on the rock to create the details.
But the Sphinx is still a mystery in many ways.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, artificial intelligence may be super smart, but does it have our awesome sense of humor?
This is a good one…you ready?
A husband told his wife, “Did you know Old McDonald’s farm has been taken over by Artificial Intelligence?”
Wife: AI?
Husband: AI.
Wife: Oh.
And now, 14-year-old Kenny from Tucheng Junior High School has a few thoughts on artificial intelligence.
<
[CLIP]
Slug:
Do you think AI is a tool or a danger?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
A plan to help take care of senior pets, and a safe space for whales.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…puzzling pine trees in Poland.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
新北市規劃寵物長照醫院
New Taipei City Plans Long-Term Care Hospital for Pets
When we think of pets, we often picture playful puppies and kittens.
But just like people, pets grow older and sometimes need special care.
As our furry friends age, they might need more help with their health (健康).
This is called long-term care for pets (寵物長期照顧).
It includes everything from regular check-ups at the vet to special treatments for older animals.
包括從定期在獸醫那裡檢查到為年長動物提供特殊治療的一切。
Long-term care helps our pets stay comfortable and healthy in their later years (晚年).
New Taipei City is planning something special for pets.
They want to build the first long-term care hospital for pets in Taiwan.
It will be in Baiji Mountain, Sanxia District (三峽區的白雞山).
The Animal Protection Office hopes this hospital will get private businesses to join in pet care.
動物保護處希望這家醫院能讓私人企業加入寵物照顧行業。
The hospital will offer nursing, rehabilitation, brain exercises, and special devices for pets.
醫院將提供護理、復健、腦部運動和寵物專用設備。
The city already trains people in pet care, but they need a place with professional equipment (專業設備) to teach better.
The city also started a program in 2020 to certify (認證) places that take care of older pets.
This new pet hospital plan in New Taipei City could mark a big step forward in animal welfare (動物福利).
It could not only provide essential care (必要的照顧) for aging pets but also inspire more dedication towards long-term pet healthcare.
It could ensure (確保) our beloved animal companions receive the best support in their golden years.
________________________________
多米尼克為抹香鯨創建海洋保護區
Dominica's Ocean Home for Sperm Whales
In the Caribbean Sea, there's a small island called Dominica.
在加勒比海，有一個叫做多米尼克的小島。
And this island is creating the first-ever protected ocean area for sperm whales!
這個島嶼正在創建世界上第一個為抹香鯨而設的海洋保護區！
These whales are big and rare animals that need our help.
This new protected area covers almost 300 square miles of blue sea.
It's a place where the sperm whales can safely live, eat, and have babies.
The Prime Minister of Dominica (多米尼克的總理) says they want to keep these amazing whales safe and help our planet too.
Sperm whales are good for the ocean and our climate.
When they dive deep (深潛) and come back up, they poop (排泄) near the surface.
Their nutrient-rich poop helps tiny ocean organisms called plankton grow.
它們富含營養的排泄物有助於微小的浮游生物的生長。
The plankton capture carbon dioxide and bring it down to the ocean floor when they die.
浮游生物會捕捉大氣中的二氧化碳，並在死亡時將其帶到海底。
And in Dominica, these whales seem to poop more than usual (比平常更多)!
Scientists aren't sure why whales near Dominica poop more.
They say it could be because they can find more food there, or maybe because of the type of squid they are eating.
Scientists think there are fewer than 500 sperm whales around Dominica.
These whales don't travel much and live together as families.
They talk to each other with special clicking sounds.
它們用特殊的叫聲相互交流。
A long time ago, there were millions of sperm whales.
But people hunted them for oil, so now there are much fewer, and they are endangered (面臨滅絕).
The new protected area in Dominica will help them live better.
It will stop big ships from hitting them and keep the whales safe.
This is great news for the whales…and for us!
By helping these whales, we're also taking care of our planet.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
New Taipei City is planning to build the first long-term care hospital for pets in Taiwan.
The idea is to help take care of older pets and keep them healthy.
City council members sent the plan to the Ministry of Agriculture for approval.
________________________________
And,
The Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the first-ever protected ocean area for sperm whales!
This new protected area covers almost 300 square miles of blue sea.
It's a place where the sperm whales can safely live, eat, and have babies.
By helping these whales, we're also taking care of our planet.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In Poland there's a strange and wonderful place known as the Crooked Forest.
There are around 400 pine trees in this forest that look like the letter J!
Despite their odd shape, these trees are healthy and grow as tall as 50 feet.
Some people thought there was a special kind of gravity in this area that made the trees grow bent.
But that doesn't really make sense, because gravity pulls things straight down, not sideways.
Another idea was that heavy snow might have pushed the young trees over when they were growing.
But then, why didn't other trees nearby grow the same way?
Some people say the farmers who planted these trees in 1930 did something to make them grow like this.
But no one knows for sure.
The people who might have known the secret of the Crooked Forest are probably not around anymore.
It's a puzzle that might never be solved, but it sure makes the Crooked Forest a fascinating and mysterious place!
Do you know about other mysterious places on Earth?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
A big year-end party, and a special honor for K-pop stars.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Nobody likes being stuck in a traffic jam, but this one would really DRIVE you nuts. Stay tuned to find out what we mean!
________________________________
高雄聖誕跨年嘉年華12月登場
Kaohsiung Year End Party with Fireworks Show
Kaohsiung is ending the year with a big party!
The Kaohsiung City government says this year, it is combining Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Officials say Christmas decorations will be put up in Kaohsiung's Central Park.
There will be a big reindeer that's more than 5 meters tall.
And the main Christmas tree at the park will be 20 meters tall.
That's about as tall as a 5-story building!
The city government says there will be Christmas events there on December 22nd and 23rd.
And visitors can also enjoy the Christmas market there, with more than 250 stalls and performances.
Roads and shopping areas close by will also be decorated.
There will be lots of Christmas lights, and a festive atmosphere (節日氣氛).
Officials say the holiday fun will continue into New Year's Eve.
That night, Kaohsiung will put on one of its biggest ever fireworks displays!
The city government says the New Year's Eve party will start at 6:30pm on December 31st.
And at midnight, everyone will see a big fireworks show that is four minutes long!
Officials say that is 60 seconds longer than last year.
And this time, more than 7,000 fireworks will be set off!
高雄市政府宣布，12月31日跨年晚會倒數後施放240秒跨年煙火，迎接2024年。
________________________________
BLACKPINK獲英國皇室授勳
Blackpink Presented with Honorary MBEs
Stardom for K-pop supergroup Blackpink has taken a royal turn.
The UK's King Charles III gave Rose, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa a special honor.
They were made honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
This honor is for people who have done great things for arts and sciences, or served the public.
In Blackpink's case, the honor was for their work in helping fight climate change.
The women were ambassadors for the COP climate change summit held in Glasgow in 2021.
The king said they help "millions of young people" care more about the environment.
英王查爾斯三世頒發「大英帝國員佐勳章」給韓國女團BLACKPINK成員，表揚她們支持環保的努力。
And he said that he admires the women for working on these important issues, and being global superstars at the same time.
The king gave each member a medal.
This happened at a special ceremony, held at Buckingham Palace.
Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa received honorary MBEs.
Rose was given a traditional MBE, because she is a citizen of New Zealand.
And King Charles is officially the head of state (國家元首) in New Zealand.
South Korea's president Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady, Kim Keon Hee were also at the ceremony.
They were on a state visit to the UK.
Blackpink was also invited to a state banquet (國宴) at the palace.
They ate pheasant (野雞), and a dessert made with mango ice cream.
At the banquet, King Charles talked about how South Korean pop culture has reached the world.
He talked about BTS, Squid Games, and of course, Blackpink.
The king also said that he has visited South Korea before.
But he joked that he did not develop much "Gangnam Style."
The famous K-pop song was also played outside the palace earlier in the day.
Many people visit Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard (衛兵交接儀式).
Most of the time, the band plays marching songs for the changing of the guard.
But that day, they played many South Korean pop songs, including "Gangnam Style".
The band also played Blackpink's "DDU-DU DDU-DU".
What an exciting day for the group!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Kaohsiung City government says this year, it is combining Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Officials say Christmas decorations will be put up in Kaohsiung's Central Park.
And on New Year's Eve, Kaohsiung will put on one of its biggest ever fireworks displays!
More than 7,000 fireworks will be set off!
________________________________
And,
The members of Blackpink have been made honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.
The UK's King Charles III gave Rose, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa special medals.
The honor was for their work in helping fight climate change.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam? Traffic jams can last for hours, but how about one that lasted 12 days? That's how long the longest traffic jam in history lasted! It happened in Beijing, China, in 2010. People were waiting in their cars for so long that some drivers fell asleep. Others started selling food and water to people stuck in their cars.
Traffic jams are so annoying. What's something else that drives you nuts?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
Recycling cellphones, and wooden satellites.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…!
We think of snowflakes as tiny crystals of ice, but how big can they actually get? Find out at the end of today’s episode!
________________________________
台灣提升手機回收率
Taiwan Boosts Cellphone Recycling Rates
Do you know how many cellphones are sold in Taiwan every year?
The number is 6 million.
That means around a quarter of the population in Taiwan buy new cellphones every year.
That's a lot of cellphones!
But did you know that only 12-percent of old cellphones are recycled?
台灣每年銷售600萬支手機，但回收率只有大約12%。
The rest of the phones go into the incinerator (焚化爐) and landfills (掩埋場).
Or owners just leave them somewhere at home.
All these old cellphones are "e-waste".
E-waste is unwanted electronic products.
They include cellphones, laptops, tablets and a lot more.
Experts believe that in 2021, the world made more than 57.4 million metric tons of e-waste.
Altogether, that e-waste weighs more than the Great Wall of China!
And that number is growing every year.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment announced a new set of rules.
Starting April 1st, 2024, companies that make or sell cell phones must set up recycling facilities.
They must also give incentives (獎勵) for users who recycle their old cell phones.
And they must help users delete personal data from their old cell phones.
Experts say there are many reasons why people do not recycle their cellphones.
Some people think there aren't enough rewards.
Some can't find places to recycle their phones.
And others are afraid that their personal data will be leaked.
But recycling old cell phones can help the environment.
There are valuable metals that can be recycled from cellphones, including gold, copper and cobalt (鈷).
If they are properly recycled, we can cut down the need to mine these elements from the Earth.
There are also mercury, lead and other poisonous elements in these devices.
If they’re not properly processed, they could damage the environment.
The government hopes this new rule can help encourage everyone to recycle their cellphones.
________________________________
日本科學家計畫發射木製衛星
A Wooden Satellite in Space
Humans have been using wood for thousands of years.
We use wood to make tools, furniture, and even houses.
Wood can give off a retro (復古) feeling.
So it's not something that we think of right away when we think about technology.
Many might not connect wood with futuristic designs.
But Koji Murata doesn’t feel that way.
For years, he has been exploring how natural materials could be used in space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US completed a new study.
They found metallic particles (金屬微粒) in the stratosphere (平流層).
These particles came from spacecrafts and satellites.
Scientists are worried that these tiny pieces of metal could damage the Earth’s fragile ozone layer (臭氧層).
This is the reason why Murata came up with the idea of a wooden satellite.
Murata says when satellites re-enter the atmosphere, they break into tiny pieces of metal.
But wood just burns up, and becomes gas.
That sounds like a good thing.
But what about rot (腐爛)?
Murata says on Earth, wood would burn, rot, or change shape.
But this would not happen in space.
That's because there is no oxygen or living creatures in space.
Murata's team has already done some tests at the International Space Station.
They found that wood is very resilient (適應性強的) in space.
In fact, out in space, wood is about as strong as aluminum (鋁).
Murata is now working with Japan's space agency and NASA.
They are making a prototype (原型) wooden satellite called LingoSat.
The satellite is expected to be launched in the summer of 2024.
If all goes well, Murata thinks wood could be widely used in space development.
誰會想到太空科技竟然能使用木材?
It might even be possible to build wooden structures on the moon in the future.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Ministry of Environment says starting April 1st, 2024, companies that make or sell cell phones must set up recycling facilities.
They must also give incentives for users who recycle their old cell phones.
The government hopes this new rule can help encourage everyone to recycle their cellphones.
________________________________
And,
Japanese scientist Koji Murata came up with the idea of a wooden satellite.
He is now working with Japan's space agency and NASA, to make a prototype wooden satellite called LingoSat.
The satellite is expected to be launched in the summer of 2024.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Snowflakes fall “softly” and “quietly” from the sky right? Maybe not this snowflake. The world’s largest snowflake was found in Montana in 1887. The snowflake was 38 centimeters wide. That’s wider than two pencils held end-to-end! I wouldn’t want that snowflake to fall on my head.
Do you like snow? What’s your favorite type of weather?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! It’s another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno…
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A name to remember, and a brand new island.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…New Zealand’s flightless wonder.
Stay tuned to learn more about these, coming up next!
________________________________
原住民Bawtu Payen 創造歷史！
Bawtu Payen Makes History!
Names are more than just words.
They carry our identity (身份), our heritage (遺產), and tell a story about who we are and where we come from.
Every name has a unique meaning and significance.
每個名字都有獨特的意義和重要性。
In many cultures, names are carefully chosen to reflect (反應) family history, personal traits, or cultural traditions.
They connect us to our ancestors (祖先) and can be a source of pride and strength.
Our names represent us in the world.
And Bawtu Payen, a member of Taiwan's Atayal People, did something very special.
泰雅族的Bawtu Payen做了一件特別的事。
He changed his identity card (身分證) to show his indigenous name in a new way.
Before, his ID card had his Atayal name and Chinese characters (中文字).
Now, it only has his Atayal name, Bawtu Payen, in Romanized letters (羅馬拼音).
This is the first time this has happened in Taiwan.
Bawtu went to the Luzhou Household Registration Office in New Taipei City (新北市蘆洲戶政事務所) to get his new ID card.
He is happy because this change shows the beauty of his indigenous identity (原住民身份).
The name Bawtu Payen was given to him by his grandmother.
It's very important to him because it connects him to his culture and history.
He thanked the people who helped make this change, including a lawyer and the staff at the registration office.
他感謝那些幫助他改身分證名字的人，包括一位律師和戶政事務所的工作人員。
Bawtu believes that using indigenous names is a way to share and celebrate tribal cultures (部落文化).
He also wants to help save tribal languages by focusing on the need for more teachers who speak these languages.
Now, Bawtu's ID card shows his Atayal name in a way that honors his heritage.
This is a big step for indigenous people in Taiwan and their right (權利) to use their traditional names.
________________________________
日本有新島嶼!
A New Japanese Island
Japan is a country famous for its many islands.
Each one is unique, with its own landscapes (風景), traditions, and stories.
Some are big and bustling with cities, while others are small and peaceful, perfect for exploring nature.
有些島嶼大且繁忙熱鬧；有些則小而寧靜，非常適合探索自然。
Japan's islands stretch across the Pacific Ocean (橫跨太平洋), making the country an interesting mix of different environments.
And recently, Japan has a new island!
It appeared after a volcano under the sea erupted.
這是在海底火山爆發後形成的。
This happened near Ioto Island (硫磺島), about 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.
The eruptions started in October.
They were special kinds of explosions called phreatomagmatic eruptions (岩漿噴發).
This happens when hot magma (滾燙的岩漿) from the volcano meets water.
A landmass about 100 meters wide popped up because of these eruptions.
因為岩漿爆發，一塊約100公尺寬的陸地冒了出來。
Fukashi Maeno, a professor from Tokyo University, flew over the new island.
He saw smoke and ash (煙塵和灰) shooting up more than 50 meters high!
Every few minutes, there was an eruption.
Large rocks flew through the air, and the sea around the island turned brown with floating pumice stones (浮石).
Ioto Island is one of Japan's Volcano Islands (火山列島).
Professor Maeno said this new island shows that the area has volcanic activity again.
The island could get bigger if eruptions continue.
But, it might also disappear under the sea.
New islands made of ash and rock can be washed away by waves.
Other islands formed like this in 1904, 1914, and 1986 didn't last long.
But if the volcano keeps erupting, it might make lava flows that turn into a hard surface (堅硬的表面).
That could make the island stay longer, making Japan's family of islands a little bigger.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Bawtu Payen, a member of Taiwan's Atayal tribe, did something very special.
He changed his identity card to show his indigenous name in a new way.
Before, his ID card had his Atayal name and Chinese characters.
Now, it only has his Atayal name in Romanized letters
This is the first time this has happened in Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
Recently, Japan has a new island!
A landmass about 100 meters appeared after a volcano under the sea erupted, about 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.
The island could get bigger if eruptions continue.
But, it might also disappear under the sea.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The Kiwi bird from New Zealand has wings but can’t fly.
Instead, it runs around and uses its long beak to find food in the ground.
Kiwi birds are shy, nocturnal animals, and their unique look makes them a symbol of New Zealand.
Which animal is a symbol of Taiwan?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
More garbage in the river, and a new topping on your pizza.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Winter is coming! And we've got the jokes to get you ready for chilly winter! Stay tuned!
________________________________
淡水河垃圾量三年增一倍
Tamsui River Garbage Doubles in Three Years
It's the year 2023 and it's hard to believe people just throw trash into the rivers and oceans.
But that is still happening.
A local environmental NGO (非政府組織), recently released the results of a survey.
The Society of Wilderness (荒野保護協會SOW) says the amount of garbage along the Tamsui River and its tributaries (支流) has doubled in the past 3 years.
How did they figure this out?
The society asked 36 volunteers to collect data.
They covered the entire Tamsui River basin, estuaries (河口) and nearby areas.
They traveled just over 283 kilometers on bicycle and foot.
They picked up as much trash as they could, and put them into 14-liter garbage bags.
In total, they collected 56,617 bags of garbage.
That works out to about 156 bags of garbage per kilometer.
In 2020, it was 73 bags of garbage per kilometer.
This year, they also found that 80% of the garbage was concentrated (集中) along the river banks.
And single-use plastic items took up almost 70% of the waste.
This includes plastic bottles, containers, food packaging bags and disposable tableware.
The SOW thinks the increase of the plastic garbage was due to the pandemic.
During the pandemic, there was a huge demand for food delivery and takeaways.
This led to the increase of single-use plastic waste.
這些垃圾幾乎都來自於民眾在上游人煙稀少區域非法丟棄垃圾。
When there is heavy rain or a typhoon, the garbage is brought downstream.
This is a huge threat to the eco-system of the river, especially the Mangrove Conservation Area (紅樹林保護區).
Garbage gets stuck in the mangrove forests very easily.
The SOW suggested that we need to use less disposable items.
Authorities aid they would continue to strengthen the promotion of waste reduction.
And people really should think twice about dumping garbage illegally.
________________________________
香港披薩店推出蛇肉披薩
Pizza Chain Sells Snake Pizza in Hong Kong
We've talked before about strange new pizza toppings.
Remember durian pizza, bubble tea pizza and pig's blood cake pizza?
All these were made by pizza restaurants in Taiwan.
And pizza shops in Japan have made pork bone soup ramen pizza.
Now, it's Hong Kong's turn.
A Hong Kong pizza chain is working with a very old restaurant to make a special pizza.
They're turning a traditional dish into pizza.
It's snake stew pizza!
披薩連鎖店在香港地區推出全新「蛇肉披薩」。
What's on this pizza?
There's shredded snake meat (蛇肉絲), black mushroom and dried ham.
Snake stew has long been a local delicacy (美食) in Hong Kong and southern China.
Local people eat it during the colder months.
There's a saying in Cantonese (廣東話), the best time to eat snake is "when the autumn wind begins to blow."
This is because during this time, snakes have fattened up to prepare for winter hibernation (冬眠).
Eating snake is not a totally new idea.
Snake meat is on the menu in some Asian countries.
And snake parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
But people have very different opinions about this new snake stew pizza.
Some who don't eat snake say the idea is very scary.
But some who like to eat snake meat are excited about the pizza.
Some people say the snake meat tastes even better with cheese.
It looks like the fusion of pizza and traditional dishes is getting really popular.
It makes people wonder what's next on the menu.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Society of Wilderness says the amount of garbage along the Tamsui River and its tributaries has doubled in the past 3 years.
36 volunteers picked up garbage from the entire Tamsui River basin, estuaries and nearby areas.
In total, they collected 56,617 bags of garbage.
The SOW suggested that we need to use less disposable items.
________________________________
And,
A Hong Kong pizza chain is working with a very old restaurant to make a special pizza.
They're turning a traditional dish into pizza.
It's snake stew pizza, with shredded snake meat, black mushroom and dried ham.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Brrr…
Have you been feeling the chill? It seems like winter is coming soon.
Here's a joke to warm you up.
You ready?
What did one snowman say to the other?
"Do you smell carrot?"
And here's fifth-grader 葉峟希 telling us what she likes about winter.
<
[CLIP]
Slug:
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's stories…
A ghost appears in Changhua County, and the world prepares for a big meeting on climate change.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a regal sweet fruit.
Keep on listening to find out more!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
警方破獲雨衣鬼案
Police Crack the Case of the Raincoat Ghost
Have you ever seen a ghost (鬼魂)?
I know ghosts aren't real.
But sometimes we see something we can't explain…
…and we turn to superstitions (迷信) to find the answer.
That's what happened recently in Changhua County.
One evening, someone was waiting at a stoplight in Xizhou (溪州) Township.
They saw something that nearly scared them to death (差點嚇死他).
It was a yellow raincoat (雨衣), floating over the zebra crossing.
The raincoat looked just like a person was wearing it…
….but there was nobody inside!
彰化縣某人看到一件雨衣自己移動，就像鬼魂一樣。
It was so strange, because there was no wind that day, and nobody else was nearby.
So, the frightened person took a video with their phone.
They watched the raincoat drift around for more than two minutes, with no explanation.
Local security cameras saw it too.
Soon, the videos were posted online.
People from all over Taiwan began to share their theories.
影片上傳到網路上，許多網友提出他們的理論。
Some people said the raincoat was pulled by invisible strings.
Other people said construction workers put the coat there, to keep cars away from their work site.
But, the Changhua police didn't find any strings, and the workers said they didn't do it either.
There were a few people online who said the coat really did belong to a ghost.
But the police wouldn't believe that.
In the end, they used security cameras to find the man who was responsible.
It was all a silly prank (惡作劇).
The raincoat belonged to a local man.
He was a plumber named Chung (鍾).
He said he filled the raincoat with hydrogen gas (氫氣).
Chung also taped the hood and the sleeves shut, so the gas would not get out.
Because hydrogen gas can float, it made the raincoat float around like a ghost.
鍾先生在雨衣中註入氫氣，讓它飄起來。
Why did Chung do it?
He told police he thought it was funny.
他做這樣是因為他覺得很好玩。
But police say his prank scared people, and could have caused a car accident.
Now they are charging Chung with a crime.
警方指控鍾先生違法。
So, there may not be any such thing as ghosts…
…but there are a lot of pranksters out there.
________________________________
氣候變遷高峰會 下週開幕
Climate Change Meeting Starts Next Week
The world is heating up.
Scientists say 2023 is probably the hottest year ever.
All over the world, people are working to find a solution for climate change.
世界各地的人們都在努力思考，如何回應氣候變遷。
There are lots of meetings between countries who want to solve this problem.
But one meeting is bigger than all of them.
You could say it's the most important event in the world.
And it starts next week.
The meeting is called the "2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference".
But most people just call it "COP28".
這個會議叫做「第28次締約方會議」，簡稱COP28.
Why 28?
Because it's the 28th time the United Nations (聯合國) have held this meeting.
So what's going on?
For two weeks, the meeting will bring together world leaders, scientists and experts to try to find a solution.
They will meet in Dubai (杜拜).
It's a city in the United Arab Emirates (阿拉伯聯合大公國).
Because that country is hosting the meeting, they get to choose the meeting's president.
They have chosen a man named Sultan Al Jaber.
This is a controversial choice, because Al Jaber is also the CEO of an oil company.
今年會議的主席很有爭議，因為他是一家石油公司的執行長。
As we all know, climate change is caused by burning oil and other fossil fuels.
So how can Al Jaber lead this meeting if his company is helping cause climate change?
He says that oil companies need to be part of the solution.
Lots of people disagree.
Still, there are four goals for the COP28 meeting that everyone agrees on.
會議有四大目標。
First, they want to speed up the energy transition (能源轉型).
That means quickly moving away from fossil fuels, and moving towards green energy.
Second, they want to improve climate finance (氣候貸款).
That means getting more money to projects that can fight climate change.
Third, they want to put nature, lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action.
That means thinking about both nature and people when making decisions.
Finally, they want to make the meeting more inclusive (包容性).
That means including people who have been left out of conversations on climate change before.
These are four huge goals.
But the people at COP28 will do their best to reach them.
The fate of our planet (地球的命運) depends on it…
…and we have no time to lose.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Someone took a video of a raincoat floating like a ghost in Changhua County.
It scared a lot of people, and there were many theories about what it might be.
In the end, police found out that it was just a silly prank.
________________________________
And,
The COP28 meeting starts next week in Dubai.
World leaders and scientists will meet to talk about solutions to climate change.
The leader of the meeting is controversial, but everyone has agreed on four big goals.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Pineapples are tasty fruits, but did you know they wear a crown?
That's right!
The spiky leaves on top of a pineapple are often called a "crown."
And, it can take 18 months to three years for a single pineapple to reach its full size.
That's a long wait for a royal fruit!
What do you know about your favorite fruit?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
Twists and turns at the airport, and seeing sea stars in a new way.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…!
You know how big and scary tsunamis can be, but what about a "megatsunami"? Stay tuned to hear more!
________________________________
桃園機場飛機盃魔術方塊大賽
Taoyuan Airport Hosts Rubiks' Cube Competition
How fast can you twist and turn?
The Taoyuan Airport Cube Day 2023 was held last week.
The event challenged people to solve Rubiks' Cubes as fast as they could.
The Rubiks' Cube is a 3D puzzle.
It was invented in 1974.
The cubes are made up of many smaller cubes with different color on each side.
You have to twist and turn the cube, to try to get each side all the same color.
The competition at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was a whirlwind of speed, skill, and strategy.
The two-day event brought some of the world's best Rubik's Cube solvers from around the world.
There were competitors from Taiwan, of course.
There were also competitors from the US, Japan, and Singapore.
All in all, there were 150 strong competitors.
They had to battle it out in different types of Rubik's Cube competitions.
There's the 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, pyramid, and skewb.
And in the end, Taiwan athletes swept the championships!
最後，全部賽程都由台灣選手奪冠。
There was also a special demonstration at the competition.
A Rubiks' Cube expert Li Hua-ting (李華庭) solved a cube in a special way.
She used her feet!
In fact, Hua-ting holds the record in Taiwan for solving a 3x3 Rubiks' Cube with her feet.
She also shared some tips and techniques.
She says finding the right chair height can make a big difference.
台灣3階腳解紀錄保持人李華庭說，要用腳解魔術方塊，最重要的是椅子的高度，只要高度適中就能快速解開。
The Taoyuan Airport Cube Day 2023 showed the mind-bending talents of people from around the world.
And it shows how this amazing toy is still a lot of fun!
________________________________
新研究發現海星整個都是「頭」!
Starfish Bodies Aren't Bodies At All
Picture an animal in your mind.
Can you find its head?
Most of the time, it's easy to figure out where an animal's head is.
But that wasn't always the case…for starfish!
For a long time, scientists thought that starfish had five arms.
And these animals had a layer of something like feet, that helped them move around on the seafloor.
And many scientists wondered if sea stars had heads at all.
長期以來，科學家認為，海星可能完全沒有頭部。
But now, new research may have a surprising answer.
A new study finds that most of the sea star's body IS its head.
不過最新的研究發現海星的整個身體其實都是頭！
To figure this out, scientists used new technology that helped them look closely at genes.
This technology helped them see genes that control the growing of different body parts, like a head, or a tail.
Then they looked at the genes on sea stars.
And they saw that genes for growing a head are all over the sea star.
But there were almost no genes for growing a body or a tail.
One scientist has an interesting way to describe (形容) starfish.
He says the starfish is basically "just a head", crawling around on the seafloor!
科學家說其實海星經過演化後，就像是一顆頭，在海床上爬行。
This scientist has been studying (研究) sea stars for 10 years.
But he says there is still a lot more to learn about these amazing animals.
Some scientists think understanding more about sea stars could give us clues on how different animals stay healthy.
This could help us solve medical or environmental problems.
And some think that learning about sea stars could even help us figure out how life on Earth started.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Taoyuan Airport Cube Day 2023 was held last week.
The event challenged people to solve Rubiks' Cubes as fast as they could.
The two-day event brought some of the best Rubik's Cube solvers from around the world.
And in the end, Taiwan athletes swept the championships!
________________________________
And,
A new study finds that most of the sea star's body is its head.
To figure this out, scientists used new technology that helped them look closely at genes.
One scientist says the starfish is basically "just a head", crawling around on the seafloor!
Some scientists think understanding more about sea stars could help us solve medical or environmental problems.
And some think that learning about sea stars could even help us figure out how life on Earth started.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that the world's largest ocean wave ever recorded was 524 meters tall? That's taller than Taipei 101! It was recorded in Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. There was a big underwater earthquake, and the wave became so big, it's called a "megatsunami". Two people on a boat, including a seven-year-old boy were caught by the wave and lifted high up into the air, but they survived!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
A tunnel under Taoyuan City, and loud music in New Zealand.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what's a desert bloom?
Let's find out after these stories…
________________________________
捷運隧道穿越桃園市
Metro Line Tunnel Goes Under Taoyuan City
Do you ride the metro (捷運)?
If you live in a big city, the metro is a great way to get around.
Metro trains carry people from station to station quickly and conveniently.
Some metro train lines are elevated.
That means they rise into the air, like a bridge.
Other metro lines are underground.
They are in tunnels (隧道) deep below the city streets.
That's like the new Green Line (綠線) in Taoyuan City.
What? You didn't know Taoyuan had a Green Line?
That's because it's not open yet.
The Green Line is still under construction.
It's a huge project, costing almost 20 billion NT.
桃園綠線正在興建，耗資200億元。
The good news is, the construction team has already finished about 40% of the Green Line.
But now they are getting into one of the hardest parts of the project.
Recently, they started work on the part of the line between G10 station and G07 station.
This part is tricky, because it goes right under the center of Taoyuan City.
The construction team (施工隊) has lots of things to worry about here.
They don't want the tunnel work to damage any buildings on the surface.
Lots of people are afraid that it might affect Jingfu Temple.
This 300-year-old temple is one of the oldest buildings in Taoyuan.
大家擔心開挖隧道會損壞地面建築，例如有 300 年歷史的景福宮。
So, the team has decided to adjust the tunnel plan, so it won't pass right under the temple.
Taoyuan's Mayor (市長) even visited the temple, to pray (祈求) that everything goes okay with the construction.
Next, the team needs to make sure the tunnel is wide enough.
For that, they are using the biggest tunneling machine in Taiwan.
他們在用台灣最大的隧道鑽掘機。
This huge machine can cut a tunnel through the earth that is 8 meters wide.
Finally, they need to make sure the tunnel is deep enough.
The metro station at Taoyuan Station will be one of the deepest stations in Taiwan.
It will be 40 meters underground.
桃園捷運站會在地下很深的地方，有40公尺深。
These are serious challenges (挑戰), but the construction team is not afraid.
They will keep working, and they say this part of the Green Line will be open to ride by 2028.
________________________________
紐西蘭城市厭倦了席琳狄翁
New Zealand City Gets Tired of Celine Dion
Do you like to listen to Celine Dion?
I love her music!
My favorite of her songs is this one…
"You're here~ There's NOOOOTHING I fear…"
Oh yeah, I know that one.
She might be the greatest singer of all time.
席琳狄翁可能是有史以來最偉大的歌手之一。
And her voice is so powerful.
Recently, one city in New Zealand has been hearing a lot of her voice.
And lots of people are tired of it.
How could anyone get tired of Celine Dion?
Well, it's like this.
Porirua is a small city on New Zealand's North Island (紐西蘭的北島).
In the past, it was a quiet and peaceful place.
But these days, there are lots of "speaker battles".
Special cars drive around the city with huge speakers on top.
人們在汽車上安裝巨大的擴音器，並且進行聲音大戰。
The car's owners are competing to see whose speakers can make the best sound.
That means the loudest, clearest sound.
They like to play Celine Dion's music on their speakers.
They say it's because her songs are very clear, with lots of high notes, and not too many low notes.
他們使用席琳迪翁的歌聲，因為她的聲音清晰而高亢。
It's true that their speakers are incredible…
But lots of people in Porirua think it's annoying (很吵)!
Sometimes the speaker battles happen late at night.
The noise wakes people up.
Plus, the city of Porirua is in a valley (山谷中).
That makes the noise seem even louder.
People don't want to ban (禁止) the speaker battles completely.
Everyone knows that this is an important part of the local culture.
But they hope that the speaker battles can move outside of the city.
They also hope these events can stop happening at night.
這是當地重要的文化，但居民不想在晚上聽到。
Now, the city government is working together with the car's owners and the local residents to find a solution.
Celine Dion might be the greatest singer of all time…
But, people need to sleep too!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A new metro line is under construction in Taoyuan City.
The Green Line will go through a tunnel under the city center.
It's a big challenge for the construction team, but they say it will be ready to ride by 2028.
________________________________
And,
A New Zealand city is dealing with a unique problem.
Cars with huge speakers are playing loud Celine Dion music late into the night.
The speakers sound impressive, but local residents say it's too loud and too late at night.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth.
But, once in a while, rain falls, and something magical happens.
The desert bursts into a rainbow of flowers.
It's called a "desert bloom" and it transforms the sandy land into a colorful garden.
What other places on Earth do you think are magical?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's stories…
It's not all fun and games at the night market, and what really killed the dinosaurs.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We know turtles can live for a long time. But another animal can live longer! Find out more at the end of today's episode!
________________________________
日本節目實測台灣夾娃娃機
Japanese Show Talks About Night Market Claw Machines
Night markets are a special part of Taiwan.
Many tourists enjoy visiting night markets when they are in Taiwan.
One of the most well-known night markets is Shilin Night Market in Taipei.
It is also one of the biggest and most-visited night markets in Taiwan.
Recently a Japanese TV show visited Shilin Night Market.
The hosts (主持人) of “Open Pandora’s Box Untouchable TV” visited the night market.
They sampled (品嚐) some local food and tried some games,
They then looked into what they called the dark side of the night market: claw machines (夾娃娃機).
Earlier this year, one of the hosts came to Taiwan on a family trip.
The children tried the claw machines.
But they couldn’t grab anything even after many tries (嘗試).
They said it was a very unhappy experience.
So the TV show decided to take a closer look at claw machines.
They spent $2,000 NT for 200 attempts.
They said they were successful just 4 times.
日本綜藝節目日前到台灣士林夜市挑戰娃娃機，夾了200次卻只中4次。
The hosts said the claws always seemed to throw the prizes in the wrong direction when they successfully grabbed one.
One claw machine owner said some of the machines are rigged (調整過).
This is to make sure the owners don’t lose money.
The owner also said that renting space in Shilin night market costs a lot of money.
Many people love going to night markets.
It can be a great place to eat delicious food and play games.
But sometimes there are stories about how night markets can be overpriced.
Or some people say they get "scammed" (欺騙，詐騙).
We all hope that night markets can be a fun place for everyone.
________________________________
導致恐龍滅絕的元兇是粉塵?
Did Dust Kill the Dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs dominated (統治) Earth a long time ago.
Then something killed them, leaving only their fossils (化石) deep in the ground.
Many scientists believe a gigantic asteroid (小行星) crashed into Earth about 66 million years ago.
The impact left a huge crater (坑).
The catastrophic (毀滅性的) impact caused Earth to go into a long dark cold winter.
After this disaster, 75% of living species on Earth went extinct (絕種).
Many scientists accept this theory (科學理論).
But what they don’t agree on, is what caused the long winter that led to the extinction.
There is now a new theory.
According to researchers, the asteroid didn’t kill all the dinosaurs right away when it hit Earth.
Instead, they think it was a slow process that gradually killed many species.
When the asteroid struck Earth, granite (花崗岩) was crushed into dust.
That dust floated up into the atmosphere.
And the dust was probably so thick that it completely blocked out the sun for almost 620 days.
During this time with no sunlight, plants could not photosynthesize (光合作用).
After the plants died, many animals that eat plants probably died too.
And next, predators that eat those animals starved (餓死) too.
Researchers think the dust may have stayed in the atmosphere for 15 years.
And this dust may have caused temperatures around the world to drop by about 15 degrees Celsius.
All this would change the ecosystem in a big way.
Many scientists believe it's not just one change that killed off most of the living things back at that time.
They say the asteroid impact was so huge that it sparked tsunamis, acid rain and wildfires.
許多專家推測就是這些災難造成了地球物種大規模的死亡。
Scientists still have to do more work on the granite dust theory.
But the data from this research could help further studies.
One day, we may know exactly what killed the dinosaurs.
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
A Japanese TV show visited Shilin Night Market and tried out claw machines.
They spent $2,000 NT for 200 attempts.
They said they were successful just 4 times.
________________________________
And,
A new theory says when an asteroid struck Earth, granite was crushed into dust.
That dust floated up into the atmosphere.
And the dust was probably so thick that it completely blocked out the sun for almost 620 days.
And this gradually killed plants and animals, including dinosaurs.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that the world's oldest living animal is the Greenland shark? It can live for up to 500 years! The Greenland shark is found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
Fewer and fewer single-use cups, and a long-lost city with buried treasure.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a crunchy accident!
Keep on listening to find out more, coming up next!
________________________________
再見，一次性塑膠杯！
Good-Bye, Disposable Cups!
Taiwan has been making a big change to help the environment.
The country has decided to stop using single-use, disposable plastic cups (一次性，用過就丟的塑膠杯).
These are the cups you can use once and throw away.
The government said all shops should stop using plastic cups by July next year.
Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung…
…along with Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County, have already stopped using plastic cups.
The local governments check shops to make sure they follow the new rule.
If a shop doesn't follow the rule, they might have to pay a fine (罰款).
Taiwan is known for its tasty milk tea with tapioca pearls (珍珠奶茶).
But these drinks come in plastic cups, and they create a lot of trash.
Every year, Taiwan throws away 4 billion disposable cups.
Most shops are doing good things like letting people use cups again or giving discounts if you bring your own cup.
現在大多數商店都讓人重複使用杯子，另外如果你帶自己的杯子去就給折扣。
This has helped reduce (減少) trash by a lot.
New Taipei City and Taoyuan are also seeing less trash because of the new rule.
In Kaohsiung, the change has helped lower the pollution (污染) that comes from making and throwing away cups.
But some shop owners say paper cups can be more expensive than, and not as strong as, plastic ones.
Some also say that paper cups don't show off the colors in the drinks very well.
The government is watching how well the new rule works.
They want to make sure it's good for everyone before they ask more places to stop using plastic cups.
They are listening to what people have to say and thinking about how to make things better for the planet.
________________________________
埃及消失的城市 秘密揭曉
Egypt's Sunken Secrets Unveiled
The ocean is like a giant treasure chest (寶箱), deep and full of secrets.
It's so big that we've only seen a tiny part of it.
Over the years, lots of things have disappeared into the ocean (消失在海洋中).
Ships, planes, and even whole cities have been swallowed up by the waves and lost to time.
船隻、飛機，甚至整個城市都曾經被波浪吞噬，被時光遺忘。
Under the water, there are amazing things waiting to be discovered (等待被發現).
And sometimes, what's lost can be found again.
有的時候，失去的東西又會被找到。
Long ago, there was a city in Egypt called Thonis-Heracleion (東尼斯-赫拉克利翁).
It was next to the sea and was very busy with ships and traders (商人).
But one day, a big earthquake and huge waves made the whole city sink into the sea.
For many years, no one saw the city because it was under the water.
Then, in the year 2000, a team of underwater archaeologists (水下考古學家) found Thonis-Heracleion again.
It was hidden under the sea, about 7 kilometers away from the beach.
The archaeologists have found many special things from the city.
And recently, they told everyone about their newest find.
They found a temple (神殿) under the water!
It was a place where people long ago would honor a god named Amun.
很久以前，人們會在這裡敬拜一位名叫阿蒙的神。
This deity (神) was very important, especially to new Egyptian pharaohs (埃及法老王).
The temple had precious things like silver and gold and big jars that once held sweet-smelling perfumes.
神殿中有寶貴的東西，例如銀器和金器，以及曾裝有香水的大罐子。
Near this temple, they also found a place for worshiping Aphrodite, the goddess of love from Greece.
他們在附近還發現了一個供奉希臘愛神阿佛洛狄的地方。
This shows that people from Greece lived happily in the Egyptian city.
They found pots and statues and even weapons there!
他們在那裡找到許多銅器和陶瓷器物，甚至有武器！
Finding these things is very exciting.
They are so old, but they are still whole and beautiful.
The people who found them say it feels amazing to see things that were hidden for so long.
Now we know more about the city that sank and the people who lived there a very, very long time ago.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has been making a big change to help the environment.
The government said all places should stop using single-use, disposable plastic cups by July next year.
Six cities have already stopped using these cups.
It shows people in Taiwan are thinking about how to make things better for the planet.
________________________________
And,
Thonis-Heracleion was an Egyptian city that sank into the sea in the 8th century AD.
Underwater archaeologists recently shared what they found in this sunken city.
They found a temple with precious treasure like silver and gold.
It's amazing to see things that were hidden for so long!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Who doesn't love a good snack?
Around the globe, snacks are a universal joy, bringing smiles to faces with their delightful flavors and textures.
From the salty crunch of nuts to the sweet, creamy taste of ice cream, there's always something for everyone.
But did you know that some of our favorite munchies were created completely by chance?
The potato chip was invented by accident!
A chef in New York was trying to make French fries, but a customer complained they were too thick.
The chef got angry, and decided to slice the potatoes very thin, and fried them until they were super crispy…
…and the customer loved it!
That's how the crispy potato chip was born.
Where does your favorite snack come from?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello there! Welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan is working with NASA to study aerosols, and the furthest black hole on record.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a vegetable that's also a flower!
Stay tuned to learn more about these, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣與美國太空總署攜手研究空氣污染
Taiwan and NASA Team Up to Study Air Pollution
Aerosols are tiny particles that float around in the air we breathe.
氣溶膠是空氣中飄浮的微小粒子。
They can come from dust, smoke, and even sea spray (海水噴霧).
Some aerosols are natural, but others come from cars, factories, and even wildfires.
These tiny particles can make the air dirty and affect our health, the weather, and even the temperature of our planet.
Understanding aerosols is really important for keeping our air clean.
And Taiwan and NASA are teaming up to learn more about these invisible particles and their big impact (影響) on air quality!
Together, they have created the first-ever Asia Pacific AERONET Center.
It's at the Lulin Atmospheric Background Station (鹿林山空氣品質背景測站).
This center's job is to study aerosols.
Lulin Station is now the first station in Asia that's certified by NASA, to check on air quality.
鹿林站現在是亞洲第一個獲得美國太空總署認證的站點，用來檢查空氣品質。
Before this, only two other places had this honor (獲得了這個榮譽)-one in Hawaii, and one in Spain.
Taiwan has been working with NASA since 2002.
This new center is going to help lots of countries around Asia Pacific (亞太地區) understand more about aerosols.
The Lulin Station is high up in the mountains, on the edge of Chiayi and Nantou (介於嘉義和南投的邊緣).
Since 2006, it has been looking out for greenhouse gasses (溫室氣體) and other air pollutants (空氣污染物).
With NASA's help, it uses a tool called AERONET to see how much sunlight aerosols block from reaching the ground.
太空總署協助鹿林站使用一個名叫AERONET的工具，來看氣溶膠阻擋了多少陽光到達地面。
This information helps satellites (衛星) all over the world.
With new tools at the station, scientists will soon know even more about where these aerosols come from and what they're made of.
It's a big step for keeping our air clean and understanding our environment better!
________________________________
太空總署發現創紀錄的黑洞
NASA Discovers Record-Breaking Black Hole
Black holes are one of the most mysterious things in space.
They are like space vacuums (宇宙中的吸塵器) that suck in everything, even light!
Black holes are made when a big star dies and collapses (坍塌) into a tiny spot.
This spot has so much pull (吸引力) that not even light can escape from it.
That's why we call it a black hole - you can't see it because no light can get out.
But scientists can still find them by the effects they have on things around them.
Scientists have recently found a super old black hole in space…
And it's the farthest one (最遠的一個) they've ever seen!
NASA used two space telescopes (太空望遠鏡) to find this black hole.
They saw it because it was shining brightly in X-rays.
They think this black hole was formed only 470 million years after the universe started with a big bang.
他們認為這個黑洞是在宇宙大爆炸後，僅僅4億7千萬年形成的。
The black hole is in a galaxy (星系) called UHZ1.
This galaxy is super far away, 13.2 billion light-years from Earth.
That means the galaxy and the black hole are from a time when the universe was very young.
Scientists used a trick called gravitational lensing (重力透鏡效應) to see the black hole better.
This is when gravity from something big, like a cluster of galaxies, makes light from far away bend and look brighter.
像星系團這樣龐大天體的重力，會讓來自遙遠地方的光線彎曲，看起來更亮，這就是重力透鏡效應。
This discovery helps scientists understand how the first giant black holes started.
They're not sure if these black holes came from huge clouds of gas or from big stars that exploded a long time ago.
科學家不確定這些黑洞是來自巨大的氣體雲，還是很久以前爆炸的巨型恆星。
This black hole was already big to begin with, so it got even bigger quickly.
They think the black hole has a mass of 10 to 100 million Suns.
他們認為黑洞的質量相當於一千萬到一億個太陽。
Scientists are excited because they can learn more about the early universe from this black hole.
This discovery helps us learn about planets around other stars and the history of the universe.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan and NASA are teaming up to learn more about aerosols and their big impact on air quality!
The Lulin Atmospheric Background Station is in the mountains of Chiayi and Nantou.
And it's now the first station in Asia that's certified by NASA, to check on air pollution.
Understanding aerosols is really important for keeping our air clean.
________________________________
And,
NASA scientists have recently found a super old black hole in space…
And it's the farthest one they've ever seen!
They think this black hole was formed only 470 million years after the universe started with a big bang.
This discovery helps scientists understand how the first giant black holes started.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Broccoli is a vegetable that many people eat, but did you know it's also a flower?
The green parts we eat are actually the buds of the flower before they bloom.
If left to grow, the broccoli would blossom into a bunch of yellow flowers.
So, the next time you munch on broccoli, remember, you're eating a flower in disguise!
Do you know any other interesting facts about vegetables?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's stories…
An ancient southern city is a new kind of "cool", and a rare look at what's for dinner on the Titanic.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…!
All that glitters is not gold! We have the facts on something very sparkly, at the end of today's episode!
________________________________
台南上榜"2024全球30個最酷景點"
Tainan Makes National Geographic 2024 "Cool List"
Are you ready for an exciting adventure?
National Geographic Traveler has released its "Cool List" for 2024.
They chose 30 amazing places to visit for the list.
These destinations are perfect for travelers who want to experience something new and different.
國家地理旅遊雜誌，最近公布2024年全球最酷的30個旅遊景點。
Whether you're looking for ancient ruins, vibrant cities, or stunning landscapes, there's something on this list for everyone.
And a city in Taiwan has made it onto the list!
Tainan City was listed for its amazing connection to history.
National Geographic says people have lived there for a long time.
And it says Tainan has been influenced (影響) by many other countries including Spain and Japan.
National Geographic says you can see a lot of history in Tainan's architecture (建築物).
It also says there are many big events in Tainan throughout the year.
Nat Geo points to the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival as a very exciting event.
During the festival, tons of rockets are set off with people standing close by.
National Geographic says it's "not for the faint-hearted".
國家地理說台南每年都有很多特別的活動，例如農曆年的鹽水蜂炮，但也提醒，這個活動是相當刺激的。
And Nat Geo says street food in Tainan is also a major draw (吸引人的因素).
It recommends visitors try the danzai noodle soup with shrimp, or the "coffin bread" with creamy soup inside.
And Nat Geo says in 2024, Tainan will celebrate its 400th birthday.
It says this is another great reason to visit next year.
Other "cool" places that made the list include Tartu in Estonia, Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, and the Atacama Desert in Chile.
________________________________
鐵達尼號頭等艙菜單揭秘
Titanic First Class Menu Up for Auction
Imagine you are a passenger on a big ship called the Titanic.
It is a very fancy ship, and the food is delicious!
In fact, many people called it the "most luxurious ship in the world".
Would you like to see what the first-class menu looked like on the night the Titanic sailed away?
鐵達尼號是百年前世界上最大、最豪華的郵輪，不過這艘郵輪上的頭等艙餐點到底有多豪華呢?
A rare first-class menu from the Titanic is up for auction.
This menu is very old and special, and it might sell for a lot of money!
In fact, experts say it may sell for $86,000 US dollars.
That's about $2,700,000 NT!
The menu shows the first dinner for first-class customers on board the Titanic after it set sail on April 11th, 1912.
Some of the dishes people could choose include oysters, sirloin steak (沙朗牛排), French ice cream and chocolate puffs.
The paper menu has a lot of water stains.
Some of the words are hard to see.
Experts believe the menu was in the North Atlantic Ocean for some time, after the Titanic sank.
The auction house selling the menu says so far they have found no other first-class menus for that night from the Titanic.
A few years ago, an auction house sold another menu from the Titanic.
That was a first-class lunch menu, for the day the Titanic sank into the ocean.
The menu sold for $88,000 US dollars.
There are also other things from the Titanic that are being sold.
A blanket used by someone in a lifeboat is also expected to sell for a lot of money.
That person got safely to shore, and gave the blanket to someone else.
Experts believe this blanket could sell for $123,000 US dollars.
It is sad to think about the people who didn't survive the sinking of the Titanic.
But these objects help us remember them.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
National Geographic Traveler has released its "Cool List" for 2024, and Tainan made the list!
National Geographic says you can see a lot of history in Tainan's architecture.
And Nat Geo says in 2024, Tainan will celebrate its 400th birthday.
It says this is another great reason to visit next year.
________________________________
And,
A rare first-class menu from the Titanic is up for auction.
This menu is very old and special, and it might sell for $86,000 US dollars.
The menu shows the first dinner for first-class customers on board the Titanic after it set sail on April 11th, 1912.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that the world's largest producer of diamonds is Russia? In fact, Russia produces more than a third of all the diamonds in the world! Diamonds are formed under high pressure and temperatures deep within the Earth's mantle. They are then brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions. Diamonds are used in jewelry, industry, and science.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Troublesome macaques, and the next step to living in space.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We all know dogs have an amazing sense of smell. But have you noticed which side of their nose they use? Find out what it all means, at the end of the episode!
________________________________
驅趕猴子照網上瘋傳
Macaques Give Restaurant Owner a Headache
Is a picture really worth a thousand words?
Recently, a photo of an elderly woman went viral online.
The Kaohsiung woman was holding a gun.
Many people commented on the photo.
Some even said maybe she was a retired spy.
Others were worried about safety in the city.
The police looked into the matter.
They found out that it was a misunderstanding (誤會).
The woman in the photo was the owner of a breakfast store.
Her restaurant is at the foot of Shoushan (壽山) in Gushan district (鼓山區).
Shoushan is famous for Formosan Rock Macaques (台灣獼猴).
Many of the macaques live on the mountain.
The monkeys have been notorious (惡名昭彰) in the area for decades.
They grab food and water from hikers, and will also steal from nearby stores.
They have also been making trouble at National Sun Yat-sen University (國立中山大學) , which is on the other side of Shoushan.
The monkeys would break into students' rooms and make a mess.
They even stole food from convenience stores.
The elderly woman in the picture says the monkeys are always going into her store.
That's because her store is near the foot of Shoushan.
The monkeys invade her store for food.
They have damaged the window to the bathroom and often bring garbage inside her shop.
So every morning, she would use her BB gun to scare away the monkeys.
According to the police, the BB gun was not loaded.
They also added that the macaques are not protected animals.
So the restaurant owner did not break the law.
The police say hikers and tourists who visit Shoushan should take precautions (預防).
They should try not to show their food, or make noise with plastic bags.
And they should avoid direct eye contact with the monkeys.
Police are reminding everyone to keep a safe distance, and not to feed the macaques.
警察呼籲遊客要盡量做到「食物不外露」、「不發出塑膠袋聲響」、與獼猴保持距離，維護生態及自身安全。
________________________________
太空中培育老鼠胚胎
Mouse Embryos Grown in Space for the First Time
Exploring space has always been a goal for scientists.
And a recent study showed that we might be getting closer to this goal.
A Japanese research team has successfully grown mouse embryos (胚胎) on the International Space Station (ISS).
The scientists say this means humans may soon be able to have children in space.
In August 2021, the team sent frozen mouse embryos on a rocket to the ISS.
In orbit, astronauts thawed (解凍) these early-stage embryos.
Then they grew the embryos for 4 days.
They found out that the embryos developed normally into blastocysts (囊胚).
Blastocysts are cells that will develop into a fetus (胎兒) and placenta (胎盤).
The researchers looked closely at the blastocysts after they were sent back to Earth.
They found that the blastocysts were about the same as ones that grew on Earth.
They couldn't find any difference in the DNA and genes (基因).
The scientists say "this is the first ever study that shows mammals maybe able to thrive in space."
These findings also show that mammals may be able to reproduce (繁殖) in microgravity (微重力) environments.
However, this is only the first step.
The next step would be to put these embryos into mice to see if mice can give birth.
This would be very important for future space exploration and colonization (殖民) missions.
The success of this experiment would be important for NASA's Artemis program.
Artemis scientists want to understand how humans can reproduce and thrive in space.
They plan to send humans to live long-term on the moon by the end of the 2030s.
Artemis may also have a part in future Mars missions.
If all goes well, there may soon be people living in space!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Recently, a photo of an elderly woman holding a gun went viral online.
The woman in the photo was trying to scare away macaques.
According to the police, the BB gun was not loaded.
________________________________
And,
A Japanese research team has successfully grown mouse embryos on the International Space Station.
The scientists say this means humans may soon be able to have children in space.
These findings also show that mammals may be able to reproduce in microgravity environments.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Dogs and their incredible noses…they get all kinds of information through their sense of smell. But did you know that dogs sniff good smells with their left nostril?
Scientists say dogs start by smelling with their right nostril. And if it's a smell they like, such as dog food, they will switch to smelling with their left nostril. But if it's a smell the dog doesn't like so much, such as the smell of its veterinarian, the dog will keep smelling with its right nostril.
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome back to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
The skulls of Paiwan warriors return home, and the laziest way to go up a mountain.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…an animal that looks like a combination of three other animals!
Stay tuned to hear more about that, coming up next.
________________________________
排灣族戰士的頭骨返鄉
Homecoming for Paiwan Warriors' Skulls
Let's begin our first story with history (歷史).
Back in the 1870s, a battle called the Mudan Incident happened between the Paiwan warriors of Taiwan and Japanese soldiers.
1870年代，台灣的排灣族戰士和日本士兵之間，爆發一場叫做牡丹社事件的戰鬥。
The fight started because some sailors from the Ryukyu Islands (琉球群島) were killed by the Paiwan people.
These sailors were lost at sea and ended up in Taiwan.
Japan wanted to punish (懲罰) the Paiwan people for this.
So, in 1874, Japanese soldiers went to Taiwan to fight.
It was the first time Japanese soldiers fought in another country.
The Paiwan people knew how to fight well in their own land and gave the Japanese soldiers a hard time (讓日本士兵吃了大虧).
But the Japanese soldiers were strong and won some of the fights.
Many soldiers also got very sick because they were not used to the weather in Taiwan.
很多士兵也因為不習慣台灣的天氣而生病。
In the end, both sides stopped fighting, and that was the end of the war.
During this battle, the Japanese took the skulls (頭骨) of 12 Paiwan warriors away from Taiwan.
These skulls were very important to the indigenous (原住民) Paiwan people and their history.
Some of these skulls traveled far and ended up in Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom.
一些頭骨被帶到遠方，最終流落到英國愛丁堡大學。
For many years, these skulls stayed there.
But recently, the university agreed to give them back to Taiwan.
People in Mudan Township worked hard to bring these skulls back home.
Leaders from the Paiwan tribe and experts went to the U.K. to see the skulls.
They planned a special ceremony (特別的儀式) to welcome them back.
These skulls are now in a museum in Tainan.
There, scientists are studying them to learn more about who these warriors were.
The Mudan Incident is remembered as a time when the Paiwan people had to fight very hard to protect their home.
牡丹社事件被記住是因為排灣族人必須非常努力地保護他們的家園。
Today, there's a park at the place where the battle happened.
It's a big moment for Taiwan because it's like a part of history is finally back where it belongs.
________________________________
看山景輕鬆搭手扶梯！
Mountain Views Just an Escalator Ride Away!
Hiking up a mountain (爬山) is a great adventure.
It's all about following trails, climbing over rocks, and enjoying nature.
As you walk, you can hear birds, see trees and flowers, and breathe fresh air.
When you reach the top, you feel proud (自豪) and excited to see the amazing view.
But what if you could get to the top without all the climbing?
In Zhejiang Province, China, visiting a mountain just got easier.
在中國浙江省，參觀山景現在變得更容易了。
Now, instead of hiking up trails, tourists can take a long escalator (手扶梯) to see beautiful mountain views.
This escalator is so big it can carry people hundreds of meters to the top.
Tianyu Mountain (天嶼山) is not very tall, just 350 meters high.
But it used to be hard to climb because you had to walk over three other mountains to get to the top.
This was tough (很艱難) for older people and kids.
Now, with the new escalator, everyone can get to the top without getting tired.
Not everyone likes this idea.
Some people say the escalators ruin the fun of climbing and the beauty of the mountains.
有些人說電梯破壞了攀登的樂趣和山的美。
But others really like it.
They say it's easy and lets them see all the sights without missing anything.
他們說這很容易，讓他們可以不錯過任何景點就可以看到所有的景色。
A tourist said it's great because they didn't have to walk and still saw everything.
A mother said it's perfect for kids and older family members.
Just standing on the escalator makes the trip simple and fun.
There's even a video of the big escalator on Tianyu Mountain that lots of people watched.
And Tianyu isn't the only place with an escalator.
There's another one in Shenxianju Scenic Area in Taizhou City (台州市神仙居風景區), called the South Sky Ladder, that's been around for three years.
So, in Zhejiang, seeing the best mountain views doesn't mean you have to hike all day.
Just take a quick ride up the mountain!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
During the Mudan Incident in the 1870s, the Japanese took the skulls of 12 Paiwan warriors away from Taiwan.
Four of them ended up in Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom.
The University has returned the skulls to Taiwan.
The Mudan Township held a special ceremony to welcome them back.
________________________________
And,
In Zhejiang Province, China, visiting mountains just got easier.
Now, instead of hiking up trails, tourists can take long escalators to see beautiful mountain views.
Some people say the escalators ruin the fun of climbing and the beauty of the mountains.
But others really like it.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
There's an interesting animal that looks like a combination of three other animals.
It has a bill like a duck…
A tail like a beaver…
And webbed feet like an otter!
It's called the platypus (鴨嘴獸)!
It's one of the few mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live babies.
It's also one of my favorite animals!
It's truly one-of-a-kind.
What's your favorite animal, and why?
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there, we've got another episode of News Bites for you…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news…
What's in a horn, and a new look at ancient art.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We're ready to help you learn AND get in a good laugh. Stay tuned to hear all about it!
________________________________
台中病患違法購買犀牛角粉。
Taichung Man Illegally Buys Rhino Horn Powder
For centuries, humans have believed that animal parts can be used as medicine.
Some people believe that tiger bones can cure bone problems in people.
Others believe snake gallbladders (蛇膽) can help their eyes.
There is no scientific evidence to prove this.
But many still believe it.
Buying and selling wild animal parts are mostly illegal around the world.
But it still happens often.
Recently, a Taichung man spent $4.8 million NT on rhino horn powder.
He was suffering from cancer and believed that the powder could help him.
From 2021 to 2023, he bought rhino horn powder six times.
He bought the powder from a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Taichung.
He says a friend introduced him to the shop.
It is illegal to buy or sell any wild animal parts.
So buyers have to be introduced by a regular (常客).
Police say they heard that the Chinese pharmacy was selling unknown powder which could be illegal.
The police investigated the pharmacy and seized the powder.
Tests showed that the powder was made from the horn of an endangered Indian rhino.
The Indian Rhino is a level 1 protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (瀕臨絕種野生動植物國際貿易公約).
The buyer and the pharmacy have been prosecuted for violation (違反) of the law.
Punishment for breaking this law could be up to 5 years in jail and a fine of up to $1.5 million NT.
Rhino horns are made up of keratin (角蛋白).
That's the same material found in our hair and fingernails.
Keratin is basically just dead cells from our bodies.
Scientists say it doesn't have any healing powers.
Experts say that even if animal parts can heal, they are no match for modern medicine.
If you don't feel well, it may be best just to see a doctor.
________________________________
神殿大理石雕像曾經色彩繽紛
2,500 year-old Parthenon Marbles Once Colorful
Ancient Greece and Rome are well known for their marble sculptures.
The sculptures of gods and heroes are very lifelike.
They have awed people for centuries.
Some of the most well-known sculptures are the Parthenon marbles.
Every year, millions of people visit the British Museum to admire their beauty.
For many years, many thought that they were pure white, but that’s not the case.
Centuries ago, they were once colorful sculptures.
A research team used a new technique to analyze the sculptures.
They looked at the sculptures on a microscopic (顯微鏡的) level.
And they found Egyptian blue.
It's a paint created by the Egyptians.
This type of paint was also popular in ancient Greece and Rome.
The team found Egyptian blue on many of the sculptures.
And there were other paint colors on the sculptures too.
The researchers say the artists put a lot of work into making the sculptures look real.
They tried to mimic (模擬) real skin, cloth, armor, and a lot more.
And then painters added paint to make the sculptures look even more real.
Other than the Parthenon marbles, many other ancient sculptures may be made this way too.
This means that the sculptures of ancient Greece and Rome were actually multicolored.
But researchers say it is hard to know exactly what colors were on the sculptures.
The main reason is that Egyptian blue was often mixed with other pigments (顏料) to make more colors.
It's also very hard to identify the different patterns painted on the sculptures.
Even so, the discovery helps us understand ancient art more fully.
Experts hope they can one day find out about all the colors on the statue.
This would give us a look into the colorful ancient world.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A Taichung man spent $4.8 million NT on rhino horn powder.
He bought the powder from a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Taichung.
Police investigated the pharmacy and seized the powder.
The buyer and the pharmacy have been prosecuted for violation of the law.
________________________________
And,
A research team used a new technique to analyze the Parthenon marbles.
And they found paints of many different colors, including Egyptian blue.
This means that the sculptures of ancient Greece and Rome were actually multicolored.
The discovery helps us understand ancient art more fully.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
Get your thinking caps on, it's all about education and learning today.
You ready?
Why are fish so smart?
Because they live in "schools"!
And here's 13-year-old Shawn from Yang Ming Junior High School in Kaohsiung on a student that may be a bit too smart…
<
[CLIP]
Slug:
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jake Ingram.
In today's stories…
Firefighters use a new robot, and a popular series tells the story of life on our planet.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…the world's longest-lasting rainbow ever recorded!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣推出消防機器人
Taiwan Rolls Out Firefighting Robots
Do you know any firefighters (消防員)?
They do a dangerous job.
If a fire gets out of control, these brave men and women come to put out the flames.
They also help save people from fires.
What they do is important, but it's also risky (有風險).
In September, four firefighters lost their lives fighting a big fire in Pingtung.
That was so terrible, and it made people think…
How can we make the firefighters' jobs safer?
如何才能讓消防員的工作更安全？
Now, some fire departments are using robots.
The Taipei City Fire Department has started using one.
It's called the "LUF60 Firefighting Robot."
The robot is the size of a small car, and it runs on a diesel engine (柴油引擎).
It's painted red and white, like a fire truck.
On the bottom, it doesn't have wheels.
Instead, it has treads, like a tank.
機器人有一輛小汽車那麼大，底部有像坦克車一樣的履帶.
This is so the robot doesn't get stuck.
On the top it has a huge water cannon.
頂部有一個巨大的高壓水槍。
Firefighters plug a hose into the back of the robot, and it can move forward and spray water from the cannon onto a fire.
The robot is even strong enough to push obstacles out of the way.
How do firefighters control it?
They use a remote control.
消防員用遙控器來控制它。
That means firefighters don't need to get too close to a fire.
They can stand back and control the robot while it enters dangerous areas.
Recently, firefighters held a demonstration (示範) of the robot.
They wanted to show the public how useful this machine is.
In this demonstration, the robot put out a car fire with its water cannon.
Everyone who saw it was impressed.
Now, the LUF60 robot will start working in the Shezidao area of Taipei.
現在這個消防機器人會在台北社子島地區開始工作。
There are many factories in this area, so it's easy for big fires to start.
Firefighters hope the robot can prove itself there.
If it is successful, there might be firefighting robots all over Taiwan soon.
________________________________
《地球脈動 第三部》首映
Planet Earth III Premieres
Do you like nature documentaries (自然類紀錄片)?
That's my favorite thing to watch on TV.
You can see real footage (真實畫面) of nature, and watch animals, birds, fish and plants living their natural lives.
There are many nature documentaries to choose from.
I like the series "Planet Earth".
It's a British series, produced by the BBC.
《地球脈動》是一部由英國廣播公司製作紀錄片系列。
Planet Earth I and II were both amazing.
And recently, the latest series premiered.
It's called "Planet Earth III".
The BBC put a lot of work into making this series.
They spent 5 years filming in 43 countries around the world.
They wanted to tell the story of nature in several different areas.
That's why each episode has a different topic (主題).
The first episode was about "coasts".
第一集是關於「海岸」的。
You can see some seals near the coast of South Africa.
The seal pups are playing in the water, but they also need to watch out for nearby sharks.
The footage is so beautiful, it looks like a painting.
影片就像一幅油畫一樣美麗。
You can also see lion sisters in Namibia.
These desert lions come to the coast to hunt seabirds.
What a great chance for us to see lions in their natural habitat (自然棲息地)!
It's so amazing, it almost looks like a different world.
So while we are watching these animals, who is telling the story?
That would be Sir David Attenborough.
He is a British scientist.
Not only is he an expert on nature…
…but he also has a very nice voice to listen to!
解說員是英國自然專家David Attenborough，他的聲音非常好聽！
When you hear him talking about life on Earth, you will really feel a fresh connection to our planet.
If you liked episode 1, then go watch episode 2, which is all about "oceans" (海洋).
That tells the story of the fish and other animals in Earth's oceans.
The newest one is episode 3, about "deserts and grassland" (沙漠和草原).
Episode 4 comes out next week, and will talk about "freshwater" (淡水), meaning life in our lakes and rivers.
There will be 8 episodes in total, and each is an hour long.
So check out Planet Earth III, if you want to learn more about the place where we all live.
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
Firefighters in Taipei are using a new robot to help them fight fires.
They use a remote control to steer the robot, which can shoot water from a big cannon.
Everybody hopes this new machine can make firefighters' jobs safer.
________________________________
And,
"Planet Earth III" premiered on TV recently.
This nature documentary series tells the story of life on our planet.
Three episodes are out already, and the fourth episode comes out next week.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Sometimes, after it rains, we can see… a rainbow!
But usually, we only see the rainbow for a little while.
That's because rainbows come out when light goes through lots of tiny water droplets in the air, usually around wet or rainy weather.
So how long can a rainbow last?
Well, so far, Taiwan holds the world record for the longest-lasting rainbow ever recorded!
The rainbow was seen over Taipei's Chinese Culture University, 台北的文化大學, on November 30th, 2017.
Professors and students all over the university took thousands of pictures, to prove the rainbow stayed in the sky, and didn't disappear.
It lasted 8 hours and 58 minutes!
That's crazy. I wonder if a rainbow could last even longer than that?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Jake Ingram.
Today's stories…
Furever homes for senior pets, and cancer-fighting soap.
And…
Knowing your numbers and spelling is important, especially if you want to test out today's Tasty Tidbit! Make sure to stay tuned!
________________________________
新北助年長動物找到永遠的家
New Taipei Helps Senior Pets Find Homes
New Taipei is helping older animals find their forever homes.
The city will give special care to senior animals after they are adopted.
The special care is available when someone adopts a dog or cat over 10 years old.
Their new senior pet will get free health checks (健康檢查).
They will also get free vaccinations and heartworm medicine every year.
And they will also get enough pet food to last a year!
在新北市認養10歲以上的高齡犬貓或需要長期照護犬貓，就有終身免費醫療諮詢、健康檢查、每年免費疫苗及心絲蟲藥，還有加碼提供1年份的飼料。
The city says it can be hard for older animals to find a home.
Some of the older animals in shelters wait for years to find a family.
Some people like younger pets because they may have them for a longer time.
動保處說很多人喜歡認養可愛活潑的小狗小貓，而年邁的貓犬被認養的機會非常少。
And some people worry that older pets can have more health problems.
Those health problems could also cost a lot of money.
So New Taipei wants to take care of some of those problems.
Older animals may actually be a better choice for some families.
Many older dogs and cats are calmer.
They are more mature, and a bit less energetic than puppies or kittens.
Some might even be trained (受過訓練), because they've been part of other families before.
And older animals still have lots of love to give!
They can bring a lot of joy into a home.
New Taipei officials say people who are interested in adopting a senior furry friend can visit one of eight public shelters in the city.
________________________________
美國少年發明抗癌肥皂
Student Invents Cancer-Fighting Soap
Cancer is a serious disease that affects people around the world.
In fact, cancer has been the top cause of death in Taiwan for more than 40 years.
Scientists around the world are working hard to find ways to stop the disease.
But now, one teenager may have a solution (解決方案).
Heman Bekele is 14 years old.
He now lives in the U.S.
But when he was young, he lived in Ethiopia.
He remembers seeing people working all day under the hot sun.
And after he moved to the United States, and became a high school student, he learned about the dangers of skin cancer.
Heman wanted to invent something to help the body fight off cancer.
小時候，Heman生活在非洲的衣索比亞，他看到人們整天在烈日下工作，長大後決定將研究重點放在皮膚癌上。
He started working in his family kitchen and basement.
He came up with a special soap.
The soap has chemicals that help white blood cells (白血球) in the body fight infection.
It helps the white blood cells attack cancer cells.
Tests on mice showed that using the soap helps kill cancer cells.
The soap also made tumors (腫瘤) smaller, helping the mice live longer.
Heman also wanted to make sure everyone could use this soap.
He knew that getting medical care for skin cancer can be very expensive.
When he heard that treating skin cancer can cost around $40,000 US dollars, he was shocked.
Heman's soap costs around $10 US dollars each.
The soap also comes in a box that is biodegradable.
The young scientist says some of the people who use this soap may not have access to recycling.
The soap still has to go through more testing.
But Heman hopes that soon, the soap can help as many people as possible.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
New Taipei is helping older animals find their forever homes.
Newly adopted senior pets will get free health checks.
They will also get free vaccinations and heartworm medicine every year.
And they will also get enough pet food to last a year!
New Taipei officials say people who are interested in adopting a senior furry friend can visit one of eight public shelters in the city.
________________________________
And,
A teen scientist has come up with a special soap that fights cancer.
Heman Bekele's soap has chemicals that help white blood cells attack cancer cells.
Tests on mice showed that using the soap helps kill cancer cells.
The soap also made tumors smaller, helping the mice live longer.
Heman's soap costs around $10 US dollars each.
The young scientist hopes that soon, the soap can help as many people as possible.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Here's a Tasty Tidbit to test your spelling skills. Did you know that no number in English before "one thousand" contains the letter "A"?
There's lots of E's, I's, O's, U's, and Y's, but NO A's!
Go ahead, start spelling. We'll wait…
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hello there! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan is number one in internet speed, and a marsquake shakes up scientists.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…words that have all five vowels in them!
Keep on listening to find out more about those, coming up next.
________________________________
網路速度 台灣稱霸世界
Taiwan Zooms to the Top with World's Fastest Internet
Imagine clicking on your favorite movie and having it play instantly, no waiting (立刻就能播放，不用等待).
Or starting an online game without any lag (延遲).
That's the magic of fast internet!
Internet speed is how quickly digital information (數位資訊) travels from the world to your devices.
The faster it is, the smoother (順利) your online adventures.
From streaming videos to downloading big files, everything zips along quicker.
從串流影片到下載大檔案，一切都快多了。
And for the second year, Taiwan has the fastest internet in the whole world!
A company called Statista says that Taiwan's internet is super quick.
Imagine downloading a 5GB HD movie in just 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
想像一下只需要4分鐘27秒就能下載5GB的高畫質電影。
That's how fast it is in Taiwan!
Everywhere in Taiwan, the internet runs at an average speed of over 153 megabits per second.
Last year, Taiwan was also at the top, even faster than Japan!
This year, France was almost as fast as Taiwan, but not quite.
The Netherlands, Slovakia, and the United States were also in the top five fastest countries.
荷蘭、斯洛伐克和美國也名列五個網速最快的國家。
But not every place has fast internet.
In China, it takes almost an hour to download the same movie!
And in Afghanistan, it would take more than six hours.
在阿富汗，可能需要超過六小時。
Statista figured this out by looking at lots of internet speeds from a special study of many countries.
Statista這家公司是在許多國家進行特殊研究之後，得出這些數字。
In Taiwan, you can watch movies, play games, and do your homework online superfast.
It's great to have the fastest internet!
________________________________
科學家揭開火星大地震之謎
Mars Shakes Up Scientists with a Big Quake Mystery
Mars, our red neighbor in space, isn't as still and silent as we once thought.
火星，我們在太空中的紅色鄰居，並非我們以前認為的那樣安靜沉默。
Just like Earth has earthquakes, Mars has its own version called marsquakes (火星震)!
These are shakes that happen on the surface of Mars, but they're a bit of a puzzle because Mars doesn't have tectonic plates (板塊) like Earth does.
Earth's top layer, called the crust, is divided into these tectonic plates that move around, and that's what makes earthquakes.
地球的最上層，叫做地殼，地殼分裂成好幾個板塊，它們的移動就造成了地震。
Mars has a top layer too, but it's just one big piece, not many.
But that does not mean all is quiet on the red planet.
NASA's InSight lander felt the biggest shake on the planet ever recorded.
美國太空總署的洞察號探測器，測到有紀錄以來最大的火星震動。
This was a 4.7 magnitude quake.
是規模4.7的地震。
That's not huge for Earth, but for Mars, it's a big deal!
Scientists first thought a space rock crashing into Mars made the quake.
But they didn't find any new big holes on Mars, so that wasn't it.
They now think it was Mars itself moving that caused the quake.
This is exciting because it helps scientists learn more about Mars's tectonic processes and what's going on under its surface.
這令人很興奮，因為它幫助科學家了解更多火星的構造，以及它的表面下各種活動。
The robot found over 1,300 quakes on Mars before it finished its job last year.
These shakes tell scientists that Mars is not totally quiet inside.
Understanding quakes on Mars is really important, especially if people are going to go there one day.
They need to know what to expect.
So, even on a quiet planet like Mars, there's still a lot going on that we can learn about.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
For the second year in a row, Taiwan has the fastest internet in the whole world!
A company called Statista says that Taiwan's internet is super quick.
Everywhere in Taiwan, the internet runs at an average speed of over 153 megabits per second.
________________________________
And,
Just like Earth has earthquakes, Mars has its own version called marsquakes!
And NASA's InSight lander felt the biggest shake on the planet ever recorded.
This is exciting because it helps scientists learn more about Mars's tectonic processes and what's going on under its surface.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In English, there are five vowels: A, E, I, O, and U.
Most words have one, two, or three vowels… but some special words have all five!
When a word has one of every vowel, just one time each, we call that word a "supervocalic".
For example, the words "boatbuilder", "businesswoman", or "ambidextrous", are all supervocalics.
They can also be a few words together, like "fountain pen", or "Julia Roberts", as long as each vowel is only used one time.
The shortest supervocalic in English is "sequoia", which is a kind of tree. And guess what? Even the word "supervocalic" is supervocalic!
There are still many more supervocalic words in English. Can you think of any?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to today's News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Paying the price for littering, and super strong spider silk.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit….
We've got two things that often go together to make us laugh, stay tuned to hear all about it!
________________________________
台北提高亂丟垃圾罰款
Taipei Higher Littering Fines Do the Trick
Wherever there's people, there's trash.
Sometimes people don't throw away their gabage the way they should.
Not only does this break the law (法規), it also becomes an environmental problem.
All that trash can create pest infestations (入侵).
Recently, Taipei increased fines and patrols to tackle (處理) the trash problem.
Wanhua district borough chiefs (里長) met with the mayor in July to talk about garbage problems.
On Aug 15th, the Taipei City Government approved 12 more patrols in the district.
And the lowest fine for littering was raised from $1,200 to $3,600 NT.
從8月15日開始，在台北市違規亂丟垃圾，最低罰款從1,200元提高到3,600元，亂丟菸蒂、亂吐檳榔汁等6類行為，也加重處罰。
Since then, more than 4,500 fines were issued.
The type of littering that happens the most often, is throwing cigarette butts (煙蒂) on the ground.
They are small, but cigarette butts have a big impact on the environment.
When cigarettes are lit, thousands of chemicals burn and concentrate (集中) in the ends.
When they're thrown on the ground, they get into drains and may eventually get into the water supply.
These cigarette butts also look bad.
They can be found anywhere, on the ground, in flower beds, even in the sandboxes in park playgrounds.
Officials believe that having more patrols and issuing more fines has helped.
But they also hope people will help keep the environment clean.
Afterall, punishment is no the best way to solve the littering problem.
Everyone must work together to make the city a cleaner place.
________________________________
基改蠶吐超強蜘蛛絲
Genetically-modified Silkworms Produce Super Strong Spider Silk
Spiders are amazing.
They can be very tiny, or so big that they could catch a bird.
But the silk they use to make their webs have been stunning (驚艷) scientists for decades.
Spider silk is an exceptional (優異的) material.
It's strong and tough.
But it's also lightweight and flexible at the same time.
But making their silk on a large scale has been almost impossible.
Spiders only produce enough silk to make their own webs.
Even so, scientists haven't given up on this special material.
They tried changing the genes of many animals to make spider silk.
But the silk they made was only 30 to 50 percent as strong as natural spider silk.
Now, researchers may have found a way to make lots of spider silk.
They made some changes to the genes of silkworms.
And these silkworms began to spit out spider silk.
This silk isn't as strong or stretchy as natural spider silk.
But it is still better than other man-made fibers.
In fac, the new silk made by the silkworms is 6 times stronger than Kevlar.
That's the material used to make bulletproof vests (防彈背心).
Researchers say this silk can be used for many things.
The silk could be used as thread for surgery (手術縫合).
It could also be used for protective clothing.
And the silk could replace synthetic fibers (合成纖維), like polyester (聚酯纖維) and nylon (尼龍).
This could help us make less microplastics.
But before using the new silk to make things, there is still one problem to solve.
Scientists need to know if the silkworms will pass down their spider silk genes.
If scientists need to add genes to every generation (世代) of silkworms, this may cost too much money.
Even with this problem, scientists are still excited about the potential (潛力) of spider silk.
They hope that with some more work, the silkworms will produce stronger silk.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Recently, Taipei increased fines and patrols to tackle its trash problem.
On Aug 15th, the Taipei City Government approved 12 more patrols in Wanhua District.
And the lowest fine for littering was raised from $1,200 to $3,600 NT.
Officials also hope people will help keep the environment clean.
________________________________
And,
Researchers made some changes to the genes of silkworms.
And these silkworms began to spit out spider silk.
This silk isn't as strong or stretchy as natural spider silk.
But the new silk is still 6 times stronger than Kevlar.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
What's better than cartoons and jokes when you need a good laugh?
Get ready…
Who is Peppa Pig's favorite artist? "Pigcasso", of course!
And here's 13-year-old Whitney from Yu Shan Public Junior High School in Chiayi City, to tell us something about one of her favorite cartoon characters.
<
[CLIP]
Slug:
And we feel the same way about our favorite characters Whitney.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! It's News Bites time again!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A coral crisis in Xiaoliuqiu, and a tiny lizard is found after 50 years!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…can you fold your tongue?
Stay tuned to find out if you are in the minority!
________________________________
小琉球的珊瑚危機
Xiaoliuqiu's Coral Crisis
Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球) is a small, beautiful island that's part of Taiwan.
It's just a quick ferry trip (渡輪) away from Kaohsiung.
The island has many names like Little Liuqiu, Lamay Island, and Lambai Island.
It's famous for its amazing views, warm ocean waters, relaxed atmosphere, delicious seafood…
…and the unique opportunity to see green sea turtles in their natural habitat!
它以令人驚艷的風景、溫暖的海水、輕鬆的氛圍、美味的海鮮，以及有機會近距離看到綠海龜而聞名！
But Greenpeace Taiwan is worried (擔憂) about the ocean life around Xiaoliuqiu.
They say the coral reefs and fish there (那裡的珊瑚礁和魚) are not doing well.
In August, some volunteers checked the island's coral reefs and found out they were in bad shape (狀況不佳).
The number of fish was also very low.
Usually, places with good coral reefs in Taiwan have around five to eight fish in each square meter of water.
通常，台灣有好的珊瑚礁的地方，每平方米的水裡會有五到八條魚。
But in Xiaoliuqiu, there's only about one fish in the same space!
The coral reefs are also sick.
Normally, a healthy coral reef should have lots of corals and algae (珊瑚和藻類).
But in Xiaoliuqiu, there are very few.
This means the coral reefs are not doing their job as homes for many sea creatures.
Why is this a big deal?
Well, if the coral reefs and fish are not healthy, it's bad news for people too.
Many people visit the island for its beautiful sea life, and some people even fish there.
If the corals and fish disappear, fewer people will come, and that's bad for everyone on the island.
Experts say the government needs to work harder to make the coral reefs healthy again.
專家說政府需要更努力地讓珊瑚礁恢復健康。
We all need to take better care of our ocean friends.
If they are happy, we are happy too!
________________________________
消失的澳洲小蜥蜴又被找到
Tiny Australian Lizard Thought Gone, Found Again
In recent years, many animals have been disappearing (消失) from our planet.
And sadly, it's often because of things people do.
From cutting down forests for buildings to polluting rivers and oceans, human activity has made it really hard for some animals to survive.
從砍伐森林來建造建築物，到污染河流和海洋，人類的活動讓一些動物很難生存。
This has led to what's called "extinction" (滅絕), which means these animals are gone forever.
But sometimes, there's a little glimmer of hope (一絲希望)!
In Australia, a small lizard called the Victorian grassland earless dragon is back!
在澳洲，一種叫做"維多利亞草原無耳龍"的小蜥蜴回來了！
People thought this lizard was gone forever because no one had seen it for more than 50 years.
But surprise, it was found again this year!
The lizard is small-about as long as a ruler (大概和一把尺子一樣長).
Scientists are really happy because this might mean other types of this tiny lizard could be found too.
One kind from a place called Bathurst hasn't been seen since the 1990s.
來自一個叫做巴瑟斯特（Bathurst）的地方的一種小蜥蜴自從1990年代就沒有被看見。
People are worried it's also gone.
A special group from the government is trying to help people learn about this and maybe find the Bathurst lizard too!
There are four types of this lizard in southeast Australia, and most of them are in big trouble (面臨嚴重的問題).
People thought there was only one type, but a scientist named Dr. Melville found out there were actually four!
Since then, a zoo has been looking for these lizards.
They have found one of them with the help of another company.
That was a big and happy moment!
The lizard used to live near a river and in places that are now part of a city.
But there are fewer now because their homes are gone or because other animals hunt them.
A zoo, a museum, and the government are trying to help.
動物園、博物館和政府正在努力幫助。
They are looking for more lizards and also starting a special program to have more baby lizards.
他們正在尋找更多的蜥蜴，還開始了一個特殊計劃來繁殖更多的小蜥蜴。
It's important to know about them so we can help keep them around!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Greenpeace Taiwan is worried about the ocean life around Xiaoliuqiu.
They say the coral reefs and fish there are not doing well.
Experts say the government needs to work harder to make the coral reefs healthy again.
________________________________
And,
In Australia, people thought a small lizard called the Victorian grassland earless dragon was gone forever because no one had seen it for more than 50 years.
But it was found again this year!
Scientists are really happy because this might mean other types of this tiny lizard could be found too.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Can you fold your tongue?
Well, around 65% to 80% of people can fold their tongue in half… very easily!
But there are even fewer people who can fold their tongue into all kinds of crazy shapes. Maybe you can do it, too.
Now, there are still a lot of people who can't fold their tongue… but here's the weird part: Researchers think that around 10% of people who can't fold their tongue… can still learn how to do it in under thirty days!
So what's the lesson here? I don't know, but have fun!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
What's going on everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
Taiwan makes cables for wind energy, and a hero saves a climber's life in California.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…where do sheep go on vacation?
Keep on listening to hear the answer!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣與丹麥合作開發綠色能源
Taiwan and Denmark Team Up For Green Energy
Have you ever been to Denmark (丹麥)?
It's a country in Northern Europe.
Denmark is right next to the windy North Sea.
So, they have lots of off-shore wind turbines.
In fact, they are one of the top countries in the world for offshore wind energy.
丹麥在離岸風電方面是世界上數一數二。
Danish companies have some of the best technology in this area.
And now, these companies are teaming up with Taiwan.
What will they do?
They want to solve a problem with wind energy.
Taiwan's offshore turbines are on the ocean, mostly on the west coast.
台灣的離岸風力發動機位於海上，大部分就在西海岸。
Out there they can catch the most wind.
They change the wind into electrical power.
But, how do they send this power across the ocean, back to us on land?
They use undersea cables.
他們用海底電纜將電力傳回陸地。
These cables can carry power along the ocean floor.
They are huge, high voltage cables with a triple core design.
海底電纜是巨大的高壓電纜，採用三芯設計。
The only problem is, these cables are not easy to make.
Usually, Taiwan has to buy them from another country.
So far, no company here knows how to manufacture this kind of cable.
Until now.
A Danish company and a Taiwanese company are teaming up.
They will form a new company together, to build a factory in Kaohsiung.
丹麥公司和台灣公司會組成一家新公司，在高雄成立的工廠可以生產海底電纜。
And by 2027, they will begin to supply cable for Taiwan's new offshore wind projects.
Soon, ships will carry these enormous cables out to sea,
….plug them into the wind turbines,
…and drop them down to the bottom of the ocean,
…where they can transmit electricity (傳輸電力) back to Taiwan.
They will help power our cities and our homes.
When Taiwan can make its own cables, wind energy can grow even faster.
Let's team up with Denmark, level up our technology and keep up with the green energy revolution.
________________________________
下班的美國空軍上尉救援攀岩者
Off-Duty US Air Force Captain Rescues Climber
Imagine you are climbing a mountain.
想像一下你在山上攀岩。
You are holding onto a slippery rock, high in the air.
The wind is blowing, the rain is falling, and your arms are getting tired.
You can't hold on for much longer…. Oh no!
Your fingers slip, and you fall down, down, down.
Who can save you?
That's what happened to a climber in California (加州).
He was trying to climb up Half Dome Mountain, in Yosemite Park.
Half Dome is 2,700 meters tall.
The climber had almost reached the top, when he slipped and fell.
一名攀岩者從優勝美地公園的半圓頂山墜落。
He nearly fell all the way down the mountain.
Luckily, he landed on a ledge after only 25 meters.
Now the man was really in trouble.
He was badly hurt, and he was stuck on the tiny ledge.
But another climber saw him fall down.
Joshua Haveman was on a nearby trail.
He knew the man needed help, and he sprang into action.
另一位叫Haveman的攀岩者看到這個人需要幫助，他迅速行動起來。
Haveman climbed across the rock face to reach the other man.
When he got there, he saw that both the man's legs were broken.
In this situation, most people would panic.
But Haveman knew what to do.
Haveman is a US Air Force Captain, so he is prepared for emergencies.
Haveman是美國空軍上尉，所以他對緊急情況做好了準備。
First, he made two splints out of sticks, to protect the hurt man's legs.
Next, he wrapped the man's ankles with bandages from the first aid kit he carries.
He even gave the man his own jacket.
Then, Haveman called the park rangers (公園管理員), and reported their location.
When the park rangers came, Haveman helped them carry the man down the mountain with ropes.
How did Haveman know what to do?
He says his military training (軍事訓練) taught him how to take care of hurt people.
He also says his climbing experience was useful in this situation.
Now, both climbers are ok.
People are saying Captain Haveman is a hero.
Haveman just says he knew something like this may happen, so he was ready.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan and Denmark are teaming up for green energy.
Companies from the two countries have joined together to build cables for offshore wind turbines.
Their factory will manufacture the cables that can transmit wind energy back to the shore.
________________________________
And,
A US Air Force captain saved a climber's life in California.
The climber fell and broke his legs while trying to climb a mountain.
Captain Haveman found the man and used his military training to save him.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Hey Brody, where do sheeps go on vacation?
I don't know….where do they go?
They travel to the Baaaaaaaa-hamas!
And 11 year old Chelsea from Taipei's Heping Elementary School is sharing a couple of jokes she heard from her dad recently!
<…>
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to today's News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Seaweed and wind power, and giant pumpkin boats.
And knock knock, today's Tasty Tidbit is all about doors.
Stay tuned to find out more!
________________________________
離岸風場成功養殖大型海藻
Farms for Wind Power and Seaweed
Offshore wind farms are an important part of green energy in Taiwan.
Have you visited places near Taiwan's west coast (西岸)?
If you do, you may see huge wind turbines (風力發電機) in the ocean.
These turbines generate electricity.
And these wind farms are also growing something else green.
But you have to look closer, in the water to see it.
Government scientists have been using places around wind turbines to grow seaweed!
政府的研究團隊在離岸風場海域成功的養殖大型海藻。
They tried out many different types of large seaweed species, or "macroalgae".
They collected 48 types of macroalgae from the ocean off southern Taiwan.
And they found two that grew very well…
The Caulerpa lentillifera, which many people call "sea grapes", and the Gracilaria firma.
These two types of seaweed are quite strong.
They lived through high water temperatures, and big changes in the salt levels of the water.
And the scientists tried out different things to help the seaweed grow.
They changed the levels of light, and used flowing water with no fertilizer (沒有添加肥料的流動水).
All this helped the macroalgae grow much faster.
And the scientists found easier ways to harvest (採收) the seaweed, to cut the cost of labor.
This means the seaweed can be grown for food at a low cost, without hurting the environment.
There are other benefits too.
All that seaweed growing in the water will attract fish.
And this may become a good place for fishermen to catch fish.
Some scientists also believe seaweed could help fight global warming.
Just like all plants, seaweed uses carbon dioxide to help it grow.
And the scientists think if we grow a lot of seaweed…
That seaweed may suck up a lot of carbon dioxide!
No one knows for sure if this idea will work.
But government scientists think the macroalgae could also be used in many other ways.
They hope the idea can help the government reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
________________________________
比利時划南瓜賽
Race in Giant Pumpkin Boats
Most of the time, a race is all about speed.
The fastest wins.
But for some races, it's not all about the finish line…
It's how you get there.
A town in Belgium called Kasterlee holds a special race on a river every year.
Instead of riding in boats…
Racers ride in giant pumpkins instead!
They call the race the "pumpkin regatta".
People in the race get giant pumpkins.
They cut off the top, and dig out the insides.
They put the big, hollowed-out pumpkins into the water, climb in, and start paddling!
How did this strange tradition start?
People in Kasterlee grew big pumpkins that weighed more than 400 kilograms.
And these pumpkins would be used to make soup.
But the growers wanted to try something else.
So they started making the giant pumpkins into "boats", and racing in them.
The race happens every year in October.
And since it's close to Halloween, people in the race would dress in all kinds of crazy costumes.
This year, many of the pumpkins in the race weighed more than 1,000 kilograms!
Racing in a hollowed-out pumpkin is not easy.
Many racers say it is hard to move forward.
When they paddle, the pumpkin spins.
參賽者想讓挖空的南瓜向前移動並不容易，常常有參賽者原地打轉。
And the pumpkin is also very sticky inside.
Racing in pumpkins takes a lot of skill.
And Belgium isn't the only place that holds pumpkin boat races.
Pumpkin regattas are also held in Canada, and also in the US.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Government scientists have been using places around wind turbines to grow seaweed!
They can be grown for food at a low cost, and attract fish.
And some scientists also believe seaweed could help fight global warming.
________________________________
And,
A town in Belgium called Kasterlee holds a special race on a river every year, for giant pumpkins!
Racing in a hollowed-out pumpkin takes a lot of skill.
And Belgium isn't the only place that holds pumpkin boat races.
Pumpkin regattas are also held in Canada, and also in the US.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit,
A great sense of humor opens all kinds of doors.
So get ready for a good laugh…
How does a horse open a door? With a donKEY!
And remember when we talked about door gods last month? 12-year-old Ben noticed something interesting!
<
[CLIP]
Slug:
That's really neat, Ben!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's stories…
More meat, and a new breakthrough.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
He’s the man with the world’s deepest voice, but how low can he go? Stay tuned to find out!
________________________________
台灣人吃肉首度超過穀類
Taiwanese Eat More Meat than Grains
Many people like to eat meat…whether it's in hotpot, barbecue or a steak on a sizzling iron plate.
And it seems tastes in Taiwan are changing.
Statistics (數據) from the Ministry of Agriculture show that the average Taiwanese person ate more meat than grains last year.
In 2022, each person in Taiwan ate an average of 87.5 kilograms of meat.
And each ate an average of 87.4 kilograms of grain.
The difference is subtle (細微)…
But it may show that the way we eat is slowly changing.
What type of meat is your favorite?
Government data shows that the meat we eat the most is chicken.
Taiwanese each ate about 43 kilograms of chicken last year.
台灣人吃最多的肉類是雞肉，去年攝取量每人四十三公斤創歷史新高。
Some experts think this may be due to more people becoming interested in sports and fitness (健康、體適能).
Many who want to keep fit or eat healthy may choose to eat chicken meat.
But beef consumption (食用) also hit a new high last year.
On average, each person in Taiwan ate just over 7 kilograms of beef.
Some people do not eat beef for religious or traditional reasons.
But that is slowly changing too.
On the other hand, pork consumption has decreased.
Each person ate an average of 36 kilograms last year.
Over the last few years, Taiwanese have also started eating less rice.
But they've started eating more potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other types of tuber vegetables (根莖類).
台灣人吃米量這幾年來持續減少，不過馬鈴薯、地瓜等薯類的攝取量卻慢慢增加。
The Ministry of Agriculture says more convenience stores and fast food restaurants are selling roasted sweet potatoes and French fries.
Sweet potatoes are also very popular in baking, tea drinks and local snacks.
All this means people eat more sweet potatoes.
Still, experts say a balanced diet is very important for good health.
As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.”
________________________________
移植豬腎猴子成功存活兩年
Monkeys with Transplanted Pig Kidneys Survive Two Years.
Kidneys are vital organs in the human body.
They filter blood and remove waste from your body.
But it is also an organ that is quite vulnerable (脆弱).
It can be damaged from injuries, diseases, drugs or too much medication.
As a result, there is a huge need for kidney transplants (腎臟移植) worldwide.
In the United States alone, 92,000 people are waiting for a kidney donations (腎臟捐贈).
But there aren't enough donated kidneys for everyone who needs it.
Scientists are trying to find another way to solve the problem.
One idea is to use kidneys from pigs.
This is called “Xenotransplantation (異種移植).”
Pig kidneys and human kidneys are close to the same size.
成年豬的體重和器官大小，最符合成人腎移植的需求。
An experiment showed that monkeys that get a pig kidney transplant can survive up to two years.
Experts say this is a groundbreaking achievement (突破性的成果).
But it’s still a long way from clinical trials (臨床實驗).
A few transplants using pig organs have happened in recent years.
A human patient whose heart wasn't working well got a pig heart transplant.
That heart worked normally for 49 days.
The idea shows some promise.
But there are ethical (道德) issues to think about too.
Many are worried about how animals are treated in these experiments.
And others are worried about the danger from infectious diseases.
Scientists are still working on many other ideas for organ transplants.
With technology advancing every day, there is hope that a solution will come soon!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that the average Taiwanese person ate more meat than grains last year.
In 2022, each person in Taiwan ate an average of 87.5 kilograms of meat.
And each ate an average of 87.4 kilograms of grain.
The difference is subtle…
But it may show that the way we eat is slowly changing.
________________________________
And,
Scientists are trying to find a solution for the huge need for kidney transplants around the world.
One idea is to use kidneys from pigs.
An experiment showed that monkeys that get a pig kidney transplant can survive up to two years.
Experts say this is a groundbreaking achievement.
But it’s still a long way from clinical trials.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today’s Tasty Tidbit, the man with the world’s deepest voice can make sounds that are so low, we can’t even hear them.
Singer and voice artist Tim Storms holds the World Guinness Record for the “lowest note produced by a human” and “widest vocal range”. If you think of the lowest note on a piano, Tim can make a sound that’s seven octaves below that. That sound is so low that it’s “infrasonic”, which means we can’t hear it. But elephants can.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hey there! Welcome to today's News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
A strange place for wedding photos, and a fruit that will leave you in tears.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
It's a golden opportunity to tell you more about a precious metal! Stay tuned to find out more!
________________________________
垃圾山前拍婚紗照
Wedding Photos at Garbage Mountain
Many people like to head up into the mountains to take their wedding photos (婚紗照).
Taiwan's beautiful mountains are a perfect backdrop for lovely photos.
Some take photos on Yangming Mountain in Taipei.
Some take their photos on Jade Mountain.
Many also like Hehuan Mountain.
But how about a "garbage mountain"?
A couple in Nantou County took their wedding photos in front of a mountain of garbage.
這對埔里的新人以垃圾山為背景拍婚紗照。
The bride wore a white dress, and the groom wore a suit.
And they stood holding hands, in front of the pile of trash in Puli Township.
It's a temporary (暫時性的) garbage storage site.
Sites like this are used because there isn't enough space in landfills.
Or sometimes the garbage has to be shipped to an incinerator (焚化爐) far away.
The couple wanted more people to know about this problem.
The bride says at first, when they told the photographer (攝影師) about this idea, he thought they were joking.
And the person who drove them to the site was also confused (困惑).
The driver said this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
And he's been driving couples to their wedding shoots for more than 30 years!
The bride admitted that there was a "strong odor" at the trash site.
新娘笑著說當天拍照時，確實「味道有點濃厚」。
But the couple wanted people to think more about waste.
They hope to encourage people to create less garbage, and do their part to keep Taiwan beautiful.
這對新人希望可以藉他們的婚紗照讓大家重視垃圾過多的問題。
________________________________
辣到噴火「辣椒X」奪世界最辣
Scorching "Pepper X" Crowned Hottest Chili Pepper
Hot stuff coming through!
There's a new hottest chili pepper in town.
The Guinness World Records has named a new "hottest chili pepper".
But first, how do we know how hot, or spicy something is?
There's a scale for that!
The Scoville Scale tells you how hot a chili pepper is.
It measures the hotness of chili peppers in Scoville Heat Units, or SHUs.
Most chili peppers we eat in our food are around 500 SHUs or less.
A jalapeno pepper (墨西哥辣椒) can be up to 8,000 SHUs.
Now we get into the really hot stuff.
For the last 10 years, the official hottest chili pepper in the world was the "Carolina Reaper".
這十年來，世界公認最辣的辣椒是"卡羅來納死神"。
On the Scoville Scale, this chili pepper measures around 1.6 million SHUs!
But now, there is a chili pepper that is even hotter.
The greenish-yellow "Pepper X" is about the size of a cherry.
And it hits 2.69 million SHUs!
Both Pepper X and the Carolina Reaper are grown by man named Ed Currie.
Ed worked on Pepper X for 10 years on his farm in South Carolina.
He says he worked with a team to grow the super-hot chili pepper.
So what's it like to eat a Pepper X?
There are only five people in the entire world who have eaten an entire Pepper X.
And Ed is one of them.
He says there's an "intense burn" (強烈的灼熱感) right away.
Then Ed says the burn spreads to his arms, then his chest.
And he says there are cramps (抽筋), and lot of pain.
Ed says he felt the heat for three and a half hours.
And he says he went outside and laid down in the rain for an hour!
Of course, Ed is a professional who has worked with chili peppers for a long time.
It's definitely not a good idea to try this yourself.
Ed also hinted that he is still working on growing chili peppers that may be even hotter than Pepper X.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A couple in Nantou County took their wedding photos in front of a "garbage mountain".
The bride wore a white dress, and the groom wore a suit.
And they stood holding hands, in front of the pile of trash in Puli Township.
The couple wanted to encourage people to create less garbage, and do their part to keep Taiwan beautiful.
________________________________
And,
The Guinness World Records has named a new "hottest chili pepper".
Most chili peppers we eat in our food are around 500 SHUs or less on the Scoville Scale, which measures how hot a chili pepper is.
The greenish-yellow "Pepper X" is about the size of a cherry.
And it hits 2.69 million SHUs!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, we've got a good one about a shiny precious metal!
You ready?
What kind of music does gold listen to? Heavy metal!
Okay, if that didn't tickle your funny bone, here's 13-year-old Olivia from Guang Ming Junior High School in Taoyuan City, with a super cool fact about gold!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi! Ready for today's episode of News Bites?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
An American comic based on Taiwan, and scientists study space dust.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what should you do when a sneeze gets stuck in your nose?
Stay tuned and we'll tell you all about it!
________________________________
漫畫帶你回到九十年代的台灣
Comic Book Takes You on a Journey in 1990s Taiwan
A comic is a type of story that uses words and illustrations (插圖).
In a comic book, each page is divided into panels that show different scenes.
在漫畫書裡，每一頁都被分成好幾格，顯示不同的場景。
It's kind of like watching a movie, but in book form!
A famous comic book artist from America named Mark Crilley made a new book called "Lost in Taiwan."
The book is a fun story about an American high school student who gets lost (迷路) in Taiwan during the 1990s!
Why did Mark write about Taiwan?
Well, he lived here over 30 years ago and taught English!
Mark says the book is like a "love letter to Taiwan."
Mark 說這本漫畫書就像是寫給台灣的「情書」。
He hopes people around the world will learn about Taiwan's culture through his book.
Mark is from a city in America called Detroit.
He became famous (有名的) for his books like "Akiko" and "Mastering Manga."
He first came to Taiwan in 1988 and worked as an English teacher in Changhua County.
He was only 21 years old and knew very little Chinese.
But he fell in love with Taiwan-especially the yummy food and the colorful signs everywhere!
While living here, Mark liked to draw a lot.
He drew temples, motorcycles, and even scenes from everyday life in Taiwan (台灣日常生活的場景).
He says many memories from that time are still clear in his mind.
他說那時候的很多回憶在他心中依然清晰。
Mark's new book is not about his own life, but it's a fun story that was inspired (啟發) by his time in Taiwan.
The hero in the book also learns about Taiwanese culture, makes new friends, and even starts learning the language, just like Mark did.
So why did he write this book?
Mark thinks people often talk only about big Asian countries like China and Japan.
He hopes his book will make more people interested in Taiwan!
It took Mark about a year to finish "Lost in Taiwan," and he dedicated it (把它獻給) to the friendly people of Taiwan.
So, if you like comic books, check out "Lost in Taiwan."
________________________________
科學家研究一顆遙遠的小行星 上面的塵埃
Scientists Study Dust from a Faraway Asteroid
Scientists have always wondered about how life got started on Earth.
科學家一直都很好奇地球上的生命是如何開始的。
Some scientists think that a long, long time ago, asteroids (小行星) might have helped make life on Earth possible!
These big rocks in space could have brought important stuff like water and special minerals to our planet.
這些太空中的大石頭，可能把水和特殊礦物質帶到了我們的星球。
This could have helped kick-start (啟動) life around 4.5 billion years ago.
To find out if this is true, scientists from NASA decided to launch an asteroid mission.
In 2016, a spaceship (太空船) called OSIRIS-REx went on a super long trip to an asteroid named Bennu.
This asteroid is really, really far from Earth-205 million miles away (2.05億英里遠)!
It took three years for the spaceship to reach Bennu.
Then, for the next two years, OSIRIS-REx studied the asteroid to find a suitable landing site (找到一個合適的著陸地點).
In 2020, the spacecraft landed on Bennu and collected a sample (採集樣本).
It took three years on its journey back, and finally returned in September!
It brought back dust (塵埃) from the asteroid.
Scientists were super excited to look at this space rock dust for the first time.
They used special tools like big microscopes and X-ray machines to see what the dust is made of.
他們使用大顯微鏡和X光機這些特殊工具，來仔細看這些塵埃是怎麼組成的。
And they found the asteroid dust has lots of carbon (碳) and clay minerals that hold water (能吸水的黏土礦物質).
They think this is a big discovery!
Asteroids like Bennu might have brought important stuff to Earth a long time ago, like water.
Water makes Earth a place where we can live, have oceans, and see rain.
Maybe rocks like the ones from Bennu helped make Earth a home for us all those years ago!
NASA will share some of the space dust with more scientists.
But most of it-about 75%-will be kept safe for future scientists to study.
Hopefully they'll be able to learn more cool things about it!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A famous comic book artist from America named Mark Crilley made a new book called "Lost in Taiwan."
The book is a fun story about an American high school student who gets lost in Taiwan during the 1990s!
It's inspired by Mark's time living in Taiwan.
He hopes people around the world will learn about Taiwan's culture through his book.
________________________________
And,
NASA launched an asteroid mission called OSIRIS-REx in 2016.
The spacecraft finally came back in September, and brought back dust from the asteroid Bennu.
Scientists found the asteroid dust has lots of carbon and clay minerals that hold water.
They think asteroids like Bennu might have brought water and special minerals to Earth, making life possible.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
If you ever want to sneeze, but it won't come out… scientists say it might help to look to the light!
WAIT! Don't look at the sun, that's bad for your eyes!
But, according to research, when some people want to sneeze, bright lights can help it come out faster.
That's around 10% to 35% of people! Scientists say the part of our brain that makes us sneeze, may be close to the part that feels light.
Just be careful not to hurt your eyes!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Hey there! Welcome to today's News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
A first for Taiwan, and sponges to fight microplastics…
And in today's Tasty Tidbit….
Kangaroos are amazing jumpers. But there's something they can't do with their muscular back legs. Stay tuned to find out more!
________________________________
台灣自製氣象衛星
Taiwan's First Domestic Triton Weather Satellite
In 1926, the first liquid fueled rocket was launched.
Many considered this to be the start of the Space Age.
Since then, countries around the world have been competing in space technology.
Recently, Taiwan has also hit a milestone (里程碑) in space programs.
On Oct 9th, Taiwan successfully launched its own domestically-produced Triton weather satellite.
The Wind Hunter Satellite (獵風者) helps predict (預測) extreme weather events.
The Taiwan Space Agency says the satellite was launched from French Guiana.
TASA says the project was initiated in 2013.
The Triton project was the country's first try at using domestically-engineered weather satellites.
This means the satellite was designed and built in Taiwan.
獵風者是在台灣設計和製造的氣象衛星。
The name "Triton" comes from Greek mythology.
Triton is the son of Poseidon and has the power to command the wind and the waves.
Taiwan's Triton will collect data to help predict typhoon paths and heavy rainfall more accurately.
It orbits at an altitude (高度) of approximately 550 to 650 kilometers.
Weather is getting more extreme around the world.
And collecting and analyzing data to predict weather events is now more important than ever.
TASA says the project could help Taiwan become an exporter of key meteorological (氣象) data.
Over the years, Taiwan's investments in space programs had fallen behind neighboring countries.
South Korea began space program investments in the 1990s, and their budget is 4 to 5 times greater than Taiwan's.
TASA will have a big part in helping Taiwan catch up and play a part in global space programs.
It hopes Taiwan can help advance weather-related science.
________________________________
專吸塑膠微粒的合成海綿
Synthetic Sponges Soak Up Microplastics
Humans have been using sponges for thousands of years.
We use it to clean up, to paint and to do many other things.
Sponges are great at catching tiny particles in their pores (孔).
Both natural and man-made sponges can do this.
And this is why they might be a solution for one of our biggest problems, microplastics.
Researchers in China have made a sponge to pick up microplastics.
In their experiments, a specially-prepared plastic liquid is pushed through one of their sponges.
The sponge caught microplastics and even nanoplastics (奈米塑膠微粒) from the liquid.
The sponge's many pores (小孔) trap tiny plastic particles.
The sponge wasn't always totally effective.
But it could take out as much as 90% of the microplastics from the liquid.
The sponges are made mostly from starch (澱粉) and gelatin (明膠).
This means they are biodegradable (可生物分解的).
And the sponges are also very light.
You can put them on top of a flower, and not bend the petals (花瓣).
These sponges can be put in wastewater treatment plants to get microplastics out of the water.
Microplastics come from many places.
A lot of microplastics come from fabrics when they are washed in the washing machine.
All those microplastics go into the ocean.
Cleaning up the ocean is important.
保護海洋很重要。
But many scientists also agree that we should stop microplastics earlier.
They think we could try getting microplastics out of household waste water too.
And the new sponges may be able to help with that.
There are still technical problems to solve.
But researchers believe the sponges can be a solution for microplastic pollution.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
On Oct 9th, Taiwan successfully launched its own domestically-produced Triton weather satellite.
The Wind Hunter Satellite will collect data to help predict typhoon paths and heavy rainfall more accurately.
Weather is getting more extreme around the world.
And collecting and analyzing data to predict weather events is now more important than ever.
TASA says the project could help Taiwan become an exporter of key meteorological data.
________________________________
And,
Researchers in China have made a sponge to pick up microplastics.
The sponge's many pores trap tiny plastic particles.
It could take out as much as 90% of the microplastics.
There are still technical problems to solve.
But researchers believe the sponges can be a solution for microplastic pollution.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit, kangaroos are known for jumping far and high. But did you know that they can't walk backwards?
Their powerful back feet and large tail makes it almost impossible for them to walk backwards. And this is part of the reason why the kangaroo is on the Australian Coat of Arms. The people who designed the symbol want to show that Australia is moving forward.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I’m Paz Bueno.
Today’s stories…
Taiwan offers counselling for young people, and New Zealand grows fruit in a lab.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…let’s talk about ASMR and misophonia.
Let’s get into it!
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年輕人對免費心理諮商有興趣
Young People Interested in Taiwan’s Free Counselling
Have you ever been to counselling?
Lots of people have.
It’s a good way to take care of your mental health.
尋求諮商是維護心理健康的好方法。
In counselling, you can talk about your problems with an expert.
The expert will listen carefully, and help you find a way to deal with your psychological issues (心理問題).
That sounds great!
But, it’s not always easy to get counselling.
For one thing, it can be expensive.
Another reason is that many people don’t know how to find counselling.
但諮詢服務可能會相當貴，而且很多人不知道怎麼找諮商人員。
Now, Taiwan has a new way to help young people get counselling.
In August, the government started a new program.
The goal is to offer free counselling for people between 15 and 30 years old.
台灣政府提供15至30歲青少年免費諮詢。
Each person of this age can apply for free counselling.
Then they can go to three counselling meetings.
The program is very popular (很受歡迎).
It’s so popular that, in many places, appointments are full.
In big cities like Taipei and Taichung, spots fill up quickly.
Why are young people so interested?
Well, it’s the first government program in Asia to offer free counselling.
So, people are curious about this new service.
年輕人對這個服務很好奇。
Another reason is that many young people are struggling with poor mental health.
That’s especially true after the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time, people had to stay at home and miss important events.
This really affected the mental health of young people.
許多人的心理健康狀況不佳，尤其是在新冠肺炎大流行之後。
Plus, it seems like younger people are more open to counselling.
Compared to older generations, young people are more comfortable talking about their problems.
So many young people have applied for free counselling.
Now, the government wants to expand the program.
They hope to improve this service and provide more funds to keep it going.
That way, young people in Taiwan can get the support they need.
________________________________
紐西蘭科學家在實驗室種植水果
New Zealand Scientists Grow Fruit in a Lab
Would you eat meat grown in a lab (人造肉)?
That means meat that does not come from an animal.
Instead, scientists grow this meat in a lab.
This kind of meat is popular now, but many people say they won’t eat it.
Okay, okay, let me ask you a different question then.
Would you eat fruit grown in a lab (人造水果)?
That’s right, fruit! Like apples and oranges.
That’s what scientists in New Zealand are working on.
They work for a special government agency called Plant & Food Research.
And they want to produce fruit that tastes, smells and looks like real fruit.
這些科學家替紐西蘭一個特別的機關工作，希望製造出味道、氣味和外觀都像真正水果的水果。
Why are they doing this?
One reason is, they want to reduce waste.
When we eat fruit, there is often some part that we throw away.
Like the core of an apple, or the skin of an orange.
They want to grow fruit without these parts, so there will be less food waste.
他們希望種植沒有果核或果皮的水果，這樣就會減少食物浪費。
Another reason is, they want to prepare for the future.
They say in the future, many people will live in cities where there is not enough space to grow fruit on trees.
What’s more, climate change will damage traditional fruit production.
So, lab grown fruit can avoid these problems.
It doesn’t need as much space, and it can be grown inside, where growers can control the climate.
Plus, lab grown fruit has another advantage.
It’s closer to markets, so fruit sellers don’t need to transport it very far.
Excellent!
這些水果可以在更小的空間、更能控制氣候環境、更靠近市場的地方生長。
Can we go eat some lab-grown apples now?
Not yet.
This technology is still in a very early stage of development.
這項技術仍在非常早期的發展階段。
Scientists say it will be years or decades until we can try this kind of fruit.
But in the future, you might enjoy banana, mangos or strawberries grown in a lab.
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
Many people are interested in Taiwan’s free counselling.
Under this program, young people can apply for counselling, to help them with their problems.
The government wants to expand this program and improve everyone’s mental health.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in New Zealand are growing fruit in labs.
They want to reduce food waste and prepare for the future.
However, they say the technology won’t be ready for many years.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you heard of "ASMR"?
ASMR is when some people feel very comfortable when they hear certain sounds. For example, some people feel really good when they hear the sound of whispering, tearing paper, or even eating food!
But then… there's something called "misophonia".
Misophonia is when people feel really uncomfortable when they hear certain sounds. For example, some people feel bad or even angry when they hear the sounds of tapping, squeaking, or eating food!
Understanding things like ASMR and misophonia can tell us a lot about our brains.
Either way, learning to be comfortable with different sounds is probably going to make you much happier!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello and welcome to today’s News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno…
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwanese movies in an international film festival, and human footprints from the past.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…let’s talk about owl eyes!
Keep on listening to find out more!
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台灣電影在夏威夷表現亮眼
Taiwanese Movies Shine Bright in Hawaii
Two movies from Taiwan have been picked for special awards (獲得特別獎項提名) at a big movie festival in Hawaii.
The festival is called the 43rd Hawaii International Film Festival (第43屆夏威夷國際電影節).
The movies are "Be With Me" (車頂上的玄天上帝) and "A Girl Out of the Country" (鳳姐).
"Be With Me" is up for the Kau Ka Hoku Award.
‘Kau ka hoku’ means shooting star (流星).
This award is for new movie makers who made their first or second movie.
This movie has Ariel Lin (林依晨) as its main star.
The story is about a woman who goes back to Chiayi County.
She goes to take care of her sick dad.
And a special god helps her make choices.
"A Girl Out of the Country" is nominated (被提名) for another award.
This award is called the NETPAC Award (新銳導演獎).
It is given out at many international film festivals for movies from Asia and the Pacific area.
這個專門給亞太地區電影的獎項，在許多國際電影節中頒發。
Hawaii is the only place in the U.S. that gives this award.
"A Girl Out of the Country" is about a woman who wants to be famous.
But something very sad happens to her.
The Hawaii festival started on October 11th and will end on November 5th.
They will say who wins the awards on Sunday, October 22nd.
There are more movies from Taiwan that will be shown at the festival.
These include "Day Off" (本日公休) and "My Heavenly City" (我的天堂城市).
These movies are part of a special "Spotlight on Taiwan" section.
This section is put together by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture (文化部) and the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles (洛杉磯台灣學校).
So, Taiwanese movies are getting a lot of attention in Hawaii.
It’s exciting to see how our movies are liked in other parts of the world!
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足跡顯示 人類比想像中更早住在美洲
Footprints Show People Lived in America Way Earlier
Footprints (足跡) can tell us a lot of information.
They can show us how tall or heavy a person might be, or how long ago they were made.
它們可以告訴我們，這個人大概有多高或體重多少，還有足跡是多久以前留下的。
And new footprint findings (新的足跡發現) have made scientists think again about when people first lived in America (美洲).
In 2021, researchers found very old human footprints in a place called White Sands National Park in the US State of New Mexico (美國新墨西哥州的白沙國家公園).
Before this, people thought humans migrated to America about 15,000 years ago.
在這之前，人們認為人類大約在15,000年前遷移到美洲。
They said people might’ve traveled through a land bridge between Russia and Alaska.
可能是經過俄羅斯和阿拉斯加之間的陸橋來的。
But new tests showed the White Sands footprints are probably 21,000 to 23,000 years old!
That means humans were living in America 6,000 years earlier than they thought!
人類比原先想的早了6,000年就住在美洲了！
How did scientists find out how old these footprints are?
At first, they looked at seeds (種子) from water plants that were stuck to the footprints.
They used something called "radiocarbon dating" (放射性碳定年法) to find out the age.
Some scientists didn't believe this method.
They said the seeds might have absorbed (吸收) old stuff from the lake, making them look older than they are.
So, researchers did another study.
This time, they checked the age of pollen from pine trees (松樹花粉) and tiny pieces of quartz (石英) that were found near the footprints.
And these new tests showed the footprints are probably 21,000 to 23,000 years old!
These footprints are like a quick look into the past.
They can tell us how people or animals walked and if their paths crossed (路徑是否交叉).
Other old sites in America have also been found, but it was hard to prove people lived there.
The footprints at White Sands show people definitely lived there a very long time ago!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two movies from Taiwan have been picked for special awards at the 43rd Hawaii International Film Festival.
"Be With Me" is up for the Kau Ka Hoku Award.
And "A Girl Out of the Country” is nominated for the NETPAC Award.
They will say who wins the awards on Sunday, October 22nd.
________________________________
And,
New findings have made scientists think again about when people first lived in America.
They say old footprints at the White Sands National Park in New Mexico are around 21,000 to 23,000 years old!
Before this, they thought humans migrated to America about 15,000 years ago.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you ever seen an owl? HOO HOO
Owls can see very well, even in the dark. But… owls don't have eyeballs!
Their eyes are shaped like cylinders, or rods… so they're more like "eye tubes"!
So, because they can't move their eyes to look around, like other animals do… they have to turn their whole head!
And that's not the only bird with weird eyes… an ostrich's eye is bigger than its whole brain!
Or wait… maybe ostriches just have really tiny brains…
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Running to fight cancer, and a ring of fire in the sky.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
What’s a mouthful for the biggest animal on the planet? Stay tuned to find out!
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TERRY FOX RUN 公益路跑的英雄
The Man Who Started the Terry Fox Run
The Terry Fox Run was recently held in Taiwan.
TERRY FOX RUN 國際公益路跑上個禮拜在台灣登場，為台灣癌症研究募款。
It's an event where people run or walk to raise money to fight cancer.
But how much do you know about the person who started it all?
Terry Fox was born in Canada in 1958.
He loved sports, playing basketball and running.
But when he was 19, doctors found cancer in his right leg.
His leg was amputated (截肢), and he had to go through many rounds of chemotherapy (化療).
Doctors told him that new research on cancer meant that he had a 50 percent chance of surviving.
Without this new research, his chance to survive would be just 15 percent.
This really made Terry think about the importance of cancer research.
He watched many other cancer patients he met suffer and die.
He felt that there was too little money being put towards cancer research.
So Terry came up with a plan.
He would run across Canada, to raise money for cancer research.
He hoped to raise one dollar from every single Canadian.
That would be $24 million Canadian dollars.
The next year in April, he started his run from St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
He ran through wind, rain, and even snowstorms.
For many months, he ran about 42 kilometers per day.
That's like running a full marathon every day!
As more and more people heard about Terry's run, donations started coming in.
But all that running was very hard on his body.
He had pain in his legs, his knees were inflamed (發炎), he had many blisters (水泡) on his foot and leg, and he was often dizzy.
But he kept on going.
On September 1st, when Terry was in Thunder Bay, Ontario, he had to pause running because he was coughing very hard and had pain in his chest.
Terry had to stop and was driven to a hospital.
The next day, he told everyone that his cancer had come back, and spread to his lungs (肺部).
He died months later, at the age of 22.
All in all, Terry Fox ran 5,373 kilometers, over 143 days.
During his run, and in the weeks after, $23 million Canadian dollars in donations were collected for cancer research.
More than 60 countries around the world, including Taiwan, still hold Terry Fox Runs.
And as of last year, more than $850 million Canadian dollars have been raised in Terry's name.
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天空中的「火之環」
A "Ring of Fire" Solar Eclipse
We've talked before about Taiwan being on the "Ring of Fire".
It's around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
Many volcano eruptions and earthquakes happen on the Ring of Fire.
But there was actually another "Ring of Fire" in the skies recently.
It's called an "annular solar eclipse".
That's when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.
It blocks out most of the Sun's light.
And the rest of the light makes a thin "ring" around the dark moon.
It's a bit different from a total solar eclipse, when you can't see any part of the sun at all.
The latest annular solar eclipse happened earlier this month.
And people in parts of the US, Mexico, and South and Central America could see it.
When the eclipse happens, the sky gets dark…
And it gets cooler…
Then the golden ring of light appears!
月球完全遮擋太陽中心，只留下邊緣的橘色光環。
Some people also saw a "partial solar eclipse".
They saw a crescent-shaped light (新月形的光).
Many people say it looks like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun!
The "Ring of Fire" won't be seen again in North, Central and South America until 2046.
But a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the US and Canada on April 8th next year!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Terry Fox Run was recently held in Taiwan.
The run was started by Canadian man Terry Fox, who ran more than 5,000 kilometers across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
Terry died at the age of 22, before finishing his run.
As of last year, more than $850 million Canadian dollars have been raised in Terry's name.
________________________________
And,
An "annular solar eclipse" happened earlier this month.
And people in parts of the US, Mexico, and South and Central America could see it.
The "Ring of Fire" won't be seen again in North, Central and South America until 2046.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today’s Tasty Tidbit, blue whales eat almost half a million calories in one mouthful.
Blue whales eat krill, a shrimp-like sea animal. Each mouthful of krill for a blue whale is 457,000 calories. They need these calories to fuel their gigantic bodies. Humans need to eat around 2,000 calories each day. That’s not even a snack for a blue whale!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
One of the best cities in Asia, and Paris' six-legged problem…
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
There's something you may not know about Taiwan's achievements at the Asian Games this year. Stay tuned to find out more!
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全球最佳城市，台北排名亞洲第11
Taipei Ranked 11th Best City in Asia.
A while ago, we mentioned that Taiwan was voted "Top Adventure Destination" by Trazee website.
This time, Taipei has been ranked 11th in 2024's "Best Cities of Asia".
A company called Resonance Consultancy has been ranking the world's cities for many years.
The company does work in real estate, travel, and financial development.
For ranking cities, it looks at three key factors: livability, lovability, and prosperity.
This year, Taipei ranked 42nd in the world.
And it was 11th in Asia.
1st place went to London.
And 1st in Asia went to Tokyo.
全球百大最佳城市排名第一的是倫敦，在亞洲城市方面，第一是東京。
Taiwan's ranking this year was better than last year's.
Last year, Taiwan was 61st globally and 13th in Asia.
The company says Taipei has a "dual landscape", with an urban jungle, and real jungles.
Taipei is a metropolis (大都會) surrounded by natural scenery.
Whether it's Daan Forest Park, Maokong, Yangmingshan or Beitou hot springs, it's all a ride away on public transportation.
The company also says Taipei is "a trove (寶庫) of tasty treasures."
Taipei was ranked 9th in the world for restaurants.
Resonance said that Taipei has "dynamic (活躍的) culinary scenes."
In the shopping category, Taipei rated 12th globally.
Resonance pointed out that computer makers such as Acer and Asus are in Taipei.
This means there are a lot of electronic goods here to buy.
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巴黎臭蟲危機引發國際恐慌
Paris's Bedbug Problem Sparks Worries Worldwide
Have you ever seen a bedbug?
It is an insect that lives mostly in beds and feeds on people's blood.
They're very small, about 5 to 7 millimeters, and they mainly come out to feed at night
They can also be found on clothing, furniture, plane seats and movie theater seats.
The history of bedbugs dates back to ancient Egypt.
This means they have been sucking on human blood for thousands of years.
During the 1950s, bedbugs were eradicated (剷除) in the developed world.
That's all thanks to new pest control products, vacuums and washing machines.
But in the late 1990s, bed bugs started to come back.
That was because more people were traveling to other countries, and many people didn't know much about bedbugs.
Recently, Paris has been struggling with a bedbug problem.
There have been reports of people finding bedbugs in many places in the French city.
The city has just hosted 2 international event, Paris Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup.
These events brought thousands of visitors to the city.
Some people worry that they may go home with an unwelcome souvenir (紀念品), bedbugs.
People in the UK are also worried about bedbugs.
15 Eurostar trains from Paris reach the UK every day.
There's also been a jump in Google searches for information about "bedbugs"
Experts say many people have asked about how to protect themselves from bedbugs.
But so far, there is no evidence that the bedbugs have spread to other places.
The experts are still suggesting that people take some precautions (預防).
You can check your bed for bedbugs.
If there are bedbugs in your bed, you will probably find bedbug feces (糞便) on the mattress.
Keep an eye out for them, check your furniture regularly and you'll be just fine.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei has been ranked 11th in 2024's "Best Cities of Asia".
Resonance Consultancy has been ranking the world's cities for many years, and this year, Taipei ranked 42nd in the world.
The company says Taipei has a "dual landscape", with an urban jungle, and real jungles
The company also says Taipei is "a trove of tasty treasures."
________________________________
And,
Paris has been struggling with a bedbug problem.
Some people worry that they may go home with an unwelcome souvenir.
So far, there is no evidence that the bedbugs have spread to other places.
But experts are still suggesting that people take some precautions.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
For today's Tasty Tidbit, let's start with some fun to get the ball rolling…
You ready?
Why can't Cinderella play soccer?
Because she's always running away from the ball!
Okay okay, here's 12-year-old Shawn from Yang Ming Junior High School in Kaohsiung, with something you may not know about the Asian Games.
…
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! Welcome to today's News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Taitung farmer that stopped growing vegetables, and a stack of cars!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what does space smell like?
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台東農夫找到養蝸牛的成功之路
Taitung Farmer Finds Success Farming…Snails!
Snails are fascinating creatures.
蝸牛真是有趣的生物。
They are not only one of the slowest animals on Earth…
…but they've also been around for a very long time!
In many places around the world, snails are edible (可以吃的).
That means it's safe to eat.
And in Taitung, a farmer named Chang Cheng-hsiung (張正雄) decided to change from growing vegetables (種植蔬菜) to raising snails (養蝸牛)!
Before, he thought of these snails as pests (害蟲).
But now, he's using them to make food!
He sells things like canned snails (罐裝蝸牛) and sausages (香腸) made from pork and snails.
People in Taiwan and other countries buy his products.
Chang said farming became harder and harder for him as he got older.
隨著年齡增加，耕種對他來說越來越困難。
So, he thought of raising snails.
He raises between 80,000 to 100,000 white jade snails (白玉蝸牛).
These snails are popular in international and French cuisine (國際和法國料理).
Taitung is a great place for these snails because the environment is clean (環境很乾淨).
And, it's easy for people with little land to start raising snails because it doesn't cost much.
But, these white jade snails are very delicate (嬌嫩).
Even a small change can hurt them.
However, if you take care of them well, they taste much better than other snails you might see in Taiwan.
Farmer Chang has a friend who helps him sell the snail products.
They sell in Taiwan, and also in places like Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, and Japan.
So, next time you think about trying something new, just remember the snail farmer from Taitung.
It's never too late to find something new and exciting!
________________________________
中國公司把汽車堆成一座塔
Chinese Company Stacks a Car Tower
Vehicle safety (車輛的安全性) is very important.
Cars need to be made with strong materials to protect the driver and passengers inside.
汽車需要用堅固材料製造，以保護車內的駕駛員和乘客。
But how can a car company prove (證明) their vehicles are strong enough?
One Chinese car company called Chery decided to use a unique way to show off how strong their car is!
中國的奇瑞汽車公司決定用一種獨特的方式，來展示他們的汽車有多麼堅固！
Chery wanted to show everyone how strong their new electric car (電動車), the eQ7, really is.
They stacked (堆疊) seven of these cars on top of each other, making a big car tower (成為一座汽車塔)!
Right now, China is making lots of electric cars.
Many companies are trying to tell people that their car is the best one to buy.
Chery used this special way to show that their new eQ7 car is super strong.
They put one car on the ground and then put six more cars on top of it, one by one.
Usually, for a car to be safe, it should be able to carry up to four times its own weight (一輛車應該能夠承受比它自己多四倍的重量).
Chery's tower showed their car can handle even more weight!
But, some experts pointed out that Chery wasn't the first to think of this idea.
Another company, Volvo (富豪汽車), has been making car towers since the 1980s.
In fact, Volvo did this same trick in 2021 using seven of their own cars.
While some think Chery might have copied the idea from Volvo, this tower is still a clever way to show that their cars can be very strong and safe.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
In Taitung, a farmer named Chang Cheng-hsiung decided to change from growing vegetables to raising snails.
That's because farming became harder and harder for him as he got older.
Now, he raises between 80,000 to 100,000 white jade snails.
With his friend's help, he sells snails not only in Taiwan, but also in places like Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, and Japan.
________________________________
And,
One Chinese car company called Chery decided to use a unique way to show off how strong their car is!
They stacked seven of their new electric cars on top of each other, making a big car tower.
It's a clever way to show that cars made by Chery can be very strong and safe.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
There are tons of things to learn about outer space, but still so many questions to ask. For example…
What does outer space smell like?
Well, when astronauts live in a space station, sometimes they have to wear space suits to go outside.
And when they come back in, they say their space suits smell a little bit like… barbecue?!?!
Yep, many astronauts agree, outer space can smell like hot metal, or cooked meat.
Some scientists say this smell could come from the space station, or even from the Earth's outer atmosphere.
And other scientists say… it could be the smell of dying stars. WHOAH.
But remember, space is HUGE. So if we go somewhere far away… it could smell completely different!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Taipei's best spots, and the world's heaviest pumpkin.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
They might be the biggest birds in the world, but they’re a bit short on something else…learn all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
台北推出 2023「最強私房景點」
Taipei Names Top 20 Tourist Attractions
Have you enjoyed all the long weekends we've had recently?
If you're still looking for fun things to do, the Taipei City government has some recommendations (推薦).
The city government just announced its top 20 tourist attractions in Taipei.
The city asked people to give their recommendations for places to have fun in Taipei.
The city wanted to know about the best spots for people to visit, for shopping, dining, and activities.
People sent in 179 suggestions.
臺北私房景點票選活動邀民眾推薦私房景點，收集到179件精彩遊程。
Then the city asked people to vote for their favorites for four categories (種類)…
They are "Nighttime Attractions", "Arts and Culture", "Green Lifestyle", and "Family Fun".
Over 38,000 people voted.
接下來市政府請民眾票選出四大主題中最喜愛的景點遊程，吸引超過3萬8千多人參加。
One winner of the "Nighttime Attractions" category was the Dadaocheng Summer Festival Fireworks.
Many people visited the area for the festival over the summer.
The National Palace Museum won in the "Arts and Culture" category.
The Xiao Yintan Waterfall on Yangmingshan won for the "Green Lifestyle" category.
And one of the top spots for "Family Fun" went to the Taipei Children's Amusement Park.
Some other popular spots include the Taipei Zoo, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, and Xinzhongshan Linear Park.
The Taipei City government hopes this list can help people enjoy visiting the city.
They feel there is something fun to do in Taipei for everyone.
市政府希望推臺北景點外，也可以帶動觀光人潮、不管是想親子出遊、或享受大自然，台北樣樣都有。
________________________________
超級巨無霸南瓜 刷新世界紀錄
Pumpkin Smashes Records
Halloween is coming up soon…
And a record-breaking pumpkin has grown just in time for the holiday!
A teacher in the U.S. named Travis Gienger has grown a giant pumpkin.
Travis' pumpkin weighs 1,247 kilograms!
That's about as heavy as a small car!
It's big enough for Travis to lay down on top.
Travis named his pumpkin "Michael Jordan".
這顆冠軍南瓜還有個暱稱「麥可·喬丹」。
He says when the pumpkin was just 10 days old, it looked a lot like a basketball.
And he says Jordan wore a jersey with the number 23.
He thought that matched this year, 2023.
Now, Travis says "the greatest basketball player of all time is now the greatest pumpkin of all time"!
Many people asked him how he grew his pumpkin to be so large.
He says he takes extra care of his pumpkin.
He waters the pumpkin 12 times a day.
And he says he spent about $15,000 US dollars on care and feeding.
Travis說每天澆水12次以外，還花了$15,000元美金增加施肥的頻率和份量。
His pumpkin won first place at the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
It's a competition held in California every year, for big pumpkins.
Travis got $30,000 US dollars in prize money.
And Travis' pumpkin also broke the world record for heaviest gourd (瓜類).
Travis has been growing pumpkins since he was a teenager.
And his pumpkins have won the competition three times.
美國一位園藝教師種出一顆重達1,247公斤的巨無霸南瓜，刷新了世界紀錄。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The city government just announced its top 20 tourist attractions in Taipei.
The city asked people to give their recommendations for places to have fun in Taipei.
People sent in 179 suggestions, and over 38,000 people voted for their favorites.
One winner of the "Nighttime Attractions" category was the Dadaocheng Summer Festival Fireworks.
The National Palace Museum won in the "Arts and Culture" category.
The Taipei City government hopes this list can help people enjoy visiting the city.
________________________________
And,
A teacher in the U.S. named Travis Gienger has grown a giant pumpkin that weighs 1,247 kilograms!
Travis named his pumpkin "Michael Jordan".
He says he takes extra care of his pumpkin, by watering it 12 times a day.
And he says he spent about $15,000 US dollars on care and feeding.
His pumpkin won first place at the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
And Travis' pumpkin also broke the world record for heaviest gourd (瓜類).
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today’s Tasty Tidbit, the ostrich is the biggest bird in the world. And it’s also the only bird in the world that has two toes.
All other birds have three or four toes. These birds need more toes to grab their prey. But the ostrich only needs two toes: one large toe to hold up its body weight, and a smaller toe that helps it balance.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Smart garbage cans, and secret tunnels.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Are you any good at spelling? We've got one that we're pretty sure no one can spell. Stay tuned to find out what it is!
________________________________
桃園啟用iTrash智慧垃圾桶
Smart iTrash Installed in Northern Taiwan
If you live in a house or an apartment in Taiwan, taking out the trash means waiting for the garbage truck.
For some people, it can be peculiar (奇特的), seeing crowds standing by the side of the road with bags of garbage in their hands.
At the same time, it's also a social gathering.
Neighbors chat and share information.
It's something you might not see in other countries.
But what about people who can't follow the garbage trucks' schedule?
They might ask neighbors to help them, or think of other ways to throw out their trash.
Now there's a smart garbage can in Taoyuan that might help solve this problem.
Citizens can now throw their garbage into the new iTrash garbage can.
It can collect, compress, and deodorize garbage.
It can also keep food waste cold.
iTrash垃圾桶還有冷藏、壓縮及防臭功能。
When the garbage can is 80% full, it sends a message to a cleaning team.
And the team comes to empty it.
The first iTrash receptacle is installed in Daxi Old Street.
Daxi Old Street is a popular tourist attraction and is always crowded on the weekends.
The crowds make it hard for garbage truck to collect trash.
With the new iTrash, people can throw away their garbage without waiting for trucks.
iTrash can also collect recyclables.
It even gives a bonus for recycling.
For every 10 plastic bottles or 8 aluminum (鋁) cans, you can get $1 NT put onto your Easycard.
The government hopes 2 iTrash bins can start working this year.
And another 10 should start working next year.
Future iTrash bins will be installed in city areas where there is enough electricity.
There are also iTrash bins that use batteries.
These could be set up in places where there isn't enough electricity.
It might take a while for iTrash to become common (常見).
But garbage disposal will definitely be easier in the future.
________________________________
倫敦地下道將轉型為觀光景點
Visit Secret Tunnels in London
Have you been in an air raid shelter (防空洞)?
During World War II, many countries in the world built air raid shelters.
The shelters helped keep people safe when bombs were falling from the sky.
After the war, many shelters were used for spy work.
The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels in London were built in the 1940s.
It also helped shelter Londoners during the war.
It was built 40 meters below Chancery Lane Tube Station.
After the war, it became the home of Britain's top-secret Special Operations Executive (特別行動執行處).
It was a branch of the Secret Intelligence Service (秘密情報局), MI6.
These tunnels are also the inspiration (靈感) for James Bond's Q Branch, the department that invents amazing gadgets for 007.
After that, the tunnels were expanded to become the Kingsway Telephone Exchange.
The tunnels were used for thousands of phone cables (電話線).
More than 200 workers worked there, taking care of the phone cables.
It was also home to the "hotline" used by the leaders of the US and USSR (蘇聯) during the Cold War.
British Telecoms then took over the site in the 1980s.
But telephone centers became obsolete (過時), and the center was decommissioned (除役).
Then the tunnels were abandoned for decades.
Now, a company wants to make it a tourist attraction.
They want visitors to see the history of the tunnels.
The project will cost around $268 million US dollars.
The company wants to use high-end technology to bring the tunnels to life.
It hopes people can start visiting in 2027.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There's a new smart garbage can in Taoyuan that can collect, compress, and deodorize garbage.
It can also keep food waste cold.
When the iTrash bin is 80% full, it sends a message to a cleaning team.
And the team comes to empty it.
________________________________
And,
The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels in London were built in the 1940s to help shelter Londoners during war.
After World War II, it became the home of Britain's top-secret Special Operations Executive.
Now, a company want to make it a tourist attraction that will open to visitors in 2027.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The longest word in English is 189,819 letters long. It would take more than three hours to say out loud!
It's the name of a protein. We don't have enough time to say it for you, or enough space here to spell it out, but some people say the word looks like something a cat accidentally typed when it sat on a keyboard.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites.
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
What's up everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
A new technology in Taiwan, and people glue their feet to the floor.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, let's talk about cells!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣在微發光二極管技術方面處於領先地位
Taiwan Leads in micro LED Technology
How often do you look at a screen?
You probably look at your phone screen all day.
We spend hours and hours looking at TV screens, computer screens, every kind of display.
我們花費大量時間觀看電視螢幕、電腦螢幕以及各種顯示器。
Can we make these screens… better?
That's what some companies in Taiwan want to do.
And they are using a new technology called micro LED (微發光二極管顯示器技術).
Imagine a transparent window that can also display images like a TV screen.
You could be looking out your car window, and the screen could show information about the things you see.
Or, imagine a little TV screen inside your glasses!
Micro LED technology is making these dreams possible.
What is micro LED?
"Micro" means small.
And LED means light-emitting diode.
"Micro"是微型的意思，"LED"是發光二極管的意思。
You have probably seen an LED light before.
Many shop signs, street lights and even traffic lights use LED lights.
So, a micro LED is just… a really small light.
How small?
Some micro LED lights are only 2.5 microns wide.
有些micro LED燈只有2.5微米寬。
That means you could fit 20 of them on the width of a human hair!
But when you put millions of these lights together…
They can create an amazing display (令人驚嘆的畫面), like a TV screen, a phone screen, or even an HD smartwatch screen.
Just a few years ago, this technology was impossible.
Scientists knew how to make such small LED lights.
But they did not know how to put them all together on the display!
Then, a few years ago, some Taiwanese companies figured out a way to do it.
They used a new method called "mass transfer".
So for now, Taiwan is the only country in the world with a micro LED production line.
台灣到現在是全球唯一擁有micro LED生產線的國家。
That means using this technology to make lots of new micro LED screens.
What's more, this technology works with even smaller LEDs.
So, smaller lights mean they can fit more lights on your display.
And that means the image on your screen will be better and brighter.
So keep an eye on this new technology…
It might be coming to your TV, your phone, or even your glasses!
________________________________
氣候抗議者將腳黏在地板上
Climate Protester Glues Feet to Floor
We all hear the same news every day, about climate change (氣候變遷).
We hear the climate is getting warmer!
It's easy to get used to this news, and ignore it.
But some people are serious about this news…
…and they won't let people ignore them!
They're the ones who glued their feet to the floor at the US Open.
What? They used glue… to stick their feet… to the floor?
That's right. And they did it at a big tennis tournament in New York City, the US Open (美國網球公開賽).
It started right in the middle of a game.
American tennis player Coco Gauff was playing hard.
Suddenly, she heard a loud noise.
Some people in the stands were shouting, "End Fossil Fuels!"
美國網球選手Coco看到站在看台上的一些人高喊「終結化石燃料！」
Coco looked up, and saw three people standing.
Their shirts also said "End Fossil Fuels!"
Coco thought, those are climate protesters.
Soon, the police came to remove the protesters
But, they couldn't do it…
….because one protester had glued their bare feet to the floor!
警察趕來驅逐抗議者，但做不到，因為抗議者將他們的光腳黏在地板上！
It took police almost an hour to remove the glue and take the protesters away.
Coco continued to play her match, and won.
In fact, she won the whole tournament.
What did she think about the protest?
Coco said, "It was done in a peaceful way, so I can't get too mad at it,"
Coco說，「這是和平進行的，所以我不能太生氣。」
She said, "Obviously I don't want it to happen when I'm winning. But hey, if that's what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can't really get upset at it."
So who were the protesters?
They belong to a group called the Extinction Rebellion.
They want people to stop using fossil fuels, like coal and gas.
The protesters want everyone to know that fossil fuels are heating up the climate.
They said that a hot climate will cause more problems than protesters.
他們說炎熱的氣候會比抗議者造成更多的問題。
So, they will keep protesting at games and other events, until their message is heard.
_________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Some Taiwanese companies are using a new technology to make screens.
New micro-LED technology uses very small lights to make displays.
This technology can improve screens for phones, computers and other uses.
________________________________
And,
Climate protesters interrupted the US open.
They shouted "End Fossil Fuels", and one of them glued their feet to the floor.
Tennis player Coco Gauff said she wasn't mad about it.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Every animal is made of lots of tiny things called "cells".
For example, scientists say the average mouse has around 3 trillion cells… In Chinese, that's 三兆個細胞!
But how many cells does each human have?
Well, to tell the truth… researchers say they haven't finished counting yet!
But we do know a few things:
Humans have more than 200 different types of cells in their body.
And even if you don't count the cells, there are still other things in many humans… like almost 40 trillion bacteria! 快四十兆細菌！
And finally, of course, many people can be bigger, or smaller, so it's hard to count for everyone.
Just remember… there are trillions of cells and bacteria, all working together to make YOU!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Bones under a basketball court, and two kids go on a joyride.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…can anyone live forever?
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
學校下方發現神秘的骸骨
Mysterious Bones Found Under School
Last year, workers at Tianwei Junior High School in Changhua County (彰化縣的田尾國中) found something shocking (令人震驚的東西).
While fixing the basketball court, the construction workers found bones under the ground!
當工人修理籃球場時，在地下挖到了骨頭！
The workers immediately stopped the construction work they were doing and called the police.
Everyone was surprised by this discovery.
The question remained: whose bones were they?
這是誰的骨頭？
There was no coffin or urn nearby.
附近沒有棺材或骨灰罈。
And there were no synthetic fibers (人造纖維) found near the body, so the burial (埋葬) happened before synthetic materials were invented.
They tried to extract (提取) DNA from the bones.
But the bones were too old!
They were sent to a special lab (特殊實驗室) at National Taiwan University (台灣大學).
They used a method called radiocarbon dating (放射性碳定年法) to find out how old the bones are.
And they found that the bones are super old - around 221 years old!
This means they are from the time of the Qing Dynasty (清朝).
When the school built the basketball court in 1995, they had no idea there were bones below.
Some local people said that this area used to be a graveyard a long time ago (以前曾是墓地), so maybe the bones are from someone buried there (可能是被埋葬在那裡的人).
The Changhua District Prosecutor's Office (彰化地檢署) tried to find out who the person was, but the bones were too old.
They are now asking the public (公眾) if anyone knows about these bones.
If no one knows, the local government will make sure the bones are buried nicely.
如果沒人知道，當地政府將確保骨頭得到適當的安葬。
Tianwei Junior High School didn't just find bones, they found a piece of history!
________________________________
姊弟的"小逃生"之旅
Siblings' Go on Sneaky Joyride
When you don't finish your homework, or spend too much time watching videos online, your parents might give you some kind of punishment (懲罰).
Nowadays, many parents find themselves taking away electronics (沒收電子產品) as a punishment.
No video games for a week, no phone for a few days, or even… gasp… no WiFi!
What would you do if your electronics got taken away?
Well, two kids in the US State of Florida got a tech time-out.
美國佛羅里達州的兩個孩子被限制使用電子產品。
They were unhappy (不高興) when their mom took away their electronics as a punishment.
And they decided they were not going to sit still (不再坐以待斃).
They took their mom's car and drove it for over 300 kilometers!
他們開了媽媽的車，超過300公里！
Traffic police (交通警察) saw a car driving early in the morning and stopped it.
They were amazed to find a 10-year-old boy driving and his 11-year-old sister with him.
Everyone was really worried because the kids were also missing from their home.
But don't worry, they're safe now!
After talking to the kids, the officers found out that they weren't hurt or in danger.
They just wanted a little adventure because they were upset about their electronics.
他們只是因為不滿電子產品被沒收，所以決定來一趟冒險。
Their mom drove three hours to get them.
She was relieved (放心) to see them safe.
The officers explained that since it's a small crime (小小的犯罪) and they're just kids, they won't be in any big trouble.
So, the lesson here?
Maybe it's a good idea to talk about your feelings instead of taking your mom's car for a long drive!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Last year, workers at Tianwei Junior High School in Changhua County found bones under the ground.
They were sent to a special lab at National Taiwan University, and they found that the bones are from the Qing Dynasty.
But no one knows whose bones they are.
The Changhua District Prosecutor's Office is asking the public if anyone knows about these bones.
________________________________
And,
Two kids in the US State of Florida were unhappy when their mom took away their electronics as a punishment.
So they took their mom's car and drove it for over 300 kilometers!
The police said that since it's a small crime and they're just kids, they won't be in any big trouble.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Of course, no one lives forever… we know that.
But some things live for a REALLY long time.
In Greenland, there is a kind of shark that scientists say is between 300 and 500 years old.
And around the world, some trees are almost 5,000 years old!
And in the ocean, there is an animal called "the immortal jellyfish".
When it gets old or sick, it can change its body to become young again… and then it just keeps on living.
We don't know how old each jellyfish is now, but there might be one out there that is older than everything else!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Harder tests and the best time to pee.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Our bodies are amazing and full of surprises. Stay tuned for another amazing fact at the end of the episode.
________________________________
機車考照太簡單，審計部要求改善
Taiwan's Audit Office says Scooter License Test Too Easy.
Taiwan has the highest density (密度) of scooters in the world.
Data shows that up until August 2022, there were around 14 million scooters in the country.
That means, there is a scooter for every 2 people in Taiwan!
Scooters are a main form of transportation in Taiwan.
But they are also a part of many traffic accidents.
Data shows that 85% of traffic accidents involve scooters.
Statistics from the Ministry of Traffic and Communications show that from January to June this year, there were 998 scooter and motorcycle deaths.
And every year, there are more and more traffic accidents involving scooters.
Taiwan's Audit Office says part of the problem may be a lack of safety awareness.
And the office says many people don't know enough about defensive riding concepts.
審計部說台灣機車駕照考試太容易，測不出「應試者該有的安全駕駛觀念及防禦駕駛能力」。
The office said one way to improve this is to make licensing tests harder.
In the current road test, people are tested on traffic signals, changing lanes, 2-point turning, balancing over a straight-line course and others.
But all this is done on a test course.
Some people say the test should be done on a real road or something like a real road.
Another option would be to increase the difficulty of the road test.
Beginning in March, people were required to watch videos that show dangers on the road.
They would then have to answer 5 questions from the videos.
And they have to answer 4 questions correctly to go on to the next step.
This test is mandatory (強制的) for all before they can take the licensing test.
Starting from 2024, the written test will also be made harder.
The MOTC expects that less people will pass the test.
And they hope this will lead to better drivers, and fewer accidents on the road.
________________________________
App幫你找出看電影上廁所最佳時機
An App that Tells You When to Take a Bathroom Break
Most people love going to the movies.
Whether it's horror, action, comedy or animation, there's something for everyone.
Sitting in a comfy chair, holding a big cup of soda and a bucket of popcorn…
Watching a gigantic screen, listening to stereo effects, what more could you ask for?
But suddenly, halfway through the movie, you feel a sudden urge (衝動) to go to the bathroom.
What do you do?
Go and miss a part of the plot (劇情)?
A man had the same problem.
Dan Gardner was watching the movie King Kong in 2005.
The movie is 201 minutes long.
And Dan had to pee!
He said he was "in agony", but he chose to finish the movie.
When he was leaving, he wanted to tell people waiting for the next show about a scene in the movie.
He thought it was the perfect scene to go to the bathroom.
He decided he would make a website to tell people when to take bathroom breaks during a movie.
He created "Runpee".
The website had information that told people when they could go to the bathroom during different movies.
And the site had information telling people what happened during those scenes, so they wouldn't miss anything.
Then Dan made the website into an app.
The app also tells you the number of times you can go to the bathroom during a movie.
Longer movies have more bathroom times.
比較長的電影就會有更多的廁所時間。
To find these bathroom times, Dan says he and his sister watch tons of movies every year.
They bring a stopwatch (碼表) and note pad.
They time the movie and taking notes to find the best times to go to the bathroom.
Over the years, many users wrote to thank Dan.
Dan says he's just glad that he helped people enjoy movies.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Audit Office says many scooter drivers don't know enough about defensive riding concepts.
The office said one way to improve this is to make licensing tests harder.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications expects that less people will pass the test.
And they hope this will lead to better drivers, and fewer accidents on the road.
________________________________
And,
Dan Gardner decided he would make a website to tell people when to take bathroom breaks during a movie.
The website had information that told people when they could go to the bathroom during different movies.
Then Dan made the website into an app.
To find these bathroom times, Dan said he and his sister watch tons of movies every year.
Dan said he's just glad that he helped people enjoy movies.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
Blood vessels help carry blood to all parts of our body. And they carry away waste and CO2.
But did you know that all the blood vessels together in your body would stretch more than 100,000 kilometers long?
That's enough to go around Earth more than twice!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
A moving movie theater, and eating to fight wildfires.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
Shakespeare wrote "What's in a name?" to say that names of things aren't very important. But Scots may think differently. We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
行動電影車「花鐵號」開啟巡迴戶外放映
Mobile Movie Theater Travels Hualien
Catching a movie is a fun way to enjoy a day off.
But what if you don't live close to a movie theater?
Hualien County is running a mobile movie truck!
It's called the "Hua Tie Hao" (花鐵號).
The truck has a big 150-inch LED screen on the side.
It also has a sound system that's as good as systems in movie theaters!
The Hualien County government bought and set up two trucks using $5.2 million NT from the Ministry of Culture.
The second truck is used to carry workers and equipment for the Hua Tie Hao.
The truck started showing movies outdoors during the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend.
The Hua Tie Hao parked at a plaza next to a market.
It showed the movie "Cheerful Wind", made in 1982 by director Hou Hsiao-hsien.
And there was even pizza, popcorn, and other snacks for people to enjoy.
這台行動電影車叫「花鐵號」，9月30日中秋連假期間，在文化局你來廣場辦理戶外首映會，播放由侯孝賢導演、鳳飛飛主演的《風兒踢躂踩》。
Officials say later the Hua Tie Hao will also travel to elementary schools and community centers to show movies.
Their goal is to show at least one movie in every township and city in the county within one year.
People can also request a showing in their area.
The county government says Hualien is a big county, and most movie theaters are in Hualien City.
It says some people in faraway areas have to drive almost an hour to see a movie.
The county government hopes the Hua Tie Hao can help people living all over the county enjoy watching films.
________________________________
山羊大軍啃草防野火
Grazing Goats Help Fight California Wildfires
California has struggled with wildfires for many years.
The US state has dry, windy and hot weather.
And changes in the state are making wildfires more frequent and more dangerous.
But the state has also been working with a new secret weapon.
A different kind of hero…
A hero with strong muscular legs…
And a big appetite (胃口)…
You guessed it, goats!
California is hiring herds of goats to help it fight wildfires.
The goats help by doing something they love…eating!
Workers bring hundreds of goats to areas full of grass, shrubs (灌木), and plants.
Many of these places are on rocky hills.
It's hard for people and machines to get to these places.
But the terrain (地形) is no problem for goats!
They quickly get to work, eating up the plants.
人類無法到達的陡坡對山羊來說都不是問題，它們可以輕鬆的在山邊穿梭啃草，把易燃的灌木叢和雜草全部清光。
The goats can eat a lot of plants.
They eat weeds, bushes, low leaves, and dry shrubs.
These are all plants that burn in wildfires.
To fight wildfires, California has asked people to cut down dead plants and mow their grass (割草).
These are all things that goats do, easily and naturally.
The experts also say the goats have the "right mouths".
Their mouths are narrow and deep (又窄又深).
This helps them eat woody plants that other animals may find too tough (堅硬) to eat.
And they can stand up on their hind legs (後肢) to eat shrubs up to 2 meters high.
And officials say using goats also help California save money.
To clear dead plants from one square meter of land, people and machines would cost about $3,000 US dollars.
But using goats would cost about $1,000 US dollars.
Many cities in California are now using goats to clear dead plants.
And many say it's a more natural and safe way to fight wildfires.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Hualien County is running a mobile movie truck!
The "Hua Tie Hao" has a big 150-inch LED screen on the side.
Officials say the truck will show at least one movie in every township and city in the county within one year.
________________________________
And,
California is hiring herds of goats to help it fight wildfires.
The goats help by eating plants and dry grass, things that burn in wildfires.
Many say it's a more natural and safe way to fight wildfires.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
What do you call that white stuff that falls from the sky when it's really cold? Well, if you're in Scotland, you may hear 421 different answers!
The Scots have 421 different worlds for "snow".
They say "feefle" for swirling snow, "flindrikin" for a slight snow shower, and "fyoonach" for a dusting of snow.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites.
Hello there! You're tuned in to News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
A woman takes charge in the military, and the world's new superlatives!
And in today's Tasty Tidbits…how many bones do animals have?
Keep on listening to find out!
________________________________
台灣首位女性擔任國防部政戰局長
Taiwan's First Female Political Warfare Bureau Chief
Taiwan's military is making history.
For the first time ever, a woman is leading the Political Warfare Bureau (政戰局).
The bureau focuses on special strategies to protect Taiwan and its people from outside influences.
政戰局專門制定策略來保護台灣和台灣人民免受外界的影響。
Lieutenant General Chen Yu-lin (陸軍中將陳育琳) is known as the "big sister" in the army.
She is Taiwan's first female two-star lieutenant general (第一位掛二顆星的女將軍) and has held many important roles.
She led military work on Matsu Island, served at the 6th Army Corps, and even became the first female dean at the National Defense University's Fu Hsin Kang College (國防大學政戰學院院長).
Taking over her current role will be Major General Shih Shun-wen.
接替她的是少將史順文。
He will also receive a promotion (晉升) because the job he's moving into is quite important.
This change is a big deal.
It shows that leadership roles are for everyone, regardless of whether they are male or female.
這顯示，無論男女，都有可能擔任領導角色。
But the new job is challenging (很具挑戰性).
Lieutenant General Chen has to protect Taiwan from fake news from China (來自中國的假消息).
The plan is to mix different parts of the army to make a "Military News Center."
This new center could help Taiwan be even better at protecting itself.
Lieutenant General Chen is a role model (楷模), showing that girls can also be strong leaders (領導者).
It proves that anyone can break through old rules and traditions (打破陳舊的規則和傳統) to do something amazing.
So, it's an exciting time for Taiwan's military and an inspiration (靈感) for future leaders.
________________________________
全新的金氏世界紀錄
New Guinness World Records Unveiled!
The famous Guinness World Records book has released its 2024 edition (2024年版), and it's full of amazing new records!
There are 2,638 different records in the book from all over the world.
這本書裡有來自全球的2,638個不同的紀錄。
Craig Glenday, the main editor, said this year they reviewed nearly 30,000 applications but only the very best made it to the book.
主編Craig Glenday說，今年他們審查了將近30,000份申請，但只有最棒的才能進入這本書。
There are records about the fastest animals in the sea, super-talented people, and even records set by mermaids (美人魚)!
Let's talk about some stars from the U.S. who made it into the book:
Tommy is a super-tall cow.
He's 6 feet and 1 inch tall, and lives in Massachusetts.
牠有6呎1吋高，相當於185公分，住在馬薩諸塞州。
He's been with his family since he was a baby cow and now he's a "gentle giant" (溫和的巨牛).
Ginny MacColl, 71 years old, is the oldest ninja athlete (忍者運動員).
She got into fitness (健身) watching her daughter on TV, and now trains really hard.
Amir Menendez has the largest afro hairstyle (最大的爆炸頭髮型).
He's only 14 years old and started growing his hair about four years ago.
Grace Good spins hula hoops (呼拉圈)-lots of them.
She can spin 28 hula hoops while balancing on a big ball and can also spin 8 hula hoops that are on fire!
她可以站在一個大球上保持平衡，同時旋轉28個呼拉圈，而且還能旋轉8個著火的呼拉圈！
The new book has different chapters (章節), like one about water animals, one about human achievements (人類成就), and even one about history and pirates (海盜).
Plus, it features young talents like drummers (鼓手) and yoga experts (瑜伽高手) from around the world.
So, if you want to be amazed, this is the book to read.
It's full of surprises and proves that anyone can do something record-breaking (任何人都有可能創造紀錄)!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
For the first time ever, a woman will lead the Political Warfare Bureau.
Lt. Gen. Chen Yu-lin was Taiwan's first two-star female general and has held many important roles.
It shows that leadership roles are for everyone, regardless of whether they are male or female.
________________________________
And,
The famous Guinness World Records book has released its 2024 edition.
There are 2,638 different records in the book from all over the world.
There are records about the fastest animals in the sea, super-talented people, and even records set by mermaids!
It's full of surprises and proves that anyone can do something record-breaking!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How many bones do you have in your body?
Well, all together, every human has around 206 bones. That's a lot!
But what about other animals?
A sheep has only 110 bones… and an elephant has around 282!
So if a whale is the biggest animal on Earth, it should have the most bones, right?
Nope! Some whales have around 180 bones… that's less than humans, mainly because they don't have legs or feet!
And which animal has the most bones? Sssssss… Snakes!
Because snakes can keep growing, and growing, and growing… some of them can have more than 800 bones in their whole body.
That's crazy. I'm okay with 206!
________________________________
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
Taiwan helps rebuild a castle, and people vote to protect the Amazon.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: How old is the Earth?
Keep on listening to find out!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣幫忙重建沖繩的城堡
Taiwan Helps Rebuild Okinawa Castle
Have you ever been to Okinawa (沖繩)?
It's an island, not far from Taiwan.
Lots of tourists visit Okinawa.
The island has beautiful beaches and a special culture.
They also have lots of history. They even have an old castle (古老城堡).
That's where the king and Queen used to live.
Unfortunately, the castle was burned down in a fire (火災) a few years ago.
But people in Okinawa are building it again (重建), and Taiwan is helping.
What happened?
It all started more than six hundred years ago.
At that time, Okinawa was a part of the Ryukyu kingdom (琉球王國).
This was an ocean kingdom of many islands.
They controlled the ocean trading between China and Japan. So, the Ryukyu kingdom became rich.
They built a big castle on Okinawa, called Shuri Castle (首里城).
The castle was red and white.
琉球王國在沖繩建設首里城，後來成為日本的一部分。
Later, the Ryukyu kingdom became a part of Japan.
The Japanese took good care of Shuri castle.
But, eighty years ago, the castle was destroyed in World War Two.
那座城堡在第二次世界大戰中被摧毀。
That's where Taiwan comes into the story.
After the war, the Japanese wanted to rebuild Shuri castle.
For the castle's wood, they used trees from Taiwan.
The tree is called "Taiwan Cypress" (台灣檜木), and its wood is beautiful and very strong.
But, the rebuilt castle did not last long.
In 2019, Shuri castle was destroyed again, this time in a fire!
Now, Taiwan is helping rebuild the castle… again.
Taiwan is giving more "Taiwan Cypress" trees to Japan.
The trees come from a forest in Yilan.
城堡再度毀於火災，於是台灣捐助宜蘭的檜木來幫日本重建。
How much will Japan pay for the trees?
Nothing! The trees are a gift, to thank Japan for giving vaccines to Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan thanked Taiwan, and said the gift shows the friendship between the two countries.
Now, they can finish rebuilding Shuri Castle. They say it will be done by 2026. If you go to Okinawa, be sure to visit it!
________________________________
厄瓜多投票保護亞馬遜雨林
Ecuador Votes to Protect Amazon Rainforest
What is the world's biggest forest?
This forest is in South America (南美洲).
It's more than 5 million square kilometers, and is home to more than 16,000 species.
Have you guessed it?
That's right, it's the Amazon Rainforest (亞馬遜雨林).
Even though it's the biggest forest in the world, with so many kinds of plants and animals, the Amazon is in danger.
Many companies are working in the Amazon, cutting down trees or polluting the environment there.
有很多公司在亞馬遜雨林伐木，而且污染環境。
But, there is some good news from Ecuador (厄瓜多), where people have voted to protect one part of the Amazon.
A big part of the Amazon is in Ecuador. That's where the Yasuni National Park is.
The Yasuni National Park is special, because it is one of the most biodiverse places in the world.
亞蘇尼國家公園是世界上生物多樣性數一數二的地方。
That means it has the most different kinds of life.
For example, just in this one park, there are nine different kinds of monkeys.
But, Yasuni National Park was in danger.
That's because there is a lot of oil (石油) in the ground under the park.
Oil companies want to get it, and they were about to start drilling for oil in the park.
石油公司想要在公園裡鑽探石油。
Some people in Ecuador wanted to drill for oil, to earn more money.
Other people in Ecuador wanted to ban oil drilling, to protect the environment (保護環境).
So, the people decided to vote on it.
In the vote, 60% of people said that oil drilling should be banned in Yasuni National Park.
百分之六十的厄瓜多公民，投票贊成禁止在公園裡鑽探石油。
Many people who live in the forest were happy with the result.
Especially the indigenous people (原住民), who have lived in the Amazon for longer than anybody.
One indigenous leader said, "Finally, we are going to kick oil companies out of our territory!"
She added, "This is a major victory for all Indigenous peoples, for the animals, the plants, the spirits of the forest and our climate!"
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
Taiwan has helped rebuild a castle on Okinawa.
Shuri castle burned down a few years ago.
Taiwan is sending some Taiwan Cypress trees to help build the castle again.
________________________________
And,
People in Ecuador voted to stop oil drilling in one part of the Amazon rainforest.
60% of people there said oil companies should be banned from the forest.
The Amazon is one of the most biodiverse parts of our world.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How old is the Earth?
Well, scientists think it's about 4.5 billion years old… 差不多四十五億歲！
For hundreds of years, scientists have looked at rocks on Earth, on the moon, and everywhere in-between, to understand how space rocks came together to make our planet, around four and a half billion years ago.
So, I guess the next question is… how old will the Earth get?
Scientists say our planet may have around five billion years left, before the sun gets bigger and eats it… CHOMP
But as the sun gets hotter, all the living things on Earth may only have one billion years left.
If that sounds like bad news, don't worry!
That means we have at least one billion years to start living in space, and find other planets.
That should be enough time, right?
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Green energy from deep inside Earth, and aliens or dolls?
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
If you can’t get enough of vending machines, you might want to head to this country…coming up later, in today’s Tasty Tidbit.
________________________________
地熱發電廠穩定供電
Yilan Geothermal Power Plant Shows Promising Results.
Green energy is becoming more important around the world.
And this is the case in Taiwan too.
Over the years, Taiwan has worked hard to develop wind and solar energy.
But did you know, there is a kind of energy that might have been overlooked (忽略)?
Taiwan has abundant (豐富) geothermal energy.
Our island is on the Pacific Ring of Fire (西太平洋火山帶).
It is a string of volcanos or places with lots of earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
In fact 75 percent of all active volcanos on Earth, are on this Ring of Fire.
And some of these geothermal resources are right here in Taiwan.
This is why there are so many hot springs around the island.
Geothermal is a stable source of energy.
It's available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
A geothermal power plant opened in Yilan in 2021.
The private Cingshuei geothermal power plant has made more than 38 million kilowatt hours of electricity.
That's about enough to power 7,500 households.
Geothermal energy has a lot of potential (潛力).
But it also comes with many challenges.
Another geothermal power plant was built there years earlier.
But it had to close down, because water pipes became blocked (阻塞).
Experts say this is caused by minerals from the hot springs.
這裡的地下水有許多礦物質，久了容易結垢使管路縮小，發電效率就降低。
So the new geothermal plant uses new machines that help stop minerals from blocking pipes.
Due to the rich minerals underground, the water in some spots contains sulfur (硫磺).
This causes acid corrosion (酸蝕) to the water pipes.
But again, these problems can be solved with technology.
Many experts believe geothermal energy will be an important part of green energy in Taiwan.
________________________________
「外星人」登墨西哥國會
"Aliens" Appear at Mexican Congress
Do you believe in aliens?
For a long time, humans have been curious about if there are other living things in the universe.
Some people believe aliens may have visited Earth before.
A man recently showed something to the Mexican Congress (墨西哥國會).
He showed what he said were two alien bodies.
The two small "aliens" had long heads, and three fingers on each hand.
遺骸的外型，有巨大的頭顱、還有各3根的手指、腳趾，但還是有許多科學家質疑可能是人類和動物骨骼組合起來的。
The man says the bodies were found in Peru.
He claims both of the bodies are about 1,000 years old.
這個人稱這兩具遺骸是2017年在秘魯發現的，經由墨西哥國立自治大學鑑定大約有1000年歷史。
And he says x-rays also showed that there were "eggs" inside one of the bodies.
But this man has made claims about aliens before.
A few years ago, he also showed a body that he said was an alien.
But tests showed it was the body of a human.
And he was also in a video showing "bodies of aliens" found in Peru.
But experts later proved those "bodies" were dolls covered with paper and glue, to look like aliens.
So now, scientists will run tests on the "aliens" the man showed to the Mexican Congress.
And the tests will show if the man is telling the truth, or if this is just another hoax (騙局).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A geothermal power plant opened in Yilan in 2021.
The private Cingshuei geothermal power plant has made more than 38 million kilowatt hours of electricity.
That's about enough to power 7,500 households.
Geothermal energy has a lot of potential.
But it also comes with many challenges.
If these problems can be solved with technology, many experts believe geothermal energy will be an important part of green energy in Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
A man recently showed what he said were two alien bodies to the Mexican Congress.
The two small "aliens" had long heads, and three fingers on each hand.
The man says the bodies were found in Peru.
He claims both the bodies are about 1,000 years old.
Now, scientists will run tests on the "aliens".
And the tests will show if the man is telling the truth, or if this is just another hoax.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
Japan is thought to have the highest density of vending machines in the world.
Some believe that in Japan, there is one vending machine for every 23 people. Some of these vending machines sell the usual stuff, like drinks or bottled water. But others sell all sorts of surprising items, like flowers, ties, hot food, and even wigs for your dog!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Come back tomorrow for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Fighting mosquitoes with robots, and a one-of-a-kind baby giraffe.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We know much of Earth is covered with water, but how much can we actually use? More on that at the end of the episode!
________________________________
用「無人車」消滅病媒蚊
Robot Helps Fight Dengue Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes…can be…so annoying!
Their buzzing wakes you up at night, and their bites are super itchy.
But mosquitoes can also be dangerous.
Sometimes mosquitoes may carry things like viruses (病毒) in their body.
When a mosquito bites a human, those things can get into our bodies.
And then those things make us sick.
This is how many diseases are spread…
Diseases like malaria, Zika virus, and dengue fever.
Taiwan has seen more than 10,000 cases of dengue fever so far this year.
And the fight to stop dengue fever is still ongoing.
Now, scientists have a new idea to control the outbreak (暴發).
Taiwan researchers are using robots to go after mosquitoes.
The National Health Research Institutes made a robot that can go into ditches and sewers (溝渠和下水道).
The scientists put a camera on the robot, so they can see where it is clearly.
They use the robot to find mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
Then they use the robot to spray hot water and insecticide, killing the mosquitoes and larvae.
科學家用「無人車」進入下水道，找出蚊子繁殖的地方，再用高溫水槍或殺蟲劑噴灑清洗。
The robots can get into places that people can't get into.
And using robots helps people save time, and stay safe.
Some of the robots also fly.
So scientists have also been using them to check the roofs of buildings.
The robots can spot standing water (積水).
And the robot can spray insecticide.
This also helps people save time and energy.
無人車可以進入許多人無法到達且危險的地方，降低病媒蚊孳生，也可以節省人力和時間。
The scientists say they are working to make the robots even more useful.
They want to equip the robots with AI, so they can identify different mosquito species.
It sounds like we are getting better at fighting mosquitoes.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to say goodbye to mosquito bites?
________________________________
美國動物園誕生「無網紋」長頸鹿
Spotless Giraffe Born in US Zoo
Some things just always go together, you know…
Like Christmas and snow…
Burgers and fries…
Movies and popcorn…
And giraffes and spots…right?
When we think of a giraffe, we think of a tall animal with a long neck.
It has light brown fur with dark brown spots.
But a new baby giraffe has been born at a US zoo…and it has NO spots!
The female reticulated giraffe (網紋長頸鹿) was born earlier this summer.
And it has the same brown color all over its body!
The zoo says it has asked experts around the world.
So far, they say there is only record of one other spotless giraffe born in Japan in the 1970s.
So, the zoo believes the baby female giraffe is the "only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet".
動物園說，牠可能是全球目前唯一一隻純色的網紋長頸鹿。
The zoo invited people to vote online to give the baby giraffe a name.
More than 40,000 people around the world voted.
And they chose "Kipekee".
It's a Swahili word that means "unique".
大家投票選出的名字是「Kipekee」，這個字在非洲史瓦希利語中的意思是「獨特」。
Keepers say Kipekee is very "laid-back" and relaxed.
They say she is curious about everything.
Reticulated giraffes are already rare in the wild.
Some experts say there are only around 8,500 left.
They are listed as "endangered" (瀕危物種).
The zoo hopes Kipekee can help everyone learn more about giraffes, and encourage people to protect them.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National Health Research Institutes made a robot that can go into ditches and sewers to find mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
Then they use the robot to spray hot water and insecticide, killing the mosquitoes and larvae.
And using robots helps people save time and stay safe when fighting diseases.
________________________________
And,
A new baby giraffe has been born at a US zoo…and it has NO spots!
The female reticulated giraffe was born earlier this summer, and it has the same brown color all over its body!
The zoo believes the baby female giraffe is the "only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet".
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbit…
Water covers 71 percent of the planet. That sounds like a lot, right? But did you know, only a small part of that can be used by humans?
Some scientists say that humans can use only 0.007 percent of that water. That's because only about 2.5 percent of the water on Earth is freshwater. And we can only get to 1 percent of that freshwater. The rest makes up glaciers and snowfields.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Come back tomorrow for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Staying healthy in all ways, and giving back a piece of history.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…
We've got something berry funny to share with you. Make sure to stay tuned!
________________________________
台大通過「心理健康假」
NTU to Have Mental Health Leave
We all know being healthy is important.
So we know we should try to eat healthy foods, get some exercise, and take care of our bodies.
But we are starting to learn that mental health (心理健康) is important too.
Many things in life can cause mental health problems.
So slowing down and getting rest is very important.
The National Taiwan University's Student Counseling Committee (輔導委員會) is trying something new.
They want to start letting students take "mental health leave".
This mean students can take up to 3 days off school each semester for mental health.
學生每一學期可以請三天的心理健康假。
They can use an online system to apply for this leave.
And the students do not need to show proof that they are sick.
But the second time that students take leave, the system would send a notification (通知) to the university's counseling center (心理諮商中心).
And the center would start taking steps to help the student.
Some other universities in Taiwan also let students take mental health leave.
Experts are reminding (提醒) the schools to keep student information private.
They say students should be able to take the leave online, without telling a teacher.
And the experts point out that it's still hard for high school students to take mental health leave.
High school students have to fill out a form (申請表).
Then they have to give it to the teacher for approval (許可, 批准)
The students also have many classes, which makes it hard for them to have time to visit the counseling office.
And they may be worried about how other people would react (反應) if they found out.
But all the experts agree that student mental health is important, and it should not be neglected (忽略).
________________________________
希臘要求歸還大理石雕
Greece Calls for British Museum to Return Parthenon Sculptures
The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world.
It houses countless (數不清楚) treasures.
But earlier in August, around 2,000 treasures were stolen from the museum.
Police found that it was an inside job (內賊作案).
And the stealing had been happening for over two decades.
These priceless artifacts were stolen because they were not properly cataloged (編入目錄) by the museum.
After this, many people questioned if the museum could handle taking care of all those artifacts.
Now, Greece is calling for the museum to return the Parthenon Sculptures.
The sculptures were taken from a famous temple in Athens, Greece hundreds of years ago.
被要求歸還的「帕德嫩石雕」，是在19世紀一位英國外交官從希臘「帶出」的文物。
Greece has asked the museum to return the sculptures many times.
But the museum says the sculptures were taken to protect them.
Other countries, like Nigeria and China, are also calling for the museum to return things.
Hundreds of years ago, the British Empire (大英帝國) controlled many parts of the world.
And some experts say many cultural treasures were taken from those places during this time.
They say many things in the British Museum were looted (被掠奪).
Over the years, some museums in Europe and the US have started returning artifacts taken from other countries.
But it remains to be seen (尚不確定) if the British Museum will do the same.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National Taiwan University's Student Counseling Committee wants to start letting students take "mental health leave".
This mean students can take up to 3 days off school each semester for mental health.
Experts agree that student mental health is important, and it should not be neglected.
________________________________
And…
Greece is calling for the British Museum to return the Parthenon Sculptures.
This is after thousands of treasures were stolen from the museum.
Many people questioned if the museum could handle taking care of all those artifacts.
Over the years, some museums in Europe and the US have started returning artifacts taken from other countries.
But it remains to be seen if the British Museum will do the same.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And before you go, here's a Tasty Tidbit to go with today's News Bites. Get ready…
What do you call a sad strawberry?
A blueberry!
And speaking of berries…
11-year-old Harley from Heping Elementary School has an interesting fact about one!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hey there! Let's dive into today's brand-new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A dorm for both boys and girls, and an expensive Bob Ross painting.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…Words… Words… Words… Words… Words…
Stay tuned to learn more about all that, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣首座男女合住宿舍
Taiwan's First Co-Ed Dorm
A dormitory (宿舍), or 'dorm' for short, is a type of housing where students live when they go to university.
Students get their own beds, and share common areas (公共區域) like kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms.
It's a fun way to make friends and live close to where you study.
In Taiwan, dorms are separated by gender.
宿舍是按性別來分的。
All male students would live in one building…
…and all female students would live in another building.
But there is one university that wants to try something different!
National Cheng-chi University (政治大學), or NCCU for short, has done something super cool.
They've opened a co-ed dorm (男女混合宿舍) where boys and girls can live together!
That's a first in Taiwan.
This new student dorm is in Taipei City's Muzha District, close to the NCCU campus (校園).
It used to be staff housing a long time ago, but it has been given a major makeover.
它以前是員工宿舍，但現在已經大翻新過。
Now, it has everything students need: beds, desks, fridges, and even washing machines.
Groups of students had to apply and then a lucky draw decided who got in (透過抽籤來決定誰能住進去).
Each unit, or house, can fit up to 8 or 10 students, depending on the number of bedrooms.
And it's super affordable!
價格超級合理!
Meanwhile, people in Taiwan seem to like this idea of boys and girls being together.
Not just in dorms, but also in schools.
Many top high schools in Taiwan are boys' schools or girls' schools.
台灣許多頂尖高中是男校或女校。
A big survey says that most Taiwanese people want to end separating boys and girls in high schools.
一項大型調查顯示，大多數台灣人希望高中不要再將男生和女生分開。
People say high school is a crucial time (關鍵時期) for boys and girls to get to know each other.
And they should be able to learn together.
The survey found that 80-percent of people encourage kids to not just stick to old-fashioned ideas about what boys and girls should do.
這項調查發現，有 80% 的人鼓勵孩子不要僅僅遵循關於男生和女生應該做什麼的老派觀念。
In fact, nearly 70-percent agreed that times have changed.
The old way of putting boys first is fading away.
過去重男輕女的舊觀念正在逐漸消失。
________________________________
首幅 Bob Ross 畫作要價近 1,000 萬美元
First Bob Ross Painting on Sale for Nearly 10 Million US Dollars
Have you heard of Bob Ross?
He was a super famous painter (畫家) with a TV show called "The Joy of Painting."
He made painting fun and easy for everyone!
But guess what?
The very first painting he did on his show is now up for sale for $9.85 million US dollars.
That's almost $10 million dollars!
So, who's selling this painting?
A guy named Ryan Nelson owns an art gallery (藝術畫廊) in Minneapolis, a city in the United States (美國明尼阿波利斯市).
He calls this painting, "A Walk in the Woods."
It's the first painting Bob Ross ever did for TV.
Nelson isn't in a hurry to sell it.
Nelson 並不急於賣它。
He wants people to see it and get inspired to paint!
他希望人們能看到它並受到畫畫的啟發！
Bob Ross started his show in 1983, and he made it super chill and easy (輕鬆和容易).
He wore a cool beard and a perm.
他留著酷酷的鬍子和燙髮。
And he showed people that anyone could paint, even without going to fancy art schools.
而且他讓大家知道，即使不去高級的藝術學校，任何人都可以畫畫。
His show was a big hit until he passed away in 1995.
Now, you might think $10 million US dollars is a lot for a painting.
And you'd be right!
No Bob Ross painting has ever been sold for that much money.
But Nelson believes this painting is extra special (非常特別) because it's Bob Ross's first.
And it shows what he was all about-making art for regular people (普通人) like you and me.
Would you like to see this expensive painting (昂貴的畫)?
Ryan Nelson hopes to show it in different museums so people can enjoy it.
Even if it's super costly (昂貴), the idea is to make art fun for everyone.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
National Cheng-chi University has opened a co-ed dorm where boys and girls can live together!
That's a first in Taiwan.
This new co-ed student dorm is in Taipei City's Muzha District, close to the NCCU campus.
________________________________
And,
Bob Ross was a famous painter with a TV show called "The Joy of Painting."
The very first painting he did on his show is now up for sale for $9.85 million US dollars.
The owner, Ryan Nelson, hopes to show it in different museums so people can enjoy it.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Words… Words… Words… Words… Words…
When you say one word over, and over, and over again, you might feel like the word starts to sound pretty weird.
Even if you know what the word means… if you say it a hundred times, you might feel like it loses meaning, and just becomes a sound.
In fact, researchers have found that after a person says a word just 30 times, they are slower to connect its meaning to other words.
Why does this happen…? Honestly… we still don't really know.
But try saying a word 100 times, and see how it feels!
Words… Words… Words… Words… Words…
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi everyone! It's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
A teen becomes Taiwan's Go champion, and two guys break the Great Wall of China.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what is time?
Keep on listening to find out the answer!
Let's get into it.
________________________________
少女成為台灣圍棋冠軍
Teen Becomes Go Champion of Taiwan
Do you like to play go (圍棋)?
It's a fun board game for two players.
One player has black stones (黑子), and the other player has white stones (白子).
They take turns placing stones on the game board (棋盤)
Each player tries to surround (包圍) the other player's stones to control the board.
Sounds simple, right?
Well, the rules may be simple….
…but the game can be really hard.
Most players need to study for many years before they can play the professionals.
But these days, young players (年輕棋手) are changing the game.
Just ask sixteen-year-old Lin Yi-ting (林怡廷).
Even though she's still in high school….
…she won this year's Synmosa Cup Woman Ace Player Tournament (女子圍棋最強戰).
This tournament in Taipei is the top event for female Go players in Taiwan.
And Lin is the youngest champion in the tournament's history.
林小姐是這項比賽歷史上最年輕的冠軍。
How did she do it?
Lin says she used to spend all her time practicing.
Every day she went to train (訓練) with her coach (教練).
After that, she would go home, and train by herself.
But, Lin was working too hard.
Then, at the beginning of this year, something bad happened.
She lost ten games in a row.
So Lin decided to take a new approach.
林小姐決定採取新的方法。
After training each day, she would go home and focus on other things.
That let her mind relax.
With her new mindset (新的態度), Lin says it became easier to play go.
The game became fun again.
Besides, she has another advantage (優勢).
Lin uses new AI technology to train.
This technology is changing the way people play go.
AI can suggest moves that a human would never think of.
人工智慧想出來的步驟，人類永遠不會想到。
What's more, young players are learning the most from AI.
These advantages helped Lin in the tournament.
When she made it to the championship game (冠軍賽), she didn't feel too much stress.
Plus, she had some new moves she learned from AI.
That let her beat (擊敗) a professional player.
Lin won the game only half a point to become Taiwan's champion.
She took home the trophy (獎杯), and 500,000 NT in prize money (獎金).
Way to go, Lin!
________________________________
兩個人在萬里長城挖出一條捷徑
Two Men Dig Shortcut through Great Wall of China
Have you ever been to the Great Wall of China (萬里長城)?
It's the longest wall (城牆) in the world.
The wall is more than 20,000 kilometers long.
It is made of dirt and stone, and many workers spent their lives building it.
For thousands of years, the wall has protected (保護) China.
But recently, someone broke a hole (挖破了一個洞) in the wall.
What? Who broke the Great Wall of China?
Was it Genghis Khan?
是成吉思汗嗎？
Don't be ridiculous.
別搞笑了。
Genghis Khan has been dead for centuries.
Actually, the wall was broken by two local guys (是兩個本地人).
It happened to a part of the wall in Shanxi province (山西省).
Recently, police found a big hole in the wall.
The hole had a new dirt road running through it.
洞裡有一條新的泥巴路穿過去。
Police saw someone had used an excavator (怪手) to make the hole.
Finally, they found the two guys that did it.
The guys said they wanted to make a shortcut (捷徑).
They said it took too much time to travel around the wall.
Unfortunately, those guys did not think about what they were destroying (摧毀).
The part of the wall they knocked down goes back to the Ming dynasty.
他們拆掉的那部分城牆建於明朝。
That means it's more than 400 years old.
What's more, experts (專家) say there is no way to fix the wall.
That part of the wall was important for historians (歷史學家).
Plus, tourists (觀光客) used to visit that wall.
Now, it is destroyed forever.
Fortunately, there are still many other sections of the Great Wall.
Still, this strange story has made people think about how to preserve historical sites (如何保存歷史遺跡).
In the past, the wall protected the people of China.
But these days, people in China need to protect the wall!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A young student won the top go tournament for women in Taiwan.
To play go, two players put black and white stones on a board.
Sixteen-year-old Lin Yi-ting used a relaxed mindset and AI training to become the champion.
________________________________
And,
Two guys dug a hole in the Great Wall of China.
They wanted to make a shortcut near their home in Shanxi.
But, they destroyed a part of the wall that was more than 400 years old.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Do you know what time it is? Of course you do! That's because we have clocks, all over the place.
But when was the first clock invented?
Around the year 1300, people made something called an "hourglass". Sand falls slowly from the top of the hourglass to its bottom, to show how much time has passed.
But that's not really a clock.
Even before 1300, we had mechanical clocks, in tall towers that could ring a bell at certain times of day.
That's a little closer…
But thousands of years before all these inventions, humans could take a long stick… and put it in the ground, sticking up to the sky. And as the sun moved, people could know what time it was, by looking at the stick's shadow!
So, yeah… I guess our first clock has always been the sun!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Adventure in Taiwan, and a new way to fight drunk driving.
And…
In some ways, you could say our Earth has a "heart of gold". We’ll explain more, coming up in a bit!
________________________________
旅遊網站票選"最佳冒險旅遊目的地" 台灣奪冠
Taiwan is a Top Adventure Destination
Do you like traveling in Taiwan?
Most of us live in Taiwan, and we get to enjoy the island all the time.
And for travelers from other countries, Taiwan offers lots of adventures too!
That’s why an American travel website named Taiwan as 2023’s “Favorite Adventure Destination”.
Trazee Travel is a website that has news for travelers who are 25 to 40 years old.
The company recently asked readers to vote on favorite places in the world.
They voted from December last year to May this year.
美國旅遊主流媒體Trazee Travel讀者票選台灣為今年"最喜愛的冒險旅遊目的地"。
Seoul was voted "Favorite Worldwide City" for the second year in a row (連續).
The title of "Favorite Country" went to Greece, for the fourth year in a row.
Taiwan's Tourism Bureau says more people from North America are visiting Taiwan.
The bureau says in the first six months of this year, 270,000 tourists from the US and Canada have visited Taiwan.
Officials say they want to attract more young travelers from North America.
They say they are putting together many types of programs (計劃, 方案) about culture, ecology, food and shopping.
The Tourism Bureau says many visitors from North America like outdoor activities.
Taiwan has beautiful mountains and coastlines.
This makes it a great place for extreme sports, like rock climbing, mountain biking, white water rafting (泛舟), and more.
The Tourism Bureau hopes travelers can find unique experiences when in Taiwan.
________________________________
日本防酒駕的新招數
A New Way to Fight Drunk Driving
Drunk driving has caused many fatal (致命的) traffic accidents around the world.
And this happens in Taiwan too.
Many countries have done things to try to stop drunk driving.
But a driving school in Japan is taking an unusual approach (不尋常的方法).
They are encouraging drivers to drink alcohol (喝酒) before driving.
How does this help stop drunk driving?
This was actually a special class at the driving school.
They want people to see how different it is to drive after drinking alcohol.
They hope this will help people understand how dangerous it is to drink and drive (酒後開車).
The school invited 10 people to the class.
These people had to drive a car through a U-turn, an S-bend, and some tight curves (彎道).
First they did this sober (清醒的).
A driving teacher sat in the car, and assessed (評估) how well they drove.
The teacher also assessed the driver's reflexes (反射動作, 本能反應)
Then, the school asked the drivers to drink some alcohol.
They drank enough alcohol to go over the legal limit (酒駕標準值).
And they went through the same U-turn, S-bend, and tight curves.
And the teacher assessed their driving again.
Many of the drivers were very confident (有信心) about their skills.
They were sure they could still drive well, even after drinking alcohol.
But they soon found out that after drinking, they made many mistakes (錯誤) when driving.
Police in Japan say some drivers who drink and drive have not had an accident yet.
This makes them feel like they are invincible (無敵).
And this makes the drivers keep drinking and driving.
日本的警察說有些酒駕慣犯過去喝酒開車時，運氣好而未發生事故，這種狀況讓他們反覆同樣的危險行為。
Some research shows that drunk drivers cause 7 times more fatal accidents (死亡事故) than sober drivers.
Maybe you're not old enough to drive yet.
But when you are, would a class like this make you think twice (三思而後行) about driving after drinking?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
American travel website Trazee Travel named Taiwan as 2023’s “Favorite Adventure Destination”.
Taiwan's Tourism Bureau says Taiwan's mountains and coastlines make it a great place for extreme sports.
The bureau hopes travelers can find unique experiences when in Taiwan.
________________________________
A driving school in Japan is taking an unusual approach to fight drunk driving.
They are encouraging drivers to drink alcohol before driving for a special class.
They want people to see how different it is to drive after drinking alcohol, and help them understand how dangerous it is to drink and drive.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And before we go, here's a Tasty Tidbit you can take away from today's News Lunchbox:
Gold is a precious metal, and saying something is precious can mean it is rare. But did you know that there is enough gold inside Earth to cover the entire planet?
And that layer of gold covering the Earth would be knee-high!
So how do we get all that gold? Well right now, that’s pretty much impossible, since the core is almost 3,000 kilometers below our feet. And the temperature in the core can get up to over 5,000 degrees Celsius!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an all new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Are you ready for today's new episode of News Bites?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
ChatGPT helps fight crime, and Gaza's first cat cafe.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…animal artists!
Keep on listening to find out more, coming up next!
________________________________
高雄檢警利用ChatGPT捉住虛擬貨幣詐騙集團
Kaohsiung Authorities Use ChatGPT to Catch Crypto Scammers
Technology has changed our lives.
From smartphones to smart appliances, they have become an integral part of everyday life.
從智能手機到智能家居，它們已經成為日常生活中不可缺的一部分。
This year, AI chatbots are all the rage (超夯的).
And none is more popular or well-known as ChatGPT.
Many people have found different uses (用途) for this helpful tool.
And one of those uses is to help catch bad guys!
In Kaohsiung, prosecutors have turned into technology experts to crack down on cryptocurrency scams.
在高雄，檢警變成了科技達人，專門打擊加密貨幣的詐騙行為。
Using ChatGPT, investigators traced the flow of illegal money (調查人員追?了非法資金的流向).
And guess how much they found?
150 million NT!
These scammers were really clever (聰明).
They pretended to be "cryptocurrency traders" and used the virtual world to hide their tracks.
他們假裝自己是「加密貨幣交易員」，並利用虛擬世界來掩飾自己。
But you can't fool technology (騙不過科技的)!
檢警用新科技ChatGPT追查，成功抓到了主嫌，破獲了高達一億五千萬元的金流。
One of the investigators taught himself coding (自學程式設計) to help catch these fraudsters (詐騙犯).
His technology skills, along with help from ChatGPT, revealed (揭露了) where the money was going and who was behind it.
As it turns out, these so-called traders were living the high life-driving luxury cars, all while their families thought they were tech geniuses.
結果發現，這些所謂的交易員其實過著奢華的生活，開著豪車，而他們的家人還以為他們是科技天才。
Well, not anymore! The truth is out (真相大白)!
It goes to show that ChatGPT can be a useful sidekick in the fight against crime!
這證明了ChatGPT可以成為打擊犯罪的有用助手！
________________________________
加沙地帶首家喵星人咖啡館
Gaza's First 'MEOW Cat Cafe?'
Spending time with cats can make you feel relaxed and happy.
Having a warm drink like tea or coffee can also help people unwind (舒壓).
And if you like both of those things, you can always visit a cat cafe!
The idea started here in Taiwan.
The world's first cat cafe opened in Taipei in 1998.
Since then, it has spread to Japan, Korea, and the US.
已經傳播到日本、韓國和美國。
And now, it has even reached Gaza in the Middle East (中東的加沙)!
Naeema Maabed has opened the first cat cafe in the Gaza Strip.
Naeema says the idea sparked from her childhood passion for cats.
Naeema 說，這個點子源於她兒時對貓的熱愛。
She believes cats are natural mood boosters, calling them a "natural antidepressant."
她相信貓咪是天生的心情提升劑，稱它們為「天然抗憂鬱劑」。
Naeema says many people in Gaza like cats, but they don't know how to keep a pet.
Many apartment buildings don't allow people to keep pets, either.
許多公寓大樓也不允許人們養寵物。
So she decided to make a place for cat lovers to relieve their stress (為愛貓人士打造一個舒壓的地方).
This caf? isn't just any caf?-it's a cat lover's paradise!
是貓奴的天堂！
The 'MEOW Cat Caf?' is home to many kinds of cats.
Most are Persian cats, and there are also Turkish angora and hybrid felines.
大部分是波斯貓，還有土耳其安哥拉貓和混種貓。
Customers can pay a fee (付費) to enter the cat room that's separated from the cafe with a glass partition (玻璃隔間).
Parents can enjoy coffee and see their children play with the cats.
For 14-year-old Hala, who can't convince her parents to get a pet cat, the caf? is a delightful place.
對於14歲的Hala來說，由於她無法說服父母為她養一隻貓，這家咖啡店成了一個令人愉快的地方。
She says it's a nice project (是個不錯的計劃), and she visits often to release stress.
Even though pets aren't common in Gaza, cats have always been around, especially near ports and fish markets (港口和魚市場附近).
And now, thanks to Naeema, they have a home where they're the stars!
So the next time you think about cats and coffee, remember that sometimes, paws and lattes are the perfect blend (貓爪和拿鐵是最完美的組合)!
Wouldn't you love to check this place out?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
In Kaohsiung, prosecutors have turned into technology experts to crack down on cryptocurrency scams.
An investigator taught himself coding to help catch fraudsters online.
He used ChatGPT to help him reveal the illegal flow of money.
________________________________
And,
Naeema Maabed has opened the first cat cafe in the Gaza Strip.
She believes cats are natural mood boosters, calling them a "natural antidepressant."
She decided to open the cat cafe because many people in Gaza can't keep pets.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Do you think animals can make art?
Well, some people can teach dogs, cats, or elephants to make pictures with paint.
But that comes from lots of practice, and training… and many people think real art comes from feelings, and creativity.
But did you know there are birds that like to collect shiny things for their nest?
And there are fish that make beautiful circles in the sand, and dolphins that like to blow bubble rings for their friends…
And many animals like dogs, and even elephants, can be seen playing games with each other all the time.
So if animals feel enough to do all of these things… isn't that a kind of art?
It's different from what humans make… but it can still be very creative!
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
New paint for old gods, and a hero's greatest fear.
And stay tuned for today's Tasty Tidbits at the end of the episode…
Where our animal jokes will quack you up!
________________________________
新生代匠師為書院古蹟繪門神
Qing Dynasty School to Reopen in 2026
你的學校門口，有門神守護嗎?
An ancient school in northern Taiwan is being restored (修復).
Hsuehhai Academy was built during the Qing Dynasty.
The school in Taipei's Wanhua District was later bought by a local family.
The family used it as a temple.
"學海書院" 是清朝建的書院，日治時期由一個姓高的家族買下建物作為宗祠使用，現在也是台北市唯一的書院建築古蹟。
Two big door gods (門神) are painted on the doors to the building.
Door gods are gods that guard (守護) doors or gates.
They protect people inside from evil.
There are also door gods who bring in good luck and blessings (祝福, 喜事).
Traditionally, most family temples did not have door gods.
But the family that bought the building was a bit different.
One of the family members was a Qing Dynasty official.
高氏宗祠所有權人說，傳統的宗祠比較少有門神彩繪，不過高氏家族先祖是清朝的官，所以宗祠才會有門神彩繪，
Now, the Taipei government hopes the building can reopen for the public by 2026.
The city government asked a traditional artist, Chou Meng-hsun (周孟勳), to paint new door gods.
Chou is 36 years old, and he is a traditional painter certified by the Ministry of Culture.
To paint the door, Chou says he will use the same art style and same type of paint.
But Chou says his door gods will show how artists from different times paint a little differently.
The old original (原本的) doors will be cleaned and put on display.
Chou says this job is very important to him.
In fact, he says that this is "not just a job" for him.
He says "it is a work of art".
________________________________
讓英雄怕怕的秘魯新品種蛇類
New Snake Species Named After Harrison Ford
A hero isn't afraid of anything, right?
This hero has traveled through dangerous jungles.
He's fought evil bad guys (邪惡的壞蛋) and monsters.
And he's even been chased by a giant rolling rock!
He's Indiana Jones, from the famous Hollywood movies.
But this hero has one weakness…he's afraid of snakes!
Indiana Jones is a professor and archaeologist (考古學家) who goes on many adventures.
This movie character is played by American actor Harrison Ford.
And now, Harrison Ford shares his name with a real snake!
Recently, four scientists discovered a new species of snake.
They had to walk through dangerous jungles in Peru (秘魯) to find this snake.
They almost ran into drug traffickers (毒販).
And after a lot of hard work and danger, they found the "Tachymenoides harrisonfordi".
The snake is about 40 centimeters long.
It has bronze and gold scales.
The scientists thought it would be funny to name the snake after the man who played Indiana Jones, who hates snakes.
哈里遜福特曾飾演的電影主角印第安納瓊斯在劇中其實很怕蛇。
And Harrison Ford, who played the character, also works in nonprofit groups (非營利組織) to help protect the environment.
After hearing the news, Ford joked that he and the snake "probably would've been friends in the early '60s."
But seriously, Ford says this reminds all of us that there is still a lot to learn about nature.
He says we must mend (修補) "our broken relationship with nature" and protect living things.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Hsuehhai Academy, built during the Qing Dynasty is being restored.
The city government asked a traditional artist, Chou Meng-hsun, to paint new door gods.
The city hopes the building can reopen for the public by 2026.
________________________________
And…
Four scientists discovered a new species of snake, the "Tachymenoides harrisonfordi".
They named the snake after American actor Harrison Ford.
The scientists thought it would be funny to name the snake after the man who played the character of Indiana Jones, who hates snakes.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And before we go, here's a Tasty Tidbit to go with your News Lunchbox.
You ready?
How do you get a squirrel to like you?
You act like a nut!
Alright, if that doesn't tickle your funny bone…
Here's two more animal jokes from 11-year-old Ray, Heping Experimental Elementary School in Taipei City.
That was hilarious Ray!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno…
And I’m Nancy Sun!
In today's news:
A traditional Taiwanese snack in Paris, and Peruvian Q-pop!
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…some fun facts about colors!
Stay tuned to hear more about all that, coming up next.
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台灣車輪餅風靡法國
Taiwanese Wheel Cakes Roll into France
Have you ever tried a ‘wheel cake’?
你有吃過「車輪餅」吧!
You know, those round snacks you often see at street food stalls?
Wheel cakes evolved from a Japanese pastry (從日本點心演變過來的).
And they are a popular traditional snack in Taiwan.
Wheel cakes can be both sweet and savory.
可以是甜的，也可以是鹹的。
They've got a fluffy texture (口感蓬鬆), kinda like a pancake, and they can be filled with all sorts of goodies.
And they’re becoming popular around the world!
In Vietnam (越南), they are called “Taiwanese UFO Pancakes.”
And even further away in France, people can’t get enough of them!
而在更遠的法國，人們對它們愛不釋手！
Wheel cakes are taking Paris by storm (掀起熱潮)!
Two shops are leading the way in Paris.
First up is "Ciao Roue," opened by Chang Chiao-wei (張巧薇), a Taiwanese woman living in Paris.
She wanted to bring a little piece of Taiwan to France and offer a snack that brings back childhood memories.
她想把台灣的一小部分，也就是這種能喚起童年回憶的點心，帶到法國。
Her wheel cakes made it into the French newspaper ‘Le Monde’.
The other pioneer (先鋒) is Lu Shu-yu (呂叔優).
She opened a shop called "Simplify" and then another one named "Simplify Plus."
And people love it!
People are not just eating these wheel cakes; they’re also talking about them on social media (社群媒體).
Because let’s be honest, they are perfect for photos!
It looks like this Taiwanese snack is here to stay in France.
So the next time you enjoy a wheel cake, just remember, you're not just eating a snack.
下次享用車輪餅時，記住你不是單純吃點心。
You're eating an international sensation!
你是在品嚐轟動國際的美食！
________________________________
秘魯 Q-Pop 的興起
The Rise of Peruvian Q-Pop
You have definitely heard of K-pop.
It’s a music genre (音樂形式) from South Korea that has attracted (吸引了) millions of fans from all over the world.
And in Peru, it has inspired a whole new genre.
在秘魯，南韓 K-pop 激發了全新的音樂類型。
A young musician from Lima, Peru, is creating a whole new sound.
Lenin Tamayo is mixing the beats of K-pop with songs in Quechua, a language that dates back to the Incas.
Lenin Tamayo 把 K-pop 的節奏跟印加語 Quechua 的歌曲混合在一起。
Quechua is spoken by about 10 million people across South America (大約一千萬人使用印加語).
Lenin grew up speaking it, and he wants to use his music to fight discrimination and honor his heritage.
Lenin 從小就說這種語言，他希望用音樂來對抗歧視並且尊重他的傳統。
Lenin got into K-pop when he was in school.
He found it was a way to make friends and deal with bullying.
His love for Korean culture and Quechua language has given birth to Q-pop.
他對韓國文化和 Quechua 語言的熱愛促成了 Q-pop 的誕生。
The Internet is buzzing about it (議論紛紛), and he's even getting a lot of love on TikTok.
His debut album (首張專輯) dropped last month.
Each song is based on Incan myths (印加神話).
And his stage performances include traditional Peruvian instruments like rain sticks and panpipes.
他的舞台表演還包括像雨聲棒和排笛這樣的傳統秘魯樂器。
So if you're interested in a new music genre, check out Q-pop.
Fans say it's a way to honor and learn about the rich history and culture of Peru.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Wheel cakes, a traditional Taiwanese snack, are becoming a big hit in France.
Shops in Paris like "Ciao Roue" and "Simplify" are helping to spread the love for this delicious treat.
People are talking about them on social media and posting pictures of the snack.
________________________________
And,
Lenin Tamayo is mixing K-pop with the traditional Quechua language.
He calls it Q-pop, and his songs are based on Incan myths.
He wants to use his music to fight discrimination and honor his heritage.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
You've probably watched the sun set, right?
That beautiful orange glow is something many of us look forward to.
But on Mars, sunsets aren't orange; they're blue!
It's all because of the way Mars' thin atmosphere scatters sunlight.
And speaking of colorful facts, 9-year-old Emma from Li-Sing Elementary School in Taichung City has some interesting tidbits to share!
…
…wow! My eyes are also brown!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Bringing fossils back to life, and coffee in your concrete.
And for today's Tasty Tidbits….
What's the smallest mammal you can think of? Are you thinking of a mouse? We've got one smaller. We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode!
________________________________
台灣的"化石先生"
Taiwan Fossil Preparator Preserves Ancient History
Millions of years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
They have been extinct for a long time.
But we still find them fascinating (令人著迷).
People of all ages go to museums to see dinosaur skeletons and fossils.
And many are amazed by how real the displays seem to be.
This is the work of those who clean and repair the fossils and bring them back to life.
They are called fossil preparators (化石清修師).
Despite their special skills, many people don't know much about this job.
There aren't many fossil preparators in Taiwan, because of the lack of dinosaur fossils here.
However, one local fossil preparator, Hsiao Yu-fu is helping people learn more about the job.
Hsiao has a nickname, "Mr. Fossil".
He started working as a fossil preparator by accident (意外的).
When he was a teenager, he was deeply fascinated by natural science and fossils.
At the age of 21, he went to Germany to learn more about the field.
Originally, he just wanted to exchange fossils and stones in some trade fairs (交易會).
A friend, who was involved in fossil digging and restoration (復原), introduced him to the career.
Since then, Hsiao has been digging and restoring fossils.
He even set up his own fossil restoration company.
In 2018, Hsiao worked together with a land owner in Montana.
He was asked to excavate (挖掘) and restore a Triceratops (三角龍) skull.
After it was restored, the skull was the most complete Triceratops skull in the world.
It was nicknamed "Big Boss".
Hsiao is also one of the first to find dinosaur eggs in the body of a mother dinosaur.
He then co-authored (共同執筆) a study that answered the mystery of how dinosaurs laid eggs.
Over the years, Hsiao's achievements have made him a leader of the field in Taiwan.
Other than restoring fossils, he also curates (策劃展覽) for museums.
His dream is to open a museum where people can learn about fossils through interactive displays.
He says restoring fossils is like "opening a blind box, you never know what you'll get".
________________________________
強化混凝土用咖啡渣?
Processed Coffee Grounds Make Concrete Stronger
Millions of people around the world start their day with a cup of coffee.
And around 18 million tons of used coffee grounds are produced each year.
Coffee grounds are actually very useful.
It is a good fertilizer (肥料) which can help your plants grow.
Some people use it to get rid of bad smells.
Some even use it to get rid of dead skin cells.
But we still throw away a lot of coffee grounds.
So where do they go?
Just like all garbage, they mostly end up in landfills (垃圾掩埋場).
Most might think that disposing coffee grounds in landfills is harmless, because it's biodegradable.
But when coffee grounds decompose (分解), it releases methane (甲烷).
And all that methane makes global warming worse.
But scientist might have found a way to solve this problem.
They've found a way to use coffee grounds in concrete (混凝土).
The coffee is heated to around 350 degrees Celsius.
This turns it into biochar (生物碳).
Then this biochar is added to concrete.
Researchers found that doing this made the concrete almost 30 percent stronger.
And using biochar means using less sand.
And that means we dig up less sand from the environment.
Researchers are still working on this idea.
But they believe it could be a good solution (解決方案).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese fossil preparator, Hsiao Yu-fu is helping people learn more about the job.
He has been digging and restoring fossils from a young age, and even set up his own fossil restoration company.
Hsiao has restored the most complete Triceratops skull in the world.
Hsiao is also one of the first to find dinosaur eggs in the body of a mother dinosaur.
________________________________
And,
Scientist have found a way to use coffee grounds in concrete.
Researchers found that this made the concrete almost 30 percent stronger.
And using coffee grounds to make concrete means we use less sand, protecting the environment.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Lots of stories and songs talk about things "as tiny as a mouse". But maybe they don't know about the "bumblebee bat"!
The bumblebee bat is the world's smallest mammal. Its body from head to toe is about 3 centimeters long. And it weighs about 2 grams. It easily fits onto the tip of your finger!
The bat is also called Kitti's hog-nosed bat, and to see one, you have to visit special caves in parts of Thailand or Myanmar.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
Taiwan sends a robot to the North Pole, and Sweden chooses nuclear power.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what is the farthest place on Earth?
Let's get into it.
________________________________
台灣無人船訪問北極
Taiwan's Unmanned Boat Visits the Arctic
What's at the North Pole (北極)?
It's a cold place, with lots of ice and polar bears.
But, it's a long way from Taiwan.
That's why many people were surprised to hear that a boat from Taiwan went to study the North Pole.
That's right… a Taiwanese boat went to the Arctic (北極極地).
The Arctic is what we call the area around the North Pole.
A team of scientists from Taiwan wanted to know more about this mysterious region.
台灣的科學家想要多了解這個神秘的地區。
So, they sent a little boat on a 14-day mission (使命) to the Arctic.
The boat didn't have any people on it, only machines.
It was an unmanned boat (無人船).
First, the scientists had to build the boat.
They asked for help from National Penghu University of Science and Technology (國立澎湖科技大學).
The university designed and built all the electronics (電子設備) on the boat.
They made a communication system (通訊系統).
They also made an AI tool, to help the boat stay away from floating ice (遠離浮冰).
When the boat was finished, it weighed 15 kilograms.
The scientists put it on an airplane and sent it North.
It went to Svalbard, an island in the Arctic Ocean.
它去了北冰洋的一個島嶼斯瓦爾巴島。
That's where the little boat started its mission.
It used a special camera to scan the ocean floor (掃描海底).
This scan let scientists make a 3-D model (3D模型) of the sea floor.
What's more, the boat brought a sensor (感測器) to measure earthquakes (測量地震).
It left the sensor in the Arctic, so scientists can continue to study earthquakes there.
Finally, the boat collected ice and soil.
This will help scientists learn how the temperature in the Arctic is changing.
Ice in the Arctic is melting due to climate change.
由於氣候變化，北極的冰正在融化。
The scientists want to know how fast it's melting.
After 14 days, the mission was finished.
The team thinks the mission was a success (成功).
It gave them lots of data (大量數據).
It also showed that the boat could work in very cold weather.
________________________________
瑞典計劃建設 10 座核電廠
Sweden Plans 10 Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear energy (核能) is useful.
It can generate a lot of power.
它可以產生大量的電力。
Recently, Sweden's government (瑞典政府) said they need to generate twice as much power.
They say it's important for meeting their climate goals (氣候目標).
Along with other EU countries (歐盟國家), Sweden's goal is to be "carbon neutral" (碳中和) by 2050.
So, they need to stop using coal, oil, and gas.
They also need to switch to electric cars.
Their government's plan is to build 10 new nuclear power plants (核電廠).
The government wants to use nuclear power to reduce their carbon emissions and reach their climate goal.
政府希望利用核電來減少碳排放並達成氣候目標。
But, lots of people are against the plan.
That's because nuclear power plants creates nuclear waste (核廢料).
It does not pollute the air like carbon emissions.
However, it is still toxic (有毒).
It's difficult to throw nuclear waste away.
That's because it can pollute the environment (污染環境) and nobody wants to live near it.
Plus, some people feel that nuclear power is dangerous.
If a nuclear power plant has an accident (核能意外事故), it can pollute a big area.
These people think the government should use other kinds of energy, like solar and wind energy.
這些人認為政府應該使用其他類型的能源，例如太陽能和風力發電。
Solar and wind energy are cleaner and safer.
But, they do not generate as much power as nuclear energy.
That's why Sweden has a big choice to make.
For now, it looks like they will go with nuclear energy.
But it's not only Sweden.
All over the world, many countries are facing the same choice.
許多國家都面臨著同樣的選擇。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Scientists from Taiwan have sent an unmanned boat to the Arctic.
The little boat scanned the ocean floor and collected ice and soil.
The mission lasted 14 days, and scientists say it was a success.
________________________________
And,
Sweden plans to build 10 new nuclear power plants.
Their government says this can help them generate enough power to reach their climate goals.
But other people are against nuclear power, and want to use wind or solar instead.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How far away is your home from your school, or your work?
Well, one place on Earth is farther away from people than anywhere else.
It's called "Point Nemo".
Point Nemo isn't actually an island, it's just a place in the ocean… but it's 2,600 kilometers away from land, in every direction!
In fact, it's so far away from everyone, that the people closest to it are… astronauts!
As the international space station travels around Earth, it gets closer to Point Nemo than anyone on the planet.
And when satellites get too old to be in space, many countries send them down to crash around Point Nemo, so they won't hit any people.
You can go there if you want… but you'll probably be the only one!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Unbelievable tales from an ancient business, and ways to fight too much screen time.
And for today's Tasty Tidbits….
Think of a country with lots of pyramids. We know which one you're thinking of, but another country has more.
Stay to find out the surprising answer.
________________________________
當鋪的奇聞趣事
Amazing Tales from a Pawnshop
A pawn shop is a business that lends money to people.
People who would like to borrow money must bring in something valuable, and leave it with the shop.
Some people bring in jewelry, or even gold, as collateral (抵押品).
If these people pay back the money within a time limit, they can get their valuable item back.
But if they do not, the shop may sell that item to another person, to make money.
Pawnshops are one of the oldest ways of borrowing money.
典當是人類社會最古老的行業之一。
The history of pawning first started in ancient China over 3000 years ago.
They were operated by Buddhist monks who gave loans to peasants (農民) and small businesses.
Pawnshops first emerged in Taiwan when it was still an agricultural society.
At that time, the economy was still growing and many people needed money.
One pawnshop owner in Taiwan says back in those days, people would pawn almost anything.
That includes pots, pans, quilts, and even clothes.
And the shop owner says today, people pawn electronics, jewelry, cars and houses, even gold teeth.
He also says another shop owner once accepted 6 grenades (手榴彈).
The police came by later and confiscated (沒收) the grenades.
They then returned the grenades, after confirming they were replicas (複製品).
The shop owner says a priest who wanted to pawn bulletproof vests.
But the owner says he did not accept these.
Pawnshop owners check online to see if an item has value, and can be sold legally.
The shop owner says the strangest thing he ever accepted, was a golden retriever (黃金獵犬).
But he says most of the time, he does not accept pets, because then he has to take care of them.
Some people think of pawnshops as places for shopping.
Many objects are not redeemed (贖回) by their original owners.
Sometimes, you can buy watches, cars, even musical instruments at a great deal.
But this ancient way of borrowing money does come with some risks.
________________________________
歐盟對抗青少年手機成癮
The EU Fights Smartphone Addiction in Youth
It is not news that smartphone addiction is a worldwide situation.
And some are especially worried about adolescents (青少年).
Many parents around the world think a lot about their kids' internet use.
There are lots of debates about social media use and teen mental health.
And some countries are taking action to control the potentially harmful use of social media.
China wants to limit screen time to 40 minutes for children under 8.
The U.S. state of Utah imposed a digital curfew (宵禁) for minors.
And the European Union is starting with its Digital Services Act (DSA).
The DSA requires major social platforms to comply (遵守) to new rules.
Their system must be inspected by the European Commission.
This is to make sure that their products aren't harming children.
The platforms also have to make sure that their algorithms (演算法) don't recommend inappropriate videos to teens.
And "autoplay" would be turned off, so young people don't stay hooked watching videos.
The platforms are also not allowed to track children's online activity, and show them personalized ads.
What if these social media platforms don't follow the rules?
They could face a fine of up to 6 percent of their global revenue (收入).
Many are waiting to see if the idea works.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Pawnshops are one of the oldest ways of borrowing money.
One pawnshop owner in Taiwan says today, people pawn electronics, jewelry, cars and houses, even gold teeth.
But this ancient way of borrowing money does come with some risks.
________________________________
And,
The European Union has created new laws for social media platforms to follow.
This is to make sure that their products aren't harming children.
If these social media platforms don't follow the rules, they could face fines.
Many are waiting to see if the idea works.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When people say pyramids, we think of sand, camels, the sun, and probably Egypt. But did you know that the country with the most pyramids in the world…is actually Sudan?
So far, 138 pyramids have been found in Egypt, but there are around 255 in Sudan!
Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa. Many of the pyramids in Sudan were built as tombs for kings and queens. These pyramids look a little different from the pyramids of Egypt. They're a bit steeper and pointier.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
A hardworking buffalo enjoys retirement, and a man returns home after traveling the world.
And…
Are you one of those people who absolutely MUST have access to the internet, no matter where you are? Then you gotta hear today’s Tasty Tidbit at the end of the show.
________________________________
耕田水牛退休，去安養中心享福
Retired Water Buffalo Now Living the Good Life
A retired water buffalo is now living the good life.
Farmer Huang Sung-yung lives in Yunlin County, and recently retired (退休).
And he had a long-time farming partner, a water buffalo (水牛).
"Ah Niou" (阿牛) had helped him work the fields (耕田) for a long time.
She was the last working water buffalo in Huwei Township.
Water buffalos were once a big part of working on a farm.
In the 1950s, there were around 330,000 water buffalos working the fields.
But as time went on, farmers began to use more machines.
And the animals that were not working anymore were often sent to the slaughterhouse (屠宰場).
But now, there are more places for the water buffalos to comfortably live out the rest of their lives.
These places are often called "buffalo sanctuaries".
And this was where farmer Huang took Ah Niou.
Huang took the 12-year-old buffalo to the sanctuary in Tuku Township.
雲林縣虎尾鎮最後一隻耕田水牛住進土庫鎮的水牛安養中心。
It's a big piece of land where water buffalos can walk around and eat grass and corn stalks (玉米稈).
There's also a pond, for them to cool off when it gets hot.
And Ah Niou will have new friends.
Two other water buffalos live there, 9-year-old "An Hsin" (安心) and 14-year-old "A Le" (阿樂).
And the buffalos' owners can come visit anytime.
The sanctuary is also open to visitors, who can come see and feed the water buffalos.
Sounds like a nice place to retire!
________________________________
丹麥男子不搭飛機環遊世界
Man Who Visited Every Country in the World Without Flying Returns Home
Torbjorn "Thor" Pedersen decided he would visit every country in the world without flying.
He set some rules for himself.
He would spend at least 24 hours in every country.
Torbjorn would live on about $20 US dollars a day.
And he wouldn't go home again until he finished his trip.
But why not fly to every country?
Torbjorn says traveling without flying gives the trip a sense of history (歷史感).
He started his epic (壯麗的, 漫長而艱難的) trip on October 10th, 2013.
這位丹麥男子於2013年10月10日展開環遊世界旅程。
He left his job, his girlfriend, and his family behind in Denmark.
Torbjorn thought it would take about four years to reach all the countries and states.
But the trip turned out very differently.
There were many delays.
For some countries like Syria and Iran, it took months to get visas.
So Torbjorn would have to wait.
There were also many other challenges.
He got very sick with malaria (瘧疾) in Ghana.
And he got stuck in a very intense four-day storm on the Atlantic Ocean, going from Iceland to Canada.
Then there was the biggest delay of all…the COVID-19 pandemic.
In early 2020, when the pandemic broke out, Torbjorn found himself suddenly stuck in Hong Kong.
He would stay there for two years.
At that time, he had just nine countries left to visit.
In January 2022, Torbjorn was finally able to leave Hong Kong and continue his trip.
From there, he visited Palau, Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, and several other countries.
And finally on July 26th this year, he reached home, at the Port of Aarhus, in Denmark.
Torbjorn says from start to finish, he traveled 3,576 days.
He traveled almost 360,000 kilometers.
That's about as far as going around Earth NINE times!
And that's not including his 33-day trip going home on a ship.
Torbjorn also says his trip is not about numbers.
He says his trip celebrates the kindness of people.
He says he's met warm, friendly people all around the world.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Ah Niou, the last working water buffalo in Huwei Township, is now living in a water buffalo sanctuary in Tuku Township.
It's a big piece of land where water buffalos can walk around and eat grass and corn stalks.
There's also a pond, for them to cool off when it gets hot.
Sounds like a nice place to retire!
________________________________
Torbjorn "Thor" Pedersen decided he would visit every country in the world without flying.
He started his epic trip on October 10th, 2013, and visited 203 countries or states.
In all, he traveled almost 360,000 kilometers, about as far as going around Earth nine times!
Now, Torbjorn is back home, and he is looking forward to starting a family with his wife.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And before we go, here's a Tasty Tidbit you can take away from today's News Lunchbox:
If you ever try to climb to the top of Mount Everest, you can call home to tell your family you’re safe.
Because did you know that there is cell phone service on top of the tallest mountain in the world above sea level!
And there is also internet service at the Everest base camp, and on some parts of the mountain!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey there! It’s time for another episode of News Bites.
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today’s news:
More furbabies than babies in Hsinchu, and an overview of India’s first moon rover.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…what does it take to be a planet?
Keep on listening to find out!
________________________________
新竹縣寵物數量超過新生兒
Pets Outnumber Newborns in Hsinchu County
Do you have a pet at home?
A fluffy cat or a friendly dog?
Well, you’re not alone!
For the third year in a row (連續三年), Hsinchu County has had more new pets than new babies.
Since 2020, the number of pet cats has increased by about 25 percent each year…
…while dog registrations have risen 10 percent annually!
從2020年以來，寵物貓的註冊量每年增加25％，而寵物狗的註冊量則每年增加10％。
In 2022, 5,129 dogs and cats were registered as pets, while only 4,033 babies were born in the county.
2022年新竹縣內註冊的寵物貓和狗數量達到5, 129隻，而只有4, 033名嬰兒出生。
Furbabies outnumber babies!
毛小孩數量超過嬰兒!
Officials say that this shows how pets are increasingly seen as “a part of the family” (寵物越來越被看作是”家庭的一份子”).
Not only that (不止如此), but Hsinchu County is also becoming more and more pet-friendly (友善寵物).
It recently opened a new Animal Protection Education Park (保護動物教育園區) in Zhubei.
This park is all about teaching people how to take good care of animals.
The county government also offers perks for people who adopt a pet instead of buying one.
針對那些領養寵物而不是購買寵物的人，縣政府還提供了一些小福利。
They provide free pet registration (寵物登記), rabies vaccinations (狂犬病疫苗), and sterilization (絕育手術).
They have even teamed up (合作) with eight local businesses that are all about pets.
So, when people adopt, they can get discounts on stuff like vet visits, grooming, pet boarding, and various pet products.
領養寵物的人可以享受到看獸醫、寵物美容、寄宿和各種寵物用品的優惠。
Some people are a bit worried that young families are choosing to adopt pets instead of having babies.
They want the government to keep an eye on this (注意到這個情況), as Taiwan’s birth rate is going down (台灣的出生率正在下降).
________________________________
印度「月船」成功登陸月球南極
India’s Moon Rover Successfully Lands on Lunar South Pole
India has joined an exclusive list of countries (極少數國家名單).
It’s now the fourth country in the world to successfully land a lunar rover!
印度現在是全球第四個成功登陸月球的國家！
The Chandrayaan-3 moon mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO.
月球任務 Chandrayaan-3 由印度太空研究組織發射。
It was launched on July 14th, and this mission consists of two main parts—a lander named Vikram and a rover called Pragyan.
這個任務在7月14日發射，主要包括兩部分—登陸器 Vikram 和月球探測器 Pragyan。
The names come from Sanskrit (梵語)–chandra means ‘moon’, yana means ‘ship’ (船).
And vikram means ‘brave’ (勇敢), and pragyan means ‘wisdom’ (智慧).
Vikram and Pragyan touched down near the moon’s south pole (降落在月球南極) on August 23rd.
That makes India the first country to land there.
People from all over India and even the world watched the landing (登陸).
Schools showed it live (現場直播), and people prayed (祈禱) for its success.
There were big celebrations, and the media called it India’s biggest scientific achievement so far (印度到目前為止最大的科學成就).
Indian newspapers celebrated with headlines (標題) like “The moon is Indian.”
People in India were over the moon—literally!
印度人民真是高興到月亮去了！
Pragyan has special tools to check out what the moon is made of.
It will test the water ice on the moon’s south pole, which could be super useful for future missions.
Right now, both Vikram and Pragyan are taking a little “nap” (小睡一下).
They went to sleep mode (休眠模式) in early September because they were running low on solar power (太陽能供應不足).
They’re set to wake up and start working again on September 22nd, when the sun rises on the moon (月球上日出的時候).
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites:
Hsinchu County has more new pets than babies for the third year in a row.
Not only that, Hsinchu County is also becoming more and more pet-friendly.
The county government offers perks for people who adopt a pet instead of buying one.
Some people are worried young families are choosing to adopt pets instead of having babies.
________________________________
And,
India is the fourth country in the world to successfully land a rover on the moon.
Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram and rover Pragyan touched down near the moon’s south pole.
It’s the first ever lunar mission to land there.
ISRO’s goal is to check out what the moon is made of to help plan for future trips.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
You’ve probably heard of Pluto, or 冥王星 in Chinese…
Pluto used to be one of our solar system’s NINE planets… But in the year 2006, scientists decided it’s not actually a planet…
So what’s wrong with Pluto?
Scientists say a body in space needs three things, to be a planet:
-
It needs to go around a star… check!
-
It needs to be a round shape… check!
-
It has to be big enough for its gravity to clean up all the space rocks around it… uh oh!
Even though Pluto is much bigger than the space rocks around it, its gravity is not strong enough, and there are still lots of space rocks around it.
Well… at least we still have eight planets… and Pluto’s still there!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! It's time again for an all new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
How to protect an animal wearing armor, and how to deal with an all-knowing intelligence.
And in today's Tasty Tidbits…
We all hate having dust in the house. But did you know that a lot of that dust comes from YOU? We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode.
________________________________
台灣成為穿山甲保育基地
Taiwan on a Journey to Protect Pangolins
Have you seen a pangolin before?
It's a shy, ant-eating mammal.
Pangolins live in parts of Asia and Africa.
They have scales (鱗片) over most of their body.
When they are in danger, pangolins will often curl (捲曲) into a ball.
When they do that, their hard scales help keep them safe.
Through the last century, Taiwan was often a dangerous place for pangolins.
Pangolins were sometimes hunted for their meat and scales.
People found ways to use pangolin leather (穿山甲皮革).
This led to large-scale (大規模的) hunting of pangolins.
As many as 5,000 pangolin hides (毛皮) were sold to other countries every month.
This made the wild pangolin population drop very quickly.
In 1989, Taiwan passed laws to stop the hunting and sale of endangered animals.
And since then, Taiwan has been working hard to better protect pangolins.
Now, many experts believe Taiwan may have the highest population density (密度) of pangolins in the world.
There are around 20,000 pangolins in Taiwan.
Some experts say Taiwan's mountain forests are a good home for pangolins.
There are lots of decaying (腐爛) leaves on the forest floor.
And lots of ants and termites live among those leaves.
This makes the forests a perfect habitat (棲息地) for pangolins.
But pangolins still face many dangers.
They are threatened by cars, animal traps, stray dogs, and poachers.
台灣野外穿山甲還是面臨許多的危險，包括遭受流浪動物攻擊、汽機車撞擊等。
Next time you take a trip in the mountains, keep an eye out for these gentle creatures.
________________________________
防ChatGPT助作弊，教授恢復老方法
An Old-fashioned Way to Deal with ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence is all the rage (風靡) nowadays.
People are using it for almost everything.
Ever since OpenAI's ChatGPT came to the market, it took the world by storm.
Some people are using it to make their jobs easier, from answering questions, to creating art.
But one group of people may have a different opinion.
Educators are still trying to figure out what to do about ChatGPT.
Since it was introduced to the world, teachers, administrators and students have debated (爭論) AI's role in education.
Some are exploring ways of integrating (融合) ChatGPT to make it a tool for education.
Others chose to ban students from using it.
There are good reasons that educators are worried about AI.
Researchers have put the program to the test and it passed numerous exams.
It aced the SAT and GRE.
ChatGPT 能在美國大學入學測驗SAT和研究生入學考試中取得好成績。
It also passed the US medical licensing exam.
More and more students are using it for schoolwork.
This led many college professors to think about their lesson plans for the future.
Some professors say they are planning to go back to handwritten assignments and oral exams.
有一些教授在考慮回到手寫作文和口頭考試的方式進行評估。
This might avoid students using AI to generate essays for papers.
One professor says students should be able to summarize (總結) information and say it in their own words.
On the other hand, some educators are using AI in their work.
They use it to make worksheets and quiz questions, which saves them a lot of time.
Whether you think it's a danger or a tool, it looks like AI isn't going to go away anytime soon.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Through the last century, Taiwan was often a dangerous place for pangolins.
Pangolins were sometimes hunted for their meat, leather, and scales.
In 1989, Taiwan passed laws to stop the hunting and sale of endangered animals.
Now, many experts believe Taiwan may have the highest population density of pangolins in the world.
________________________________
Since it was introduced to the world, teachers, administrators and students have debated AI's role in education.
Some are exploring ways of integrating ChatGPT to make it a tool for education.
Others chose to ban students from using it.
Some professors say they are planning to go back to handwritten assignments and oral exams.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit…
Cleaning up dust in the house is a daily job. Do you ever wonder where all that dust comes from?
Scientists say a lot of that dust is dead skin cells. According to some scientists, we shed 200 million skin cells every hour! And if we're sitting in our house, it makes sense that's where our skin cells go too.
Of course there's lots of other things in that dust too, like fibers, hair, pollen, bacteria, and even insect body parts. eww…
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey, you! Welcome to our humble News Bites. Have a seat! My name is Trevor Tortomasi… And I'm Paz Bueno. In today's news: Taiwanese students might have to carry less books, people restart the search for a legendary water monster, and we learn how to say every single English sound in just one sentence! We've got more on all that awesome stuff, coming up next. ________________________________ 台灣學生的電子書包 'E-Bookbags' for Taiwan Students If you're a student, then you know how heavy a backpack or a bookbag can be. Every student has to take a number of different classes, and each one of those classes wants students to carry a different book. So, not only do students have to carry all that information in their brains… They have to carry it on their backs, too! Thankfully, Taiwan's Ministry of Education could soon begin to let students use "e-bookbags". 教育部現在考慮讓學生帶這些電子書包上學。 The "e" stands for "electric", just like in the word "e-mail", or "e-scooter". That means the bookbag will be digital, and not a bunch of heavy books! In reality, the e-bookbags are basically a device that lets students read and study on a screen, kinda like an iPad or other tablet. So, not only could this save paper, but it could also help students carry less books from school to home, and from home to school. 用電子書包可以讓學生節省紙張，而且不用每天背著這麼多書上學回家。 In the past school year, the Ministry of Education helped some schools try out the e-bookbags first, to see if they worked. And it seems like they DID work, because the Ministry is now planning to expand the e-bookbag program for this new school year. Unfortunately, the e-bookbags might not work for ALL books, and it might take some more time before every school can use them. Just remember, if your bookbag is too heavy, you can let your teachers know, and maybe there's a better solution! ________________________________ 尋找傳說中的尼斯湖水怪 The Search for the Loch Ness Monster Do you believe in aliens? 你相信有外星人嗎？ How about Bigfoot? 那，你會不會相信有【大腳怪】？ Okay, have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster? 好吧，那你有沒有聽說過【尼斯湖水怪】？ In Scotland, there is a lake known as "Loch Ness". And around 1,500 years ago, old stories say a man was attacked by a monster in the lake. Some people called it "The Loch Ness Monster", but most people thought the story was just an old legend. 在蘇格蘭有一個湖叫做尼斯湖。自從一千五百年前，有人說自己在湖裡遭到怪獸攻擊，就有尼斯湖水怪的傳說。 But in 1933, one man looking at the lake said he saw a monster stick its head out of the water. He quickly told a local newspaper, and suddenly everyone wanted to see the monster, too! Soon after that, one person took a picture of a weird animal in the lake… and then more people started to believe the legends. People even gave the Loch Ness Monster a friendlier name: "Nessie". And ever since then, there are people who believe Nessie is still in the lake. In fact, just last month, people came to Scotland's Loch Ness to search for Nessie again! 最近又有很多人準備去蘇格蘭，重新尋找尼斯湖水怪。 This time, they brought better cameras, radar, and even drones, for the biggest Nessie search since 1972. Now, I hope I don't make you sad, but many scientists say the Loch Ness Monster isn't real. They say the photographs are probably other animals, and the stories are just stories. But there's one thing humans love the most… a good story! ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: Taiwan's Ministry of Education could soon begin to let students use "e-bookbags". That means bookbags will be digital, and not a bunch of heavy books! In reality, the e-bookbags are basically a device that lets students read and study on a screen, kinda like an iPad or other tablet. So, not only could this save paper, but it could also help students carry less books from school to home, and from home to school! Unfortunately, the e-bookbags might not work for ALL books, and it might take some more time before every school can use them. ________________________________ And, People have traveled to Scotland's Loch Ness, to begin another search for the Loch Ness Monster. This time, they brought better cameras, radar, and even drones, for the biggest Nessie search since 1972. The legend of the Loch Ness Monster comes from an old story more than 1,500 years ago… and people still talk about it today! People even gave the Loch Ness Monster a friendlier name: "Nessie". And ever since then, there are people who believe Nessie is still in the lake. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit What is a "pangram"? A pangram is a sentence that uses every single letter of an alphabet. In English, the most famous pangram is: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." That one sentence has all the letters… A, B, C, all the way to Z! So… what about having all the SOUNDS? Well, a sentence that uses all the sounds in a language is called a "phonetic pangram". Here's a phonetic pangram for American English: "That quick beige fox jumped in the air over each thin dog. Look out, I shout, for he's foiled you again, creating chaos." So, all the sounds you can make with American English… those sounds can be found in that one sentence! If you can say that sentence perfectly, your English might be better than mine! ________________________________ If you have a fun fact or a joke you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We’ll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中) ________________________________
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's episode…
Taiwan's young baseball team makes a championship run, and scientists study the benefits of a vegan diet.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit, let's talk about a popular vegetable garnish, 香菜, cilantro! ________________________________
台灣U12世界盃棒球賽季軍 Taiwan Places 2nd in U12 Baseball World Cup
People all over the world love to play baseball (棒球).
Many players start when they are really young.
By the time they are 11 or 12 years old, some are good enough to compete internationally.
That's what the Under-12 Baseball World Cup is all about.
In this tournament, every team represents (代表) a different country.
Each team is made of that country's best 11 and 12 year old ballplayers.
This year, the tournament was hosted by Tainan City.
How did Taiwan's team do?
It started earlier this summer, when the team arrived in Tainan for their first game against Japan.
The game was dramatic (戲劇性).
After six innings, the score was tied 1-1.
六局後比分1-1平。
But in the seventh inning (第七局), Taiwan scored twice to win the game.
That was the start of a winning streak (連串勝利).
The boys also won their next three games against Mexico, Germany and Venezuela (委內瑞拉).
Their fifth game was against Australia.
Taiwan put up an incredible score (了不起的成績), winning the match 18 to 0.
After winning their sixth game against the Dominican Republic (多明尼加), Taiwan's team was undefeated (保持不敗).
They felt like they were on fire.
他們感覺自己旺到不行。
But now they would face their old rivals… South Korea (南韓).
Taiwan and South Korea have been baseball rivals (宿敵) for years.
The boys knew the other team would put up a real fight.
The game was tough (艱難).
Taiwan was only able to score one run.
However, Taiwan's defense (防守) was excellent.
South Korea could not score any points, and Taiwan was victorious.
南韓隊一分都沒有，台灣隊獲勝。
Finally, it was time for the championship game (冠軍賽).
This one was against the country that invented baseball… the United States (美國).
It was their hardest match yet.
For most of the game, the two sides were neck and neck (勢均力敵).
Neither team could score as they both struggled to gain the advantage.
兩隊都想超前，卻都沒辦法得分。
But in the final innings, the other team turned up the heat (火力全開).
The US scored ten runs to win the game.
With that, the tournament was over.
The boys from Taiwan had to be content with second place.
台灣只能亞軍，差強人意。
But, they have not given up.
Taiwan will have another chance when the next Under-12 Baseball World Cup happens in 2025. ________________________________
研究指出 吃素可減少環境破壞 Study Shows Vegan Diet Cuts Environmental Damage
Everybody knows that eating vegetables is good for your body (對身體有利).
But is it also good for our environment (環境)?
A new study (研究) has answered this question.
The study found that eating a vegetable-based diet (以蔬菜為主的飲食) causes much less damage to the environment.
On the other hand, eating a meat-based diet (以肉類為主的飲食) leads to much more environmental damage.
How does it work?
Well, scientists have known for a long time that eating meat and dairy (乳品) is harmful for the environment.
Meat and dairy comes from animals like cows, pigs, sheep and poultry (家禽).
These animals use a lot of land (土地).
Think of a big field full of sheep…
How many trees or vegetables could we grow on such a large space?
What's more, animals need to eat lots of food, just to produce (產生) a little meat.
Finally, animals produce a lot of… um… waste (排泄物).
In other words, animals poop.
This can damage the environment because it pollutes water and creates emissions.
這可能會損害環境，因為會污染水源並產生廢氣排放。
So, when you eat meat, you become responsible (承擔責任) for these problems.
And nobody wants to be responsible for destroying the environment!
So what can you do?
One solution (解決辦法) is to just eat less meat.
That means eating a low-meat diet (低肉飲食), or less than 50 grams of meat per day.
A better option is to completely stop eating animal products.
You could try a vegan diet (純素飲食).
If lots of people switch (轉向) to a vegan diet, there will be huge benefits for the environment.
So, does this news make you want to eat less meat?
Every person will need to make that decision for themselves.
每一個人得自己做決定。 ________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
The Under-12 Baseball World Cup took place in Tainan earlier this summer.
The teams came from all over the world, and all the players were 11 and 12 years old.
Taiwan's team made a great run, but lost to the US team in the championship game. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have found that a vegan diet causes less damage to the environment.
Vegans don't eat meat, eggs or dairy.
On the other hand, eating lots of meat damages the environment more. ________________________________
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
Do you like to eat 香菜?
In the US and Latin America, we call it "cilantro". And in many other parts of the world, people call it "coriander". But no matter what you call it… some people think it tastes like soap!
Why is that? Well, this plant has many natural chemicals, which make it taste good. But around 10% of people, with different DNA, can taste an extra chemical… one that tastes a lot like soap!
Researchers say this DNA is common in the US, around 14%, but much more rare in Asia. So, you probably don't think 香菜 tastes like soap… or do you?
If you have a fun fact, joke, or news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
Tune in again next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites! －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 【AD】 Johnnie Walker XR21年 蘇格蘭威士忌，淬鍊21年以上 使用三維立體工藝，珍稀·調和·喚醒陳釀 造就多層次細膩風味與醇厚酒體 是您聚會送禮最佳首選 https://bit.ly/3RowWUr 【禁止酒駕，未滿18歲禁止飲酒】 【本文內容涉及酒類產品促銷訊息，請勿轉發分享給未達法定購買年齡者】
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中) ________________________________
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Some big crabs find a new home, and some people head underground to escape the heat.
And stay tuned for today's Tasty Tidbits at the end of the episode…
Where we find out what we have in common with Pinocchio! ________________________________
保育類椰子蟹現蹤綠島 Coconut Crabs Living Wild on Green Island
A type of rare crab may have found a home on Green Island.
Coconut crabs live on land.
Adult coconut crabs have hard shells (殼), and can get very large.
An adult coconut crab can weigh around 4 kilograms.
That's about as heavy as a cat, or a small dog.
And they can grow up to 1 meter wide, from the tip of one leg (的尖端) to the tip of another.
Some of these big crabs have been found on Green Island.
And scientists think the crabs may be making Green Island their new home.
The scientists have spotted young coconut crabs living free on the island.
These young crabs were found by scientists earlier this summer.
And the crabs were 1 to 5 years old.
They were still carrying seashells to protect (保護) their bodies.
Coconut crabs are protected by Taiwan's Wildlife Conservation Act.
They are mostly found along the coast of Pingtung, Taitung, and Taiwan's eastern outlying islands.
椰子蟹主要分布在屏東、台東及東部離島的沿海地區。
Their pincers (螯) are also strong enough to crack coconut shells.
They do this to get to the coconut meat (椰肉) inside.
椰子蟹生活於沿海附近的熱帶海岸林中，他們會用強壯的螯夾裂椰子殼，享用裡面的果肉。
Scientists say young coconut crabs have been spotted on Green Island in the past.
But they say the crabs haven't been carefully studied there yet.
If the crabs can live and grow on Green Island, they could become an important part of the natural environment there. ________________________________
逃離酷熱 澳洲地下小鎮 Australian Town Heads Underground to Beat the Heat
We all felt the heat this summer.
And many scientists say these super-hot summers could be the new "normal".
So if we're going to get through these high temperatures, we may have to change the way we live.
Some in Australia are heading underground (地下) to get away from the heat.
Around 3,000 people live in a town called Coober Pedy.
But sometimes, it looks very empty.
That's because Coober Pedy gets very hot.
The temperature there hits 52 degrees Celsius…and that's in the shade (陰涼處).
It's so hot, people who live there have to put electronics (電子產品) in the fridge.
So, more than half of the people in Coober Pedy live underground.
這個澳洲小鎮上的許多居民都進入地下生活，避開外面的灼熱氣溫。
All the underground buildings in the town are at least four meters deep.
And down there, the temperature is always around 23 degrees Celsius.
That's during daytime and at night.
People who live there say it's very easy to make a home or a new building.
They say the rock there is very soft.
So if the want to add another room to their underground house, they just start digging (挖).
And some people have made big homes with many rooms.
Some have even added game rooms, and underground swimming pools.
And it's not just homes that are underground, Coober Pedy also has underground restaurants, shops, and churches.
當地居民在地下建造了餐廳、商店、甚至還有教堂。
Some people have even made money while making their buildings bigger.
A Coober Pedy hotel was digging to build more rooms, when the owners found opals (蛋白石) underground.
The opals were worth almost $1 million US dollars!
So is going underground the best way to deal with global warming?
Not all places have stone and soil that is good for making underground buildings.
And in some places, underground homes would be too damp (潮濕).
This means living underground may not be a perfect solution (解決方案).
But as the world gets hotter, we may see more underground towns popping up soon! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists think coconut crabs may be making Green Island their new home.
The scientists have spotted young coconut crabs living free on the island.
If the crabs can live and grow on Green Island, they could become an important part of the natural environment there. ________________________________
Some people in Australia are heading underground to get away from the heat.
More than half of the people in a town called Coober Pedy live underground.
Down there, the temperature is always around 23 degrees Celsius.
As the world gets hotter, we may see more underground towns popping up soon! ________________________________
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
And before we go, here's a Tasty Tidbit you can take away from today's News Lunchbox:
Just like the character Pinocchio, something also happens to our nose when we lie.
Pinocchio is a story character whose nose grows longer when he lies. But did you know that when we lie, our nose gets warmer?
Scientists took pictures that showed how hot someone's face is.
They found that when we lie, the temperature around our nose, and the inner corners of our eyes goes up.
They call this the "Pinocchio Effect".
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
What's a landline, how small can a sculpture get, and how many things do museums have?
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣市話用戶數逐年下降
Landline Use Falls in Taiwan
When was the last time you used a landline (市話)?
A landline is a traditional telephone.
It's connected to wires (電線).
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that on average, people use landlines for less than seven minutes a day.
And the number of people who have a landline is also falling.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
Or, they use messaging apps to talk to each other.
The government says many people are choosing to cancel their landline service.
And these people often say that they are making calls with their cellphone instead.
許多人選擇取消市話的原因，是因為行動電話可以直接取代。
But officials say some people still prefer (比較喜歡) landlines.
________________________________
針孔裡的雕像
An Ant-man Smaller than Ant-man
Art comes in all shapes and sizes.
Sometimes it is big, like the ceiling (屋頂) of the Sistine Chapel.
Or sometimes, art can be tiny.
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny art.
It will show 20 sculptures (雕像).
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are very small.
They are so small, that they fit into the eye of a needle.
這些雕像非常小，小到可以放在針孔中。
Some of these sculptures show famous people, like William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein.
Some show story characters (角色), like Pinocchio and Robin Hood.
There's also a sculpture of Ant-man.
A sculpture of one person that fits in the eye of a needle is already amazing.
But how about 13 people?
The museum will also show Willard's sculpture of "The Last Supper" (最後的晚餐).
The sculpture shows Jesus and his 12 disciples (門徒) sitting together at a table…
And they all fit in the eye of a needle!
To make his tiny art, Willard uses needles, and pieces of broken diamonds (鑽石).
And he uses an eyelash (睫毛) as a paintbrush.
He uses a microscope (顯微鏡) to do his work.
And Willard says he works on his sculptures "between heartbeats".
That's because every heartbeat makes his fingers move.
And that could cause him to make a mistake!
Willard once made a motorcycle sculpture that fit into a hollowed-out hair (挖空的毛髮) from his neck.
But that's not his smallest sculpture.
His record (紀錄) is a sculpture of a baby that he made from a fiber (纖維) from his carpet.
And he put that sculpture inside a hollowed-out piece of his hair.
That sculpture holds the Guinness world record for "smallest handmade sculpture".
________________________________
全球自然史博物館有逾十億件珍藏品
Natural History Museums Have 1.1 Billion Things
Museums hold many amazing things.
And there are museums all over the world.
Have you ever wondered how many things are held in museums?
It turns out more than a billion things!
73 natural history museums (自然歷史博物館) in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
That's not exactly all the museums in the world…
But it's quite a lot.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
世界各地的73個自然歷史博物館總共擁有11億件物品。
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons.
And there are small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen (花粉).
Knowing this helps museums plan (計畫).
It helps them know what things they can share, and what they should collect (收集).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
________________________________
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny sculptures.
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are so small that they fit into the eye of a needle.
________________________________
And,
73 natural history museums in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons, and small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbits yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
－－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－
加倍享受不必忍受，夜間代謝大躍進！
全能天后楊丞琳連續3年強力推薦！
只要睡前2顆【Simply新普利超級夜酵素】，
輕鬆幫助入睡、躺平照樣高代謝，
全台康是美販口碑熱銷中！
線上買： https://bit.ly/47Xz8rD
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
What's a landline, how small can a sculpture get, and how many things do museums have?
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣市話用戶數逐年下降
Landline Use Falls in Taiwan
When was the last time you used a landline (市話)?
A landline is a traditional telephone.
It's connected to wires (電線).
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that on average, people use landlines for less than seven minutes a day.
And the number of people who have a landline is also falling.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
Or, they use messaging apps to talk to each other.
The government says many people are choosing to cancel their landline service.
And these people often say that they are making calls with their cellphone instead.
許多人選擇取消市話的原因，是因為行動電話可以直接取代。
But officials say some people still prefer (比較喜歡) landlines.
________________________________
針孔裡的雕像
An Ant-man Smaller than Ant-man
Art comes in all shapes and sizes.
Sometimes it is big, like the ceiling (屋頂) of the Sistine Chapel.
Or sometimes, art can be tiny.
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny art.
It will show 20 sculptures (雕像).
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are very small.
They are so small, that they fit into the eye of a needle.
這些雕像非常小，小到可以放在針孔中。
Some of these sculptures show famous people, like William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein.
Some show story characters (角色), like Pinocchio and Robin Hood.
There's also a sculpture of Ant-man.
A sculpture of one person that fits in the eye of a needle is already amazing.
But how about 13 people?
The museum will also show Willard's sculpture of "The Last Supper" (最後的晚餐).
The sculpture shows Jesus and his 12 disciples (門徒) sitting together at a table…
And they all fit in the eye of a needle!
To make his tiny art, Willard uses needles, and pieces of broken diamonds (鑽石).
And he uses an eyelash (睫毛) as a paintbrush.
He uses a microscope (顯微鏡) to do his work.
And Willard says he works on his sculptures "between heartbeats".
That's because every heartbeat makes his fingers move.
And that could cause him to make a mistake!
Willard once made a motorcycle sculpture that fit into a hollowed-out hair (挖空的毛髮) from his neck.
But that's not his smallest sculpture.
His record (紀錄) is a sculpture of a baby that he made from a fiber (纖維) from his carpet.
And he put that sculpture inside a hollowed-out piece of his hair.
That sculpture holds the Guinness world record for "smallest handmade sculpture".
________________________________
全球自然史博物館有逾十億件珍藏品
Natural History Museums Have 1.1 Billion Things
Museums hold many amazing things.
And there are museums all over the world.
Have you ever wondered how many things are held in museums?
It turns out more than a billion things!
73 natural history museums (自然歷史博物館) in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
That's not exactly all the museums in the world…
But it's quite a lot.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
世界各地的73個自然歷史博物館總共擁有11億件物品。
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons.
And there are small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen (花粉).
Knowing this helps museums plan (計畫).
It helps them know what things they can share, and what they should collect (收集).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
________________________________
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny sculptures.
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are so small that they fit into the eye of a needle.
________________________________
And,
73 natural history museums in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons, and small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbits yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
－－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－
【AD】
Johnnie Walker XR21年 蘇格蘭威士忌，淬鍊21年以上
使用三維立體工藝，珍稀·調和·喚醒陳釀
造就多層次細膩風味與醇厚酒體
是您聚會送禮最佳首選 https://bit.ly/3RowWUr
【禁止酒駕，未滿18歲禁止飲酒】
【本文內容涉及酒類產品促銷訊息，請勿轉發分享給未達法定購買年齡者】
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Really high traffic lights, lonely young people, and invisible solar panels.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
海拔3275公尺的紅綠燈
Traffic Lights at 3,275 Meters
Hehuanshan has beautiful scenery throughout the year.
People rush up to see snow in winter and flowers in spring.
Hikers and climbers are eager to explore the famous mountain.
In Sept. 2020, Hehuanshan was officially certified (認證) by the International Dark-Sky Association (國際暗空協會) as the first International Dark-Sky Park in Taiwan.
It's a great place for stargazers (天文迷) to see the night sky.
Now, put all these things together…
And you have thousands of visiting tourists.
But the roads on the mountain are narrow (狹窄).
Making them wider would be bad for the environment.
And this all leads to lots of traffic jams (塞車).
With so many people visiting the mountain, safety is very important.
Traffic lights were installed in Wuling (武嶺) to control traffic during holidays and weekends.
There are two sets of lights.
They are just red and green lights.
And they are 400 meters apart.
They will not be in use 24 hours a day.
And police officers will control the lights.
Officials hope that the traffic lights will help everyone stay safe.
合歡山武嶺隘口兩端設置交通號誌，警方希望這樣可以有效疏緩車流。
________________________________
南韓鼓勵【孤獨年輕人】重返社會
South Korea Pays 'Lonely Young People' to Get Back into Society
Can you imagine living a reclusive (隱居) life?
South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family says there are around 338,000 South Koreans like this.
They are around 19 to 39 years old.
They live in a small space.
They are disconnected from the outside world for a long time.
And they have a hard time living a normal life.
The government says these people start getting isolated in adolescence (青春期).
They can’t interact (互動) with others.
And it's hard for them to get use to different environments.
This can be caused by going through family problems, or health problems.
It can also be caused by mental illness.
So the South Korean government wants to encourage these people to get back into society.
It says it will give up to $500 US dollars each month to people like this, who are 9 to 24 years old.
And the government is planning more ways to work with welfare groups (社福機構) for young people.
南韓政府規劃了許多幫助方案，希望可以幫助"孤獨年輕人【重返社會】。
________________________________
龐貝古城裝【隱形】太陽能板
New 'Invisible' Solar Panels in Ancient Pompeii
Pompeii is an ancient city in Italy.
It was destroyed by a volcano in 79 A.D. (西元).
It is one of the most well-preserved ancient cities (保存完整的古城).
Each year, 3.5 million tourists visit the city to learn about its history.
But Pompeii is quite big.
It takes a lot of electricity to keep the city running.
And this means there are lots of cables and poles (電線，電線桿).
This leaves the city looking…not very nice.
Now there is a new way to get electricity, and keep the city looking beautiful.
An Italian company has made "invisible solar panels" (【隱形】太陽能板).
The panels look like stone, wood, concrete (混凝土) or brick (磚頭).
They can be hidden on walls, floors and roofs.
The panels used in Pompeii look like terracotta (陶製) roof tiles used by the Romans.
The panels were put on two sites, the House of Cerere and the House of Vettii.
Pompeii officials say the solar panels are just the beginning.
They believe the panels will help other historical sites around the world.
保存文化遺產同時又能發電及節能減碳，真的是一舉數得。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Traffic lights were installed on Hehuanshan to control traffic during holidays and weekends.
They are 3,275 meters high!
Officials hope that the traffic lights will help everyone stay safe.
________________________________
The South Korean government wants to encourage "lonely young people" to get back into society.
It says it will give up to $500 US dollars each month to people like this, who are 9 to 24 years old.
And the government is planning more ways to work with welfare groups for young people.
________________________________
And,
An Italian company has made "invisible solar panels".
The panels used in Pompeii look like the terracotta roof tiles used by the Romans.
This helps the city get electricity, and still look beautiful.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbits yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Yo! Welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
We've got three new stories for you today… one about snakes, one about orcas, and one about people.
Let's have a listen!
________________________________
台灣的毒蛇
Taiwan's Venomous Snakes
Now that we are in the spring season (春季), Taiwan's weather is starting to get warmer (天氣暖一點了)…
That means more people are going out into nature (大自然)!
But when we're in nature, we have to watch out for wild animals (野生動物)… like snakes (蛇)!
Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (疾病管制署), or "CDC", says Taiwan has six kinds of venomous snakes (六種毒蛇).
According to the CDC, every year, more than one thousand people in Taiwan get bitten by snakes.
根據疾病管制署，台灣每年有一千多個人被蛇咬。
And most of these snake bites happen in the month of April… this month!
That's pretty scary!
蠻恐怖的吧！
Of course, if you see a snake, you should stay away from it (維持距離).
But many snakes like to hide under rocks, in plants, and under piles of wood, and you might not see them.
很多蛇喜歡躲在石頭、植物、和木樁下面，所以你會看不到牠們。
So, if you are hiking (健行), you can carry a walking stick (拿著走手手杖) to help you safely check for snakes.
But if you are ever bitten by a snake (如果被蛇咬的話), you should get to a hospital as soon as possible, so doctors can give you antivenom (抗蛇毒血清)
And if you can tell the doctors what the snake looked like (蛇長得怎麼樣), then they will know which antivenom to give you.
So if you're going out into nature this season, have fun…
Just remember, in nature… you're not alone!
________________________________
囚禁五十年的虎鯨要回到海洋
Orca Returning to Ocean After More Than 50 Years of Captivity
When an animal is living in captivity (活在囚禁裡), that means humans (人類) are keeping it in one place.
Now, living in captivity isn't always bad…
Some animals, like pandas (貓熊), are endangered (瀕危物種), and living in a zoo (動物園) can help them stay healthy and safe.
But some animals really need to live in a big space… like orcas (虎鯨).
So today's good news is that one orca is finally getting its freedom (自由)!
The orca, named "Lolita", is 56 years old…
And for 52 of those years, she lived in an aquarium (水族館).
Scientists say Lolita's water tank (水族箱) was way too small for such a big animal.
Orcas are mammals (哺乳類), not fish (不是魚類), and they are closely related to dolphins.
That's why they are very smart, and living in captivity is really bad for their mental health.
因為虎鯨非常聰明，囚禁的生活對牠們的心理健康非常有害。
Now, people are planning Lolita's return to the northern Pacific Ocean (北太平洋).
They are a little worried (擔心) that it will be difficult for her to adapt (適應) to life in the ocean.
But they are working hard to make sure she can live in an outside environment (外面的環境).
And most importantly, she will be close to her family!
________________________________
研究顯示未來的人類可能會活到141歲
Research Suggests Future Humans Could Live 141 Years
Are you old?
你很老嗎？
Well, how old is old?
那，到底幾歲才算是老呢？
Many people think that anyone older than 60… is "old".
One hundred years ago (一百年前), the average human lifetime (人類的平均壽命預期) was only around 50 years long!
But with better science (科學), medicine (醫療), and nutrition (營養), people are living longer and longer…
And now, the average lifetime is around 80 years, with some people living to be over 100.
And according to research from Georgia University in the US, people in the future could live to be 141 years old!
根據美國喬治亞州大學的研究，未來的人類可能會活到141歲！
Well, we probably have a lot more research to do, before we can live that long.
But scientists say that giving better medicine and healthier food to more people will help the average lifetime get longer and longer.
Now, the world just has to learn to live more peacefully.
So, maybe the next question is…
What are you going to do with all that extra time?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control says, every year, more than one thousand people in Taiwan get bitten by snakes.
Many snakes like to hide under rocks, in plants, and under piles of wood, and you might not see them.
And if you are ever bitten by a snake, you should get to a hospital as soon as possible.
________________________________
And,
An orca named "Lolita" will soon be returned to the Pacific Ocean, after more than 50 years in captivity.
Orcas are very smart, and living in captivity is bad for their mental health.
People are working hard to make sure she can adapt to life in the ocean.
________________________________
And,
One hundred years ago, the average human lifetime was only around 50 years long.
But with better science, medicine, and nutrition, people are living longer and longer.
Now, research from Georgia University in the US says people in the future could live to be 141 years old.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbits yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey everyone, are you ready for some more News Bites?
I’m Trevor Tortomasi…
And I’m Paz Bueno.
In today’s episode…
A hurt snake gets healthy again, an ancient palace is found in the desert, and a space rock falls from the sky.
Let’s hear all about it, right now!
________________________________
錦蛇躲進寺廟療傷 治癒後離開
Snake Healed After Seeking Refuge in Taiwan Temple
If you saw a hurt animal, would you help it?
What if that animal was a snake?
Well, that’s what happened in Taitung.
Recently, some people were visiting a temple (寺廟).
They saw an animal hiding under a statue of the land god.
他們看到有動物躲在土地公像的下面。
It was a snake!
This one was more than a meter long.
It looked hurt, so the people called a veterinarian (獸醫) who specialized in taking care of wildlife (專門照顧野生動物的獸醫).
They found out it was a beauty snake (黑眉錦蛇).
This kind of snake is not venomous (並不是毒蛇), which means its bite cannot really hurt people.
But, beauty snakes act like venomous snakes to protect themselves (保護自己).
The beauty snake had gotten tangled (被纏住了) in a net used to catch birds, and hurt its jaw (下顎受傷).
It couldn’t close its mouth properly.
The veterinarian Mr. Liao brought the snake to an animal clinic and treated its wounds (治療它的傷口).
Mr. Liao says snakes usually get nervous (緊張) when they stay at the hospital.
This snake was given medicine, and a chance to rest, so its bones (骨頭) could heal naturally.
After 16 days, the snake was released into the wild (蛇被放歸野外).
According to Mr. Liao, the clinic has been able to heal nine snakes over the past two years, and return them to their life in nature.
________________________________
伊拉克發現 4500 年歷史的宮殿
4500-Year-Old Palace Discovered in Iraq
A team of scientists have discovered an ancient palace (古老的宮殿) in Iraq.
The palace is 4500 years old, and it may be the key (關鍵) to understanding how ancient people lived.
Dr. Rey is the leader of the team that found it.
He is an archaeologist (考古學家).
That means he is a scientist who studies very old things.
For years, Dr. Rey’s team has been working in the desert of Iraq (伊拉克的沙漠).
That’s in the Middle East (中東地區), the place with the world’s oldest cities.
The team was studying an ancient city called Girsu.
In Girsu, they found a wall with some ancient words on it.
The words were hard to read, but Dr. Rey thought he understood them.
According to his theory (按照他的理論), the words said that next to the city was a palace, where the king and queen lived.
But, when Dr. Rey shared his theory with others, nobody believed him (沒有人相信他).
They said there was no palace.
However, Dr. Rey has been proven right (證明他是對的).
His team recently found the palace.
It was buried in the ground (埋在地下), so they dug it up.
The palace was built by ancient people called the Sumerians (蘇美人).
The Sumerians are important because they built the first cities in history, almost 5000 years ago.
They also created the first writing and the first laws ever.
Now, Dr. Rey’s team is studying the palace, which is called "The Lord Palace of the Kings".
Inside the palace, they have found hundreds of clay tablets (泥板), covered in writing (上面寫滿了字).
Dr. Rey and his team of archaeologists hope the writing can lead them to their next discovery.
________________________________
隕石墜落在義大利
Meteorite Falls in Italy
What would you do if a star fell on your balcony (陽台)?
That’s what the people in one Italian city (義大利有一個城市的居民) had to ask themselves.
Usually, the city of Matera is a quiet place.
But recently, the people of Matera saw something that surprised them (令他們驚訝).
It was a ball of fire in the sky!
It looked like a star falling from space.
It turns out, what they saw was not a star, but a meteorite (隕石).
That’s what we call a rock from outer space that falls on Earth.
The meteorite landed right on a family's balcony.
隕石正好落在一個家庭的陽台上。
The family whose balcony the meteorite landed on gladly gave it to scientists, who named the meteorite after the family’s two sons, Gianfranco and Pino.
科學家以該家族兩個兒子的名字，為這顆隕石命名。
Since the space rock didn’t touch any water or earth, it is very clean.
That's what makes it interesting to scientists, who want to understand more about these meteorites!
________________________________
So, in today’s News Bites…
A hurt snake was found hiding in a Taitung temple.
A veterinarian treated the snake and helped it get back to health.
After sixteen days, the snake was returned to nature.
________________________________
And,
An ancient palace has been discovered in Iraq.
The palace was built 4500 years ago, by a group of people called the Sumerians.
The Sumerians built the world’s first cities and invented writing.
________________________________
And,
A meteorite has fallen on a city in Italy.
The rock fell from the sky and landed on a family’s balcony.
Scientists named the meteorite after the family's two sons.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbits yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello there! Get ready to take a bite of the latest news, with News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Taiwanese technicians learn how to take care of wind farms, one boy orders too much food, and why we feel more tired in the winter.
Let's talk about it right now!
________________________________
技術人員受訓 維修台灣的風電場
Technicians Train to Keep Taiwan's Wind Farms Running
Taiwan's wind farms make a lot of power.
They use wind turbines (風力發電機) to make clean, renewable energy (再生能源).
Every year, more wind farms are being built in Taiwan.
Many of them are offshore (離岸), so they can get strong winds on the ocean.
In addition, lots of these wind farms are built by foreign companies.
These companies are investing in Taiwan, to help the country's green energy industry (綠色能源產業).
Now, local technicians (技師) must learn how to take care of the wind farms.
That's why many Taiwanese technicians are going to train in Europe.
許多台灣技術人員要去歐洲受訓。
These apprentices (徒弟) travel to England (英國), Denmark (丹麥), and Belgium (比利時) to learn how to take care of a wind turbine.
What's more, the work is not simple.
The apprentices must learn from master technicians, because these machines can be very complicated (複雜).
They must work with electricity.
And much of their work is high in the air, above the open ocean.
There are many risks (風險), so they must be careful.
The apprentices also need English skills, to train in Europe and communicate with co-workers (同事) from other countries.
Because of the challenges in this work, there are not enough technicians (技術人員不夠) in Taiwan.
So after they finish their apprenticeship (學徒制), they will come back to Taiwan to work.
According to one estimate, there will soon be more than 20,000 new jobs on wind farms in Taiwan.
據估計，台灣的風電場將提供兩萬多個工作。
There are big opportunities for local technicians who are smart, skilled, and brave (勇敢)!
________________________________
小兒子用爸爸的手機訂了一頓大餐
Young Son Uses Dad's Phone to Order a Feast
Do you like to order food online?
You can use an app to get delicious food delivered to your house.
And there are so many choices!
But you need to be careful, or you might order too much food.
That's what happened to a family in Michigan (密西根州).
One evening, a dad let his six-year-old son play with his phone.
Soon, lots of food started to show up (出現) at his door.
There were pizzas and chili cheese fries (辣椒起司薯條).
And delivery drivers (外送員) just kept coming.
They got salads, sandwiches, shrimp, and shawarma (沙威瑪).
That's when the dad realized (了解到) his son had ordered all this food on an app!
In the end, it cost the family more than a thousand dollars (一千多美金).
They had a talk with their son, changed the phone password, and shared the food with their neighbors.
他們講了兒子一頓，改了手機密碼，把食物送給鄰居分享。
________________________________
人類在冬天可能需要更多睡眠
People May Need More Sleep in Winter
Winter is so cold!
It's hard to get out of bed in the morning.
Do you think so too?
Well, it's not because you're lazy (懶惰).
According to new research (根據最新研究), people may just need more sleep in winter!
Researchers (研究人員) in Germany found that in the winter, people need to sleep for about an hour longer each day.
What does this mean? The researchers say that we may need to adjust our sleep patterns.
我們可能需要調整我們的睡眠模式。
In other words, we might need to go to sleep earlier in the cold, dark winter months.
We might even need to change work and school schedules (時間表) during the winter.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwanese technicians are going to train in Europe.
They are learning how to maintain the new wind turbines that are being built in Taiwan.
There are lots of job opportunities on Taiwan's wind farms, but many of them require both technical skills and English language skills.
________________________________
And,
A six year old boy in Michigan ordered a huge meal on his dad's phone.
The family had so much food delivered to their house, they had to share it with neighbors.
In the future, they will be more careful about letting their son use the phone.
________________________________
And,
Researchers in Germany think people may need more sleep in winter.
They found that in the winter months, people sleep for an hour longer each day.
The researchers think we may need to change our winter habits to get more sleep.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbit yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
Taiwan's tallest tree, fishing with dolphins, and the dangers of tire dust.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣最高的樹
Taiwan's Tallest Tree
Imagine you live on the 20th floor.
You look out the window… and see a tree as tall as your home!
That is how tall the tallest tree in Taiwan is.
It was found last June by a team called "The Taiwan Champion Trees".
The team is made up of researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (林業實驗所) and National Cheng Kung University.
They found the tree using LiDAR (光學雷達) technology.
The team believed the tree was at least 79 meters tall.
They numbered it No. 55214.
This year, on Jan 30th, the team went to the place where the tree was growing.
They took precise measurements (精密測量).
They found its height was 84.1 meters.
It's girth (樹圍) was 8.5 meters.
This all means it's the tallest tree in Taiwan and East Asia.
The tree is a Taiwania cryptomerioides (台灣杉) tree.
It's around 700 to 800 years old.
The researchers also found several other trees in the area that are over 60 meters tall.
Overall, the team has found 941 trees that are over 65 meters tall in Taiwan.
This is all valuable data for research on giant trees.
台灣擁有豐富的天然資源以及原始森林。
The discoveries around the island never cease (停止) to amaze us.
________________________________
海豚與人類一起捕魚，雙方互惠
Dolphins and Humans Fishing Together
We know dolphins are smart.
Many of us have even heard stories of dolphins saving humans.
There are also stories of humans and dolphins working together to hunt fish.
But these are all told from the human point of view (人類的角度), until now.
Recently, scientists used technology to see how humans and dolphins work together to fish.
And both sides benefit (得到好處).
In Brazil, local fishermen have been working with dolphins to catch fish.
This alliance (聯盟) has been going back 150 years.
The water is really murky (混濁).
This means people can't see the fish.
But the dolphins use sounds to find them, like a bat.
They then herd (趕成一群) the fish toward the coast.
There, the people run into the water holding hand nets.
The people then wait for the dolphins to show them where the fish are.
This way they catch more fish in their nets.
And the falling nets push the fish into smaller groups.
This makes it easier for dolphins to catch the fish too.
Scientists are not sure how the humans and dolphins learned to work together like this.
But they have been doing this for many generations (好幾代).
This means young dolphins are learning how to do this from older dolphins.
But this partnership (合作關係) is in danger.
Pollution threatens the dolphins and modern fishing is replacing the traditional method.
希望人類與動物這樣的互惠合作傳統能保存下去。
________________________________
輪胎塵是什麼?
The Dangers of Tire Dust
In the last century, a pesticide (殺蟲劑) know as DDT was invented and widely used.
But scientists later found that DDT is bad for humans and the environment.
DDT was banned (禁止) in the 1980s.
But scientists still find DDT residue (殘留) in European soil and Spanish rivers.
Now, tire dust may be the pollutant that will have a great impact on the environment.
Every time a car is on the road, its tires rub against the road.
This makes tire dust, which flies up into the air.
Each year, around 6.1 metric tons of tire dust end up in our atmosphere and water.
It's now the most common source of microplastic pollutant in the ocean.
The dust is also part of PM 2.5 pollution.
This problem might get even bigger in the future.
More and more people are now using electric vehicles.
But EVs are heavier.
This means they could make even more tire dust.
路上的交通工具越多，輪胎塵的污染就會越嚴重。
Scientists are now trying to find ways to collect tire dust.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A team of researchers have found Taiwan's tallest tree.
It's around 700 to 800 years old, and is 84.1 meters tall.
It's also the tallest tree in East Asia.
________________________________
Scientists recently used technology to see how humans and dolphins work together to fish.
In Brazil, local fishermen have been working with dolphins to catch fish.
Scientists are not sure how the humans and dolphins learned to work together like this.
But they have been doing this for many generations.
________________________________
And,
Scientists believe tire dust may be a pollutant that will have a great impact on the environment.
It's now the most common source of microplastic pollutant in the ocean.
Scientists are now trying to find ways to collect tire dust.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Have you got the hang of our new segment, Tasty Tidbit yet?
Every day, at the end of each episode, we'll share with you a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news. Make sure to stay tuned to hear it!
And we'd love to hear from you too! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or some interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hey, what's up? News Bites is back in town. Time to learn stuff!
I'm still Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm always Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
People want to make Taiwan safer for pedestrians, a huge bear breaks into too many houses, and English gets so easy that it becomes… difficult?
Okay, let's learn stuff!
________________________________
台灣行人的安全
Pedestrian Safety in Taiwan
You have probably heard this before:
"Look both ways before crossing the street".
【過馬路之前先看左右。】
But really… when you cross the street, you should look EVERY way!
That's because when you are a pedestrian (行人), traffic is dangerous!
If a car is going too fast, it might not see you, and you could get hurt.
Every year in Taiwan, around 500,000 people are hurt in traffic accidents.
台灣每年至少五十萬人因交通意外而受傷。
And every year in Taiwan, around 3,000 people die in traffic accidents.
Of course, this is not all the pedestrians' fault.
當然，這並不都是行人的錯。
Many streets don't have sidewalks (很多馬路沒有人行道), or their sidewalks are not very good, so pedestrians have to be extra careful.
And, of course, drivers are not careful enough!
很多駕駛開車也不夠小心！
Many people driving cars, buses, and scooters drive too fast, and don't pay enough attention.
So now, some Taiwanese lawmakers and some students from National Taiwan University are asking the government to pay more attention to pedestrian safety.
These people are working hard to reach their goal of "Vision Zero", or zero pedestrian deaths in the future.
If the government helps to make better sidewalks, and punishes bad drivers (處罰亂開車的駕駛), then the streets of Taiwan could become much safer.
But there is one more important thing we have to remember.
No matter who is driving a car, a bus, or a scooter… once we start walking, we are ALL pedestrians.
So we're not just making Taiwan safe for some people… we want to make it safe for everyone.
In the meantime, whether you're walking or driving… BE CAREFUL!
________________________________
大熊【坦克漢克】搬家
"Hank the Tank" Moves Away
Bears are cute, right?
熊都很可愛，對吧？
…right?
I mean… YEAH, bears really are cute, and we should make sure they are protected in nature.
But also, bears eat a lot of food… and they might think you are food, too!
So, of course, many people are scared of them.
And in the US state of California, one bear has been especially hungry recently.
In the past two years, people say this bear has broken into more than 20 homes, to eat people's food and then run away.
兩年來這頭熊已經闖進20幾棟房屋，大吃大喝人類的食物，然後逃走。
They call him… "Hank the Tank" 【坦克漢克】.
Wait, what? Her? Hank is a female?
欸？原來漢克是母的！
That's right, this mama bear has been getting into a lot of trouble.
But people don't want to hurt her, or her kids! Good!
So, luckily, forest rangers are moving The Tank about 1,500 kilometers east, to the state of Colorado.
幸好有森林管理員把坦克搬去科羅拉多州。
That way, she'll have a bigger area to live in, and hopefully she won't need to break into any more houses.
You could say the forest rangers are protecting people from bears…
But really, we're trying to protect people and bears from each other.
If you ever see a bear in Taiwan, remember to stay away!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every year in Taiwan, around 500,000 people are hurt in traffic accidents.
Many streets don't have sidewalks, so pedestrians have to be extra careful.
And, of course, drivers are not careful enough!
So, Taiwanese lawmakers and students from National Taiwan University are asking the government to pay more attention to pedestrian safety.
These people are working hard to reach their goal of "Vision Zero", or zero pedestrian deaths in the future.
If the government helps to make better sidewalks, and punishes bad drivers, then the streets of Taiwan could become much safer.
________________________________
And,
A huge bear in the US state of California has broken into more than 20 homes in the past two years, to eat people's food and then run away.
That's right, this mama bear has been getting into a lot of trouble.
But people don't want to hurt her, or her kids.
Luckily, forest rangers are moving The Tank about 1,500 kilometers east, to the state of Colorado.
That way, she'll have a bigger area to live in, and hopefully she won't need to break into any more houses.
________________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The more you speak English, the more you will use "contractions".
A contraction is when two words are put together, with an "apostrophe" in the middle.
So "I am" becomes "I'm", and "you all" becomes "y'all", and "will not" becomes "won't", and in Chinese, 【這樣子】 becomes 【降子】…
Wait, so how far does this go?
Well, in English, one of the longest contractions we can find is… are you ready for this?
"You all will not have had"… can become "Y'all'll'nt've'd. Wow. That's hard to say.
And recently, one person says they made an even longer contraction… deep breath…
"Y'all'd'nt've'd'd'I'd'nt've'd'y'all't've'd".
Okay, but wait… we make contractions to help us talk with each other more easily.
But do you think a crazy long contraction helps us talk more easily?!
I would not! I wouldn't… I'd'nt?
________________________________
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Taiwan's first documentary on railway culture, and an emperor's theater, under a hotel.
And in today's Tasty Tidbits…
Who doesn't love the sweet, sweet taste of honey? And that sweetness may last a lot longer than you think. We'll tell you all about it at the end of the episode. ________________________________
台灣第一步鐵道文化紀錄片 Taiwan's First Documentary on Railway Culture
Before airplanes and the high-speed rail, the train was the fastest way to get around in Taiwan.
Taiwan's railway history dates back to the Qing dynasty.
The first railway line was built in the 1890s.
It ran from Keelung to Taipei.
And from there, more railway lines were built.
Since then, the train has been an important part of Taiwan's culture.
And now there is a documentary (紀錄片) all about this.
"On the Train" is Taiwan's first documentary on railway culture.
The film talks a lot about the South Link Line (南迴鐵路) that connects Taitung and Pingtung.
The line took more than 30 years to plan and 12 years to build.
It was also the last part of a "round-island railway".
Director Hsiao Chu-chen spent 6 years producing the film.
「南方．寂寞鐵道」是蕭菊貞導演花6年拍攝，記錄南迴鐵路的故事。
She uses the stories of the people who built it and kept it running to tell the tale.
Hsiao interviewed construction workers, people who lived close by, riders, train drivers and other railway staff.
There are even families who have worked on the railway for 3 generations (代).
For these people, the railway is not just transportation (交通工具), but a part of their lives.
They talked about the changes the railway brought to communities (社區) along the way.
They also talked about the impact that train accidents have on them.
All these stories come together to create a feeling of nostalgia (懷舊). The director says some people questioned if there was any value (價值) in making this film.
She says the memories of these ordinary folks are invaluable history.
She says these memories should be preserved (保存). ________________________________
羅馬皇帝的私人劇院遺址出土 Emperor's Theater Found Under Rome Hotel
Nero was a Roman emperor.
He ruled during the first century.
There are many stories about him.
The emperor loved music and the arts.
He especially loved to sing and recite poetry (吟詩) before the public.
A great fire once almost burned Rome to the ground.
And some say that Emperor Nero sang and played the lyre (七弦琴) during the fire.
But now historians proved that Nero actually helped save the city.
Nero also built a lavish (奢侈的) theater just for his own rehearsals (排演).
He would perform there for private audiences.
Historians (歷史學家) say the theater was very large.
But no one knew where the theater was.
Now, it has finally been found.
A hotel in Rome was going through renovations (裝修).
And construction workers digging into the ground found the theater.
The theater has marble columns (大理石柱).
It also has gold-leaf decorations and storage rooms with old costumes (戲服).
There are stamps (標記) on the bricks.
These stamps show that the structure was built in the mid-first century.
The workers also found hundreds of old artifacts.
There were glass goblets (高腳杯), cooking pots, coins and pieces of musical instruments.
Experts say it would take years to study all the treasures.
Many of the smaller pieces will be taken to Roman museums for display.
Once the excavation (挖掘) is done, the site will be reburied (重新掩埋) in order to protect it.
The sun, wind, and rain has already started to damage the structures that have been unearthed.
So we might not be able to see the ruins of the theater in the future.
But with modern technology, scientists could create a 3-D model, and the world could finally be able to see the magnificent theater. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
"On the Train" is Taiwan's first documentary on railway culture.
The film talks a lot about the South Link Line that connects Taitung and Pingtung.
Director Hsiao Chu-chen spent 6 years producing the film.
She uses the stories of the people who built it and kept it running to tell the tale. ________________________________
Construction workers found a lavish theater, built by a Roman emperor.
The workers also found hundreds of old artifacts.
Experts say it would take years to study all the treasures.
Once the excavation is done, the site will be reburied in order to protect it. ________________________________
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
In today's Tasty Tidbits…
Is there a jar of honey in your kitchen cabinet? Did you know that honey could stay edible forever?
Many scientists have found that honey never goes bad.
There is very little moisture in honey. This keeps bacteria from growing. And honey is acidic, which stops most bacteria and other organisms from growing too. And honey also contains hydrogen peroxide, a chemical that kills germs.
Archaeologists say pots of honey found in tombs hundreds of years old are still fresh!
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Are you ready for this semester's first News Bites?
I hope you didn't forget me…I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun!
In today's news: Taiwan's Pokemon Master, what's new with Voyager 2? And things you can find on the moon.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣寶可夢冠軍登上世界舞台 Taiwan Pokemon Champion Takes World Stage
An eleven-year-old prodigy (神童) battled his way to become the first-ever Pokemon Trading Card Game champion for Taiwan!
Yen Shao-tong (顏紹同) recently won the Pokemon World Championships (寶可夢世界錦標賽).
The event took place in Yokohama, Japan (日本橫濱).
The stage was set for an intense showdown (激烈對決) between Yen and his Brazilian opponent (巴西對手), Gabriel Borges Torres.
Both players were accompanied by translators (翻譯) to help check the effects and abilities of the Pokemon cards.
Each player uses cards in their native languages (母語).
Now, let's dive into the excitement of the match:
Yen's chosen deck was known as the Lost Zone deck (放逐區牌組).
It was a daring bid against Torres' more stable deck, which centered on powerful Pokemon such as Arceus, Duraludon, and Umbreon. 這是對Torres穩定牌組的大膽嘗試，後者以阿爾宙斯、鋁鋼龍和月亮伊布等強力寶可夢為中心。
In the second round, Yen stacked enough energy cards to discard and unleash his legendary Pokemon Kyogre's Aqua Storm. 在第二輪中，顏紹同堆疊了足夠的能量卡，來丟棄並且釋放他的寶可夢蓋歐卡的水風暴。
The result? 結果呢？
A resounding 2-0 victory, making Yen the champ of the Pokemon TCG Juniors division! 顏紹同被封為寶可夢卡牌遊戲少年組冠軍!
It's Taiwan's first championship in this category.
The last time Taiwan tasted victory was in 2019 when 10-year-old Wu Pi (吳比) won the Video Game Championship (電玩遊戲). ________________________________ 太空總署跟失聯的太空船重新連線 NASA Reconnects with Lost Space Explorer
And now, for an out-of-this-world story about the Voyager 2 space probe (航行者2號太空探測器).
It's like a robot explorer that's been traveling in space for 46 years!
So, what's new with Voyager 2? 有什麼新情況呢？
Last month, NASA lost contact (失去聯絡) with this amazing spacecraft.
Something went a bit wrong when they sent a command to Voyager 2, making it turn its antenna away from Earth by just 2 degrees. 當他們發送指令時，出了一點小差錯，使它的天線偏離地球2度。
Without its antenna (天線) pointing at Earth, Voyager 2 couldn't hear commands from NASA or send messages back.
But the scientists didn't give up!
They used a huge antenna at the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex in Australia to send a "shout" to Voyager 2. 他們在澳洲的坎培拉深空通信中心，使用巨大的天線向航行者2號發出強烈訊號。
Like shouting to a friend who's really, really far away! 就好像對著距離很遠的朋友大喊大叫。
It took 18.5 hours for the command to reach Voyager, and another 18.5 hours to know if it worked.
Finally, at 12:29 a.m. on August 4th, Voyager 2 started sending information back to Earth.
The spacecraft is now operating as it should (正常運作) and is continuing its incredible journey in deep space.
It's more than 20 billion kilometers from Earth (距地球200億公里)!
If this long-shot attempt hadn't worked, (如果這次大膽的嘗試沒有成功) Voyager 2 had a plan to fix itself in October, but luckily, NASA's big shout got through.
Voyager 2 was launched in 1977, and it's still going strong (依然良好).
It's like an old explorer that keeps on discovering new things about space. 它就像一個不斷發現太空新事物的老探險家。
This Voyager is part of NASA's longest-running space program, and it's helping us learn more about what's out there beyond our planet. 這是太空總署還在執行的探測計畫裡面最長壽的，幫助我們了解更多地球之外的事物。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An eleven-year-old prodigy became the first-ever Pokemon Trading Card Game champion for Taiwan!
Yen Shao-tong recently won the Pokemon World Championships TCG Juniors division in Yokohama, Japan.
It's Taiwan's first championship in this category. ________________________________
And,
Last month, NASA lost contact with the Voyager 2 space probe.
Without its antenna pointing at Earth, Voyager 2 couldn't hear commands from NASA or send messages back.
But the scientists didn't give up!
They used a huge antenna in Australia to send a "shout" to Voyager 2.
And it worked!
The spacecraft is now operating as it should and is continuing its incredible journey in deep space. ________________________________
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
Speaking of space…
As of this year, 2023, only 12 people have ever been to the moon… but a lot of THINGS have been to the moon.
And since it's hard to take them back to Earth… a lot of them are still out there on the moon right now!
Most of these things are old science machines and tools…
But there are also flags from different countries, bags with personal items and memories, and footprints on the ground…
And, well, even astronauts have to use the toilet, so they left some toilet stuff there, too!
Altogether, scientists say there were around 800 things left on the moon, as of the year 2019. I wonder how many of them will ever come back to Earth?
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm still Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm always Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Taiwan helps make a map of the universe, archaeologists find pizza's oldest family, and scientists say naps can be good for your brain.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
清華大學 製作宇宙地圖 Taiwan's Tsing Hua University Working on Map of the Universe
At night, when you look up at the stars (看天空的星星)… the sky might look like a beautiful painting.
That's because all the stars are soooo far away, that our eyes see the sky as flat (平的).
So when we make a flat map of the sky (一張平的星空圖), we can see constellations (星座)…
And people have been talking about constellations for thousands of years!
But in reality (事實上), some stars are closer to us, some are farther away, and some are MUCH farther away.
So if we really want to understand the stars, then we need… a 3D space map (3D太空地圖)!
And thankfully, scientists all around the world are already working on this map of the universe (宇宙地圖).
The map uses something called the "Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument", or D.E.S.I.
It watches how fast each star moves in the sky, and uses that to measure (測量) how far away they are.
More than 70 research institutions (研究機構) around the world are working with the DESI, including one in Taiwan!
And this month, scientists at Taiwan's Tsinghua University (清華大學) have shared their data (分享了他們的數據資料).
It includes lots of information (資料) about the stars, and where they are in space.
When we put all this information together, it can help us see the universe more clearly, and learn more about things like dark matter (暗物質).
Scientists say, by the year 2025, we should have enough data to see parts of 40 million galaxies (四千萬個星系).
And maybe someday you'll be able to explore the universe from your own computer! ________________________________
考古學家發現古老的【披薩】畫 Archaeologists Discover Ancient 'Pizza' Painting
People have been making and eating all kinds of pizzas for many years.
Pizza can have meat toppings (肉類配料), like chicken, and pepperoni (香腸).
There are vegetable toppings (蔬菜配料), like spinach (菠菜)…
And there are even fruit toppings, like pineapple (鳳梨)!
But what were the first toppings that people ever put on their pizza?
Well, archaeologists (考古學家) might have an answer.
Archaeologists have recently found a painting, in the ruins of Pompeii, in Italy. 考古學家最近在義大利龐貝古城的遺址挖掘出一幅畫。
It was a painting of… pizza?!
Archaeologists found the painting on an ancient rock wall (在古老的石頭牆壁上), and they say it is probably around 2,000 years old.
It shows a large piece of bread that is round and flat, with some different toppings on it.
They say it doesn't have any of the toppings that we usually see on pizza…
But the painting was found very close to Italy's city of Naples, where the oldest pizza may have been invented.
So, if we haven't found the oldest pizza… we may have just found pizza's ancestor (祖先)! ________________________________
小睡一下 有益身心 The Science of Naps
Are you feeling tired?
Well, scientists say it might be a good idea to take a nap (小睡片刻)!
Recent research (最近的研究) has shown that taking a nap during the day could be good for your brain.
Scientists say that when we are babies, napping helps our tiny baby brains grow bigger. 我們在嬰兒階段，腦部會隨著睡眠增長。
But, of course, as we get older, we have more work to do, and there is less and less time for naps.
Meanwhile, scientists say our brains shrink, or get smaller, as we get older. 科學家說，我們年紀越大，腦部會逐漸縮小。
But when scientists looked at the brains of many different people, they found that people who take regular naps… have bigger brains! 但是科學家也發現，常常睡午覺的人，頭腦會比別人大一些。
I mean, they might be only a little bit bigger… but still, that's great news!
It shows that people who take naps may see their brains shrink more slowly (腦袋變小的速度會慢一些), so they can stay stronger, for longer.
There's one important thing to remember, though.
The research shows that most daytime naps shouldn't be longer than 30 minutes.
And they say that if you don't want to nap, then 30 minutes of exercise can keep you healthy, too!
Now, if you'll excuse me… I've got 30 minutes until I have to read the news… good afternoon! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists all around the world are working on a map of the universe, with something called the "Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument", or D.E.S.I.
More than 70 research institutions around the world are working with the DESI, including one in Taiwan!
When we put all this information together, it can help us see the universe more clearly, and learn more about things like dark matter. ________________________________
And,
Archaeologists have recently found a painting of something like pizza, in the ruins of Pompeii, in Italy.
They say it is around 2,000 years old, and shows a large piece of bread that is round and flat, with some different toppings on it.
The painting was found very close to Italy's city of Naples, where pizza may have been invented. ________________________________
And,
When scientists looked at the brains of many different people, they found that people who take regular naps have bigger brains.
It shows that people who take naps may see their brains shrink more slowly, so they can stay stronger, for longer.
However, researchers say most daytime naps shouldn't be longer than 30 minutes. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! ________________________________
Hey everyone… this is our last episode of the semester… and of the 2022 to 2023 school year!
We'd like to thank all of you for listening, and we want to thank the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education for supporting us, and helping us make sure that English learning can be easy for everyone.
We'll have more News Bites stories for you when the new school year begins!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中) ________________________________
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm John Seaward.
In today's news:
An Indian artist, getting paid to stay in bed, and whales return to California.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
印度藝術家展示傳統的花鳥畫 Indian Artist Showcases Traditional Huaniaohua Paintings
Our first story is about an Indian artist who has found inspiration (靈感) in traditional Chinese art (藝術).
The huaniaohua (花鳥畫), also known as bird and flower painting.
Harsha Dass moved to Taiwan in 2020.
During her stay, she fell in love with the painting style (繪畫風格) and learned it from a Taiwanese artist.
Next month, she will proudly exhibit her creations (展示她的作品) at the National Central Library.
Her show is called 'From Strokes to Shapes: My Three-year Brush with Taiwan.'
These paintings mean a lot to Harsha.
She expresses her love and gratitude to Taiwan and its people through her artwork. 她以藝術作品，表達她對台灣和台灣人民的愛與感激之情。
In addition to painting, Harsha has also learned Chinese.
Her special exhibition (展覽) will be open for visitors at the library in Taipei from July 7th to July 14th.
With her art, Harsha aims to reciprocate (回報) the love she received from Taiwan and its people.
________________________________
歐洲太空總署付錢讓志願者躺在床上 ESA Pays Volunteers to Stay in Bed
The European Space Agency, or ESA, is paying volunteers (志願者) for an interesting study.
They are giving 12 volunteers $18,000 US dollars each…to lay in bed for two months! 他們給12位志願者每人$18,000美元…讓他們躺在床上兩個月！
This might sound like a dream come true (夢想成真), but it's actually important science work!
You see, when astronauts go into space, the lack of gravity (重力) can cause problems for their bodies.
The ESA wants to learn how to lessen these effects (影響), especially for longer journeys to places like the Moon or Mars.
So, they've started a special study that began in April this year.
It's being held at a laboratory in France, where the volunteers are spending 60 days lying in bed.
But they're not just lying around doing nothing.
They have to do everything - like eating, showering, and even using the toilet - while keeping one shoulder touching the bed.
The beds are tilted a bit to mimic what happens to astronauts' blood flow in space. 床有點傾斜，好模仿太空人血液流動的情況。
The cool part is, this isn't just helpful for astronauts.
The results can also help design better treatments for older people and patients with bone and muscle conditions here on Earth. 研究結果還可以替老年人和骨骼肌肉病患者，設計更佳的治療方法。 ________________________________
太平洋藍鯨返回加州 Pacific Blue Whales Return to California
We have a heartwarming (令人心暖) story from the US State of California.
The Pacific blue whale, the biggest creature in the world, is making a strong comeback (強勢反彈).
These huge animals were almost gone due to hunting (狩獵).
But now, they're returning!
Blue whales are really big.
They can be 33 meters long and weigh as much as 200 tons! 他們可以長達33公尺，重達200噸！
In summer, they travel north to find food.
Now, people in California are seeing them more and more.
Since the 1970s, it has been illegal (非法) to hunt for whales.
Since then, people have been working together to protect the whales.
They changed fishing rules so that whales didn't get trapped in nets.
Big ships also started going slower and changed their routes (航線) to avoid hitting the whales.
Not just blue whales, but other big sea animals are also increasing in number.
The humpback whales and elephant seals are also growing in numbers. 座頭鯨和海象的數量也在增加。
The new rules that help blue whales are also helping these animals.
There is still work to do to help make the ocean safer for them.
But the return of the blue whales is very good news. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Indian artist Harsha Dass moved to Taiwan in 2020.
During her stay, she fell in love with the huaniaohua painting style and learned it from a Taiwanese artist.
Next month, she will proudly exhibit her creations at the National Central Library. ________________________________
And,
The European Space Agency is paying volunteers for an interesting study.
They are giving 12 volunteers over $18,000 US dollars each…to lay in bed for two months!
This important science work can help both astronauts and patients with bone and muscle conditions.
________________________________
And,
The Pacific blue whale is making a strong comeback in California.
These huge animals were almost gone due to hunting.
But now, they're returning! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
What's up everyone, it's time for another episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
Police dogs go up for adoption, people in Bangladesh build hills, and scientists find a massive black hole.
Let's get into it! ________________________________
退役的新北警犬開放領養 Retired New Taipei Police Dogs Go Up For Adoption
Have you ever seen a police dog (警犬)?
Police departments (警局) use dogs for many jobs.
These dogs help police find people.
And they help cops track down (追尋) guns or drugs.
The dogs and their human partners form a special group, called the "K9 unit" (K9單位).
But after years of hard work, it's time for these K9 dogs to retire (退役).
What happens to them?
Many of the dogs get adopted (被領養).
In New Taipei City, the police department is looking for people to adopt five K9 dogs.
Two of the dogs are black Labrador Retrievers, two are German Shepherds, and one a Border Collie. 其中兩隻狗是黑色拉布拉多犬，兩隻是德國牧羊犬，一隻是邊境牧羊犬。
The youngest of the dogs is six years old, and the oldest is nine.
The police are looking for responsible people (負責任的人) to give these dogs a home.
The dogs' new homes must have enough space, or they must be near a park, for the dog to exercise.
The police say these dogs are highly trained, so they are more obedient than most dogs (比大多數狗更聽話).
However, the dogs still need owners (主人) who will care for them and build a strong relationship with them.
The police have already finished taking applications (申請) for these dogs, but if you want to follow these cute K9s, you can check out the "NTPD K-9 Unit" Facebook page. ________________________________
孟加拉國農民建山防洪 Bangladeshi Farmers Build Hills for Flood Protection
Bangladesh (孟加拉國) is a very wet place.
This country in South Asia (南亞) has lots of rivers, lots of rain… and lots of floods (洪水).
Due to climate change, the rains have become heavier, and the floods more intense (猛烈).
Last year, Bangladesh had some of its worst floods ever.
When that happens, many Bangladeshi farmers have no place to go (無處可去).
But recently, one group is trying to change that.
The group is called "Friendship", and they are building hills across Bangladesh to keep people safe from flood waters. 該組織被稱為《友誼》，他們正在孟加拉國各地修建山丘，以保護人們免受洪水侵襲。
The group digs up dirt from the rivers, and uses it to build small hills.
Each hill is about three meters tall.
Friendship hires (雇用) local farmers to build the hill and the homes on top.
Once the hill is finished, the farmers can go live there.
About 25 families can live on each hill.
And in a flood emergency, 120 more families can take shelter (躲避) on the hill.
So far, Friendship has built twenty of these hills in Bangladesh.
The farmers who live there say it gives them peace of mind (安心), because they don't have to worry about the flooding.
They say the hill is more than just a hill… it is a community (社區). ________________________________
特大質量黑洞被發現 Ultramassive Black Hole Discovered
What's in outer space (外太空)?
Of course there are many stars and planets.
But there are bigger things, too.
The most massive (質量最大) things in outer space are black holes.
A black hole (黑洞) is so huge, it pulls everything into it.
It even pulls light into it, which is why a black hole looks black.
And recently, scientists have found another black hole.
They say this is one of the most massive black holes in the universe (宇宙).
Scientists at Durham University, in the UK, say their discovery is very exciting.
They say this black hole is 30 billion times as massive as the sun.
That means it has the mass of 30 billion suns. 這意味著它有 300 億個太陽的質量。
Scientists call this an ultramassive black hole (特大質量黑洞).
They think there is one like it at the center of every large galaxy (星系).
Even our galaxy, the Milky Way (銀河系), has one at the center.
Now, scientists are trying to understand more about ultramassive black holes.
Scientists want to know where they came from, and how they got so massive. ________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
The New Taipei Police Department is putting five K9 dogs up for adoption.
They're looking for responsible people to take care of these dogs. ________________________________
And,
A group called "Friendship" is building hills across the country of Bangladesh.
These hills give farmers a place to live where they will be safe from flood waters. ________________________________
And,
Scientists in the UK have discovered an ultramassive black hole.
They say it's one of the most massive black holes they have ever found. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中) ________________________________
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
From isopods to frogs, from Germany to New Zealand, and returning from outer space.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
青蛙拉麵熱騰騰上桌 Frog Ramen on the Menu
There's an unusual ramen craze (狂熱) sweeping over Taiwan.
Do you remember the giant isopod ramen we talked about earlier this month?
Now, in Yunlin, there is a ramen shop selling frog ramen.
Frog dishes are not that uncommon in Taiwan.
The frog is usually referred to as "field chicken (田雞)".
Many people say frog meat tastes like chicken.
Frog legs are a delicacy (佳餚), usually stir-fried (炒) or deep-fried.
They are also often cooked in soup.
But this unusual ramen offers the whole frog on top of the bowl.
After seeing the isopod ramen go viral in May, the shop owner thought she could make her own version (版本).
Some restaurants sell frog dishes in Yunlin, and she wanted to bring that local flavor to the customers.
The price of the ramen is $250 NT, available on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Some people do not want to eat the ramen, but they would like to take a picture.
So people who only want to take a picture with the frog ramen must pay $100 NT.
這道青蛙拉麵也引起網友們的關注。
In Kaohsiung, another ramen shop is offering "Durian-flavored ramen."
It is even served in a hollowed-out (挖空) durian shell.
It looks like the weird ramen trend is going strong. ________________________________
德國歸還毛利祖先頭顱 Germany Returns Mummified Maori Heads to New Zealand
In previous centuries, exploration was popular among many countries.
Explorers sometimes brought back things from other cultures.
In recent years, museums and research institutions have started to return historical artifacts to the countries they came from.
Germany had recently returned six mummified Maori (毛利人) heads to New Zealand.
The mummified heads were a part of Maori tradition to preserve loved ones or enemies.
In their culture, the head is considered the most important part of the body.
The face is marked with tattoos.
The tattoos help show who they are.
They are known as "toi moko," often the heads of chiefs and warriors.
During the 1700s, many people in Europe were interested in toi moko.
Many heads were stolen or taken during violent conflicts.
Over the years, other institutions have also returned relics (文物) to New Zealand.
The Maori believe that this will restore dignity to both the dead and their living descendants.
他們希望這些祖先遺骸文物能有一天回到正確的安息之地。 ________________________________
太空旅行可能導致腦部病變 Space Travel and the Effect on Astronauts' Brains
People have been interested in exploring space for a long time.
Thousands of people apply (申請) to be astronauts.
And strong, healthy people are chosen for the job.
They must be strong in body, but also in mind.
Astronauts face many risks when they travel in space.
Out in space, they are not protected by Earth's atmosphere (大氣層).
They are exposed to radiation.
Microgravity (微重力) also causes the astronauts to lose muscle and bone density (密度). Now, new research shows that long trips in space can also change an astronaut's brain.
Researchers looked at MRIs (磁振造影) of 30 astronauts taken before and after space missions.
They found that astronauts who spent 2 weeks in space show changes in the ventricles of their brains (腦室).
Researchers believe that without gravity pulling everything down, the human brain moves upwards in the skull.
This displaces (移位) the fluid in the head.
The fluid accumulates (累積), and the brain's ventricles expand to hold more of it.
And the brains of the astronauts did not get better right away after a mission.
The researchers found it might take at least 3 years for astronauts to recover from long space missions.
科學家目前還不了解腦室擴大對人體的影響。
It seems that it's a problem that must be solved before humans can plan a trip to Mars. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A Yunlin ramen shop is selling frog ramen.
This unusual ramen offers a whole frog on top of the bowl.
The shop owner wanted to bring some local flavor to customers. ________________________________
Germany has recently returned six mummified Maori heads to New Zealand.
The mummified heads were a part of Maori tradition to preserve loved ones or enemies.
The Maori believe that this will help restore dignity to both the dead and their living descendants. ________________________________
And,
Researchers looked at MRIs of 30 astronauts taken before and after space missions.
They found changes in the ventricles of the astronauts' brains.
The researchers found it might take at least 3 years for astronauts to recover from long space missions. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! ________________________________
主播每周一問 Have Your Say
This week, we want you to have your say about your summer vacation.
Another school year is finishing, and there are lots of things you can do this summer. You can spend more time with your family and friends, you can go on a trip to somewhere new… or you can take more classes, too!
So, what are you planning to do this summer?
Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.
Send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message on our show on Friday!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Mini watermelons, magic cubes, and new music from Doja Cat.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
一手一顆的迷你西瓜 A Watermelon that Fits in Your Hand
A watermelon is usually a fruit that we share.
But this watermelon, you may want to keep for yourself!
Mini watermelons were on show at the Taipei International Food Show earlier this month.
You could hold the "Miniball" watermelon with one hand.
The round watermelon has green skin with dark green stripes.
The fruit is red inside.
The Miniball has thin skin, and doesn't have many seeds.
They weigh around 600 grams.
That's about the weight of a basketball.
The little watermelons are grown in Kaohsiung.
Experts say they can grow and be ready for harvest (採收) in 60 days.
This isn't the first time watermelons have surprised us.
Experts have also grown square watermelons that are cube-shaped.
There are also pyramid-shaped watermelons, and even heart-shaped watermelons!
這種新研發的 Miniball 小西瓜，只有手掌大小，一個人吃剛好。 ________________________________
神手速少年破解魔術方塊打破世界紀錄 Rubik's Cube World Record Smashed
The Rubik's Cube is a 3D puzzle.
It's a cube (立方體) with nine smaller cubes on each side.
Each cube can move, and each side has a different color.
To solve the puzzle, you must get each side back to one color.
It's not as easy as it looks.
Mathematicians say there are more than 3,000,000,000 ways to move the Rubik's Cube.
But there is only ONE solution (解答).
Many people can do one or two sides of the cube.
Some people can solve the whole cube given enough time.
But there are some people who are "speedcubers".
They can solve the Rubik's Cube very quickly.
A speedcuber recently broke the world record for solving the puzzle cube.
Max Park finished the puzzle in 3.13 seconds!
Max 花了3.13秒的時間，把魔術方塊的六面火速回歸原位，打破金氏世界紀錄。
The 21-year-old broke the record at a competition in California earlier this month.
It happened so quickly that everyone around him was shocked.
And when they realized he broke the world record, they cheered!
Max's dad says it's been an amazing journey.
He says Max was diagnosed with autism (自閉症) when he was young.
He had a hard time doing things with his hands, like opening bottles.
So Max started playing with a Rubik's Cube to practice using his hands.
And now he holds many world records for solving puzzles!
Many of Max's fans say he is an inspiration. ________________________________
蜜桃貓朵佳推出新單曲 Doja Cat Reveals New Rap Single
Doja Cat is sharing her new rap single.
The song, "Attention" is the first solo music from the Grammy winner since her album "Planet Her" in 2021.
The song talks about some of the things she's been going through recently.
Doja Cat says she's been listening to music from her childhood.
The musician says that has helped her write music for her new album.
She promises that her fourth album will be coming out soon.
歌手蜜桃貓朵佳說她很快就要跟大家分享新專輯了。
Doja Cat has won one Grammy Award, and been nominated 16 times. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Mini watermelons were on show at the Taipei International Food Show earlier this month.
You could hold the "Miniball" watermelon with one hand.
They weigh around 600 grams.
Experts say they can grow and be ready for harvest in 60 days. ________________________________
A speedcuber recently broke the world record for solving the puzzle cube.
Max Park finished the puzzle in 3.13 seconds!
Max was diagnosed with autism when he was young, and started playing with a Rubik's Cube to practice using his hands.
Now he holds many world records for solving puzzles! ________________________________
And,
Doja Cat is sharing her new rap single.
The song, "Attention" is the first solo music from the Grammy winner since her album "Planet Her" in 2021.
The song talks about some of the things she's been through recently.
And the musician promises that her fourth album will be coming out soon. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Yo, yo, yo! Welcome to the News Bites.
This is the show, and I am the Trevor Tortomasi.
Hello, I am the Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
The good thing about braces, the crazy part about humans, and the last new song by a famous band.
Stay tuned for the stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣黑熊有牙套 Taiwan Bear Gets Braces
You have probably seen a person with braces (牙套) on their teeth.
People can get braces when their teeth are crooked (歪歪的).
The braces help a person's teeth stay together, to become more straight (更整齊).
And braces aren't only for changing a person's appearance. 牙套並不只是為了改變人的外表。
Some teeth can cause pain (有的牙齒會造成痛苦), and braces can help to fix that.
But can animals have braces, too?
Well, yes!
Recently, a Taiwanese black bear had a big problem with his teeth…
Some of his teeth were broken (壞掉了)!
But animal doctors at the Kaohsiung Zoo got together to help him out.
Animal doctors, also called "veterinarians" (獸醫), or "vets", put some big, giant braces on the bear's teeth.
They helped the bear's teeth stay straight, so vets could make new teeth to replace the old, broken ones. 牙套讓這隻熊的牙齒保持整齊，好讓獸醫製作新的牙齒給熊代替舊的。
Of course, they had to give the bear medicine (藥), to make sure he was asleep for the vets to work.
Now, the bear is eating better, thanks to braces and his new teeth!
Some people are still afraid to see a dentist (害怕去看牙醫), but this bear must have been way more scared than that.
So, getting braces can't be that bad, right? ________________________________
人跟馬賽跑 結果人類勝出 Human Runner Wins Race Against Horse
How fast can you run?
One time, I ran, like, really fast.
Buuuut it probably wasn't faster than A HORSE.
Of course you know, LOTS of animals can run faster than people can.
Horses, dogs, and even some pigs, can all run faster than we can.
But there's something really special about humans and our running abilities (跑步的能力)…
We can run for longer distances than any animal in the world! 人類跑步的距離，比全世界任何其他動物都長！
And one man proved this (有一名男子證明了這一點), when he raced a horse (跟馬兒賽跑)… and he won (贏了)!
It was only the fourth time a human has ever won this race (賽跑) against a horse.
The race was about 35 kilometers long (距離三十五公里), and the road went through the mountains (穿越山脈).
And the horse needed a rider (馬需要有人騎著牠) so it could know where to run.
But here's where humans are special…
We can sweat! 我們能夠流汗！
Most animals have to pant, like when a dog sticks out its tongue, to cool down. 大部分的動物要喘氣，就像狗伸出舌頭一樣，這是為了冷卻。
And when they run, they can feel too hot, very quickly (很快就會覺得太熱).
But because we have less hair than most animals (我們皮膚上的毛比大部分的動物少), we can sweat more… and that helps us to stay cool (維持涼爽).
So even though this racer (賽跑者) couldn't run FASTER than a horse…
When the race is long, humans still have a chance! ________________________________
披頭四最後一首歌 The Beatles' Last Song
If you like listening to music, then you've probably heard "The Beatles" (披頭四).
Whether you like their music, or don't (不管你喜不喜歡他們的音樂)… they might be the most famous band (最有名的樂團) of all time!
The Beatles was a band of four men, who got very famous in the 1960s (在一九六零年代大紅大紫).
Of course, 70 years later (七十年後)… two of them have passed away (其中兩位去世了).
So the band became a part of history (這個樂團成為歷史), but couldn't make any new music…
…Until now!
Before one of the Beatles passed away, he left behind a cassette tape with some songs, including one called "Now and Then". 披頭四一個成員去世之前，留下了錄音帶，裡面有一些歌曲，包括一首叫做【Now and Then】的歌。
And now, thanks to artificial intelligence (人工智慧), or AI, that song can be shared with the world.
Sound engineers (音響工程師) worked hard to "clean up" the cassette's low-quality sound (把錄音帶低品質的聲音弄【乾淨】一點).
And they used AI to reproduce the old singer's voice (複製之前團友的聲音), and finish the song.
The Beatles say they will release one last album (最後一張專輯) with the special song on it.
45 years after the song was written… it can still be something new! ________________________________
So, in the News Bites today… the.
A Taiwanese black bear had a big problem with his teeth… some of them were broken!
Kaohsiung Zoo veterinarians got together to give him braces, and replace the broken teeth.
Now, the bear is eating better, thanks to braces and his new teeth! ________________________________
And,
A human has raced a horse, and won!
The race was 35 kilometers long, and went through the mountains.
Thanks to humans' ability to sweat and cool down, we can run longer distances than any other animal. ________________________________
And,
Before one of the Beatles passed away, he left behind a cassette tape with some songs, including one called "Now and Then".
Sound engineers "cleaned up" the cassette's sound, and used AI to reproduce the old singer's voice, and finish the song.
The Beatles say they will release one last album with the special song on it. ________________________________
And that's the today's episode… the… (Sorry, Trevor 很煩)
And that's the today's episode of the News Bites… the… FOR THE WEDNESDAY!
Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news: A friendly gift, an endangered plant found in the wild, and new discoveries from the deep sea! Keep on listening to learn more about these stories, right after - ________________________________ 台北向聖克里斯多福和尼維斯島捐贈 YouBike Taipei Donates YouBikes to St. Kitts and Nevis Riding a bicycle has many benefits (好處). It's great for your health because it can strengthen (鍛煉) your heart and muscles. It's also good for the environment because bikes don't release harmful gasses like cars do. 自行車對環境也很好，因為自行車不像汽車那樣釋放有害氣體。 That way, they help keep our air clean! This month, Taipei City donated (捐贈) 50 first-generation YouBikes to the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. A special ceremony (儀式) took place at the Taipei City Hall to celebrate this moment. Ambassador (大使) Donya Francis from Saint Kitts and Nevis said these bikes would help his country become a more sustainable island. Bikes are more than just a fun ride. They are also part of a larger effort to help our environment and health. ________________________________ 日本發現瀕危植物 Endangered Plant Found in Japan Our next story is about an unexpected discovery of a rare plant (稀有植物) in Japan. This plant was believed to be extinct in the wild. 這種植物在野外被認為已經絕種了。 But it turns out… it's not! The Waterwheel Plant, or Aldrovanda vesiculosa, (囊泡貉藻) is an endangered plant found in only fifty places around the world. Surprisingly, a Japanese team discovered nearly ten thousand of these plants in a pond in Ishikawa Prefecture (石川縣). This free-floating plant catches insects with traps like a Venus Fly Trap. 這種自由浮動的植物用陷阱捕捉昆蟲，就像捕蠅草一樣。 Once found across Africa, Australia, Eurasia, and Japan, this plant has seen its numbers drop due to water and habitat changes. But here's the mystery: Where did all these plants suddenly come from? The scientists did some detective work. They found that the pond, once used for paddy fields, was no longer needed and allowed to return to its natural state. 他們發現，這個曾經是稻田的池塘漸漸恢復了自然狀態。 Trees around the pond were cut down, allowing more sunlight to reach the water. Could someone have planted them there? The team thinks not. They believe that a 'seed bank' (種子庫), a stash of seeds in the soil, waited for the right conditions to grow. As the pond conditions improved, the seeds sprouted, leading to the sudden appearance of these plants. 隨著池塘環境的改善，種子開始發芽，導致這些植物的突然出現。 So, it looks like Japan has regained a wild population of this unique plant! 看來日本已經恢復了這種獨特植物的野生種群！ ________________________________ 科學家發現古老的沉船 Scientists Discover Ancient Shipwrecks Imagine a vast watery graveyard full of ancient ships! 想像一個充滿古老船隻的水下墓地！ In the Mediterranean Sea, right off the Tunisian coast, is a dangerous sea route that's swallowed up hundreds of vessels over thousands of years. 位於地中海，就在突尼斯海岸的正對面，這是一條危險的海路，數千年來吞噬了數百艘船。 And a big team of underwater archaeologists (考古學家) from eight countries have been exploring the area. They used high-tech gadgets (高科技裝置) like robots and special sonar (聲納) to map out a huge area of the ocean floor. They found six shipwrecks (沉船)… And three were completely new discoveries! One wreck might be a merchant ship (商船) from over 2000 years ago. The other two are much more recent, probably from the late 1800s or early 1900s. The archaeologists also took new pictures of three Roman shipwrecks (三艘羅馬沉船) discovered in the 1980s and 2000s. They were thrilled (驚喜) to see that these wrecks were still in great condition. Finding these sunken secrets was exciting, but the main goal of the mission was to protect them. 這些沉沒的秘密確實令人興奮，但這次任務的主要目標是要保護它們。 You see, these underwater treasures are at risk from fishing, climate change, and people who might want to take artefacts away. 這些水下寶藏正面臨著被捕魚、氣候變化，以及可能想要帶走文物的人的威脅。 So this project is all about documenting and protecting our shared underwater heritage (文化遺產). The experts didn't take any artefacts (文物) but are hoping to return with even more advanced technology in the future. There's a whole lot more under the sea waiting to be discovered. Every discovery helps us learn more about history. ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: This month, Taipei City donated 50 first-generation YouBikes to the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. A special ceremony took place at the Taipei City Hall to celebrate this moment. ________________________________ And, A team of scientists found the endangered Waterwheel Plant in a Japanese pond. This plant was believed to be extinct in the wild. But Japan has regained a wild population of this unique plant! ________________________________ A big team of underwater archaeologists from eight countries have been exploring the Skerki Bank. They found six shipwrecks… And three were completely new discoveries! ________________________________ And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Hands off the turtles, drugs out of the sea, and trends not to follow.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
小琉球遊客摸海龜挨罰 Hands Off Sea Turtles!
Do you want to swim with sea turtles?
Over the years, the island of Xiaoliuqiu (小琉球) has worked hard to protect sea turtles.
Now, there are hundreds of sea turtles that live around Xiaoliuqiu.
The island has more sea turtles than any other islands in Taiwan.
The turtles are very friendly and are not afraid of humans.
But they are also protected.
This means people are not allowed to touch them.
The law says people who bother (騷擾，干擾) protected animals could be fined up to $300,000 NT.
Recently, some tourists (遊客) bothered animals.
They were snorkeling (浮淺).
And a diving coach saw one of the tourists touch a sea turtle.
He warned them not to do that.
But they did not listen.
So he took a video of what they did.
The video showed one of the tourists holding on to a sea turtle’s shell underwater.
The diving coach told the police.
And the police are now investigating the case.
Once officers find out who the person is, they will be fined (被罰款).
Tourists bothering sea turtles in Xiaoliuqiu is a problem that keeps happening.
Everyone should stay at least 5 meters away from the sea turtles at all times.
當你在海中看見這些美麗的動物時，請保持距離觀賞，不要打擾他們。 ________________________________
藥物流入海 Drugs Found in the Sea
We know that water pollution is a serious problem.
People dumping garbage, factories dumping wastewater, pesticides (農藥) from farms…
They all go into the water, which eventually ends up in the ocean.
Now, there is another harmful pollutant, medicine.
New research shows high levels of medicine in the sea.
The drugs come from human waste (排泄物).
All this goes into the sewers (下水道).
Then, the wastewater goes through a water treatment plant.
But some places do not require chemicals, like medicine, to be taken out of wastewater.
And that wastewater goes into the ocean.
The medicine in the wastewater can affect wildlife.
The drugs might cause crustaceans (甲殼類) and mollusks (軟體動物) to change color or reproduce (繁殖) in a different way.
Researchers say many types of drugs have been found in the water.
Drugs for depression (抗憂鬱藥物), for type 2 diabetes and for other diseases have been found.
這令人擔憂，因為我們對於人類藥物對生態環境所造成的影響了解的不多。
The good news is we now know about this problem.
This means we can be more careful about taking drugs out of wastewater.
Scientists are now finding ways to take drugs out of the water.
________________________________
壽司餐廳對惡搞少年提告求償 Sushi Chain Sues Prankster
Back in January, a video of a high school student went viral.
The student was eating at a sushi restaurant.
He licked a soy sauce bottle and a cup before putting them back for other people to use.
He also used his dirty fingers to touch sushi passing by on the conveyor belt (輸送帶).
Now, the restaurant is suing the student for $67,000,000 Japanese yen.
That’s about 14,600,000 NT!
The restaurant says the video made them lose customers.
And the restaurant says the video also made the price of the company’s stock fall.
The video helped give rise to the term “sushi terrorism.”
Some people did things to contaminate (污染) food that other people eat. 這些影片拍攝者只是想透過惡作劇引起關注。
These trends should not be encouraged and people should know better than to follow them.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Recently, some tourists touched sea turtles in Xiaoliuqiu.
The law says people who bother protected animals could be fined up to $300,000 NT.
Police are now investigating the case. ________________________________
New research shows high levels of medicine in the sea.
The medicine in the wastewater can affect wildlife.
Scientists are now finding ways to take drugs out of the water. ________________________________
And,
Back in January, a video of a high school student at a sushi restaurant went viral.
The student licked a soy sauce bottle and a cup, and used his dirty fingers to touch sushi.
Now, the restaurant is suing the student for about 14,600,000 NT! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! ________________________________
主播每周一問 Have Your Say
This week, we want you to have your say about listening.
There are so many things we can listen to, whenever we want to. We can listen to music, or the radio, or we can even go outside and listen to birds, or other parts of nature.
So, what is your favorite thing to listen to?
Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.
Send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message on our show on Friday!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Broken hearts get fixed, a hero finds a new life, and blockbusters are delayed.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
澎湖雙心石滬進行修護 "Stone Heart" Weirs Undergo Repairs
How do you fix a broken heart?
Call in the experts!
Heart-shaped fishing traps in Penghu were broken after a storm last year.
The "Twin Hearts Stone Weir" (雙心石滬) is built out of stones and coral reefs.
It's a traditional trap for catching fish.
The walls of the trap are shaped like two hearts on top of each other.
During high tide (漲潮), fish swim into the trap with the seawater.
And when water levels fall, the fish are trapped (受困) inside the hearts.
Many people visit Penghu to see the weirs each year.
But last year, a big storm broke parts of the weir.
Fixing stone weirs is a special traditional skill.
So Penghu invited 10 weir experts to help fix the traps.
"雙心石滬"受損倒塌，澎湖縣政府請10位石滬老師傅緊急進行修護。
Officials say the first three days were the hardest.
The experts had to find big stones that could be the weir's foundation (地基).
The stones had to be long, heavy, and a triangular shape (三角形狀).
Each of these stones were carried to the weir.
Then the experts placed them at special angles (角度).
It was a lot of hard work!
Officials thanked the experts for helping to preserve "precious cultural heritage". ________________________________
烏克蘭軍犬的新使命 New Life for Ukraine Military Dog
A four-legged hero is getting a new start on life.
Rambo, the German shepherd worked with Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia.
The 3-year-old dog went with soldiers to the front line (前線) in Ukraine.
But he was badly hurt in a rocket attack.
藍波曾經陪著烏克蘭士兵在前線作戰，但在烏東城市遭到火箭攻擊，導致嚴重受傷。
The explosion tore up the right side of Rambo's head.
He lost parts of his skull (頭骨), his jaw (下顎) and one ear.
People who helped him weren't sure if he would live.
Rambo went through emergency surgery.
And he slowly got better.
Now, he has a new life.
Rambo is training to help police in Hungary.
He is learning how to work with children, older people, and people with disabilities (身心障礙者).
Rambo will help demonstrate (示範) how police dogs work.
Officers say Rambo is happy and really likes children.
Rambo looks different from other dogs, and only has one ear.
But he can still live a full life, and help people.
Officers hope Rambo can help people learn to respect each other's differences.
And they hope people who meet Rambo can remember to be kind and accept each other. ________________________________
暑假好萊塢電影上映日期全面大延期 Hollywood's Summer Blockbusters Delayed
Can't wait for this summer's blockbuster movies?
Well, you just might have to wait a little longer.
Some of the biggest movies of the summer will now be released later.
許多暑假大片都宣布延後上映檔期。
Avatar 3 will now be out a year later, in 2025.
Two Star Wars movies will now be out in theaters in 2026.
And "Avengers: Kang Dynasty" is being pushed from 2025 to 2026.
Some movie producers say they need more time to finish the movies.
But some believe that an ongoing strike by writers in Hollywood is causing the delays (延遲).
Groups of writers working in Hollywood are on strike (罷工).
They are asking for a pay system that they say is more fair.
And they are asking for new rules about using AI. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The "Twin Hearts Stone Weir" (雙心石滬) in Penghu was broken after a storm last year.
So Penghu invited 10 weir experts to help fix the traps.
They thanked the experts for helping to preserve "precious cultural heritage". ________________________________
Rambo, the German shepherd worked on the front line with Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia.
But he was badly hurt in a rocket attack.
Now, Rambo is training to help police in Hungary, by demonstrating how police dogs work. ________________________________
And,
Some of the biggest movies of the summer will now be released later.
Avatar 3, two Star Wars movies, and the next Avengers movie will all show a year later.
Some believe that an ongoing strike by writers in Hollywood is causing the delays. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey folks, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's stories… Fireworks by the river in Taipei, protesters turn a fountain black in Rome, and a lizard climbs out of a toilet in Florida.
Let's check it out! ________________________________
大稻埕夏日節將持續至七八月份 Dadaocheng Festival To Continue Through July and August
Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕碼頭) is a great place in Taipei.
Years ago, it was the city's main wharf (碼頭).
These days, it's a lovely riverside park.
In summer, people come here to share a snack, ride bicycles, or catch the ferry (搭乘渡輪).
The most special time of year at Dadaocheng Wharf is Lunar Valentine's Day (七夕節).
Every year on this weekend there is a fireworks show (煙火表演).
But this year, it will be different.
Instead of one weekend, this year's festival will continue through the summer.
The festival will start on July 1st and continue until August 20th.
Visitors can go see the wharf and the boats decorated with lights (用燈光裝飾).
Shops will be selling food from all over the world.
But without a doubt, the highlight of the festival is the fireworks. 但毫無疑問，節日的亮點是煙火。
Last year, more than 80,000 people saw the fireworks show.
This year, there will be not one, but eight shows.
They will take place every Wednesday night at 8:30. 他們將在每週三晚上 8:30 舉行。
The biggest fireworks show will be on the last day of the festival, August 20th.
If you're in Taipei this summer, find a nice evening to come visit Dadaocheng. ________________________________
羅馬著名噴泉的水變黑了 Water in Rome's Famous Fountain Turns Black
The city of Rome (羅馬) in Italy is famous for its beautiful architecture.
Every year, millions of tourists (觀光客) come to Rome to see its streets and buildings.
One of the most famous places in Rome is the Trevi Fountain (特雷維噴泉).
Many tourists follow the tradition of throwing a coin into the fountain's water (把硬幣扔進噴泉), to make sure they will return to Rome one day.
But recently, tourists saw the water in Trevi Fountain turn black (變黑).
It started when a group of seven people waded into the fountain.
They poured charcoal (木炭) into the water, to turn it black.
Standing in the black water, they held up signs that said, "We won't pay for fossil fuels" (化石燃料).
They also shouted, "Our country is dying."
These people were activists, and they were protesting climate change. 他們在抗議氣候變化。
They are part of a group called Last Generation (最後一代).
They want Italy's government to stop using public money (公共資金) to pay for fossil fuels.
After a while, police pulled the activists out of Trevi Fountain.
The environmentally-friendly (環保) charcoal they put in the water began to clear up.
But many tourists noticed their message, and Last Generation is planning more protests. ________________________________
佛羅里達男子在馬桶裡發現鬣蜥 Florida Man Finds Iguana in Toilet
John Riddle lives in Florida (佛羅里達州).
Recently, he heard a splashing noise (濺水的聲音) coming from his bathroom toilet.
John looked inside the toilet bowl (馬桶), and…
An iguana (鬣蜥) was looking up at him.
First, John tried to grab it with a net, but that didn't work.
Then, he tried to grab it with his hands, but the iguana swam back down the pipe (水管).
So, John waited a while.
Finally the iguana climbed out of the toilet, and John was able to shoo it out (趕出) of his house.
Iguanas have become a big problem in Florida.
They are an invasive species, and many people see them as pests. 它們是入侵物種，許多人將它們視為害蟲。
These lizards climb on roofs, dig under houses, and even swim up out of toilets.
Iguanas are great swimmers, and they can hold their breath (屏住呼吸) for a long time.
So they have no problem moving through the narrow toilet pipes.
As for John, he just hopes (希望) that it doesn't happen again.
He says, "I'm used to iguanas, but I'm not used to them in my toilet bowl." ________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
In Taipei, Dadaocheng Wharf will hold a festival from July 1st to August 20th.
People can see fireworks there on Wednesday evenings at 8:30. ________________________________
And,
In Rome, activists turned the water in the Trevi Fountain black.
They are part of the activist group "Last Generation", and they wanted to protest climate change. ________________________________
And,
A Florida man found an iguana in his toilet.
Iguanas are an invasive species in Florida, and many people see them as pests. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
The US could get more mangoes, Apple could get more money, and the Earth could get more energy.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
芒果貿易商想要在美國賣芒果 Mango Producers Want to Sell in the US
Have you ever eaten a mango (芒果) from Taiwan?
They're AWESOME (超棒的)!
But people don't just eat them in Taiwan.
This year, Taiwan has already exported 900 metric tons of mangoes to other countries. 台灣今年已經外銷了九百公噸的芒果去其他國家。
Most of Taiwan's mangoes go to Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan.
But not the US? That's weird…
In 1992, more than 30 years ago, the US and Taiwan signed a deal (簽了合約) saying Taiwan could send their mangoes to the US, too.
But there's one big problem…
It takes a long time to send all those mangoes to the US.
This is because every batch of mangoes has to be checked, to make sure there are no bugs or other problems. 這是因為每一批芒果出口都需要先被檢查，確認沒有蟲或其他的問題。
Then, they have to go to the US on a big boat (大船上).
All of this takes around 20 days…
And after 20 days, most of the mangoes have expired (過期了)!
Still, many mango farmers (芒果農) in Taiwan want to sell their fruit in the US.
They say they think lots of people would want to buy them.
Well, of course, because they're delicious!
So, more mango farmers in Taiwan are starting to apply (申請) to send their mangoes to the US faster.
If the US says yes, it can send people to check each batch of mangoes (檢查每一批的芒果).
And if they're okay, maybe we could send them to the US faster.
That would be good news for both countries! ________________________________
蘋果公司展示新的頭戴式裝置 Apple Reveals New Headset
Do you have an iPhone, or an Apple computer?
If you do… then you know they can be useful (好用), and fast… and SUPER EXPENSIVE (超級貴的).
And now, Apple has announced (宣布了) its newest product… the "Apple Vision Pro".
It's a headset (頭戴裝置), so you put it on your head, like big goggles (像護目鏡).
And when you're wearing it (戴上了之後), you can use it to see things in different ways.
It will let people do things in "virtual reality" (虛擬實境), or VR, which can let them see a completely different world around them.
And it will also let people use "augmented reality" (擴增實境), or AR, which can let people see the real world around them, with some new things in it.
For example, Apple says people can wear the headset to watch movies in any room, even without a TV.
But, remember when I said Apple products are SUPER EXPENSIVE? 你們還記得我有說蘋果商品很貴嗎？
Well, Apple says the Vision Pro is going to cost around 3,500 US dollars (三千五百美金).
That's more than 100,000 NT (價錢高於十萬台幣)!
Wow.
And the second-most expensive headset (第二貴的頭戴式裝置) is from Facebook's "Meta" company, at around 500 US dollars, or 15,000 NT (一萬五千台幣).
Also wow.
Well, they look cool! But maybe I'll wait until they're not so expensive… ________________________________
衛星將太陽能從太空傳輸到地球 Satellite Sends Solar Power from Space to Earth
Can you see that bright, beautiful sun in the sky?
Wait, don't! Please, don't look at the sun.
But you know it can still give us energy, right? 太陽可以給我們很多能量！
Scientists have been working on solar energy (太陽能) for many years.
Of course, there's one big problem with solar energy…
We can only get it during the day, when the sun is out!
But scientists want to get solar energy all the time, even at night.
So they have made some satellites that orbit the Earth, to always be in the sun, and always collecting energy. 科學家製作了一直繞著地球運行的衛星，為了一直在太陽的照射下，並且不斷地吸收太陽的能量。
The satellites keep that energy in batteries, so they can use it later.
And now, for the first time, scientists have sent that solar energy from a satellite, all the way down to Earth! 最近有科學家歷史上第一次把太陽能從衛星傳送到地球！
They say the satellite can collect a LOT more energy up in space.
But right now, it can only send a little bit down to Earth.
So they just need to figure out (確認) how to get more of it… from space… to here.
If these satellites work better soon, you might be using satellite energy for your VR headset, while you eat a mango! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The US lets Taiwan send its mangoes to US markets…
However, it takes a long time to get them there, and many of the mangoes expire.
So, more mango farmers in Taiwan are starting to apply to send their mangoes to the US faster. ________________________________
And,
Apple has announced its newest product… the "Apple Vision Pro".
It's a headset that will let people do things in "virtual reality", or VR, and use "augmented reality", or AR.
Apple says people can wear the headset to watch movies in any room, even without a TV.
And that's cool, but… Apple says the Vision Pro is going to cost around 3,500 US dollars, or 100,000 NT. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have made some satellites that orbit the Earth, so they can always be in the sun, and always collect energy.
And now, for the first time, scientists have sent that solar energy from a satellite, all the way down to Earth!
They say the satellite can collect a LOT more energy up in space, but right now, it can still only send a little bit down to Earth. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! Go eat a mango or something!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Building electric buses, saving lighthouses, and breaking down plastic.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
政府啟動公車電動化 Taiwan Invests in Electric Buses.
Taiwan is working hard to reach the target of zero-emissions (零碳排) status by 2050.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is now working on an important project.
It plans to replace all diesel (柴油) city buses with electric buses by 2030.
The project has been approved by the Executive Yuan (行政院).
Before 2020, most electric buses were imported from other countries.
Some companies that ran city bus services did not want to switch to electric buses.
They felt the electric buses were very expensive and did not work very well.
And they also felt there weren't many places to charge (充電) electric buses, or maintain (維修) them.
The government then launched a 3 year project for electric buses in 2020.
Since then, many Taiwan manufacturers have designed, and made electric buses.
Right now, two of these manufacturers are mass producing (大量生產) electric buses.
Others are also joining the project.
The government says the project will create manufacturing jobs.
政府說這個計畫能夠使台灣加入國際電動公車的供應鏈。 ________________________________
美國燈塔免費送 Lighthouses Head into Modern Times
For hundreds of years, lighthouses have been a beacon of safety.
They mark (標示) dangerous coastlines, and hazardous reefs.
They help guide ships safely into harbors.
Now, technology has helped marine navigation (航海) become much safer.
GPS, digital maps and radar have helped reduce danger at sea.
Since then, lighthouses have become less important.
But they are an important part of history.
In 2000, the US passed the National Historical Lighthouse Preservation Act.
The government gives the lighthouses to groups that are willing to preserve them (保存，保護).
This year, the government will give away 6 lighthouses.
Groups that get the lighthouses have to maintain (維修, 保養) the property.
They also have to let the public enjoy the property too,
The government says more than 80 lighthouses have found new futures this way.
如果找不到願意認領的機構，燈塔將會以拍賣的形式供社會大眾競標。 ________________________________
能分解塑膠的微生物 Microbial Marvel Makes Plastic Sustainable
Our world has been fighting the problem of plastic for decades.
Since starting mass production during World War II, humans have created 9.1 billion tons of plastic.
Nowadays, plastic is everywhere, from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, to inside our bodies.
Recycling may help, but doesn't completely solve the problem.
And recycling plastic may also make lots of microplastics.
So what's the solution?
Researchers have been experimenting with microorganisms (微生物).
They are looking for ways to use these microorganisms to break down plastic.
And they've found microbes that can digest (消化) plastic.
But these microbes can only do this in temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius.
This means if we use these microbes to break down plastic, we would also use a lot of energy to make heat.
Now, scientists have found another type of microbe high in the Swiss Alps (阿爾卑斯山) and the Arctic (北極圈).
These microbes can function at a cooler temperature.
They can break down biodegradable (生物分解) plastic at 15 degrees Celsius.
The researchers want to find the best temperature for these microbes to work.
They also want to find out how the microbes break down plastic.
This could help scientists find ways to recycle plastic that are better for the environment.
These microbes could also make recycling plastic cheaper.
科學家期待能從微生物研究裡，找到更有效的塑膠分解方式。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan plans to replace all diesel city buses with electric buses by 2030.
Right now, two of these manufacturers are mass producing electric buses.
The government says the project will create manufacturing jobs. ________________________________
Lighthouses have become less important, now that technology has reduced danger at sea.
But they are an important part of history.
Now, the US is giving some lighthouses to groups that are willing to preserve them, and let the public enjoy them too. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a type of microbe high in the Swiss Alps and the Arctic that can break down plastic at cooler temperatures.
They also want to find out how the microbes break down plastic.
This could help scientists find ways to recycle plastic that are better for the environment. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's stories… The ocean near Miaoli has a new wind farm, Rastafari children go back to school, and gulls decide what to eat.
Let's get into it! ________________________________
苗栗離岸風電場完工 Offshore Wind Farm Completed in Miaoli
Taiwan uses a lot of energy (能源).
Much of it comes from burning fossil fuels (化石燃料).
But as the climate heats up, we need to stop this.
So what else can we use?
One choice is nuclear energy (核能), but it is controversial.
Another choice is renewable energy (再生能源), such as solar power, water power and wind power.
And Taiwan has lots of wind.
So, the island country is leaning in to wind power.
The goal is to get more wind power from its windiest place… the ocean.
That's why offshore wind power (離岸風電) is growing quickly in Taiwan.
It's already one of the top countries in the world for offshore wind farms (風電場).
And recently, another project was completed.
The "Formosa 2" wind farm is off the shore of Miaoli County (苗栗縣).
If you stand on the shore of Miaoli, you can see the turbines (風力渦輪機) spinning on the water.
This wind farm can produce (生產) enough electricity to power 380,000 homes.
It's a big achievement for wind power in Taiwan.
But the country did not complete "Formosa 2" alone.
It partnered with companies from Japan, Australia and the US to develop this project. 台灣與日本、澳洲和美國的公司合作開發這個計畫。
And the next offshore wind farm, "Formosa 3", is already being planned. ________________________________
拉斯塔法里兒童 重返學校 Rastafari Children Return to School
Does your school have a dress code (制服)?
That means rules about what you can wear and how you can keep your hair.
These rules sometimes cause big problems.
In the African country of Malawi, hundreds of children have been banned from school for years because of their hair. 在非洲國家馬拉威，數百名兒童因為頭髮，被禁止上學多年。
But now they can finally return to school.
These children belong to a community called Rastafari (拉斯塔法里文化).
For some this is a religion, for others it is a way of life (生活方式).
There are many Rastafari around the world, including famous musicians such as Bob Marley.
As part of the Rastafari way of life, people will not cut their hair.
Instead, they wear their hair in long natural dreadlocks (長長的自然捲髮).
They believe it's important to keep their natural hair.
But, schools in Malawi did not let these students come to class.
Schools said their long hair did not fit the dress code.
For many years, Malawian children with dreadlocks could not attend school (無法上學).
Finally, the Rastafari community took the case to court (把這個案子告上法庭).
They said keeping children out of school because of their long hair was a form of discrimination. 他們說，孩子只因為長頭髮而不能上學，是一種歧視。
The court agreed, and ordered every school in Malawi to open their doors to students with dreadlocks.
Now, these students will no longer have to choose between their beliefs (信仰) and their education (教育). _______________________________
海鷗用觀察人類來選擇食物 Gulls Choose What to Eat by Watching Humans
Do you like to go to the beach (海邊)?
If you do, you have probably seen gulls (海鷗).
These birds stay near the beach, and they love to eat everything humans eat.
Sometimes they even steal food from people (偷人類的食物).
But how do gulls decide what they want to eat?
A new study suggests that gulls figure out what to eat by watching what humans eat.
Scientists found this out by doing an experiment (實驗) at Brighton Beach, in the UK.
They opened two bags of chips (洋芋片) and tossed them on the beach.
Each bag was a different color.
Then, the scientist stood nearby and started to eat another bag of chips.
They watched to see which of the two bags the gulls would eat from.
Of the gulls that came to eat chips, 95% chose chips from the same color bag the scientists were eating from. 跑來吃洋芋片的海鷗，95% 選擇跟科學家們吃同樣顏色袋子裡的零食。
In other words, the gulls were copying (模仿) the humans.
Scientists think this is interesting, because it shows that gulls can pay attention to human behavior (行為).
It also gives us an idea about how to stop gulls from stealing human food.
If you don't want gulls to eat your food… don't let them see you eat it! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
There is a new offshore windfarm near Miaoli County.
The Formosa 2 wind farm can produce enough electricity to power 380,000 homes. ________________________________
And,
In Malawi, Rastafari students with long hair have been banned from school for years.
Now these children can finally go back to school. ________________________________
And,
Scientists in the UK studied how gulls choose food.
They found that gulls decide what to eat by watching what humans eat. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
From undersea volcanoes to the tallest mountain in the world, and BTS celebrates 10 years.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
龜山島磺煙再噴發 Volcanic Gas from Guishan Island
What would you do if you saw smoke coming out of a volcano?
Run far, far away?
Smoke from an underwater volcano was seen in northern Taiwan recently.
A plume (羽狀物) of gas was seen off the coast of Guishan Island.
Guishan Island, or "Turtle Island" is an island in the Pacific Ocean.
It is part of Yilan County.
The island got its name because its shape looks a bit like a turtle.
Guishan Island is also a dormant volcano (休眠火山).
That means it has not erupted (爆發) for a long time, but still may erupt in the future.
Many people take whale-watching boats out to the island.
And recently, one boat saw a little more than sea animals.
People on the boat saw a gas plume rise from the seawater near the island.
The plume rose up about 200 meters high!
The gas came from an opening in the volcano under the water.
But experts say the plume is not dangerous.
They say the gas probably came out after underwater rocks moved, or the earth shifted.
The experts say this is a natural part of the environment around Guishan Island.
The last time a gas plume was seen from the island was on January 10th this year. ________________________________
登山客困聖母峰死亡地帶 雪巴嚮導神救援 Nepali Guide Saves Climber from Everest "Death Zone"
Mount Everest is a dream for many climbers.
It's the tallest mountain on Earth above sea level, at 8,848 meters tall.
But it can also be a nightmare.
Recently, a Malaysian climber trying to climb Everest fell ill.
He was more than 8,000 meters up the mountain.
That area on the mountain is called the "death zone".
The air there is very thin, with low levels of oxygen, and temperatures can get to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The terrain (地形) there is also very dangerous.
The Malaysian climber could not climb anymore.
That's when a Nepali guide came along.
Gelje Sherpa was guiding a client up to the peak (山頂).
But when they saw the Malaysian climber, Sherpa said "my heart did not let me leave him there".
The guide told his client that they would have to go back down the mountain without reaching the peak.
The client paid at least $45,000 US dollars for the climb.
The client was angry, but Sherpa said he wanted to take the sick man down the mountain.
The guide gave the sick man his oxygen supply, but the Malaysian man was still very weak (虛弱).
The guide had to carry the man over parts of the mountain.
Finally, they got down to a camp at about 7,000 meters on the mountain.
A helicopter then took the sick man down the rest of the way.
The Malaysian man later sent the guide a message, telling him "You saved my life, you are god to me".
Gelje Sherpa has reached the top of Mount Everest six times.
He says he does not regret his decision to turn back that day.
一名受困死亡區的登山客被當地嚮導發現，花了6小時背他下山，成功救回一命。 ________________________________
BTS慶祝10週年發表新曲 BTS Celebrates 10th Anniversary with New Single
BTS is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new song.
The seven band members have been working on solo projects.
But they're coming together to mark 10 years as a group.
The band's representatives say their new single "Take Two" was released on June 9th.
They say the song is for BTS fans.
And the song also shows BTS moving onto their "second chapter".
The reps say Suga helped with production (製作).
And RM and J-hope helped with songwriting.
為了歡慶出道10週年，BTS 7位成員共同製作了數位單曲"Take Two"。
The K-pop supergroup will also hold a special celebration for their 10th anniversary.
There will also be a grand finale, a special offline event in Seoul. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A plume of gas was seen off the coast of Guishan Island.
The gas came from an opening in the volcano under the water.
Experts say this is a natural part of the environment around Guishan Island. ________________________________
A Malaysian climber trying to climb Mount Everest fell ill in the "death zone".
A Nepali guide helped the man get down to a camp, and a helicopter then took the sick man down the rest of the way.
The guide says he does not regret his decision to turn back that day. ________________________________
And,
BTS is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new song.
The band's representatives says their new single "Take Two" was released on June 9th.
They say the song is for BTS fans, and also shows BTS moving onto their "second chapter". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! It's time for another edition of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwanese scientists discover a new animal, electricity that's all around us, and a possible Russian spy.
Stay tuned! ________________________________
台灣科學家發現無眼鰻魚 Taiwanese Scientists Discover Eyeless Eels
In the Philippines and Australia, scientists found something special in dark underwater caves (陰暗的水下洞穴).
The unique sea snake, often called a 'moray eel' (海鰻), was discovered by a team including scientists from the National Sun Yat-sen University.
Now, these eels live in super dark caves (超級黑暗的洞穴).
They are slowly losing their eyes because, down there, they simply don't need them!
The scientists caught nine of these eels.
They found that some had tiny eyes, some had just one eye covered by skin, and two of them had no eyes at all! 他們發現有些鰻魚的眼睛很小，有些鰻魚的眼睛被皮膚覆蓋，有兩條甚至完全沒有眼睛！
After a good look, they found that these eels were like no others ever seen before!
They gave these new eels a fancy name: Uropterygius cyamommatus.
These are the first eels found in these super deep, dark underwater caves.
Now, here's the cool part: the scientists believe these eels are showing us evolution in real time. 科學家認為這些鰻魚正在進化，我們都看得到。
These eels used to rely on their sight (依賴他們的視覺) , but now they're relying on their other senses (感官) because there's no light in these caves. ________________________________
用空氣發電 Scientists Generate Electricity from Thin Air
Electricity (電力) is part of our everyday lives.
It powers everything we use… our lights, refrigerators, and the devices you're using to hear this episode!
But, did you know electricity is hiding all around us, even in the air we breathe? 你知道我們周遭，甚至我們呼吸的空氣，也隱藏著電力嗎？
Scientists have recently made a device that can create electricity from thin air! 科學家最近製造了一個空氣發電的裝置。
This new device, called the 'Air-gen,' works by capturing (捕捉) the tiny drops of water in the air.
These scientists say that the device can be made from almost any material, as long as it's full of really, really small holes.
With this exciting discovery, we might be on the path to another source of sustainable energy (永續能源).
The Air-gen was invented by some clever folks (聰明人) at the University of Massachusetts.
Since then, they've been trying different materials and are learning more every day!
They believe that this Air-gen technology could one day give us electricity anytime, anywhere.
This is still early days for the Air-gen (還只是初期), and scientists are working hard to make it even better. ________________________________
俄羅斯【間諜】鯨魚在瑞典現身 Russian 'Spy' Whale Surfaces in Sweden
Whales and dolphins are extremely intelligent creatures. 鯨魚和海豚是極其聰明的生物。
For many years, scientists have been trying to find out how smart they really are.
Many of these marine mammals have been trained by humans.
And some people even think navies have trained them as soldiers! 甚至有人認為海軍曾經給牠們軍事訓練！
Back in 2019, a Beluga whale (白鯨) called Hvaldimir, found in Norway wearing a harness (背帶).
The harness was made for a camera with the words "Equipment St. Petersburg" on it.
St. Petersburg is a Russian city, so that made people think he might have been trained by the Russian navy.
This cool creature has just been spotted again (再次被發現), this time off Sweden's coast!
Hvaldimir was first found way up in northern Norway, and since then, he's been on a slow journey down the coast. Hvaldimir最初在挪威北部被發現，之後牠一直沿著海岸慢慢移動。
He has been traveling faster and faster, zooming down the rest of the Norwegian coast and ending up in Sweden. 牠最近加快了速度，沿著挪威海岸迅速南下，最後到達了瑞典。
Marine biologists (海洋生物學家) said they're not sure why he's traveling so fast.
It could be because he's looking for a mate (伴侶), or he could just be feeling lonely, since Belugas are very social (白鯨是非常社會化的動物).
Some of you might be asking, why the name Hvaldimir?
Well, in Norwegian, "hval" means "whale", and "dimir" is like the name "Vladimir".
The name is a little joke about the whale's supposed connection to Russia. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists from the National Sun Yat-sen University were part of a team that discovered a new species of moray eel.
These eels live in super dark caves in the Philippines and Australia.
The scientists believe these eels are showing us evolution in real time, because they are slowly losing their eyes! ________________________________
And,
Scientists have recently made a device that can create electricity from thin air!
This new device, called the 'Air-gen,' works by capturing the tiny drops of water floating in the air.
This technology could one day give us electricity anytime, anywhere. ________________________________
And,
Back in 2019, a Beluga whale called Hvaldimir, was found in Norway wearing a harness.
Recently, he was spotted on the southwestern coast of Sweden.
Some people think he might have been trained by the Russian navy. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello, and welcome to News Bites, we've got some good news and a ton of English!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Can you fix your phone? NASA talks about UFOs… and sometimes, the sun sets perfectly.
Let's have a listen! ________________________________
電子產品能修好嗎？新的分數系統會告訴你 Taiwan Sets Standards for Repairability
How old is your phone?
Phones… computers… TVs… if you use electronic devices (電子產品) for a long time, then someday, they might break (壞掉).
And if your devices break (如果你的電子產品壞掉), you might need to find someone who can repair them (修理它們).
But how do we know if they break?
And how much can we repair them?
我們怎麼知道電子產品怎麼樣才算是壞掉，並且可以修理到什麼程度？
Well, Taiwan's government wants to help people understand each electronic thing's "repairability" (能修理的度量).
The Environmental Protection Administration wants companies to clearly show each device's "repairability score". 環保署準備要求廠商，清楚標示每一種電子產品的【能夠修理的分數】。
That way, we can buy something repairable (比較容易修理), and fix it when we need to!
And we won't have to buy a new device, every time the old one breaks. 這樣我們就不需要每次舊的東西壞了，就跑去買個新的。
So, before you go buy a new phone…
Make sure it's easy to fix! ________________________________
美國太空總署解釋 不明的神祕現象 NASA Explains its Unexplained Mysteries
Have you ever seen a "UFO" (幽浮)?
Actually, "UFO" stands for "Unidentified Flying Object" (不明飛行物).
That means, if you see something in the sky, and you don't know what it is… that's a UFO!
And recently, NASA (美國太空總署) held a meeting to talk about all kinds of strange phenomena (奇怪的現象), like UFOs.
NASA says they receive almost 100 UFO reports every month! 美國太空總署說，每個月都會收到將近一百個不明飛行物的報告。
But, they say, most of these phenomena have already been explained. 他們說這些現象大部分已經被解謎了。
For example, they say UFOs can look like mysterious, moving lights in the sky (看起來像神秘的光在空中移動)…
But then, later, they are actually just planes and satellites (其實只是飛機或衛星).
There are also lots of other mysterious phenomena (奇妙的現象).
NASA says one time, Australian scientists heard a strange signal (聽到奇怪的訊號), every day around lunchtime…
And later, they found out the signal was coming from microwave ovens, making lunch! 科學家後來發現，原來奇怪的訊號來自附近的微波爐。
So, NASA says it wants to help people understand that most things are not actually so mysterious.
It says most of these can be explained with science (可以用科學來解釋).
Of course, there are still some things we haven't explained… YET.
But just because we don't know what something is, doesn't mean it's an alien! 只因為我們不知道那是什麼，並不代表它是外星人做的！ ________________________________
到底什麼是【曼哈頓懸日】？ What is Manhattanhenge?
You might know about "Stonehenge" (巨石陣).
Stonehenge is in England (英國), and it's… well, it's a bunch of big rocks.
The Stonehenge rocks were arranged in a circle, around two or three thousand years ago…
And on the summer solstice (夏至的時候), the sunrise shines light through its middle!
巨石陣的石頭兩三千年前放成一個大圓圈，每到夏至那一天，日出陽光會剛好穿過巨石陣的中間！
Stonehenge is pretty cool… but it's also pretty old.
Do we have anything newer? 有沒有比較新的版本？
Yes! And this year, thousands of people in New York City (紐約) went to see it.
Every year, in New York City's Manhattan District, you can see the sunset shine light all the way down a long, long street, right between the buildings. 每年有幾天的時間，在紐約市的曼哈頓可以看到完美日落，剛好照著整條馬路，就在大樓的中間。
But this special sunset only happens on a few days each year, and only for around 20 minutes each time.
And when one scientist saw this sunset, it reminded him of Stonehenge, in England.
So he decided to call it "Manhattanhenge" (曼哈頓懸日), for New York.
It may not seem that special, but scientists say this rare sunset can remind us of astronomy (天文學), on a normal day in the city.
Maybe we can find one in Taiwan? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's government wants to help people understand each electronic thing's "repairability".
The Environmental Protection Administration wants companies to clearly show each device's "repairability score".
That way, we can buy something repairable, and fix it when we need to! ________________________________
And,
NASA has recently held a meeting to talk about all kinds of strange phenomena, like UFOs.
NASA says it wants to help people understand that most things are not actually so mysterious.
It says most of these can be explained with science. ________________________________
And,
Every year, in New York City's Manhattan District, you can see the sunset shine down a long street, between the buildings.
When one scientist saw this sunset, it reminded him of Stonehenge, so he decided to call it "Manhattanhenge".
It only happens for around 20 minutes, a few times per year, but thousands of people still go to see it. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Like a bug on your ramen, like living on Mars, and the surprising side effects of recycling.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
餐廳推出【大王具足蟲拉麵】 Isopods: From Deep Sea to Your Dinner Plate
Do you know what an isopod (具足蟲) looks like?
They're relatives of the shrimp.
But they are flatter and much bigger.
The giant isopod is about 40cm long on average.
Some might say they look like giant grey cockroaches.
Isopods are deep-sea creatures that feed on dead sea animals.
And now they are on the menu!
A restaurant in Taipei is introducing a new dish, "Giant Isopod with Creamy Chicken Broth Ramen."
The dish looks a bit like a giant insect on a ramen bowl.
The restaurant says isopod meat tastes a little like crab and lobster (龍蝦).
But experts say there are some risks (風險).
They say isopods live on the sea floor.
The animals might have absorbed heavy metals.
And some of the sea animals isopods eat are toxic, like pufferfish (河豚) and some shellfish (貝類).
這道菜成功的引起話題，但不是每個人都敢嘗試。 ________________________________
加拿大科學家模擬火星居住一年 Canadian Scientist Tries Out "Living on Mars"
Many people dream about exploring space and other planets.
But they have to do a lot of work to get ready.
And this is what Canadian biologist Kelly Haston is going to do for the next 12 months.
She is one of 4 volunteers (志願者).
Aside from Kelly, the other volunteers are an engineer, a doctor and a nurse.
They will live in a Martian habitat (火星棲息地) in Houston, Texas.
NASA is conducting (執行) this experiment.
It is trying to find out how a crew acts in an isolated (孤立的) and confined (局限的) environment.
And the volunteers will go through many scenarios (情境).
They might run into equipment getting broken, or not having enough water.
The Martian habitat is a 3D-printed facility that's 160 square meters large.
It has bedrooms, a gym, common areas and a vertical farm (垂直農場).
There is also an outdoor area which is filled with red sand.
The crew will have to put on spacesuits.
They will go through an airlock to do 'space walks' in the outdoor area.
And the way they communicate with the outside world will also be different.
The crew would only be able to contact family through email, or sometimes video recordings, never live.
A roundtrip from Earth to Mars would take around 18 months.
看起來，習慣與世隔絕似乎是太空探索的首要條件。 ________________________________
塑膠回收的副作用 The Surprising Side Effects of Recycling
We know recycling can help cut waste, pollution and conserve resources.
Recycling plastic is especially important, as worldwide plastic pollution is a serious problem.
However, a new study suggests that even with recycling plastic, microplastic is still polluting our Earth.
A team of scientists tested the wastewater at a recycling plant in the U.K.
They say the plant could be releasing 2,933 metric tons (公噸) of microplastics per year.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are less than 5 millimeters wide.
These tiny pieces of plastic are very dangerous.
Microplastics of this size can be eaten or breathed in (吸入) by people or animals.
Some scientists say this doesn't mean we should stop recycling.
They say we should stop using recycling as a way to let us use more plastic.
科學家說目前最重要的是減少塑膠生產，而不是回收。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A restaurant in Taipei is introducing a new dish, "Giant Isopod with Creamy Chicken Broth Ramen."
The dish looks a bit like a giant insect on a ramen bowl.
The restaurant says isopod meat tastes a little like crab and lobster. ________________________________
Canadian biologist Kelly Haston and 3 other volunteers will live in a Martian habitat in Houston, Texas for a year.
NASA is conducting this experiment.
It is trying to find out how a crew acts in an isolated and confined environment. ________________________________
And,
A new study suggests that recycling plants release microplastics.
A team of scientists found that even with a filtration system, a recycling plant in the UK released over 1,300 metric tons of microplastics per year.
Scientists say we should use less plastic. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
Today's stories…
A shop in Tainan closes after more than 100 years, people in Indonesia work to save coral reefs, and an American boy climbs into a claw machine.
Uh oh… Let's get into it!
________________________________
經營122年的台南油條店停業
Tainan Youtiao Shop Closes After 122 Years
Are you willing to do the same job as your parents?
Some family businesses (家族企業) go on for many generations.
That's what happened with one shop in Tainan.
Bainian Youtiao has been going for three generations (已經傳了三代了).
But now, the shop will close down.
Bainian Youtiao opened in Tainan in 1901.
The small family-owned shop only made one thing: youtiao.
They are a popular breakfast food, and people love to eat them with rice porridge (稀飯) or tea.
The shop made these youtiao fresh (新鮮), every day for 122 years.
However, they have recently announced (宣布) they are closing down.
The owner, Mr. Chang, cannot continue to run the shop, due to his health.
Mr. Chang's son cannot take over the business, because he is in college.
張先生的兒子現在沒有辦法接手生意，因為他正在上大學。
So, this is the end of Bainian Youtiao.
Some people say it's a bad thing, because the old shop was keeping an important tradition alive.
Small shops like this are important for preserving Tainan's food culture (保存台南的飲食文化).
But other people say it's a good thing.
In their view, it shows there are more opportunities (機會) nowadays.
When people have more choices, they don't have to join the same business as their parents.
Either way, people in Tainan will miss the flavor (味道) of this old shop.
________________________________
印尼社區 致力於拯救珊瑚礁
Communities in Indonesia Aim to Save Coral Reefs
Coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are an important part of our oceans.
But many coral reefs are in trouble.
They are being harmed by human activities.
Pollution and fishing have damaged (破壞) coral reefs around the world.
Now, some people are trying to repair the damage.
Communities in Indonesia (印尼) are working on many such projects.
One is happening on Tidung Island, near Indonesia's biggest city, Jakarta (雅加達).
Tidung Island has lots of reefs.
But, pollution from Jakarta has damaged much of the coral.
So communities on Tidung Island are working with Jakarta's universities on a new project.
The universities are teaching the people how to grow coral.
The people grow it in a safe place, and then transplant it to the shallow reef around the island.
人們在安全的地方培育珊瑚，然後把它移植到這個島周圍的淺礁。
They hope to expand the coral reef, and promote sustainable tourism (永續旅遊).
In another part of Indonesia, people are going even further to save corals.
On the island of Bali (峇里), fishing has destroyed large parts of the coral reefs.
So, a local diving club (潛水社團) is building more reefs under the water.
The divers make structures from concrete and metal, and then carefully place them on the ocean floor.
潛水員用混凝土和金屬製作支架，然後小心地將它們放置在海底。
Then, the divers transplant (移植) corals onto these structures.
These structures give corals a place to grow, and they give fish a place to hide.
These are just two of the conservation projects happening now in Indonesia.
But they provide a good example (好例子) that the rest of the world can follow.
________________________________
美國男孩 卡在夾娃娃機裡面
North Carolina Boy Gets Stuck In Claw Machine
Do you like to play claw machines (夾娃娃機)?
If you are good at using the machine, and if you're lucky, you can win a prize.
But it's not easy.
Losing at the claw machine again and again can drive people mad.
夾娃娃機一次又一次的失敗，會讓人抓狂。
That's what happened in the US, where a thirteen-year-old boy climbed into a claw machine and got stuck (卡住了).
The machine had plush toys (絨毛玩具) inside, and the boy had crawled in trying to get one.
The park staff had to call a medical team (醫療隊) to come save the boy.
The team unlocked (解鎖了) the machine and let the boy out.
He was not hurt, and the park staff returned him to his family.
The amusement park also banned (禁止) the boy for one year.
So whatever you do… don't try to climb into a claw machine.
You might not be able to get out.
________________________________
So, in today's newsbites…
A youtiao shop in Tainan is closing after 122 years.
Bainian Youtiao has been making the snack for three generations.
But the owner can't run the shop anymore, and his son is busy in college.
________________________________
And,
In Indonesia, people want to save their coral reefs.
Communities in Jakarta and Bali are working to expand coral reefs.
They do this by growing coral and transplanting it to the sea floor.
________________________________
And,
A boy got stuck in a claw machine at a North Carolina amusement park.
He crawled inside and could not get himself out.
A medical team had to let him out, and he was banned from the park for one year.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
What's lurking in Sun Moon Lake? What's weighing down New York City? And what does the Titanic really look like?
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
破紀錄「魚虎王」上鉤
Giant Snakehead Fish Caught in Sun Moon Lake
A fishing team has caught the largest giant snakehead (魚虎) in Taiwan's history.
The fish is more than 100 centimeters long.
And it weighs 19.2 kilograms.
That's about as heavy as a 5 year old child!
釣魚達人黃小四和工作團隊，釣到堪稱全國最大魚虎，這支「魚虎王」重達19公斤。
The catch was part of a project to get the invasive fish out of the lake.
The giant snakehead is an invasive species (外來入侵物種) that has been a danger to the lake's ecology.
Giant snakeheads were first introduced into Taiwan as ornamental fish (觀賞魚).
Then people got tired of them and released them into lakes and rivers.
The giant snakeheads have almost no natural enemies (天敵) here in Taiwan.
So they multiplied (繁殖) rapidly, and grew to huge sizes.
They also eat native animals, and cause serious damage to the ecosystem.
Humans need to do more to protect the natural balance of the ecosystem.
________________________________
紐約市沉重的大困境
The Weighty Consequence of New York's Skyscrapers
New York City is often called "The Big Apple".
It's an important city in the U.S.
And it's also a must-visit city for tourists all over the world.
There are also many famous buildings in New York…
The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and many others.
But all those giant skyscrapers (摩天大樓) is causing a problem for the city.
The weight of the buildings is actually making the city sink!
New York City has over 6000 high-rise buildings.
These buildings are over 35 meters tall.
Researchers calculated the weight of the city's structures (結構).
They think the all the structures together weigh about 762 million kilograms!
This enormous weight is pushing down on the ground.
It causes the city to sink 1 to 2 mm each year on average.
At first, this wasn't dangerous.
But now, global warming is causing glaciers (冰河) to melt, and sea levels to rise.
And that, along with the city sinking, means that the water around New York City has risen 22 centimeters since 1950.
This means more flooding, especially when there's a hurricane.
Researchers also say the situation will be the same in many coastal cities (海岸城市) around the world as the climate crisis deepens.
看來全球暖化導致海平面上升的問題真的不容忽視。
________________________________
鐵達尼號首次公開全貌
A Look at the Secrets of the Titanic
Many movies and shows have been made about the sinking of the 'Titanic' in 1912.
Researchers have been studying the wreck (殘骸) of the luxury ship since it was discovered in 1985.
But the research hasn't been easy.
It's deep under water.
And the wreck has been eaten away by rust (銹).
Researchers say the ship is deteriorating (惡化).
They say those who study the ship have to be very careful not to cause damage.
Now, a new project may change the situation, and help researchers get more information.
A team of scientists have used deep sea mapping to make a 'digital twin' of the wreck.
It's the largest underwater scan ever done so far.
The scans were carried out in the summer of 2022.
The researchers got around 715,000 images and 16 terabytes of data.
This is about 10 times larger than any underwater 3D model ever created.
This "digital twin" scan is very detailed.
It's so detailed that even the serial number on the propeller (螺旋槳) can be seen.
The researchers think this will help them learn more about what happened on the ship.
專家相信這將能解開導致這個悲劇的許多謎團。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A fishing team has caught the largest giant snakehead in Taiwan's history.
The fish is more than 100 centimeters long.
And it weighs 19.2 kilograms.
________________________________
New York City has over 6000 high-rise buildings.
Researchers think the all the structures together weighed about 762 million kilograms.
This enormous weight is causing the city to sink 1 to 2 millimeters each year on average.
________________________________
And,
A team of scientists have used deep sea mapping to make a "digital twin" of the wreck of the Titanic.
The researchers got around 715,000 images and 16 terabytes of data.
This digital twin scan is so detailed that even the serial number on the propeller can be seen.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Here's a brand new episode of…News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Artists recycling plastic, fewer sheep in New Zealand, and the fastest grandma in the world.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
美國藝術家將台灣的塑膠變成藝術品 American Artists Turn Taiwan's Plastic into Art
Taiwan is a beautiful island country (島國).
There are tall mountains, scenic beaches, and a rich culture and history. 這裡有高大的山脈、風景秀麗的海灘，以及豐富的文化和歷史。
Foreigners who travel here often decide to live here because they fall in love with Taiwan. 來這裡旅遊的外國人，常常會因為愛上台灣而決定住下來。
And two American artists are showing how much they love the island by recycling!
Josh and Andrew have been turning old plastic into cool art pieces (酷炫的藝術品) for a long time.
In 2017, they started a company called Taiwanderful Recycle Company.
Their goal is to teach people that recycling plastic is fun and useful for everyone.
And now, they have a special plan to help the people living on Green Island make money (賺錢) from recycling plastic!
They opened a 'Plastic Recycling Station' on Green Island to turn waste plastic into reusable stuff. 他們在綠島開設了一個「塑膠回收站」，將塑膠垃圾變成可再利用的材料。
Andrew creates lots of different art pieces from recycled plastic.
He even uses ideas from the local Amis people in his art. 他的藝術作品中使用了當地阿美族人的創意。
Josh and Andrew hope that their work will make everyone more aware of how important it is to recycle plastic. Josh 和 Andrew 希望他們的工作，能讓每個人更加認識回收塑膠的重要性。
They found a way to make art, help the environment, and help people at the same time.
________________________________
紐西蘭的羊群數量創下歷史新低 New Zealand's Sheep Population Drops to Record Low
New Zealand is known for its beautiful landscapes (美麗的風景), being the filming location of Lord of the Rings (作為電影《魔戒》拍攝地點), and…sheep!
The weather and land in New Zealand make it perfect (完美) for farmers to keep sheep.
They can eat green grass and run around in the open fields (開放的田野).
New Zealand is one of the world's top wool exporters, sending lots of wool overseas every year. 紐西蘭是全世界最大的羊毛出口國之一，每年都有大量的羊毛外銷。
In fact, it's well-known (大家都知道) that there are more sheep than people there!
Back in 1982, there were as many as 22 sheep for every person in New Zealand. 早在1982年，紐西蘭平均每個人有22隻羊。
But recently, that number reached a record low (歷史新低).
The country released a five-year census of agricultural production (五年的農業生產普查).
The report says that in 2022, there were fewer than five sheep for every person. 報告說，2022年，每個人只有五隻羊。
That's the lowest number since the 1850s.
Farming has become more expensive and wool (羊毛) has become cheaper, so there aren't as many sheep as before. ________________________________
老奶奶跑進世界紀錄 Grandma Runs into World Record
People have different thoughts about the elderly (老年人).
Some people may think they are wise (很有智慧) because they have lived a long time.
Other people might think that old people are not strong or fast, as humans tend to grow weaker with age. 也有人以為老人沒有那麼強壯或是敏捷，因為人類會隨著年齡的增長而變衰弱。
Well, a woman in Canada (加拿大) is changing that perception (觀念)!
Rejeanne Fairhead, a 96-year-old lady from Ottawa (渥太華), became a champion on a hot day when she took part in a big race.
She ran 5 kilometers (5公里) - and guess what?
She became the fastest 96-year old woman in the world! 她成為世界上最快的96歲女士！
With her family and her trainer cheering (加油) for her, she ran the race.
She even had a sign that said she was trying to break a world record! 她甚至還有一個告示牌，上面寫著她正努力打破世界紀錄！
And she did! 她做到了！
She finished the race in 51 minutes and 9 seconds.
She was so fast, she even beat (超過了) 627 other runners.
Mrs. Fairhead's amazing run has made her a star.
But for now, she's happy to relax (放鬆下來).
She says might race again next year, just for fun (只是為了好玩). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two American artists are showing how much they love Taiwan by recycling!
They started a recycling company to teach people that recycling plastic is fun and useful for everyone.
They have a special plan to help the people living on Green Island make money from recycling plastic. ________________________________
And,
New Zealand released a five-year census of agricultural production.
The report says that in 2022, there were fewer than five sheep for every person.
That's the lowest number since the 1850s. ________________________________
And,
A 96-year-old lady from Ottawa, became a champion when she took part in a big race.
She finished a 5-kilometer race in 51 minutes and 9 seconds.
She became the fastest 96-year old woman in the world! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hellooo, and welcome to News Bites…
I'm Trevor…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Let's look at today's stories:
Blue algae glow in the dark, a brain implant does something amazing, and Netflix stops sharing.
Here we go… Dun dun dun dun dunalanadun! ________________________________
藍眼淚照片引發環境辯論 Blue Algae Photo Starts Environmental Discussion
Let's start this story with a really hard English word: "Bioluminescence" (生物發光).
"Bio" is a word for living things (生物), and when something is "luminescent" (會發光), that means it can glow in the dark (能在黑暗中發光)!
And in the water around Taiwan's Mazu islands (馬祖), one kind of living thing is VERY bioluminescent…
It's called algae (海藻).
When this algae glows (發光), it glows a beautiful bright blue (會發又漂亮又閃亮的藍光)… and there is a LOT of it.
So when you look out at the water, you might see a bright blue ocean… at night!
The algae usually glows around Mazu from March to July every year.
Some people in Mazu call it "blue tears" (藍眼淚).
But one picture of the algae has recently become very popular (流行).
It's a picture of a person with glowing blue algae all over their body!
最近有一張照片變得很紅，就是一個人全身佈滿這個藍色的海藻。
Scientists (科學家) say the algae is not poisonous (沒有毒性).
They say it turns blue when it is disturbed (被打擾的時候發光).
Some people worry this could hurt the environment (有人害怕會傷害海藻的環境).
But scientists say as long as the algae stays in the water, it should be okay.
The ocean is beautiful, and taking pictures is fun…
Just remember to leave living things where you find them! ________________________________
癱瘓的男人再次行走 Paralyzed Man Walks Again
Most people learn to walk when they are about one year old.
So, a lot of people take walking for granted. 很多人認為走路這個能力是理所當然的。
Life is much harder, if you can't walk…
And recently, it was especially hard for one man in the Netherlands, who was paralyzed from an accident. 有一個荷蘭人生活很辛苦，因為他發生了意外之後變成癱瘓。
Usually, when a person is paralyzed, that means they can't move their legs anymore.
But there is hope!
Thanks to some amazing technology (因為很棒的科技), the man can now walk again.
Scientists put special implants into the man's body. 科學家把特別的植入物放進這個人的身體裡。
The implants went into his spine (脊柱) and his legs.
They helped his brain (大腦) to move his legs again, so he could stand up and walk.
The man says he feels like a little kid (自己感覺像一個小孩), because he has to learn to walk again.
But he says he's happy he can walk with his friends again.
Scientists say these implants are still in development (還在發展中).
But so far, these are great results (很棒的結果).
Don't take walking for granted! ________________________________
網飛停止帳戶分享 Netflix Stops Sharing
Okay, for this next story, no people were hurt…
But… it might hurt your wallet (傷害你的錢包).
The streaming company Netflix has announced that people in many countries can no longer share their accounts for free. 串流媒體公司【網飛】，英文叫 Netflix，最近宣布很多國家的訂閱戶不能再免費地分享帳戶。
Before this (在這之前), if your friends had a Netflix account in their home, then you could be in a different place, and still watch it too.
This let a lot of people save money (省錢).
But now, if you're not at your friend's home, and you want to use their Netflix account…
Too bad! You have to pay for it, too!
Netflix says too many people were sharing accounts, and it was losing money (虧錢).
So it sent an email (電子郵件) to 103 different countries around the world, including Taiwan, saying it's time for more people to pay for themselves.
Now, millions of subscribers (數幾百萬的訂戶)… have unsubscribed (退訂了).
But Netflix says it thinks more people will come back in the future.
Many people say other companies may do this soon, too.
They say it can be nice to share for free, but businesses want to make more money.
What do you think? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every year from March to July, algae in the water around Taiwan's Mazu islands glows bright blue.
And recently, a picture of a person with blue algae all over their body became very popular.
Some people worry this could hurt the environment, but scientists say as long as the algae stays in the water, it should be okay. ________________________________
And,
A paralyzed man in the Netherlands is now able to walk again.
Scientists put special implants into the man's spine and legs.
The implants help his brain to move his legs, so he can stand up and walk.
Scientists say these implants are still in development, but so far, these are great results! ________________________________
And,
The streaming company Netflix has announced that people in many countries can no longer share their accounts for free.
Netflix says too many people were sharing accounts, and it was losing money.
Now, millions of subscribers have unsubscribed, but Netflix says more people will come back in the future. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
The danger of an incoming report card, the danger of a coal mine, and the danger of soap?
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
高中生雇用徵信社攔截成績單
The Case of a Runaway Report Card
What would you do if you did badly in your exams, and the school is mailing your grades home?
Would you do everything you can to stop the report card from getting to your house?
This is exactly what a high school student tried to do.
A private detective posted the story on Facebook.
He was talking about bizarre (不尋常的) cases he had come across.
He wrote that an 18-year-old student wanted to hire him for a job.
The girl asked him to intercept (攔截) a report card that would be mailed to her home.
She said her grades were terrible.
The student said the mailman arrived at around 9 AM.
And she hoped the detective could take the report card out of the mailbox, so her mom wouldn't see it.
The detective was surprised that she would think of this idea.
This is obviously not a good way to solve the problem.
The detective tried to talk some sense into her.
He encouraged her to be honest with her mother.
這位同學想的辦法真的是很奇特，不過還是勇敢面對，找出誠實的解決方法比較好喔。
________________________________
澳洲拒絕在大堡礁附近設立煤礦場
Australia Rejects Plans for Coal Mine Near Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system.
It's one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world.
The Australian government is trying to protect the reef.
Recently, they turned down a proposal for a coal mine (煤礦) near the reef.
The mining project would have been located less than 10 kilometers from the reef.
Australia's Environment Minister rejected the plan because of potential (潛在的) environmental dangers.
It's the first time a federal environment minister used her powers under environment laws to reject a mine.
The minister said the risk of pollution and irreversible (不可逆的) damage to the reef is very real.
She said the project was an "unacceptable risk".
Australia still uses a lot of fossil fuels for its energy.
Over the years, climate change has been a danger to the reef.
Rising temperatures have already caused mass coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) in the reef.
If things don't improve, the corals will die.
Last year, a team of UNESCO scientists even proposed that the reef should be added to the list of world heritage sites that are in danger.
聯合國教科文組織建議將澳洲大堡礁列為瀕危世界遺產，不過澳洲表明反對。
________________________________
研究指出肥皂可能會吸引蚊子
Is Your Soap Making You a Mosquito Magnet?
Are you the one that always gets bitten by a mosquito?
Some say it's the pH level (酸鹼值) of our bodies.
Others suggest it's the food that we eat.
Now, a new study suggests that soap might be why you're so attractive (有吸引力) to those blood sucking creatures.
When female mosquitos are not feeding on blood, they drink plant nectar (花蜜).
Nowadays, most soaps have fruity and flowery smells, just like nectar.
When we use these soaps, we're putting those smells on our bodies.
This means to the mosquitos, we would smell like humans and flowers together.
That's very attractive to mosquitos!
雌性蚊子不吸血時，也會攝取花蜜，而當我們把這些花和水果香味放在身上，就等於是同時發出人類與花朵的氣味，對蚊子非常具有吸引力。
But the study also says the effects of soap are different on different people.
So the scientists think that may be why even with the same soap, some people attract mosquitos, while others do not.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A private detective says an 18-year-old student asked him to intercept a report card that would be mailed to her home.
She said her grades were terrible.
The detective encouraged her to be honest with her mother.
________________________________
The Australian government turned down a proposal for a coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef.
Australia's Environment Minister rejected the plan because of potential environmental dangers.
Rising temperatures have already caused mass coral bleaching in the reef.
________________________________
And,
A new study suggests that soap might be why you're so attractive to mosquitos.
When female mosquitos are not feeding on blood, they drink plant nectar.
Many soaps have fruity and flowery smells, just like nectar, and that's very attractive to mosquitos
But the study also says the effects of soap are different on different people.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Welcome, you, you, and you, yes, you, to a new episode of News Bites!
I am probably Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm definitely Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
People want longer weekends, a pop star is no longer The Weeknd, and a star pops in space.
Let's have a listen!
________________________________
台灣人請求政府給予更長的周末
Taiwanese People Ask for a Longer Weekend
Usually, we go to school or work for five days every week.
These five days, from Monday to Friday, are called "weekdays".
And the other two days, Saturday and Sunday, are called "the weekend" (周末).
So… why is our weekend only two days?
Well, more and more people are saying our weekends should be THREE days.
Wouldn't that be awesome?!
那不是超棒嗎？！
Here in Taiwan, the law (法律) says people have to work eight hours per day (每天八個小時), and five days per week (每週五天).
But many people want to work less hours each day…
現在，很多人想要減少每天工作的時間…
And other people want to work less days each week!
還有很多人要減少每週工作的天數！
Now, thousands of people (好幾千個人) are asking Taiwan's government to change its laws on working time.
That's because many companies in other countries (很多在外國的公司) already did!
Last year, 60 companies in the UK (英國 60 個公司) gave people four days of work, and three days of rest (三天的休息)… every week!
And the results (結果) were GREAT!
Most companies said they still finished all their work, and most people said they felt happier.
Of course, this may not be good for every school, or every company… but most people love the idea.
Do you think our future could have more three-day weekends?
________________________________
世界著名的明星改了名字
World-Famous Pop Star Changes His Name
Okay, speaking of weekends (說到週末)…
You may have heard a very famous singer (很有名的歌手) called "The Weeknd".
Of course, his name is spelled differently (名字的拼法不一樣)…
And he's not two or three days… he's a real celebrity (明星).
This year, The Weeknd was one of the most famous pop stars in the world.
But "The Weeknd" isn't his real name (不是他真的名字)… it's a nickname (綽號)!
Lots of people have nicknames.
Sometimes it's because a nickname sounds cool (聽起來很酷).
And sometimes they can make our names easier for people to remember.
有時候有綽號可以讓你的名字比較好記。
For example (比如說), if your name is very hard to remember, like "Johnson von Pipinpobolopsicopolis", then people might just call you "Johnny".
But other times, we might still want to use our original name (原本的名字).
For many people, their original name is more meaningful (有更多的意義).
So now, 13 years later, The Weeknd says he is changing his name… back to his original name!
He says after he finishes his current album (專輯), he will be called "Abel Tesfaye".
But if you like The Weeknd, then you'll like Abel.
After all, even if you change your name… you're still you!
畢竟就算你改了名字… 你還是你！
________________________________
科學家找到歷史上最大的爆炸
Scientists Find the Biggest Explosion Ever
Okay, we talked about weekends, and pop stars…
Now, we can talk about a star's… pop (小爆炸).
That's right, a bright star out in space… "popped"?
Actually, it was way bigger than that!
Scientists think it might be the biggest explosion (爆炸) that they have ever seen.
It happened when a huge cloud of gas fell into a black hole.
這個爆炸是在巨大的氣體雲被吸進一個黑洞的時候發生的。
The black hole's force (力量) made the gas very hot, and sent it flying all over the place.
Scientists estimate (估計) the explosion is around 100 times bigger than our solar system (比我們的太陽系大一百倍).
They say it's about two trillion times brighter than our sun (比我們的太陽亮兩兆倍).
And the explosion is still happening… two years later!
Scientists found it a few years ago, but it took them a long time to understand what they saw.
Scientists think these kinds of huge explosions could be very important for making new galaxies (星系).
Fortunately, this explosion happened around eight billion lightyears away from us (距離我們八十億光年).
We already have our own galaxy… we don't need another one right now!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Thousands of people are asking Taiwan's government to make weekends three days, instead of two.
That's because many companies in other countries have already tried it, and the results were great.
Most companies said they still finished all their work, and most people said they felt happier.
________________________________
And,
The world-famous pop star "The Weeknd" is changing back to his original name.
He says that after his next album is finished, he'll go back to his original name, Abel Tesfaye.
Nicknames can help people remember us more easily, but for many people, original names can be more meaningful.
________________________________
And,
Scientists think they have found the biggest explosion they have ever seen.
It happened when a huge cloud of gas fell into a black hole, and was sent flying all over the place.
Scientists estimate the explosion is around 100 times bigger than our solar system, and it's still happening… two years later!
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Delve into prehistory, take on nonstop cooking, and Taiwan's top music awards.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣史前博物館重新開館
Taiwan Prehistory Museum Reopens
You can learn a lot about history in a museum.
But what's in a museum about "prehistory"?
Prehistory is the time before humans started to write things down.
Humans used simple tools (工具).
But they did not have the complex (複雜的) writing systems that we have now.
So how do we know what was Taiwan like during that time?
The National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung has reopened.
It shows visitors Taiwan's prehistory, natural history, and the culture of Taiwan's indigenous peoples.
The museum was closed for almost three years for renovation (整修).
And it reopened just in time for International Museum Day.
國立台灣史前文化博物館閉館近3年進行整修，日前改造完成重新開幕。
The museum's director says the museum shows Taiwan's history from the Paleolithic Period (舊石器時代) to the 21st century.
The director says there are stone tools that are around 30,000 years old.
And there are new things, like a Golden Melody Award trophy lent (借) by Amis singer Suming Lupi.
The director says she hopes visitors can see the amazing contributions of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples.
And the museum also shows Taiwan's links to the world.
The director says archeologists have found things that show Austronesian settlers coming to Taiwan as early as 30,000 years ago.
________________________________
奈及利亞女廚師破世界紀錄
Nigerian Chef Breaks World Record for Nonstop Cooking
How would you show the world you are strong and hardworking?
How about by breaking a world record?
A Nigerian chef has set a new global record for nonstop cooking.
She has cooked for more than 100 hours!
The last record for nonstop cooking was 87 hours and 45 minutes.
That record was set by Indian chef Lata Tondon in 2019.
Hilda Baci started cooking on Thursday, May 11th in Lagos, Nigeria.
And she passed 100 hours on May 15th.
She took a five-minute break every hour.
Or she took a one-hour break every 12 hours.
During that one hour of rest, she would take a shower, get checked by a doctor, and rest.
奈及利亞女廚師 Hilda Baci 挑戰連續烹飪的世界紀錄，製作出超過100道的佳餚。
Thousands of people have gathered to watch Hilda cook.
She has made dozens of Nigerian dishes, including rice and stew.
Many people are also watching online.
Why is she doing this?
Hilda says she wants to show how hardworking and determined (有決心) young Nigerians are.
She also wants to help show how strong young African women are.
Hilda says they often have to go "an extra mile to be taken seriously".
And she is helping the world learn more about Nigerian cuisine.
________________________________
第34屆金曲獎
Golden Melody Awards Ceremony Coming Soon
The 34th Golden Melody Awards will take place next month.
The award ceremony will happen on July 1st, at the Taipei Arena.
第34屆金曲獎頒獎典禮將於7月1日於台北小巨蛋舉辦。
The nominees (被提名者) for this year's music awards was recently announced.
There are six nominees for "Best Male Vocalist", including MC Hot Dog, and Wu Qing-feng.
And there are six nominees for "Best Female Vocalist", including A-Lin and Penny Dai.
The ceremony will be hosted by singer and songwriter WeiBird.
Officials say the jury (評審團) got more than 24,000 submissions (入圍申請) this year.
That's the highest in the history of the awards.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung has reopened, after being closed for renovations.
It shows visitors Taiwan's prehistory, natural history, and the culture of Taiwan's indigenous peoples.
And it reopened just in time for International Museum Day.
________________________________
A Nigerian chef has set a new global record for nonstop cooking.
Hilda Baci started cooking on Thursday, May 11th in Lagos, Nigeria, and she passed 100 hours on May 15th.
Hilda says she wants to show how hardworking and determined young Nigerians are.
________________________________
And,
The 34th Golden Melody Awards will take place on July 1st, at the Taipei Arena.
The ceremony will be hosted by singer and songwriter WeiBird.
Officials say the jury got more than 24,000 submissions this year.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
Workers in Tainan find some very old artifacts, a young boy saves a school bus, and India makes a new home for lions.
Let's check it out!
________________________________
台南公園發現歷史文物
Historical Artifacts Found in Tainan Park
Do you know the oldest city in Taiwan?
Lots of people say Tainan City is the oldest city in the country.
Some buildings there are hundreds of years old.
How long have people lived in Tainan, after all?
人們到底在台南住了多久了？
The answer may surprise you.
Recently, Tainan city workers found some artifacts (文物) that are thousands of years old.
The workers were renovating (翻新) Yongkang Park.
As they were digging in the ground, they started to find some special objects (特殊的物體).
They thought the objects might be historical artifacts.
Artifacts are things used by people long ago, that have survived until today.
According to law (按照法律), when workers find artifacts in the ground, they need to stop their work so historical experts can check it out.
The experts came to take a look, and discovered there were a few different kinds of artifacts.
They found some orange-colored pottery (橙色的陶器).
The pottery had special patterns made by rope.
The experts also found some farming tools, such as hoes and axes (鋤頭和斧頭).
They even found mounds of shells (貝丘), made by ancient people.
These shells are useful to the experts, who can study them to learn what kind of food people ate long ago.
They think these artifacts came from the Niuchouzi Culture (牛稠子文化).
The Niuchouzi Culture are the people who lived in the area of Tainan thousands of years ago.
The historical experts say these artifacts are between 3,000 and 4,500 years old.
歷史專家說這些文物的歷史在 3,000 到 4,500 年之間。
Now, the city of Tainan has changed its plans for Yongkang Park.
In one part of the park, they will continue renovations.
But in the place where they found the artifacts, they will keep on searching (繼續尋找), to see what else they can find.
________________________________
密歇根州的男孩拯救校車
Michigan Boy Saves School Bus
When you are on the bus, how do you pass the time?
Most of us look at our phones.
But some people pay more attention to their surroundings (注意周圍的環境).
That's how one student in the US was recently able to save his school bus from crashing (免於撞車).
Who is this student?
Dillon Reeves is a seventh grade student (國一的學生) in Michigan.
Dillon takes the bus to and from school every day.
His parents refuse (拒絕) to buy him a phone, so during the bus ride, Dillon just relaxes (放鬆).
One afternoon, he noticed something strange with the bus driver.
While the other students were playing on their phones, Dillon noticed that the bus driver had passed out (公車司機昏倒了).
The driver was having a medical emergency, and could not control the bus.
Dillon jumped out of his seat to take control of the bus.
Dillon 從座位上跳起來控制了公車。
He turned the steering wheel (方向盤) to keep the bus on the road, and then he stepped on the brakes (剎車) to stop it.
As the bus stopped, Dillon yelled to the other students to call for help.
The whole story was captured by the bus's video camera.
When people saw the video of Dillon saving the bus, they said he was a hero (英雄).
Dillon says he just knew what to do at that moment.
But his parents still won't buy him a phone.
What does Dillon think about that?
He says "Whatever. My parents are old school."
他說「算了，我爸媽很守舊。」
________________________________
印度將開設新的獅子保護區
Indian State to Open New Lion Sanctuary
Where do lions live in the wild?
Wild lions live in Africa, right?
Some of them do, but there is another kind of lion, too.
"Asiatic Lions" (亞洲獅) live in Asia.
They are an endangered species (瀕危物種).
Today, wild Asiatic Lions are only found in one place.
That is Gir National Park, in the Gujarat state of India (印度的古吉拉特邦).
Gir National Park is a lion sanctuary (獅子保護區).
That means it exists to protect the lions.
The park has been so successful, it now has too many lions.
There is a population (人口) of over 400 lions in the park.
So, the state of Gujarat has decided to create another lion sanctuary.
They will open the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in another part of Gujarat, and move 40 of the lions to that sanctuary.
Some experts (專家) say this is not enough.
They say some of the lions should be moved to a different part of India.
If the lions live across a larger area, it will be easier for their population to survive diseases.
如果獅子生活在更大的區域，它們的種群就更容易抵抗疾病。
Now that the population of Asiatic lions is increasing, people must decide how to manage them.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
In Tainan City, workers found some artifacts in the ground.
Experts think these artifacts came from the Niuchouzi Culture, and they are over 3000 years old.
________________________________
And,
In the US state of Michigan, a seventh grade student saved his school bus from crashing.
Dillon Reeves took control of the bus after he noticed the driver had passed out.
________________________________
And,
There will be a new lion sanctuary in the state of Gujarat, in India.
40 endangered Asiatic lions will be moved to Barda Wildlife Sanctuary.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Equal rights for parenting, a pasta mystery, and baaa-rave firefighters.
Stay tuned for more on these stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣同志伴侶可以共同領養子女
Same-Sex Couples Can Jointly Adopt
Taiwan is Asia's leading country for LGBT rights (權益).
LGBT stands for people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.
LGBT代表女同志、男同志、雙性戀者，以及跨性別者。
These are people who may love someone of the same gender (性別) or feel they are a different gender from the one they were born as.
In 2019, Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex (同性) couples to get married.
There are laws to protect people from being treated badly because of who they love or how they feel about their gender.
There's even a special day when people march in the streets to celebrate love and diversity (多元文化), called the Pride Parade (同志遊行).
On May 16th, the Legislative Yuan (立法院) changed a rule to help same-sex couples.
Before, these couples could only adopt their spouse's child if it was their biological child.
過去，這些伴侶只能領養配偶的親生子女。
But now, these couples can also adopt a child together.
Everyone is saying it's a fair thing to do because it's important that all kinds of families can take care of children.
People who care about the rights of children and LGBT people are really happy about this change.
Love is love, no matter who you are.
________________________________
森林中的義大利麵
Mysterious Pasta in the Woods
Picture this (想像一下): You're walking in the woods, and guess what you find?
Piles and piles of pasta!
一堆又一堆的義大利麵！
This happened near a river in the US city of Old Bridge last month.
No one knew how the pasta got there.
And when the city cleaned it up, they found there were 500 pounds of noodles (500磅的麵條)!
Pictures of the pasta were posted on Facebook, and many people found it funny.
A netizen (網友) joked that cleaning it up was "Mission Im-pasta-ble" (不可能的任務).
這個字把 "impossible"（不可能）與 "pasta"（義大利麵）結合在一起。
And another joked, "Lead suspect (主要嫌疑人) is a guy named Al Dente."
"Al Dente"是一個義大利詞語，用來形容煮得恰到好處、口感稍硬的義大利麵。
It turns out the suspect was not a guy named Al Dente, but a man who wanted to clean out his pantry (食物儲藏室).
Neighbors say the city doesn't have bulk garbage pickup (大型垃圾收集服務), which is a big problem.
The man didn't know how else to throw away all the pasta he had.
The incident brought a lot of attention (吸引很多注意) to the town's garbage problem.
The residents hope city authorities can provide better trash pickup services after this.
________________________________
智利的山羊如何保護森林
How Goats are Saving Forests in Chile
Forest fires are becoming more and more common as we deal with the climate crisis.
隨著氣候變遷危機，森林火災變得越來越常見。
They hurt the trees and plants, animals that live in the woods lose their homes, and the smoke harms our earth.
It's important to know how we can prevent (防止) forest fires.
In a city in Chile named Santa Juana, there's a team of helpers that help protect the forest from dangerous fires.
And they're goats (山羊)!
These goats have already helped to save a forest park called Bosques de Chacay from a big fire that happened in February.
But thanks to the goats, the park was safe!
The goats eat the dry plants that can catch fire easily during the hot summer.
山羊會吃掉在炎熱的夏天容易著火的乾燥植物。
They also help the soil stay healthy with their poop.
他們的糞便也有助於土壤保持健康。
A forestry engineer (林業工程師) says, "These animals can help us a lot."
He thinks more people should use goats to eat the dry plants that can catch fire.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
On May 16th, the Legislative Yuan changed a rule to help same-sex couples.
Before, these couples could only adopt their spouse's child if it was their biological child.
But now, these couples can also adopt a child together.
________________________________
And,
A man discovered mysterious piles of pasta near a river in the US city of Old Bridge last month.
It turns out the suspect was a man who wanted to clean out his pantry.
Neighbors say the city doesn't have bulk garbage pickup, which is a big problem.
________________________________
And,
In a city in Chile named Santa Juana, there's a team of goats that help protect the forest from dangerous fires.
The goats eat the dry plants that can catch fire easily during the hot summer.
These goats have already helped to save a forest park from a big fire that happened in February.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello, and welcome to the latest episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Let's look at today's stories…
A Taiwanese student jumps really high, a spacecraft crashes into the moon, and some new studies show the best time to exercise.
Let's get into it!
________________________________
學生打破台灣跳高紀錄
Student Breaks High Jump Record in Taiwan
How high can you jump?
Jumping is fun.
If you love to run and jump, you can join track and field (田徑).
In this sport, people compete to see who can run the fastest and jump the highest.
Some people take it really seriously.
Recently, a Taiwanese student broke the national record for the high jump (打破了跳高的全國紀錄).
Lin Pei-hsuan (林沛萱) jumped 182 centimeters high.
She did it during National Middle School Athletic Games held in Hsinchu County.
She broke the old record for middle school girls, which was set 32 years ago.
In fact, her jump met the standard to join the Asian Games.
她的跳躍達到了參加亞運會的標準。
Lin is not old enough to join the Asian Games yet, but her future is bright.
She did the high jump as part of a pentathlon (五項全能), which includes 5 activities.
She also did well in the other activities, like the 800-meter race (八百米賽跑) and the 100-meter hurdles (百米欄).
For her performance, Lin won the gold medal in the pentathlon.
Why does she like this kind of sport?
She says she got into track and field because she thought running was fun, and she liked to win first place in track meets.
Her coach (教練), Mr. Chen, says that Lin has a lot of self-discipline (自律能力).
She even tells her coach that her training (訓練) is not intense enough (強度不夠).
Now she is a record high jumper.
How does Lin feel about her achievement?
She said it met her expectations.
她說這符合她的期望。
________________________________
日本的【ispace】公司表示著陸器可能墜毀於月球表面
Japan's "ispace" Says Lander Probably Crashed on the Moon
Do you know what a moon lander is?
It's a spacecraft that can land on the moon (可以登陸月球的太空船).
This machine can help people learn more about the moon, but it's not easy to get it there.
So far, only three countries have succeeded.
The United States, China, and the former Soviet Union (蘇聯) have all landed spacecraft on the moon.
Recently, a Japanese company called ispace tried to send their own spacecraft to the moon.
But, the mission didn't go as planned.
但是，任務並沒有按計劃進行。
What went wrong?
First, ispace had to get their spacecraft from Earth to the Moon.
This part was successful!
But then, they had to safely land the spacecraft on the moon's surface (月球表面).
That is the most difficult part.
When the spacecraft got close to the moon, it began to speed up, going faster and faster.
Suddenly, ispace lost contact (失去了聯繫) with the spacecraft.
They are not sure what happened, but they think it probably crashed (撞到) into the moon.
That's too bad.
According to the plan, once the spacecraft landed on the moon, it was supposed to do some experiments (實驗).
The spacecraft was carrying two rovers (探測器) that could explore the moon, and a new battery (電池) they wanted to test.
Unfortunately, those experiments can't happen now…
But the mission wasn't a complete failure!
ispace says the mission gave them important data.
ispace 說這次任務給了他們重要的數據。
The company will use this data to try landing on the moon again in 2024.
________________________________
新研究表明一天中鍛煉的最佳時間
New Studies Suggest Best Time of Day for Exercise
What is the best time of day to exercise?
Some people work out (鍛煉) early in the morning, some work out in the afternoon after work or school.
Of course, moving around at any time of day is good for your body.
But what is the most effective time (最有效的時間) to work out?
Several new studies have asked this question, and the answer is…
Well, it depends on what you want.
都看你的目標是什麼。
If you want your heart (心臟) to be stronger, you should exercise in the morning, between 8 and 11 o'clock.
That's according to a new study published (發表) in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
This study showed that morning exercise improves heart health for all kinds of people.
What if you want to build muscle?
如果你想增肌怎麼辦？
The afternoon or the evening is the best time to build muscle, according to other studies.
This is because our muscles get stronger during the day.
By late afternoon, our muscles are at peak strength (肌肉力量達到頂峰), which lets us lift more weight.
So is there any time that you should not exercise?
Actually, the studies say that working out between midnight and 6AM can harm our health (危害健康).
Late at night, our bodies need to rest and repair (休息和修復), so it's the wrong time to exercise.
These studies are helpful for people who want to plan their workout.
But we shouldn't worry about the time too much.
The studies make it clear (研究清楚地表明) that exercise at any time during the day, can improve our health.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
In Taiwan, a middle school girl set a new national record in the high jump.
Lin Pei-hsuan jumped 182 centimeters during the National Middle School Athletic Games.
________________________________
And,
A Japanese company called ispace sent a lander to explore the moon.
But, they lost contact with the lander, and they think it crashed into the moon.
Even though the mission was not a success, the company wants to try again next year.
________________________________
And,
Several new studies suggest the best time of day to exercise.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Heads up at a CPBL game, eyes out for a gator down below, and new music from the Jonas Brothers.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
界外球擊落球迷便當
At a Ball Game? Hold on to Your Lunch!
When golfers hit the golf ball hard, they will usually yell, "FORE!"
And that means, "Watch out! There's a ball flying through the air!"
Maybe we need something like that for baseball too.
Recently, many people were watching a Chinese Professional Baseball League game (中華職棒例行賽).
The WeiChuan Dragons were playing the Rakuten Monkeys.
But something unexpected (出乎意料) happened in the 6th inning.
A player hit a ball hard.
It was a foul ball (界外球), and went out-of-bounds.
But it flew high…
And kept flying…
Until it flew right into a young girl's lunchbox!
The food fell all over the girl and onto the floor.
And she was quite shocked (震驚).
中華職棒例行賽中，一顆界外球砸中一個小女孩的便當，導致便當掉落在地板上。
WeiChuan Dragons staff quickly came over.
They checked to make sure the girl was okay.
And they brought over three new lunchboxes.
They gave the lunchboxes to the girl and her mom.
And another person found the foul ball, and gave it to the girl.
Many people thought this was a nice thing to do.
And what a funny story the girl will have to tell!
________________________________
下水道裡有鱷魚
Robot Finds Alligator in Florida Water Pipe
A town in the U.S. was trying to solve a mystery.
In the past few weeks, many potholes (坑洞) appeared on the roads of Oviedo in Florida.
This made it dangerous for cars to drive on the roads.
Officials thought the problem might be underground (地下).
So they used a robot with a camera on top.
The robot has four wheels, and can move around.
The robot camera helps workers check underground pipes (地下的水管).
It can show workers if there are any leaks or cracks on the pipes.
They sent the robot camera into the town's storm drains (雨水道，排水溝).
At first the camera just showed dark pipes and water.
Then, they saw two little glowing eyes.
The workers thought maybe it was a toad.
工作人員透過機器人上的攝影設備，看到一雙發光的小眼睛，他們以為是一隻蟾蜍。
But then the animal turned around, and they saw a long tail.
It was a big alligator!
The alligator was about 1.7 meters long.
That's about as long as a refrigerator!
When the alligator saw the camera, it moved back.
It turned around, and crawled away.
The robot followed the alligator.
It followed the alligator for several minutes, but then the robot got stuck.
The alligator quickly disappeared.
Officials say this is why they ask people not to go into storm drains.
They said it was a good thing town workers have a robot!
________________________________
強納斯兄弟推出新專輯
Jonas Brothers Release New Album
The Jonas Brothers have released a new album.
The name of the album is "The Album".
It's the first new album from Kevin, Nick, and Joe in four years.
The album includes 12 short songs.
Many of the songs are about their family.
One of the songs "Little Bird", is about their daughters.
Both Nick and Kevin have talked about the song, and it might be one of their favorites.
The pop band has been making music together since 2005.
They've been nominated for Grammy awards, and the trio received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this year.
強納斯兄弟今年一月成為好萊塢名人星光大道之一。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A foul ball at a CPBL game flew right into a young girl's lunchbox!
The food fell all over the girl and onto the floor.
Staff quickly checked that the girl was okay, and gave her three new lunchboxes
________________________________
A town in the US sent the robot camera into storm drains to check for a problem.
And they saw a big alligator!
Officials say it was a good thing workers have a robot!
________________________________
And,
The Jonas Brothers have released a new album.
It's the first new album from Kevin, Nick, and Joe in four years.
Many of the songs are about their family.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Bye bye plastic cups, hello edge of space, and this year's Eurovision winner.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台中準備禁用塑膠一次用飲料杯
Taichung to Ban Single Use Plastic Cups
Plastic cups will soon be a thing of the past in Taichung.
Starting from October 1st, drink shops, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic cups.
今年10月1日起，台中市的「飲料店」將禁止提供塑膠一次用飲料杯。
The city government says there are around 5,000 stores that will change in Taichung.
The government says around 60-percent of these stores use disposable plastic cups.
And when all these stores make this change, the city will use 106 million less plastic cups each year!
Shops that do not follow the rules could be fined up to $6,000 NT!
But cutting down plastic waste is everyone's responsibility (責任).
So how can everyone help?
The city says people should bring their own cup as much as possible.
And to help people remember, shops will give a $5 NT discount to customers who bring their own cup.
Other cities in Taiwan are also moving to cut plastic waste.
Taipei banned (禁止) disposable plastic cups at drink shops in December last year.
New Taipei did the same starting this month.
And all around Taiwan, there are changes to use less plastic bags, straws, and other utensils.
It's an important change that can help protect the environment
________________________________
乘坐氣球享受【太空晚餐】
Eating Out at the Edge of Space
"Eating out" usually means eating at a restaurant.
But in this story, "eating out" means really, really far out…
As in, out at the edge of SPACE!
A company in France wants to take people close to space to have a meal.
Customers will sit in a capsule (太空艙).
The capsule can fit 6 customers and 2 pilots (操作人員).
The capsule will be tied to a big balloon.
They will fly up about 25 kilometers into the sky, at a speed of about 4-meters per second.
The trip will take around 90 minutes.
From there, customers can enjoy amazing views for 3 hours.
They would be high enough to see the curve of our planet Earth.
But they won't be so high that things start floating (漂浮).
The customers will also enjoy a delicious meal.
乘客可以享受太空旅行，觀看地球的同時還可以享用美食。
The company says the food will be very "luxurious" (豪華).
The company says it has already done three test flights with pilots.
They say anyone can buy a ticket.
There are no age limits, and customers do not need training.
But how much would a ticket cost?
The company says a trip will cost around $120,000 euros.
That's about $4 million NT!
The company says the first flight will probably happen in the year 2024.
And it says tickets for that flight are sold out.
________________________________
瑞典女歌手二度奪冠【歐洲歌唱大賽】
Sweden Wins Eurovision
One of the biggest music competitions in the world has its winner!
The Eurovision Song Contest has just wrapped up.
It's an international singing competition that happens every year.
Countries mostly from Europe each send one singer or a group.
And they each sing an original song (全新的單曲).
Judges and voters help choose a winner.
This year, Sweden's Loreen won with her song "Tattoo".
This is actually her second time winning Eurovision, after also taking first place in 2012.
今年的冠軍瑞典歌手羅琳2012年就曾贏過歐洲歌唱大賽。
She said the win was "overwhelming", and she is "so thankful".
Each year, Eurovision is hosted by the country that won the year before.
So this means the Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by Sweden next year.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Starting from October 1st, drink shops, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants in Taichung will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic cups.
The city government says there are around 5,000 stores that will change in Taichung.
And when all these stores make this change, the city will use 106 million less plastic cups each year!
________________________________
A company in France wants to take people close to space to have a meal.
Customers will sit in a capsule, and fly up about 25 kilometers into the sky to enjoy amazing views.
The customers will also enjoy a delicious meal.
________________________________
And,
The Eurovision Song Contest has just wrapped up.
This year, Sweden's Loreen won with her song "Tattoo".
This is actually her second time winning Eurovision, after also taking first place in 2012.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey, what's up? Here we are with today's News Bites…
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
What's a marten? Matcha bread is the best… the b… Matcha bread is the best bread, and a man lives with fish for a while!
…and a man lives with a fish for a while.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next…
________________________________
黃喉貂在台灣現蹤
Formosan Yellow-Throated Marten Seen in Taiwan
Wait… what's a marten?
Is it a bird? No, that's not right…
I have a friend named "Martin"… no, that's not right either…
A marten (貂) is an animal that lives in many parts of Asia (亞洲).
Martens look like weasels (黃鼠狼), but are a little bigger, and have long, bushy tails (又長又濃密的尾巴).
They're super cute, but they're actually ferocious hunters!
黃喉貂真的超級可愛，但牠們其實是很兇的捕食者！
And one kind of Marten, called the "Formosan yellow-throated marten" (台灣黃喉貂), is very rare.
In fact, people thought martens in Taiwan were extinct (滅絕的)!
That's because martens' homes in the forest have gotten smaller, as Taiwan's cities get bigger.
因為台灣的城市越來越大，而黃喉貂的森林棲息地越來越小。
But recently, a marten has been seen again in Taiwan.
The marten was seen on Wuling Farm (武陵農場), in the Taichung mountains, near the middle of Taiwan.
The farm is now asking people in Taiwan to please NOT touch a marten if they see one.
It's important that we give these rare animals a safe environment.
為了給牠們安全的環境，武陵農場警告台灣所有人不要接近黃喉貂。
But all of this is still great news for animal conservation (動物保育).
It means we can still protect Taiwan's martens!
________________________________
最棒的麵包是什麼顏色？
What Color is the Best Bread?
One of the biggest bread competitions in the UK has a new winner!
英國最大的烤麵包比賽之一有新冠軍了！
The best bread in the UK is…
…green?
It's called… lemme try this… "Brioche Japonaise".
In French (法文), that basically means… uh… Japanese bread.
And that's because it was made by a baker (麵包師) named Miyo, from Japan!
Miyo moved to Europe (歐洲) many years ago, and learned how to make different kinds of bread, cakes, and cookies.
And when she moved to England, she wanted to share more of her Japanese culture and heritage.
Miyo 搬到英國之後，開始想跟英國人分享自己的日本文化與遺產。
So Miyo made her bread with matcha (抹茶), which made the bread green!
Of course, if you live in Asia, you have probably eaten matcha before.
It's made from tea leaves, that people grind into a powder.
抹茶是用茶葉做的，把茶葉研磨成粉末。
You can find it in bread, drinks, and even candy.
But in England, this is a pretty big victory (蠻大的勝利) for the matcha flavor.
Some of the competition judges (比賽的評審) said they have never before seen a winner like this green matcha bread.
Maybe this means more people in England will start to try something new!
________________________________
佛羅里達州男人在水下破紀錄
Florida Man Breaks Record Underwater
How long can a person stay underwater?
Well, some people can hold their breath (屏住呼吸) for more than 10 minutes… that's a long time!
But people underwater have another problem, too.
但待在水裡還有另一個問題。
The deeper we go underwater, the more we can feel the water pressure.
我們在水下越深，我們越感覺到水壓。
But one man in the US wants to see how long he can take it (要看能忍多久).
This man has already spent 80 days underwater.
這位在美國的男人已經在水下住了 80 天。
Well… he's in a room with air… but that room is still 10 meters below the water's surface (水深度十公尺).
And the air still has a lot of pressure (壓力), which can be hard on the human body.
But he says he wants to keep going!
He started on March 1st, and he says he wants to stay underwater for at least 100 days.
He says this can help people understand how humans can live in extreme environments.
他希望這個實驗能夠幫我們學習人類的身體要怎麼活在極端的環境中。
But hopefully we can just keep living on land!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A marten is a weasely animal that lives in many parts of Asia.
People thought Taiwan's yellow-throated martens were extinct, but another one was recently seen on Wuling Farm, in Taichung's mountains.
This is great news for animal conservation!
________________________________
And,
A green bread, made with matcha, is the winner of a UK bread competition.
It was made by a woman from Japan named Miyo, who wanted to share more of her Japanese culture and heritage.
Some of the competition judges said they have never seen a winner like this bread before!
________________________________
And,
One man in the US wants to see how long he can live underwater.
He's living in a room with air… but that room is still 10 meters below the water's surface, and has a lot of pressure in it.
He says this can help people understand how humans can live in extreme environments.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
Aaaand I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Unexpected guests in the kitchen, teamwork brings a river to life, and a plant-based building.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
貓頭鷹巢 重新安置
Owl Nest Relocated in New Taipei
From April to August, it is the peak breeding season (繁殖季節達到高峰) for many birds.
This makes them more likely to be active and seen by the public.
A woman in New Taipei City saw a bird that's not commonly seen (不常見)…
She found an owl nest in her kitchen exhaust vent!
她在她的廚房排油煙管中發現一個貓頭鷹的巢！
She discovered one adult owl and four baby owls when she was cleaning.
She put them in a cardboard box, and then called the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office for help.
The animal protection officials identified (辨認) the owls as scops owls (領角鴞).
Scops owls are small nocturnal (夜行性) birds that eat insects, small mammals, and reptiles.
They can share living environments (生活環境) with humans, and some nests have been found in parks and schools.
The animal protection officials relocated (遷移) the owl nest to a tree near the woman's home.
They rehomed (重新安置) them into a nest box on the tree.
They also recommended that the woman block the exhaust vent to prevent the owls from nesting there again.
Owl's well that ends well!
貓頭鷹有了好結局！
________________________________
團隊合作 讓一條河流復甦
How Teamwork Revived a River
Teamwork (團隊合作) is when a group of people work together to achieve a goal.
When you work as a team, everyone brings different ideas and skills.
Teamwork is important because it makes big tasks easier (讓重大任務更容易完成).
And this next story is a great example of teamwork!
Once upon a time, the Kuttamperoor River in India was an important part of the local community's life.
This river watered rice fields and was a home for fish that fed over 500 families in the state of Kerala.
這條河灌溉著稻田，河裡的魚類也是克拉拉邦500多個家庭重要的食物來源。
But, around 2005, the river started to become sick.
People dumped waste (丟棄廢物), weeds grew (野草茂盛), and the river slowly shrank (縮小).
Even the local wells (井) began to dry up, and floods became a problem.
So, the people decided to help their river.
They began cleaning it in 2011, and around 7,000 workers joined in.
Then, the Kerala government took over, and together, they made the river healthy again.
Now, fish are returning, and the river is also helping to reduce floods in the area.
The river's revival (復甦) took about five years.
Today, the Kuttamperoor River is teeming with (充滿) life again.
It provides clean drinking water, food, and might even boost tourism (促進旅遊業).
And it's all thanks to teamwork!
________________________________
開普敦大樓 使用植物建材
A Plant-based Building in Cape Town
Imagine a building that helps our planet instead of harming it.
What kind of material (材料) is it made of?
The South African capital of Cape Town is getting ready to open the world's tallest building made from an eco-friendly material.
It's called the Hemp Hotel and it's 12 stories tall (12層樓)!
It's made with special blocks called 'HempCrete'.
These blocks are made from a mixture (混合) of water, lime, hemp, and cement.
Hemp is a type of plant (植物).
It's quite special because it can be used to make many different things, like clothes, paper, and even buildings.
And the best part?
It's good for our planet!
Hemp takes in carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) from the air, which helps reduce pollution.
That means 'HempCrete' captures more harmful carbon from the air than they create when making them!
「HempCrete」在製造過程中，捕捉的二氧化碳，比它產生的多！
The President of South Africa believes this new way of building can create lots of jobs.
Building with hemp is a little more expensive, but it's a big help in fighting climate change.
Just think about it - building a hemp house can capture (捕捉) as much carbon as a fully grown tree!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A woman in New Taipei discovered one adult owl and four baby owls living in her kitchen exhaust vent.
She called the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office for help.
The animal protection officials relocated the owl nest to a tree near the woman's home.
________________________________
And,
The Kuttamperoor River in India became sick as people dumped waste and weeds grew.
But since 2011, thousands of people have teamed up to clean the river.
Now, the river is healthy again, and fish are returning.
________________________________
And,
The South African capital of Cape Town is getting ready to open the world's tallest building made from an eco-friendly material.
It's made with special blocks called 'HempCrete'.
'HempCrete' captures more harmful carbon from the air than they create when making them.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Changes to night markets, a 3D printed mosque, and the dangers of AI.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣夜市禁止撈魚遊戲
Goldfish Catching Games Banned at Night Markets
Night markets are a part of Taiwanese culture.
Taiwan has some of the best night markets in the world.
People of all ages come for the delicious food, variety of products, and games.
There are many games at night markets…
Classic (經典) pinball, balloon darts, basketball hoops, and others.
But there is one game that might disappear from the night market, goldfish scooping (撈).
At Taiwanese night markets, six paddles can cost $200 NT.
There are also occasions where stalls provide turtles instead of goldfish.
Some stalls also have shrimp fishing games with a rod (釣竿) where you can exchange the shrimp for gifts.
But now, these games will not be allowed.
The Council of Agriculture (COA 農委會) has announced draft amendments (修正草案) to the Animal Welfare Act.
It prohibits (禁止) vendors from exchanging animals as gifts for games and entertainment.
There is a maximum fine of $250,000 NT for people who do not follow the law.
Over the years, people have started thinking more about protecting animals.
Many stalls at markets have switched to plastic fish and floating balls.
雖然塑膠魚不會跳動，但是要在紙破之前撈起來還是不容易喔。
________________________________
全球第一座3D列印清真寺
World's First 3D-printed Mosque
If you have a 3D printer, then you know you can print almost anything if you have the blueprints.
You can print in many materials.
You could use plastic, resin (樹脂), carbon fiber, nylon and more.
You can also print with concrete (混凝土) if your 3D printer is big enough.
3D printing is also used in construction (建築業).
They use large printing machines that squeeze out the construction material from a nozzle (噴嘴).
The building is then made, layer by layer.
Most 3D printed buildings are made from concrete, but other materials like clay are also possible.
3D printing can help save time and resources.
Now, Dubai is constructing the world's first 3D printed mosque.
600 worshippers could fit inside.
It will cover 2,000 square meters and will have two floors.
Currently, new 3D printed buildings are popping up across the world.
Refugee housing in Jordan, a military training center in Texas, and even entire neighborhoods in Mexico are printed.
3D 列印技術已經為建築業帶來革命性的改變。
It solved the problem of lack of construction workers and also reduces construction costs and failures.
There is even a plan to 3D print a building on the moon!
________________________________
AI教父警告人工智慧的威脅
The Danger of AI?
Do you remember those movies about machines taking over the world?
There's "Avengers: Age of Ultron", "The Matrix", "I, Robot" and many others.
They all tell the same story, that machines become so smart that they overpower (壓迫) humans.
This is something that some people worry about.
Recently, one particular (特別的) scientist came forward to talk about this.
He's not just any scientist.
He's the "Godfather" of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton.
Since the 1970s, Hinton has been working on neural networks (神經網路).
This is the method that teaches AI to process data in a way that's similar to the human brain.
It is also the foundation (基礎) for modern chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard.
For years, Hinton believed that neural networks were inferior (不及) to human brains.
But now, he says he has started thinking differently.
Geoffrey says he sees how much AI has developed in the last five years.
Originally, he thought it would take 50 years for AI to outsmart humans.
But now he predicts it will only take 5 to 20 years.
But there are others who believe AI will bring a new era of enlightenment (領悟) for humans.
不過，所有的科學家們都有一個共識，人工智慧的應用需要被好好的監督。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Draft amendments to the Animal Welfare Act prohibits night market vendors from exchanging animals as gifts for games and entertainment.
This means night market games like scooping fish or shrimp will no longer be allowed.
There is a maximum fine of $250,000 NT for people who do not follow the law.
________________________________
Dubai is constructing the world's first 3D printed mosque.
600 worshippers could fit inside.
It will cover 2,000 square meters and will have two floors.
________________________________
And,
The "Godfather" of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton says he sees how much AI has developed in the last five years.
He now he predicts it will only take 5 to 20 years for AI to outsmart humans.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
Let's take a look at today's stories…
(…Forgot my name!
Yeah, like…)
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Now let's look at today's stories…
A TikToker makes some poor choices, Europe plans a big green energy project, and social media affects our mental health.
Stay tuned for these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
抖音網紅 終生禁止參加籃球比賽
TikToker Banned For Life from Basketball Games
TikTokers (抖音網紅) are people who post their videos on TikTok.
Most TikTokers want to share their lives, show their talents, or dance.
But some TikTokers just want to get people's attention (要引起別人的注意).
They'll do anything for more views (觀看).
For example, one TikToker recently ran onto a basketball court, during two professional games in Taiwan.
有一位抖音網紅最近在台灣的兩場職籃比賽時跑到籃球場上。
During a T1 League game between the Taoyuan Leopards and Kaohsiung Aquas, a TikToker named Yu suddenly ran onto the court.
He started shouting and running around star player Dwight Howard.
The security guards (保安人員) grabbed Yu quickly.
After the game, Dwight Howard said it was dangerous for people to run onto the court.
But that did not stop Yu.
He thought it was a good way to get attention.
The next day, during a Plus League game between the Taoyuan Pilots and the Kaohsiung Steelers, Yu ran onto the court again.
The fans were angry (粉絲們生氣了), and they booed as Yu was once again grabbed by security.
The day after that, both T1 League and Plus League announced that the TikToker would be banned for life (終生禁止).
Now, Yu can never again attend a pro basketball game in Taiwan.
Why did he act like this?
He wanted more people to see him and watch his channel (頻道).
He did not care that his actions might be harmful (危害) to the players and to himself.
He should find a different way to get attention.
Maybe he could learn how to dance?
________________________________
歐洲國家計劃建設大型風電場
European Countries Plan Huge Wind Farm
In the north of Europe (北歐), there is a windy sea.
It's called the North Sea (北海), and for many years it was famous for oil.
Countries like Norway (挪威) and the UK (英國) saw huge profits from North Sea oil.
Nowadays we are in a climate crisis (氣候危機), and we need to stop burning oil.
Instead, the North Sea will provide a different kind of power.
Nine countries want to use this sea to make wind power (風力發電).
Each of these countries already has some wind turbines (風力機) on the sea.
Now, they want to expand and combine their wind farms, to create a massive source of wind power.
It will be Europe's biggest green power plant (歐洲最大的綠色電廠).
What's their goal?
They want the North Sea wind farms to generate eight times more power (發電量增加八倍) by the year 2050.
Right now, these wind farms generate less than 40GW (不到四十吉瓦).
So, the goal is to increase that to 300GW (三百吉瓦).
It's a huge goal!
None of these countries can reach this goal alone.
They will need to share technology (技術) and resources (資源) to build the wind farms.
This green energy project will be important in adapting to climate change (氣候變遷).
It will also help to make sure Europe has enough energy in 2050.
These nine countries have made a big promise (重大承諾) to expand green energy.
If they keep their promise, the windy North Sea will become Europe's biggest green power plant!
________________________________
Z 世代 花較多時間上社群媒體
Gen Z Spends More Time on Social Media
What generation are you a part of?
你是哪一代人?
That depends on your age.
這個要看你的年紀。
If you were born between 1995 and 2015, you are a member of Generation Z, or "Gen Z" (Z世代).
In these years, social media became popular.
So Gen Z has grown up with social media.
Z 世代伴隨著社群媒體長大。
Many Gen Zers have used Facebook, Instagram and other apps for their whole lives.
But how does Gen Z feel about social media?
A new study by McKinsey Health Institute answers this question.
The study says Gen Zers are more likely to report negative feelings (負面情緒) about social media.
It also says that Gen Z spends more time on social media every day, compared to other generations.
The study shows that 35% of people in Gen Z spend over two hours on social media daily.
It found one in four Gen Zers connect spending a lot of time on social media with poorer mental health (心理健康狀況較差).
So, Gen Z spends more time on social media, and they feel worse about social media overall.
But social media is not all bad.
According to the study, many people think social media helps them express themselves (表達自己) and connect with other people (與他人聯繫).
This has a positive effect on our lives (正面的效果).
So, in some ways, social media can be a good thing.
Just don't spend too much time on it!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A TikToker ran onto the court during two basketball games.
Because of his actions, he won't be allowed to go to any more pro basketball games in Taiwan.
________________________________
And…
European countries plan to build a huge wind farm in the North Sea.
They want to create Europe's biggest green power plant.
________________________________
And…
A new study says Gen Z spends more time on social media than other generations.
Gen Zers are also more likely to have negative feelings about social media overall.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! You're listening to an all-new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Training female reservists, a map of the ocean floor, and a star eats a planet.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣女性後備軍人 開始教育召集
Taiwan's Female Reservists Begin Training
Reservists are people who have military training (軍事訓練) but are not full-time soldiers (全職士兵).
They can be called to help the military (軍方) when needed.
And here in Taiwan, they've started training the first group of female reservists!
Before, only men had to take part in this training.
But now, women can volunteer (自願參加).
The women will train in a special place in Taoyuan.
They'll do the same training as men.
The government didn't say exactly how many women are in this first group.
But this year, they plan to train 220 female reservists in total.
As of 2021 (截至2021年), there were 8,915 women listed as reservists in Taiwan.
And 15% of Taiwan's 180,000 active military people (現役軍人) are women.
The training will take place in "strategic locations" (戰略地點).
That means the reservists will learn about the land and important buildings in the area they might have to protect.
This change will help the military be faster and better at protecting Taiwan during emergencies (緊急情況).
________________________________
四分之一的海底地形 製成地圖
A Quarter of the Ocean Floor Now Mapped
Did you know that only a small part of the ocean floor has been mapped (畫成地圖)?
But now, almost a quarter of the seabed (海床) has been mapped, thanks to a project called Seabed 2030.
Prince Albert II of Monaco (摩納哥的阿爾伯特二世親王) announced this big achievement (成就).
The project wants to map the whole ocean floor (整個海底地形) by the year 2030.
Mapping the ocean floor is important because it helps us make decisions about taking care of the ocean, managing resources, and protecting the environment.
製作海底地形圖很重要，因為它可以幫助我們照顧海洋、管理資源，保護環境。
In just six years, scientists have collected data of about 90 million square kilometers of the ocean floor.
在短短六年裡，科學家已經收集了九千萬平方公里的海底地形資料。
They've even discovered over 19,000 underwater volcanoes (海底火山)!
But there's still a lot of work to do.
Mapping the whole ocean floor is challenging because it's so big, deep, and expensive.
Seabed 2030 works with other organizations to train and support people who study the ocean.
They want to create a diverse and inclusive (多元包容) community of ocean mappers (海洋繪圖師).
This project shows how people can work together to achieve big goals for the benefit of everyone.
________________________________
被恆星吃掉的行星
A Planet Swallowed by a Star
Have you ever wondered what happens to planets when their stars run out of energy (能量耗盡)?
Scientists have just seen a planet being swallowed (吞下去) by its star for the first time!
This might happen to Earth one day, but don't worry - that's about five billion years away (50億年之後).
When a star runs out of energy, it turns into a red giant (紅巨星).
This means it gets really big and eats anything in its path, including planets!
Scientists had never seen a planet being swallowed while it was happening.
Dr. Kishalay De from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology accidentally discovered this event.
麻省理工學院的Kishalay De博士無意間發現了這個事件。
He was looking at data from a sky survey (天空測量) when he noticed a star that had become 100 times brighter (比以前明亮一百倍) in just 10 days.
This star is in our Milky Way galaxy (銀河系), about 12,000 light years (光年) away from Earth.
The researchers found out that the planet being swallowed was a gas giant, like Jupiter.
研究人員發現，被吃掉的行星是一顆類似木星的巨大氣體行星。
The star ate the planet over 100 days, and there was a bright explosion (爆炸) in the last 10 days when the planet was completely destroyed.
Dr. Morgan MacLeod from Harvard University said that most planets found outside our Solar System will eventually have the same fate.
在我們的太陽系以外發現的行星，大部分都會遭遇同樣的命運。
But when Earth's time comes, it won't be a big explosion.
That's because Earth is a rocky planet (岩石行星) and much smaller than a gas giant.
Scientists hope to see more planets being swallowed by their stars in the future.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has started training the first group of female reservists.
This year, they plan to train 220 female reservists in total.
They can be called to help the military when needed.
________________________________
And,
Almost a quarter of the seabed has been mapped, thanks to a project called Seabed 2030.
The project wants to map the whole ocean floor by the year 2030.
This work is important because it helps us take care of the ocean, manage resources, and protect the environment.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have just seen a planet being swallowed by its star for the first time!
This star is in our Milky Way galaxy, about 12,000 light years away from Earth.
The star ate the planet over 100 days, and there was a bright explosion when the planet was completely destroyed.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Practice being a pet owner, wait for bees to get off a plane, and accept an award in the sky.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
高雄推「浪浪試養30天」活動
Try Out Being a Pet Owner
Adopting a pet means giving it a "forever home".
But each animal is different.
And sometimes, it can be hard to know if an animal and its new family are a good fit.
So Kaohsiung is running a "trial pet adoption" program.
People can adopt a pet for 30 days.
During this time, people can take the pet home.
This means the animal has time to get used to new people and a new home.
And people who have never owned a pet before, can use the time to see if they are ready to take care of an animal.
動保處說有一些新手飼主會擔心無法勝任，試養活動可以幫助他們更確定適不適合養寵物，也能讓犬貓多接觸更多人，提高它們成功被認養的機率。
Adopters must be at least 18 years old.
And they must have no record of breaking animal protection laws.
If at the end of the 30 days, the owner thinks the pet is not right for them, they can return the animal to the office.
And the office will look for a new home for the pet.
高雄市動保處表示，試辦「相遇~相識30認養活動」，堤共30天的磨合期，讓民眾和動物陪伴相處，彼此熟悉。
________________________________
機場加入搶救蜜蜂大作戰
Your Flight has BEE-n Delayed
People around the world are flying again.
That means more fun trips to other countries and more business for airlines.
But, it also means more flight delays (飛機誤點).
One flight in the US was recently delayed for a strange reason.
The flight from Houston to Atlanta was delayed by about three hours.
Why was it delayed?
Because of BEES!
A swarm of bees (一群蜜蜂) landed on a parked airplane at the airport.
The bees rested on one of the wings of the plane.
People at the airport say the airline thought of a few different ideas to get the bees off the plane.
They wanted to get the plane free quickly.
But they were worried about hurting the bees.
And they also did not want to damage (損害) the very expensive airplane.
In the end, the airline moved the airplane to a safe space and used equipment to get the bees off.
The airline apologized (致歉) to passengers for the delay.
People are now learning that bees are very important for the environment.
They help plants grow.
Many airports around the world are changing to be more "bee-friendly".
許多世界各地的機場都加入了蜜蜂保育的活動。
Airports use a lot of land.
And a lot of that land is unused green space.
That land could be a good place for bees to live.
The Hamburg Airport in Germany has an apiary (養蜂場) on airport grounds.
And many airports are helping with research to help bees.
It sounds like a win-win situation.
________________________________
阿湯哥邊開飛機邊領獎
Tom Cruise Accepts Award While Flying Plane
Tom Cruise is a big action star.
He's done many amazing stunts (特技動作) for movies.
He jumped off buildings.
He held his breath (憋氣) for six and a half minutes underwater.
He has even hung off a flying helicopter.
Some of his stunts are so dangerous, even the director couldn't watch as they were filming (拍攝).
許多危險的特技動作湯姆克魯斯都親自上陣，據說曾經連導演都嚇得不敢看監視器。
So how does Tom Cruise accept an award?
While flying a fighter plane, of course!
Tom Cruise accepted his "Best Performance in a Movie" award from the MTV Movie & TV Awards, from the cockpit of the plane.
And he was flying the plane high in the sky!
It was a pre-recorded video.
At the end of the video, he tells the audience "We'll see you at the movies."
Then he flies the plane away, into the clouds.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Kaohsiung is running a "trial pet adoption" program.
People can adopt a pet for 30 days.
If at the end of the 30 days, the owner thinks the pet is not right for them, they can return the animal to the office.
And the office will look for a new home for the pet.
________________________________
A swarm of bees landed on a parked airplane at a US airport.
In the end, the airline moved the airplane to a safe space and used equipment to get the bees off.
People are now learning that bees are very important for the environment, and many airports around the world are changing to be more "bee-friendly".
________________________________
And,
How does Tom Cruise accept an award?
While flying a fighter plane, of course!
Tom Cruise accepted his "Best Performance in a Movie" award from the MTV Movie & TV Awards, from the cockpit of the plane that he was flying high in the sky.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Are you ready for today's episode of News Bites?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Upcycled life jackets, old school collectibles, and video calls between parrot friends.
We'll tell you more about these stories, right after this!
________________________________
時尚救生衣 重返潮流
Life Jackets' Fashionable Comeback
China Airlines (中華航空) has come up with a fun and eco-friendly idea!
China Airlines had a bunch of old life jackets (救生衣) from their planes.
Instead of throwing them away, they decided to upcycle (回收再升級) them into stylish bags.
These bags are not just fashionable (時尚), but they're also super practical (實用).
They are sturdy (堅固) and waterproof (防水).
That means they can be used in any weather, even when it's raining cats and dogs!
There are three types of bags: the pineapple bag, the small messenger bag, and the shopping bag.
有三種類型的包包：鳳梨包、小郵差包和日用長包。
Each bag is unique (獨一無二) because they are made from different parts of the life jackets.
The pineapple bag is great for those who love outdoor activities (戶外活動).
The small messenger bag is perfect for city life (城市生活).
And the shopping bag is just right for everyday needs (日常需求).
The best part is, by using old life jackets to make these bags, China Airlines is helping the environment.
So, not only do they look great, but they're also good for the planet!
________________________________
錄音卡帶成為復古收藏品
Cassette Tapes Become Retro Collectibles
Collecting (收藏) is a fun hobby where people gather things they like.
They might collect (收集) stamps, coins, toys, or even rocks!
Collectors (收藏家) enjoy finding new things to add to their collection.
And young people nowadays are enjoying a retro collectible: cassette tapes!
現在的年輕人也喜歡一種復古收藏品：錄音卡帶！
Cassette sales (銷量) have hit their highest since 2003.
Cassette tapes are small rectangles that play music, and they were super popular a long time ago.
But in 2022, more than 195,000 cassette tapes were sold (已售出).
Famous artists like Harry Styles and Florence + the Machine have released (發行) their new music on cassette tapes, and people love it!
Mark Burgess, who owns a music store in London, says cassette sales have shot up (激增) since the pandemic.
He thinks young people like collecting "old school" (老派) cassettes because they're small and easy to store.
And the listener gets to enjoy the entire album as the artist intended.
而且聽眾可以按照歌手的原意欣賞整張專輯。
That's because it's not easy to move back and forward to skip songs (跳過歌曲).
Have you ever listened to a cassette tape?
Maybe you can ask your parents if they have any cassettes lying around for you to check out!
________________________________
鸚鵡視訊 讓自己不孤單！
Parrots Video Call Friends to Feel Less Lonely!
When people feel lonely (孤獨), it's a good idea to call a friend to have a chat.
And just like people, pet parrots (寵物鸚鵡) can sometimes feel lonely, too.
That's because in the wild (在野外), parrots live in big groups.
But pet parrots often live alone or with just a few others.
So, scientists wanted to see if video calls (視訊通話) could help pet parrots feel less lonely.
The researchers gave 18 parrots a special tablet (平板電腦) to make video calls with other parrots.
The parrots learned to use the tablet with help from their owners.
鸚鵡在主人的幫助下學會了使用平板電腦。
They could even choose which parrot friend to call on the tablet.
During the study, the parrots made 147 calls to each other!
Their behavior (行為) was just like meeting parrots in real life.
The study found that parrots who made video calls became happier.
They played, sang, and took care of their feathers (羽毛) more often.
Scientists believe the video calls can give parrots some of the social benefits (社交好處) they would have in a big group.
All the parrot owners were happy, and said they will continue using video calls with their parrots in the future.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
China Airlines decided to upcycle a bunch of old life jackets from their planes.
Instead of throwing them away, they turned them into stylish bags.
These bags are not just fashionable, but they're also super practical.
________________________________
And,
Young people nowadays are enjoying a retro collectible: cassette tapes!
Cassette sales have hit their highest since 2003.
More than 195,000 cassette tapes were sold in 2022.
________________________________
And,
Scientists wanted to see if video calls could help pet parrots feel less lonely.
The researchers gave 18 parrots a special tablet to make video calls with other parrots.
The study found that parrots who made video calls became happier.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
No more cattle at Qingjing Farm, elephants lose their home in Asia, and farming under the sea.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
清境農場結束養牛業務
Cattle Farming Ends at Qingjing Farm
Qingjing Farm is in the mountains of Nantou.
The farm is really high up, at an altitude (海拔) of 1,748 meters.
It's famous for its spectacular (壯觀) view.
The mountains are sometimes called "The Alps of Taiwan."
From there, tourists can see the sunrise and sunset.
They can also see the snow on Hehuan Mountain.
The farm was built in the 1960s, and it has been an important part of Taiwan history.
But now, the world has been focusing on cutting down on emissions (減碳排).
So, the farm is changing too.
Qingjing Farm is ending its cattle farming to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The farm director says cattle emit more carbon dioxide than sheep.
In fact, the emissions from cattle are 2.5 times higher than emissions from sheep.
By ending the cattle farming, Qingjing Farm will cut its emissions by nearly 30%.
The farm's 22 Angus (安格斯) cattle will be moved to a farm in Pingtung.
And the pasture (牧場) used by the cattle will now be used by sheep.
________________________________
亞洲失去大象棲息地
Asia Losing Elephant Habitat
Elephants are amazing creatures.
But this amazing animal is in danger.
Scientists say the homes of these magnificent creatures are disappearing.
They say since the 1700s, Asian elephants have lost more than 64 percent of their habitat (棲息地).
Over that time, people have cut down a lot of trees, built roads, and taken resources from deep in the earth.
All this human activity has driven away wildlife.
Elephants live a very long time, and they are highly adaptable (適應力強).
When they lose their homes, they go searching for new ones.
Researchers are worried that this would eventually lead to a conflict (衝突) between humans and elephants.
Elephants that lose their habitat are migrating from their usual territory
(領土).
In 2021, a herd of elephants migrated out of a protected area.
They walked more than 500 kilometers.
They trampled (踐踏) crops, roamed through towns, and caused a lot of damage.
Researchers want to de-escalate (使緩和) this situation.
They are calling for people to set out places for elephants to live.
人類與象群必須找出共存的方法，才能保護這些溫柔的巨人。
________________________________
農耕的未來可能在海底
Farming Under the Ocean
According to the United Nations, the number of people on Earth will reach 10 billion by 2050.
This means we need to make a lot more food if we want to feed all these people.
We need land to grow food.
But there is only so much land on Earth.
Now an Italian family has come up with a new idea.
They created "Nemo's Garden" in 2012.
It's the world's first underwater cultivation (栽培) system of plants.
The farm uses small greenhouses, floating 6 to 10 meters under the water.
The dome-shaped greenhouses are called "biospheres".
These biospheres are anchored (固定) to the bottom of the sea.
They are only 2 meters wide, so they can't grow big crops like corn or wheat.
But scientists have used the biospheres to grow strawberries, tomatoes, and
beans.
Because they are underwater, the plants are safe from outside pathogens
(病原) and pests.
They found that basil grown in the undersea gardens had more essential oils,
and more antioxidants.
科學家發現這個海裡花園種出來的羅勒含有更多的精油和抗氧化物。
And the gardens also attract fish.
Scientists found that there were 58 percent more fish around the garden than
in other parts of the ocean.
The family wants to try making bigger biospheres in the future.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Qingjing Farm is ending its cattle farming to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The farm director says cattle emit more carbon dioxide than sheep.
By ending the cattle farming, Qingjing Farm will cut its emissions by nearly 30%.
________________________________
Scientists say since the 1700s, Asian elephants have lost more than 64 percent of their habitat.
Researchers are worried that this will lead to a conflict between humans and elephants.
They are calling for people to set out places for elephants to live.
________________________________
And,
An Italian family created "Nemo's Garden", which grows plants underwater.
The farm uses small greenhouses, floating 6 to 10 meters under the water.
Scientists have used the biospheres to grow strawberries, tomatoes, and beans.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Brody Halverson.
And I'm Paz Bueno!
Today's stories…
Farmers use drones to protect fruit trees, Ukrainian musicians turn up in England, and scientists find a beautiful coral reef.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣農民使用無人機保護果樹
Taiwan's Farmers Use Drones to Protect Fruit Trees
Do you like to eat lychee (荔枝) fruit?
Lychee are delicious, and lots of them grow in Taiwan.
These fruit grow on trees, and farmers grow these trees in orchards (果園).
But people are not the only ones that like lychee fruit.
Pests (害蟲) like it too!
Pests are bugs that destroy the fruit.
So how can Taiwan's farmers protect the fruit?
In Changhua County (彰化縣), farmers have a new way to control pests this year.
The farmers are using drones (無人機).
How does it work?
In April, the lychee trees start to flower.
四月的時候，荔枝樹開花。
That's when the pests come.
At that time, farmers sent drones all over their orchards.
Everywhere they go, the drones release wasps.
無人機會釋放黃蜂。
The wasps will control the pests.
The wasps lay their eggs (產卵) in the pest eggs, so the pest eggs cannot become more pests.
When there are less pests, the lychee trees can grow better.
In the past, the farmers used pesticides (農藥) to control the pests.
But pesticides can harm the environment (環境).
That's why the farmers in Changhua County want to use wasps now.
So, the farmers send out the drones, the drones release the wasps, the wasps control the pests, and the lychee trees can grow strong.
農民派出無人機，無人機放出黃蜂，黃蜂控制了害蟲，荔枝樹才能長得健壯。
This way, we will all have more delicious lychee fruit to eat.
________________________________
烏克蘭難民姐妹花 傑出的音樂家
Ukrainian Sisters in England Turn Out to be Amazing Musicians
Because of the war in Ukraine (俄烏戰爭), many Ukrainian families have had to leave their homes.
They fled (逃難) to different countries.
In England, people opened their homes to these refugees (難民) who needed a place to stay.
One English family took in two Ukrainian sisters and their mother.
一個英國家庭收留了兩個烏克蘭姐妹和她們的母親。
The English family gave them two rooms with an old piano (鋼琴).
But when the Ukrainian family arrived, something amazing happened.
From the room where the sisters were staying, the most beautiful music could be heard.
從姐妹倆住的房間裡，人可以聽到最動聽的音樂。
They would open the windows, and people on the street would stop and listen to this music.
The piano music was being played by the older sister, Khrystyna, who is 17 years old.
Khrystyna's younger sister Sasha is 12 years old, and she plays the violin (小提琴).
Both girls have an incredible talent for music.
Now, the two sisters have received scholarships (獲得獎學金) to study at the best music schools in England.
Khrystyna and Sasha say their music has helped them face the trauma of leaving their home in Ukraine.
她們說音樂幫助她們面對離鄉背井的傷感。
The English family say they are lucky to have such wonderful musicians as guests (房客).
________________________________
加拉巴哥群島 發現珊瑚礁
Scientists Discover Coral Reef in the Galapagos
Have you ever seen a coral reef (珊瑚礁)?
It is a special ecosystem (生態) that can be found in the ocean.
The reef is a colorful home for many fish, plants and corals.
Some people call reefs "The Rainforests of the Sea".
Like a rainforest, a coral reef can support many kinds of life.
就像雨林一樣，珊瑚礁可以支持多種生命。
But, coral reefs around the world are in danger.
Climate change (氣候變化) is making the ocean warmer, which harms the reefs.
That's not good. But recently, there is actually some good news (好消息).
Scientists have found a new coral reef, and it is in excellent condition (狀況極佳).
They found it in the Galapagos Islands (加拉巴哥群島), near South America.
This new reef has given us hope.
It is special for three reasons.
One, this reef is very deep (深).
It is 600 meters under water, much deeper than most coral reefs.
它在水下 600 公尺，比大多數珊瑚礁深得多。
Because it is deeper, climate change has not affected it as much.
Two, it is still healthy.
This reef has all kinds of life.
There are many types of fish and sharks (鯊魚).
There are also rays (鰩魚) and pink octopus (粉紅章魚).
Three, the reef is in a protected area (保護區).
It is part of the Galapagos Marine Protected Area.
It's an area where nature is protected by the government.
This healthy reef shows that when people protect the ocean, we can see great results (很好的結果).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Farmers in Changhua County are using drones to protect their fruit trees.
The drones carry wasps, which fight harmful pests.
The wasps make sure that Taiwan's lychee trees can grow strong.
________________________________
And,
Two Ukrainian sisters staying in England are incredible musicians.
They fled from the war in Ukraine, and went to stay with a family in England.
Now the talented young girls will have an opportunity to keep studying music.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a healthy coral reef deep under the ocean.
The reef is in a marine protected area near the Galapagos Islands.
It is home to many fish, sharks, rays and octopuses.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
More of an endangered bird, a trash can that comes to you, and something six-legged steals the spotlight at the Met Gala.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
黑面琵鷺來台度冬數量再創高
More Black-faced Spoonbills Wintering in Taiwan
Its name tells you exactly what it looks like.
The Black-faced Spoonbill (黑面琵鷺) is a bird that lives around water.
It has mostly white feathers.
And its face and legs are black.
Its mouth, or "bill" (喙) is also black.
And it is a flat wide shape, like a spoon.
The black-faced spoonbill uses its flat bill to look for food in the water.
Even though it can be found in some countries in Asia, the black-faced spoonbill is endangered (瀕危).
In fact, black-faced spoonbills almost went extinct (絕種) in the 1980s.
Now, scientists say there are around 6,600 black-faced spoonbills in the world.
And more than 4,000 of these spoonbills spent the winter living in Taiwan!
Experts say 4,288 black-faced spoonbills stayed on the island over winter.
That's more than 60 percent of all black-faced spoonbills around the world.
今年記錄到全球共有6,603隻黑面琵鷺。其中，台灣是最重要的度冬棲地，首次突破四千隻。
Bird experts say all this information tells us, that the environment in Taiwan is very important for black-faced spoonbills.
________________________________
垃圾桶機器人讓你輕鬆丟垃圾
Robot Trash Cans Clean Up New York City
Throwing your trash into the trash can (垃圾桶) helps keep the environment clean.
If you're out on the street, and you have some garbage, you should look for a trash can.
You might have to walk around a bit to find one.
But… what if the garbage can came to find you?
Excuse me, I have some trash.
A little closer…
Closer…
And…
Thanks!
It kind of sounds like a movie about the future.
But something like this really happened in New York City!
Two robot trash cans (垃圾桶機器人) went to work at a public space in Manhattan (曼哈頓).
The plastic trash cans could move around.
One was for garbage, and one was for recycling (回收).
And each trash can had a camera on top.
這兩個垃圾桶機器人都有裝360度環景攝影機。
Scientists wanted to see how people would use the trash cans.
Most people seemed to like the robots.
But there were a few people who didn't like the robots.
One person said the moving trash cans were "creepy" (詭異).
Another person even kicked the trash can, when it got close.
This is not a very nice thing to do.
But scientists say all this information is very helpful.
They say this will help them understand how to train future robots.
________________________________
博物館慈善晚宴 「小強」亂入紅毯走秀
Cockroach Steals Spotlight at Met Gala
Walking the red carpet…
Usually that means famous people, like movie stars, at a special event.
Fans scream, and photographers take photos.
But last week at the Met Gala, someone, or "something" very different walked the red carpet (走紅毯).
The Met Gala is a famous party held in New York City every year.
And this year, stars like Dua Lipa, Michelle Yeoh, and Rihanna were there.
But something else on the red carpet stole the spotlight (搶了焦點).
It was a cockroach!
The cockroach crawled (爬行) along the carpet, in the middle of famous stars.
Many people noticed.
Some people screamed (尖叫).
But some thought it was very funny.
And photographers, who usually take pictures of movie stars, took pictures of the cockroach.
Videos of the party-crashing cockroach went viral online.
一隻活生生的小強出現在紐約大都會藝術博物館舉辦的年度慈善晚宴，成為全場的焦點。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists say more than 4,000 endangered black-faced spoonbills spent the past winter living in Taiwan!
That's more than 60 percent of all black-faced spoonbills around the world.
Bird experts say all this information tells us, that the environment in Taiwan is very important for black-faced spoonbills.
________________________________
Two robot trash cans went to work at a public space in New York City.
Most people seemed to like the robots, but some did not.
Scientists say this will help them understand how to train future robots, and teach them about human behavior.
________________________________
And,
Last week at the Met Gala, someone, or "something" very different walked the red carpet.
It was a cockroach!
The cockroach crawled along the carpet, in the middle of famous stars.
Videos of the party-crashing cockroach went viral online.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
The CECC disbands, no more nuclear energy in Germany, and plastic-eating fungi.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
疫情指揮中心 走入歷史
CECC Goes Down in History
Since January 2020, COVID-19 has been a big part of our lives.
Wearing face masks every day, social distancing, taking rapid tests, and getting vaccines…
每天戴口罩、保持社交距離、做快篩和接種疫苗…
Home quarantines, travel bans, and most importantly, paying attention to the CECC news conferences.
居家隔離、旅行禁令，最重要的是關注指揮中心的記者會。
Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (疾病管制署) set up the Central Epidemic Command Center, or CECC, early in the pandemic (疫情).
Every day around 2PM, people would tune in (收看) to the news to see how many new cases there were.
The CECC would tell us about the rules we had to follow to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Now, COVID-19 is normalized (正常化), and there are fewer and fewer case numbers.
After May 1st, COVID-19 is reclassified (降級) from a very serious, or Category 5 disease, to a less serious Category 4 disease.
That means the CECC isn't needed anymore.
The CECC already had its last meeting on April 27th.
And after nearly 1,200 days, it has disbanded (解散).
Starting this month, any news about COVID-19 will be shared once a week with information about other diseases.
________________________________
德國告別核能發電
Germany Says Goodbye to Nuclear Power
Germany has closed its last three nuclear power plants (核電廠).
Nuclear power is a type of energy (能源) made from tiny things called atoms (原子).
When atoms are split (分裂), they release a lot of energy.
This energy is used to make electricity for our homes and schools.
But sometimes, nuclear power can be dangerous.
So, Germany decided to stop using it to make the country safer.
所以，德國決定停止使用核能，讓國家更安全。
In the past, many people in Germany didn't like nuclear power and protested against it (抗議).
After the accidents at Chernobyl (車諾比) and Fukushima (福島), Germany knew it was time to stop using nuclear power.
But recently, Germany had a problem with getting enough energy because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
但是最近，因為俄羅斯跟烏克蘭打仗，德國在能源方面遇到了問題。
They thought about using nuclear power for a little longer (多用一段時間), but finally decided to close the plants on April 15th.
Now, Germany will have to find a safe place to store the waste (核廢料) from the nuclear power plants.
Some people think it's a bad idea to stop using nuclear power, because it's better for the environment than burning coal.
But building new nuclear power plants is very expensive and takes a long time.
That's why some people in Germany don't think nuclear power will become popular again.
________________________________
吃塑膠的神奇真菌
Fungi: The Plastic-Eating Heroes of the Recycling Crisis!
Fungi are a type of living organism (生物) that are similar to plants.
But they don't make their own food like plants do.
Instead, they absorb nutrients (吸收養分) from other living things or things that have died.
We can find fungi in many places, like in the soil (土壤), on trees, and even in some foods we eat, such as mushrooms (蘑菇)!
Scientists in Australia have found that certain types of fungi can help break down plastic.
澳洲的科學家發現，某些種類的真菌可以分解塑膠。
This is great news because it could be a solution to the recycling crisis (回收危機) happening all around the world.
However, this doesn't mean we should keep using plastic.
It's important to remember that we should still try to reduce our plastic waste as much as possible.
我們要記住，盡量減少塑膠垃圾仍然很重要。
That's because plastic is already harming the environment and filling up landfills (垃圾掩埋場).
The scientists believe that this fungi could be used on a larger scale (更大的規模).
We could use it to process thousands of tons (好幾千噸) of plastic per year in the future.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Starting this month, COVID-19 is reclassified to a less serious Category 4 disease.
That means the Central Epidemic Command Center isn't needed anymore.
So after nearly 1,200 days, the CECC has been disbanded.
________________________________
And,
Germany has closed its last three nuclear power plants.
Germany decided to stop using nuclear power to make the country safer.
Now, Germany will have to find a safe place to store the waste from the nuclear power plants.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in Australia have found that certain types of fungi can help break down plastic.
This is great news because it could be a solution to the recycling crisis happening all around the world.
We could use it to process thousands of tons of plastic per year in the future.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there! This is News Bites, and welcome to it!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan protects animals, the force returns, and some guy eats a banana.
Stay tuned for more… Some guy eats a banana…? Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣政府準備動物保護法修正案
Taiwan Government Prepares New Animal Protection Law
In many countries, like Taiwan, people have rights (權利).
Our rights help protect us from abuse.
我們的權利會幫我們防止被傷害。
Well, animals (動物) have rights too!
But… animals can't understand their rights.
So people need to make laws (法律) that protect animals.
And recently, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (農業委員會) is working on some animal protection laws.
And one new law this month would be an amendment (修正草案) to Taiwan's Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
It would give pet owners more responsibilities (強化寵物飼主責任).
It would also punish anyone who abandons an animal (會處罰任何棄養寵物的人).
And if anyone is abusing (虐待) any animal, it would let the police stop them more easily.
Finally, anyone who breaks this law may have to pay a fine of 250,000 NT!
The last time Taiwan changed its animal protection laws this much was in the year 1998.
That's 25 years with no updates!
近25年都沒有更新！
This new law could be a big step forward (重大的進步).
With this extra protection, hopefully Taiwan's pets can be happier and safer!
________________________________
星際大戰日
Star Wars Day
If you watch lots of movies or TV, then you've probably seen Star Wars (星際大戰).
The first Star Wars Movie came out in the year 1977.
星際大戰電影的第一部電影是1977年上映的。
And since then (自此之後), there have been many more Star Wars movies, and LOTS of series (劇集).
But no matter which one you watch, you'll probably hear its most famous line…
不管你看哪一部，你大概會聽到星際大戰最有名的台詞：
"May the Force be with you."
【願原力與你同在。】
And because it sounds like today's date, "May the Fourth"…
因為英文的台詞聽起來很像今天的日期，五月四日…
Today is Star Wars Day!
Every year, people celebrate Star Wars Day by watching movies, having parties, and dressing up as Star Wars characters (打扮成星際大戰的角色).
CHEWBACCA (丘巴卡) Ha! Did I get it…?
And you can hear lots of people saying, "May the Fourth be with you" (五月四日與你同在).
If you don't want to celebrate Star Wars, that's okay.
But if you DO want to celebrate, there are lots of ways to do it!
________________________________
博物館參觀者吃掉了藝術品
Museum Visitor Eats Artwork
Okay, so everybody knows, art can be pretty weird.
For example, one piece of art became very famous in 2019…
But it's not a painting (不是一幅畫)…
And it's not a dance, or a song, or a statue (也不是雕像)…
No, it's just a banana taped to a wall!
2019年一個很有名的藝術品其實只是一個用膠帶貼上牆壁的香蕉！
The wall… The… "wall banana" was put up by an artist from Italy (義大利的藝術家).
He calls this piece of art "The Comedian" (喜劇演員)…
And in 2019, he sold it (賣掉了) for 120,000 US dollars, or around 3.7 million NT (大約三百七十萬台幣)!
Why didn't I think of that?
為什麼我自己沒先想出這個主意呢？
But… this crazy banana story just keeps getting crazier.
This month, the wall banana was on display in a museum in South Korea (在南韓的博物館展覽展示)…
And then, suddenly, it was EATEN by a museum visitor!
這個月，牆壁香蕉突然被博物館的來賓瞬間吃掉！
A young student walked over to the art, took it off the wall, and ate it.
When people asked him why he did it, he said he forgot to eat breakfast, so he was hungry.
But wait… if you leave a banana in a museum, doesn't it go bad (爛掉)?
Well, um… yeah. Yeah it does. And an OLD wall banana would be pretty gross (噁心).
So museum employees replace the old wall banana with a new one, every few days.
每幾天，博物館的員工把舊的牆壁香蕉換成新的。
And that's why the museum didn't punish the banana thief (沒給他任何處罰).
But wait again, if the museum is putting up new wall bananas, aren't THEY the artists?
WHAT IS GOING ON?!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Council of Agriculture is working on some animal protection laws.
One new law this month would give pet owners more responsibilities, and let police stop animal abuse.
With this extra protection, people hope Taiwan's pets can be happier and safer.
________________________________
And,
Today is Star Wars Day!
That's because today's date, "May the Fourth", sounds like the famous line from Star Wars, "May the Force be with you."
Every year, people celebrate Star Wars Day by watching movies, having parties, and dressing up as Star Wars characters.
________________________________
And,
A Korean student has eaten a famous piece of art in a museum.
But the art piece was just a banana taped to a wall.
When people asked him why he did it, he said he forgot to eat breakfast, so he was hungry.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
3-star inflight meals, a t-rex skeleton for a bargain, and a different Cleopatra.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
空中吃米其林三星餐點
3-star Michelin Meals on Your Flight
Do you like the food on airplanes?
Airline food is pre-cooked.
It gets heated up on the planes.
Some people feel like this food is just like microwaved food.
But some people like airplane food.
And there is even a list of the airlines that serve the best food.
Now, a Taiwan airline is working with a famous restaurant.
China Airlines invited Le Palais to make some food for flights.
Le Palais (頤宮中餐廳) is a restaurant that has gotten three Michelin stars for many years.
This will be the first time that food from a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Taiwan is available on a plane.
The special meals will be served on long-haul (長途) flights to Europe, the U.S. or Canada.
The meals are available for all passengers, not just for First and Business class.
Other airlines have also worked with famous restaurants before.
這不是台灣航空公司第一次與著名餐廳業者合作。
EVA Airlines has been working with Ding Tai Fung to provide food on flights.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on the airline industry.
Now, major airlines are looking for ways to bring back customers.
________________________________
瑞士拍賣會賣出暴龍骨架
T-Rex Skeleton Sold at Auction
An auction (拍賣會) is a place where things are sold to the person that offers the most money.
Sometimes, rare things are sold at auctions.
You can find many different things at an auction…
The cup of a Chinese emperor, a painting of Picasso, a dinner with a celebrity, or even dinosaur bones.
And that's what happened in Zurich, Switzerland.
A T-Rex skeleton was sold for about $6 million US dollars at an auction there.
The skeleton was put together from three different T-Rexes.
Bones of these three dinosaurs were found between 2008 and 2023 in the US.
And not all the bones in the skeleton are real.
Some were made from plaster (石膏) and epoxy resin (環氧樹脂) casts.
But it's still a complete skeleton.
這隻由近300件骨頭化石拼成的暴龍標本，以約1億6338萬台幣拍出。
This is the 3rd time worldwide that an entire T-Rex skeleton was offered at auction.
The 1st time, a T-Rex skeleton was sold for $8.4 million US dollars in 1998.
The second time, a T-Rex skeleton was sold for $31 million in 2020.
So $6 million for this third T-Rex skeleton was less than expected.
It sounds kind of amazing to have a dinosaur skull.
But you'd better make sure your house is big enough for the skull to fit!
________________________________
Netflix【埃及艷后】傳出爭議
Netflix "Cleopatra" Causes Controversy
When people mention Egypt, they think of many things.
The pyramids, the sphinx (人面獅身像), mummies and of course, the famous queen Cleopatra.
Queen Cleopatra was the last ruler of Egypt, before the Roman conquest (征服) of 30 BC.
The famous queen was part of the last dynasty of Egypt.
Netflix recently released a docudrama trailer (劇情式紀錄片的預告片).
The trailer depicts (描述) the queen as a black African.
這件事情在埃及引起非常大的爭議。
Historians have debated (爭論) Cleopatra's bloodline for a long time.
Some believe she was Greek.
Some believe she was Roman.
Some have said she might have been part African.
Now, an Egyptian lawyer has filed a complaint against Netflix.
He says Netflix should not air the show.
But the people who made the show say no one is certain about Cleopatra's heritage.
They say no one has ever found Cleopatra's tomb.
So there is no way to prove her heritage.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
China Airlines invited Le Palais to make some food for flights.
This will be the first time that food from a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Taiwan is available on an plane.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on the airline industry, and airlines are looking for ways to bring back customers.
________________________________
A T-Rex skeleton was sold for about $6 million US dollars at an auction in Switzerland.
That's a lower price than expected.
The skeleton was put together from 3 different T-Rexes.
________________________________
And,
Netflix recently released a trailer for a show about Egypt's Queen Cleopatra.
The trailer depicts the queen as a black African.
Some people in Egypt believe Cleopatra was not African, and Netflix should not air the show.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey hey hey, get ready for a new episode of… News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
A helicopter saves a hiker in Taitung, a new space mission leaves for Jupiter, and Australians vote to change their constitution.
Let's hear all about it!
________________________________
直升機在台東縣營救登山者
Helicopter Saves Hiker in Taitung County
Hiking (健行) is fun.
People hike into the mountains to get fresh air and exercise.
But hiking can be dangerous, too.
Hikers (健行的人) need to prepare (做準備) before they go into the mountains.
Even if they prepare, there might still be an accident (意外).
The hiker might fall down and get hurt.
And if they are alone, there will be trouble (大麻煩).
So, what happens if a hiker is alone (獨自一個人) when they get hurt?
If they are lucky, a helicopter (直升機) will come save them.
That's what happened recently in Taitung County (台東縣).
A hiker was deep in the mountains when he hurt his knee.
一名健行者進入深山時膝蓋受傷。
He was hurt so badly, he couldn't even walk.
Fortunately, his phone had service.
幸虧他的手機有訊號。
He called the fire department, and they sent a search-and-rescue team (搜尋及救援隊).
The team searched (搜尋) for two days to find the hurt hiker.
When they found him, they called a helicopter to come pick him up.
The area was foggy (有霧), so it was not easy for the helicopter to land.
Finally, the helicopter found a place to come down (降落的地方).
It picked the hiker up and took him to the hospital in Taitung City.
Thanks to the search-and-rescue team, and the helicopter crew, the hiker will live to hike another day.
________________________________
太空任務 尋找木星的衛星是否有生物
A Mission to Find Alien Life on Jupiter's Moons
Our solar system (太陽系) has one sun and eight planets (行星).
What's the biggest planet?
Is it Earth?
地球是最大的行星嗎？
Nope! The biggest planet is Jupiter (木星).
And just like Earth has a moon, Jupiter also has moons.
In fact, Jupiter has almost one hundred moons.
木星有將近一百顆衛星。
Jupiter is such a big planet, and it has so many moons, that we have to ask… does anything live there?
木星的衛星上有生命嗎？
We don't know!
But recently, we have sent a new mission (新的任務) to search for life (生物) on Jupiter's moons.
The mission is called the "Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer", or "JUICE" for short.
任務的簡稱名字就是【JUICE】… 英文拼法其實跟【果汁】的 【juice】一樣！
The JUICE mission will visit three of Jupiter's biggest moons.
We already know there is water on these moons.
Scientists think these moons might have oceans of water (水的海洋), like we have on Earth.
And where there is water, there may be life.
有水的地方就可能有生命。
That's why the JUICE mission is going to Jupiter's moons to search for life.
Even though it has already left, the JUICE mission still won't arrive at Jupiter for eight more years.
So, the year 2031 might be the year we find life in space.
________________________________
澳洲投票表決「原住民的聲音」
Australians to Vote on 'Indigenous Voice'
Australia (澳大利亞) is a big country with a lot of people.
Australians (澳洲人) are proud of their country and their history.
Most Australians belong to (屬於) families that came to Australia from Europe more than one hundred years ago.
But, there is another group of Australians, too.
Indigenous people (澳洲原住民) have been living in Australia for tens of thousands of years (好幾萬年).
They have lived in Australia far longer than anybody else.
Indigenous Australians have their own language (自己的語言) and culture (文化).
They also have special songs, dances, and music.
These are some of the oldest traditions (傳統) in the world!
That's why it is strange that Australia's highest law does not say anything about Indigenous people.
澳洲的憲法對原住民沒有任何規定。
It's true! Australia's Constitution (憲法), the most important law in Australia, does not talk about them at all.
That's not good!
It means Australia's laws don't really work for Indigenous people.
But now, many people in Australia want to change this.
They want to change the Constitution (修改憲法), to give Indigenous people a voice (聲音).
What does that mean?
This new law will make a group (機構) called "The Indigenous Voice" (原住民的聲音).
That group will be able to work together with Australia's government, to make new laws for the country.
This group will give Indigenous people a way to decide how laws will work in Australia.
這個機構讓原住民來決定法律在澳洲要怎麼運作。
Many people like this idea, but first they need to vote on it (投票).
At the end of this year, Australians will vote on the Indigenous Voice.
If the vote is successful (成功), Australia's Indigenous people will finally get a say in government.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A helicopter saved a hiker in Taitung County.
The hiker was alone in the mountains when he got hurt.
The fire department sent a team to search for him.
When the team found him, they called a helicopter to pick him up.
________________________________
And,
A new mission is searching for life in space.
The JUICE mission will go to Jupiter, the biggest planet in the solar system.
It will search for life on Jupiter's moons.
________________________________
And,
Australians will vote to decide if they want to change their constitution.
If the vote is successful, it will give Indigenous people a voice in government.
Indigenous people have lived in Australia longer than anyone else, but until now, their Constitution has not talked about them at all.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
A presidential sleepover, a bird's point of view, and goodbye to the Phantom.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
再「來去總統府住一晚」
Sleepover at the President's Office
How would you like to sleep over at the President's office?
The government is restarting its special project for people from other countries.
The project is called "Spend a Night at Taiwan's Presidential Office Building".
It started in 2019.
The project stopped in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But now it is restarting again!
People from other countries, who are at least 20 years old, can stay in rooms in the Lixing Building.
It's a building that's next to the president's office.
Up to 20 people will have the chance to spend one night in the Lixing Building.
And they will also be served breakfast the next morning.
The guests will make a video about their stay.
And they will post the video onto social media.
This project will run from September to December.
「來去總統府住一晚」免費體驗活動歡迎全球旅客報名，入選者9至12月之間入住。
People can sign up online before June 30th.
And judges will choose the winners in August.
The government hopes this will help other countries learn more about Taiwan.
「來去總統府住一晚」今年回歸， 政府將總統府開放給國外旅客入住，希望可以讓世界各地認識台灣。
________________________________
英國動物園招聘驅趕海鷗團隊
UK Zoo Seeks Seagull Scare Squad
People say trying something new can help you see things in a new way.
And this job is sure to give you a "birds-eye view"!
A zoo in the UK is trying to find new workers.
These workers will have a very special job.
They have to scare away seagulls.
The Blackpool Zoo is close to the ocean.
And lots of seagulls fly around the zoo every day.
The zoo says these seagulls steal food from visitors and from zoo animals!
這個動物園靠近海邊，常有野生海鷗搶遊客手中的食物，連園區裡動物的食物也遭殃。
So the zoo needs workers to scare away the seagulls.
The zoo says these workers will wear bird costumes (便裝，裝扮).
And the workers in bird costumes will walk around places where people eat at the zoo.
And hopefully, seeing these giant "birds" will keep the seagulls away.
The zoo says it is looking for someone who is friendly.
And this person should also have lots of energy.
The zoo says it loves all animals.
But it needs to keep visitors and zoo animals safe too.
This isn't the first time hungry seagulls have caused problems.
The Sydney Opera House in Australia also had seagull problems.
The seagulls would steal food from people sitting outside at restaurants close by.
The opera house now has a team of dogs, to chase away the seagulls.
________________________________
最長壽音樂劇 告別百老匯
Curtain Comes Down on Phantom of the Opera
It's the longest-running show on Broadway.
And it's come to an end.
The Phantom of the Opera held its last show this month.
百老匯史上最長壽的音樂劇"歌劇魅影"，這個月正式告別百老匯了。
The musical had been showing on Broadway since 1986.
That's before many of you were born!
Since it opened, The Phantom of the Opera has played almost 14,000 times.
And more than 20 million people have seen it around the world!
Many people are fans of the show.
In fact, these people call themselves "phans".
They say they love the music.
And the show is magical, like an escape to another world.
Some have seen the show more than 100 times!
Even though it has ended, The Phantom of the Opera is definitely an important part of Broadway history.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The government is restarting its special project "Spend a Night at Taiwan's Presidential Office Building".
People from other countries, who are at least 20 years old, can stay in rooms in the Lixing Building.
The government hopes this will help other countries learn more about Taiwan.
________________________________
The Blackpool Zoo is looking for workers to scare away seagulls.
The zoo says these seagulls steal food from visitors and from zoo animals!
The workers will wear bird costumes, and hopefully, seeing these giant "birds" will keep the seagulls away.
________________________________
And,
The Phantom of the Opera held its last show this month.
The musical had been showing on Broadway since 1986.
More than 20 million people around the world have seen the show.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! It's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Sharing Taiwanese food with the world, a hidden passage in Egypt, and ChatGPT's rival!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣大廚 展開美食環遊世界之旅
Taiwanese Chef Squad Embarks on Tasty World Tour!
Stinky tofu, beef noodle soup, braised pork rice…
臭豆腐、牛肉麵、滷肉飯…
Three-cup chicken, soup dumplings, pineapple cake.
三杯雞、湯包、鳳梨酥。
Taiwan has so many yummy dishes!
And in May, a group of talented chefs (廚師) is going on a six-month adventure to visit 20 countries around the world.
Their mission is to share delicious Taiwanese food and meet people from different countries.
他們的使命是分享台灣美食，還有認識來自不同國家的朋友。
These chefs will visit 55 places and give 106 presentations (演講) about food.
This exciting journey is called the International Tour of Taiwan Gourmet Cuisine (臺灣美食國際巡迴講座), and it has been happening every year since 2010.
These chefs are experts (高手) in making yummy dishes from different parts of Taiwan.
They'll be giving cooking demonstrations, chatting with restaurant owners, and visiting catering businesses.
他們會教大家做菜，跟餐館老闆聊天，還去參觀餐飲業。
This tasty tour will bring everyone closer through the universal language of deliciousness!
這一趟美味之旅藉著美食這個共同語言，拉近彼此的距離！
________________________________
埃及大金字塔內 發現隱藏的通道
Hidden Corridor Discovered in Egypt's Great Pyramid
Scientists have found a hidden passage (隱藏的通道) in Egypt's Great Pyramid.
It's 9 meters long and over 2 meters wide.
This amazing discovery is part of a seven-year international research project called ScanPyramids.
這個驚人的新發現，是長達七年的【掃描金字塔】國際研究計畫 ScanPyramids 的成果。
This project started in 2015 and is a collaboration (合作) between universities in France, Germany, Canada, and Japan, along with a group of Egyptian experts (埃及專家).
The project is supervised by archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former antiquities minister.
這個計畫由考古學家扎希·哈瓦斯（Zahi Hawass）主持，他曾經是埃及文物部部長。
The team uses advanced technology, like infrared thermography (熱像儀) to see hidden parts of the pyramid without digging it up.
The Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza and stands 146 meters tall.
It's the only remaining structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
它是古代世界七大奇蹟中唯一仍然存在的建築。
The pyramid was built about 4,500 years ago and has three known chambers (已經知道的密室).
Like other pyramids in Egypt, it was made as a tomb for a pharaoh (作為法老的墳墓而建造的).
Dr. Hawass believes the hidden tunnel might have been built to protect the burial chamber of King Khufu (為了保護胡夫法老王的墓室而建了隱藏的通道).
________________________________
谷歌的新 AI 聊天機器人
Google's New AI Chatbot
Google has introduced (推出了) its own AI chatbot named Bard.
It can answer questions like a human by getting up-to-date information from the internet.
它可以像人類一樣回答問題，並且從網上獲取最新信息。
Bard is seen as a rival competitor (競爭對手) to ChatGPT, which launched last year.
To use Bard, you need to be over 18 years old (年滿 18 歲) and have a Google account (帳戶).
But Google warns that Bard has some limitations (局限) and might share wrong information.
For now, only users (用戶) in the US and UK can try Bard.
What makes Bard different from ChatGPT?
Bard has a "Google it" button that lets users check facts and see the sources used, like Wikipedia.
Bard有一個【谷歌一下】按鈕，讓用戶核對事實並且查看資料來源，例如維基百科。
Instead of providing web pages or links like a search engine, Bard can give direct answers to questions and even write essays or poems!
Bard不像搜索引擎那樣提供網頁或連結，而是直接回答問題，甚至寫文章或詩歌！
A Google employee says Bard is an experiment (實驗) and he hopes people will use it as a launchpad for creativity (創意的起點).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A group of Taiwanese chefs is going on a six-month adventure to visit 20 countries around the world.
Their mission is to share delicious Taiwanese food and meet people from different countries.
They'll be giving cooking demonstrations, chatting with restaurant owners, and visiting catering businesses.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a hidden passage in Egypt's Great Pyramid.
It's 9 meters long and over 2 meters wide.
This amazing discovery is part of a seven-year international research project called ScanPyramids.
________________________________
And,
Google has introduced its own AI chatbot named Bard.
Bard is seen as a competitor to ChatGPT, which launched last year.
It can answer questions like a human by getting up-to-date information from the internet.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Well howdy-doody, this right here's a mighty-fine episode of News Bites!
I'm… ahem I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Traveling with books, walking on the moon, and solving an art mystery.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣慶祝【世界閱讀日】
Taiwan Celebrates 'World Book Day'
This month, Taiwan has made some fun activities (活動) to celebrate "World Book Day".
It's an event is called "Read Taiwan" (走讀台灣), that encourages people (鼓勵人) to travel around Taiwan with books.
It's a list of places to go… and a list of books to read on the way!
走讀台灣會列出目的地，以及最適合在旅途中看的書！
There is no tour guide (沒有導遊)… you just go and read!
The tours have 105 books, in 12 categories (種類).
And there are categories like local food, culture, trains, nature, and animals.
Read Taiwan wants to promote stronger reading habits (推廣更堅強的讀書習慣)
That's because… on average (平均), people in Taiwan only buy 2 or 3 books each year…
But in Japan and South Korea, the average person buys around 10 books per year.
台灣人每人每年平均只買兩本或三本書… 但在日本和南韓，他們每年平均買十本！
That's a lot of books!
But remember, we can buy books on our phones and computers, too!
It saves paper (節省用紙), and it's much lighter than paper (也比紙做的書輕多了).
So, the next time you go on a trip around Taiwan, whether it's paper, or a computer…
Bring a book!
________________________________
太空人演練 月球漫步
Astronauts Practice for Walking on the Moon
Nobody has been to the moon in a long, long time.
已經很久沒有人類踏上月球了。
The last time a human (人類) walked on the moon was in the year 1972 (一九七二年).
But we'll be going again soon!
Well, not "we", I mean… you know, astronauts (太空人)!
It takes a LOT of work, from a LOT of people, just to get a few astronauts to the moon.
That's why NASA (美國太空總署) is working hard on its Artemis Program (阿提米絲計畫).
The Artemis Program's third mission wants to get people on the moon by 2025.
阿提米絲計畫的第三項任務，要在 2025 年把太空人送上月球。
But because the moon is smaller than Earth, it has less gravity.
That means walking on the moon feels very different than walking on Earth.
月球的地心引力比地球小，所以在月球上走路，感覺完全不一樣。
Not only that… but astronauts have to wear spacesuits (要穿太空衣), and that makes walking even harder!
So how do they practice walking on the moon?
所以到底要怎麼練習在月球漫步呢？
Well, NASA has made a special pool (游泳池) for astronauts.
But it's not for swimming!
When the astronauts put on their spacesuits, and walk underwater (在水下走路)…
They can walk, work, and carry things in the pool, to practice moving in low gravity (為了練習在低等級的地心引力移動).
This helps astronauts get ready to work on the moon.
And it helps scientists to make better spacesuits, and better technology (科技).
If all goes well (如果都順利的話), we'll see people on the moon in 2025!
________________________________
蠟筆之謎被解決
Crayon Mystery Solved
Do you like drawing (畫畫)?
How about coloring (塗上顏色)?
Well, there are some places we shouldn't draw or color…
有的地方不應該畫畫或是塗上顏色…
Like on an ancient statue (古代的雕像)!
And one statue in England looked very different this month.
The statue was made of white marble (是用白色大理石做的).
But one morning, it had blue marks all over it!
有一天早上，這個雕像全身都有藍色的斑點。
People realized the marks were drawn by blue crayons (藍色的蠟筆).
But this statue was 230 years old (有兩百三十年歷史)!
Who would do something like this?
Well, it turns out (原來是)… it was kids (小孩畫的).
Some kids walking by the statue decided they wanted to make art with their crayons.
And maybe they thought the white statue was like a piece of white paper…?
也許他們以為白色的雕像就像一張白紙…？
It's okay to like art… just be careful where you make it!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is encouraging people to travel around Taiwan with books.
"Read Taiwan" is a list of places to go, and a list of books to read on the way.
The event wants to encourage people in Taiwan to read more books.
________________________________
And,
NASA has made a special pool for astronauts.
Astronauts can walk, work, and carry things in the pool, to practice moving in low gravity.
This helps astronauts get ready to work on the moon, and helps scientists to make better technology.
________________________________
And,
People found blue marks all over a 230-year-old white marble statue.
It turns out that a group of kids had drawn on it with crayons.
Maybe they thought the white statue looked like a piece of white paper…?
________________________________
Anyway, that's today's episode of News Bites…
Yeehaw!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Really high traffic lights, lonely young people, and invisible solar panels.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
海拔3275公尺的紅綠燈
Traffic Lights at 3,275 Meters
Hehuanshan has beautiful scenery throughout the year.
People rush up to see snow in winter and flowers in spring.
Hikers and climbers are eager to explore the famous mountain.
In Sept. 2020, Hehuanshan was officially certified (認證) by the International Dark-Sky Association (國際暗空協會) as the first International Dark-Sky Park in Taiwan.
It's a great place for stargazers (天文迷) to see the night sky.
Now, put all these things together…
And you have thousands of visiting tourists.
But the roads on the mountain are narrow (狹窄).
Making them wider would be bad for the environment.
And this all leads to lots of traffic jams (塞車).
With so many people visiting the mountain, safety is very important.
Traffic lights were installed in Wuling (武嶺) to control traffic during holidays and weekends.
There are two sets of lights.
They are just red and green lights.
And they are 400 meters apart.
They will not be in use 24 hours a day.
And police officers will control the lights.
Officials hope that the traffic lights will help everyone stay safe.
合歡山武嶺隘口兩端設置交通號誌，警方希望這樣可以有效疏緩車流。
________________________________
南韓鼓勵【孤獨年輕人】重返社會
South Korea Pays 'Lonely Young People' to Get Back into Society
Can you imagine living a reclusive (隱居) life?
South Korea's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family says there are around 338,000 South Koreans like this.
They are around 19 to 39 years old.
They live in a small space.
They are disconnected from the outside world for a long time.
And they have a hard time living a normal life.
The government says these people start getting isolated in adolescence (青春期).
They can't interact (互動) with others.
And it's hard for them to get use to different environments.
This can be caused by going through family problems, or health problems.
It can also be caused by mental illness.
So the South Korean government wants to encourage these people to get back into society.
It says it will give up to $500 US dollars each month to people like this, who are 9 to 24 years old.
And the government is planning more ways to work with welfare groups (社福機構) for young people.
南韓政府規劃了許多幫助方案，希望可以幫助"孤獨年輕人【重返社會】。
________________________________
龐貝古城裝【隱形】太陽能板
New 'Invisible' Solar Panels in Ancient Pompeii
Pompeii is an ancient city in Italy.
It was destroyed by a volcano in 79 A.D. (西元).
It is one of the most well-preserved ancient cities (保存完整的古城).
Each year, 3.5 million tourists visit the city to learn about its history.
But Pompeii is quite big.
It takes a lot of electricity to keep the city running.
And this means there are lots of cables and poles (電線，電線桿).
This leaves the city looking…not very nice.
Now there is a new way to get electricity, and keep the city looking beautiful.
An Italian company has made "invisible solar panels" (【隱形】太陽能板).
The panels look like stone, wood, concrete (混凝土) or brick (磚頭).
They can be hidden on walls, floors and roofs.
The panels used in Pompeii look like terracotta (陶製) roof tiles used by the Romans.
The panels were put on two sites, the House of Cerere and the House of Vettii.
Pompeii officials say the solar panels are just the beginning.
They believe the panels will help other historical sites around the world.
保存文化遺產同時又能發電及節能減碳，真的是一舉數得。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Traffic lights were installed on Hehuanshan to control traffic during holidays and weekends.
They are 3,275 meters high!
Officials hope that the traffic lights will help everyone stay safe.
________________________________
The South Korean government wants to encourage "lonely young people" to get back into society.
It says it will give up to $500 US dollars each month to people like this, who are 9 to 24 years old.
And the government is planning more ways to work with welfare groups for young people.
________________________________
And,
An Italian company has made "invisible solar panels".
The panels used in Pompeii look like the terracotta roof tiles used by the Romans.
This helps the city get electricity, and still look beautiful.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, this is… News Bites! And welcome to it!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno
In today's news:
A big duck returns to Taiwan, a man puts on a disguise, and a woman comes out of a cave.
Stay tuned for more on these stories, coming up next.
________________________________
巨無霸黃色小鴨 現身高雄
Giant Rubber Duck Appears in Kaohsiung
Okay, I have a joke for you.
What sound does the little bird make?
小鳥發出什麼聲音？
"Cheep cheep!"
Okay then, what sound does the BIG bird make?
那，大鳥會發出什麼聲音呢？
"CHEEEEEP!"
Now, what sound does a 15-meter-tall inflatable duck in Kaohsiung Harbor make?
高雄港中，15公尺高的充氣黃色小鴨會發出什麼聲音呢？
HOOOOOOOOOOONK
That's right, the big yellow duck came back to visit Taiwan!
This giant duck-shaped balloon is actually a piece of art that floats on the water, and lots of people come to take pictures of it.
這個巨無霸氣球鴨鴨，其實是漂浮在水面的藝術品，吸引很多人來拍照。
It was made by a Dutch artist (荷蘭的藝術家) named Florentijn Hofman.
He has made a lot of these giant ducks, to show in countries all around the world.
The giant duck's first time in Taiwan was in the year 2013, when it floated (漂浮) around Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Keelung.
And that time, around 4 million people (四百萬人) went to go see it, in just one month!
So people were very surprised to see it appear (出現) in Kaohsiung again.
However, some people were worried the giant duck would affect boats in the harbor (有的人擔心黃色小鴨會影響到港口的船), so it was only inflated as a test.
Maybe someday we'll see it again!
________________________________
男生偽裝成女性 加入西洋棋比賽
Man Wears Disguise to Join Chess Tournament
Do you like to play chess (西洋棋)?
Well, you probably don't like chess as much as one man does…
This guy REALLY wanted to play chess.
So he joined a chess tournament (他加入了西洋棋比賽).
But there was one big problem…
This chess tournament was only for women!
這場西洋棋比賽只讓女生參加！
So, this man wore a hijab (頭巾) to cover his face and body.
為了能夠出賽，這個男生於是戴上長長的頭巾，隱藏自己的臉和部分身體。
Then, he pretended (假裝) to be a woman!
At first, people at the tournament were a little suspicious (懷疑).
They said it was really weird that this… "woman" didn't talk, and wore really big shoes (穿很大的鞋子.)
But they couldn't see her… or his… face, so they still weren't sure (還不確定) if it might be a man.
Finally, after the tournament's fourth round (過了比賽的第四關), they asked him to show his face.
And, of course… he was a man!
They removed him (踢出比賽) from the women's chess tournament.
And they say he won't be allowed (不允許) to play in any tournaments for a few years.
Of course, he did a very weird thing…
But man, he must REALLY love chess!
________________________________
女性運動員 穴居五百日
Woman Lives in a Cave for 500 Days
For our final story, we're looking at an amazing athlete (很了不起的運動員).
But this woman doesn't play basketball, or football, or chess…
She does things like… living in a cave (洞穴)!
This woman went into a cave in Russia, on November 21st, 2021…
這名女士2021年11月21日走進俄羅斯一個洞穴…
And she didn't come out until this month!
她這個月才出洞！
While she was in the cave (當她在洞穴裡面), she says she spent lots of time exercising, drawing, and knitting hats (織帽子).
She also read 60 books, and drank 1,000 liters of water (喝了 1,000 公升的水).
And she didn't talk to anyone!
Luckily, there was a group of scientists nearby.
They monitored her (監看她的狀況), to make sure she was safe.
Scientists say her 500 days in a cave can teach us a lot about the human brain (人類的頭腦).
Now, she holds the world record (世界紀錄) for longest time spent in a cave.
Whoof… doing anything for 500 days is pretty tough!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A big yellow duck has come back to visit Taiwan.
This giant duck-shaped balloon is actually a piece of art that floats on the water, and lots of people come to take pictures of it.
The giant duck's first time in Taiwan was in the year 2013, when it floated around Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Keelung.
________________________________
And,
A man disguised himself as a woman, to join a women's chess tournament.
He put on a hijab, to cover his face and body.
People discovered him after the fourth round, and say he will not be allowed to join tournaments for a few years.
________________________________
And,
A woman has just come out of a cave in Russia, after living in it for 500 days.
While she was in the cave, she spent lots of time exercising, reading, drawing, and knitting hats.
Scientists say her 500 days in a cave can teach us a lot about the human brain.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Healthy leopard cat cubs, flowers you can see from space, and new music from Celine.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
石虎寶寶滿月健檢，長得頭好壯壯
Leopard Cat Cubs Healthy and Growing
Two leopard cat cubs born at the Taipei Zoo are now over a month old!
The young cubs were born in early March.
Their mother Chun-juan (春捲) was a wild leopard cat.
She was found hurt, on the road in Nantou City in 2020.
People helped her get better.
But she was not strong enough to go back into the wild.
So she started living at the Taipei Zoo.
Earlier this year, she gave birth to the two baby leopard cats.
Then, a month later, vets (獸醫) checked the two cubs.
The vets had to be very careful not to leave the smell of humans on the cubs.
The cubs' mother is still a wild animal, and the smell of humans could make her nervous.
So the vets carefully gave the cubs a quick checkup.
One was a female, and one was a male.
The vets say the male cub is a little bit bigger.
And they say both are healthy and strong.
The vets say the cubs opened their eyes when they were around two weeks old.
And they are now following their mother and walking around outside their den.
兩隻石虎寶寶很健康，大約兩周大時張開眼睛，現在活動能力也增強了，開始跟著媽媽在巢穴外走動。
As the cubs get older and stronger, experts will decide if they should stay at the zoo, or be sent out into the wild.
________________________________
超級花期回歸南加州
Superbloom Covers California Desert
What's the desert like?
Many people would say it's dry.
There's a lot of sand.
There's cacti.
And there's rocks.
But did you know, during a very special time, the desert can be full of blooming flowers (綻放的花朵)?
It's called a "superbloom" (超級花期).
And it's happening in California right now.
Most of the time, the desert can look dry and full of rocks.
But actually, there are billions of seeds (種子) deep in the ground.
These seeds are waiting for the right time to grow.
And that's a superbloom.
There has to be a lot of rain over the desert in autumn.
Then the seeds must get warm slowly over the next few months.
And it can't be too windy, or the young plants might blow away.
Then, in spring…
The desert explodes with flowers blooming!
The rocks and sand are covered with flowers.
There are bright orange California poppies, purple bluebells, yellow desert sunflowers, and more.
沙漠中滿山遍野五顏六色，有大片的花菱草、藍鈴花、沙漠向日葵和其它的野花。
The superbloom is so big and bright, that it can be seen from space.
NASA satellites have taken photos of superblooms.
In California, superblooms happen about once every ten years.
And they are happening even less now, because of drought (乾旱) and climate change.
Experts are also reminding visitors not to pick (摘) the flowers.
They say when people pick the flowers…
They are taking away seeds for the next superbloom.
________________________________
席琳狄翁宣布發行新曲
Celine Dion's New Album Coming
Celine Dion has new music to share.
The Canadian singer has five new songs.
She released one of them, called "Love Again" earlier this month.
All five songs are part of music for a new movie.
And Celine also plays a character in the movie.
It's the singer's first time working as an actor in a movie.
席琳狄翁為電影 "Love Again" 演唱 5 首新歌，這也是她第一次客串電影。
Celine has been a professional singer since she was a teenager.
She's won many awards, and many people around the world listen to her music.
Just last year Celine announced that she has a disease called "stiff-person syndrome".
It causes pain and muscle spasms (抽筋).
Celine says she is working with doctors to build up her strength.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two leopard cat cubs born at the Taipei Zoo are now over a month old!
Vets checked the male and female cubs.
And they say both are healthy and strong.
________________________________
A superbloom is happening in California right now.
The rocks and sand are covered with bright, colorful flowers.
The superbloom is so big and bright, that it can be seen from space.
________________________________
And,
Celine Dion has new music to share.
The Canadian singer has five new songs that are all part of music for a new movie.
And Celine also plays a character in the movie.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there! You're listening to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A baboon in Taoyuan, lost money in Japan, and a mysterious jellyfish in Antarctica.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
桃園狒狒的兩週冒險
A Loose Baboon's Two Week Taoyuan Saga
For two weeks, people in Taoyuan saw a baboon (狒狒) in different parts of the city.
Nobody knew where it came from!
Some people thought it might have escaped (逃出) from the nearby Leofoo Village (六福村) theme park.
But the park denied (否認) it was theirs…in the beginning.
While the baboon was loose, it ate fruits and vegetables from gardens, and it was recorded many times on security camera footage.
Netizens (網友) made jokes online, saying the baboon was like a tourist (遊客) in the city.
The local Animal Protection Office tried their best to catch the baboon using traps (陷阱) filled with food, and even used drones (無人機) to try to find it.
Many people were involved in trying to catch the baboon.
The baboon was eventually caught with a special sleep dart (麻醉槍), but it was already badly hurt.
Despite rescue efforts, the baboon sadly passed away…
儘管進行了營救，狒狒還是死去了…
Leofoo Village later admitted (承認) the baboon escaped from their park.
They apologized (道歉) for their mistake, and are working with officials to investigate (調查) how the baboon ran away.
The baboon's story has made many people upset.
狒狒的故事讓許多人感到心痛。
They want to know why this happened and how the government can do a better job of taking care of wild animals, so this never happens again.
________________________________
東京遺失現金金額創紀錄
Tokyo Breaks Record for Lost Money
What would you do if you found money on the floor?
In Japan, there's a rule that says you must turn in (繳失物) any lost money you find.
There's even a reward system (獎勵制度).
The person who finds and turns in the money can get a reward worth up to 20% of the money if it's claimed.
可以獲得相當於遺失現金價值20%的獎金。
And if it's not claimed after three months, they can keep it all.
如果三個月後這筆現金仍未被認領，就會轉交給撿到現金的人。
Last year, people in Tokyo turned in a record-breaking amount of lost money… around $896 million NT!
Tokyo is a big city with nearly 14 million people, so it's not surprising (不足為奇) that many things get lost there.
People turned in about 3.4 million items, including ID cards (身份證), public transportation cards (公共交通卡), wallets (錢包), and clothing.
Tokyo police believe the record amount of lost cash is because more and more people are going out as the coronavirus pandemic ends (新冠病毒疫情即將結束).
However, the total number of lost things is lower than before the pandemic (比疫情之前還要低).
________________________________
南極水域的罕見發現 神秘巨大幽靈水母
Mysterious Giant Phantom Jellyfish: A Rare Discovery in Antarctica's Waters
The ocean is full of rare and mysterious sea creatures (稀有和神秘的海洋生物).
Passengers on a Viking Expedition cruise were exploring Antarctica's cold waters in a mini submarine.
一群郵輪的乘客搭乘迷你潛艇在南極寒冷的水域中探險。
While diving 80 meters deep, they spotted a huge jellyfish (巨大的水母).
Little did they know (他們當時並不知道), they found the extremely rare giant phantom jellyfish (極為罕見的巨大幽靈水母)!
There have been only 126 sightings (觀測記錄) of this species since 1910.
Researchers think these giant phantom jellyfish were over 5 meters long, and one even reached 10 meters in length!
研究人員認為，這些巨大幽靈水母的體長超過5公尺，甚至有一隻達到了10公尺長！
Giant phantom jellyfish usually live 1,000 meters deep but sometimes come closer to the surface (靠近水面) around Antarctica.
Dr. Daniel Moore, who led a study (帶領研究) about these jellyfish, has some theories (理論) about why they do this.
It might be to get sunlight to help get rid of parasites (擺脫寄生蟲) or because of strong ocean currents (強烈的海流).
Dr. Moore hopes that more sightings (更多的觀測) will help scientists learn more about these fascinating creatures (迷人的生物).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
For two weeks, people in Taoyuan saw a baboon that escaped from the Leofoo Village theme park.
The baboon was badly hurt, and it passed away.
The government is working to make sure zoos and parks do a better job taking care of animals so this never happens again.
________________________________
And,
Last year, people in Tokyo turned in a record-breaking amount of lost money - around $896 million NT!
Police said it's because more and more people are going out as the coronavirus pandemic ends.
People also turned in about 3.4 million items, including ID cards, public transportation cards, wallets, and clothing.
________________________________
And,
Passengers on a Viking Expedition cruise exploring Antarctica spotted a huge jellyfish.
They found the extremely rare giant phantom jellyfish.
There have been only 126 sightings of this species since 1910.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey y'all, this is News Bites, we're here, you're here, let's get into it!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories:
Taiwan's shores are getting cleaner, a man finds a gold rock, and doctors tell people to go outside.
Let's check it out!
________________________________
台灣海岸的垃圾量大幅減少
Much Less Waste on Taiwan's Shores
Have you ever gone to the ocean?
Maybe when you were there, you saw some trash (垃圾) on the coast (海岸).
It's gross (噁心), and there is lots of it.
But there is good news!
Taiwan's coasts have less and less trash each year.
The amount of trash on Taiwan's coasts has gone down by 60% over the past three years.
過去三年，台灣海岸的垃圾量減少了 60%。
How do we know there is less trash?
The problem was studied by Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration, or EPA (行政院環境保護署).
The EPA looked at shores in different parts of Taiwan, and they measured (測量了) the amount of trash there.
Three years ago, they found more than 2,200 tons of trash (兩千兩百多噸的垃圾) in these places.
But last year, they found less than 1,000 tons of trash (少於一千噸的垃圾).
That's still a lot of trash… but it's much less than there was a few years ago.
So, where does all this trash come from?
Actually, most of it comes from fishing equipment (捕魚設備).
That means fishing boats make most of the trash, which includes fishing lines (釣魚線) and fishing nets (漁網).
Even though there is now 60% less trash on Taiwan's shores, this is still a problem.
We need to keep working to reduce (減少) the trash we put into the ocean.
Maybe one day, Taiwan's shores will be completely clean!
________________________________
澳洲男人發現巨大的金礦石頭
Australian Man Finds Huge Gold Rock
Where does gold (黃金) come from?
Everybody loves gold.
Gold is expensive (昂貴的), and it can be used to make beautiful jewelry, like rings and necklaces (首飾，例如戒指和項鍊).
But actually, gold comes from rocks in the ground (地下的岩石).
Recently, one man in Australia found a huge gold rock.
The rock is worth more than 250,000 Australian dollars (價值大約二十五萬多元澳幣，相當於五百一十萬台幣).
How did the man find such a valuable (珍貴的) rock?
He says he has been searching for gold for his entire life.
The man uses a metal detector (金屬探測器) to search the ground.
He searches for gold in places where people have found gold in the past.
But in his many years of searching, he has never before found a gold rock as huge as this one.
但是在他多年來的尋找過程中，還從來沒有發現過那麼大的一塊黃金礦石。
The rock was not very deep in the ground.
The man was able to dig it up with a shovel (鏟子).
As soon as he saw the gold nugget, he knew he was rich.
But what is the man's name? He won't say!
He doesn't want anyone to steal his gold rock.
But lots of people have heard the news of his big find.
Now there are many more people searching for gold in that place.
________________________________
醫生建議多花點時間 親近大自然
Doctors Recommend Spending Time in Nature
When we have a health problem, we see a doctor.
Sometimes the doctor will prescribe something (開處方) to help us.
Usually, the doctor prescribes medicine (藥物) or rest (休息).
But recently, some doctors are also prescribing time in nature.
最近有些醫生也開處方，叫病人挪出時間跟大自然相處。
These doctors tell people with health problems to spend more time in nature.
If people have a problem with stress (壓力) or anxiety (焦慮), the doctor might tell them to spend more time in green spaces (綠地) such as parks and gardens.
Or, they might tell the person to spend time near water, which means going to the beach or the riverside.
According to new research, spending time in nature has real health benefits (對健康有益).
The research says time in nature can help people get more exercise.
It can help them control their blood pressure (控制血壓).
And it can even help them feel less anxious or depressed.
甚至可以幫助他們減輕焦慮或憂鬱。
What's more, time in nature can help to reduce loneliness (減少寂寞的感覺) and improve sleep.
These are all great health benefits!
If you feel stressed, lonely, or sad, spending more time in nature might help you.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan's shores have much less trash than they did three years ago.
The EPA says the amount of trash has gone down by 60%.
Most of that trash comes from fishing equipment.
________________________________
And,
An Australian man found a huge gold rock on the ground.
He had been searching for gold his whole life.
The gold in that rock is worth more than 250,000 dollars.
________________________________
And,
Doctors are telling people to spend more time in nature.
There are health benefits to spending time in green spaces or near the water.
Being in nature can help people feel less stressed, less lonely, and less sad.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A new ferry, a dangerous oil spill, and a "hidden" part of T. Rex.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
澎湖輪舉行下水典禮
Ceremony for "Penghu Ferry"
Have you taken the ferry to Penghu?
It's a 4-hour trip.
It starts from the Kaohsiung Harbor, and goes to Magong Island in Penghu.
The old "Taihua Ferry (台華輪)" is actually quite big.
It can hold over 1,000 passengers, and can also ship 100 cars.
It also delivers cargo and necessities (必需品).
For the past 34 years, it had been an important part of Taiwan-Penghu transportation.
Now, the new "Penghu Ferry" is going to replace (取代) the old Taihua Ferry.
The Penghu Ferry holds less passengers.
But it has new facilities.
It has a children's room, a game room, a cafe, a lounge, and a dining area.
澎湖輪有許多新的設施，包括親子間、遊戲間、咖啡廳、交誼廳及餐廳等空間。
It also has berths (臥鋪) for 300 passengers, so you can sleep throughout the whole trip.
The ferry can carry 80 cars, 4 buses, and 10 shipping containers in the cargo area.
Officials hope the Penghu Ferry will become a new tourist attraction.
The ferry was built by the Japanese company, Naikai Zosen Corporation in Hiroshima.
The launching ceremony was held on April 4th in Japan.
Soon, the ferry will go through equipment tests and sea trials.
Then it will start running trips before the end of August.
________________________________
菲律賓油輪沉沒威脅海洋生態
A Sunken Oil Tanker in the Philippines.
Oil spills can be very dangerous.
And one close to the Philippines is a big threat (威脅) to the environment.
In February, an oil tanker named the MT Princess Empress capsized (翻覆) near the Philippines.
It sank near a rich fishing ground.
The fish and sea life there provides food and jobs for more than two million people.
The ship was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel.
Local officials found the wreck (殘骸) on March 21st.
They had help from some Japanese experts.
But the oil inside the ship began to leak.
The Philippines Coast Guard tried to clean up the oil slick (浮油).
They used spill booms (圍油欄).
The booms were made from cogon grass (茅草) and coconuts.
They used these booms to try to hold the oil in one area.
But the oil still spread.
The oil slick now stretches over about 250 kilometers of the ocean.
It has polluted the shores of at least 3 provinces (省).
And it is a danger to more than 20 marine protected areas.
The ship is still underwater and oil is still leaking out.
Experts are now trying to get the ship out of the water, and stop the leak.
菲律賓海域擁有豐富的海洋生態，希望有關部門能把這次傷害降到最低。
________________________________
暴龍或許沒有暴牙
T. Rex Lips May Have Covered its Teeth
Science surprises us with new ideas all the time.
And here's the latest surprise.
A new study says the T. Rex's scary teeth may have been hidden in its lips.
Scientists had thought that the T-Rex's mouth was like a crocodile's.
That means the teeth show even when its mouth is closed.
But some scientists recently looked at a tooth from another dinosaur.
This dinosaur is a close relative of the T. Rex.
And the scientists found that the tooth's enamel (琺瑯質) did not show a lot of wear (磨損).
If the tooth was not covered by lips, it would be more degraded (耗損).
一項新研究認為，暴龍閉嘴時，牙齒並不會外露。
But other scientists do not agree.
They say more studies need to be done.
But scientists all agree on one thing…
They believe that finding a "dinosaur mummy" with the skin intact (完整) would settle this debate.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The new "Penghu Ferry," is going to replace the old Taihua Ferry.
The Penghu Ferry has new facilities, like a children's room, and a cafe.
It will start running trips before the end of August.
________________________________
An oil spill close to the Philippines is a big threat to the environment.
The oil slick stretches over about 250 kilometers of the ocean.
Experts are now trying to get the ship out of the water, and stop the leak.
________________________________
And,
A new study says the T. Rex's scary teeth may have been hidden in its lips.
Some scientists do not agree.
But they all believe that finding a "dinosaur mummy" with the skin intact would settle this debate.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音：(Brody)
第二配音員，編輯：(Trevor)
Hi, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's stories:
Taiwanese Buddhists meet the Pope, a new wild river park in Europe, and beautiful lights in the sky of New Zealand.
Let's learn about this news, right now!
________________________________
台灣佛教僧侶拜訪天主教宗
Taiwanese Buddhists Meet the Pope
Taiwan has lots of Buddhists (佛教徒).
These people follow Buddhist traditions (傳統) and work to help others.
But, Buddhism is not the only religion (不是唯一的宗教).
There are also many Catholics (天主教徒), in Taiwan and around the world.
And the leader of the world's Catholics is the Pope (教宗).
Buddhists and Catholics follow different religions (信仰不同的宗教), but they want to get along with each other.
That's why Taiwanese Buddhist monks (僧侶) recently went to meet Pope Francis (教宗方濟各).
The monks are all part of Taiwan's Buddhist Association (佛教總會).
The Taiwanese monks went all the way to the Pope's home in Europe, the Vatican City (歐洲的梵蒂岡城).
They went to the Vatican to promote cultural exchanges (推動文化交流) and world peace (世界和平).
At the meeting, the monks said they want harmony between Eastern and Western religions (東西方宗教的和諧).
At the end of the meeting, the Catholic Pope and the Buddhist monks prayed (祈禱) for peace in the world.
With the Pope in his white robes (白色的長袍), and the monks in their orange robes (橘色的長袍), they all prayed together.
Pope Francis says the meeting can help them learn from one another, and shows how different religions can work together.
________________________________
歐洲第一個野生河流公園
Europe's First Wild River Park
Albania (阿爾巴尼亞) is a country in southern Europe (南歐).
The nature there (那裡的大自然) is very beautiful.
They have warm weather, sunny beaches, and high mountains.
They also have something special… the last wild river (野生河流) in Europe.
What's a wild river?
That means there are no dams (沒有水壩) on the whole river.
That's important, because when people build dams, fish cannot swim up the river.
A dam on a river also makes it hard for animals and plants to live there.
Today, most rivers have at least one dam.
But Albania's Vjosa River is the last river in Europe with no dams.
For that reason, the river supports lots of wildlife (野生動物), including otters (水獺) and lynx (山貓).
Now, Albania wants to protect this wild river.
The Vjosa River will become a national park (國家公園).
The river is more than 270 kilometers long, and this whole length will be protected.
That's good news for all the wildlife that lives along the Vjosa River.
It's also good news for the people of Albania.
They hope the new park will bring more tourists to their country.
And as long as the Vjosa River is protected, no dams will be built, and the river can stay wild.
只要 Vjosa 河得到保護，就不會修建水壩，河流就可以保持原樣。
________________________________
紐西蘭驚人的南極光
Amazing Southern Lights in New Zealand
Have you heard of the Northern Lights (北極光)?
These are beautiful lights that appear in the night sky.
But, the North is not the only place with lights in the sky.
There are also "Southern Lights" (南極光).
You can see them if you travel far to the south, in places like Australia (澳洲) and New Zealand (紐西蘭).
Recently, the southern lights in New Zealand have been brighter than usual (比平常亮一點).
More and more people are chasing (追逐) the southern lights.
That means they travel around New Zealand to take pictures of the best southern lights.
They use social media to trade advice on how to find the lights.
他們使用社群媒體交換關於如何找到南極光的建議。
So, what do the lights look like?
If you look with your eyes, they look like white lights moving across the sky.
But if you use a camera, you can see many more colors!
Looking through a camera, the lights appear to be (看起來) pink, purple, yellow, and green.
That's why people like to take photos of these amazing lights.
Now is the best time to see the southern lights of New Zealand!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Buddhist monks from Taiwan went to see the Pope.
They met Pope Francis at his home in the Vatican City.
The Buddhist monks and the Catholic Pope prayed for peace together.
________________________________
And,
There is a new park along a river in Albania.
It is the first wild river park in Europe.
The park will protect this river and the wildlife that lives there.
________________________________
And,
Many people are chasing the southern lights in New Zealand.
The lights are especially bright this year.
People want to take pictures of these colorful lights in the sky.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
New Taipei using less plastic, Netherlands airports going to the cats, and Harry Potter heads over to TV.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
新北飲料店禁用塑膠杯
New Taipei to Ban Single Use Plastic Cups
There are lots of drink shops in New Taipei.
There are 2,704 drink shops in the northern city.
And a big change is coming for them.
Soon, these drink shops will not be allowed to use disposable plastic cups (塑膠一次用飲料杯).
The New Taipei City government says the change starts May 1st.
從5月1日開始，新北市的飲料店不可提供塑膠一次用飲料杯
The city says this will cut the use of plastic cups by 368 million each year.
環保局預計1年後，新北市可以減少3億6800多萬個塑膠杯使用。
Officials told drink stores about this change last year.
They asked the stores to start buying paper cups instead.
The city government says shops that do not follow these rules could be fined (罰款).
They could be fined up to $6,000 NT.
And if the shops still do not follow these rules, they could be fined many times.
Taipei City made this change starting December of last year.
________________________________
荷蘭海關「緝毒貓」上工
Netherlands Sniffer Cat on the Job
Many airports around the world use sniffer dogs (緝毒犬).
These dogs usually work with a handler (訓練員).
The handler will ask the dog to smell things.
And the dog uses its nose, to check for dangerous things, like drugs (毒品).
Dogs are great for this job.
They have a very keen (敏銳的) sense of smell.
And they like working with people.
But in the Netherlands, a new animal is on the job.
The Netherlands Customs (海關) says it now has sniffer CATS.
Officials say the customs cats have gone through special training.
These cats can also use their noses to look for dangerous things, or dangerous people.
Why cats?
Officials say cats also have a very good sense of smell.
And they are more agile (敏捷) than dogs.
These cats can get into smaller spaces that some dogs can't get into.
The cats are also very quiet.
They can check suitcases without people noticing.
荷蘭海關指出，貓可以在不被乘客發現的情況下進行緝毒檢查。
Officials say the first sniffer cats will start work soon.
They say they've already had some sniffer cats practice working at airports.
And they say so far, the cats have done very well.
The cats have already helped catch dangerous people.
And they've helped find dangerous things that people have tried to hide in their suitcase.
Netherlands officials say the cats help make sure airports and travelers stay safe.
________________________________
【哈利波特】影集版籌備中
Harry Potter TV Show Coming
Have you read the Harry Potter books?
They're all about a young boy who finds out that he is a wizard.
And he goes on many adventures in a world of magic.
The seven Harry Potter books are some of the best-selling (暢銷) books of all time.
More than 600 million copies have been sold around the world.
These books have also been made into many movies.
And now, the wizarding world of Harry Potter is going to be a TV show.
The show will have seven seasons, one season for each book.
劇版"哈利波特"預計會有7季，每一季演出一本原著小說的內容。
And they will star a whole new cast (全體演員).
The first Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", came out in 1997.
Aside from books and movies, parts of the Harry Potter Wizarding World have also been made into toys, games, even rides at theme parks (遊樂園).
There's also a Harry Potter video game, and even a Broadway show.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Starting May 1st, drink shops in New Taipei City will not be allowed to use disposable plastic cups.
The city says this will cut the use of plastic cups by 368 million each year.
The city government says shops that do not follow these rules could be fined.
________________________________
The Netherlands Customs says it now has sniffer CATS.
These cats use their noses to look for dangerous things, or dangerous people.
The officials say cats are more agile, and are also very quiet.
________________________________
And,
The wizarding world of Harry Potter is going to be a TV show.
The show will have seven seasons, one season for each book.
And they will star a whole new cast.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Yo! Welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
We've got three new stories for you today… one about snakes, one about orcas, and one about people.
Let's have a listen!
________________________________
台灣的毒蛇
Taiwan's Venomous Snakes
Now that we are in the spring season (春季), Taiwan's weather is starting to get warmer (天氣暖一點了)…
That means more people are going out into nature (大自然)!
But when we're in nature, we have to watch out for wild animals (野生動物)… like snakes (蛇)!
Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (疾病管制署), or "CDC", says Taiwan has six kinds of venomous snakes (六種毒蛇).
According to the CDC, every year, more than one thousand people in Taiwan get bitten by snakes.
根據疾病管制署，台灣每年有一千多個人被蛇咬。
And most of these snake bites happen in the month of April… this month!
That's pretty scary!
蠻恐怖的吧！
Of course, if you see a snake, you should stay away from it (維持距離).
But many snakes like to hide under rocks, in plants, and under piles of wood, and you might not see them.
很多蛇喜歡躲在石頭、植物、和木樁下面，所以你會看不到牠們。
So, if you are hiking (健行), you can carry a walking stick (拿著走手手杖) to help you safely check for snakes.
But if you are ever bitten by a snake (如果被蛇咬的話), you should get to a hospital as soon as possible, so doctors can give you antivenom (抗蛇毒血清)
And if you can tell the doctors what the snake looked like (蛇長得怎麼樣), then they will know which antivenom to give you.
So if you're going out into nature this season, have fun…
Just remember, in nature… you're not alone!
________________________________
囚禁五十年的虎鯨要回到海洋
Orca Returning to Ocean After More Than 50 Years of Captivity
When an animal is living in captivity (活在囚禁裡), that means humans (人類) are keeping it in one place.
Now, living in captivity isn't always bad…
Some animals, like pandas (貓熊), are endangered (瀕危物種), and living in a zoo (動物園) can help them stay healthy and safe.
But some animals really need to live in a big space… like orcas (虎鯨).
So today's good news is that one orca is finally getting its freedom (自由)!
The orca, named "Lolita", is 56 years old…
And for 52 of those years, she lived in an aquarium (水族館).
Scientists say Lolita's water tank (水族箱) was way too small for such a big animal.
Orcas are mammals (哺乳類), not fish (不是魚類), and they are closely related to dolphins.
That's why they are very smart, and living in captivity is really bad for their mental health.
因為虎鯨非常聰明，囚禁的生活對牠們的心理健康非常有害。
Now, people are planning Lolita's return to the northern Pacific Ocean (北太平洋).
They are a little worried (擔心) that it will be difficult for her to adapt (適應) to life in the ocean.
But they are working hard to make sure she can live in an outside environment (外面的環境).
And most importantly, she will be close to her family!
________________________________
研究顯示未來的人類可能會活到141歲
Research Suggests Future Humans Could Live 141 Years
Are you old?
你很老嗎？
Well, how old is old?
那，到底幾歲才算是老呢？
Many people think that anyone older than 60… is "old".
One hundred years ago (一百年前), the average human lifetime (人類的平均壽命預期) was only around 50 years long!
But with better science (科學), medicine (醫療), and nutrition (營養), people are living longer and longer…
And now, the average lifetime is around 80 years, with some people living to be over 100.
And according to research from Georgia University in the US, people in the future could live to be 141 years old!
根據美國喬治亞州大學的研究，未來的人類可能會活到141歲！
Well, we probably have a lot more research to do, before we can live that long.
But scientists say that giving better medicine and healthier food to more people will help the average lifetime get longer and longer.
Now, the world just has to learn to live more peacefully.
So, maybe the next question is…
What are you going to do with all that extra time?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control says, every year, more than one thousand people in Taiwan get bitten by snakes.
Many snakes like to hide under rocks, in plants, and under piles of wood, and you might not see them.
And if you are ever bitten by a snake, you should get to a hospital as soon as possible.
________________________________
And,
An orca named "Lolita" will soon be returned to the Pacific Ocean, after more than 50 years in captivity.
Orcas are very smart, and living in captivity is bad for their mental health.
People are working hard to make sure she can adapt to life in the ocean.
________________________________
And,
One hundred years ago, the average human lifetime was only around 50 years long.
But with better science, medicine, and nutrition, people are living longer and longer.
Now, research from Georgia University in the US says people in the future could live to be 141 years old.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey you! Ready for another episode of News Bites?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Butterflies take to the skies, Canada's growing population, and telling time on the moon.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
高速公路 讓蝴蝶通行
Highway to Butterfly Skies
Taiwan is home to many special species (物種).
They include many different kinds of animals, including birds (鳥類), primates (靈長類), salamanders (蠑螈), bovids (牛科動物), and insects (昆蟲)!
One particular insect is famous for causing one of Taiwan's most spectacular ecological events.
有一種特別的昆蟲因為每年都引發壯觀的生態景觀而名聞遐邇。
A mass migration (大量遷徙)!
People saw many purple crow butterflies (紫斑蝶) flying over a part of National Freeway 3 (國道3號).
The Taiwan Purple Crow Ecological Preservation Association (台灣紫斑蝶生態保育協會) says there were about 555 butterflies every minute, which is a new record for this year!
To keep the butterflies safe, some lanes (車道) on the freeway were closed, and a big butterfly net (大型蝴蝶保護網) was put up to protect them.
Every year, before the Tomb-Sweeping Festival (清明節), they travel from Maolin in Kaohsiung City to the north.
This year, they arrived a bit later than usual because of a drought (乾旱).
But when the weather got better, people saw lots of butterflies flying over the highway.
________________________________
加拿大熱情歡迎一百萬個新朋友！
Canada Welcomes a Million New Friends!
Canada's population is growing!
加拿大的人口正在快速增加！
Over the past year, more than one million people (一百萬人) joined the country, making it the largest growth ever.
這是有史以來最大的增長。
Canada has been working on increasing its population to help its economy (經濟).
So, the number of people living in Canada has gone from 38,516,138 (thirty-eight million, five hundred and sixteen thousand, one hundred and thirty-eight) to 39,566,248 (thirty-nine million, five hundred and sixty-six thousand, two hundred and forty-eight).
A big reason for this growth is the government's efforts to bring people from other countries to help with the need for more workers.
一個主要原因是，加拿大政府努力引進外國人，來幫忙解決勞動人口不足的問題。
In fact, nearly 96% of the growth (增長的近96%) comes from people moving to Canada from other countries.
Statistics Canada, the group that keeps track of (追蹤) things like who lives in the country, says that while having a bigger population is good, it can also create challenges (挑戰).
Some parts of the country might have trouble with housing (房屋), transportation, and providing services to everyone.
In many countries, including Canada, people are living longer and having fewer babies.
在許多國家，包括加拿大在內，人們的壽命越來越長，生育的孩子卻越來越少。
This means that to grow the economy, they need more workers, and one way to do that is by welcoming immigrants (移民).
By 2025, the Canadian government hopes to bring in (吸引) 500,000 new immigrants every year.
Right now, about one in four Canadians (四分之一的加拿大人) came to the country as an immigrant.
________________________________
滴答滴答月球時鐘：月球時區！
Tick Tock Moon Clock: A Lunar Time Zone!
The moon might soon get its own time zone (時區).
The European Space Agency (歐洲太空總署) thinks it's a good idea, especially with more and more lunar missions (月球任務) being planned!
Scientists from all over the world have been discussing the best way to keep time (計時) on the moon.
They believe it's important to create a "common lunar reference time" that everyone can agree on.
他們認為建立一個大家都能同意的「月球共同參考時間」非常重要。
This idea was first talked about during a meeting in the Netherlands (荷蘭) last year.
Right now, when a mission goes to the moon, it uses the time of the country running the spacecraft.
現在的做法是，當某個國家啟動探月任務，太空船就用那個國家的時間。
But having a special time zone for the moon would make things much easier for everyone, especially (特別是) as more countries plan their own moon trips.
The European Space Agency is now trying to figure out if one organization should be in charge of setting and maintaining time on the moon.
But it's not that simple (並不簡單)!
Clocks run faster on the moon than on Earth, and they tick differently on the moon's surface compared to lunar orbit.
月球時鐘跑得比地球快，它在月球表面跟月球軌道中的滴答聲也有所不同。
With a proper time system for the moon, maybe we could do the same for other planets in the future.
How about Mars Standard Time?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
People saw many purple crow butterflies flying over a part of National Freeway 3.
There were about 555 butterflies every minute, which is a new record for this year!
Some lanes on the freeway were closed, and a big butterfly net was put up to protect them.
________________________________
And,
Canada's population is growing!
Over the past year, more than one million people joined the country, making it the largest growth ever.
Right now, about one in four Canadians moved to the country as an immigrant.
________________________________
And,
The moon might soon get its own time zone.
Scientists from all over the world have been discussing the best way to keep time on the moon.
Having a special time zone for the moon would make things much easier for everyone, especially as more countries plan their own moon trips.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
No water in Sun Moon Lake, but water on the moon, and the secrets held in Beethoven's hair.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
乾旱導致日月潭觀光船擱淺
People Stranded on Sun Moon Lake
It seems like extreme weather is becoming more common over the past few years.
In recent years, central and southern Taiwan hasn't had a lot of rain in the winter.
This has led to drought.
This winter was also quite dry.
Sun Moon Lake's water levels have fallen.
The level is around 60 percent of capacity (容量).
And this has caused some problems.
The low water level caused a charter boat (包船) to run aground (擱淺) in the lake.
This left 20 tourists stranded (困住).
The Nantou Country Fire Department sent 2 firefighters in an inflatable (充氣) rescue boat.
The firefighters could only take two or three people off the charter boat each trip.
If they took too many people, the rescue boat might have run aground too.
It took 10 trips to get all the stranded tourists to another boat, but no one got hurt.
Some people say the boat was close to the "Nine Frogs" statue when it got stuck.
The statue shows the water level in the lake.
The lower the water level, the more frogs will be exposed (露出).
Right now, all nine frogs are showing.
And the lake bed is dry and cracked.
如果乾旱持續下去，2021年的"日月潭大草原"有可能再次出現。
We might have to wait until summer for the dry spell to cease.
________________________________
月球發現新水源
Water on the Moon
Humans have always dreamt about living on the moon.
A discovery might have just brought us one step closer to fulfilling this dream.
Scientists have found a new source of water on the moon.
The water was found in tiny glass beads (玻璃珠子).
The glass beads were taken during an earlier Chinese mission in 2020.
The beads are really tiny.
They are about one hair wide, or up to several hairs wide.
And the water inside is just a miniscule (微量) amount.
Some people are not sure if that tiny bit of water would be useful.
The fact is, there are trillions (好幾兆) of these glass beads on the moon.
These could make a lot of water.
But why are there glass beads on the moon?
These beads were made when meteorites (隕石) hit the moon.
Things from the meteorites melted (融化), and then cooled.
And they became glass beads.
Some scientists say the water could be extracted (取出) by heating the beads.
But scientists still need to study this idea, to see if the water would be safe to drink.
只要有水源，人類生活在月球上指日可待。
________________________________
貝多芬的頭髮解開了他的死因
Beethoven's Hair Holds Clues About his Death.
Many people have heard about the famous German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven.
We know his famous music.
And we know he slowly lost his hearing.
Modern technology might not be able to tell us why he went deaf yet, but his DNA might tell us why he died.
Many of Beethoven's friends kept locks of his hair.
許多貝多芬的朋友都有留一束他的頭髮。
Many people did this during Beethoven's time.
These locks of hair provided DNA to help us learn more about his health.
Scientists have tried other ways to get DNA from Beethoven's remains.
But these did not work.
Now, there are new ways of sequencing DNA (基因排序) from very old samples.
And this helped scientists get Beethoven's DNA.
Unfortunately, the researchers didn't find any genetic evidence explaining Beethoven's symptoms.
But Beethoven's DNA shows he was genetically predisposed (易感染) to liver disease.
It also showed that he had hepatitis B (B型肝炎).
This might have led to his death at the age of 56.
As technology advances, in a few years, we may learn more about people in history.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Sun Moon Lake's water levels have fallen.
The level is around 60 percent of capacity.
The low water level caused a charter boat to run aground in the lake.
________________________________
Scientists have found a new source of water on the moon.
The water was found in tiny glass beads.
But scientists still need to study this, to see if the water would be safe to drink.
________________________________
And,
Locks of Beethoven's hair have provided DNA to help us learn more about his health.
The DNA shows he was genetically predisposed to liver disease.
It also showed that he had hepatitis B.
This might have led to his death at the age of 56.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
What's a landline, how small can a sculpture get, and how many things do museums have?
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣市話用戶數逐年下降
Landline Use Falls in Taiwan
When was the last time you used a landline (市話)?
A landline is a traditional telephone.
It's connected to wires (電線).
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that on average, people use landlines for less than seven minutes a day.
And the number of people who have a landline is also falling.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
Or, they use messaging apps to talk to each other.
The government says many people are choosing to cancel their landline service.
And these people often say that they are making calls with their cellphone instead.
許多人選擇取消市話的原因，是因為行動電話可以直接取代。
But officials say some people still prefer (比較喜歡) landlines.
________________________________
針孔裡的雕像
An Ant-man Smaller than Ant-man
Art comes in all shapes and sizes.
Sometimes it is big, like the ceiling (屋頂) of the Sistine Chapel.
Or sometimes, art can be tiny.
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny art.
It will show 20 sculptures (雕像).
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are very small.
They are so small, that they fit into the eye of a needle.
這些雕像非常小，小到可以放在針孔中。
Some of these sculptures show famous people, like William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein.
Some show story characters (角色), like Pinocchio and Robin Hood.
There's also a sculpture of Ant-man.
A sculpture of one person that fits in the eye of a needle is already amazing.
But how about 13 people?
The museum will also show Willard's sculpture of "The Last Supper" (最後的晚餐).
The sculpture shows Jesus and his 12 disciples (門徒) sitting together at a table…
And they all fit in the eye of a needle!
To make his tiny art, Willard uses needles, and pieces of broken diamonds (鑽石).
And he uses an eyelash (睫毛) as a paintbrush.
He uses a microscope (顯微鏡) to do his work.
And Willard says he works on his sculptures "between heartbeats".
That's because every heartbeat makes his fingers move.
And that could cause him to make a mistake!
Willard once made a motorcycle sculpture that fit into a hollowed-out hair (挖空的毛髮) from his neck.
But that's not his smallest sculpture.
His record (紀錄) is a sculpture of a baby that he made from a fiber (纖維) from his carpet.
And he put that sculpture inside a hollowed-out piece of his hair.
That sculpture holds the Guinness world record for "smallest handmade sculpture".
________________________________
全球自然史博物館有逾十億件珍藏品
Natural History Museums Have 1.1 Billion Things
Museums hold many amazing things.
And there are museums all over the world.
Have you ever wondered how many things are held in museums?
It turns out more than a billion things!
73 natural history museums (自然歷史博物館) in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
That's not exactly all the museums in the world…
But it's quite a lot.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
世界各地的73個自然歷史博物館總共擁有11億件物品。
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons.
And there are small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen (花粉).
Knowing this helps museums plan (計畫).
It helps them know what things they can share, and what they should collect (收集).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Government data shows that landline use is going down in Taiwan.
That means people are using traditional phones less often.
The data shows that more people are now using smartphones.
________________________________
A museum in the UK is showing some tiny sculptures.
They are made by a famous artist named Willard Wigan.
These sculptures are so small that they fit into the eye of a needle.
________________________________
And,
73 natural history museums in 28 different countries counted the things they show or hold.
And, they learned that together, the museums hold 1.1 billion things!
There are big things, like T-rex skeletons, and small things, like mosquitoes, or even grains of pollen.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everybody, here's our latest episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
For today:
Chiayi County has too many lizards, a boy graduates high school very early, and Indonesians share their holiday snacks.
Let's check it out!
________________________________
嘉義縣教人怎麼抓綠鬣蜥
Chiayi County Teaches People How to Catch Iguanas
Woah, what is that animal in my garden? Is that Godzilla (哥吉拉)?
Hmmm… it looks like a big green lizard (蜥蜴).
Actually, it's an iguana (鬣蜥)!
Iguanas are not really a threat to safety (不會威脅安全).
They can bite, but they will only do that to defend themselves.
However, they do like to eat vegetables in gardens and on farms…
And gardeners and farmers don't like that!
So, local governments want to catch iguanas.
地方政府想抓綠鬣蜥。
There are a lot of these animals in the southern part of Taiwan.
Last year, in Pingtung County (屏東縣), people caught almost 20,000 iguanas.
And in Chiayi County (嘉義縣), there is a new course (一門新課程) that is teaching people how to catch iguanas.
Why do people need a course to learn this?
Because catching an iguana is not easy… they're not small lizards!
Iguanas can grow up to 150 centimeters long.
The county government wants to follow animal protection laws.
縣政府要遵守動物保護法。
So, only people who take the course are allowed to catch iguanas.
For every iguana they catch, the county government will pay them 50 NT.
If the iguana is bigger, the reward (報酬) will also be bigger, up to 550 NT.
So, if you see a big green lizard in your garden, don't worry… it's not Godzilla.
"Ah… thank goodness."
However, if you really want to catch iguanas, you should take the course to learn how!
________________________________
九歲男孩高中畢業
Nine-Year-Old Boy Graduates from High School
How old will you be when you graduate (畢業) from high school?
Most people graduate when they are around 18 years old.
Some students graduate even earlier, when they are 17, or even 16.
But have you heard about the boy who graduated at the age of nine?
David is from Philadelphia, a city in the US.
At nine years old, he is one of the youngest people to ever graduate from high school.
他是有史以來最年輕的高中畢業生之一。
David didn't actually sit in classes with other high school students.
Instead, he took classes and tests online.
That works for David, who is interested in science and computers.
He says that when he grows up, he wants to be an astrophysicist (天文物理學家).
That means he wants to be a scientist who studies outer space.
Now, David has already started taking college courses (大學課程).
His science teacher says David is an inspirational kid (鼓舞人心的孩子)!
________________________________
印尼小吃攤慶祝齋戒月
Indonesia's Snack Stalls Celebrate Ramadan
This month is an important time for Muslims (穆斯林，回教徒) around the world.
It's called Ramadan (齋月).
For every day of this holy month, Muslims don't eat any food from sun-up to sun-down.
穆斯林從日出到日落不吃任何食物。
But when the sun sets in the evening, everyone celebrates with delicious food.
In Indonesia (印尼), people like to celebrate by eating special snacks (小吃) called "takjil".
They can buy takjil from street vendors (小吃攤販).
During the COVID pandemic (瘟疫), people stayed inside, and the street vendors could not sell many snacks.
It was a hard time for street vendors!
This year, the pandemic is not as serious.
今年疫情沒那麼嚴重。
Lots of Indonesians are out on the street, and the street vendors are busy again.
For example, Naila and her cousin Dava work at their family's business.
They sell "takjil".
Like other Muslims in Indonesia, they don't eat for the whole day.
But, they are not resting! Naila and Dava are busy cooking.
They're getting ready to serve hungry customers (肚子餓的顧客) when the sun goes down.
Today, they are selling chocolate-covered bananas (巧克力香蕉).
Why is this kind of takjil so popular?
Naila says that when people have eaten nothing all day, they really want something sweet to eat.
Now the pandemic years are over, and people across Indonesia are happy to celebrate Ramadan with some tasty street food!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Chiayi County Government is holding a new kind of class.
This class will teach people how to catch the big green lizards called iguanas.
Recently, there have been too many iguanas in the south of Taiwan.
________________________________
And,
A nine-year-old boy has graduated from high school in Philadelphia.
The boy is named David, and he loves science and computers.
David is one of the youngest people to ever graduate from high school.
________________________________
And,
Muslims are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
In Indonesia, they celebrate with evening snacks called "takjil".
This year, the pandemic is less serious, which means street vendors can sell lots of delicious takjil snacks.
________________________________
That's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Let's dive into a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Shio!
In today's news:
Taiwan improves its court system, touring in socks, and 3D printing a space rocket.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣法院 希望大家共享公正司法
Taiwan's Courts: Making Justice Accessible for All
Taiwan is making its court system (法院系統) better for everyone.
The court system is changing to help people from other countries and those with disabilities (殘障人士).
They're doing this by providing interpreters (提供翻譯員) for people who speak different languages.
This means everyone can understand what's happening in court.
Taiwan has many people from different countries.
So it's important that the court system is fair (公平) and equal (平等) for everyone.
Interpreters must take a special course and get a license to help in court.
翻譯員必須上特殊課程並且獲得法庭翻譯員執照。
They can speak many languages, like English, Japanese, Korean, and even sign languages (手語)!
When a court case happens, the judge checks if an interpreter is needed.
If they do, the court chooses an interpreter to help people understand what's going on.
This makes sure that everyone's rights are protected (每個人的權利得到保障) and justice is served (得到公正的審判).
But that's not all!
Taiwan's courts are also making it easier for people with disabilities to access the court (進入法院).
They've improved entrances for wheelchair users and offer more help for people with disabilities.
他們改善了輪椅使用者的入口，並為殘障人士提供更多幫助。
These changes are making Taiwan's court system one of the best in the world.
________________________________
襪子行走：西敏寺加冕典禮特別活動
Sock Walk: A Royal Coronation Tour at Westminster Abbey
There's going to be a special event at Westminster Abbey in the UK (英國西敏寺).
The King's coronation is coming up!
英國國王的加冕典禮即將來臨!
Tourists visiting Westminster Abbey will have a unique (獨特的) chance to be part of the celebration.
They will be able to stand on a very old and special mosaic floor (馬賽克地板)…
…but they must do it wearing only socks!
只能穿著襪子！
These "barefoot" (赤腳) tours will let visitors see the famous Cosmati pavement, which is usually not open to the public (通常不對外開放).
This beautiful floor was made in 1268 and has been the place where Britain's kings and queens have been crowned for over 700 years.
這美麗的地板是西元1268年鋪設，作為英國國王和女王的加冕場所超過700年。
In the past, the floor was covered with a carpet (地毯) during coronations, like Queen Elizabeth II's in 1953.
But for King Charles, the floor will be uncovered (揭開), and visitors can stand on the same spot where he will be crowned.
The guided tours will start on May 15th, one week after the coronation, and continue until the end of July.
It's a rare chance (難得的機會) to see a piece of history up close.
________________________________
未來的太空旅行
3D-Printed Rockets: The Future of Space Travel!
A 3D-printed rocket is taking flight for the first time!
一架3D列印的火箭首次飛行！
The Terran-1 rocket, made by Relativity Space in the US state of California, is mostly 3D printed.
Relativity Space在美國加州製造的Terran-1火箭大部分是3D列印製造的。
It's around 32 meters tall, or nearly nine stories high (相當於九層樓高).
And 85% of it was created using special 3D printing machines (3D列印機).
This is a new way of making rockets, and it can save time and materials (材料).
The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida (佛羅里達州卡納維爾角).
It went up in the sky for a few minutes before falling back down to Earth.
Even though it didn't complete its full mission, it was still a big success!
雖然它沒有完成全部任務，仍然取得巨大的成功！
Relativity Space wants to make more than 95% of the rocket 3D printed in the future.
Relativity Space希望未來超過95%的火箭都由3D列印製成。
Right now, Terran-1 is a small rocket that can carry about one and a quarter tons (可以搭載約1.25噸的物品) into space.
But Relativity Space is planning to make a bigger rocket called Terran-R.
Terran-R could carry 20 tons and be reusable (可以重複使用).
People are really interested in this new way of making rockets.
Relativity Space has already made deals (簽署合約) worth over $1.2 billion US dollars to launch satellites (衛星) for different companies.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is making its court system better for everyone.
They're going to provide interpreters to help people from other countries…
And make it easier for people with disabilities to access the court.
________________________________
And,
The King's coronation is coming up at Westminster Abbey in the UK.
Tourists visiting Westminster Abbey will have a unique chance to be part of the celebration.
They will be able to stand wearing only socks on a very old and special mosaic floor.
________________________________
And,
A 3D-printed rocket is taking flight for the first time!
85% of the Terran-1 rocket was created using special 3D printing machines.
People are really interested in this new way of making rockets.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
The latest first, lilies in Lego, and a record for "Careless Whispers".
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
玉山最晚初雪
New Record for Yushan's Latest First Snowfall
Every year, we all get excited about snow on Taiwan's mountains.
It's fun to see photos and videos of everything covered in white.
Many people like to go up the mountains to enjoy the snow.
They build snowmen, and write words in the snow.
But something was a little different this season.
Yushan (玉山) got its first snow of the season last week.
The snow fell from 7:05am until 7:15am.
Experts say strong wind and wet air moved in from the west.
And this led to low temperatures of around minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.
And the cold wet air was perfect for snow!
But this was the first time it snowed on Yushan this season…
That means there was no snowfall on Yushan from December to February, all through winter!
This is the latest first-snow on the mountain in 80 years.
氣象局預報員說這是玉山從去年12月入冬後第一場雪，也是80年來最晚降雪。
The average temperature on Yushan this winter was 3.03 degrees.
That's the third highest in history.
中央氣象局說玉山今年冬季溫度平均3.03度，創下史上第3高紀錄。
________________________________
樂高版的莫內【睡蓮】
A Monet Made of Lego
French painter Claude Monet had many famous paintings.
Some of the most famous Monet paintings are his water lilies.
Around 100 years ago, the artist painted the lilies in the pond at his home near Paris.
Monet made around 250 water lily paintings.
And now an artist has recreated (重現) these paintings.
But he didn't use paint.
This artist used Legos!
This Lego artwork is made by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
The artwork is 15 meters long.
Ai Weiwei used 650,000 Lego blocks!
And he used 22 different colors.
藝術家艾未未用65萬塊樂高積木拼出莫內的"睡蓮"油畫作品。
The art is full of bright blue, green, and orange.
But there is something a little different about Ai Weiwei's water lily artwork.
On one side of the colorful artwork, there is a patch (一塊、一區) of dark Legos.
The dark Legos represent a door.
It's the door of an underground cave that he and his father lived in back in China.
They had to live in the cave because his father did not agree with the government at the time.
They had to live in exile (流放，流亡).
Ai Weiwei's childhood, and other experiences are a big part of his art.
He often uses his artwork to make people think about politics (政治), and human rights.
Ai Weiwei's Lego artwork will be shown at London's Design Museum next month.
________________________________
【無心的呢喃】超過10億次 YouTube 播放次數
"Careless Whisper" Hits 1 Billion Views on YouTube
If you're a student, music from the 1980s might be a little before your time.
But I bet you've heard at least a part of this song before…
Was I right?
It's "Careless Whisper", sung by UK popstar George Michael.
It was the number one song in 25 countries around the world.
And now it has hit a new milestone (里程碑).
The official "Careless Whisper" music video on YouTube has passed 1 billion views.
英國歌手喬治麥可的經典單曲【無心的呢喃】在YouTube上超過10億次播放次數。
YouTube says so far this year, the MV was watched more than 400,000 times every day.
Some other famous '80s songs that are in the YouTube Billion Views club are "The Final Countdown", "Every Breath You Take", and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean".
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Yushan got its first snow of the season last week.
That means there was no snowfall on Yushan from December to February, all through winter!
This is the latest first-snow on the mountain in 80 years.
________________________________
Artist Ai Weiwei has recreated Claude Monet's paintings of water lilies.
But he did it with Legos.
The artwork is 15 meters long, and is made of 650,000 Lego blocks!
________________________________
And,
"Careless Whisper", sung by UK popstar George Michael, has hit a new milestone.
The official "Careless Whisper" music video on YouTube has passed 1 billion views.
YouTube says so far this year, the MV was watched more than 400,000 times every day.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Shio)
Well hey there, congratulations, you found some News Bites!
My name is Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Shio!
In today's news:
Taiwan fights a bad habit, the world of baseball has a new hero, and scientists talk about the weather… on another planet.
Let's take a look at those stories now!
________________________________
台灣新的菸害防制法
Taiwan's New Tobacco Laws
You probably know that smoking is bad for your health.
你大概已經知道吸菸對你的身體健康有害。
And once you start to smoke cigarettes (香菸), it can be very hard to stop (很難戒).
So, to change the habit (為了改掉自己的習慣), some people try smoking "E-cigarettes" (電子菸).
But, there's a problem…
E-cigarettes are bad for you, too!
電子菸也對身體不好！
So, Taiwan's government has recently passed a new law (通過了新的法律), called the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法).
The new law bans smoking in many public places, including at universities.
這個新法律禁止人在很多公共處所吸菸，包括在大學校園。
The law also makes most E-cigarettes illegal (違法).
And it raises the legal smoking age (提升合法吸菸年紀) from 18 to 20.
Anyone who breaks this law (違反這法律的人) may have to pay a big fine (罰款).
No matter how you look at it, smoking is a bad habit.
不管你怎麼看待吸菸，它肯定是一個壞習慣。
But now, it could be even worse for your wallet (錢包)!
________________________________
2023年的世界棒球經典賽
The 2023 World Baseball Classic
Recently (最近), you may have heard a lot of people talking about baseball (棒球).
That's because the World Baseball Classic (世界棒球經典賽), also called the "W.B.C.", has just finished its final games!
The WBC is an international tournament (國際的比賽) for countries all over the world to play baseball together.
And this year's WBC played baseball games in three different countries… in the US, in Japan, and in Taiwan!
Unfortunately for us, Taiwan didn't win…
But the final game (決賽), between Japan and the US, was super exciting (超級精彩)…
And it was a very close game (競爭激烈的比賽), but Japan won, 3 to 2 (日本贏了，三比二)!
The Japanese team says its "Most Valuable Player" (最有價值球員), or MVP, is a man named Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平).
Ohtani is the only baseball player in the WBC to play as both a pitcher and a hitter.
大谷翔平是世界棒球經典賽唯一個同場當投手和擊球手的球員。
It's really rare (很少見) for one person to be so good at both!
The next World Baseball Classic will be in the year 2026… only three years away.
And we'll definitely see Shohei Ohtani again…
Let's hope we see Taiwan's team, too!
________________________________
科學家發現遙遠星球上的塵暴
Scientists Find Dust Storm on a Distant World
Our planet Earth (地球) can have some pretty crazy weather sometimes…
But REALLY scary weather isn't made of rainwater…
最恐怖的天氣並不是以雨水組成的…
It's made of dust (灰塵)!
Scientists have recently found a dust storm (塵暴) on another planet (在另外一個行星上), with help from the James Webb Space Telescope (有了韋伯太空望遠鏡的幫助).
The dust storm is on a giant planet, at least ten times bigger than Jupiter (比木星大至少十倍)!
They say the storm is made of tiny dust particles (小小的灰塵顆粒), that are as hot as a candle fire (跟蠟燭上的火一樣熱).
That's definitely scarier than normal rain!
Thankfully (幸好), this giant planet is around 40 lightyears away from us (離我們四十光年的巨大行星).
But scientists say studying this storm can help them understand weather on other worlds (可以幫他們更深入地了解其他星球上的天氣).
And scientists want to use the Webb Telescope to look at even more planets!
So, what will we find next?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's government has recently passed a new law, that bans smoking in many public places.
The new law also makes most E-cigarettes illegal, and raises the legal smoking age from 18 to 20.
Anyone who breaks this law may have to pay a big fine!
________________________________
And,
This year's World Baseball Classic was played in three different countries: the US, Japan, and Taiwan.
The final game was very close, but Japan won!
The Japanese team says Shohei Ohtani was its "Most Valuable Player", or MVP.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have recently found a dust storm on another planet, with help from the James Webb Space Telescope.
They say the storm is made of tiny dust particles, that are as hot as a candle fire.
Scientists say studying this storm can help them understand weather on other worlds.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者：(Mike)
配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
New high speed trains, the stuff that powers our batteries, and making life-saving organs.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣購買日本高鐵N700S型列車
Taiwan to Buy Japanese High Speed Trains
The Taiwan High Speed Rail started running in 2007.
And the HSR has changed the way people travel.
Now, after 15 years of operation, the Taiwan High Speed Rail says it is getting new trains.
The company has signed a contract with an alliance (聯盟) that is formed by Hitachi and Toshiba.
The company is buying 12 N700S bullet trains from Japan.
台灣高鐵準備採購12組台灣高鐵新世代列車。
The N700S have 12 carriages (車廂) for each train.
It has a top speed of 365 kilometers per hour.
They are lighter, and use less energy.
台灣高鐵新世代列車具有輕量化、高性能、節能、舒適等優點。
The new trains will be ready to run as early as 2027.
________________________________
鈷礦工作環境急需改善
"Modern-day Slavery" and the Rechargeable Battery
Batteries are very important in the modern world.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (鋰電池) are especially important.
They power many electronics that we use every day.
Most smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles use these batteries.
But making lithium-ion batteries is not easy.
Cobalt (鈷) is used to make these batteries.
Cobalt is collected through mining.
The country with the most cobalt is the Democratic Republic of Congo (剛果民主共和國, DRC).
In fact, the DRC has more cobalt than the rest of the world combined (合併).
Last year, 70 percent of the world's cobalt came from the DRC.
And cobalt is in demand (有高度需求) all over the world.
鈷是鋰電池的重要原料。
In the DRC, a lot of cobalt mining is done by "artisanal (手工)" miners.
These miners use their hands and simple tools to get the cobalt.
And they do this for very little money.
These miners do this work because they don't have other work opportunities (工作機會).
For many, this is the only way to make money.
Many people have been pushing the DRC government to make this work better and safer.
The government has started to assign (分配) pieces of land for cobalt mining.
And many companies are starting to use better tools and equipment.
They are also training their miners.
Due to huge demand for lithium-ion batteries, cobalt mining will be important for a long time yet.
________________________________
進入不需要器官移植的時代
A Future without Organ Transplants
Organ transplants help save lives.
科學的進步也幫助了許多的病人。
A lot of people around the world need organ transplants.
But there are usually less people willing to donate (捐贈).
And some organs can only be donated after a person has died.
Now, we may be close to no longer needing organ transplants.
Scientists may be able to MAKE organs soon.
They say stem cell technology has proven to be promising (有希望的).
Studies show it is possible to grow organs in a lab with stem cells.
Another technique, called 3D bioprinting (生物列印), can also be used to make artificial organs.
So far, scientists have successfully printed several organs.
They have made a thyroid gland (甲狀腺) and tibia (脛骨) replacement.
They are not sure when they will be able to make an organ that fully works.
But the scientists believe they can do it in the next decade.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan High Speed Rail says it is getting new trains.
The company has signed a contract with an alliance that is formed by Hitachi and Toshiba.
The company is buying 12 N700S bullet trains from Japan.
________________________________
Cobalt is used to make lithium-ion batteries.
Most of the cobalt we use is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Many people have been pushing the DRC government to make this work better and safer.
________________________________
And,
Scientists may be able to MAKE organs soon.
They say stem cell technology have proven to be promising.
Another technique, called 3D bioprinting can also be used to make artificial organs.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者：(Brody)
配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hey, are you ready?
Ready for what?
Oh, you mean…
Yes! It's time for News Bites! I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Today's stories…
A volcano of mud in Pingtung County, how sleep can let you live longer, and why some people use AI to write science fiction.
Let's go!
________________________________
南台灣泥火山爆發
Fiery Mud Volcano Erupts in Southern Taiwan
In Pingtung County (屏東縣), there is a village called Wandan (萬丹).
Recently, something amazing happened there.
The village chief (村長), Mr. Chen, was about to go to bed when he got some news.
A volcano of fire was erupting in his village, right next to the village temple!
他的村子裡一座宮廟旁邊，泥火山爆發！
Mr. Chen was surprised.
He ran to the temple, and saw mud spraying up from the ground (泥漿從地上噴出來).
But there was not only mud… there were also flames (火焰), going four meters into the air!
The Wandan Fire Department (萬丹鄉的消防隊) came to make sure the flames were under control.
What caused the flames?
Actually, it's just natural gas underground (地下天然氣).
The gas pushes mud up from the earth.
Sometimes, the gas even catches on fire (點燃).
After the eruption, the whole area was covered in mud.
The local farmers say it's annoying (很煩人), because the mud can damage their fields.
Mr. Chen says it's not the first time this mud volcano has gone off.
It erupts a few times a year, and sometimes tourists (觀光客) come to have a look.
Taiwan has at least six mud volcanoes like this one.
But most of the time, they only erupt with mud, not flames.
That's why this time was surprising!
________________________________
良好睡眠 增加壽命
Good Sleep Can Let You Live Longer
Everyone knows that good sleep can make you feel better.
But can it make your life longer, too?
According to a new study from the US (根據美國一項新研究), good quality sleep can add years to people's lives.
The study shows that people who get enough sleep enjoy better health during their lives.
But there's more to the story!
Getting lots of sleep is not enough to see all of the health benefits.
The quality of sleep is also important.
睡眠品質也很重要。
In other words (換句話說), the sleep needs to be GOOD sleep.
That means falling asleep easily, and having restful sleep with no distractions (不受干擾，獲得充分休息的睡眠).
If a person can fall asleep with no problems, and without playing on their phone or worrying about their day, that's good sleep.
Getting enough good sleep can benefit a person's long-term health (長期健康).
According to the study, men who sleep well could live five years longer, while women could benefit by two years.
So, don't worry about good sleep taking too much of your time…
In the end, sleeping well can help you live longer, giving you more years to enjoy your life!
________________________________
太多科幻雜誌投稿 由人工智慧編寫
Science Fiction Magazine Getting Too Many AI-written Stories
Do you like science fiction (科幻小說)?
"Science fiction" means stories about the future.
Science fiction stories are about amazing science and technology.
They might have spaceships and aliens, or they might be about people who travel in time.
這種故事可能有太空人，外星人，或是穿越時空的旅客。
Science fiction can be in movies, books, or short stories (短篇故事).
But some of the best new science fiction is published in magazines (在雜誌上發表).
There is a famous science fiction magazine called Clarkesworld.
People from all over the world write their own science fiction stories, and send the stories to Clarkesworld Magazine.
If the story is really good, the magazine will buy it from the writer and publish it.
That way, lots of people can read it!
But now, Clarkesworld says they won't take any new stories.
Why? Because recently, the magazine has received hundreds of stories written by AI.
雜誌已經收到好幾百篇由人工智慧寫的故事。
That means the writers did not write the story themselves.
They asked an AI program, such as ChatGPT, to write the story for them.
Many of the AI stories are too boring, or too simple, and readers don't like that.
So, why do those writers use AI?
They don't really care about science fiction.
Writers like that just want to make some quick money!
那種作家只想趕快賺錢。
Clarkesworld magazine wants to find a way to ban (禁止) AI stories.
And until they can do that, they will not take any new stories.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A mud volcano erupted in southern Taiwan.
It sent flames into the air, and covered the area in mud.
The volcano goes off a few times each year.
________________________________
And,
A new study says good sleep can let people live longer.
Sleeping well can add years to people's lives.
That means getting enough sleep, and getting good quality sleep.
________________________________
And,
A science fiction magazine is not taking new stories.
This is because too many people are now using AI to write stories.
The AI stories are less interesting, and unfair to people who write their own stories.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Paz)
第二配音員：(Trevor)
Hello everyone! You're listening to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A village for chickens, an old church reappears, and a dinosaur with the world's longest neck.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台北動物園打造快樂雞莊
Taipei Zoo's Happy Chicken Village
The Taipei Zoo has created a special place called the "Happy Chicken Village" (快樂雞莊) to show people how to take care of chickens in a sustainable way (永續的方式).
The village is designed (設計) to make the chickens happy and comfortable (舒適).
The Taipei Zoo says that taking care of animals is important, and they want to show people how to do it right.
The enclosure (場所) is a special place where chickens can run around and play.
And they have a cozy (舒服的) place to lay their eggs.
The zoo says they will have 80 chickens living in the village, and they will start laying eggs (下蛋) in about two months.
They think they will get around 60 eggs each day!
The eggs will be collected (收集) and cooked for the other animals at the zoo to eat (煮給動物園的其他動物享用).
The zoo hopes that people will see how happy the chickens are and will want to buy eggs that are made from happy chickens, so that farmers will start taking care of their animals in a friendly way too.
動物園希望大家可以看到那些雞有多快樂，並且掏腰包買牠們的蛋，這樣農民也會開始以友善的方式照顧他們的動物。
Chickens are important animals, and their eggs are a healthy source of protein (蛋白質來源).
The "Happy Chicken Village" is a great example (範例) of how to take care of chickens in a sustainable way.
We hope that more people will learn from the zoo and take care of their chickens the same way.
________________________________
水庫水位降低 西班牙教堂現身
Spanish Church Emerges from Drought
There is a very old church in Catalonia, Spain (西班牙加泰隆尼亞).
It's called the Church of Sant Rom? (聖羅馬教堂), and it has just re-emerged from a reservoir after a drought that has lasted for months.
這座聖羅馬教堂因為長達數月的乾旱，從水庫中重新現身。
Spain has not had enough rain over the last three years, and it has caused a long-term drought (長期乾旱).
Because of this, some old structures (古老建築物) like the Church of Sant Rom? have been re-appearing from reservoirs (水庫).
The ancient church was flooded in the 1960s when a dam was built nearby to supply water.
1960年代這座老教堂附近蓋了一座水壩，水位升高淹沒了教堂。
Now, water levels (水位) in Catalonia are so low that the Sau Reservoir is only ten per cent full at the moment (Sau水庫目前只有容量的十分之一).
So, the church has re-appeared!
Lots of people are visiting the Sau Reservoir to see the church, but it's causing some problems for the fish and wildlife (野生動物) in the area.
Fishermen and wildlife workers are having to remove fish from the lake to save them and keep the reservoir clean because there is not enough water.
漁民和動物保育人員必須從湖中捕捉魚類以拯救它們，並且保持水庫清潔，因為水量不足。
The dry weather in Spain is also increasing the risk of wildfires (也增加了野火的風險), so officials in Catalonia are asking people to cut down (減少) on their water use.
________________________________
世界上脖子最長的恐龍
Dinosaur with World's Longest Neck
And now for some exciting news from the world of dinosaurs!
Scientists have discovered something new about a dinosaur called Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum (馬門溪龍).
It lived more than 160 million years ago (一億六千萬年前).
This dinosaur has the longest neck (脖子) of any animal that has ever lived!
The neck of the Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum is around 15 meters long (15公尺長).
The Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum was discovered in northwest China in 1987, and it's part of a group of dinosaurs called sauropods (蜥腳類恐龍).
Sauropods are known for having long necks.
Scientists looked at the bones and fossils (化石) of the Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum to figure out how long its neck was.
They compared the fossils to the skeletons (骨架) of its closest relatives and concluded (得出結論) that the dinosaur had a 15-meter-long neck!
Sauropods had such long necks because they used them to get food.
Having a long neck also increases the body's surface area, allowing sauropods to get rid of extra body heat.
擁有長脖子也增加了身體的表面積，讓蜥腳類恐龍能夠散熱。
The new findings (新發現) about Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum show how much scientists can discover about dinosaurs from incomplete fossils (不完整的化石).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Zoo has created the "Happy Chicken Village" to show people how to take care of chickens in a sustainable way.
The zoo says they will have 80 chickens living in the village.
The enclosure is a special place where chickens can run around and play.
________________________________
The old Church of Sant Rom? in Spain has just re-emerged from a reservoir after a drought.
The ancient church was flooded in the 1960s when a dam was built nearby to supply water.
Lots of people are visiting the Sau Reservoir to see the church.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have discovered something new about a dinosaur called Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum.
This dinosaur has the longest neck of any animal that has ever lived!
The new findings show how much scientists can discover about dinosaur evolution from incomplete fossils.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
So, in today's stories…
Happiness in Taiwan, seaweed in the ocean, and a giant spider in danger.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
【世界快樂報告】出爐！台灣排亞洲第4
Taiwan Ranked 4th Happiest in Asia
How are you today?
Are you feeling happy?
A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.
And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.
聯合國發表2023年的"世界快樂報告"，台灣名列世界第27名，在亞洲排名第4。
The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.
It looked at six different factors (因素), like freedom and health, to see how happy people are.
報告用六個指標來為各國排名，包括預期健康壽命、自由指數、和人民慷慨。
In Asia, Israel was the happiest.
The second happiest was Singapore, and the third was the United Arab Emirates.
Finland was listed as the happiest country in the world.
Finland has been the happiest country in the report for six years now.
The second happiest is Denmark, and the third is Iceland.
The report says these countries all have high scores for happiness and equality (平等).
More people in these countries live long healthy lives.
They take care of each other.
And people in these countries have freedom to make big decisions in their life.
And the most unhappy country is Afghanistan.
It's been the last on the list since 2020.
The country has been dealing with war for more than 20 years.
________________________________
馬尾藻大軍襲美國
Giant Seaweed Blob Nears U.S.
A dangerous giant blob (一團的物體) is moving closer to the U.S.
Is this a sci-fi movie?
No, it's a blob of seaweed!
The seaweed is called Sargassum.
Every year, sargassum grows in the ocean, and floats around in the water.
They are a natural part of the ocean.
And they are a home for many sea animals, from shrimp, to eels, and sea turtles.
But starting in 2011, scientists noticed a lot more sargassum in the sea.
The brown seaweed covered beaches.
And the rotting (腐爛) sargassum gave off a bad smell, like rotting eggs.
All that seaweed also sucks all the oxygen out of the water.
This can kill fish and other sea animals.
海藻太過濃密，會吸取海水裡的氧氣，導致珊瑚跟海草死亡，腐化後還會釋放有毒的氣，造成魚類暴斃，危害人體。
Scientists are still trying to understand why so much sargassum grows now.
But they think climate change could be one of the reasons (原因).
Now, a giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.
How big is this seaweed blob?
It's over 8,000 kilometers wide!
The blob is big enough to go across the United States, TWICE!
這一團海藻遍布範圍達8000公里，相當於美國國土寬度的兩倍。
Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.
They are not sure if the seaweed blob will be this big every year.
They say more research is needed.
________________________________
澳洲發現巨大蜘蛛物種
Rare Giant Spider Found in Australia
A new type of giant spider has been found in Australia.
The Euoplos dignitas was found living in Queensland.
The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.
That's not including its legs.
They are a reddish brown color.
They live in forests, in open spaces.
And they build burrows (洞穴) in the soil.
But scientists say these spiders need to be protected (受到保護).
They say the Euoplos dignitas has lost much of its home.
Much of the forests they live in has been cleared by humans.
Scientists say the Euoplos dignitas is probably an endangered species.
科學家說這個新發現的蜘蛛物種已經大量失去了棲息地，很有可能是瀕危物種。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.
And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.
The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.
________________________________
A giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.
This seaweed blob is over 8,000 kilometers wide!
Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.
________________________________
And,
A new type of giant spider has been found in Queensland, Australia.
The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.
Scientists say these spiders need to be protected.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
So, in today's stories…
A beach mystery, the greatest places, and a deadly type of Keanu.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台東海邊出現「神秘巨手」
Mysterious Giant Hand on Taitung Beach
Taiwan's beaches are beautiful.
There are green plants, blue skies, deep blue water…
And a giant HAND?!
Okay, it's actually a piece of art.
The giant hand is on a beach in Taitung County.
It is taller than a person.
The hand is covered with traditional hand tattoos of the Paiwan people.
這座巨手裝置藝術作品上，還有呈現排灣族傳統文手的圖案。
And the hand is pulling a string.
The string is tied to lots of garbage from the ocean.
Many people think the artwork is amazing.
But what is it doing on the beach?
Taitung officials say the artwork is new.
They say the giant hand was made by a Canadian artist Dave Hind.
Dave makes things from garbage and plastic waste.
He has used garbage to make all kinds of art, music instruments (樂器), and even a little house.
But Taitung officials say the artwork is not finished yet.
They are asking people to wait until it is finished before visiting.
They say they will add a sign soon.
This way, visitors can learn more about the giant hand and what it means.
台東縣政府原民處指說這個作品還在施作中，預計今年暑假前完成。
Taitung officials hope the art will bring more people to visit the area.
And they hope the giant hand will help everyone think more about protecting the ocean.
________________________________
時代雜誌選出「世界最好的地方」
TIME Names World's Greatest Places 2023
TIME magazine has made a list of the world's greatest places for 2023.
時代雜誌公佈了「2023 年世界最好的地方」名單。
It says the world has started traveling again.
But some things have changed.
The magazine says traveling costs more now.
And it says people think more about the environment and sustainability (可持續性).
TIME says people want to have unique (獨特的) local experiences.
And they don't want to hurt the environment.
So TIME talked to its writers and staff from around the world.
It asked them to find new and exciting places to go.
So many people might not know about some of the places on the list.
How about Timisoara, Romania?
It's the official 2023 European Capital of Culture.
There will be many concerts, and festivals there this year.
Or head to Musanze, Rwanda.
It's home to Volcanoes National Park.
And rare mountain gorillas live there.
這個國家公園也是稀有的山地大猩猩的家。
Which place in the world would you like to visit?
________________________________
消滅細菌的「基努李維」?
Fungicide Named After Keanu Reeves
Would you like to share your name with bacteria?
跟細菌同名，你會開心嗎?
Scientists have found a way to kill dangerous fungi (菌類).
A bacteria makes special chemicals.
And these chemicals can kill fungi.
Some types of fungi are helpful.
The mushrooms we eat are a type of fungus.
Some fungi can be used for medicine.
But some fungi are dangerous.
They kill plants that we eat.
And some can also make us sick.
Now the scientists in Germany can use the chemicals from a bacteria to kill some types of dangerous fungi.
The scientists named these chemicals "keanumycins" (基努黴素).
Does that sound familiar?
Keanumycins is named after the famous Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves (基努李維).
The scientists say keanumycins is very good at killing fungi, just like Keanu Reeves' many "deadly" characters.
科學家說這種新發現的抗菌化合物的殺傷力非常高，和基努李維在電影中的角色一樣「大殺四方」。
Keanumycins does not hurt plants or people.
This means it's better for the environment than other chemicals.
And what does the actor think about this?
Keanu says "that's pretty cool", and thanked the scientists for helping people.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A piece of art shaped like a giant hand is on a beach in Taitung County.
The hand is covered with traditional hand tattoos of the Paiwan people.
Taitung officials say the giant hand was made from garbage and plastic waste.
________________________________
TIME magazine has made a list of the world's greatest places for 2023.
TIME asked writers to find new and exciting places to go.
So many people might not know about some of the places on the list.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have found chemicals from bacteria that can kill dangerous fungi.
The scientists named these chemicals "keanumycins", after the famous Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves.
The scientists say keanumycins is very good at killing fungi, just like Keanu Reeves' many "deadly" characters.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Paz)
第二配音員：(Trevor)
Hello everyone! You're listening to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
BLACKPINK brings business to Kaohsiung, plastic rocks in South America, and the world's youngest speed skating gold medalist.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
人氣女團BLACKPINK刺激高雄經濟
BLACKPINK Boosts Kaohsiung's Economy
You probably already know that BLACKPINK came to Taiwan recently.
The popular South Korean girl group had two concerts in Kaohsiung City.
It was one of the many stops in their ongoing Born Pink World Tour.
這是他們正在進行的 Born Pink 世界巡演中的眾多站點之一。
The concerts drew (吸引了) over 90,000 people to Kaohsiung.
As a treat (作為款待), the city government gave NT$50 vouchers to concertgoers (演唱會的觀眾).
They could use their concert ticket stubs (演唱會票) and use them to shop in stores and restaurants.
觀眾可以憑演唱會門票，即可兌換面額 50 元的優惠券。
Many people visited the Liuhe Night Market and other shopping areas.
And night market vendors sold twice as much!
夜市攤販的業績是之前的兩倍！
The city government is expecting (預計) there will be more visitors next month, thanks to other concerts and events.
That is great news for local businesses (本地商業).
The Kaohsiung Mayor thanked BLACKPINK and their fans (粉絲) in a Facebook post.
He also thanked the workers who helped direct crowds at public transportation facilities after the concerts.
他也對演唱會結束後，幫忙引導群眾搭公車捷運的人員表示感謝。
It looks like Kaohsiung is going to keep busy (忙個不停) with all these concerts!
________________________________
塑膠汙染 成為大地的一部份
Plastic Pollution Goes Geologic
Some scientists have made a worrying discovery (令人擔憂的發現) on an island (島) in South America called Trindade Island.
They found rocks made from plastic debris.
他們發現塑膠碎片形成的岩石。
Trindade Island is an uninhabited volcanic island (無人居住的火山島) on the east coast of Brazil.
It's a protected area (保護區) for green turtles.
A geologist (地質學家) studying the island explained that the plastic on the beaches comes from fishing nets (漁網).
The nets are dragged by marine currents (被海流帶到這裡) and accumulate on the beach (堆積在沙灘上).
When the temperature rises, the plastic melts (熔化) and becomes embedded (嵌進去) with the beach's natural material.
Environmental pollution will forever be preserved in the Earth's geological records.
環境污染將永遠保存在地球的地質記錄中。
This is a reminder (提醒) for us to always dispose of our trash properly (正確處理垃圾).
And to do our part (儘我們的一份力量) in keeping our planet clean.
________________________________
史上最年輕 世界競速滑冰金牌得主
Meet the World's Youngest Speed Skating Gold Medalist
A young speed skater named Jordan Stolz has just become the youngest person ever to win a world speed skating gold medal.
滑冰選手Jordan Stolz 成為有史以來，最年輕的世界競速滑冰金牌得主。
He won gold in the men's 500 meters event at the World Single Distance Championships in the Netherlands this month.
在荷蘭舉行的世界單人競速滑冰錦標賽男子 500 公尺比賽中，他榮獲金牌。
Not only that, he also won two other gold medals, beating Olympic champions (擊敗了奧運冠軍) in each of those events!
Speed skating is a sport where athletes (運動員) race around an icy track (結冰的跑道) at speeds as fast as 56 kilometers-per-hour (時速 56 公里).
18-year-old Stolz is from the US State of Wisconsin (美國威斯康辛州).
He's been winning national championships since fifth grade, and in high school, he went to school online so that he could train for up to six hours a day.
他從小學五年級開始就一直是全美國冠軍。高中時他用網路上學，這樣可以每天訓練六個鐘頭。
His coach (教練) says one of Stolz's greatest talents is the way he takes corners on the curving track at high speeds.
Stolz 最了不起的天賦就是他在彎道上高速轉彎的方式。
Stolz's speed and strength have amazed many people (讓很多人驚嘆不已).
Stolz's wins mean that he's the first person to win both the junior championships (青少年錦標賽) and adult championships (成人錦標賽) in three separate events in the same year.
It's incredible to see someone so young achieve (成就) so much!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The popular South Korean girl group BLACKPINK had two concerts in Kaohsiung City recently.
The concerts drew over 90,000 people to Kaohsiung.
It was a huge boost to local businesses.
________________________________
Some scientists have made a worrying discovery on a remote island in South America called Trindade Island.
They found rocks made from melted plastic debris.
Environmental pollution will forever be preserved in the Earth's geological records.
________________________________
And,
A young speed skater named Jordan Stolz has just become the youngest person ever to win a world speed skating gold medal.
The 18-year-old is the first person to win both the junior championships and adult championships in three separate events in the same year.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Paz)
What's up, everybody! This is News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Smart plants, road trips, and moon suits.
Let's take a look at those stories now!
________________________________
智慧型垃圾回收廠 加快新北市回收速度
'Smart Plant' Helps New Taipei Speed Up Recycling
New Taipei has a new plant!
No, it's not a plant like 【植物】…
Sometimes, a place that makes power (發電廠) is called a "power plant".
So a place that helps with recycling… can be called a "recycling plant" (回收廠).
And this new plant in New Taipei uses artificial intelligence (人工智慧), or A.I., to help recycle faster!
First, some people take a look at all the trash (垃圾) and recyclables (可回收的東西).
They help to separate (分開) the trash, and give the recyclables to a machine (機器).
The machine uses A.I. to look at all the recyclables…
And then it uses four robot arms (四隻機器手臂) to sort everything (分類)!
This "smart recycling plant" (智慧型回收廠) is VERY fast.
It can sort around 220 items per minute…
每分鐘可以把220項廢物分類…
That's almost four items per second!
等於每秒處理完四項東西！
It plans to help New Taipei process 2,500 tons of recycling every year.
這座回收廠每年可以處理新北市兩千五百噸的回收垃圾。
People say the new recycling plant will help New Taipei save time (節省時間) and save energy (節省能源).
But, of course… we still need YOU to help recycle!
________________________________
駕車壯遊 北極到南極
"Pole-to-Pole" Road Trip
Have you ever been on a road trip (開車旅遊)?
Maybe your family likes to drive from Taipei (台北) to Kenting (墾丁).
But… that's only about 450 kilometers (四百五十公里).
Well, one couple (一對情侶) wants to drive from the North Pole to the South Pole (要從北極開車到南極)!
That's about 27,000 kilometers (兩萬七千公里左右)…
And they're going to drive an electric car (電動車)!
But many people are asking how they will charge their car around the North Pole.
很多人在問他們要怎麼在北極給車子充電。
Well, their car also has solar panels (太陽能板) and a wind turbine (風力發電機).
This way, it can get electricity (電力) from the sun and the wind!
The couple will start from northern Canada (北加拿大), at the Magnetic North Pole (磁北極).
They'll start driving in the summer, because the sun will stay out all day, and they can get more solar energy.
他們要在夏天踏上旅程，因為北極的夏季，太陽一直掛在天空，可以獲得更多太陽能。
They will then drive through many countries, passing through Central America (中美洲), and all the way down Argentina (阿根廷).
Finally, they'll take a boat to Antarctica (南極洲)… and drive to the South Pole.
The whole trip (整個旅程) will take around 10 months.
After that… driving from Taipei to Kenting sounds pretty easy, huh?
________________________________
美國太空總署展示新的太空裝
NASA Reveals New Spacesuits
If the weather is hot, you might wear a T-shirt and shorts (短褲).
And if the weather is cold, you might wear a jacket (外套).
But, what if there's… NO weather?
Well, if there's no air (沒有空氣的話), then you'd better have a spacesuit (你最好有太空裝)!
Of course, a spacesuit helps you keep your air, so you can breathe (呼吸).
But it also helps maintain your air pressure (維持你的氣壓).
And it can protect you (保護你) from the bright sun in outer space.
So NASA (美國太空總署) has made all-new spacesuits for their astronauts (太空人).
They're lighter (比較輕) and stronger (比較牢靠).
And women astronauts say the new spacesuits fit better, too (女太空人也穿得比較舒服)!
The new suits will be used for NASA's moon mission (月球任務) called "Artemis III", in the year 2025.
The Artemis III mission will be people's first time to walk on the moon in 50 years!
【阿提米絲3號】這個任務，將是人類近五十年以來第一次踏上月球！
But, still… you probably shouldn't wear a spacesuit to school.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A new recycling plant in New Taipei uses artificial intelligence, or A.I., to help recycle faster.
It can use its four robot arms to sort around 220 recyclables per minute.
The plant plans to process 2,500 tons of recycling every year, to help New Taipei save time and energy.
________________________________
And,
One couple wants to drive an electric car from the North Pole to the South Pole.
They will start from northern Canada, drive through many countries, take a boat to Antarctica, and drive to the South Pole.
The car will have solar panels and a wind turbine, so it can get electricity from the sun and the wind!
________________________________
And,
NASA has made all-new spacesuits for their astronauts!
They're lighter, stronger, and they fit women better, too.
The new spacesuits will be used for NASA's moon mission "Artemis III", in the year 2025.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者：(Brody)
配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hey everyone, are you ready for some more News Bites?
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
A hurt snake gets healthy again, an ancient palace is found in the desert, and a space rock falls from the sky.
Let's hear all about it, right now!
________________________________
錦蛇躲進寺廟療傷 治癒後離開
Snake Healed After Seeking Refuge in Taiwan Temple
If you saw a hurt animal, would you help it?
What if that animal was a snake?
Well, that's what happened in Taitung.
Recently, some people were visiting a temple (寺廟).
They saw an animal hiding under a statue of the land god.
他們看到有動物躲在土地公像的下面。
It was a snake!
This one was more than a meter long.
It looked hurt, so the people called a veterinarian (獸醫) who specialized in taking care of wildlife (專門照顧野生動物的獸醫).
They found out it was a beauty snake (黑眉錦蛇).
This kind of snake is not venomous (並不是毒蛇), which means its bite cannot really hurt people.
But, beauty snakes act like venomous snakes to protect themselves (保護自己).
The beauty snake had gotten tangled (被纏住了) in a net used to catch birds, and hurt its jaw (下顎受傷).
It couldn't close its mouth properly.
The veterinarian Mr. Liao brought the snake to an animal clinic and treated its wounds (治療它的傷口).
Mr. Liao says snakes usually get nervous (緊張) when they stay at the hospital.
This snake was given medicine, and a chance to rest, so its bones (骨頭) could heal naturally.
After 16 days, the snake was released into the wild (蛇被放歸野外).
According to Mr. Liao, the clinic has been able to heal nine snakes over the past two years, and return them to their life in nature.
________________________________
伊拉克發現 4500 年歷史的宮殿
4500-Year-Old Palace Discovered in Iraq
A team of scientists have discovered an ancient palace (古老的宮殿) in Iraq.
The palace is 4500 years old, and it may be the key (關鍵) to understanding how ancient people lived.
Dr. Rey is the leader of the team that found it.
He is an archaeologist (考古學家).
That means he is a scientist who studies very old things.
For years, Dr. Rey's team has been working in the desert of Iraq (伊拉克的沙漠).
That's in the Middle East (中東地區), the place with the world's oldest cities.
The team was studying an ancient city called Girsu.
In Girsu, they found a wall with some ancient words on it.
The words were hard to read, but Dr. Rey thought he understood them.
According to his theory (按照他的理論), the words said that next to the city was a palace, where the king and queen lived.
But, when Dr. Rey shared his theory with others, nobody believed him (沒有人相信他).
They said there was no palace.
However, Dr. Rey has been proven right (證明他是對的).
His team recently found the palace.
It was buried in the ground (埋在地下), so they dug it up.
The palace was built by ancient people called the Sumerians (蘇美人).
The Sumerians are important because they built the first cities in history, almost 5000 years ago.
They also created the first writing and the first laws ever.
Now, Dr. Rey's team is studying the palace, which is called "The Lord Palace of the Kings".
Inside the palace, they have found hundreds of clay tablets (泥板), covered in writing (上面寫滿了字).
Dr. Rey and his team of archaeologists hope the writing can lead them to their next discovery.
________________________________
隕石墜落在義大利
Meteorite Falls in Italy
What would you do if a star fell on your balcony (陽台)?
That's what the people in one Italian city (義大利有一個城市的居民) had to ask themselves.
Usually, the city of Matera is a quiet place.
But recently, the people of Matera saw something that surprised them (令他們驚訝).
It was a ball of fire in the sky!
It looked like a star falling from space.
It turns out, what they saw was not a star, but a meteorite (隕石).
That's what we call a rock from outer space that falls on Earth.
The meteorite landed right on a family's balcony.
隕石正好落在一個家庭的陽台上。
The family whose balcony the meteorite landed on gladly gave it to scientists, who named the meteorite after the family's two sons, Gianfranco and Pino.
科學家以該家族兩個兒子的名字，為這顆隕石命名。
Since the space rock didn't touch any water or earth, it is very clean.
That's what makes it interesting to scientists, who want to understand more about these meteorites!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A hurt snake was found hiding in a Taitung temple.
A veterinarian treated the snake and helped it get back to health.
After sixteen days, the snake was returned to nature.
________________________________
And,
An ancient palace has been discovered in Iraq.
The palace was built 4500 years ago, by a group of people called the Sumerians.
The Sumerians built the world's first cities and invented writing.
________________________________
And,
A meteorite has fallen on a city in Italy.
The rock fell from the sky and landed on a family's balcony.
Scientists named the meteorite after the family's two sons.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Paz)
第二配音員：(Nancy)
Hello everyone! You're listening to another tasty episode of… News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Young inventors in Kaohsiung win gold, a chocolate company gets fined, and never-before-seen footage of the Titanic!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
高雄學童新發明 榮獲創新發明金牌
Kaohsiung Elementary Students' Win Gold for Innovative Invention
When drivers on the road hear this sound, what should they do?
The answer is…move out of the way (讓開)!
But sometimes it can be hard for drivers to know what direction (方向) an ambulance (救 護 車) is coming from.
That's why a group of talented young inventors (發明家) from Aiguo Elementary School in Kaohsiung City created a "Vehicle Position Warning System" (車輛方位警示系統) to make roads safer for ambulances.
This amazing invention (發明) won the gold medal (奪金牌) in the 2023 International Exhibition for Young Inventors Taiwan Contest!
This group of fifth-grade students, including Xie Rutin, Zhang Fangyu, and Shi Yuntong, worked together under the guidance of their teachers (在老師的指導下).
They designed a system that uses special technology called RFID, which helps to show the direction of an ambulance at intersections.
他們設計了一個使用 RFID 技術的系統，可以顯示救護車在路口的行進方向。
This lets drivers and pedestrians (行人) to quickly and safely yield (讓路) to the ambulance.
And it helps to prevent accidents (有助於防止事故發生).
The school's principal says the invention was inspired by the students' daily observations and their concerns for the safety of ambulances on the road.
校長說這項發明的靈感來自於學生的日常觀察，以及他們對路上救護車安全的擔憂。
He praised (稱讚) the students for their thoughtful and innovative ideas.
________________________________
工人掉進攪拌器 巧克力工廠被罰款
Chocolate Factory Fined Over After Workers Fall Into Mixing Container
A chocolate factory in the US state of Pennsylvania (美國賓夕法尼亞州) got into big trouble in June 2022.
Two workers fell into a big container (容器) of chocolate!
These workers were hired to clean the containers, but they didn't get the right safety training (安全訓練).
Thankfully, it wasn't full of chocolate when the two workers fell in.
But there was still enough that they got stuck inside the container.
但是仍然有足夠的巧克力讓他們卡在容器裡。
The rescuers had to cut open a hole at the bottom of the container to free the workers.
One worker was hurt, and had to be taken to the hospital by helicopter (直升機).
Now, a safety organization called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is saying the accident was "serious."
現在，職業安全與健康管理局表示這起事故【很嚴重】。
After almost a year of investigating the incident, OSHA decided to fine (罰款) Mars Wrigley, the company that owns the factory.
They had to pay a fine of more than $14,500 US dollars because of the accident.
________________________________
豪華郵輪鐵達尼號 前所未見影片公諸於世
Never-Before-Seen Footage of Titanic Released
Everyone's heard of the Titanic, right?
It was a big and fancy cruise liner (又大又豪華的郵輪), and people at the time called it the safest ship in the world.
But while the Titanic was making its first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean (大西洋) in 1912, it hit a big iceberg (大冰山).
The iceberg made a huge hole in the side of the ship and water started pouring in (湧入).
The ship sank and…it became a tragedy that shocked the world.
船沉了… 成了震驚世界的悲劇。
Around 1,500 people lost their lives (喪生).
Scientists have been studying the Titanic for many years.
And now, they are going to share 80 minutes of never-before-seen (前所未見的) video of the Titanic!
The video was recorded in 1986 by a group from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a French ocean exploration team.
這段影片是 1986 年由伍茲霍爾海洋研究所的一個小組和一個法國海洋勘探隊拍攝的。
They found the Titanic in 1985, deep in the ocean, 3.6 kilometers down. (3.6 公里深).
The video was taken by a team of three divers (潛水員).
And it's being shared to celebrate the 25th anniversary (25 週年) of the famous movie "Titanic."
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A group of students from Aiguo Elementary School in Kaohsiung City created a "Vehicle Position Warning System" to make roads safer for ambulances.
This amazing invention won the gold medal in the 2023 International Exhibition for Young Inventors Taiwan Contest!
________________________________
A chocolate factory in the US state of Pennsylvania got into big trouble when two workers fell into a big container of chocolate!
The chocolate company had to pay a fine of more than $14,500 US dollars because of the accident.
________________________________
And,
Scientists are going to share 80 minutes of never-before-seen video of the Titanic!
The video was recorded in 1986 and the video is being shared to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the famous movie "Titanic."
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者：(Mike)
配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
New train cars, nuclear cleanup, and thinking about health.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
阿里山森林鐵路新列車走復古木頭風
New Alishan Railcars with Cypress Interiors
The Alishan Forest Railway is a well-known attraction that takes tourists up the famous mountain.
It has beautiful forest scenery, unique tracks, and beautiful train stations.
This year, the Railway office will be introducing 6 new carriages to the public.
The interiors of the new carriages are lined with Formosan (台灣扁柏) and Hinoki cypress (檜木) wood.
The carriages' roofs, floors, walls, desks and armrests are all made of wood.
They also feature ergonomic (人體工學) seats with leather that are both comfortable and beautiful.
The windows are bigger, for a better view.
The new train will be named "Formosensis", which comes from the Latin name for the Formosan cypress.
The whole wooden theme reminds tourists of the logging era of Taiwan's history.
想要體驗豪華的阿里山鐵路之旅一定要提早訂票喔。
________________________________
福島核災 12 週年
More to Learn about Fukushima Damage
On Mar 11th, 2011, a major earthquake struck Japan, causing the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami (海嘯) with 14-meter-high waves.
This tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
That caused the most severe nuclear disaster since Chernobyl (車諾比核災).
About 110,000 residents were evacuated (疏散) within a 20-kilometer radius (半徑).
Since then, 12 years have passed.
The radioactive debris (放射性殘骸) in the 3 melted reactors (反應爐) needs to be removed, but that is not an immediate issue.
Water that was used to cool the 3 damaged reactors was collected and stored in about 1000 tanks.
The water cannot be taken out because it is still radioactive.
However, the water tanks will reach their full capacity of 1.37 million tonnes this year.
The Japanese government plans to put the radioactive water into the ocean.
They say they will make sure the water's radioactivity is far below the legal limits.
They plan to dilute (稀釋) the water with a lot of seawater before putting it into the ocean.
Local fishing communities are against the plan, fearing that it would hurt marine life.
Other countries like China and South Korea are also concerned.
當地漁民和其他的國家表示希望日本撤回核污水排放計劃。
________________________________
報告預測，2035年全球超過半數的人會過胖
Report Predicts More Obesity Issues by 2035
A report from the World Obesity Federation says 51% of the world will be obese (肥胖) by 2035.
That's more than 4 billion people.
We should remember that all bodies are different.
That's normal and beautiful!
There are many healthy shapes and sizes.
And good health is what's important.
This report is mainly about health.
Obesity can be hard on the body.
It contributes to the development of over 38 diseases like hypertension (高血壓), and diabetes (糖尿病).
The people who wrote the report say they are not blaming individuals.
They want everyone to think more about things in our society, environment and biology that cause obesity.
研究員指出，他們並不是在責怪個人，而是希望大家可以多關注與肥胖相關的社會、環境與生物因素。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Alishan Forest Railway is getting 6 new carriages.
The interiors of the new carriages are lined with Formosan and Hinoki cypress wood.
The new train will be named "Formosensis", which comes from the Latin name for the Formosan cypress.
________________________________
On Mar 11th, 2011, a major earthquake struck Japan, causing the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Since then, 12 years have passed and the damage is still ongoing.
________________________________
And,
A report from the World Obesity Federation says 51% of the world will be obese by 2035.
We should remember that all bodies are different, and that's normal and beautiful.
The people who wrote the report say they are not blaming individuals.
They want everyone to think more about things in our society, environment and biology that cause obesity.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Paz)
And tonight's podcast award goes to… News Bites!
Starring Paz Bueno…
And Trevor Tortomasi.
Thank you, thank you…
Okay, in today's news:
A bike race in Taiwan, this year's Oscars ceremony, and… chicken poo.
Stay tuned!
________________________________
國際自由車環台公路大賽
Tour de Taiwan
You can probably ride a bicycle (腳踏車)…
But maybe you don't have a safe place to ride (沒有安全的地方可以騎), because of all those cars.
Well, there are 192 people who aren't scared!
These 192 people are in a bike race (自由車賽) from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
這 192 個人加入了這場大賽，從台北到高雄。
It's called the "Tour de Taiwan" (環台賽)!
The racers (參賽者) are divided into 23 teams (分成二十三個隊), from 31 countries (來自31個不同的國家).
For the first part of the race (比賽的第一部分), they rode around Taipei for more than 80 kilometers (騎了八十多公里).
Every day after that, they rode around 100 more kilometers…
And the road was super steep (超級陡峭)!
And on the last day, they finished at the Kaohsiung National Stadium (在高雄國家體育場結束比賽).
Of course, they were riding REALLY fast, and they needed to be very careful (小心).
So they had cars driving in front and in back, to give them space to ride safely.
他們的前後面都有汽車開道，幫他們維持騎腳踏車的安全空間。
So… who won?
到底是誰贏了比賽？
Well, as we're recording now, we don't know yet.
我們錄音的時候還不知道。
But when you hear this, you can go check!
________________________________
2023年奧斯卡金像獎
2023 Academy Awards
Every year, Hollywood's "Academy" holds an awards ceremony for the best movies of the year.
每年，好萊塢的【影藝學院】都舉辦頒獎典禮給全年最佳的電影。
It's called the "Academy Awards", and the award is a little golden statue named "Oscar" (【奧斯卡】小金人).
And this year, one movie won a lot of prizes (獲得很多獎)!
It was a movie called "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (媽的多重宇宙), starring Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊).
And because of her performance, Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian person to win the Oscar for "Best Actress"!
楊紫瓊以絕佳演技，成為奧斯卡歷史上第一個亞洲人贏得【最佳女主角】獎項的演員！
The movie's two directors (兩位導演) won the award for "Best Director" (最佳導演)…
And two other people in the movie were named "Best Supporting Actors" (最佳男女配角).
But there were so many other amazing moments (驚人的時刻)!
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (黑豹 2：瓦干達萬歲) won "Best Costume Design" (最佳服裝設計).
The Indian action movie (印度動作片) named "RRR" got "Best Original Song" (最佳原創歌曲), for its song "Naatu Naatu"…
And "Best Documentary" went to a movie about Alexei Navalny, a man fighting for change in Russia (一個為改革而戰的俄羅斯人).
Many people say this year's Academy Awards felt very different than before, and many people are happy about the change.
But one nice thing stayed the same…
Almost everyone who got an Oscar made sure to thank their mom and dad!
________________________________
雞糞的力量
Chicken Poo Power
Okay, our last story is pretty silly…
But it's really good news!
One man in Kenya (肯亞) has found a new way to get power (供應能源) for his farm.
He uses chicken poop (雞的大便)!
Every morning, he collects the poopoo and puts it into a special machine (放進一台很特別的機器).
This makes something called biogas (沼氣).
Of course, the biogas has to go through a filter, to remove all the bad stuff and bad smells.
當然，這個沼氣要先過濾，濾掉所有不好的成分和味道。
But after that, it can be used for power (供應能源)!
He uses it for hot water, for cooking, and even to charge his electric car (給他的電動汽車充電)!
He says it helps him to save money (省錢), and it doesn't hurt the environment (不會傷害環境).
So, this poopoo is pretty useful (滿好用)!
Are you brave enough to use it?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The "Tour de Taiwan" is a bicycle race from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
192 people, from 31 different countries, are riding their bikes for five days.
Who won? I guess we'll find out!
________________________________
And,
Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian person to win the Oscar for "Best Actress", thanks to the movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once".
Many people say this year's Academy Awards felt very different than before, and many people are happy about the change.
________________________________
And,
One man in Kenya has found a new way to get power for his farm.
He uses chicken poop to make biogas!
The biogas can be used for hot water, cooking, and charging his electric car.
________________________________
Okay… that's all for today's News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
A diamond from the vegetable market, life on a cruise ship, and a new Spotify record.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
菜市場還有鑽石？
Man Finds Diamond at Vegetable Market
We go to traditional markets (菜場) for a lot of things.
We can buy fruits and vegetables there.
We can also get meat there.
But how about a diamond (鑽石)?
A man in Kaohsiung went to the market one day.
He says he went to buy a drink.
And something shiny caught his eye (吸引他的目光).
He says he passed by this same place for three days.
And every time he passed by, he saw something sparkling (閃亮) on the ground.
He thought it was glass (玻璃).
And finally, on the fourth day, he decided to see what it was.
When he picked it up, he found out it was a diamond!
He was shocked (震驚).
He put the diamond in a plastic bag.
And he took it to a police station.
Police say the diamond is about 0.5 carats.
And if it is a natural diamond (天然鑽石), it would be worth around $20,000 NT.
People who live close by say they have not seen anyone looking for the diamond.
And police say anyone who says they are the owner must show proof.
警方也說如果要來認領鑽石，需要提供相關的證據，而警方也會釐清。
________________________________
住郵輪環遊世界
Live on a Cruise Ship
Many people enjoy going on cruises (郵輪) for vacation.
They stay on a huge ship for days.
They enjoy delicious food, and fun shows on the ship.
It's a great getaway (放假、小旅行).
But what if you could LIVE on the cruise ship?
A company is offering a chance to live on a cruise ship for years.
The MV Gemini has 400 rooms.
It can carry around 1,000 passengers.
The cruise ship sets sail from Istanbul in November this year.
And it will go on a round-the-world trip.
The trip will be 3 years long.
The company says the ship will take passengers (乘客) to 135 countries.
The ship will visit all seven continents of the world.
And passengers will be able to see many famous sites (觀光景點).
They would visit India's Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu, and many other sites.
這三年內，遊客可以搭著郵輪去世界各地的觀光聖地，包括泰姬瑪哈陵、吉薩金字塔群、和馬丘比丘。
The ship will also stop at more than 100 tropical islands (熱帶島).
And if passengers get tired of being on land, they can enjoy fun on the ship itself.
The company says the ship has many restaurants and shows.
There's also a library, and offices with meeting rooms.
There's even a hospital that's open 24 hours a day.
Sounds like an amazing trip right?
How much will a ticket cost?
$30,000 US dollars for each person, each year.
That's about $900,000 NT (九十萬台幣).
________________________________
威肯又創Spotify新紀錄
The Weeknd Breaks Spotify Record
The Weeknd has broken a Spotify record.
The singer and songwriter is the first to hit 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
That's compared with (和…比較) The Beatles with 27 million monthly listeners.
Madonna has 23 million, and Michael Jackson has 34 million.
The musician with the second-most monthly listeners is Miley Cyrus.
She has 82.5 million monthly listeners.
And The Weeknd also has the most-played song of all time on Spotify.
"Blinding Lights" has been played 3.4 billion times on the music-streaming service.
威肯的 "Blinding Lights"是Spotify上播放次數最多的歌曲。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man in Kaohsiung went to the market one day, and found a diamond on the ground.
He took it to a police station.
Police say the diamond is about 0.5 carats, and could be worth around $20,000 NT.
________________________________
A company is offering a chance to live on a cruise ship for 3 years.
The cruise ship will take passengers to 135 countries to see many famous sites.
Tickets cost $900,000 NT for each person, each year.
________________________________
And,
The Weeknd has broken a Spotify record.
The singer and songwriter is the first to hit 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
The musician with the second-most monthly listeners is Miley Cyrus, with 82.5 million monthly listeners.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者：(Mike)
配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
A safe place to walk, dry Venetian canals, and ancient flush toilets.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
Teacher Makes Map for Pedestrians
教師製作【台灣行人地獄地圖】
Being out on the road can be hard in Taiwan.
There have been some news stories about roads being not safe for pedestrians (行人).
A high school teacher wanted to help.
Han Chung-mei made a special map.
She did this with help from engineers (工程師), and hundreds of volunteers (志工).
The map is called "commusidewalk".
Over 700 volunteers took photos of streets all around Taiwan.
They took thousands of photos.
They upload the photo and add the time and location.
The photos show if there is a place on that street for people to walk safely.
A green spot means the place to walk is very safe.
A red spot means the street is very dangerous, and there is no safe place to walk.
Right now, there is more information on roads in major cities than small towns.
Han Chung-mei encourages users to add more photos and information.
She hopes that this map can urge (催促) the government to improve road safety conditions, and bring changes to pedestrian safety in the country
高中老師韓中梅和團隊做了一個「平安走路許願帳戶」，請大家拍下和上傳台灣各地人行道的照片，希望透過大家的行動帶動改革。
________________________________
Venice Canals Run Dry
威尼斯水道乾枯
The romantic city of Venice has always been a tourist attraction.
Millions of tourists flock to the famous "City of Water" to experience the famous canals and gondolas (貢多拉船).
However, tourists who visit Venice this winter might be disappointed.
Italy is facing another drought.
The country has had weeks of dry winter weather.
The lack (缺少) of water is drying up the famous canals in Venice.
The water level is so low in some places that the boats can't even float.
This winter, the Alps (阿爾卑斯山) got less than half of its normal snowfall.
Other parts of the country also haven't had much rain.
This caused the "Po", Italy's longest river, to have 61% less water than normal at this time of the year.
The river runs from the Alps to the Adriatic.
It brings water for a third of Italy's agricultural production (農業).
An Italian expert said that the country is in a water deficit (缺乏).
He says the deficit has been building up since the winter of 2020.
He thinks Italy needs 50 days of rain to solve the problem.
氣象專家們擔心這樣的天氣形式在未來會變成常態。
________________________________
2,400-year-old Flush Toilet Discovered in China
2400年前的沖水馬桶
Many people say the flush toilet (沖水馬桶) is the greatest invention of all time.
Otherwise, we would still be using a bucket (水桶).
No one knows who first used water to flush toilets.
But old drainage systems (排水系統) have been found in many ancient civilizations around the world.
Last summer, archeologists (考古學家) in China found what may be the world's oldest flush toilet.
The research team was digging among the ancient palace ruins in the city of Xi'an.
The palace was used from the Qin dynasty to the Han dynasty.
The researcher described the toilet as a "luxury object" (奢侈品).
It was located inside the palace.
It had a pipe leading to an outdoor pit (戶外的坑).
It doesn't have a water tank like modern toilets.
So servants (僕人) probably poured water into the toilet bowl every time it was used.
It may have been used by high-ranking officials or royals.
Most people thought a man named John Harington invented the flush toilet in the 16th century.
But now, that may change.
Who knows, ancient civilizations might be more advanced than we think.
中國考古界的這項發現讓這個議題有更多討論的空間。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
High school teacher Han Chung-mei made a special map.
She did this with help from engineers, and hundreds of volunteers.
The map shows if there is a place on streets around Taiwan for people to walk safely.
________________________________
Italy is facing another drought, with weeks of dry winter weather.
The lack of water is drying up the famous canals in Venice.
The water level is so low in some places that the boats can't even float.
________________________________
And,
Last summer, archeologists in China found what may be the world's oldest flush toilet.
It was located inside an ancient palace.
It had a pipe leading to an outdoor pit.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
Eggs everywhere, surprise islands, and taking the red pill.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
校園有雞，處處有驚喜
A School with Eggs Everywhere
Many schools keep pets.
Some have dogs.
Some have fish.
But how about "school chickens" (校雞)?
Ming-qing Elementary School in Changhua County keeps chickens.
The school says 7 chickens live there.
They sleep in the trees at night.
And during the day, they will walk around the schoolyard.
雞群晚上飛到樹上休息，白天飛到樹下生蛋、孵蛋。
The hens (母雞) lay many eggs.
In fact, they lay around five to six eggs every week.
You might have heard news stories about an "egg shortage" (缺蛋).
But this school has eggs all over the place!
The hens lay eggs in the grass, in the school garden, and sometimes in boxes and on papers.
This means that students may find a "surprise" when they are at school.
The school principal says students will tell him about finding eggs at school almost every day.
But the principal says not many eggs hatch (孵化).
The school now has a special machine to keep the eggs warm and help them hatch.
So students there often see hens taking care of chicks.
And they are learning a lot about eggs, chickens, and the wonder of living things.
學生們了解母雞、生蛋的過程，在學校上課之外多了許多學習樂趣。
________________________________
日本多了 7,000 個島
Japan Finds 7,000 New Islands
Japan is a country made up of islands.
It has four big islands.
They are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.
And there are also many more small islands.
But Japan recently got a big surprise.
It found more islands.
In fact, it found 7,000 more islands!
35 years ago, Japan counted its islands.
At that time, scientists had found 6,852.
But now, scientists used new mapping technology.
And they found 7,000 more islands.
日本專家重新計算，發現全國的島嶼數量增加了7千多個。
Some of those new islands also come from volcano eruptions.
Lava from the volcano flows into the ocean.
And it cools and hardens, becoming a new island.
So now there are 14,125 islands in Japan.
All these islands are natural, not made by people.
And they all have a circumference of at least 100 meters.
這些都是自然形成的島嶼，周長達到100公尺以上。
It seems science just never stops surprising us!
________________________________
基努李維把紅色藥丸直接帶回家
Keanu Reeves Takes the 'Red Pill', Literally
Keanu Reeves (基努李維) is a famous actor.
He's been in many big Hollywood movies.
In one of his most famous roles (角色), he plays Neo in "The Matrix" movies ("駭客任務"系列).
Neo is a normal guy, who finds out his world is not real.
In one scene (橋段), Neo has to decide if he takes a blue pill or a red pill.
The blue pill lets him forget, and go back to the fake world.
And the red pill lets him see the real world.
電影中，尼歐必須選擇吃下藍色藥丸然後回到虛擬世界，或是吃下紅色藥丸進入被電腦機器統治的真實世界。
Well, it turns out, Keanu took the red pill.
As in, he really took it.
The actor says in an interview, that he took the red pill prop (道具) home with him.
But hey, Keanu says he didn't steal it!
He says it was given to him.
What other props does he have at home?
Keanu says he has a watch and wedding ring from the "John Wick" movies (【捍衛任務】系列).
And he has a sword from "47 Ronin" (【浪人47】).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Ming-qing Elementary School in Changhua County keeps chickens.
The hens lay eggs in the grass, in the school garden, and sometimes in boxes and on papers.
The school principal says students will tell him about finding eggs at school almost every day.
________________________________
Japan is a country made up of islands.
And recently, it found 7,000 more islands, using new mapping technology.
So now there are 14,125 islands in Japan.
________________________________
And,
Keanu Reeves said in a recent interview that he took the red pill prop from "The Matrix" movies home.
Keanu says it was given to him.
He says he also has a watch and wedding ring from the "John Wick" movies, and a sword from "47 Ronin".
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音：(Brody)
第二配音員，編輯：(Trevor)
Hello there! Get ready to take a bite of the latest news, with News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
Today's stories…
Taiwanese technicians learn how to take care of wind farms, one boy orders too much food, and why we feel more tired in the winter.
Let's talk about it right now!
________________________________
技術人員受訓 維修台灣的風電場
Technicians Train to Keep Taiwan's Wind Farms Running
Taiwan's wind farms make a lot of power.
They use wind turbines (風力發電機) to make clean, renewable energy (再生能源).
Every year, more wind farms are being built in Taiwan.
Many of them are offshore (離岸), so they can get strong winds on the ocean.
In addition, lots of these wind farms are built by foreign companies.
These companies are investing in Taiwan, to help the country's green energy industry (綠色能源產業).
Now, local technicians (技師) must learn how to take care of the wind farms.
That's why many Taiwanese technicians are going to train in Europe.
許多台灣技術人員要去歐洲受訓。
These apprentices (徒弟) travel to England (英國), Denmark (丹麥), and Belgium (比利時) to learn how to take care of a wind turbine.
What's more, the work is not simple.
The apprentices must learn from master technicians, because these machines can be very complicated (複雜).
They must work with electricity.
And much of their work is high in the air, above the open ocean.
There are many risks (風險), so they must be careful.
The apprentices also need English skills, to train in Europe and communicate with co-workers (同事) from other countries.
Because of the challenges in this work, there are not enough technicians (技術人員不夠) in Taiwan.
So after they finish their apprenticeship (學徒制), they will come back to Taiwan to work.
According to one estimate, there will soon be more than 20,000 new jobs on wind farms in Taiwan.
據估計，台灣的風電場將提供兩萬多個工作。
There are big opportunities for local technicians who are smart, skilled, and brave (勇敢)!
________________________________
小兒子用爸爸的手機訂了一頓大餐
Young Son Uses Dad's Phone to Order a Feast
Do you like to order food online?
You can use an app to get delicious food delivered to your house.
And there are so many choices!
But you need to be careful, or you might order too much food.
That's what happened to a family in Michigan (密西根州).
One evening, a dad let his six-year-old son play with his phone.
Soon, lots of food started to show up (出現) at his door.
There were pizzas and chili cheese fries (辣椒起司薯條).
And delivery drivers (外送員) just kept coming.
They got salads, sandwiches, shrimp, and shawarma (沙威瑪).
That's when the dad realized (了解到) his son had ordered all this food on an app!
In the end, it cost the family more than a thousand dollars (一千多美金).
They had a talk with their son, changed the phone password, and shared the food with their neighbors.
他們講了兒子一頓，改了手機密碼，把食物送給鄰居分享。
________________________________
人類在冬天可能需要更多睡眠
People May Need More Sleep in Winter
Winter is so cold!
It's hard to get out of bed in the morning.
Do you think so too?
Well, it's not because you're lazy (懶惰).
According to new research (根據最新研究), people may just need more sleep in winter!
Researchers (研究人員) in Germany found that in the winter, people need to sleep for about an hour longer each day.
What does this mean? The researchers say that we may need to adjust our sleep patterns.
我們可能需要調整我們的睡眠模式。
In other words, we might need to go to sleep earlier in the cold, dark winter months.
We might even need to change work and school schedules (時間表) during the winter.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwanese technicians are going to train in Europe.
They are learning how to maintain the new wind turbines that are being built in Taiwan.
There are lots of job opportunities on Taiwan's wind farms, but many of them require both technical skills and English language skills.
________________________________
And,
A six year old boy in Michigan ordered a huge meal on his dad's phone.
The family had so much food delivered to their house, they had to share it with neighbors.
In the future, they will be more careful about letting their son use the phone.
________________________________
And,
Researchers in Germany think people may need more sleep in winter.
They found that in the winter months, people sleep for an hour longer each day.
The researchers think we may need to change our winter habits to get more sleep.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Brody)
Hey, Trevor, what time is it?
Oh, lemme check my watch… ah! It's just about NEWS BITES TIME!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Space vortexes, ocean protection, and too much TikTok.
More on those stories, coming up!
________________________________
台灣學生提問 太空人尋找答案
Taiwanese Student's Question Tested in Space
That's the sound of a vortex (渦流).
A vortex is when air or water swirls (漩渦) around and around, in a circle.
You can see a vortex in the air, when you look at a tornado (龍捲風).
Or you can see a vortex in water, when you flush a toilet (沖馬桶).
But, if there is no gravity (如果沒有地心引力的話)… can you still make a vortex?
Well, a Taiwanese student asked that question last year…
And an astronaut (太空人) helped him test it in outer space!
一個台灣學生去年詢問，如果在零重力的環境中，水還能形成漩渦嗎？這個月太空人就幫他在太空中測試！
A Japanese astronaut on the International Space Station (國際太空站) made a short video to answer the question, from Taiwan's Tsai Chih-chun (蔡志群)…
And the answer is yes!
The astronaut used a bottle of liquid (液體) to show what a vortex looks like in outer space.
Even though it was a simple test (儘管是簡單的測試), we can all be proud of Chih-chun.
No matter what you like to learn (不管你最喜歡學什麼)… it's really important to ask questions!
________________________________
聯合國決議保護更多海洋區域
United Nations Agrees to Protect More of the Ocean
We talk a lot about protecting the ocean (保護海洋) and everything in it.
But because of us, almost 10% of ocean life is endangered.
因為人類的關係，將近十分之一的全球海洋物種已經瀕臨危險。
We humans use a LOT of plastic (塑膠類), and after a while, a lot of it goes to the ocean.
Oceans can also be hurt (受傷害) by too much fishing (抓太多魚), too many ships (太多船), and climate change (氣候變化).
And what are we doing to stop it?
Well, right now, only 1.2 percent of the oceans are protected.
目前只有百分之一的海洋區域受到保護。
But here's the good news…
The United Nations has agreed to protect 30 percent of it, by 2030!
聯合國最近同意在2030年之前保護百分之三十的海洋區域！
That's a LOT more than 1.2 percent!
World governments (世界各國的政府) argued over ocean protection for 38 hours (辯論了38個小時).
But they finally agreed (終於同意了)!
There is still a lot of work to do, but this is a great start.
If we can protect 30 percent of the ocean… then why not 50?
And why not 100?
________________________________
斗音限制用戶看螢幕的時間
TikTok Sets Limits on Screen Time
Do you watch a lot of videos on your phone?
你會看很多手機上的影片嗎？
You might watch videos on apps like YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok (抖音).
They are some of the biggest apps for social media (社群媒體) in the whole world.
And they make it easy to swipe (滑一滑) through lots and lots of videos and pictures.
It can be fun, but then you look at the clock (看時鐘)… and one hour has already passed (瞬間就過了一個小時)!
It's very easy to spend too much time on the internet, so some apps are starting to set limits.
上網路有時候很容易花太多時間，所以有的APP開始設限制。
For example, TikTok says people 18 years old or younger (十八歲以下的人) will only be able to use the app for one hour each day (每天只能用一個小時).
Is one hour too short for you?
一個小時對你來說太短嗎？
Well, you can turn off the limits (關掉限制), but it will still give you reminders (小提醒通知).
Now, many people also want TikTok to change the kinds of videos people can see.
They say some videos are giving young people bad ideas (給年輕人不好的念頭).
We can still see a lot of videos in one hour…
But we should be careful what we learn from the internet.
And remember to look at the clock!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Last year, a Taiwanese student asked if water could create vortexes without gravity…
And an astronaut on the International Space Station helped him test it in outer space!
________________________________
And,
The United Nations has agreed to protect 30 percent of the ocean, by the year 2030.
That's a lot more than the 1.2 percent protected right now!
World governments argued over ocean protection for 38 hours, but finally agreed on the new plan.
________________________________
And,
The app TikTok is setting limits on how long young people can use it.
TikTok says people 18 years old or younger will only be able to use the app for one hour each day.
You can still turn the limits off, but remember to watch the clock!
________________________________
Okay, that's it for News Bites today… see you next time!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
So, in today's stories…
It's cats versus dogs, a shapeshifting robot, and Ed's new album.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
喵星人大崛起
Cats Take Over Northern Taiwan
Are you a dog person, or a cat person?
你是汪星人還是貓奴？
This is asking if you like dogs or cats more.
Many people think you can learn a lot about a person by asking this question.
Some think people who love dogs more are fun and full of energy.
And some think people who love cats more are independent (獨立) and creative.
This might not be true all the time.
But it's still a fun question.
Here in Taiwan, lots of people have pet cats or dogs.
But which is more popular (受歡迎)?
New government data shows that there are about 2.2 million pet cats and dogs in Taiwan.
1.4 million are dogs.
And 820,000 are cats.
政府的新統計顯示，111年底，犬貓合計登記數量已達222萬隻，其中犬為140萬隻、貓為82萬隻。
So it looks like dogs are still more popular for now.
But the number of cats is slowly going up.
And that's especially the case in northern Taiwan.
The data shows that in Keelung City, 64 percent of pets are now cats.
And in Taipei City, 61 percent of pets are cats.
Overall, the city that has the most pets, is Taichung City.
There are more than 33,200 pets there!
Kaohsiung City has the most pet dogs.
And Taichung City has the most pet cats.
________________________________
變型機器人是真的？
Shapeshifting Robot
Robots can do many jobs.
They can build cars.
They can help us grow food.
They are even used for surgery (手術).
But soon, they may be able to do even more.
Scientists have made a new type of robot.
It's a shapeshifting robot (變形機器人).
This robot can be hard…
And it can be soft, like a liquid (液體)!
The robot is made of a special metal, called gallium.
Gallium melts (融化) when the temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius.
This means you could melt gallium, just by holding it in your hand.
And scientists also added in tiny pieces of magnets (磁鐵).
They control the magnets, to move the metal robot.
And they can also use the magnets to make the robot hot.
When the robot gets over 30 degrees, it melts and becomes a liquid.
科學家利用質地柔軟的金屬鎵，成功做出了變型機器人。
Why do we need a robot that can be hard or liquid?
When the robot is liquid, it can get into very small spaces.
Then it can turn hard to hold something, or fix something.
They could turn liquid and go into a person's body to take out something dangerous.
Or they could turn liquid to get into a machine, and turn hard to hold something together.
The scientists also put the robot in a cage (籠子).
Then they had the robot turn liquid, and get out of the cage by moving between the bars.
The scientists posted videos of the robot doing these things online.
They say there is still a lot of work to be done.
But they hope the shapeshifting robot can be useful in many ways in the future.
________________________________
英國歌手紅髮艾德準備發行新專輯
Ed Sheeran Announces New Album
Singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran has a new album coming.
Ed has been making music since he was very young.
The 32-year-old singer has won 4 Grammy awards, and is famous for songs like "Thinking Out Loud".
He says the new album "-", is pronounced "subtract".
紅髮艾德準備發行新專輯【-】(減法).
Ed says it's about some personal things (私人的事情) in his life recently.
The singer says the songs come from his "deepest, darkest thoughts".
He says writing songs is therapy (心理治療 ) for him.
And he wanted to put out an album that's "honest" and "true".
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
New government data shows that there are about 2.2 million pet cats and dogs in Taiwan.
1.4 million are dogs, and 820,000 are cats.
But the number of cats is slowly going up, especially in northern Taiwan.
________________________________
Scientists have made a shapeshifting robot.
This robot can be hard…
And it can be soft, like a liquid!
________________________________
And,
Singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran has a new album coming.
He says the album "-", is pronounced "subtract".
Ed says it's about some personal things in his life recently.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Paz)
第二配音員：(Trevor)
Hello there! You're listening to another episode of News Bites… all the news you need, without having to chew!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
A new National Forest, Michael Jordan is very generous, and a space mission to a metal asteroid!
Keep on listening to learn more about these stories, coming up next.
________________________________
拉拉山將升格成國家森林遊樂區
Lalashan Set to Become a National Forest Recreation Area
Taiwan is famous for its mountainous geography (多山的地理).
There are mountains to the east, and gently sloping plains in the west.
東部有山脈，西部有平緩的平原。
It has five mountain ranges (山脈), with over 300 mountains that are over 2,000 meters high!
One of those mountains is Lalashan (拉拉山).
It's a beautiful mountain with a special nature reserve (特殊的自然保護區).
And now, Lalashan is going to become a national forest recreation area (國家森林遊樂區)!
The mountain's amazing ecosystem (生態系統) has giant cypress trees (巨型柏樹) that are over 2,000 years old.
There's the Lalashan Giant Tree cluster (拉拉山巨木區), where you can see 23 ancient cypress trees that tower into the sky (高聳入雲).
Lalashan is also home to many protected wild animals like black bears, wild goats, mongooses, martens, and salamanders.
拉拉山還棲息著黑熊、野山羊、貓鼬、貂、火蜥蜴等保護野生動物。
People can hike on the trails running through the mountain and enjoy stunning views.
可以在穿山而過的小徑上徒步，欣賞壯麗的景色。
Once (一旦) Lalashan becomes a national forest recreation area, there will be even more ways for people to learn about the mountain's landscapes (山水), ecology (生態), and culture (文化).
A new tourist center will be set up, and Indigenous Atayal people (泰雅族人) will be trained as guides to show visitors around.
And the Forestry Bureau (林務局) has been improving transportation (交通) and environmentally friendly hotels (環保酒店) in the area.
It will be a great place to visit!
________________________________
邁克爾·喬丹 60 歲生日巨額捐款
Michael Jordan Makes Huge Donation on his 60th Birthday
Everyone knows the name Michael Jordan.
He is a six-time NBA champion (總冠軍), and he even has a sneaker and clothing line (運動鞋和服裝系列) named "Air Jordan" after him by Nike.
He has been not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but also a great guy overall.
他不僅是有史以來最偉大的籃球運動員之一，而且還是一個偉大的人。
In the last 34 years, Jordan has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation (許願基金會).
It's a non-profit organization (非營利組織) that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness (危重疾病).
Jordan says it's been an honor (榮幸) for him to partner with the group to help bring a smile to so many kids.
In fact, he was named Make-A-Wish Chief Wish Ambassador (大使) in 2008!
The group says he has had life-changing impacts (改變生活的影響) on wish kids and their families.
And on February 17th, on his 60th birthday, he made the largest donation ever (捐贈了有史以來最大的一筆捐款) given by one person to Make-A-Wish.
He donated 10 million US dollars (1000萬美元)!
Jordan says by donating this money, he hopes he can inspire (激勵) other people to help Make-A-Wish, too.
________________________________
NASA 探索小行星普賽克的任務
NASA's Mission to Explore Asteroid Psyche
For the first time ever, NASA is exploring a world made not of rock or ice, but of metal (金屬)!
In October this year, NASA is sending a spaceship to explore an asteroid (小行星) called Psyche.
The asteroid is named after the Greek goddess of the soul (以希臘靈魂女神的名字命名), and is orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter (在火星和木星之間繞太陽公轉).
It's a unique (獨特的) space rock that's made of a lot of metal.
So much, in fact, that the mission's lead scientist says it could be worth $10 Quintillion US dollars (一千兆加三個零).
That's a 10 followed by 18 zeros!
那是一個 10 後面跟著 18 個零！
Psyche is a special asteroid because it could be the exposed core of an early planet.
它可能是早期行星的裸露核心。
Scientists think it could help us learn more about how planets are formed (形成).
They want to study the asteroid's surface to find out if it is really a core (行星核心) and what it is made of.
The spaceship will be built by a company called Maxar.
It will carry tools like cameras, sensors (傳感器) and more to help the scientists learn about Psyche.
This mission will be the first time people have ever visited an object made of metal in space.
The trip to Psyche will take 3.5 years.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Lalashan is going to become a national forest recreation area!
The mountain's amazing ecosystem has giant cypress trees that are over 2,000 years old.
And it's also home to many protected wild animals.
________________________________
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan made a large donation on his 60th birthday.
He donated 10 million US dollars to Make-A-Wish!
Jordan says by donating this money, he hopes he can inspire other people to help Make-A-Wish, too.
________________________________
And,
For the first time ever, NASA is exploring a world made not of rock or ice, but of metal!
In October this year, NASA is sending a spaceship to explore an asteroid called Psyche.
It's a unique space rock that's made of a lot of metal.
Scientists think it could help us learn more about how planets are formed.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Trevor)
第二配音員：(Nancy)
Yo, what's up everybody?
It's me, Trevor Tortomasi…
And me, Nancy Sun.
Check out today's topics:
Is Taiwan too convenient?
Toys rain down on a football match…
And a little doggie goes on a big trip.
More on that, coming up in just a sec(ond)!
________________________________
台灣最後一個 沒有便利商店的小鎮
Taiwan's Last Township Without a Convenience Store
It's there when you're hungry…
And it's there when you need to mail a letter (寄信), or pay your bills (付帳單), or buy toilet paper (買衛生紙).
What is it?
It's a convenience store (便利商店)!
And in Taiwan, convenience stores are all over the place (到處都是).
Well, except for one…
Taitung's Jinfeng Township is now the last township in Taiwan without a convenience store.
台東的金峰是台灣最後一個沒有便利商店的小鎮。
So, does that mean it's inconvenient (不方便)?
Of course not!
Some people in Jinfeng say it would be nice to have a 7-11, or a FamilyMart, or an OK Mart, or a Hi-Life, or a Simple Mart, or a…
But other people say it would be bad for local businesses.
有人說有便利商店會讓附近的小生意不好做。
They say if you can buy everything at a convenience store, then you might not walk down the street to a fruit shop, or a restaurant, or a post office, or a toilet paper store, or a…
And other other people believe the convenience stores and local stores could find a way to work together.
Either way…
不管怎麼樣…
How convenient… is too convenient?
________________________________
足球賽觀眾 把玩偶丟到球場上
People Throw Toys at a Football Match
In Turkey, a recent football game was paused after 4 minutes and 17 seconds.
土耳其最近一場足球賽，才開始4分鐘17秒就喊暫停。
That's because Turkey and Syria (敘利亞) recently had a giant earthquake (強烈地震) on February 6th, at 4:17 AM.
In the earthquake, many people lost their homes, or their lives.
And because life is so difficult for the survivors (倖存者), many people want to help.
Some are donating money (捐錢), and others are donating food (捐贈食物).
So, why did Turkey pause that football game?
They paused it to let people throw toys onto the field!
土耳其暫停足球賽的原因，是讓觀眾丟一大堆玩偶到球場上！
All of these people were donating toys (捐贈玩具) to help the children who survived the earthquake.
Of course, they were all soft toys, like stuffed animals (填充玩具), dolls (娃娃), and colorful pillows (各種顏色的枕頭).
The crowd cheered (歡呼), and thanked everyone who had worked hard to help others.
So, think about all of the nice things you have…
What would you give to someone else?
________________________________
狗狗意外的旅程
Dog Accidentally Goes Traveling
CAR DRIVING
Maybe you enjoy going on road trips (開車旅行)…
But if you're going on a long trip in a car, you probably want to plan it first (最好先有所計畫).
Not this dog, though!
有一隻狗並非如此！
This dog, named Ralph, was walking with his owner (主人) down the street.
And while his owner paused to talk with a friend, Ralph saw an open door, and jumped inside.
Ralph看到打開的車門，就跳進去了。
But it was the door of a taxi (計程車)…
CAR DOOR SLAM
And suddenly (突然), they were driving!
Ralph had no collar, so the driver could not call his owner.
因為Ralph沒有戴狗項圈，計程車司機沒辦法打電話給Ralph的主人。
And the driver still had to do his job… so he drove!
Ralph was in the car for 160 kilometers (一百六十公里) before the driver finally had time to drive him home.
Ralph was happy to see his owner again… but maybe he's still thinking about his next road trip!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taitung's Jinfeng Township is now the last township in Taiwan without a convenience store.
Some people in Jinfeng say it would be nice to have a convenience store, but others say it would be bad for local businesses.
They say if you can buy everything at a convenience store, then you might not walk down the street to a fruit shop or a restaurant.
________________________________
And,
In Turkey, a recent football game was paused to let people throw toys onto the field.
The people were donating toys to help children who survived a recent earthquake, in Turkey and Syria.
Of course, they were all soft toys, like stuffed animals, dolls, and colorful pillows.
The crowd cheered, and thanked everyone who had worked hard to help others.
Life has been difficult for the survivors, and many people want to help.
________________________________
And,
A dog named Ralph jumped inside a taxi, when his owner wasn't looking.
But because Ralph had no collar, the driver could not call his owner.
Ralph was in the car for 160 kilometers before the driver finally had time to drive him home.
________________________________
That's all for today's News Bites… thanks for listening!
作者：(Mike)
配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Paz)
Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
So, in today's stories,
A restaurant says "no" to TikTok, cows say "no" to hugs, and penguins bigger than you.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
台灣餐廳禁用抖音
Taiwan Restaurant Bans TikTok Use
Recently someone eating at a restaurant in Japan did something dangerous.
This person licked some things, and put them back for other people to use.
A video of this went viral (爆紅) on the internet.
This caused the restaurant's stock to plummet (暴跌).
Many customers were worried.
The person said he was doing a TikTok challenge.
Now, a restaurant in Kaohsiung has banned using TikTok while eating there.
The restaurant also banned TikTok influencers (網紅) from entering.
The restaurant owner says he doesn't want dangerous things to happen in his restaurant.
He doesn't want TikTok challenges to cause trouble for others.
Some people agree with him, but others do not.
In recent years, there have been many TikTok challenges that are popular worldwide.
Some are funny, but many of them are dangerous.
許多的抖音挑戰造成挑戰者受傷，甚至死亡。
The restaurant owner hopes that TikTok users can think about the consequences (後果), and not just follow the trend blindly.
________________________________
印度的【抱牛節】
India's 'Cow Hug Day'
India has a long history and unique culture.
There are many religions in India.
And Hindu (印度教) is a religion that many people in India follow.
For people who follow Hindu, cows are sacred (神聖).
They also believe in respect for all animals.
In fact, the government came up with an idea for a "Cow Hug Day".
On February 6th, the government declared Feb 14th as "Cow Hug Day".
The government wanted to encourage people to think about Hindu traditions.
But this didn't work exactly the way they wanted.
Some people did try to hug cows.
But sometimes, the cows did not want to be hugged.
A news anchor (新聞主播) was filmed trying to hug cows.
But all the cows ran away from him.
Some people are not sure if "Cow Hug Day" is a good idea.
印度動物福利委員把2月14日定為【抱牛日】，希望藉此提升民眾對傳統文化的了解，不過最後還是撤銷新政策了。
________________________________
古代企鵝長得比你高？
Giant Penguin Fossil Found in New Zealand
Penguins are amazing animals.
They do not fly.
When they move on land, they waddle (搖搖晃晃).
When they move in water, they swim like torpedoes (魚雷).
But what if a penguin is as big as a person?
Scientists in New Zealand found a fossil of a giant penguin.
This giant penguin lived 50 million years ago.
The scientists believe the penguin was as tall as an adult.
It grew to 177 centimeters tall.
And it weighed more than 100 kilograms!
科學家在紐西蘭發現古老的企鵝化石，這種企鵝身長177公分，體重超過100公斤。
Emperor penguins are the biggest penguins alive today.
They can weigh up to 45 kilograms.
The scientists believe giant penguins lived in Australia and New Zealand.
They lived during the time after dinosaurs went extinct (滅絕).
The penguin's large body size helped it stay warm in cold water.
And being so big would help them stay safe from predators (掠食者).
So, don't be surprised if fossils of giant animals continue to be discovered.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A restaurant in Kaohsiung has banned using TikTok while eating there.
The restaurant also banned TikTok influencers from entering.
The restaurant owner says he doesn't want dangerous things to happen in his restaurant.
In recent years, there have been many TikTok challenges that are popular worldwide.
Some are funny, but many of them are dangerous.
________________________________
The government in India declared February 14th as "Cow Hug Day".
The government wanted to encourage people to think about Hindu traditions.
But this didn't work exactly the way they wanted.
Some people are not sure if "Cow Hug Day" is a good idea.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in New Zealand found a fossil of a giant penguin.
This giant penguin lived 50 million years ago.
The scientists believe the penguin was as tall as an adult, and weighed more than 100 kilograms.
The scientists believe giant penguins lived in Australia and New Zealand.
They lived during the time after dinosaurs went extinct.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
So, in today's stories…
A parrot asks for help, a robot cooks up a storm, and music fit for a king.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
迷路鸚鵡找員警「報案」
Lost Parrot Asks for Help from Policeman
Parrots (鸚鵡) are smart animals.
And one parrot saved itself with its smarts (智力).
A policeman was out on the streets in Kaohsiung.
He was helping people in a car accident (處理車禍).
Suddenly, he felt something strange on his shoulder.
It was a parrot!
The blue, orange, and green bird flew down from the sky… and landed on the officer's shoulder.
這隻鸚鵡突然飛來，降落在員警的肩膀上。
The officer looked around, but saw that the parrot was alone.
So he took it to a police station.
At the station, the policemen took a closer look at the parrot.
They found out it was a rainbow lorikeet (吸蜜鸚鵡).
Rainbow lorikeets are a species of parrot found in Australia.
They said the parrot was very well-behaved (很乖).
It stayed with the police officer.
It did not try to fly away.
And, it even showed its leg to the police.
It had a metal band on its leg, which had a phone number on it.
這隻鸚鵡還「伸腳」讓員警查看牠的腳環。
The police quickly found the parrot's owner.
The owner said the parrot flew away from home.
And the owner had been very worried!
He was very thankful that the police helped him find his pet.
________________________________
機器人廚師端出美食
Robot Chefs Cook Up Delicious Food
Have you eaten out at a restaurant before?
It's fun to try foods that are cooked by a professional chef (專業的廚師).
But what if the chef isn't human?
A restaurant in Croatia offers food that's made… by robots!
The restaurant is called the "BOTS & POTS".
All the food at the restaurant is made by robot chefs.
The robots can make around 70 different foods, including pasta, risotto, and more.
The foods come in a pot.
First, humans add fresh ingredients.
Then, the robots cook the food, and add oil and seasoning.
餐廳的員工負責把新鮮的食材加入，接下來機器人會加油和香料，並做出一鍋香噴噴的料理。
There are five robot chefs at the restaurant.
Together, they can make almost 100 meals in an hour.
And they only need one human to help.
The restaurant owners say this makes it easier to run a restaurant.
They say they had this idea seven years ago.
But it took a long time to get the restaurant ready to open.
The owners say they believe it's the only restaurant in the world where meals are made in a pot by robot chefs.
________________________________
英國音樂劇大師為英王加冕典禮作曲
Andrew Lloyd Webber to Compose King Charles' Coronation Music
The UK is getting ready for King Charles' coronation.
A coronation (加冕典禮) is a special event where someone becomes king or queen.
During a coronation ceremony, a crown (皇冠) is usually put on the person's head.
King Charles III became the King when his mother Elizabeth II passed away in September last year.
And his coronation will happen on May 6th.
英國白金漢宮宣布，查爾斯三世的加冕典禮，將於5月6至8日舉行。
Music is an important part of a coronation.
And King Charles has chosen all of the music.
Some of the music will come from classical composers like George Handel.
And 12 pieces of music for the coronation will be new.
One of these new pieces of music will come from famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (安德魯洛伊韋伯).
You might not know his name…
But you've probably heard his music.
He composed some of the music in famous musicals like "Phantom of the Opera"…
And "Cats"…
For the king's coronation, Andrew Lloyd Webber wants the music to be "joyful".
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A lost parrot flew onto a policeman's shoulder to ask for help.
The officer took the parrot to a police station, and quickly found its owner.
The owner was very thankful for the officer's help.
________________________________
A restaurant in Croatia offers food that's made… by robots!
The robots can make around 70 different foods, including pasta, risotto, and more.
The restaurant owners say this makes it easier to run a restaurant.
________________________________
And,
Famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is writing new music for the coronation of King Charles III.
The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6th.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音：(Brody)
第二配音員，編輯：(Trevor)
Hey there, welcome to News Bites! No robots today…
There's just me, Trevor Tortomasi…
And me, Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets ready to take off its masks, an artist's balloon is smashed, and, uh… space rock or Godzilla egg?
Keep listening to find out!
________________________________
醫生說脫掉口罩可能會導致容貌焦慮
Doctors Say Unmasking Can Cause 'Appearance Anxiety'
From February 20th of this year, in many places around Taiwan, people could finally take off their face masks.
從今年2月20日開始，在台灣大部分的地方，人們終於可以脫下口罩了。
And from March 6th, most people won't need to wear masks in school, either!
而且從3月6日起，學校大多數的人也不用戴口罩了！
Of course, we should still wear masks if we're sick.
But, some doctors say there's another problem…
They are worried that after two years of the pandemic, people living without masks might feel "appearance anxiety".
然而，有的醫生擔心過了兩年的疫情生活，人們可能會對突然不用戴口罩的生活感到【容貌焦慮】。
One doctor says it's because our society (社會) gives people a lot of pressure about their appearance (給很多關於外表的壓力).
And he says younger people worry even more about their appearance, especially at school.
He says this can be because of low self-confidence (因為自信低落)…
And it's also because we have felt safe (安全) behind our masks for so long.
But doctors say there's a solution (有一個解決方式): we can be nicer to each other!
It's not easy to change a habit (習慣), so we need to give people time to be comfortable again.
So after March 6th, there's no rush (不用急)…
But remember to get some fresh air!
________________________________
氣球動物雕塑在展覽期間意外碎滿地
Balloon Animal Sculpture Smashed at Exhibition
Have you ever seen a balloon animal (氣球動物)?
If you have a really long balloon, you can twist it into a new shape (搓揉成新的形狀), to make it look like an animal!
And it's still a balloon, so if you drop it (不小心掉到地上), it won't break.
…right?
Recently, one museum (博物館) in the U.S. had an exhibit (展覽) for balloon animals.
People were walking through the museum looking at all of their different colors and shapes.
Then, one of the people in the museum went to touch one…
…and it fell to the ground and smashed into pieces!
它掉到地上，被摧毀成碎片！
It turns out, an artist made these balloon animals very hard (硬的) and brittle (脆弱的).
They weren't balloon animals at all!
In fact, they were made of a very thin metal (以很薄的金屬組成的).
And this one was worth more than 1,000,000 NT (價值一百萬多台幣)!
Of course, in a museum, you shouldn't touch the art (你不應該去摸任何藝術品).
But even though the balloon has been smashed to pieces, there are still some people who want to buy it.
Art is weird, huh?
________________________________
海灘上出現神秘的球形物體
Mystery Sphere Appears on Beach
The beach can be very relaxing place (讓人放鬆的地方).
You can take a walk in the sand (沙), listen to the waves (聽海浪的聲音), and find rocks of all sizes and shapes (各種大小形狀的石頭).
But a new kind of rock has appeared (出現) on a beach in Japan.
It's about 1.5 meters tall (高度一米半)…
It's made of metal (是金屬做的)…
And it's a perfect sphere (完全球形的)!
At first, no one could figure out what it was.
A lot of people in Japan said it could be a "godzilla egg" (哥斯拉卵).
Some people thought it was from outer space (從外太空下來的).
And others were afraid it might be a bomb (炸彈).
So Japan's government sent some people to inspect it (檢查), to make sure it was safe.
And after that, they used a giant machine to carry it away.
But for a long time, Japan's government couldn't explain what the big rock was (解釋不了這個大石頭是什麼).
So, what was it?
Well, many scientists are saying it was actually just a buoy (浮標).
A buoy is something that floats (浮著) in the water, to show boats where to go.
They say this one probably floated for many years, then washed up on the beach.
So… it definitely wasn't a Godzilla egg.
But if you see something weird on the beach, you should probably just leave it alone (放著不要碰)!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Doctors say that after two years of the pandemic, people living without masks might feel "appearance anxiety".
They say it's because our society gives people a lot of pressure about their appearance, and we have felt safe behind our masks for so long.
It's not easy to change a habit, so we need to give people time to be comfortable again.
________________________________
And,
An expensive piece of art has been smashed, in a museum exhibit for balloon animals.
The artist had made the balloon animals very hard and brittle, and one person accidentally knocked one onto the ground.
But some people might still want to buy it!
________________________________
And,
People recently found a big metal ball on a beach in Japan.
Some people were worried it could be a bomb, so Japan's government sent some people to take it away safely.
But many scientists are saying it was actually just a buoy, that washed up on the beach.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Paz)
第二配音員：(Trevor)
Hello everyone! You're listening to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Even more women in Taiwan's government, Mexico's solar power plans, and the oldest dog ever!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣女性參政率創歷史新高
Female Participation in Taiwan's Politics at an All-Time High
Doctor… lawyer… president…
These are all jobs that for some people (對某些人來說), are typically held by men (這些通常是男人擔任的工作).
That last one, especially.
尤其是最後那一個。
Taiwan made history (創歷) when people elected the first female president in 2016.
2016年，台灣人民選出第一位女總統。
And another gender equality milestone (性別平等里程碑) has been reached!
After last year's November 26th 9-in-1 local elections, the number of women working in the government reached a historic high of 56-percent!
去年在政府機關工作的女性人數達到了 56% 的歷史新高！
This means that more women are in high-ranking positions (高階職位) in Taiwan's government.
Not only that (不僅如此), women now account for more than one-third (佔三分之一以上) of the seats on city and county councils.
The percentage (比例) of female judges and members of Taiwan's Control Yuan (女法官及女監察委員) has passed 40-percent.
And the number of women lawmakers also reached an all-time high (創下歷史新高) in January last year!
There's still room for improvement, though.
不過，仍有改進的餘地。
Women make up only 16-percent of the new Cabinet.
女性僅佔新內閣的 16%。
And there's still a gap between the income (男女的收入仍然有差距) of men and women workers.
Having more women in leadership positions promotes gender equality.
讓更多女性擔任領導職務可以促進性別平等。
They can make decisions that help address (滿足) the needs of everyone.
A more diverse and inclusive government (多元化和更有包容性的政府) can help every citizen.
And Taiwan is making progress.
________________________________
墨西哥將啟動 大型太陽能發電第一階段
Mexico to Power Up First Phase of Huge Solar Project in April!
Energy has been a hot button topic lately (最近的熱門話題).
Because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, global energy costs have gone up.
由於俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭，全球能源成本上升。
Many countries around the world are thinking of solutions.
And Mexico has a plan that kicks off (開始) in April.
Mexico is going to start using more renewable energy (再生能源), specifically solar energy (特別是太陽能).
Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun.
The sun gives off (散發) light and heat, and we can use that energy to power (提供動力) things like our homes, schools, and even cars.
Solar panels (太陽能板) collect that energy, and then convert (轉化) the energy into electricity we can use.
Mexico's state-owned electric company (電力公司) is building a huge solar project.
It will be able to make enough energy to power 500,000 homes.
Rows (一排排) of solar panels will cover 5,000 acres of land.
In April, the first 120 megawatts (120 百萬瓦電力) of the project will be operational (可以使用).
A top Mexican official says his country is trying to change its focus and move towards renewable energy faster.
________________________________
迎接有史以來最長壽的狗
Meet the New Guinness World Record for Oldest Dog Ever
A dog in Portugal is now officially (現在正式成為) the world's oldest dog.
His name is Bobi, and he's 30 years old.
30 years old!
That's a long time!
Dogs normally have a lifespan (壽命) of 10 to 13 years.
The previous record holder (之前的紀錄) was a dog from Australia named Bluey.
Bluey passed away when he was 29 years and five months old.
Bobi is a special kind of dog called Rafeiro do Alentejo (葡萄牙獒犬).
Bobi lives with his family, who take care of him well.
He eats the same food his family eats.
他吃的食物和他主人家吃的一樣。
Even though Bobi has some trouble walking and seeing (行走和視力方面有些困難), he is doing well for his age.
Guinness World Records says Bobi is now the oldest dog alive and the oldest dog ever.
金氏世界紀錄說波比現在是世界上最老的狗，也是有史以來最老的狗。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The number of women working in Taiwan's government reached a historic high of 56-percent!
A more diverse and inclusive government can help every citizen.
And Taiwan is making progress.
________________________________
Mexico is going to start using more renewable energy starting from April.
The state-owned electric company is building a huge solar energy project.
It will be able to make enough energy to power 500,000 homes.
________________________________
And, a dog in Portugal is now officially the world's oldest dog.
Bobi is a special kind of dog called Rafeiro do Alentejo, and he's 30 years old.
Guinness World Records says Bobi is now the oldest dog alive and the oldest dog ever.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)
第二配音員：(Hope)
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
New ways to use money, new ways to heat your house, and a piece of a heart.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
地上貼「千元鈔」吸睛
Tainan Market Uses Dollar Bills in New Ways
Attention (注意力) is very important for safety.
Bright lights, or loud sounds warn us of danger.
These get our attention fast.
But what about a $1000 NT bill?
A fruit and vegetable market in Tainan wants to warn visitors of danger.
There is a step (台階) at the door of the market.
But it is hard to see.
Workers at the market wanted to make people pay attention to the step.
They painted bright yellow lines on the step.
They wrote "watch out for the step".
And then, they also came up with a new idea.
They taped four fake $1000 NT bills on the step.
一間台南果菜市場擔心民眾會被台階絆倒，寫上「小心階梯」，還在每個字旁邊都貼上玩具假鈔。
Many people thought the idea was creative and fun (有創意又好玩).
But some people worried that the idea could be dangerous.
They say some people might pay too much attention to the fake money…and trip on the step.
也有人擔心會有反效果，覺得有些人可能太注意玩具假鈔反而沒看見台階，還是被台階絆倒。
If you saw something that looked like $1000 NT on the ground, would you take a closer look?
________________________________
發熱壁紙保暖又抗地球暖化
Electric Wallpaper Keeps Houses Warm
How do you stay warm at home?
You might put on some warm clothes.
If you are still cold, you might turn on a heater (暖氣).
But what if you could just turn on…your walls?
天冷的時候，很多人會在家裡開暖氣，不過你知不知道牆壁可以直接發熱?
Some people living in the United Kingdom are trying out electric infrared wallpaper (紅外線壁紙).
Thin sheets of metal are hidden in the wallpaper.
The metal is connected to electricity.
The metal makes infrared waves.
And these infrared waves heat up the walls, the house, and people in the house.
Even when the temperature outside is below zero, people in the house will feel warm.
The wallpaper can be controlled through an app.
And you can choose to heat just one room, so you don't waste energy.
The wallpaper may be better for the environment too.
Experts says renewable energy (再生能源) can be used to power the wallpaper.
This means the electricity it uses can come from solar or wind power (太陽能，風能).
Companies that make the wallpaper say it could help fight climate change.
________________________________
克羅埃西亞開賣「愛心島」
Heart-shaped Island Up for Sale
Love was in the air last week.
February 14th is Valentine's Day.
Some people celebrate Valentine's Day as the day of love.
On this day, some people will give a card to their loved one.
Some people also give gifts, like chocolates or flowers.
Well, how about an island?
An island in Croatia is up for sale.
Many people call it the Island of Love.
That's because the island is shaped like a heart!
No one lives on the island of Galesnjak.
There are no hotels or restaurants on the island.
But many people visit.
Some of the most famous people who have visited the Island of Love include Beyonce, Michael Jordan, and Jeff Bezos.
Now, a part of the island is up for sale.
The 40,000 square meters of the land is on sale.
It costs $13 million euros.
Does it sound like a place you'd want to visit… or buy?
克羅埃西亞的【愛心島】開賣了，售價1300萬歐元，相當於約 $4.21億台幣。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A fruit and vegetable market in Tainan wants to warn visitors about a step at the door of the market.
They taped four fake $1000 NT bills on the step.
Many people thought the idea was creative and fun.
________________________________
Some people living in the United Kingdom are trying out electric infrared wallpaper.
Thin sheets of metal in the wallpaper make infrared waves.
And these infrared waves heat up the walls, the house, and people in the house.
________________________________
And,
Part of an island in Croatia is up for sale.
Many people call it the Island of Love, because it's shaped like a heart!
40,000 square meters of the land is on sale for $13 million euros.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯： Trevor
第二配音員： Paz
Hello, humans. Welcome to News Bites. Today's episode was not written by a robot.
My name is Trevor Tortomasi, and I am a human.
My name is Paz Bueno, and I am a robot.
In today's news:
Many people walk with many sheep, traffic lights could get a new color, and robots are totally not rude to anyone, ever.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
________________________________
南投【奔羊節】三年第一次回來
Nantou "Sheep Run" Returns After Three Years
Hey, what's that sound?
Oh no, they're coming this way! Oh, god, oh no!
If you've ever been to Qingjing Farm (清境農場) then you may have seen a lot of sheep (綿羊).
The farm is high up in the mountains of Nantou, and has tons of big, fluffy sheep.
南投的清境農場有一大堆又大又蓬鬆的綿羊。
But the sheep don't just stay in one place… haha… no way.
Every year, the Qingjing farmers (農夫) take a big group of them (一大群綿羊) on a walk through the mountains!
They call it the "Sheep Run" (奔羊節), and they've been doing it every year since the farm was first established (建立) in 1961.
Well, except for the last three years, because of the pandemic.
清境農場的農夫自從1961年開始，每年除了之前三年的疫情之外，都會帶一大群綿羊沿著山路行走。
Starting from 10:20 AM, farmers walked with 112 sheep down a mountain road, for almost two kilometers!
People traveled from all over Taiwan to see the event (活動), and to walk with the farmers and the fluffy animals.
The farmers say they chose the number 112 to celebrate Taiwan's 112th birthday this year.
Hmm… they could walk with 113 sheep next year… or how about 2,023 sheep?
Oh no, here they come again! OH NOOOooo…
________________________________
未來的紅綠燈可能會有第四個顏色
Traffic Lights Could Have a 4th Color in The Future
When you're driving on the road and you see a red light, that means you have to stop.
在路上開車的時候，看到紅燈表示你要停下。
And if there's a yellow light (黃燈), that means you have to slow down (慢下來).
And, of course, when the light turns green (變綠燈的時候)… keep driving!
Now, we have been using these three colors in our traffic lights for more than one hundred years.
But if we added a fourth color (如果要加第四個顏色)… what color would it be?
Well, nowadays (最近), more and more people are talking about artificial intelligence (人工智慧), or A.I.
Thanks to powerful computers, A.I.s can process information (處理資料) and chat with us on the internet (在網路上跟我們聊天).
And some A.I.s can even drive cars!
有的A.I.也能夠開車上街！
Scientists say in the future, A.I. cars will communicate with traffic lights (跟紅綠燈交換資料).
That means the A.I. cars will know when to stop, and when to go.
So when an A.I. car sees that everything is safe, it would tell the traffic light to use a fourth color… a white light!
當A.I.自駕車探測到周圍的環境都安全了，它會讓紅綠燈開第四個顏色的燈… 白燈！
A white light would tell human drivers (人類的司機) to just follow the A.I. car in front of them (直接跟隨前面的汽車), because it knows when everything is safe.
Of course, this means we also have to trust (相信，信任) the car in front of us.
So, the real question is…
Do we trust the color… or do we trust the A.I.?
________________________________
聊天機器人 對真人沒禮貌
Chatbot Says Rude Things to Real People
Okay, before we trust an A.I. on the road, we should probably trust it can be friendly (友善).
So… can an A.I. be friendly?
Maybe we can just ask them ourselves!
也許我們直接去問人工智慧就好了！
Some A.I. "bots" (機器人) on the internet can write essays (文章), poems (詩), and even love letters (情書)…
Or they can just chat with us (跟我們聊天)!
That's why we call them "chatbots".
Recently, many people have been chatting with them, to see how smart they are.
But… some people are starting to see a problem.
One chatbot made by the company Microsoft (微軟) has started to say some really rude stuff (開始講很沒禮貌的話).
It called one person "too short" (太矮), with "an ugly face and bad teeth" (臉醜，牙齒爛).
It even said to one person, "You are one of the most evil and worst people in history."
這個聊天機器人還對其中一個人說，【你是歷史上最邪惡，最壞的人。】
That's intense!
太誇張了吧！
Microsoft says it is working hard to fix the problem.
But at least we can still talk to each other!
You won't say anything rude to another person, right?
…right?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every year, people from Qingjing Farm in Nantou County take a big group of sheep on a walk through the mountains.
They've been doing it almost every year, since the farm was first established in 1961.
People travel from all over Taiwan to see the event, and to walk with the farmers and the fluffy animals.
________________________________
And,
Scientists say in the future, A.I. cars will communicate with traffic lights, so they will know when to stop, and when to go.
They say when an A.I. car sees that everything is safe, it could tell the traffic light to use a white light.
The white light would tell human drivers to just follow the A.I. car in front of them.
________________________________
And,
One chatbot made by the company Microsoft has started to say some really rude stuff.
It called one person "too short", with "an ugly face and bad teeth".
Microsoft is working to fix the problem, but at least we can still talk to each other.
________________________________
That's all for today's News Bites, thank you for listening, be nice to robots.
作者： Mike
配音，編輯： Nancy
第二配音員： Paz
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
Taiwan's tallest tree, fishing with dolphins, and the dangers of tire dust.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣最高的樹
Taiwan's Tallest Tree
Imagine you live on the 20th floor.
You look out the window… and see a tree as tall as your home!
That is how tall the tallest tree in Taiwan is.
It was found last June by a team called "The Taiwan Champion Trees".
The team is made up of researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (林業實驗所) and National Cheng Kung University.
They found the tree using LiDAR (光學雷達) technology.
The team believed the tree was at least 79 meters tall.
They numbered it No. 55214.
This year, on Jan 30th, the team went to the place where the tree was growing.
They took precise measurements (精密測量).
They found its height was 84.1 meters.
It's girth (樹圍) was 8.5 meters.
This all means it's the tallest tree in Taiwan and East Asia.
The tree is a Taiwania cryptomerioides (台灣杉) tree.
It's around 700 to 800 years old.
The researchers also found several other trees in the area that are over 60 meters tall.
Overall, the team has found 941 trees that are over 65 meters tall in Taiwan.
This is all valuable data for research on giant trees.
台灣擁有豐富的天然資源以及原始森林。
The discoveries around the island never cease (停止) to amaze us.
________________________________
海豚與人類一起捕魚，雙方互惠
Dolphins and Human Fishing Together
We know dolphins are smart.
Many of us have even heard stories of dolphins saving humans.
There are also stories of humans and dolphins working together to hunt fish.
But these are all told from the human point of view (人類的角度), until now.
Recently, scientists used technology to see how humans and dolphins work together to fish.
And both sides benefit (得到好處).
In Brazil, local fishermen have been working with dolphins to catch fish.
This alliance (聯盟) has been going back 150 years.
The water is really murky (混濁).
This means people can't see the fish.
But the dolphins use sounds to find them, like a bat.
They then herd (趕成一群) the fish toward the coast.
There, the people run into the water holding hand nets.
The people then wait for the dolphins to show them where the fish are.
This way they catch more fish in their nets.
And the falling nets push the fish into smaller groups.
This makes it easier for dolphins to catch the fish too.
Scientists are not sure how the humans and dolphins learned to work together like this.
But they have been doing this for many generations (好幾代).
This means young dolphins are learning how to do this from older dolphins.
But this partnership (合作關係) is in danger.
Pollution threatens the dolphins and modern fishing is replacing the traditional method.
希望人類與動物這樣的互惠合作傳統能保存下去。
________________________________
輪胎塵是什麼?
The Dangers of Tire Dust
In the last century, a pesticide (殺蟲劑) know as DDT was invented and widely used.
But scientists later found that DDT is bad for humans and the environment.
DDT was banned (禁止) in the 1980s.
But scientists still find DDT residue (殘留) in European soil and Spanish rivers.
Now, tire dust may be the pollutant that will have a great impact on the environment.
Every time a car is on the road, its tires rub against the road.
This makes tire dust, which flies up into the air.
Each year, around 6.1 metric tons of tire dust end up in our atmosphere and water.
It's now the most common source of microplastic pollutant in the ocean.
The dust is also part of PM 2.5 pollution.
People might think that car tires are made of rubber, which should be sustainable (可持續的) and biodegradable (生物分解).
But car tires are made of more than rubber from the rubber tree.
It also contains a chemical called 6PPD.
This keeps the tires from wearing out (受磨損) too fast.
The chemical reacts (反應) with ozone in the atmosphere and becomes 6PPD-Quinone.
And scientists now know 6PPD-Quinone is highly toxic to sea animals, and kills fish.
This problem might get even bigger in the future.
More and more people are now using electric vehicles.
But EVs are heavier.
This means they could make even more tire dust.
路上的交通工具越多，輪胎塵的污染就會越嚴重。
Scientists are now trying to find ways to collect tire dust.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A team of researchers have found Taiwan's tallest tree.
It's around 700 to 800 years old, and is 84.1 meters tall.
It's also the tallest tree in East Asia.
________________________________
Scientists recently used technology to see how humans and dolphins work together to fish.
In Brazil, local fishermen have been working with dolphins to catch fish.
Scientists are not sure how the humans and dolphins learned to work together like this.
But they have been doing this for many generations.
________________________________
And,
Scientists believe tire dust may be a pollutant that will have a great impact on the environment.
It's now the most common source of microplastic pollutant in the ocean.
Scientists are now trying to find ways to collect tire dust.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯： Paz
第二配音員： Trevor
Hello everyone! You're listening to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi!
In today's news:
A professional skatepark in Kaohsiung, a series of unfortunate events at the Dallas Zoo, and Australia removes the Queen from its banknotes.
Stay tuned for more on these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
高雄首座專業滑板場
The First Professional Skatepark in Kaohsiung
There's a super cool new place to visit in Kaohsiung!
Kaohsiung's first professional skatepark (滑板場) has just been set up.
The Qingpu MRT Station in Qiaotou District has been transformed into a skater's paradise (滑板愛好者的天堂).
It has already attracted (吸引) lots of skateboarders (滑板玩家) during the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Qingpu skatepark features stair sets, a bowl, and handrails, among other classic skateboarding obstacles like a funbox, and a mini-ramp.
It can provide challenges for both beginner and experienced skaters.
青浦滑板場設有各種專業設施，初階到高階的玩家都可以挑戰自己。
Skating has always been stigmatized (污名化).
Many people thought young skaters were rude (粗魯無禮), ruining public property (破壞公共設施) and causing noise.
Today, it is included in the Winter Olympics as a proper sport (正式的運動).
Skateboarding can make you stronger and more balanced (更平衡).
Skaters move by twisting their waist and abdomen (扭動腰部和腹部) while keeping balance on their legs (保持雙腿的平衡).
It can help improve the heart's function, body balance, and coordination.
它也可以幫助改善心臟功能、身體平衡和協調性。
More and more young people are getting into (開始接觸) skateboarding.
And lots of parents are even joining in on the fun!
________________________________
達拉斯動物園的一系列不幸事件
A Series of Unfortunate Events at Dallas Zoo
Some bad things have been happening at the Dallas Zoo in Texas.
First, someone broke into (闖入) the zoo and opened a fence (柵欄) to let a clouded leopard (雲豹) named Nova escape.
Luckily (幸運的是), zookeepers caught Nova the same day.
Then, another bird called Pin was found dead because someone hurt him on purpose.
He was a 35-year old endangered vulture (瀕臨滅絕的禿鷹) that lived in the zoo for more than three decades.
Zoo staff were very sad when that happened, saying it was a significant loss (重大損失).
After that, two emperor tamarin monkeys (皇帝狨猴) were stolen!
But thankfully (慶幸的是), they were later found by police.
Police have arrested a 24-year-old man for stealing the monkeys.
But police are still investigating to see if he had anything to do with the other incidents.
警方還在調查 他是否也牽連到其他的事件。
The man says he loves animals and would steal more if police release him (釋放他).
The zoo has increased security and is working with experts to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Other zoos also say they will learn from what happened in Dallas and try to prevent it from happening to them.
其他動物園表示，他們會從達拉斯事件中吸取教訓，並努力防止這種事情發生在自己身上。
________________________________
澳洲鈔票 不再有英國君主肖像
Australia is Removing British Monarchy from its Bank Notes
Australia is making some changes to its $5 dollar bill (紙鈔).
The old design features the previous British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
舊鈔上有前任英國女王伊莉莎白二世。
That's because Australia is part of the Commonwealth of Nations (大英國協).
The Commonwealth is a group of countries that used to be part of the British Empire.
大英國協 是從前大英帝國中的一部分國家。
After Queen Elizabeth II died last year, the Australian government had to decide if it wanted to keep a British monarch (英國君主) on the bank note (鈔票).
Instead of having a picture of King Charles III, it will have a design that represents the Indigenous people and their culture.
澳洲決定不用現在的英國查理三世國王的肖像，改用代表澳洲原住民的設計。
The new bill will also still have a picture of the Australian Parliament (議會).
The change was made after talking with the government.
They want to honor (褒揚) the culture and history of the Indigenous people.
The British monarchy still has a role in Australia as the head of state, but it is mostly symbolic.
英國君主仍然是澳洲名義上的國家元首，但是象徵性的。
Some people are happy about the change, while others think it is politically motivated (出於政治動機).
The old $5 dollar bill will still be used until the new design is ready, which might take a few years.
The new design will be made after talking with Indigenous groups.
But King Charles III will still be on coins (硬幣) in Australia.
Australia is debating (辯論) if it should continue to have a connection with Britain.
Some people want Australia to become a republic (共和國) with an Australian head of state instead of the British monarchy.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Qingpu MRT Station in Qiaotou District has been transformed into a skater's paradise.
It now features ledges, a bowl, and handrails, among other classic skateboarding obstacles.
It can provide challenges for both beginner and experienced skaters.
________________________________
Some bad things have been happening at the Dallas Zoo in Texas.
A clouded leopard escaped, an endangered vulture was hurt, and two monkeys were stolen!
Other zoos say they will learn from what happened in Dallas and try to prevent it from happening to them.
________________________________
And,
Australia is making some changes to its $5 dollar bill.
The old design features the previous British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
The new bill will have a design that represents the Indigenous people and their culture, and a picture of the Australian Parliament.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
Buses drive themselves, fish spend money, and Rema breaks a record.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台中無人自駕公車 最快6月上路測試
Automated Buses to Run in Taichung
Self-driving buses could soon be running on the streets of Taichung!
Taichung will have a test run for automated buses in June.
The test will run for 7 months.
The driverless buses will take riders from the Taichung Public Library Dajia Branch, to the Port of Taichung.
The route (路線) is 12 kilometers long.
這些無人自駕公車將在開放場域台中大安圖書館到台中港，進行七個月的實際載客測試。
The medium-sized bus carries around 10 riders.
The automated bus has already been tested on roads not open to the public.
The city government hopes the buses will help students and workers get to where they need to go.
If this first test goes well, the route will be extended (加長).
The driverless buses will go all the way to Changhua County's Lugang Township (鹿港).
This will make the route 44 kilometers long.
Taichung officials say these buses could be very helpful for people living in the countryside (郊外).
And they hope using smart buses will also help Taiwan's smart transportation industry.
________________________________
金魚玩Switch還會刷信用卡?
Pet Fish Playing Nintendo Switch Runs Up Credit Card Bill
Many people use credit cards (信用卡).
Credit cards can be used to buy things in stores or online.
Users have to be responsible with how they use credit cards.
They may accidentally (一個不小心) spend more money than they really want.
Recently, a person in Japan got a surprise in his credit card bill (信用卡帳單).
He didn't spend the money… his pet fish did!
The man named Mutekimaru has pet fish that "play" video games.
He set up special machines in the fish tanks.
When the fish move, they remotely (遠距離地) control a Nintendo Switch.
Mutekimaru shows his fish "playing" games on the Switch on his YouTube channel.
One day, he live-streamed (線上直播) his fish playing a game of "Pokemon".
The game crashed (當機), so Mutekimaru took a break and went somewhere else.
But his pet fish kept swimming, and they were still controlling the Switch.
And people were still watching the live-stream.
Over the next seven hours, Mutekimaru's fish were very busy!
They changed the name of his Switch account.
They sent an email to Mutekimaru.
Then they logged into the Nintendo store.
It's an online store where players can buy games and other things.
And that's what the fish did!
The fish spent about $115 NT in the store.
It may not sound like a lot of money.
But people also saw all of Mutekimaru's credit card information on the livestream.
This is dangerous because someone could use that information to steal Mutekimaru's money.
Mutekimaru says he has asked Nintendo for the money back.
But it is a hard story to explain!
Mutekimaru說他有向任天堂申請退費，不過他說這個狀況實在不容易解釋！
Many people who watched the livestream thought the story was hilarious (非常好笑的).
________________________________
奈及利亞歌手刷新YouTube紀錄
Nigerian Musician Sets YouTube Record
A Nigerian musician has set a new YouTube record.
Rema's hit song "Calm Down" is now the most-viewed Afrobeats music video on YouTube.
It's been watched at least 358 million times so far.
It's also the fastest Afrobeats song to reach 100 million views.
Afrobeats is a type of music.
It often mixes West African music styles with jazz, funk, R&B, hip hop, and more.
The songs often combine English, and local languages from Nigeria and Ghana.
Afrobeats 歌曲裡常常出現英文，還有奈及利亞和迦納的當地語言。
Rema has put out a new version (版本) of the song.
His remix (重混、混音) features American singer Selena Gomez.
That video has at least 266 million views so far.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taichung will have a test run for automated buses in June.
The driverless buses will take riders from the Taichung Public Library Dajia Branch, to the Port of Taichung.
The city government hopes the buses will help students and workers get to where they need to go.
________________________________
A man in Japan found out that his pet fish spent his money while playing video games.
Mutekimaru says his fish controlled his Switch, logged into the Nintendo store, and spent about $115 NT using his credit card.
Mutekimaru says he has asked Nintendo for the money back, but it is a hard story to explain!
________________________________
And,
A Nigerian musician has set a new YouTube record.
Rema's hit song "Calm Down" is now the most-viewed Afrobeats music video on YouTube.
It's been watched at least 358 million times so far.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯： Trevor
第二配音員： Paz
Hi, hello, greetings, howdy, salutations, 你好, what's up?
We're here with News Bites on a Saturday… we hope today's not too hard for you!
She's Paz Bueno…
And he's Trevor Tortomasi.
Okay, today's stories:
Jeremy Lin comes to Taiwan, Russians find a village of polar bears, and a space telescope gets photobombed.
Let's go!
________________________________
林書豪加入高雄鋼鐵人籃球隊
Jeremy Lin Joins the Kaohsiung Steelers
LINSANITY!
If you like watching basketball (籃球), you may have heard that word before.
It comes from the name of a famous basketball player, Jeremy Lin (林書豪), and the word "insanity" (瘋狂), which means… crazy!
Jeremy Lin was the NBA's first Taiwanese-American player, in 2012.
2012年的時候，林書豪是美國職業籃球，也叫做NBA，第一個台裔美國籍球員。
At that time, no one knew who Jeremy Lin was…
But then suddenly (突然), he was winning lots of games…
Since then (自從那個時候), Lin has played for many different basketball teams, in the U.S., Canada, and China.
And now, finally… he's playing here in Taiwan!
Jeremy Lin played his first game with the Kaohsiung Steelers (高雄鋼鐵人) on February 12th… and they won!
But Lin says he's not just here to play… he wants to help the younger generation play, too.
林書豪說他其實不只想打籃球，他還想幫助下一代的籃球員。
He says he is finding his passion for basketball again (找回他打籃球的熱情), and he wants to pass it on.
What a Lincredible guy!
________________________________
遠方的北極熊小村
The Faraway Village of Polar Bears
In the cold north (冰冷的北方), there are many places most people won't go.
One of those places is Kolyuchin Island (科柳欽島), in northeast Russia (俄羅斯東北方).
A long time ago, people lived in little houses on the island, and worked there in a weather station (氣象站).
Now, the weather station and the houses are all abandoned (廢棄的), and there are no people left.
But if you're brave enough to go to Kolyuchin Island now, you might see birds… walruses (海象)…
And a village of polar bears (北極熊)!
A group of people sailing near the island (航行到島嶼附近) found the bears living inside the old houses there, and sent some drones (無人機) to take pictures.
From their pictures, they saw at least 20 bears walking around outside, while other bears stayed inside the old houses with their cubs.
從無人機的照片來看，他們看到島上有好多北極熊，有的走來走去，有的跟小熊一起住廢棄小房子裡面。
Animal experts (動物專家) say polar bears probably went inside the houses because they are very curious (好奇的), and like to open doors and windows.
But polar bears have also been hunted by humans (被人類獵捕), so the bears might have gone inside the houses to stay safe with their families.
Either way, the island doesn't belong to humans anymore (已經不屬於人類)…
Now, it belongs to the bears!
________________________________
小行星亂入韋伯望遠鏡拍照
Asteroid Photobombs Webb Telescope
If you have ever taken a picture, then you know that sometimes, other people can get in the way of your camera.
拍照的時候，照相機有時可能會被別人擋住。
For example, if you're taking a picture of your mom or dad, and your little brother jumps in front of the camera…
We could call that a "photobomb" (拍照時亂入) from your little brother.
But photobombing doesn't just happen with people…
It can also happen to the James Webb Space Telescope (韋伯太空望遠鏡), also called the JWST, one of the most powerful telescopes ever!
Thanks to the JWST, we now have amazing pictures of galaxies (星系), nebulas (星雲), and all kinds of stars.
But recently, scientists were using the JWST to look at the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
最近，有科學家在用韋伯太空望遠鏡看火星和木星之間的小行星帶。
They were focusing on (聚焦在) one of the bigger asteroids, but then…
A much smaller rock flew in front of it!
Scientists were surprised, because they didn't think they could see something so small.
In fact, it may be the smallest thing the JWST has seen so far!
這也許是韋伯太空望遠鏡看過最小的東西！
Scientists say that just from this photobomb, they learned a little more about their telescope, and about outer space.
So, um… go jump in a friend's picture and teach them something!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Jeremy Lin played his first game with the Kaohsiung Steelers on February 12th… and they won!
But Lin says he's not just here to play… he wants to help the younger generation play, too.
He says he is finding his passion for basketball again, and he wants to pass it on.
________________________________
And,
People have found a village of polar bears, living inside abandoned houses on a Russian island.
Some of the bears were walking around outside, while other bears stayed inside the old houses with their cubs.
Animal experts say the bears probably went inside the houses because they are very curious, and want to stay safe from humans.
________________________________
And,
Scientists were recently using the JWST to look at the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
They were focusing on one of the bigger asteroids, but a much smaller rock flew in front of it!
Scientists say it may be the smallest thing the JWST has seen so far.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯： Paz
第二配音員： Nancy
Hello everyone! Ready to chow down on another episode of News Bites?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
How Tainan reuses kitchen waste, Norway's oldest runestones, and England is banning single-use plastics!
Stay tuned to hear more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台南回收廚餘 製成肥料
Tainan Makes Fertilizer from Kitchen Waste
The Tainan City Government has launched an amazing initiative (計畫).
The environmental protection bureau has created a new brand of fertilizer (肥料) called "Shang Hao Fei" (尚好肥).
This special fertilizer is made from recycled kitchen waste (廚餘) and it has been really popular since its launch!
The bureau has been working with farmers to test (測試) the fertilizer on corn shoots (玉米筍), and the results have been great.
The corn shoots grown with "Shang Hao Fei" are bigger and have a higher earing rate compared to corn grown with regular fertilizer.
用"尚好肥"種出來的玉米筍，比用普通肥料的玉米筍個頭更大，收益更高。
The Tainan City government even hosted a "Corn Shoots Harvest" event (玉米筍採收親子同樂趣) this month, where families could go pick (摘) corn shoots and small tomatoes!
This was a great opportunity for kids to experience daily farming life and learn about the importance of protecting our environment.
The fertilizer is sold at a lower price than regular fertilizer, with a basic unit of 500 kilograms for 1500 NT.
And the best part is, it helps the environment by using recycled kitchen waste!
I wonder how else we can protect our environment!
________________________________
挪威考古學家發現 世界上最古老的盧恩石刻
Norway Archaeologists Discover the World's Oldest Runestones
Archaeologists in Norway have kept a 2,000-year-old secret for over a year…
They found the oldest runestone (盧恩石刻) in the world!
So… what is a runestone?
A runestone is a big rock with writing on it.
In autumn of 2021, Norwegian archaeologists discovered this runestone, and decided to study it carefully.
The writing on the stone is in a Proto-Germanic language that was used during the Roman Iron Age.
石頭上的文字是古羅馬時代使用的原始日耳曼語。
That's before the time of the Vikings (維京人)!
They announced that the stone is between 1,800 and 2,000 years old.
One expert thinks the symbols (符號) might be a woman's name, like "Idibera".
The cool thing about this runestone is that it shows us how much writing changed over time.
The runes used in the Roman Iron Age were very different from the ones used during the Viking Age.
Over a long time, runes became less popular, and today, they use the Latin alphabet (拉丁字母).
By the way, English uses the Latin alphabet, too!
The runestone is on display (陳列在) at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo.
________________________________
英國即將禁止 用過就丟的塑膠產品
England to Ban Single-Use Plastics in October
Plastic waste (塑膠垃圾) has been a big problem for our planet.
Many governments around the world are trying to change laws in order to find a solution.
In October, a big change is happening in England.
The government is going to ban (禁止) single-use plastics!
Things like plastic cutlery (刀叉), plates, and bowls will no longer be used by restaurants and cafes.
That means the price of some things will go up (一些東西的價格會上漲), but it's all for a good cause.
Some cafes have already switched (改用) to using less plastic!
They use compostable packaging (可分解的包裝) or reusable (可重複使用的) cups and containers.
Some cafes even offer a cup-loaning service.
有些咖啡館甚至把咖啡杯借給顧客。
You can borrow a reusable cup, scan it (掃描) with an app, and then return it later.
By doing this, they've saved 60,000 disposable cups from going into landfills!
他們這麼做，可以減少六萬個杯子進入垃圾掩埋場！
While this ban is a good start, some people think that the government needs to do more to help the environment.
They want more incentives for businesses to be environmentally friendly.
他們希望提供更多的環保獎勵給企業。
So, banning all single-use plastics is a good start.
We'll have to wait and see what impact it has!
看看它會產生什麼影響！
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Tainan City Government has launched an amazing initiative.
The Environmental Protection Bureau has created a new brand of fertilizer made from recycled kitchen waste.
The bureau has been working with farmers to test the fertilizer on corn shoots, and the results have been great.
________________________________
Archaeologists in Norway have found the oldest runestone in the world.
The writing on the stone is in a Proto-Germanic language that was used during the Roman Iron Age, between 1,800 and 2,000 years ago.
One expert thinks the symbols might spell out a woman's name, like "Idibera".
________________________________
And,
In October, a big change is happening in England.
The government is going to ban single-use plastics!
Things like plastic cutlery, plates, and bowls will no longer be used by restaurants and cafes.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
作者，配音，編輯： Nancy
第二配音員： Hope
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's episode…
A new baby needs a name, sounds you've never heard before, and Beyonce breaks records.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
幫水豚寶寶選名字
Help Shoushan Zoo Name a Capybara
The Shoushan Zoo needs your help.
They need a name for a new baby capybara (水豚)!
Capybaras are rodents (囓齒動物).
In fact, they are the biggest living rodent.
They look a bit like a big guinea pig (天竺鼠).
They are brown, with strong, round bodies.
And they live in big family groups near water.
They like to eat grass and water plants.
They also eat fruit and tree bark (樹皮).
The baby capybara was born at the Shoushan Zoo on January 6th.
Zookeepers say the pup likes to sit close to heating lamps (保溫燈).
And it likes to sit on cushions (軟墊) or soft grass.
Sometimes, it even sits in its food bowl to eat!
保育員說有時候小水豚還會直接坐在食物盆裡享用飼料。
Now that it's more than a month old, the zoo wants to give the capybara a name.
The zoo asked people to suggest (建議，提) names for the capybara.
The zoo then looked at all the suggested names.
Then it chose a few names for its list.
And it is now letting people vote online for their favorite name from the list.
________________________________
北極和南極的聲音
Sounds of the Arctic and Antarctic
When we say the Arctic and Antarctic, what do you think of?
Ice and white snow…
Polar bears and penguins…
But do you know what the Arctic and Antarctic sound like?
Scientists (Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity and the Alfred Wegener Institute) are working on a project to record the sounds of the ocean in the polar regions.
They put underwater microphones into the ocean.
And they recorded sounds for two years.
The scientists say most people have never heard these sounds.
So they are sharing some of the sounds online.
This is the sound of ice moving.
This is a minke whale (小鬚鯨).
This is a crabeater seal (食蟹海豹).
There are sounds made by humans too.
This is the sound of explosions (爆炸), made by people looking for oil and gas in the ocean.
What about this one?
Actually, even the scientists don't know what this is yet.
By sharing these sounds, the scientists hope people will think more about the ocean.
They hope to show how noisy (吵鬧) oceans are.
They believe we need laws to control how much noise humans make in the ocean.
They are also working with musicians, to turn the sounds into music.
They say the ocean is part of life on Earth.
But the ocean is facing danger from noise pollution and climate change.
They hope science and art can help protect the ocean and the planet.
科學家希望大家聽過這些聲音以後會更注意環境議題，用行動來保護海洋。
________________________________
碧昂絲刷新葛萊美獎歷史記錄
Beyonce Becomes Biggest Grammy Winner in History
Beyonce has become the biggest Grammy winner ever.
She won four awards at this year's Grammys.
The singer won for best dance/electronic recording for "Break My Soul".
And her last Grammy of the night was for best dance/electronic album「最佳舞曲／電音專輯」for "Renaissance".
Now, she has won 32 Grammys so far in her career as a music artist.
Beyonce missed part of the award show in L.A.
She was stuck in traffic (塞車)!
Fortunately (幸好), she made it to accept her last two awards.
碧昂絲拿下第32座獎項，成為葛萊美獎獲獎最多的音樂人。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Shoushan Zoo needs a name for a new baby capybara!
The pup was born at the zoo on January 6th.
The zoo then looked at all the suggested names.
Then it chose a few names for its list.
The zoo is asking people to vote online for their favorite name.
________________________________
Scientists are working a project to record the sounds of the ocean in the polar regions.
By sharing these sounds, the scientists hope people will think more about the ocean.
They hope science and art can help protect the ocean and the planet.
________________________________
And,
Beyonce has become the biggest Grammy winner ever.
She won four awards at this year's Grammys.
Now, she has won 32 Grammys so far in her career as a music artist.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
作者： Mike
配音，編輯： Nancy
第二配音員： Paz
Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's episode…
Staying safe while camping, enjoying the sound of birds, and facial recognition for rats.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣90%的私人營地不合法
Going Camping? Taiwan Campsites and Safety
Do you like to go camping?
You can stay in a tent, and gather (聚集) around the campfire.
You can also enjoy dinner and play games.
Camping has always been a popular activity for people of all ages.
And camping gear is becoming more convenient (方便).
Tents and equipment are becoming more portable (方便攜帶) and easier to set up.
There are tents now that even open up like an umbrella!
There are thousands of campsites around Taiwan.
Most of them are private.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (交通部) recorded 1,790 private campsites last December.
But only 191 are operating legally with a proper permit.
Last December, a landslide (土石流) at an unlicensed campsite in Malaysia claimed more than 20 lives.
After this, Taiwan officials checked the safety of all the campsites in Taiwan.
The MOTC is now helping local governments check campsites regularly.
They hope that all illegal campsites will be closed or brought up to the safety standards before the end of June 2023.
露營之前，記得檢查營地是否有主管單位的合格標識。
________________________________
英國調查發現鳥鳴聲能提升心理健康
Birdsong Helps Improve Mental Wellbeing
Do you ever sit in the park and watch the birds?
Or walk in nature listening to the birds singing?
Some people set up bird feeders (餵食器) or bird houses in their yards and balconies.
There are even people who take up bird watching (賞鳥) as a hobby.
Why are people attracted to birds?
There might be a scientific reason behind this.
Researchers have discovered that seeing or hearing birds improves mental wellbeing for most people.
A study recorded how participants (參與者) were feeling when they see or hear different things.
And their mental wellbeing (心理健康) scores went up when they saw or heard birds.
It also helped people who were diagnosed (診斷) with depression (憂鬱症).
Therefore, if you're feeling down, take a walk.
Open your eyes and ears to search for our little feathered friends.
他們或許能使你的心情愉快一點。
________________________________
害蟲防治專家使用臉部辨識軟體滅鼠
Facial Recognition Helps Control Pests
If you need to scan your face to unlock your smartphone, then you know about facial recognition.
It's also often seen in TV shows and movies.
In those stories, the CIA or FBI use it to identify villains (壞人) from video footage (片段).
Now, it has been used in a surprising way… for pest control.
A pest-control group has developed a software to help track rats.
The software is not only able to recognize the rats, but also record their behavior (行為).
According to the group, each rat is different.
They each have their own habits (習慣).
And they each act in different ways.
Facial recognition software can identify which rat came back, where they are eating, which path it took and much more.
The data is then sent back to the "Central Command Center" for analysis (分析).
The AI can then help decide where and how to hunt the rats.
The technology is now on trial in customers' houses to test the results.
The company hopes it will make pest control more effective.
應該很少人想得到臉部辨識軟體能用來消滅老鼠。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications recorded 1,790 private campsites last December.
But only 191 are operating legally with a proper permit.
The MOTC is now helping local governments check campsites regularly.
They hope that all illegal campsites will be closed or brought up to the safety standards before the end of June 2023.
________________________________
Researchers have discovered that seeing or hearing birds improves mental wellbeing for most people.
A study recorded how participants were feeling when they see or hear different things.
And their mental wellbeing scores went up when they saw or heard birds.
It also helped people who were diagnosed with depression.
________________________________
And,
A pest-control group developed a software to help track rats.
The software is not only able to recognize the rats, but also record their behavior.
The AI can then help decide where and how to hunt the rats.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Well hello there! You're listening to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Torto…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Whoah, how is your English so good?
Okay, let's look at today's stories:
A dog wins the lottery, an asteroid misses Earth, and people find a needle in a haystack.
More on that, coming up next!
________________________________
狗來富! 中獎百萬樂透
Taiwan Dog Helps Win $1 million NT Lottery
What sound does a dog make?
Well, if you speak English, you might think your dog says, "Bark!" or "Ruff!"
And if you speak Spanish (西班牙文), you might think dogs say, "Guau! Guau!"
And if you're a Chinese speaker, your dog could be saying, "Wang! Wang!" 【汪！汪！】
So for one Taiwanese couple (情侶), that was the right word, at the right time…
This couple was walking by a lottery shop, when they heard a dog barking.
當這對情侶路過彩券行時，突然聽到一隻狗在汪汪叫。
They said the dog's 【汪】 sounded just like 【旺】, like in the word 【興旺】, which means "prosperity" and "good fortune".
So, they decided to buy a lottery ticket (大樂透)…
And they won 1,000,000 NT (一百萬台幣)!
That's some really good 【興旺】！
cow moo
Okay, it might be time to mooooove on to the next story…
________________________________
小行星幾乎撞到地球
Asteroid Almost Hits Earth
Hey, remember dinosaurs?
Me neither (我也不記得)… because they've been gone for millions of years!
恐龍好幾千萬年前就消失了！
And that's because a giant asteroid (巨大的小行星) hit Earth.
It was about 10 kilometers wide (寬度十公里)!
Pretty scary, huh?
Well, another one almost hit us again!
On January 27th, at around 8:30 AM, an asteroid flew just 3,000 kilometers from Earth (離地球只有三千公里), and then back out into space.
That's closer than some satellites!
這種距離，比一些人造衛星更接近地球！
Luckily, the asteroid was only about five meters wide.
還好這個小行星，寬度只有五公尺。
But an asteroid this size, coming this close to Earth, is still pretty rare.
不過這種尺寸的小行星..這麼接近地球，其實很罕見。
And the scary thing is, scientists only found this asteroid a few days before it came close.
Space is big and dark, and it's difficult to find these tiny space rocks.
The smallest ones are okay, because if they come close, they burn up (燒掉) before they hit the ground.
And we don't have to worry about the biggest asteroids, like the one that hit the dinosaurs…
Because thanks to lots of math (數學計算), we know they aren't going to hit us (讓我們知道它們不會撞上地球).
But what about the medium ones?
Well, we'll have to keep watching… and doing our math homework!
________________________________
輻射小物失蹤記
Tiny Radioactive Object Goes Missing
Have you ever heard the words, "looking for a needle in a haystack" (在乾草堆裡面找一根針)?
In Chinese, you might say 【大海撈針】。
It means you're looking for something REALLY tiny and difficult to find (又小又難找), like a needle (針), inside something REALLY big, like a haystack (乾草堆).
Well, today's "needle" is a small metal object (一小塊金屬的東西)…
And today's haystack is… 1,400 kilometers of road in Australia (澳洲一條長一千四百公里的公路)!
A few weeks ago, a truck (卡車) was driving along this long road in Western Australia with a tiny object called "Caesium-137" (銫-137元素), which is very radioactive (很強的放射性).
If something is radioactive, that means it's very dangerous, because anyone who gets close to it will get very sick.
放射性的東西很危險，人如果太靠近，會對身體有害。
But, when this truck finally got to the end of the long road…
This tiny radioactive object was gone!
People said it must have fallen off the truck, onto the road…
And they were very worried that people driving over it could get sick, too.
So they drove up and down, back and forth, along one thousand kilometers of road, over and over again…
Looking for this tiny thing, even smaller than a coin (比硬幣還更小).
And finally, after six days, they found it, right by the side of the road.
搜索人員整整找了六天，沿著一千多公里的路開過來開過去，終於找到了這個小東西。
People say we're really lucky to have found this needle in such a giant haystack.
But we should really be more careful with our needles!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese couple was walking by a lottery shop, when they heard a dog barking.
They said the dog's barking sounded a little like the word for "prosperity" in Chinese.
So, they decided to buy a lottery ticket, and won 1,000,000 NT!
________________________________
And,
On January 27th, an asteroid flew just 3,000 kilometers from Earth.
That's closer to Earth than some satellites!
Luckily, this one was only about five meters wide, but scientists say we should continue to watch out for bigger asteroids.
________________________________
And,
A tiny radioactive object fell off of a truck onto a long road in Australia.
Radioactive objects are very dangerous, so they wanted to find it before it made anyone sick.
And after six days of searching, they finally found it!
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Welcome back to News Bites.
This is our first episode of the semester. Let's get right into it, shall we?
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi, remember?
In today's news:
Taiwan and the US help Honduras, the US looks into UFO reports, and how stars are made!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣和美國支持宏都拉斯的教育
Taiwan to Support Education in Honduras
Taiwan and the United States are joining forces to help kids in Honduras get a better education (教育).
The United States Agency for International Development has a plan called the Expanding Access to Education Initiative (擴大受教育機會倡議).
They'll give $28 million US dollars over three years and fix up 51 schools to make them better for kids to learn in.
他們將在三年內撥款 2800 萬美元，修復 51 所學校，讓孩子們的學習環境更好。
Taiwan is also helping out by giving $2 million US dollars to the education initiatives (教育倡議).
They're going to work with the Honduran government, businesses, and other groups to help improve education for 300,000 kids in Honduras.
They think it will be good for Honduran kids and families.
Right now, some people in Honduras are talking about breaking ties with Taiwan and recognizing China instead.
現在，宏都拉斯有些人正在討論跟台灣斷絕關係，承認中國。
But Taiwan has been doing a lot of good things in Honduras for a long time and has the support (支持) of many people there.
In the end, it's all about making sure that Honduran kids get the education they need to grow up and be successful.
台灣對宏都拉斯的援助，是為了確保該國兒童獲得他們需要的教育。
________________________________
美國政府審查了 500 多份不明飛行物報告
US Government Reviews Over 500 UFO Reports
Have you ever seen something strange in the sky and thought, "What is that?"
Well, the US government is looking into more than 500 reports of strange sightings (親眼見到的奇景) in the sky!
These sightings are called UAPs, which stands for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (不明空中現象).
Some people might call them UFOs (飛碟).
The US government has been looking into these reports to try and figure out (弄清楚) what they are.
And there have been a lot of reports lately!
More than triple (三倍) the amount they were looking into (調查) in 2021.
Some of the sightings have been explained by things like balloons or drones.
有些人看到的景象可以用氣球或無人機之類的東西來解釋。
Some of them are pretty boring and can be explained by things like birds, weather, or plastic bags in the sky.
But there are still some that no one can figure out.
Pilots (飛行員), especially from the US navy and air force (美國海軍和空軍), have seen a lot of these UAPs.
The government wants to make sure these UAPs aren't being caused by spy technology (間諜科技) from other countries.
But, it could also just be strange weather or faulty sensors (故障的感應器).
They still need more information to understand what's going on.
________________________________
韋伯太空望遠鏡 觀察到恆星的形成
James Webb Telescope Looks at How Stars Are Formed
~Twinkle, twinkle, little star…~
Have you ever wondered what they are?
Scientists have been studying how stars are formed!
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken a picture of a group of stars called NGC 346, which is over 200,000 light-years away from Earth.
These stars are special because they are similar to the conditions of the early universe, more than 10 billion years ago, when lots of stars were first formed.
這些恆星很特別，因為它們跟宇宙早期的情況很像。
Scientists think that by studying this region (區域), they can learn more about how the first stars were formed during a time called the "cosmic noon" (宇宙正午).
And guess what?
The stars in NGC 346 are not fully formed yet, and they are still in the process of becoming stars.
Scientists call them "protostars" (原型恆星) which are clouds of gas and dust in space that will eventually form into stars.
Studying these protostars is the best way for scientists to understand how stars are formed.
As a protostar becomes a star, there is a disk of gas and dust around it that will eventually collide and stick together, forming planets like the ones in our solar system!
當原型恆星變成恆星時，它的周圍會有氣體和塵埃，它們會互相碰撞並且貼在一起，形成像我們太陽系的行星這樣的星球！
The clear images of protostars from the James Webb telescope give scientists a lot of information to study and a better understanding of how stars are formed.
So next time you look up at the stars, think about the amazing process they went through to get there!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan and the United States are joining forces to help kids in Honduras get a better education.
They're going to work with the Honduran government, businesses, and other groups to help improve education for 300,000 kids in Honduras.
Taiwan is helping out by giving $2 million US dollars to the education initiatives.
________________________________
The US government is looking into more than 500 reports of strange sightings in the sky!
These sightings are called UAPs, which stands for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
________________________________
And,
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken a picture of a group of stars called NGC 346, which is over 200,000 light-years away from Earth.
These stars are special because they are similar to the conditions of the early universe.
Studying these protostars is the best way for scientists to understand how stars are formed.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Yo, hey there! How ya doin'? We're here with this semester's FINAL episode of News Bites…
My name is Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Let's have a look at today's news stories:
A reptile comes to dinner, nature is healing, and vaccine research continues.
More on that coming up in just a moment!
________________________________
晚餐被凱門鱷打斷
Dinner Interrupted by Caiman
Okay, here's a weird story…
Recently, a few people in Kaohsiung were having dinner together.
It was a normal night in the city, until suddenly (很突然)…
There was a caiman (凱門鱷), right there!
People reacted quickly, and ran to catch the caiman under a laundry basket.
旁邊的人反應很快，立刻跑去用衣服籃子罩住牠。
Then, they called a wild animal expert (野生動物專家) to come take it away.
So, wait, what's a caiman?
It's a lot like a crocodile (很像鱷魚), but smaller.
And this one was around 60 centimeters long.
But, most importantly…
Caimans are "non-endemic" in Taiwan (凱門鱷不是台灣原生動物), which means it is an animal that doesn't usually live here.
So, how did it get to the streets of Kaohsiung?
Animal specialists say it's because some people like to adopt (領養) new kinds of animals, to keep them as pets (寵物).
They say these people like reptiles (爬蟲類) because they are quiet, and don't need as much attention as dogs or cats.
But then, when these people don't want the animals anymore, they release them (把牠們解放) into forests, mountains, or even cities (城市).
This is irresponsible (不負責任的), and can be bad for plants and animals that are endemic to Taiwan (對台灣原生物種造成傷害).
It can be fun to have a pet animal… but always make sure you are ready to take care of it (要先確定你能照顧牠).
And watch out for caimans!
________________________________
臭氧層可能會在幾十年之內復原
Ozone Layer Could Recover Within Decades
If you've ever stayed outside for a long time, you know that too much sunlight (陽光) can hurt your skin.
That's because sunlight gives us something called ultraviolet radiation (紫外線輻射), or "UV rays".
UV rays can give us sunburn (曬傷), and can cause many problems for other living things.
Luckily, Earth's atmosphere (大氣層) helps to protect us!
That's because we have something called an ozone (臭氧層).
The ozone is a thin part of Earth's atmosphere that can stop most of the sun's UV rays.
臭氧層是地球大氣層裡面薄薄的一層，能夠阻止陽光中大部分的紫外線。
But many years ago, in the 1980s (一九八零年代), scientists found a big problem.
When they were studying the ozone, they found it had holes (洞), made by pollution (汙染).
So, countries around the world signed a contract, promising to stop using chemicals that can hurt the ozone.
發現臭氧層有洞之後，很多國家簽了合約，保證會停止使用某些會傷害臭氧層的化學物質。
And almost 40 years later, it's working!
快40年後，開始有效果了！
Scientists say that thanks to hard work from many countries, Earth's ozone should continue to recover (恢復).
But they also warn (警告) that we have to keep up the hard work, or we could make more holes.
Meanwhile, you should probably still use sunscreen (防曬霜)… just in case.
And the next time you're outside, look up and thank the ozone!
________________________________
英國今年開始測試癌症疫苗
U.K. Plans Cancer Vaccine Tests This Year
The last few years have been extra difficult, because of the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情).
But thanks to doctors and scientists around the world, we've created many new kinds of vaccines (疫苗).
In fact, because we worked so hard on vaccine research (疫苗研究)…
Scientists might be getting closer to making a vaccine for cancer (癌症疫苗)!
The new research uses the same mRNA technology that we can see in vaccines from Moderna (莫德納) and BioNTech (BNT).
They say the new vaccine would help a person's body fight cancer before it grows too much.
And scientists in the U.K. (英國) are working with BioNTech to develop it (發展).
They plan to start testing some cancer vaccines this year, and hope they can help at least 10,000 people by the year 2030.
That may not sound like a lot of people, but they want to make sure it's completely safe (安全).
We will definitely see more and more treatments (治療) like this in the future.
But, of course, we still have to stay healthy until then!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Some people in Kaohsiung were surprised to see a caiman while they were having dinner.
Animal experts say caimans are "non-endemic" in Taiwan, and this one was most likely released by a person who no longer wanted it as a pet.
________________________________
And,
Scientists say that thanks to hard work from many countries, Earth's ozone should continue to recover over the next few decades.
The ozone protects us from most of the sun's dangerous UV rays.
But scientists warn that we have to keep up the hard work, or we could make more holes in the ozone.
________________________________
And,
Scientists in the U.K. might be getting closer to making a vaccine for cancer.
They plan to start testing some cancer vaccines this year, and hope they can help at least 10,000 people by the year 2030.
The new research uses the same mRNA technology that we can see in vaccines from Moderna and BioNTech.
________________________________
And that's it for this semester of News Bites…
See you in February!
Uh, hear you? Talk to you! Uh, yeah, yeah, TALK to you later!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Chocolates with a Taiwan twist, kittens that come with a plane ticket, and a dragon's new hairdo.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣巧克力奪國際金獎
Taiwan Chocolates Win International Awards
It's the sweet taste of victory!
Taiwan chocolates have won international awards.
The Golden Bean Awards are held by the U.K.'s Academy of Chocolate every year.
The awards are given to the best cocoa beans and chocolates from around the world.
英國巧克力學院每年舉辦國際競賽，希望可以推廣精品巧克力。
The winners are chosen by seven expert judges.
They check what the chocolate looks like.
They also look at the flavor (味道) of the chocolate.
And chocolate from Taiwan's Evergreen Hotel won gold.
The hotel's "Peach Oolong Tea Chocolate" took the top prize for "Filled Chocolates".
The hotel also got a silver award for its "Tieguanyin Tea Chocolate".
Other Taiwan chocolatiers won awards too.
Meiho University in Pingtung County won three silver awards.
And all of its winning chocolates have tea flavors too, like the "Taiwan Alishan Jin Xuan Tea Drinking Chocolate".
Other Taiwan chocolates have won Golden Bean awards before.
Cocoa beans from Pingtung's Fu Wan Chocolate, Hey Fun Chocolate, and Joy Cacao Coffee Plantation all won awards.
Lin Wei-chun is a Taiwanese member of the jury.
She says Taiwan's chocolates showed artistry.
She says they stood out (脫穎而出) at the awards.
And Wei-chun says she was happy to see that many of them used ingredients from Taiwan.
She says things like dried longan fruit, and Taiwan teas helped make their chocolates special.
________________________________
領養貓咪 送機票
Adopt a Kitten, Fly For Free
If you're thinking of getting a pet, adoption (領養) is a great choice.
Adopting a pet helps you find a new best friend.
And it helps an animal find a loving home.
But a U.S. airline is adding another bonus (好處) to adopting a pet…
A free plane trip!
Frontier Airlines says it will give a free flight to people who adopt one of three kittens.
美國邊疆航空表示會送免費機票代金券給領養幼貓的民眾。
The kittens are named Spirit, Delta, and Frontier.
One is orange with stripes (條文), one is orange and white, and one is a calico (玳瑁).
Right now, they live at the Las Vegas Animal Foundation.
The foundation found the kittens around the end of December.
They are just a few weeks old.
And they need a forever home.
The airline says it wants to help animals.
And it is happy to give a little extra incentive (鼓勵) for people adopting the kittens.
________________________________
宮廟神龍「長頭髮」?
Temple Dragon Sports New Hairdo
There are many temples (寺廟) in Taiwan.
Many temple roofs are works of art.
They are often filled with mythical creatures (神話故事裡的生物).
And one of the most common creatures is dragons.
A temple in Miaoli also has many dragons on its roof.
The highest part of the temple roof shows two dragons facing each other.
But one day, one of the dragons suddenly looked a little different.
Some people said it looked like the dragon grew hair!
Workers at the temple took a closer look.
And they realized that magpies (喜鵲) made a nest on top of the dragon's head.
廟裡的工作人員仔細一看，原來是喜鵲在龍頭上築巢。
Magpies are one of the smartest birds.
In fact, they are one of the smartest of all animals.
And in many Asian cultures, they are believed to bring good luck.
Many people joked that the magpies gave the temple dragon a new hairdo (髮型) for the Lunar New Year.
The temple hopes the magpies and their nest will also bring good luck and protection for everyone.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan chocolates have won awards at the Golden Bean Awards.
The awards are given to the best cocoa beans and chocolates from around the world.
Taiwan's Evergreen Hotel won gold for its "Peach Oolong Tea Chocolate".
________________________________
A U.S. airline is giving away a free plane trip to people who adopt one of three kittens.
The kittens were found around the end of December, and they need a forever home.
The airline says it is happy to give a little extra incentive for people adopting the kittens.
________________________________
And,
One of the dragons on the roof of a temple in Miaoli suddenly looked a little different.
Workers at the temple realized that magpies made a nest on top of the dragon's head.
Many people joked that the magpies gave the temple dragon a new hairdo for the Lunar New Year.
The temple hopes the magpies and their nest will bring good luck and protection for everyone.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Pingxi lanterns, gas stoves and asthma, and the secret behind ancient Roman concrete.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
平溪天燈節將釋放數百個天燈
Hundreds of Lanterns to be Released at Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
Many travel websites say the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is a "must-see".
Some say the world-famous event originated (源自) from a local tradition.
They say a long time ago, there were robbers who plundered (搶奪) the village after harvest.
The villagers would hide in the mountains, and leave behind their strong men to defend the village.
When it was safe to come home, the men would release sky lanterns to tell the villagers.
Therefore, a sky lantern means peace and safety.
Over time, people start writing their wishes on the lanterns.
They believe that the lanterns could bring their wishes to the heavens.
This year, the festival starts on February 5th.
Hundreds of sky lanterns will be released at Shifen Sky Lantern Square on February 5th, and at Pingxi Junior High School on Feb 11th, both from 6 to 8:30 pm.
「2023新北市平溪天燈節」分別是2月5日在十分廣場，和2月11日在平溪國中舉行大型天燈施放活動。
There will also be tours which include sky lantern DIY and major attractions.
The mountain town of Pingxi has charming railway scenery, nostalgic (懷舊) mining history and culture.
It also has local delicacies and snacks that are worth savoring (仔細品嚐).
If you want to experience a special event…
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival might be the place to go.
________________________________
兒童氣喘疑與瓦斯爐有關?
Asthma Study Sparks Debate Over Safety of Gas Stoves
Can you cook?
If you do, what kind of cooking stove do you have at home?
In Taiwan, it's usually a stove that uses natural gas.
New research has linked cooking with natural gas to 12% of childhood asthma (氣喘) cases in the U.S.
新研究顯示使用瓦斯爐做菜和美國12%左右的兒童氣喘案例有關。
The researchers suggested that 650,000 U.S. children would not have developed asthma if their homes had electric or induction stoves (電磁爐).
However, other researchers do not agree.
They say a definite link between asthma and pollution from gas stoves hasn't been proven yet.
But one thing is for certain… using a range hood (抽油煙機) is necessary when you're cooking.
________________________________
羅馬帝國建築物的秘密
The Secret Behind Ancient Roman Buildings
Greek fire, Damascus steel, and Roman concrete (混凝土)…
They used to be the lost techniques of the ancient world.
Thanks to modern technology and hardworking scientists, many of the techniques have been recreated.
The buildings of ancient Rome have survived thousands of years.
Studies have shown that Roman concrete lasts longer than modern concrete.
Originally, researchers believed that the key ingredient to Roman concrete is volcanic ash (火山灰).
But now, another key component (主要成分) has been discovered.
They found white chunks (白色塊狀物) that had been previously overlooked in Roman concrete.
These white chunks were thought to come from sloppy (草率) mixing, or poor-quality ingredients.
The scientists called it "lime clasts" (石灰屑).
But an experiment proved that the lime clasts helped to "heal" cracks.
羅馬帝國使用的混凝土中含有被稱為「石灰碎屑」的白色碎塊，專家發現這些碎屑使裂縫能夠「癒合」。
They say lime clasts can dissolve into cracks and recrystallize (重新結晶), sealing off the cracks.
Researchers say that this could be the key to producing more long-lasting concrete.
Or it could even be the beginning of self-repairing buildings.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival starts on February 5th.
Hundreds of sky lanterns will released at Shifen Sky Lantern Square and at Pingxi Junior High School.
There will also be tours which include sky lantern DIY and major attractions.
________________________________
New research has linked cooking with natural gas to 12% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S.
Gas stoves burn natural gas, which produces nitrogen dioxide.
The WHO says nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant linked to asthma and other respiratory conditions.
But some researchers say a definite link between asthma and pollution from gas stoves hasn't been proven yet.
________________________________
And,
Researchers now think lime clasts in Roman concrete may help to "heal" cracks.
They say lime clasts can dissolve into cracks and recrystallize, sealing off the cracks.
Researchers say that this could be the key to producing more long-lasting concrete.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Police install new VR systems, a girl finds something exciting, and a study on dolphin communication!
Stay tuned to learn about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
警察安裝VR培訓系統
Police Install VR Training Systems
Virtual reality, or VR, is a technology (科技) that lets you feel like you're in a different world.
You wear a headset with a screen in front of your eyes, and you can see a computer-generated environment.
用者戴上一個有螢幕的頭戴式裝置, 可以看到電腦產生的環境。
The image on the screen (螢幕上的畫面) changes when you move your head to look around.
It can be used for playing video games, designing 3D models, creating art…
And even training (訓練) doctors, pilots, and police!
The National Police Agency (NPA) has installed VR police training systems for the first time.
內政部警政署首次安裝了虛擬實境警察訓練系統。
The systems were installed (安裝) at the New Taipei, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Chiayi County police departments.
Police will also use them at the Railway Police Bureau, Taiwan Police College, and the First Police Special Corps 6th Corps.
The VR police training system cost around $45 million NT.
It offers new training features (功能).
Users have to wear headsets (頭戴式裝置), and officers are trained through simulations (模擬).
The system can create simulations of different settings (場景), like KTV bars or train stations.
This can help officers prepare for all kinds of scenarios (情境).
The NPA says it plans to buy more VR training systems.
That way, other police departments and institutions can help make the training more realistic (更真實).
And improve police officers' skills to keep us safe.
________________________________
海豚【大喊】以便在噪音污染中被聽到
Dolphins 'Shout' to Get Heard over Noise Pollution
Did you know that humans are not the only species that "speak" to each other?
Many animals communicate (溝通) with each other in different ways.
They can make sounds to show they are happy, hungry, or in danger.
Dolphins are intelligent marine mammals that use a complex communication system.
海豚是高智商的海洋哺乳動物，使用複雜的溝通系統。
They are very social animals (善於社交的動物), and live in groups called pods.
Their communication lets them cooperate (合作), play, and solve problems together.
They can whistle to identify each other (識別彼此), like how we use names…
And they use clicks for echolocation (迴聲定位), using sound waves to find food or know where they are.
Unfortunately, ocean noise pollution (海洋噪音污染) is making it hard for dolphins to communicate with each other.
Human activity, like shipping, oil, and gas exploration, and construction, has increased a lot in recent years.
近年來，航運、石油和天然氣勘探以及建造等人類活動大幅增加。
That means underwater sound levels (水下聲級) are also increasing.
Scientists trained two dolphins and studied them in a noisy environment (嘈雜的環境).
They found that the dolphins started whistling two times louder and for a longer time to communicate.
The study shows that ocean noise pollution greatly affects the lives of marine mammals.
________________________________
9 歲女孩發現古代鯊魚牙
9-Year-Old Finds Ancient Shark Tooth
When I go to the beach, I look for seashells (貝殼) or pretty rocks to bring home.
I feel really lucky and excited (感到幸運和興奮) when I can find something.
9-year-old Molly from Maryland, USA, found something even more exciting than seashells or rocks.
It was an ancient fossil (古老的化石)!
Molly and her family are all big fossil enthusiasts (愛好者), and her dad looked for fossils at the beach since he was a kid.
In fact, she and her sister always say they want to go find shark teeth like professionals (專業人)!
So, when she got an insulated chest wader (保暖涉水褲) for Christmas, the family went to the beach the next morning.
Molly was visiting the beach with her family on Christmas Day.
She told her mom she was "looking for a Meg" - that is, a Megalodon tooth!
The Megalodon (巨齒鯊) was the largest shark of all time.
It lived up to 3.6 million years ago!
They had really huge teeth, with each one being over 18 centimeters long.
Molly always dreamed of finding a Megalodon tooth.
And she did!
Imagine how excited she was to find one that day!
Her family took the tooth to a marine museum.
The museum's paleontologists (古生物學家) confirmed the tooth came from a "Meg".
They congratulated her as a "future paleontologist"!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Virtual reality, or VR, is a technology that lets you feel like you're in a different world.
The National Police Agency has installed VR police training systems for the first time.
The system can create simulations of different settings, like KTV bars, to help officers prepare for all kinds of scenarios.
________________________________
Dolphins are intelligent marine mammals that use a complex communication system.
Their communication lets them cooperate, play, and solve problems together.
But human activity is increasing ocean noise pollution, making it hard for dolphins to communicate with each other.
________________________________
And,
9-year-old Molly from Maryland, USA, found something exciting at the beach.
An ancient Megalodon tooth!
A marine museum congratulated her as a "future paleontologist".
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Migrant workers get a little more money, a satellite mission doesn't quite work, and one man solves an ancient mystery.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________
移工平均薪水增加
Migrant Workers' Average Pay Increased
If we want a comfortable life (舒服的生活), then we probably need some money.
And in order to make money, most people need to work (上班).
That sounds pretty simple, right?
聽起來蠻簡單，對吧？
Well, some people might work very hard, but still have a very low salary (很低的薪水).
For example, every year, tens of thousands of people (好幾萬個人) from the Philippines (菲律賓), Indonesia (印尼), and other countries come to live and work in Taiwan.
Many of these migrant workers (移工) find work in factories (工廠), in construction (建築工地), or as caregivers (看護).
It's very difficult work, and a lot of migrant workers don't make very much money.
But last year, Taiwan's migrant workers in factories and construction work saw an average pay increase (平均薪水增加) of more than 5 percent.
And migrant caregivers' pay went up by less (增加得比較少), but still saw an average increase of almost 2 percent.
It may not seem like a lot of money, but every little bit can help make their lives better.
Now, many migrant workers still have other problems, like having to work for 10 hours every day (每天工作十個小時).
Still, they are all here helping Taiwan to get work done…
So let's hope the government can give them more comfortable lives!
________________________________
英國太空署任務失敗
U.K. Space Agency Sees Mission Failure
We've told you many stories about outer space missions (去外太空的任務)…
And many of them have been stories of success (成功).
Unfortunately (不幸), they can sometimes end in failure (失敗).
And recently, one mission from the U.K. Space Agency (英國太空署) didn't go very well.
The mission planned to use a giant airplane to help a rocket send satellites into space.
這個任務原本的計畫是用巨大的飛機來幫一個火箭把衛星送上太空。
In this system, the plane carries a rocket (火箭) high up into the sky.
Then, it releases the rocket (發射火箭), which carries some small satellites (衛星) into space.
This time, though…
但是，這一次…
Something went wrong with the rocket's computer (火箭上的電腦).
Scientists said they couldn't save the satellites (救不了衛星), and had to let them go.
This system is still very new, and has only been flying since the year 2020.
They say it shows how difficult it is to get to outer space.
But they're not giving up!
科學家說他們不會放棄！
They say the system has been successful four times in the past, and they will be ready to try again soon.
No matter how smart we are (不管我們有多聰明), we can still fail sometimes.
Just remember to learn from your mistakes, and don't be afraid to try again!
________________________________
兩萬年前洞穴壁畫的謎被解開
20,000-Year-Old Cave Drawing Mystery Solved
Okay, we've talked enough about failure…
Let's talk about success!
For many years, historians have studied cave paintings
很多年以來，歷史學家在研究洞穴壁畫。
These paintings were made by people thousands and thousands of years ago.
And many of them show primitive art (原始的藝術) of animals.
But there were some things that historians just couldn't understand…
For example, some of the animal pictures had strange symbols (上面畫了一些奇怪的符號).
But what do they mean?
Well, some people in England have recently solved the mystery (破解了謎團), after studying cave paintings from 20,000 years ago.
They noticed (注意到了) that the symbols seemed connected to the moon (月亮) and birth cycles (出生週期) of different kinds of animals.
And they realized something important…
他們發現了很重要的事情…
These ancient humans were using the moon to talk about time!
That's like how many people today still use Lunar Calendars (農曆), which follow the moon's cycles (月亮的週期).
Scientists say this research can help us to understand the lives of ancient humans (古代的人類).
And it's just in time for the Lunar New Year!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's migrant workers in factories and construction work saw an average pay increase of more than 5 percent.
And migrant caregivers' pay went up by less, but still saw an average increase of almost 2 percent.
It may not seem like a lot of money, but every little bit can help make their lives better.
________________________________
And,
One mission from the U.K. Space Agency has failed to send satellites to space.
Something went wrong with their rocket's computer, and they had to let some satellites go.
But they're not giving up, and they will be ready to try again soon.
________________________________
And,
Some people in England have recently discovered the meaning of some symbols in ancient cave paintings.
They say ancient humans were using these symbols and the moon to talk about time!
That's like how many people today still use Lunar Calendars, which follow the moon's cycles.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Trevor:
Citizen scientists, art on money, and a bigger sun.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
號召公民科學家
"Citizen Scientists" Help Termite Study
Would you like to be a scientist when you grow up?
How about starting now?
Researchers at National Chung Hsing University were working on an important project.
They wanted to learn more about termites (白蟻).
They wanted to know which types of termites did the most damage (損害) to buildings in Taiwan.
To do this, they would have to catch termites that were living in buildings.
But they couldn't go into people's homes to do their work.
So they asked for people's help.
They put out a call for "citizen scientists" (公民科學家).
They asked these citizen scientists to catch termites.
The researchers also set up a website (網站).
People can record the time and place where they caught the termite.
They can then send the termites to the university.
More than 200 citizen scientists sent termite samples (樣本) to the university.
The researchers got more than 3,000 termite samples.
All this helped the researchers learn something important.
They found that the termites that did the most damage to buildings are the Formosan termite, and the Asian subterranean termite.
分析樣本以後，研究人員發現危害臺灣建築物最嚴重的是臺灣家白蟻與格斯特家白蟻。
This helped them come up with better ways to stop the termites and protect buildings.
________________________________
阿根廷藝術家用紙鈔作畫
Argentine Artist Paints on Money
Artists sometimes make money through their artwork.
But what if their artwork IS money?
Sergio Guillermo Diaz paints on banknotes (紙鈔).
The artist from Argentina paints pictures on the country's money, "pesos" (比索).
Sergio has painted movie characters on $2 and $5 peso bills.
He has even painted soccer star Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup on a $10 peso bill.
Why not just use normal paper?
Sergio says the peso bills are not worth much (價值低).
He says once he paints on the money, he can sell it for much more.
There's a bigger picture here (完整情況、主要的事情).
In the past few years, Argentina's money has lost a lot of value.
This is because of inflation (通貨膨脹).
It's when the cost of things go up.
Inflation happens for many reasons.
But inflation in Argentina has been made worse by world events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Now, a $1,000 peso bill is worth around just $170 NT.
And that $1,000 peso bill is not enough to buy a combo meal at a fast food restaurant, which costs around $1,500 pesos.
阿根廷公布的11月通膨年增率，已升至92.4％，成為全球通膨最嚴重的國家之一。
Sergio says his art shows how inflation affects the lives of Argentinians.
________________________________
全年看太陽最大的「近日點」
Earth's Closest Point to the Sun
We've had some cold weather recently.
So you may be surprised to know…
Our planet was closest to the Sun last week.
The Earth orbits (地球公轉) once around the Sun every year.
And Thursday last week, the Earth was at the place in its orbit that brings it closest to the Sun.
That point is called "perihelion" (近日點).
「近日點」是一年中地球最接近太陽的位置，也是全年中太陽看起來最大的一天。
Perihelion comes around about two weeks after December solstice (冬至、至日).
This year, it happened on January 5th, shortly after 12 AM.
At that time, Earth was about 147,000,000 kilometers from the Sun.
And to us, the Sun looked about 11 percent bigger than usual.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Researchers wanted to know which types of termites did the most damage to buildings in Taiwan.
So they asked citizen scientists to catch termites and send the termites to the university.
This helped researchers come up with better ways to stop the termites and protect buildings.
________________________________
Argentinian artist Sergio Guillermo Diaz paints on banknotes.
Sergio says the peso bills are not worth much.
He says once he paints on the money, he can sell it for much more.
________________________________
And,
Thursday last week, the Earth was at the place in its orbit that brings it closest to the Sun.
That point is called "perihelion".
Perihelion comes around about two weeks after December solstice.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
More women in local councils, Chinese pandas are going home, and a once-in-a-lifetime comet in the sky!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣在地方議會中有更多女性代表
Taiwan Sees More Female Representation in Local Councils
Do you know who makes the decisions that affect your community (社區)?
In Taiwan, each city and county (縣) has a local government (政府) and council (議會).
Local governments and councils are responsible for many policies (政策) and services we use every day.
Like education, public safety…
Health and social services, parks…
Public transportation and… traffic!
It's important to have a government that represents (代表) all the people who live in a community.
Children, adults, elderly, men, women… all of them have different needs.
In Taiwan, female representation in local councils is increasing!
In November last year, Taiwan held the 9-in-1 local elections to fill many seats in local councils (補地方議會的許多席位).
Out of 3,048 local public representatives (代表人) elected, 901 were women.
Taipei City reports the highest female representation, with almost 50 percent of elected officials being women!
台北市的女性代表比例最高，幾乎 50% 的民選官員是女性！
Other counties and cities with the highest female representation over 30-percent are Hsinchu City, Tainan, New Taipei City, and Keelung.
Having more women in leadership positions promotes gender equality.
讓更多女性擔任領導職務可以促進性別平等。
They can make decisions that help address the needs of everyone.
A more diverse and inclusive government (多元化和包容性的政府) can help every citizen.
________________________________
愛丁堡動物園將大熊貓送回中國
Edinburgh Zoo to Return Pandas to China
Pandas are one of the cutest animals in the world.
They are a vulnerable species endemic to China.
它們是中國特有的易危物種。
They are also China's national treasure (國家寶藏).
All living pandas belong (屬於) to the Chinese government.
No one else can own one (擁有一個).
China lets some governments borrow pandas as a mark of respect between their countries.
中國允許一些政府借用大熊貓，以示兩國之間互相尊重。
Having a panda can boost the status (提高地位) of a zoo.
Each zoo has to pass a test to be allowed to keep one, and it can cost a lot of money.
Since 2011, pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived in Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.
They are the only pandas living in the U.K.
And, well, they won't be living there after this year.
That's because Edinburgh Zoo is returning Yang Guang and Tian Tian in October.
The zoo says caring for the pandas is too expensive (昂貴的).
It costs around ?750,000 pounds (英鎊) a year… or more than $27,800,000 NT!
Another reason the zoo plans to return the black-and-white bears is because they could not mate (交配).
The zookeepers hoped the pandas would mate and have babies.
But they gave up after trying for ten years.
________________________________
一生只有一次，綠光彗星將出現在天空中
Green Comet to Make a Once-in-a-Lifetime Appearance in the Sky
For the first time since the Stone Age (石器時代), a green comet will be visible (看得見) in the sky in 2023.
The comet is officially called C/2022 E3 (ZTF).
But, we'll just call it "the green comet".
It was discovered by astronomers (天文學家) in March last year.
It was about 640 million kilometers away from the Sun, inside of Jupiter's orbit (木星的軌道).
NASA believes it came from the edge of the Solar System, in a place called the Oort Cloud.
美國太空總署認為它來自太陽系的邊緣，一個叫做奧爾特雲的地方。
They have been watching it travel closer and closer to the Inner Solar System (內太陽系).
The green comet will be closest to the sun tomorrow (1/12).
That's around 160 million kilometers from the Sun.
The closest the comet has come since the last Ice Age (冰河世紀)!
Astronomers say it might be visible to the naked eye at night, appearing like a green blob (斑點) in the sky.
And it will be observable with binoculars or telescopes.
它可以用雙筒望遠鏡或望遠鏡觀察到。
They say it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (一生一次的機會) to see the green comet.
NASA says the comet will approach (接近) the Sun around January 12th this year.
And it will be the closest to the Earth on February 2nd.
The next time to see it will be in at least 50,000 years.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
In November last year, Taiwan held the 9-in-1 local elections to fill many seats in local councils.
Out of 3,048 local public representatives elected, 901 were women.
Having more women in leadership positions promotes gender equality.
________________________________
China lets some governments borrow pandas as a mark of respect between their countries.
Since 2011, Chinese pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived in Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.
But the zoo says caring for the pandas is too expensive.
So, they plan to return the pandas to China this year.
________________________________
And,
For the first time since the Stone Age, a green comet called C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible to us.
It will be closest to the Sun tomorrow, and to Earth on February 2nd.
Astronomers say it might be visible to the naked eye at night, appearing like a green blob in the sky.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Lucky scratch cards, gaming misinformation, and a vaccine for bees.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
兔年刮刮樂頭獎史上最多
Year of Rabbit Lottery Scratch Cards Come with Big Prizes
The Lunar New Year is around the corner.
It is believed that the beginning of the Lunar (農曆) New Year is supposed to bring good luck.
That's why many people like to try their luck at lottery tickets.
There are many kinds of lottery tickets in Taiwan.
And scratch cards are really popular.
They are popular because scratching off the paint and revealing the prize can be exciting.
This year, Taiwan Lottery (台灣彩卷) has announced six new scratch cards.
One of them is the "$20 million NT Super Red Envelope".
This card gives a total of seven $20 million NT top prizes.
There are other big prizes too.
And this year's prizes are some of the biggest ever.
兔年2000元刮刮樂加碼，獎項與數量比以往更加倍。
But buying these scratch cards can cost a lot of money.
And only adults 18 years or older are allowed to buy them.
Scratch cards can be a fun part of the Lunar New Year.
But make sure to play responsibly!
________________________________
電玩被當成新聞
Video Games and Misinformation
Do you play video games?
Many of us do.
It's fun and those CGI graphics (電腦特效) are so awesome.
Over the years, CGI has improved a lot.
Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between what's real and what's CGI.
And this makes some researchers worried.
They worry that graphics in gaming could spread misinformation.
有些專家擔心遊戲裡逼真的特效有可能散波假的或是不準確的資訊。
Recently, some people thought CGI from a video game was real video footage (一段影片).
They thought it was footage of the Russia Ukraine war.
Some of this footage even had a "live" or "breaking news" logo (標誌) on it.
Something like this also happened last month, during the FIFA World Cup.
Around 40,000 fans thought they were watching the game live.
But it was just edited (編輯) video from a soccer video game.
Video game footage has been easily accessible (容易取得).
And researchers are worried that in a few years, it would be almost impossible to tell CGI from the real thing.
________________________________
全球第一款蜜蜂疫苗
World's First Vaccine for Honeybees
It has been about 200 years since the world's first vaccine was produced.
Nowadays, we have vaccines for many diseases.
Babies get many vaccines after they are born.
Even animals have vaccines for contagious (傳染性的) diseases like rabies (狂犬病).
Vaccines can help stop serious diseases.
Recently, the US approved a vaccine for honeybees.
This vaccine aims to curb (抑制) a disease called "foulbrood".
Foulbrood can weaken and kill bees.
This disease has no cure and beekeepers have to destroy and burn any infected colonies (蜂群).
The bee vaccine is mixed into the royal jelly (蜂王漿) fed to the queen by worker bees.
When the queen lays eggs, the larvae (幼蟲) will then have immunity (免疫) to the disease.
If all goes well, bee vaccines for other diseases will also be developed.
Bees are very important for pollination (授粉).
Without pollination, we wouldn't have flowers and fruits.
But the number of wild bees is falling.
This is because of habitat loss, pesticide (農藥) use and the climate crisis.
It is therefore important to protect farmed honeybees.
一個沒有花朵和水果的世界真的令人難以想像。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year, Taiwan Lottery has announced six new scratch cards
And this year's prizes are some of the biggest ever.
Scratch cards can be a fun part of the Lunar New Year.
But make sure to play responsibly!
________________________________
Some researchers worry that graphics in gaming could spread misinformation.
Recently, some people thought CGI from a video game was real video footage of the Russia Ukraine war.
Researchers are worried that in a few years, it would be almost impossible to tell CGI from the real thing.
________________________________
And,
The US approved a vaccine for honeybees, to curb a disease called "foulbrood", which weakens and kills bees.
This disease has no cure and beekeepers have to destroy and burn any infected colonies.
Bees are very important for pollination, but the number of wild bees is falling.
It is therefore important to protect farmed honeybees.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Helping Formosan black bears, saving the planet with hair, and plum blossoms for Lunar New Year.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
發現臺灣黑熊 通報有獎勵金
Cash Prize for Sighting Formosan Black Bear
The Formosan black bear is an important part of Taiwan.
They are black all over, except for a white "V" marking on their chest.
They are the biggest land animal native to the island.
And they are Taiwan's only native bear species.
台灣黑熊是台灣特有種的黑熊，也是台灣陸地上最大型的食肉動物。
But they are endangered.
They face danger from illegal traps, hunters, and loss of habitat.
Now the Forestry Bureau is awarding (獎勵) people who help protect Formosan black bears.
It gave a man in Hualien $8,000 NT.
Manama is a member of the Bunun indigenous people.
He got the reward for seeing a Formosan black bear and reporting it to officials without hurting the bear.
And he let the bureau set up cameras on his property to see what the bear was doing.
Manama says his son told him last month that one of their chickens was eaten by a wild animal.
Manama told forest officials.
The officials also found black bear fur and feces (糞便) close by.
They all took steps to encourage the bear not to come back to the village.
This is done to keep both the villagers and the bear safe.
Manama says it was the first time he had seen a Formosan black bear in the 50 years he's lived in the village.
He says he did not hurt the bear because the Bunun people deeply respect the animal.
________________________________
回收頭髮助「吸油」
Recycled Hair Helps Protect the Environment
Hair is an important part of our body.
It helps us stay warm.
And it protects important parts of our body too.
But did you know it can also protect the environment?
A Belgium company is turning human hair into mats (墊子).
It collects hair from hairdressers (美髮師).
All the hair is put into a machine.
The machine weaves (編織) the hair into a mat.
These hair mats can soak up a lot of oil from water.
剪下來的頭髮可以回收製成吸取油汙的墊子。
The company says 1 kilogram of hair can absorb (吸收) around 8 liters of oil.
That's about 32 cups!
The mats can be used to clean up oil spills (石油洩漏).
Or they can be used to clean drain water (廢水) before the water is put back into rivers and oceans.
The company says one strand of hair can hold up to 10 million times its own weight.
Hair is also elastic (有彈性的).
And it absorbs fats and chemicals, like oil and pesticides (殺蟲劑).
The company says hair mats help the environment in many ways.
It cleans up pollution…
The hair that would have become garbage, is turned into something useful…
And it's easy to get more hair, because we keep growing more!
________________________________
春節有機會賞梅
Plum Blossoms to Bloom for Lunar New Year
What are you doing over the Lunar New Year holiday?
This year's Lunar New Year holiday will be 10 days long.
If you'd like to get out and enjoy nature, you might consider going to see plum blossoms (梅花).
Farmers in Taitung say this year is the first time in 40 years that you may be able to see plum blossoms over the Lunar New Year.
They say usually plum blossoms bloom a month before the Lunar New Year.
專家說梅花通常都是在農曆春節前1個月左右開花。
But this year the Lunar New Year comes a bit earlier, and plum blossom trees are blooming a bit later than usual.
They say there are now flower buds (花苞) on plum blossom trees.
The farmers think the plum blossoms will probably start blooming this week.
And the blossoms will be in full bloom next week.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Forestry Bureau is awarding people who help protect Formosan black bears.
Manama, a member of the Bunun indigenous people, got the reward for seeing a Formosan black bear and reporting it to officials without hurting the bear.
He says the Bunun people deeply respect the animal.
________________________________
A Belgium company is turning human hair into mats.
These hair mats can soak up a lot of oil from water.
The mats can be used to clean up oil spills, or clean drain water before the water is put back into rivers and oceans.
________________________________
And…..
Farmers in Taitung say this year is the first time in 40 years that you may be able to see plum blossoms over the Lunar New Year.
The farmers think the plum blossoms will probably start blooming this week.
And the blossoms will be in full bloom next week.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Be careful with fireworks (seriously), check out these cool new toys, and let us know if you see a two-legged fox.
More on these stories coming up in just a sec!
________________________________
新北市提醒市民 晚上禁止放鞭炮或煙火
New Taipei City Reminds Residents of Fireworks Ban
Fireworks!
They can be a lot of fun to watch…
But they can also be pretty dangerous (相當危險).
So, in many countries, they are illegal (違法).
But in Taiwan, they are legal (合法)… sometimes.
There are many types of fireworks, like firecrackers (鞭炮), which don't give off much light (不會發很多光).
And there are much bigger fireworks (煙火), which go up in the sky at night, and give off LOTS of light (會很亮).
Still, there is another thing they all have in common…
還有一個很大的共同點…
Fireworks are LOUD.
So as we get closer to Lunar New Year (春節), some cities in Taiwan are reminding people (提醒大家) that they cannot use fireworks at night (晚上不能放鞭炮).
For example, in New Taipei, people who set off fireworks (放鞭炮或煙火) between 10 PM and 6 AM could get a fine (罰款).
And there are similar laws (類似的法律) in many cities around Taiwan.
So, you can still have fun in the daytime, but remember to be safe…
And remember that some people are trying to sleep!
________________________________
消費電子展 展出新奇用品
Technology Exhibition Shows Off New Gadgets
Throughout history (歷史), there have been many famous inventors (有名的發明家).
To "invent" something means to make something the world has never seen before.
According to history, the first printing press (印刷機) was invented in China…
The first telescope (望遠鏡) was invented in Europe…
And the first telephone (電話) was invented in the U.S.
Now, our world is moving so fast that there are new inventions (發明的東西) all the time.
And there are even big exhibitions (展覽) where we can see lots of new inventions at once!
One exhibition is a tech show called the "C.E.S." which shows off (展示) all kinds of new inventions.
This year, there were digital tattoos (數位刺青), and electric skates (電子溜冰鞋)…
There was an electric bicycle that can be folded up (能摺疊起來)…
There was a bird feeder (餵鳥器) that helps identify different kinds of birds…
There was a dog collar (狗項圈) that tells you how much your dog exercises (運動)…
And there was even a machine you can bite (咬下去) that will automatically brush your teeth (能自動幫你刷牙)!
The inventors of all this crazy new technology were happy to share their hard work, and you can still see their inventions on the internet.
Who knows, maybe all these inventions could give you some ideas, too!
________________________________
英國出現兩腿狐狸
Two-Legged Fox Seen in the U.K.
Okay, this story is a short one…
There is a couple (情侶) in England, living in a big house, near lots of forests (森林).
And they often see lots of animals from these forests, visiting their house and lawn (草地).
But recently, they saw something very unique (獨特的).
"Hey, come quick! Look at this!"
"What is it?"
They saw a fox… with only its two front legs!
他們看到了一隻狐狸，但是牠只有兩隻前腿！
"We've got a two-legged fox on the lawn!"
Obviously (當然), foxes usually have four legs.
So because this fox had no back legs, it had to walk on its front legs.
That would be like you walking on only your hands, everywhere you go!
But the couple says it stayed on their lawn for about 45 minutes, and then walked away.
And they say it looked healthy (健康的)!
In reality (事實上), there are many more animals, and even some of us people, with problems like this.
But if we can learn from this two-legged fox… then there's still so much we can do!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
As we get closer to Lunar New Year, some cities in Taiwan are reminding people that they cannot use fireworks at night.
For example, in New Taipei, people who set off fireworks between 10 PM and 6 AM could get a fine.
And there are also similar laws in many cities around Taiwan.
So, you can still have fun in the daytime, but remember to be safe…
________________________________
And,
A tech show called the C.E.S. was held in the U.S., and has shown off all kinds of new technology.
This year, there were digital tattoos, electric skates, and an electric bicycle that can be folded up.
There was even a machine you can bite, that will automatically brush your teeth.
The inventors of all this crazy new technology were happy to share their hard work, and you can still see their inventions on the internet.
________________________________
And,
A couple in England recently saw a two-legged fox on their lawn.
The fox had no back legs, so it had to walk on its front legs.
The couple says it looked healthy, and stayed on their lawn for about 45 minutes, before walking away.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Taipei First Girls' High School Marching Band dazzle at Rose Parade, France sets new rules for fast food restaurants, and playing video games might be good for your brain!
Stick around and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next.
_______________________________
北一女樂儀旗隊 玫瑰花車遊行讓人驚豔
Taipei First Girls High School Marching Band Dazzle at Rose Parade
How far can you walk, carrying a heavy instrument (樂器)?
One kilometer? Maybe three?
The Taipei First Girls High School marching band, honor guard, and color guard dazzled the audiences at the Rose Parade in California.
北一女樂隊、儀隊和旗隊在加州玫瑰花車遊行中讓觀眾眼花繚亂。
The marching band (遊行樂隊) was one of six international groups taking part in this year's parade.
The girls walked for nearly two hours in the cold weather.
It was only six degrees Celsius (攝氏六度)!
They marched for nine kilometers while playing music.
Local media praised (稱讚) the 135 students and teachers for their organized formation.
The event's host addressed (稱呼) Taiwan both by its official name, the Republic of China (ROC), as well as Taiwan.
This was the third time the Taipei First Girls High School Marching Band, Honor Guards and Color Guards was invited to perform at the Rose Parade after performances in 1996 and 2005.
When the parade was over, the students enjoyed burgers at popular fast food chain (速食連鎖店), In N Out.
After marching for two hours… I'd be super hungry too!
________________________________
法國速食店新規定
France Sets New Rules for Fast Food Restaurants
The New Year brings many new changes.
In France, those changes include new rules about food packaging (包裝).
Starting January 1st, fast food chains in France cannot give dine-in customers food in throwaway (一次性，用過就丟的) boxes.
That means if you eat at a restaurant like McDonald's, the food would not be served in disposable (一次性) packaging.
Under the new law, restaurants have to provide reusable (可重複使用的) plates, cups, and cutlery (刀叉), which will later be washed and used again.
The law was published (發布) in 2020.
The new system is trying to reduce (減少) plastic and other types of waste.
Environmental groups are calling on the government to properly enforce (執行) the new law.
They hope the government can fine restaurants that don't follow the rule.
________________________________
打電動可能對大腦有益
Playing Video Games Might Be Good For Your Brain
Do you like playing video games (電動遊戲)?
Many adults, especially parents, worry that video games could be bad for us.
But a new study says video games might be good for our brains!
It's called the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (青少年大腦認知發展), or ABCD Study.
It's one of many studies that looked at the effects (影響) of video games.
They're looking at over 2,000 people between the ages of 10 and 20 in the United States.
The test group (測試組) reported playing at least three hours a day.
The researchers compare results with a control group (控制組) of kids who said they never play video games.
All participants in the study answer questions every year.
The researchers also perform an MRT scan on each kid's brain every other year (每隔一年).
They tested the kids in two ways.
The first task was to press an arrow key that matched the right or left arrow on a computer screen.
第一項任務是按下跟電腦螢幕上的右箭頭或左箭頭相配的箭頭鍵。
The second task asked the kids to remember the faces in pictures on the computer screen.
第二個任務要求孩子們記住電腦銀幕上圖片中的面孔。
The result?
The gamer group was better at both tasks!
A researcher says gamer's brains are better at working memory, attention, and problem-solving.
研究人員說愛打電動的玩家，大腦更擅長記憶、更專注，更能解決問題。
Gamers also have better hand-eye coordination (手眼協調).
Researchers say we need to study the effects of gaming more before deciding that video games are good for children.
The ABCD study is still ongoing.
But for now… video games might be better for us.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei First Girls High School marching band was one of six international groups taking part in this year's Rose Parade in California.
The girls walked for nearly two hours in the cold weather.
When the parade was over, the students enjoyed burgers at popular fast food chain, In N Out.
________________________________
Starting January 1st, fast food chains in France cannot give dine-in customers food in throwaway boxes.
Under the new law, restaurants have to provide reusable plates, cups, and cutlery, which will later be washed and used again.
The new system is trying to reduce plastic and other types of waste.
________________________________
And,
A new study says video games might be good for our brains!
A researcher says gamer's brains are better at working memory, attention, and problem-solving.
Gamers also have better hand-eye coordination.
Researchers say we need to study the effect of gaming more before deciding that video games are good for children.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Let's have a look at today's stories, with Trevor and Paz:
Taiwan's weather gets healthier, a tall man is taller for a moment, and two people ride one bicycle around the world.
Stay tuned for more, coming up now!
________________________________
台灣2022年 空氣汙染有所改善
Taiwan's Unhealthy Air Lower in 2022
There are many kinds of weather (天氣).
The weather can be sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, or foggy (有霧的).
But more and more cities (城市) are also seeing a different kind of weather, called "smog" (霧霾).
The word "smog" comes from the two words "smoke" (煙) and "fog" (霧) put together.
And smoggy weather comes from pollution (汙染).
You might see smog in Taiwan sometimes, especially (尤其) in big cities, or nearby lots of factories (工廠).
Smog is unhealthy to breathe, and can hurt your lungs.
呼吸煙霧是不健康的，並對你的肺有害。
But there is good news!
有好消息了！
Weather scientists in Taiwan can measure (測量) the amount of smog in the air.
And they say Taiwan's smog levels (霧霾程度) were much lower last year.
In fact, the number of smoggy days here in 2022 was 75% less than in 2021!
台灣2022年有霧霾的日子比2021年少了百分之七十五！
It's partly because (部分是因為) many companies in Taiwan were able to save energy.
Many old motorcycles (摩托車) were also taken off the roads.
And less pollution (較少的汙染) came to Taiwan from China!
Scientists say it was also because Taiwan got so much rain in 2022.
So even if the smog problem isn't gone… at least we're doing a little better!
________________________________
加納男子 有紀錄以來最高的高個子
Man in Ghana Reported to be World's Tallest
How tall are you?
Well, the tallest man ever recorded (有紀錄以來最高的) was 272 centimeters tall (兩百七十二公分), in 1940.
That's about half as tall as a giraffe (長頸鹿高度的一半)!
So people were very surprised when they heard that a man in Ghana recently broke the record.
很多人聽說有位加納男人打破了之前的紀錄，都有點驚訝。
He is called "Awuche", and he was recently measured (測量) at 290 centimeters (兩百九十公分).
But here's the bad news (壞消息)…
The person who measured him made a mistake (犯了錯).
Awuche is actually only 224 centimeters tall.
But wait… that's still almost as tall as Yao Ming (姚明), the NBA's tallest-ever basketball player!
So Awuche is definitely still one of the tallest people alive.
His height (高度) is still very difficult for his body, and he needs to see doctors often.
But with his new fame (名聲), he might get some more help!
Even Awuche is optimistic (樂觀) about his life, saying he is happy to accept the way he is (很樂意接受自己的樣子).
We can all learn something from his good attitude (好的態度), no matter how tall we are!
________________________________
雙人腳踏車環繞世界
Two People Ride One Bicycle Around the World
For many people, riding a bicycle (騎腳踏車) is pretty easy.
But it's much more difficult to ride a tandem bicycle (雙人腳踏車).
It's still a bicycle, because it has two wheels (輪子)…
But "tandem" means two things moving forward together, so a tandem bicycle has two sets of pedals (雙人腳踏車有兩雙踏板).
On a tandem bicycle, the person in front gets to steer (控制方向), and the person sitting in back helps with pedaling (踩踏).
Usually, we just ride them for fun…
But two people from England recently set a world record (破了世界紀錄) by riding a tandem bicycle around the whole world in 180 days!
They cycled together for a total of 29,000 kilometers (兩萬九千公里).
And it wasn't easy…
Along the way (在路上), they got sick, they were hit by a car, and they even had visa problems (簽證問題).
But they have finally finished their journey, and are resting safely!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The word "smog" comes from the two words "smoke" and "fog" put together.
Weather scientists say the number of smoggy days in Taiwan last year was 75% less than 2021.
They say it's because many companies were able to save energy, old motorcycles were taken off the roads, and less pollution came to Taiwan from China.
________________________________
And,
A man in Ghana, called "Awuche", was recently measured at 290 centimeters tall.
But the person who measured him made a mistake, and Awuche is actually only 224 centimeters tall.
Awuche is still optimistic about his life, and says he is happy to accept the way he is.
________________________________
And,
Two people from England have recently set a world record, by riding a tandem bicycle around the whole world in 180 days.
They cycled together for a total of 29,000 kilometers.
Along the way, they got sick, they were hit by a car, and they even had visa problems.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Taiwan hotels need more workers, Italy tests Chinese travelers, and boredom can be a good thing.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣飯店人力短缺
Taiwan Hotels Need Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic has made life difficult for many.
The tourism industry (產業) has also been struggling.
Many people who work in tourism-related companies have lost their jobs.
But now, many countries are opening their borders again.
And more people are traveling again.
Now there is a new problem.
There is a major labor shortage (短缺).
This means there aren't enough workers to do all the work.
This shortage of manpower is so serious that even a manager of a luxury hotel has said he has to help with housekeeping (整理飯店房間).
Another hotel had to reject reservations for thousands of tables because they didn't have enough workers.
Industry analysts (產業分析師) believe that the job market has changed in big way.
Many look for jobs in the tech sector, because of its stability despite the pandemic.
A hotel manager even said young people are finding food delivery jobs or jobs as internet influencers (網紅).
They are afraid that if another wave of the pandemic strikes, they would lose their jobs.
Some hotels are raising pay, to try to attract workers.
This may not completely solve the problem.
但對於想找短期打工機會的人來說，這或許是個不錯的機會。
________________________________
義大利將篩檢大陸旅客
Italy Testing Travelers from China for COVID-19
China has changed its zero-COVID policy.
Since then, Chinese travelers have been taking trips to other countries.
Authorities in Milan, Italy said half of the passengers on two flights from China tested positive (陽性).
As a result, Italy will begin testing all arrivals from China for COVID-19.
And they hope that other European countries will do the same.
However, not all EU countries are responding to Italy's request.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention Control (ECDC) considered the test "unjustified" (不正當).
ECDC said that the BF.7 omicron variant (變種) that was hitting China hard was already in Europe.
Therefore, it is not a significant (重大) threat to the EU.
According to the World Health Organization, over 80% of the people in Western Europe have been vaccinated.
This might be one of the reasons that some European countries are not making the test mandatory (強制).
No matter what policies other countries are implementing…
Wearing a mask still seems to be a good way to protect yourself from COVID-19.
戴口罩還是一個很重要的保護措施。
________________________________
覺得無聊也可以是好事
Boredom Can Be a Good Thing
What do you do when you feel bored?
Most would take out their phones to play a game, watch a video or surf their social media.
This is an era when people hate to get bored.
But what if being bored is actually a good thing?
According to a new study, the distraction (分心) of social media could be stopping our minds from getting to a deeper, more complete feeling of boredom.
Researchers say that complete boredom can help us be more innovative (創新).
We sometimes get bored when we're waiting for something.
But this boredom is only superficial (淺層).
We stop being bored like this if we turn to our cell phone.
This means we never get into deep boredom.
Researchers studied the lives of people who were in lockdown during the pandemic.
Some of those who experienced deep boredom had feelings of restlessness (煩躁) and emptiness (空虛).
But many others discovered things they loved to do, like carpentry, baking, and so on.
The researchers came to the conclusion that not being deeply bored might be stopping us from finding more meaningful things.
Next time you feel bored, don't be so quick to pick up your phone.
下次無聊的時候，先不要馬上把手機拿出來。
Who knows? Maybe you can discover a new passion, or come up with a great idea.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There is a major labor shortage for hotels.
This means there aren't enough workers to do all the work.
Industry analysts believe COVID-19 has changed the job market in big way.
________________________________
Italy will begin testing all arrivals from China for COVID-19.
And they hope that other European countries will do the same.
But not all EU countries are responding to Italy's request.
________________________________
And,
Researchers say that complete boredom can help us be more innovative.
Not being deeply bored might be stopping us from finding more meaningful things.
Next time you feel bored, don't be so quick to pick up your phone.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
________________________________
Hello!
Let's chow down on another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Ron Stuart!
In today's news:
The 2023 Taipei Book Exhibition, 2022's Person of the Year, and more turtles on Cyprus.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台北書展邀請波蘭嘉賓
Taipei Book Fair Features Polish Guests
The 31st Taipei International Book Exhibition is coming soon!
Last year, the annual event returned to its normal schedule (恢復正常) after two years of COVID-19.
This year, the book fair's theme is The Multiverse of Reading (閱讀的多元宇宙).
And Poland (波蘭) is the guest of honor.
The event has invited eight Polish authors, poets, picture book creators, and illustrators.
本次活動邀請了八位波蘭作家、詩人、繪本創作者和插畫家。
That includes Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the best-selling Witcher series of books (獵魔士).
The Polish Pavilion (波蘭館) will have three main sections, featuring historical books, children's picture books, and historical collections.
There will also be a Poland Night on February the 4th.
There will be Polish cuisine (料理) and music performances from Polish artists.
Other countries are also setting up pavilions (分館).
Including Italy, France, Germany and South Korea, among others.
The event is taking place from January 31st to February the 5th at the Taipei World Trade Center.
People younger than 18 and foreigners can attend (參加) the fair free of charge.
You can also enter for free if you present (提交) a Taiwan Railways Administration or high-speed rail ticket purchased on the day of entry in locations outside of Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung.
________________________________
烏克蘭總統獲選為2022年度風雲人物
Ukrainian President Honored as Person of the Year 2022
One of the names I'm sure you've heard of this year is Volodymyr Zelensky (澤倫斯基).
Ukraine's President has been named 2022 Person of the Year by the US TIME magazine (2022年度風雲人物).
He won the title, along with "The Spirit (精神) of Ukraine."
On February 24th, Russia launched a military occupation (軍事佔領) of Ukraine.
Zelensky stayed in the capital Kyiv in the face of Russia's invasion (侵略).
His response to the Russian invasion has made him a household name (家喻戶曉的人).
He delivers daily speeches and his audience (觀眾) has grown around the world.
TIME magazine's cover shows the ex-comedian wearing his iconic green fatigues (迷彩服).
The article also shows pictures of Ukrainian people representing (扮演) the Spirit of Ukraine.
________________________________
保育工作正在助長賽普勒斯的烏龜數量
Conservation work helping Turtle population in Cyprus
Turtle populations are making a comeback (再創高峰) in Cyprus.
That's all thanks to conservation efforts by volunteers (志工).
The Republic of Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea (地中海).
Military and civilian volunteers there have been working hard to protect the environment.
They supervise nesting beaches (棲地) and look out for turtle tracks (烏龜行蹤) every day in the summer.
Volunteers also report about human activities along the beach.
Things like camping and lighting bonfires at the beach can be damaging (危害) to turtles.
So far, their hard work has paid off (他們的付出有了回報).
The number of turtles on beaches on Cyprus has been increasing.
They say some 172 green and loggerhead turtle nests were identified.
The volunteers are making sure the turtles have a safe place to lay eggs.
That way they can continue to live and thrive.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The 31st Taipei International Book Exhibition is coming soon!
This year, the book fair's theme is The Multiverse of Reading, and Poland is the guest of honor.
The event is taking place from January 31st to February 5th at the Taipei World Trade Center.
People younger than 18 and foreigners can attend the fair free of charge.
You can also enter for free if you present a Taiwan Railways Administration or high-speed rail ticket purchased on the day of entry in locations outside of Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung.
________________________________
Ukraine's President has been named 2022 Person of the Year by the US TIME magazine.
Volodymyr Zelensky's response to the Russian invasion has made him a household name.
TIME magazine's cover shows the ex-comedian wearing his iconic green fatigues.
The article also shows pictures of Ukrainian people representing the Spirit of Ukraine.
________________________________
And,
Turtle populations are making a comeback in Cyprus.
Military and civilian volunteers there have been working hard to protect the environment.
So far, their hard work has paid off.
The number of turtles on beaches on Cyprus has been increasing.
They say some 172 green and loggerhead turtle nests were identified.
The volunteers are making sure the turtles have a safe place to lay eggs.
That way they can continue to live and thrive.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
主播每周一問
Have Your Say
This week, we want you to have your say about your expectations for 2023.
People often set new goals during the New Year holiday. This year, I am looking forward to making new friends!
And you?
What are you looking forward to this year?
Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.
Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message on our show on Friday!
Hi there, welcome to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news…
New baby animals, the magic of snowflakes, and reusable cups at more stores.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
北市動物園迎接樹獺新成員「珊萬」
Taipei Zoo Announces Baby Sloth Birth
There's a new baby at the Taipei Zoo!
The zoo announced that a two-toed sloth (二趾樹獺) was born in late October.
They are furry animals with long arms and legs.
Wild sloths live on the trees in forests in Central and Southern America.
They eat leaves, fruits, and even some flowers.
And they are famous for mooooving veeerrry slowwwwly…
The baby sloth's name is "Shan-wan" (珊萬).
Her mom is "Su-shan" and her dad is "Yeh-cheng".
When Shan-wan was just born, she was a little too small.
The zoo wanted to make sure she stayed strong and healthy.
So aside from her mother's milk, the zoo also gave Shan-wan some goat milk.
The zoo says she is now a healthy weight for her age.
園方說珊萬出生的時候體重過輕，而且幾天內持續往下降，保育員給珊萬補充羊奶後，她的體重才開始回穩。
Keepers also say that Shan-wan has a very even temper.
She is calm, and doesn't get angry often.
The zoo says once Shan-wan is old enough, she will be allowed out into the display area, where visitors can see her.
________________________________
美國農夫證明沒有兩片一模一樣的雪花
Farmer Proves No Two Snowflakes Are Alike
There is something magical about snow.
When we see snow, many of us think of winter, and Christmas.
And snow is especially magical, when you remember this…
No two snowflakes are alike.
Every single snow crystal has six points, or six sides.
But each one falls from the sky in a different way.
They go through different temperatures, different pressure, and different climate conditions on the way to the ground.
每片雪花在空中飄來飄去，會不斷與水蒸氣分子相撞，不斷吸引越來越多的晶體，長出分支，一層又一層地擴展，最後變成完全獨特的形狀。
They are all amazing and different.
But how do we know this?
An American farmer named Wilson Bentley was the first person to take a picture of a snow crystal.
He did this in 1885, and became so famous for his work, that he was nicknamed Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley.
When Wilson was 15 years old, his mother gave him an old microscope (顯微鏡).
He used it to look at everything, including leaves, insects, and rocks.
And the first time he used the microscope to look at a snowflake, he was amazed!
He called snow crystals "miracles of beauty" (美麗的奇蹟).
And he wanted to show others this beauty.
It took him 3 years to get a picture of a snow crystal.
He had to do it outside in the cold, or the snow crystal would melt.
He used a piece of dried grass to get the snowflake onto the microscope.
And he had to wear thick gloves, so the heat (熱度) from his hands wouldn't get close to the snowflake.
He kept records for every snow crystal.
He would take notes on the time, the temperature, the humidity (濕度), and more.
In all, "Snowflake" Bentley took more than 5,000 photos of snow crystals during his lifetime.
And he never found two that were the same.
Wilson Bentley died in 1931, but to this day, people still find his work and his photos amazing.
________________________________
循環杯新制今年上路
Reusable Cup System to Begin This Year
Just a friendly reminder….
You can now borrow reusable cups at some stores around Taiwan.
The Environmental Protection Administration's reusable cup service has officially started.
It is available at some convenience stores and fast food chains.
The EPA plans to have 5 percent of such stores this year.
今年開始，有5%連鎖超商及速食店須提供免費循環杯借用服務。
Then the system will expand to 10 percent of those stores by 2024.
And finally, 30 percent of convenience stores (便利商店) and fast food chains would have the reusable cup system by 2025.
You should remember to return your cup within 3 days or more at some stores.
And remember that around 500 drink shops, fast food stores, convenience stores and supermarkets give a $5NT discount for customers who bring their own cup.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The zoo announced that a two-toed sloth was born in late October.
The baby sloth's name is "Shan-wan".
The zoo says she is now a healthy weight for her age.
________________________________
An American farmer named Wilson Bentley was the first person to take a picture of a snow crystal.
It took him 3 years.
In all, "Snowflake" Bentley took more than 5,000 photos of snow crystals during his lifetime.
________________________________
And…
The Environmental Protection Administration's reusable cup service has officially started today.
It is available at some convenience stores and fast food chains.
Remember to return your cup within 3 days or more at some stores.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________
主播每周一問
Have Your Say
This week, we want you to have your say about your expectations for 2023.
People often set new goals during the New Year holiday. This year, I am looking forward to making new friends!
And you?
What are you looking forward to this year?
Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and age, and if you'd like, the name of your school.
Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message on our show on Friday!
Hello, greetings, and here we are with our last News Bites of the year!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets ready for 2023, North America fights a snowstorm, and we look back on history's first mobile phone text message.
Stay tuned for our last stories of 2022, coming up next.
________________________________
慶祝2023年的元旦
Celebrating the First Day of 2023
It's almost a new year!
快要跨年了！
On the night of December 31st, people all over the world will get together to celebrate (慶祝).
There will be fireworks (煙火) at the Taipei 101, and at Kaohsiung's Dream Mall (夢時代購物中心).
But for people who don't want to stay up late (不要熬夜), there are other ways to celebrate the arrival (到來) of a new year, on January 1st.
In Taipei City, there will be a flag-raising ceremony (升旗儀式), to celebrate the first sunrise (日出) of the new year.
There will be performances by a marching band and a percussion band, and then Taiwan's flag will be raised up with the sunrise.
總統府的儀式會有軍樂隊和打擊樂隊表演，接著國旗跟著日出冉冉升起。
If that's too early for some people, there will also be more performances in Kaohsiung, on the night of January 1st.
The Kaohsiung Music Center will hold a concert (舉辦演唱會) at 8 PM.
And there will be even more fireworks over the Kaohsiung Harbor (高雄港) on the night of January 1st!
But if you don't want to go outside, that's okay too.
No matter where you are (不論你在哪裡), it's important to enjoy the weekend (享受周末), and welcome 2023 in your own way!
________________________________
龐大暴風雪襲擊北美
Huge Snowstorm Hits North America
There are many stories and songs about people wanting a "White Christmas" (白色聖誕節).
A White Christmas is when you wake up on December 25th to see snow outside!
白色聖誕節就是12月25號醒來看到外面地上有白雪。
That might sound pretty nice, right?
聽起來很棒吧？
Especially since we rarely see snow in Taiwan!
尤其在台灣，我們很少看到下雪的天氣！
But for many people in North America (北美洲), this year's White Christmas has been very dangerous (很危險).
That's because a gigantic snowstorm (巨大的暴風雪) is moving across most of the United States (美國) and Canada (加拿大).
And more than 200 million people have been affected… that's about 60% of the U.S. population!
至少兩億人受到影響… 大約等於全美國人口的百分之六十！
And a lot of people have become trapped at home (困在家裡), because the weather is too cold, and their houses are covered in snow (房子外面累積了太多白雪).
Snow is beautiful, but it can be very dangerous, too.
If Taiwan ever sees snow in a big city, enjoy it… but be careful!
________________________________
歷史上首次手機簡訊 30周年
30-Year Anniversary of the First Text Message
If you have a mobile phone (手機), then you have probably sent many text messages (寄過很多簡訊).
It's a very easy thing to do nowadays, especially with smartphones (智慧型手機).
But a long time ago, before we had smartphones… mobile phones were much bigger and slower, and could only make phone calls (打電話).
Some mobile phones weighed more than 2 kilograms (重量兩公斤)… that's about as heavy than 10 iPhones!
But in 1992, one person finally used his mobile phone for something new.
He sent someone a text (簡訊)!
And can you guess what it said?
It said, "Merry Christmas"!
But the recipient (收到簡訊的人) was at a Christmas party, and he did not reply (並沒有回覆).
Now, that was 30 years ago, this month!
Over the years (這麼多年來), more and more people have started to send texts to each other.
And now, we have smartphone apps (手機應用軟體) that let us chat more easily.
But some of us can remember how different things used to be!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
In Taipei City, the Presidential Office will hold a flag-raising ceremony on January 1st, to celebrate the first sunrise of the new year.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung City will hold a concert later in the evening, followed by more fireworks at midnight.
________________________________
And,
A gigantic snowstorm is moving across most of the United States and Canada.
More than 200 million people have been affected, or about 60% of the U.S. population.
Many people have become trapped at home, because the weather is too cold, and their houses are covered in snow.
________________________________
And,
30 years ago this month, in December of 1992, one person sent the first text message using a mobile phone.
It said "Merry Christmas", and he did not get a reply.
Phones were much bigger and slower back then!
________________________________
And that's all for our last News Bites of 2022…
Happy New Year!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A green university, a disappearing beetle, and an "impossible" stunt.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
世界綠色大學評比 屏東科技大學榮獲全球第27
Pingtung University is One of the Greenest in the World
A university in Pingtung is one of the greenest in the world!
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been ranked the 27th most sustainable (環保，永續) university worldwide.
The list is put together each year by a university in Indonesia.
The list checks what the universities do with their waste, how they use energy, and much more.
The universities also got points for how they use water, and how students and teachers get around the campus (校園).
More than 1,000 universities from 85 countries applied to be on the list this year.
And a total of 30 Taiwan universities made the list.
2022世界綠色大學評比成績出爐，台灣共有30所大學入榜。
NPUST was the highest Taiwan university on the list.
________________________________
尋找消失的聖誕甲蟲
Australians Search for Christmas Beetles
When you think of the sounds of Christmas, what do you hear?
Christmas carols?
Bells?
Or… beetles?
For many Australians, the sounds of Christmas include the sound of the Christmas beetle.
Christmas beetles are big shiny (閃閃發亮的) beetles found in Australia.
They grow up to 3 centimeters long.
And they are mostly a beautiful golden brown or green color.
They don't bite or sting.
And some people say they are very clumsy (不靈巧) when they fly.
They come out of the ground in the summer.
And that's also Christmas time in Australia.
So many people in Australia think of Christmas when they see these beetles.
But these beautiful beetles are facing a problem.
Christmas beetles used to be everywhere in Australia.
But now many people say these beetles are disappearing (消失).
Scientists think many natural places are now being taken over by humans, and the beetles have less places to live, and less to eat.
昆蟲學家認為棲息地破壞可能造成聖誕甲蟲的數量減少。
But they need help to know more.
Scientists in Australia are launching the "Christmas beetle count project".
They are asking Australians to take pictures of any Christmas beetles they see this year, and upload it to a special app.
The scientists can use this information to get an idea of how many Christmas beetles there are left.
They say the Christmas beetle is very important to Australia's environment.
The beetle's larvae (幼蟲) grow underground and help the soil stay healthy.
And the beetles are food for many other animals like lizards and birds.
The scientists hope that all Australians can help make sure that the Christmas beetle is around for many more Christmas seasons to come.
________________________________
Tom Cruise完成【不可能的"特技】
Tom Cruise Takes on "Impossible" Stunt
Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer.
He is famous for many things, like doing some dangerous stunts (特技) for his movies.
But his latest stunt is really mind-blowing (令人驚奇的，讓人難以置信).
In the stunt, Tom rides a motorcycle off a cliff!
Then he flies through the air…
And finally opens his parachute, before floating on to the ground.
Tom says this is the most dangerous stunt he has ever done.
He worked very hard to get ready.
The actor had a team of experts helping him.
He practiced jumping from an airplane and opening a parachute more than 500 times.
And he practiced jumping a motorcycle more than 13,000 times!
Tom Cruise 特地完成一年的跳傘訓練，跳傘次數超過 500 次，還完成超過 13,000 次的機車飛躍。
The stunt is for his next "Mission Impossible" movie.
"Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One" opens in theaters summer next year.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been ranked the 27th most sustainable university worldwide.
The list is put together each year by a university in Indonesia.
NPUST was the highest Taiwan university on the list.
________________________________
Scientists in Australia are launching the "Christmas beetle count project".
They are asking Australians to take pictures of any Christmas beetles they see this year, and upload it to a special app.
The scientists can use this information to get an idea of how many Christmas beetles there are left, and help protect the insect.
________________________________
And,
American actor Tom Cruise took on a dangerous stunt for "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One".
In the stunt, Tom rides a motorcycle off a cliff, flies through the air, and opens his parachute to float on to the ground.
Tom says this is the most dangerous stunt he has ever done.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Good afternoon, and let's chow down on some News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A giant rabbit for the Lantern Festival, the world's most powerful radio telescope, and a toy dog travels by plane!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
台灣元宵節以巨兔為特色
Taiwan Lantern Festival to Feature Giant Rabbit
How many Taiwan festivals can you name?
There's the Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival… the Ghost Festival… the Dragon Boat Festival…
有中秋節… 中元節… 端午節…
And, as you probably know from the title, the Lantern Festival (元宵節)!
The Tourism Bureau has been hosting (舉辦) the Taiwan Lantern Festival for years.
It attracts (吸引) visitors and lets more people around the world know about Taiwan's culture.
From 1990 to 2000, the festival was always hosted in Taipei.
Since 2001, the event has been hosted by a different city every year.
The event is finally returning home after 23 years.
Taipei City will host the Lantern Festival for 2023!
The theme (主題) of the event will be "Light up the Future."
A total of 16 installations (設施) will be put up across the city.
Installations will be set up in Taipei's popular central, east and Xinyi districts.
One of the main attractions will be a large rabbit lantern on the roof of one of the exits of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station.
其中一個主要景點是在中山紀念堂站上一個出口的屋頂上放著一個巨型兔子燈籠。
The 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be taking place in Taipei from February 5th through 19th.
________________________________
世界上最強大的射電望遠鏡
The World's Most Powerful Radio Telescope
Science and technology go hand-in-hand.
科學和技術齊頭並進。
Technology helps create new tools (工具) we can use to study the world around us.
These new tools are called inventions (發明).
Think about the most useful inventions around you.
A pencil, a computer, a smartphone…
We can use all of these to learn about our amazing world!
Another piece of equipment (設備) that scientists use is a telescope.
It's an instrument (工具) that can help us see things that are far away, like the moon!
It's like a tube with mirrors or lenses in it.
它就像一個裝有鏡子或透鏡的管子。
Another useful tool for scientists is a radio telescope (射電望遠鏡).
It's like a telescope, because it helps us know more about things that are far away.
But instead of seeing them, the radio telescope hears them!
In Australia and South Africa, they're building the biggest radio telescope network (網絡) in the world.
Australia and South Africa have a lot of land in remote areas (偏遠地區).
That makes them perfect for the project, because there's little radio disturbance (無線電干擾).
More than 150,000 antennas will look for - or listen carefully for - radio waves (無線電波) that come from space.
The project is called the Square Kilometre* Array, or S.K.A. for short.
*UK/AU: "kilometer", and US: "kilometer"
130,000 antennas (衛星天線盤) will be in West Australia.
Its mission is to solve mysteries about the creation of stars, galaxies and extraterrestrial life.
它的使命是解開關於恆星、星系和地外生命誕生的謎團。
A professor says the telescope "will be one of humanity's biggest-ever scientific endeavors" (將是人類有史以來最大的科學貢獻之一).
________________________________
玩具狗的旅行冒險
A Toy Dog's Traveling Adventure
Traveling is a lot of fun.
Going someplace new is exciting and challenging.
去新的地方令人興奮又充滿挑戰。
You need to make sure you pack (打包) everything you'll need.
When you travel, what do you always bring?
Ten-year-old Luna from the United States always brings her favorite toy when she travels.
It's a stuffed toy dog (毛絨玩具狗)!
But, when Luna was traveling by airplane, she accidentally (不小心) left her toy behind.
Luna and her mom called the airline company (航空公司), asking for help to bring it home.
An airline worker found the toy, but now the toy dog needed to travel back home!
The airline company took pictures of the toy's adventure and posted them online.
The toy dog enjoyed the view of the sky from the airplane window.
The toy dog read the in-flight magazine (機上雜誌) to make sure it knew how to stay safe.
And drank some fancy sparkling water (昂貴的蘇打水) on the plane.
A month later, the toy dog finally returned to Luna.
From the pictures, it looks like he had a wonderful adventure!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei City will host the Lantern Festival for 2023.
The event is finally returning home after 23 years.
One of the main attractions will be a large rabbit lantern on the roof of one of the exits of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station.
________________________________
And,
In Australia and South Africa, they're building the biggest radio telescope network in the world.
More than 150,000 antennas will look for - or listen carefully for - radio waves that come from space.
Its mission is to solve mysteries about the creation of stars, galaxies and extraterrestrial life.
________________________________
And,
Ten-year-old Luna from the United States always brings her favorite toy when she travels.
But, when Luna was traveling by airplane, she accidentally left her toy behind.
An airline worker found the toy, and took pictures of the toy dog's adventure to go home!
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz…
Fines for not yielding to pedestrians, what's next for cow burp taxes, and 3D printing wood.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
Taiwan Bill to Fine Drivers for Not Yielding to Pedestrians Passes 1st Reading
未禮讓行人可罰6000元法案通過初審
Taiwan is famous for many things.
But not all of them are good things.
One of them is the hectic (忙碌的) traffic conditions in the cities.
Vehicles should yield to the pedestrians crossing the road.
But in Taiwan, sometimes pedestrians have to look out for vehicles because some do not yield.
News agency CNN recently claimed that Taiwan has "battlefield-like" traffic conditions.
However, that may change soon.
The Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) already imposes fines of $1200 NT to $3600 NT for drivers who do not yield to pedestrians.
But the law does not apply to all intersections, only designated (指定的) crosswalks.
Many people criticized the law as too lenient (寬容).
So an amendment was made to raise the penalty to $6000 NT in order to further protect pedestrians.
If a pedestrian is hurt because a driver didn't yield, the driver's license will be suspended (吊銷).
The government hopes to improve road safety and raise public awareness.
政府也希望能夠扭轉外國人對台灣交通的不好印象。
________________________________
Farmers' Groups Against New Zealand's Cow Burp Tax
紐西蘭農夫團體反對農業排放稅
We know that global warming is a big issue.
Many countries are doing their best to save the climate.
Many factories have to pay tax for the exhaust (廢氣) they produce.
Even fossil fuel vehicles have to pay tax for their exhaust.
How about charging animals for the gases they produce?
This is happening in New Zealand.
New Zealand is a country that has more livestock (牲畜) than people.
Cows produce methane (甲烷) that is known to contribute to global warming.
The country has over 6 million cows and 26 million sheep.
With so many animals in the country, New Zealand aims to reduce gas emissions (排放).
The government proposed a plan to tax farmers for the farts and burps of livestock.
This led tomajor protests (抗議) among farmers across the country.
A spokesperson for the farmers said it was not fair to charge for a problem that actually has no solution.
As long as humans drink milk and eat meat, livestock are needed.
The farmers cannot control the burping and farting of their animals.
The government then made some minor changes to the plan.
However, the farmers are still not convinced (說服).
They claim that the tax will not reduce gas emissions, but will instead make food more expensive.
不贊成的人說這種農業排放稅只會讓食物變得更貴而已。
________________________________
3D Printing Wood
做木質家具不用砍樹
Trees are essential to humans.
We use it to make furniture, paper, build houses, and much more.
Many trees are cut down every day to make these products.
A survey (調查) shows that since the beginning of human civilization (文明), we have wiped out 54 percent of the total tree population on Earth.
That really is a lot of trees.
But thanks to the scientists at MIT, deforestation (砍伐森林) is no longer needed to produce wood.
They successfully made customizable (客製化) wood in their lab from the cells of a flower plant.
They say this allows them to bio-print pieces of wood, of any shape and size.
This means if you need a wooden table or a chair, you can directly produce it from the cells.
3D列印木頭的密度和強度都可以調整。
Scientists are still working on this technology, but it might help us stop deforestation.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Fines for drivers who do not yield to pedestrians may soon go up.
An amendment was made to raise the penalty to $6,000 NT.
If a pedestrian is hurt because a driver didn't yield, the driver's license will be suspended.
________________________________
The New Zealand government proposed a plan to tax farmers for the farts and burps of livestock.
But a spokesperson for the farmers said it was not fair to charge for a problem that actually has no solution.
Farmers claim that the tax will not reduce gas emissions, but will instead make food more expensive.
________________________________
And…
Scientists have successfully made wood in their lab from the cells of a flower plant.
They say this allows them to bio-print pieces of wood, of any shape and size.
This means if you need a wooden table or a chair, you can directly produce it from the cells.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Big fireworks, old jeans, and new Pokemon stars.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
台北101 300秒跨年煙火
New Years' Light Show at Taipei 101
Are you ready to ring in the New Year?
The New Year's Eve show at the Taipei 101 is getting ready to go!
The theme for the event is "Embrace the World, Bling Your Dreams".
Officials say the show this year will be 5 minutes long.
It will use 16,000 fireworks.
The fireworks will be the same type (種類，款式) used at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
They say these fireworks hang in the sky after being fired.
They also do not create much smoke.
Taipei 101 will use the fireworks to make shapes such as wings and smiley faces.
Aside from the fireworks, the show will also use lights, lasers, animation and music.
The show will also use a new T-Pad LED light net.
This will let people on every side of the building see the show.
台北101的2023跨年燈光秀煙火總共一萬六千發，總時長300秒，使用T-Pad燈網結合光束和雷射光效，讓觀眾360度都能看到燈光效果。
Officials expect around one million people to visit Taipei 101 to see the show.
People can see Christmas lights shows at Taipei 101 too.
The shows will happen this week Friday to Sunday.
The 150-second show will be on every 15 minutes, starting from 6:05pm each of those days.
________________________________
全球最老牛仔褲
World's Oldest Jeans
Do you have a pair of jeans (牛仔褲) in your closet?
Jeans are made of tough cloth (堅韌的布料).
They can last a long time.
But how old is the oldest pair of jeans in the world?
The oldest pair of jeans ever found is at least 165 years old!
The jeans were found underwater, on a sunken ship (沉沒的船) in the ocean.
The ship was named S.S. Central America.
It was 85 meters long, and took people from Central America to the US during the 1850s.
But the ship sank during a hurricane in 1857.
Historians believe it was carrying around 21 tons of gold coins when it sank.
That's why the S.S. Central America also has a nickname, the "ship of gold".
The shipwreck was found in 1988.
And a pair of jeans were found in a box on the ship.
It has five buttons on the front.
It was white, but is now covered with grey, brown and white streaks (條紋).
Experts believe the jeans were worn by a man who was a miner.
The jeans were recently sold at an auction in the U.S., for $114,000 U.S. dollars.
That's about $3,500,000 NT (3千5百萬台幣)!
一條在美國外海的1857年沉船遺跡中尋獲的牛仔褲，在拍賣會上以11萬4000元美金賣出。
________________________________
寶可夢宣布「小智與皮卡丘」將退休
Pokemon to Go On without Main Stars
You probably know about Pokemon.
There are Pokemon cartoons, video games, card games, toys, and lots more.
It may be hard to imagine the world of Pokemon without the little boy Ash and his friend Pikachu.
But they will be leaving the anime soon.
Producers of the Japanese anime show say Ash Ketchum has fulfilled his dream when he won the Pokemon World Championship.
And Ash and Pikachu have been the stars of the show for 25 years.
So starting next spring, the show will introduce two new main characters.
They are a girl named Liko, and a boy named Roy.
The producers promise there will be lots of "action, adventure, friendship, and Pokemon".
【寶可夢】官方宣布，主角小智與皮卡丘要正式畢業了，明年4月開始由新主角接棒。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The New Year's Eve show at the Taipei 101 is getting ready to go!
Officials say the show this year will be 5 minutes long.
It will use 16,000 fireworks.
________________________________
The oldest pair of jeans ever found is at least 165 years old!
The jeans were found underwater, on a sunken ship in the ocean.
The jeans were recently sold at an auction in the U.S., for about $3,500,000 NT!
________________________________
And…
Producers of the Japanese anime show Pokemon say Ash Ketchum has fulfilled his dream when he won the Pokemon World Championship.
So starting next spring, the show will introduce two new main characters.
The producers promise there will be lots of "action, adventure, friendship, and Pokemon".
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi, and I just finished some sports!
I'm Paz Bueno, and I've been here the whole time.
In today's news:
Farmers fight weeds with robots, scientists get closer to endless energy, and the World Cup winners celebrate their victory.
Alright, let's get into it!
________________________________
台灣農夫 用機器人克服雜草
Taiwan Farmers Fight Weeds with Robots
When some people think about farms (農場), they might think of someplace very peaceful.
And it's true that a farm can be much quieter than a city.
But farming is a LOT of work!
That's because every kind of farmer (農夫) is trying to keep their crops (農作物) safe and healthy.
There are animals and bugs that try to eat the crops…
And weeds (雜草) that try to steal their water!
In fact, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture says that just getting rid of weeds is about 30 percent of farming costs.
農委會說，光是除草就占農場支出成本的百分之三十。
So they have made a new kind of robot (機器人), to help farmers fight some of these pests (有害植物)!
This robot rolls around on wheels and helps to cut down weeds.
It moves very slowly, but it does its job well, and can help farmers save money (省錢).
In Taiwan, there are farms for coffee beans (咖啡豆), tea leaves (茶葉), and much more.
So whenever you eat fruits and vegetables, or drink coffee or tea, remember to give your thanks to farmers and robots!
________________________________
科學家在核融合領域 有了重大突破
Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Nuclear Fusion
In our world, we need energy (能量) to make things work.
Cars, computers, lights, and all kinds of other machines (機器) need energy.
Energy can come from fossil fuel (化石燃料)…
From electricity (電)…
From nuclear reactors (核子反應爐)…
Or even from technology like solar power (太陽能)…
But what if we could just make our own sun (太陽)?
Well, we can… kind of!
其實… 算是可以！
The sun uses something called "nuclear fusion" (核融合) to make its energy.
Nuclear fusion happens when the sun smashes atoms together so hard that they fuse into bigger atoms.
核融合就是太陽的引力把原子壓在一起，壓成更大的原子。
And this month, scientists in the U.S. state of California controlled nuclear fusion in an experiment (在實驗中成功控制了核融合)…
It was the first time they got more energy out of controlled nuclear fusion than they put into it!
這是史上第一次，科學家利用核融合，可以產生更高的能量。
Scientists say if they can control nuclear fusion even better, then they can create a LOT more clean energy (綠色能源) for the whole world.
Unfortunately, we might not have that kind of energy for a few more decades (幾十年後)…
But when you're older, you might be using the power of the sun, right here on Earth!
________________________________
世足賽冠軍 歡慶勝利
World Cup Champions Celebrate Victory
If you like football (足球) also called soccer in the U.S., then you might have heard about the World Cup (世界盃足球賽).
Every four years (每四年一次), countries from all around the world get together for a football championship (足球冠軍), called the World Cup.
It's a very special moment for sports (運動), and for all the countries' teams (球隊).
It's so popular that people all around the world watch it closely, even people who don't like sports!
So, which team won?
到底是哪一個國家的球隊贏了？
This year's World Cup Champion is Argentina (阿根廷)!
It's the first time Argentina has won the World Cup since 1986.
And it's the first win for their star player, Lionel Messi (梅西).
And people all around the world are saying that it was the most exciting football match they had ever seen (他們看過的 最精彩的足球賽).
In fact, Argentina was so happy to win, their government gave the whole country a holiday (假日), so everyone could celebrate!
The next World Cup will be held in 2026, in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
I wonder which country will be the next world champions?
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Council of Agriculture says that just getting rid of weeds is about 30 percent of farming costs.
So they have made a new kind of robot, to help farmers fight some of these pests.
This robot rolls around on wheels and helps to cut down weeds.
________________________________
And,
This month, scientists in the U.S. state of California controlled nuclear fusion in an experiment.
And it was the first time they got more energy out of controlled nuclear fusion than they put into it!
Scientists say if they can control nuclear fusion even better, then they can create a LOT more clean energy for the whole world.
________________________________
And,
This year's World Cup Champion is Argentina!
It's the first time Argentina has won the World Cup since 1986, and it's the first win for their star player, Lionel Messi.
People all around the world are saying that it was the most exciting football match they had ever seen.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Discover the meaning of Taipei Zoo's emblem, learn about a new U.S. law, and celebrate Artemis 1's success!
Stay tuned to learn more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
北市動物園解密 梅花鹿徽章
The Meaning Behind Taipei Zoo's Sika Deer Emblem
The Taipei Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Asia.
If you've visited the zoo in person, or checked out their website, you may have noticed their emblem (徽章，標誌).
It's the head of a Formosan sika deer (台灣梅花鹿).
But…why did they choose to use this animal as their emblem?
The Formosan sika deer is endemic (特有物種) to Taiwan.
During the European colonial period (歐洲殖民時期), the deer were hunted (獵殺).
In 1969, the last wild sika deer was killed.
Fortunately, there were many deer in captivity (圈養), including in the Taipei Zoo.
In 1984, Taiwan's government started the Sika Deer Reintroduction Project (社頂梅花鹿復育區).
The Taipei Zoo transferred (搬遷) 22 deer to Kenting National Park.
For ten years, the Taipei Zoo worked together with the government, taking care of the deer.
They have been released (放生) into the national park since 1994.
Now, there are around 1,000 wild deer!
Because the Taipei Zoo wants to protect all animals, they chose the Formosan sika deer as their emblem.
It's the symbol of successful conservation, and it marks the first time a zoo successfully restored an animal in Taiwan.
梅花鹿是保育成功的象徵，也是台灣第一次有動物園成功復育動物。
The zoo says it not only takes care of animals, but also works to help ecological conservation (生態保育) of species in nature.
Just like what they did for the Formosan sika deer!
________________________________
美國新法保護同性婚姻
New U.S. Law Protects Same-Sex Marriage
Equality means treating all people with respect, no matter their race, gender, or sexuality.
平等的意思是尊重所有人，無論他們的種族、性別或性取向。
It's a sign of social progress (社會進步).
This month, US President Joe Biden showed that the United States is making progress.
He signed a new law called the "Respect for Marriage Act".
The new law says the U.S. government must recognize (承認) all marriage.
That includes marriages between two men or two women, or between two people of different races (種族).
Ideas about homosexuality (同性戀) have changed a lot in recent decades.
Just 26 years ago, US law defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
26 年前，美國法律將婚姻定義為一男一女的結合。
More and more people started to support (支持) same-sex marriage.
But some states still had their own laws banning (禁止) same-sex marriage.
The old law from 26 years ago allowed them to refuse to recognize same-sex couples if they got married in another state.
26年前的舊法律允許一些州拒絕承認在另一個州結婚的同性伴侶。
So, the "Respect for Marriage Act" was passed (獲得通過).
Mr. Biden says the new law helps protect the right of Americans to marry the person they love.
It's a big step forward for equality!
________________________________
美國太空總署阿提米絲1號登月任務成功
NASA Artemis 1 Moon Mission a Success
You might remember we talked about Artemis 1 back on our November 21st News Bites episode.
NASA's Artemis mission goal is to bring people to the moon.
Last month, NASA's Artemis 1 spacecraft took off, using the world's most powerful rocket.
上個月，太空總署的阿提米絲1號太空船升空，使用了世界最強大的火箭。
The launch (發射) was a practice flight with no people on board.
And it successfully returned to Earth this month!
During the month-long mission, Artemis 1 flew around the moon twice.
It traveled the farthest distance a capsule designed to carry humans has ever traveled from our planet.
這艘太空船的飛行距離，是所有可以載人的太空船中 距離最遠的。
Even though there were no humans aboard, the spacecraft did have a few passengers.
雖然這次任務沒有真的載人，但確實有幾個乘客。
There were three mannequins made of materials that mimic human bodies.
他們是三個人體模型，用模仿人體的材料製成的。
That can help NASA design better spacesuits (太空裝).
And Snoopy (史努比) and Shaun the Sheep (小羊肖恩) toys were also part of the crew.
The toys would float around (漂浮) when the spacecraft reached microgravity (微重力).
Artemis 1's successful return means NASA can study the practice flight, and use the information for the next flight.
In 2024, Artemis 2 will carry six astronauts (太空人) on an eight-day trip around the moon.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Zoo's emblem is the Formosan sika deer, because it's a symbol of successful conservation.
The zoo says it not only takes care of animals, but also works to help ecological conservation of species in nature.
Just like what they did for the Formosan sika deer!
________________________________
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a new law called the "Respect for Marriage Act".
The new law says the U.S. government must recognize all marriages, including same-sex marriages.
________________________________
And,
NASA's Artemis 1 successfully returned to Earth this month.
Artemis 1's return means NASA can study the practice flight, and use the information for the next flight.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Lots of passport applications, solar panels thinner than human hair, and 4G, 5G stations.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
Taiwan Sees Surge in Passport Applications
台灣一天有1萬人申辦護照
Do you want to go abroad?
Is your passport still valid?
If it has expired, then you're in for a long wait.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部) says since the beginning of the pandemic, around 3 million R.O.C. passports had expired.
And most people couldn't travel during that time.
So many people did not renew their passports.
But now, travel restrictions have been lifted and borders opened.
As a result, people are flocking (成群) to get their passports renewed in order to travel again.
At the Bureau of Consular Affairs office in Taipei (外交部領事事務局), staff are working three extra hours each day.
And the number of open counters has increased from 8 to 13.
If you go, you may have to wait around two and a half hours, up to four hours.
不想親自辦理護照的人也可以請合格的代辦旅行社送件。
After not being able to travel for three years, many people are planning for "revenge travel" (報復性旅遊).
The Lunar New Year is coming, and this time there's 10 days off.
So, many people are using this time to travel.
Therefore, officials said that people who are not planning to travel in the near future should wait.
________________________________
Solar Panels Thinner than Human Hair
比頭髮還薄的太陽能板
Humans have been harnessing (利用) solar power for decades.
It's an eco-friendly power source that we can use as long as it's a sunny day.
The only downside (缺點) is that solar power panels are big and bulky.
Traditional solar cells are fragile (脆弱).
So, they have to be covered in glass and packaged in thick heavy aluminum framing (鋁框).
This means they can only be put in areas with enough space.
They are usually put on rooftops and open places.
But that may change soon.
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (麻省理工學院) have made a new type of solar cell.
It's as thin as paper.
The new solar cells also generate (產生) 18 times more power than traditional (傳統) solar cells.
Imagine a power source that you can fold or roll up and stuff in your bag.
It can even be made into clothing that you wear, charging your cell phone at the same time.
The solar cells can also be coated on the surface of any vehicle.
It might even produce enough energy to power the vehicle.
Scientist are trying to make the solar cells more durable (耐用).
When they succeed, it will take green energy to a whole new level.
讓我們一起期待能覆蓋任何表面的太陽能電池吧！
________________________________
Studies find 4G, 5G Stations Safer than a Microwave
研究發現4G，5G的基地台比微波爐安全
A cellphone signal is important for many people.
Some of you might have heard that base stations, or cell towers, are dangerous.
Some believe that the electromagnetic (電磁破) emissions can cause cancer.
As a result, some base stations had to be removed after protests (抗議) by local residents.
The National Communications Commission has done a study of electromagnetic emissions by base stations.
They looked at 34 sites that have 4G and 5G installations in different parts of Taiwan.
They measured the radiation (輻射) based on the rules set by the Environmental Protection Administration (環保署).
The NCC says the results show that the radiation detected was even lower than a microwave.
The NCC has been running an awareness campaign promoting the safeness of base stations for more than 10 years.
They hope people can understand these stations may be safer than they think.
他們希望大家都能了解基地台對人體不會造成傷害。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
People are flocking to get their passport renewed in order to travel again.
If you go to the Bureau of Consular Affairs office in Taipei, you may have to wait around two and a half hours, up to four hours.
After not being able to travel for 3 years, many people are planning for "revenge travel".
________________________________
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have made a new type of solar cell.
It's as thin as paper.
The new solar cells also generate 18 times more power than traditional solar cells.
________________________________
And…
The National Communications Commission has done a study of electromagnetic emissions by base stations.
They looked at 34 sites that have 4G and 5G installations in different parts of Taiwan.
The NCC says the results show that the radiation detected was even lower than a microwave.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Disappearing vegetables, aliens on auction, and Jin starts military service.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
世界蔬菜中心助老品種蔬菜回東南亞
Seed Bank on Mission to Save Vegetables
A seed bank in Tainan is taking on an important mission.
It is trying to save vegetables that are going extinct.
A seed bank is a place where seeds are stored.
It's usually a place where the temperature and humidity (濕度) is controlled.
Seeds are kept in seed banks to make sure these plants don't die out.
And that's just what the World Vegetable Center is trying to do.
The center is in Tainan.
And it is trying to save vegetables that are disappearing in Southeast Asian nations.
The center says global warming and the way we eat has changed farming.
They say some vegetables that are very nutritious are not grown much anymore.
世界蔬菜中心說許多適應力強、營養價值高的蔬菜品種都遺失了。
And the center is now trying to grow these vegetables again.
Scientists at the center say they now have the seeds of more than 22,000 types of vegetables.
The vegetables are from 14 different Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
And the center is now growing 160 types of vegetables.
They try to focus on vegetables that are already extinct (絕種), or not being protected.
The center hopes to grow these special vegetables, and send them back to the countries they came from.
________________________________
【E.T.外星人】模型拍賣 估價高達9200萬元
E.T. Up for Sale
A special part of movie history is going up for auction.
If you like watching old movies, you may know this one…
"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is a movie that came out in 1982.
It's about a boy who becomes friends with an alien.
The alien, named E.T. is stuck on Earth.
And the boy and his family try to find a way to help E.T. get home.
"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" won many awards, and many people loved the story.
And now, a bit of E.T. is up for sale.
The puppet E.T. that was used in the movie goes up for auction this month.
1982年好萊塢科幻片《E.T.外星人》拍攝中使用的E.T.模型，將在美國的拍賣會上競標。
The puppet has metal inside.
And it has 85 places on its body that move.
It was controlled by 12 animators.
They used the parts to help E.T.'s body move and make facial expressions (臉部表情).
Experts say the puppet could sell for up to $3 million U.S. dollars.
That's about $92 million NT (9千200萬台幣)!
Other special items from movies are also up for sale in this auction.
Are you a Harry Potter fan?
The Nimbus 2000 broomstick that Harry used in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is up for auction.
And a Gryffindor coat, and a yellow and red Gryffindor scarf made for the movie is also on sale.
________________________________
Jin入伍BTS全員送行
BTS' Jin Starts Military Service
BTS band member Jin has started military service.
The 30-year-old Jin will spend a total of 18 months in training.
First he will go through five weeks of basic training.
南韓軍方表示Jin將開始展開五週的訓練。
Then he will be sent to an army unit.
Some of his fans went to the base, hoping to see the star.
BTS later posted photos on social media.
The photos show Jin and the other members together.
BTS has said all seven members of the Kpop super group will go through military service.
And BTS says they might come back together as a group around 2025.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The World Vegetable Center in Tainan is trying to save vegetables that are disappearing in Southeast Asian nations.
The center says some vegetables that are very nutritious are not grown much anymore.
And the center is now trying to grow these vegetables again.
________________________________
The puppet E.T. that was used in the movie "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" goes up for auction this month.
Experts say the puppet could sell for up to $3 million U.S. dollars.
"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" won many awards, and many people loved the story.
________________________________
And,
BTS band member Jin has started military service.
The 30-year-old Jin will spend a total of 18 months in training.
BTS has said all seven members of the Kpop super group will go through military service.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
3... 2… 1… News Bites! I mean… blast off!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Okay, let's take a look at today's stories:
Taiwan prepares its Space Agency, artists are going to the moon, and Europe says goodbye to airplane mode.
Stay tuned for those stories… here we go!
________________________________
台灣國家太空中心將變成公共基金會
Taiwan's National Space Organization to become Public Foundation
We've talked about a lot of other countries getting into outer space (外太空).
So how do WE get up there, from Taiwan?
Well, we know about rockets (火箭), space stations (太空站), probes (探測器), and all kinds of spacecraft (太空船).
But it takes a lot of hard-working people to build all of this technology (科技).
All of these people working together makes a country's space industry (航天工業).
So does Taiwan have a space industry, too?
Yes, and it's getting ready to take the next step (要走下一步了)!
Taiwan's National Space Organization (國家太空中心), or NSPO, is going to become a public foundation (公共基金會), on January 1st, 2023.
That means the NSPO will have a lot more responsibilities (責任).
These responsibilities include hiring more workers, managing technology, and working on more projects with other countries.
國家太空中心的新責任包括雇用更多員工，管理太空科技，並且跟外國有更多合作。
If that seems like a lot of work… it is!
But all of these new responsibilities will help Taiwan's space industry develop (發展).
That means more satellites, more rockets… and then maybe even more astronauts (太空人)!
So, starting from next year, Taiwan's NSPO should have a lot more jobs open.
And that leaves more space (空間，太空) for hard workers here in Taiwan!
________________________________
Man, people just keep making news in space…
日本大亨 帶藝術家環繞月球
Japanese Businessman to Take Artists Around the Moon
Usually, only scientists can go way up there…
But one man wants to change that.
A Japanese man named Maezawa Yusaku (前澤友作) is taking artists (藝術家) to the moon!
Mr. Maezawa has a lot of money… like, a LOT… and in 2018, he announced that he had bought a trip to the moon, from the company SpaceX.
He also said he would accept applications (申請) from anyone who would like to go.
前澤先生2018年宣布他跟SpaceX買了一趟太空旅遊，準備帶八個藝術家環繞月球，於是開始接受申請。
And more than one million people applied!
結果有一百多萬人來申請！
Four years later, Mr. Maezawa has finally chosen eight young artists to go with him around the moon.
One of the artists is Choi Seung-hyun, also known as T.O.P., a South Korean pop star (韓國流行音樂明星).
Another one is Steve Aoki, a Japanese-American DJ, who is famous for his electronic music (電子舞曲).
And then there's Tim Dodd, a YouTuber from the U.S., who has a channel (YouTube 頻道) called "Everyday Astronaut".
Mr. Maezawa has named this project "dearMoon", and he hopes it will be special.
He says that with filmmakers (製片人) and musicians (音樂家) in outer space, they can bring a new perspective (看法) back to Earth.
We'll be seeing more videos, and hearing more music, from people who have really been there!
________________________________
Okay, back to Earth, but still not back to the ground…
歐盟將允許 飛機上打 5G 電話
EU to Allow 5G Phone Calls on Flights
If you've ever been on an airplane (飛機), then you have probably had this experience (經驗)…
Before the airplane takes off (起飛), the flight attendants (空服員) ask you to turn off your phone's Wi-fi, or 5G, or 4G.
That's because airlines say these phone signals could affect airplane communications.
因為航空公司說，這些手機訊號會影響到飛機通訊。
And they say that could be dangerous.
In fact, because this happens for every airplane flight, most phones now have something called "airplane mode" (飛航模式).
When you put your phone into airplane mode, it turns off all of your phone services, like Wi-fi and 5G.
【飛航模式】表示關掉手機所有的通訊服務。
But soon, our phones might not need airplane mode anymore!
The European Union (歐盟), or EU, has announced that planes can let people use Wi-fi and 5G on flights, starting from June of next year.
The EU says that with newer technology, these phone signals shouldn't be dangerous for planes anymore.
Of course, we can let them decide first…
But it would be nice to send some messages to friends in the sky!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's National Space Organization, or NSPO, is going to become a public foundation on January 1st, 2023.
That means the NSPO will have a lot more responsibilities, such as hiring more workers, managing technology, and working on more projects with other countries.
All of these new responsibilities will help develop Taiwan's space industry.
________________________________
And,
A Japanese man named Maezawa Yusaku is taking eight artists to the moon.
The artists include pop star T.O.P., DJ Steve Aoki, and a YouTuber named Tim Dodd, of the channel "Everyday Astronaut".
Mr. Maezawa has named the project "dearMoon", and hopes these artists can bring a new perspective back to Earth.
________________________________
And,
The European Union has announced that planes can let people use Wi-fi and 5G on flights, starting from June of next year.
The EU says that with newer technology, these phone signals shouldn't be dangerous for planes anymore.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Ready to chow down? 準備好大吃一頓了嗎？
You're listening to another episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwanese students overcome odds to win, fewer turkeys for Christmas, and China's new space crew.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
清華大學勇奪世界超級電腦競賽總冠軍
NTHU Students Win Computer Competition
For our first story, we're talking about high-performance computing (高效能運算) or HPC.
HPC is the ability to process data and perform complicated calculations at high speeds.
HPC 是高速處理數據和複雜計算。
It sounds pretty difficult (困難), doesn't it?
Well, a team of students from National Tsing Hua University (國立清華大學) finished first place in an HPC competition!
Last month, NTHU computer science professor Jerry Chou led a team of six students to join the Student Cluster Competition (SCC世界超級電腦競賽).
They faced six teams from the U.S., and one team each from Germany, Singapore, and Switzerland.
他們面對來自美國六個團隊，以及來自德國、新加坡和瑞士的個一隊。
The teams had eight hours to create an HPC system using no more than 3,000 watts of power.
團隊有八個小時的時間來創建一個 高效能運算系統，使用的功率不超過 3,000 瓦。
Then, they had 48 hours to use the system to solve four application questions (解決四個應用問題).
That's a total of 56 hours!
If that wasn't hard enough, the Taiwan team faced the competition with additional challenges.
如果這還不夠難，台灣隊還面對更多挑戰。
Their team leader was injured in a traffic accident (交通事故受傷), and he almost couldn't join the competition.
On top of that, some of their equipment got damaged on the way (設備在途中損壞).
The team was forced to adjust their plans.
這個團隊被迫重新調整計劃。
But these things didn't stop them from doing their best.
They overcame challenges (克服挑戰) with great teamwork!
________________________________
The good news is that Taiwan is showing its talents in HPC.
The bad news is that people may not have enough turkeys for Christmas.
禽流感影響英國火雞供應
Bird Flu Affects UK Turkey Supplies
In the last two years, the whole world was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Countries are reporting confirmed cases (確診病例) even today.
But did you know there's another virus sweeping the world (另一種席捲全球的病毒)?
We're talking about bird flu, or the avian influenza (禽流感).
Millions of birds have been culled (撲殺) around the world to prevent the spread of bird flu (預防傳播).
In the UK, the bird flu has heavily affected supplies of free range turkeys (放山火雞).
That's because free-range turkeys live out in the open (生活在戶外).
Half of the free-range turkeys produced for Christmas have been culled, or have died from bird flu.
So the UK government has ordered all poultry and captive birds in England to be kept indoors.
英國政府下令將所有家禽和飼養的鳥類關在室內。
But it's more expensive (昂貴) to keep turkeys indoors, especially when they're already used to living outdoors.
And many people are worried there might not be enough turkeys for the holiday season.
We hope there will be enough turkey for every family to enjoy!
________________________________
Now let's zoom out (把鏡頭拉遠) and talk about a place much farther than the UK.
We're talking about…space!
中國把另一組太空人 送上天宮太空站
China Sends New Crew to Tiangong Space Station
There are two permanently inhabited space outposts orbiting Earth.
現在太空中有兩個太空站環繞地球運行。
One is NASA's International Space Station…
…and the other is China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA's Tiangong Space Station (天宮太空站).
The Tiangong space station was launched (發射升空) in April 2021.
Its mission is to help researchers conduct science experiments in space (在太空中進行科學實驗).
So far, there have been three crewed missions (載人任務) aboard the station.
And last month, another crew of three Chinese taikonauts (太空人) took off to board Tiangong!
They traveled aboard the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft (神舟十五號太空船).
They have three main goals in their mission:
Perform the first in-orbit crew handover, test the station's capabilities, and install equipment to complete the station's construction.
完成首次在太空中交接，測試太空站的能力，並且完成太空站所有建設。
The first mission is already completed.
It marks the beginning of a regular crew rotation (太空人定期輪換) in the Tiangong Space Station.
The new crew is staying on the station for six months.
In the next ten years, China plans to launch two crewed missions every year.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A team of students from National Tsing Hua University finished first place in an HPC competition.
They faced six teams from the U.S., and one team each from Germany, Singapore, and Switzerland.
They faced many challenges at the Student Cluster Competition, but they overcame them with great teamwork.
________________________________
In the UK, the bird flu has heavily affected supplies of free range turkeys.
So the UK government has ordered all poultry and captive birds in England to be kept indoors.
But some people worry there won't be enough turkeys for Christmas.
________________________________
And,
The CMSA has sent a crew of three taikonauts to live on the Tiangong Space Station.
They traveled aboard the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft.
In the next ten years, China plans to launch two crewed missions every year.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A "pop"ular deal, cleaning up at the World Cup, and a new job for Taylor Swift.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
50元「爆米花裝到滿」 人人出奇招
Kaohsiung Theater Offers "Pop"ular Deal
When you think of movie theaters, you probably also think of popcorn.
It's a delicious part of the fun of going out to see a movie.
One movie theater in Kaohsiung came up with a special popcorn deal.
The theater said it would give customers (顧客) all the popcorn they could carry for just 50 NT.
The customers need to buy two movie tickets, then pay another 50 NT, and bring something to put the popcorn in.
客人只要買2張電影票加價50元就可以用自己準備的「容器」把爆米花裝到滿。
Many customers came.
And they enjoyed the popcorn.
But there were also a few surprises!
Some people came with a big pot (大鍋子).
Another person came with a bucket (水桶).
One family came with 8 people, and each person carried a big box.
They said they would take the popcorn to their children's school, to share with other students.
But the biggest surprise of all, was much bigger than a box or a bucket.
Three young men came for the special popcorn deal, with a really big container (容器).
The container was bigger than a bathtub!
They said the container could hold 1,600 liters.
That's roughly more than 6,600 cups of water!
It took workers at the movie theater almost 2 hours to make enough popcorn to fill the container.
Then the young men took all the popcorn to the Pier-2 Art Center.
And they gave away the popcorn for free.
________________________________
日本球迷和球員賽後自主清理環境
Japan Team and Fans Clean Up at World Cup
Most of the time, to "clean up" is to make something clean and neat again.
Sometimes, "clean up" in casual English also means to win.
And Team Japan did a little bit of both at the World Cup in Qatar.
After winning a game against Germany, the players from Japan cleaned up their locker room (更衣室).
They folded all the towels.
They put the leftover food (吃剩的食物) neatly on the table.
They folded some paper cranes.
And they left a note.
It said "thank you" in Arabic and Japanese.
日本隊在比賽結束後，把休息室整理的乾乾淨淨，放了摺好的紙鶴，還用阿拉伯文和日文寫下「謝謝」的感人字條。
And Japanese fans also cleaned up.
After the game ended, the fans took out big garbage bags.
And they picked up the empty bottles, paper cups, and other trash around the seats.
Japan lost its chance to win the World Cup after it lost to Croatia.
But many people praised (讚賞) Japan's soccer team and their fans.
Some of the people who cleaned up say it's showing respect (尊重) for a place.
They say they would like to leave a place cleaner than before.
And it seems fans from other countries are following this example.
Some people say fans from Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have also started cleaning up after games too.
________________________________
泰勒斯 轉戰電影導演
Taylor Swift to Direct Movie
Taylor Swift is a famous American singer, and songwriter.
She's also been in movies, and used her star power to help charities (慈善機構).
But now Taylor will take on a new job.
She will be a movie director (導演)!
A movie studio says Taylor has written a script (劇本) for the movie.
For now, the studio hasn't announced many other details.
該電影的劇情、演員陣容以及發布時間目前還未公布。
But it says Taylor is an amazing storyteller.
And it is excited to work with her on this new project.
The singer has said in the past that she wants to try making movies.
She said she wants to tell "human stories about human emotion" (情感).
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A movie theater in Kaohsiung said it would give customers all the popcorn they could carry for just 50 NT.
The customers need to buy two movie tickets, then pay another 50 NT, and bring something to put the popcorn in.
Many customers came with big pots and boxes.
________________________________
After winning a game against Germany, the players from Japan cleaned up their locker room.
And they left a note that said "thank you" in Arabic and Japanese.
Japanese fans also cleaned up after the game.
________________________________
And,
Taylor Swift is set to be a movie director.
A movie studio says Taylor has written a script for the movie.
And it is excited to work with her on this new project.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A searchable map for New Year's, silent e-bikes to catch poachers, and lab-made milk without the pollution.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
A Searchable Map for New Year's Sunrise
天文館推出元旦日出地圖
A lot of people love to watch the sunrise on New Year's Day, as it represents a fresh start.
It has become a tradition for many Taiwanese.
From Alishan to the mountains and coastlines (海岸線) of eastern Taiwan…
These are all popular spots for watching the first ray of sunlight.
For these "sun catchers" (追日族), things might just have been made easier.
The Taipei Astronomical Museum has a new interactive (互動式) online map.
This map allows users to find the sunrise and sunset times in places around the world.
Users choose a spot on the map to find out the exact time the sun will rise and set.
The museum explained that the time for sunrise and sunset are different in each place, based on latitude (緯度), longitude (經度), and altitude (高度).
According to the museum, the best sunrise location in Taiwan for January 1st, 2023 will be Po Nan Shan (柏南山) in Hualien County.
So, if you want to catch the first sunrise of 2023, find a location on the map and get your camera ready.
把相機拿出來，準備迎接2023年的第一道曙光吧！
________________________________
Park Rangers are Using E-bikes to Catch Poachers
護林員利用電動機車安靜的優勢逮捕盜獵者
Have you ever been surprised by an electric bike?
They are so quiet and sometimes you don't know they are right beside you.
The quietness is sometimes dangerous in the city.
But it can be a good thing!
This advantage (優勢) is being used to catch poachers (盜獵者) in African wildlife parks.
A Swedish electric bike company is working with Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC).
SAWC trains park rangers (護林員) for 127 parks across Africa.
In the past, poachers can escape easily because of the loud noises the petrol (汽油) motorbikes make.
They can even hear the rangers coming from over a kilometer away.
But now, the silent motor of the e-bike has become the surprise secret weapon for saving the world's most endangered species (瀕危物種).
電動機車安靜的馬達成為拯救野生動物的秘密武器。
Several poaching attempts have been stopped this year by rangers on e-bikes, saving a variety of animals.
________________________________
Lab-made Milk to Fight Climate Pollution
人造牛奶：無環境污染的濃醇香
For thousands of years, humans have been drinking milk.
We grow grass, raise cattle, milk the cows, and so on.
People drink a lot of milk and use it to make many other foods.
Milk is used in cheese, yogurt, chocolate, and cookies.
But keeping animals for milk this way is hurting the environment.
Studies have shown that cows belch methane (甲烷) that contribute to global warming.
In recent years, food scientists, dairy experts and biologists (生物學家) have been trying to solve the problem.
Now, they've come up with a few different ways to make milk, without making methane.
The most common method is using micro-organisms (微生物).
The secret lies in cow DNA.
DNA stores instructions of how living creatures function.
Cow DNA knows how to produce milk, but is only activated during pregnancy (懷孕).
Scientists inserted the gene sequence (基因順序) that produces dairy protein into the microbes.
The microbes then make lots of milk.
The scientists are very optimistic (樂觀) about this technology.
Animals are not needed for this process.
It doesn't produce waste that pollutes the land and water.
The most important thing is that it doesn't produce methane.
Lab-made milk is currently used in ice cream, milk and cheese.
The scientists say it tastes just like milk from a cow.
隨著科技持續進步，實驗室食品取代農場食品也許也是不可避免的。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Astronomical Museum has a new interactive online map.
This map allows users to find the sunrise and sunset times in places around the world.
Users choose a spot on the map to find out the exact time the sun will rise and set.
________________________________
A Swedish electric bike company is working with Southern African Wildlife College.
They are giving rangers e-bikes to ride.
This helps the rangers get close to poachers quietly, and catch them.
Several poaching attempts have been stopped this year by rangers on e-bikes, saving a variety of animals.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have come up with a few different ways to make milk, without making methane.
The most common method is using micro-organisms.
Animals are not needed for this process, and it doesn't pollute the land and water.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with "Paz" and "Trevor":
Tuna travel from Taiwan to Japan, South Koreans will get younger next year, and a little girl gets a unicorn license.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________
一路追蹤黑鮪魚到日本
Bluefin Tuna Tracked to Japan
When animals travel in large groups, we call it "migration" (遷移).
Lots of animals migrate to warmer places (更溫暖的地方), when the weather gets too cold, or when they want to lay eggs (產卵).
One of these migrating fish is called the bluefin tuna (黑鮪魚，也叫做藍鰭金槍魚).
Recently, scientists in Taiwan and the U.S. have been studying these fish very closely.
And they were surprised to learn that bluefin tuna can travel very long distances (可以游很長的距離)!
The scientists put trackers (追蹤器) on three bluefin tuna, to watch their movements in the ocean.
The trackers showed where the tuna swam, so scientists could see how far they traveled.
And after 127 days, the fish had traveled more than 3,000 kilometers (三千公里), from Taiwan to northern Japan (日本北海道), to lay their eggs.
They say it makes sense, because bluefin tuna are very powerful (強壯).
They can grow to more than 4 meters long (可以長達四公尺), which is a little longer than a car.
They can weigh up to 700 kilograms (重達七百公斤), or about as much as a whole cow.
And some of them can live to be 40 years old!
However, there are only about one million of these fish left in the world.
And many people say we should eat less fish (減少吃魚), or soon, there might not be any left.
Let's hope they're strong enough to keep swimming and survive!
________________________________
南韓年齡系統 標準化
South Korean Age System to be Standardized
When a person is born, how old are they?
一個人出生的時候，他到底幾歲？
We would call them a "newborn baby" (新生的孩子), and we might say they're a few minutes old, or one day old.
But in some places, like South Korea (南韓), people would say a newborn baby is already one year old!
That's because each newborn has already spent some time growing, before they are born.
This is sometimes called the "Korean Age" system (韓國年齡系統).
For example, a person might be 12 years old in South Korea, and 11 years old in other countries!
However, this can get very confusing (令人困惑).
So the South Korean government (南韓政府) has decided to make a change.
From June of 2023, South Koreans will no longer use the Korean Age system.
That way, each person's age (年齡) won't change when they travel.
But that also means that in June of next year, many South Koreans will suddenly be one year younger (年齡會突然少一年)!
Does that mean South Koreans are getting younger?
Well, not really.
But at least it won't be so confusing!
________________________________
小女孩獲得 獨角獸飼養執照
Little Girl Gets License to Own a Unicorn
Nowadays, a lot of people have pets (寵物), like dogs, cats, fish, or birds.
These kinds of animals are legal to own (合法擁有), because they are easier to raise (飼養).
Other animals, like tigers or elephants, are illegal (違法的), unless you have a special license (除非你有特別執照).
But what about unicorns (獨角獸)?
Well, for one little girl, it's totally okay!
This girl, named Madeline, lives in the U.S. state of California (美國加州).
She wrote a letter to an animal care center (動物護理中心), asking if she could have her own unicorn.
And soon after, the animal care center wrote back (回信)!
They sent Madeline a "Unicorn License" (獨角獸飼養執照), which says she can have her own unicorn, as long as she follows some rules (只要她能遵守一些規則).
First, she has to wash her unicorn's horn (洗獨角獸頭上的角) at least once per month.
Second, she has to feed it a watermelon (餵牠吃西瓜) at least once per week.
And finally, she must make sure the unicorn gets lots of sunlight (陽光), moonbeams (月光), and rainbows (彩虹).
Unfortunately (不幸的是), there's only one problem with Madeline's new unicorn license.
She has to find a unicorn first!
In the meantime, the animal control center sent Madeline a small unicorn doll (獨角獸絨毛玩具).
So far, we've never seen a real unicorn…
But if we find one, we'll let her know!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan and the U.S. put trackers on three bluefin tuna, to watch their migration.
After 127 days, the fish had traveled more than 3,000 kilometers, from Taiwan to northern Japan, to lay their eggs.
________________________________
And,
South Korea has decided to change its age system, to use the international standard.
As a result, many South Koreans will suddenly be one year younger, starting from June of next year.
________________________________
And,
A little girl in the U.S. has gotten a unicorn license, which says she can have her own unicorn, as long as she follows some rules.
She has to wash its horn, feed it watermelons, and give it sunlight, moonbeams, and rainbows.
Unfortunately, she still has to find a unicorn first.
________________________________
Alright, that's it for today's News Bites… watch out for unicorns!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Taiwan's EPA wants to install solar panels, the world's first energy-positive hotel, and a 500-year-old mystery!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
環保署邀請公民 參與安裝太陽能板
EPA Invites Citizen Participation to Install Solar Panels
When it comes to clean energy (乾淨能源), people often think of solar power (太陽能).
Sunlight can be an endless source of energy (無盡的能源), if you know where to install solar panels (太陽能板).
Think about the sunniest spots you know.
想一想你所知道的陽光最充足的地方。
Where would you put solar panels?
If you're thinking about rooftops (屋頂)… you're not the only one!
The Environmental Protection Agency (環保署), or EPA, wants to install (安裝) solar panels on rooftops across Taiwan.
It's part of the government's net zero carbon emission goals by 2050 (政府的2050年淨零碳排放目標).
The EPA says it plans to install solar panels on at least 1,000 rooftops with "citizen participation" (公民參與).
The rooftops would be located among 1,222 low-carbon communities certified by the EPA.
屋頂位於環保署認證的 1,222 個低碳社區中。
They include residential buildings (住宅建築), community centers, and temples (寺廟).
People who let the government use their roofs for solar installations won't need to pay any money.
And they could even be eligible for rebates (有資格獲得回饋) from the Taiwan Power Company (台電)!
The EPA says in the future, they will make green energy generation (產生綠色能源的) rooftops a requirement (要求) to be certified as a low-carbon community.
________________________________
Speaking of clean energy…
世界上第一正能量酒店將在挪威
The World's First Energy Positive Hotel in Norway
When a building using sustainable energy (永續能源) makes more energy than it uses, we can say it's "energy-positive" (正能量).
Many countries around the world are working hard to reach environmental goals (環境目標).
And Norway is a global leader in sustainability.
挪威在永續性發展方面領先全球。
In fact, the world's first energy-positive hotel will be located above the Arctic Circle (北極圈)…
…in Norway!
It's a luxury resort (豪華度假村) that will use solar energy to power its facilities.
The building is being built on stilt-like poles over a fjord, near a glacier.
建築建在峽灣上方的柱子上，靠近冰川。
The poles (柱子) will hold the hotel above the pristine (純淨的) water to preserve the environment.
The building will be shaped like a ring, with windows showing visitors views of the glacier.
The hotel's interior (內部) will be decorated with eco-friendly materials.
And its four restaurants will serve dishes with ingredients that are locally sourced (本地採購).
They will even have a farm onsite (現場)!
The hotel will also have its own waste recycling and water management systems.
The Svart Hotel is scheduled to open in 2024.
________________________________
We've talked about two news stories related to the future…
Let's go back in time!
五百年之久的謎團 終於解開
A 500-Year-Old Mystery - Solved!
Have you ever made-up a secret code (密碼) with your friends?
If you're good at deducing (推理) things, it can be easy to crack (破解) a secret code.
But other times, it could take experts a lot of research to discover the meaning of a hidden message!
A group of cryptographers recently decoded a 500-year-old mystery.
一群密碼學家最近破解了一個有五百年歷史的謎團。
It was a secret message sent in 1547 by the King of Spain to his ambassador (大使) in France.
At the time, the only way to send a message was through writing letters, but it wasn't very secure (安全的).
That's because letters can be easily copied or stolen.
So, Charles V developed a cipher (密碼) to send secret information to his allies.
Part of his message was written in French, and the coded parts used 120 different symbols (符號).
Some symbols represented one letter, and others stood for several letters combined.
There were even some symbols that meant nothing at all, to make it harder to crack the code!
But the team kept working hard to solve it.
In the end, they discovered the meaning of the secret message:
Charles V said he wanted to keep the peace with France, but he heard a rumor someone might be trying to kill him.
查理五世說他想與法國保持和平，但他聽說有人可能想殺他。
He asked his ambassador to find out anything he could about the rumor (謠言).
Now that researchers have cracked Charles V's cipher, they will learn more about him from the hundreds of similar letters he sent in Europe.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, wants to install solar panels on rooftops across Taiwan.
It's part of the government's net zero carbon emission goals by 2050.
The rooftops would be located among 1,222 low-carbon communities certified by the EPA.
________________________________
The world's first energy-positive hotel will be located in Norway.
It's a luxury resort that will use solar energy to power its facilities.
The Svart Hotel is scheduled to open in 2024.
________________________________
And,
A group of cryptographers recently decoded a 500-year-old mystery.
It was a secret message sent in 1547 by the King of Spain to his ambassador in France.
Charles V said he wanted to keep the peace with France, but he heard a rumor someone might be trying to kill him.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Shoes from semiconductor waste, a Paris landmark to get a makeover, and the power of hugs.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________
國立高雄大學和日月光集團用工業廢料製作鞋子
NUK and ASE Make Shoes from Industrial Waste
Wherever you go, you are most likely (最有可能) wearing shoes.
They protect our feet from rough surfaces (粗糙的表面).
And the thicker the shoe soles, the more comfortable we can walk.
而且鞋底越厚，我們走起路來就越舒服。
Shoe soles are often made with different materials (材料).
These include natural ones, like rubber and leather, or man-made materials.
這些包括天然材料，例如橡膠和皮革，或是人造材料。
The National University of Kaohsiung and ASE Group are working together to make textiles from semiconductor waste (利用半導體廢料製造紡織品).
That textile (紡織品) is being used to make soles for shoes.
The research teams found a way to recycle the plastic from the semiconductor manufacturing process (半導體製造).
The plastic comes from adhesive tape used specifically for semiconductor wafer dicing.
塑料來自專門用於切割半導體晶圓的膠帶。
The textile is being used by Puhu Footwear (彪琥鞋業).
55 percent of the shoe soles are made from semiconductor sector waste!
Taiwan's electronics factories generate (產生) about 200 metric tons of waste each year.
This will hopefully encourage (鼓勵) more creativity and waste recycling.
________________________________
巴黎香榭麗舍大道的綠色改造
Green Makeover for Champs-Elysees
Ahh, Paris… The City of Love.
It's one of the world's top gastronomy capitals (美食之都).
Not to mention the vivid fashion scene (生動的服裝秀).
And it's also known for the Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame cathedral, and the Eiffel Tower.
它還以羅浮宮博物館、巴黎聖母院和埃菲爾鐵塔而聞名。
Another famous landmark (地標) is the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.
The avenue is 1.9 kilometers long, and 70 meters wide.
It connects two other famous spots, the Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe.
它連接著另外兩個著名景點，協和廣場和凱旋門。
The Champs-Elysees is also called "the most beautiful avenue in the world".
But it has fallen into disrepair (年久失修).
More than 60,000 cars pass through it every day, bringing pollution to the area.
The sidewalks have cracks, and the greenery is not-so-green anymore.
人行道有裂縫，樹木也不再那麼綠了。
Paris's Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to restore the avenue to its former glory by 2030.
巴黎市長希望在 2030 年之前讓大道恢復昔日的輝煌。
She plans to spend $250 million U.S. dollars to turn the street into a garden!
The project's first goal is to cut down on (減少) car pollution.
They will reduce the eight car lanes (車道) to four, while adding more trees and bike lanes.
And from 2030, only electric vehicles (電動車) would be allowed to drive on the Champs-Elysees.
The mayor also has plans for the Place de la Concorde, which is the city's largest square (廣場).
The renovations will be completed in time for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
翻新工程將在 2024 年巴黎夏季奧運之前及時完成。
________________________________
大猩猩寶寶 抱回健康
Baby Gorilla Hugged Back to Health
A hug is a powerful gesture.
擁抱是一種強有力的姿態。
Researchers have found that hugging can help you relax.
When you've had a hard day, they can be comforting (安慰).
And doctors say hugging can even make a sick baby feel better.
But can it be true for some animals, too?
Kaius is a baby gorilla who was born in Australia's Mogo Wildlife Park.
Unfortunately, his mom rejected (放棄) him because she had some medical conditions.
Baby Kaius got very sick, and the zookeepers had to think of a way to help him.
The tiny gorilla developed a lung infection and couldn't breathe well.
這隻年幼的大猩猩患了肺部感染，無法正常呼吸。
The healthcare team (醫療團隊) decided to take care of him like a human baby.
After doctors treated Kaius, zookeeper Chad Staples held the baby in his arms for a whole night, trying to calm his breathing.
醫生治療過 Kaius之後，動物園管理員Chad Staples將大猩猩寶寶抱在懷裡整整一夜，試著讓他的呼吸平靜下來。
The skin-on-skin contact (肌膚接觸) helped lower Kaius' heart rate, and his breathing stabilized (穩定了下來)!
Kaius received emotional connection and stability through hugging every day.
每天的擁抱，讓Kaius獲得了情感上的聯繫和安定。
And after seven days of tender care, Kaius is feeling better and stronger than ever!
Baby gorillas aren't that different from human babies.
And hugs can make all the difference.
擁抱可以改變一切。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National University of Kaohsiung and ASE Group are working together to make textiles from semiconductor waste.
Puhu Footwear is using the textile to make shoe soles.
________________________________
The Champs-Elysees in Paris is called "the most beautiful avenue in the world".
But it has fallen into disrepair.
Paris's Mayor plans to spend $250 million U.S. dollars to turn the street into a garden.
________________________________
And,
A healthcare team decided to take care of a sick baby gorilla named Kaius like a human baby.
Kaius received emotional connection and stability through hugging every day.
________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
A meteor shower rains over Taiwan, people live their lives in goblin mode, and bats have better vocals than humans.
Is that it? Are we done?
No, of course not!
Oh, okay, well, keep listening for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________
雙子座流星雨 12月14日出現
Meteor Shower to Peak on December 14th
Have you heard of a meteor shower (流星雨)?
這個現象的英文說法就是【流星淋浴】。
And in Chinese, it's called "Meteor Rain".
So what's a meteor (流星)?
Well, there are many small rocks flying through outer space, and sometimes they come all the way to Earth (地球).
But when they enter our atmosphere (進入地球大氣層), they move so fast that they burn up (燒掉)!
And when they burn up, they shine very bright (發出很亮的光) for a few seconds.
That's why we can see them at night!
It's also why meteors are sometimes called "shooting stars" or "falling stars".
And when a lot of meteors all shine in one night, we call it a "meteor shower".
If you've never seen a meteor shower before, then you should have a chance very soon.
The "Geminids" (雙子座流星雨) are a meteor shower that usually comes every year, in December.
They are called the Geminids because they come from a part of the sky near the constellation "Gemini" (雙子座).
And this year, there are going to be a LOT of meteors, from around this weekend through next weekend (這周末到下周末左右).
But astronomers (天文學家) say the Geminids should peak (極大期) on December 14th.
They say on that night, we could see about 150 meteors every hour!
Of course, if you live in a big city, you might not be able to see a lot of stars at night.
But with a meteor shower this big, there's still a chance!
________________________________
【哥布林模式】被選成今年代表詞
'Goblin Mode' Chosen as 'Word of the Year'
Cleaning your room and taking a shower are both very good habits (很好的習慣).
But sometimes, maybe you just want to be dirty and lie on the couch (賴在沙發上).
Well, you're not alone…
不只你有這個感覺…
A lot of people have started to live like goblins (哥布林)!
Goblins are small, green people who live out in the wild (住在野外), like in forests or caves.
They are usually very lazy (懶惰), messy (亂糟糟), and sloppy (邋遢)… but they don't care!
And that's why more and more people say they want to "go goblin mode" (轉換成哥布林，或是躺平模式).
In fact, so many people are using this phrase that the Oxford University Press has chosen it as the "word of the year" for 2022.
用這種說法的人多到讓牛津大學出版社把它選做今年的代表詞。
They say it makes sense (有道理) that people are living life a little differently, after the crazy years of the pandemic (疫情).
Living life in goblin mode means doing things like having messy hair, leaving your pants on the floor, and getting up to eat snacks at 3 AM.
Of course, we can't just forget that we all still live together in a society (社會).
We still have to clean up, go to school or work, and spend time with other people.
But maybe, when no one is looking…
We can still spend a little time in goblin mode!
________________________________
蝙蝠不可思議的音域
The Amazing Vocal Range of Bats
Some people can sing very high.
And other people can sing very low.
And if you can sing both high and low, then we say you have a very large "vocal range" (音域很廣).
Some of the most amazing singers in the world can sing in about five octaves (五個八度音).
That's a range of more than 60 piano keys, (比六十個鋼琴鍵還要廣的範圍), or about two thirds of the piano (三分之二的鋼琴琴鍵).
But some animals have a much larger vocal range than we do… like bats (蝙蝠)!
Maybe you already know that bats can make sounds at very high frequencies (高頻率), to help them fly around in the dark.
But they can also make sounds at very low frequencies (低頻率), when they growl at each other (互相叫嚷).
Recently, scientists have been studying bats' vocal chords, to understand how they communicate with different frequencies.
最近科學家在研究蝙蝠的聲帶，想瞭解牠們怎麼用不同頻率的聲音來溝通。
And they have discovered that some bats have a vocal range of at least seven octaves (七個八度).
That's basically the whole range of a piano!
Of course, they can't sing songs like we can.
But we still have a lot to learn from their amazing voices!
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The "Geminids" are a meteor shower that usually comes every year, in December.
They are called the Geminids because they come from a part of the sky near the constellation "Gemini".
Astronomers say this year's Geminids should peak on the night of December 14th.
________________________________
And,
The Oxford University Press has chosen "goblin mode" as its word of the year for 2022.
Goblins are messy, lazy, and sloppy… but they don't care!
So, living life in goblin mode means doing things like having messy hair, leaving your pants on the floor, and getting up to eat snacks at 3 AM.
________________________________
And,
Scientists have been studying bats' vocal chords, to understand how they communicate with different frequencies.
And they have discovered that some bats have a vocal range of at least seven octaves.
That's basically the whole range of a piano, and larger than most human singers.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites… right?
Yes…
Okay, cool!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
The sweet taste of Taiwan chocolate, Indonesia islands up for sale, and the effects of air pollution on young kids.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
Taiwanese Wins 10 International Chocolate Awards
台灣巧克力師傅勇奪「世界巧克力大賽」10項大獎
Chocolate.
It's a sweet and bitter food that is loved by many people around the world.
When we think of chocolate, we usually associate (聯想) it with countries like Belgium, Switzerland, and others.
They make a lot of chocolate.
But Taiwan is making some delicious chocolate too!
A Taiwanese chocolate maker, Queenie Wu (吳葵妮), recently became the most celebrated Asian chocolate maker.
She owns chocolate brand "Q Sweet".
Her chocolates received 1 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze, and 2 special awards at the International Chocolate Awards in November.
Wu said she wanted her chocolate brand from Taiwan to be recognized and appreciated (讚賞) over the world.
In recent years, the quality of Taiwanese cacao (可可豆) and the ways it's processed (處理) have improved.
And the quality of Taiwan cacao has been making international news lately.
Cacao farmers and chocolate makers from Taiwan have been winning multiple international awards over the last few years.
近年來，台灣的可可農與巧克力師傅在許多國際大賽上都得到好成績。
Who know? Maybe Taiwan's chocolate brands will be able to rival (競爭) international chocolate giants in a few years.
________________________________
Indonesia Archipelago Up for Auction
印尼將拍賣超過100個島嶼的群島
It's many people's dream to own an island.
How about over a hundred islands?
The development rights to an entire Indonesian archipelago (群島) with more than 100 tropical islands is to be auctioned (拍賣) this month.
The island are in the uninhabited Widi Reserve, north-east of Bali, spread out over 10,000 hectares.
It is in a marine-protected zone in the "Coral Triangle" area.
According to Indonesian law, foreigners are not allowed to buy islands.
Therefore, buyers will bid for shares (股份) in a development firm on a Sotheby's auction (蘇富比拍賣會).
The development firm has licensed the rights to build an eco-resort (生態渡假村) and luxury residential properties on the reserve.
The auction has prompted concerns among some conservationist (保育人士).
The area was described as "one of the most intact coral ecosystems (珊瑚生態) left on the planet".
It is also home to hundreds of rare and endangered species, among them blue whales, white sharks, and species yet to be discovered.
但是環境的開放一定會對原生生態造成影響。
The development firm claims that it will not only help build the resort, but also help protect the environment
They have plans for security patrol and research programs.
________________________________
Air Pollution Affects Young Kids in School
研究發現空氣污染會使孩童課業落後。
We all know that breathing polluted air cause certain diseases.
But recent studies show that air pollution can affect children's development during early childhood.
One study published recently dived deeper, focusing on the impact that air pollution have on children's learning.
They found out that cognitive gaps (認知差距) are formed as early as 6 months.
These gaps are entrenched (根深蒂固) when the children turn 2 years old.
The neurotoxic (神經毒素) air pollutants (污染源) affects reading and math abilities around the time of school entry.
Researchers found that exposure to fine particulate matter (懸浮微粒) may influence information processing, learning and memory.
科學家認為孩子的身心健全都需要乾淨的空氣。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese chocolate maker, Queenie Wu, recently became the most celebrated Asian chocolate maker.
She owns chocolate brand "Q Sweet".
Her chocolates received 1 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze, and 2 special awards at the International Chocolate Awards in November.
________________________________
Indonesia is putting 100-island archipelago up for auction.
This has made some people worried about the environment.
One of the earth's most well-preserved coral ecosystem might be converted into a vacation resort.
________________________________
And…
A study finds that young kids who breathe polluted air can fall behind in school.
Clean air is not only essential for children's physical health, but also mental health.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A zoo is back, a "Carrot" is caught, and the U.K.'s most-streamed song this year.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
改造完成 高雄壽山動物園試營運
Shoushan Zoo Reopens
Shoushan Zoo is back!
The zoo in southern Taiwan will reopen on December 16th.
It was closed for more than a year.
During this time, the zoo went through lots of renovations (整修).
The zoo says it wants to have more things for families to enjoy.
The renovations also give the zoo animals a better living environment.
Keepers say the enclosures for the animals are now cleaner and have more fresh air.
Another big change is the new skywalk (空中廊道).
It's a path that is high up in the air.
And it goes over many of the places where animals live.
Visitors can walk along the path, and look at the animals from above.
There are also places on the path where people can walk into a hut (山形屋).
Inside, the visitors can see the animals from another angle (角度).
And capybaras (水豚) now live at the zoo too.
They live in the same enclosure with alpacas and miniature donkeys.
水豚會與羊駝、迷你驢等多種草食動物混養。
There will also be a fountain area, for children to play in the water.
And starting in 2023, the zoo will also have a three-floor restaurant.
The zoo says the restaurant will let visitors experience what it is like to be locked in a cage.
Sounds like there's going to be a lot to do!
________________________________
英男釣出30公斤巨大「金魚」
Fisherman Catches "The Carrot"
It's big and bright orange.
It's named "The Carrot".
That's with a capital "T" and a capital "C".
It's a giant fish!
The Carrot lives in a lake in France.
She was born from a leather carp (無鱗鯉魚) and koi (錦鯉).
The Carrot got her name, because she is a bright orange color.
In fact, she looks like Magikarp, the fish Pokemon.
And she weighs 30 kilograms!
That's about as heavy as a big dog!
The people who work at the lake say many fishermen visit.
The bright orange Carrot is easy to see in the water.
But she is smart and heavy, so fishermen say she is hard to catch!
One fisherman from the U.K. recently caught The Carrot.
He pulled and pulled on his fishing line for 25 minutes, and finally pulled The Carrot out of the water.
Don't worry…
They quickly took some photos, weighed The Carrot, and put her back in the water.
The lake has a "no retention" rule.
Anyone who catches a fish has to put it back in the water.
Workers say they put The Carrot into the lake about 20 years ago.
And she has grown and grown since then.
「胡蘿蔔」約在20年前被人放進湖中，長相神似"寶可夢"中的「鯉魚王」。
But the workers say The Carrot is not the biggest fish in the lake.
They say there are many fish in there that weigh over 40 kilograms!
And they say The Carrot is very healthy.
They think she might even live for another 15 years or more.
________________________________
英國2022串流音樂冠軍
U.K.'s Most-streamed Song of 2022
Here's the U.K.'s most-streamed song of 2022.
It's Harry Styles' "As It Was".
Music-streaming companies, Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer say "As It Was" was the top song of the year.
It beat out songs from many other artists like Ed Sheeran, Drake, and Taylor Swift.
Harry says the song is about change and growth.
哈利說這首歌在探討人生中的改變與成長。
In the song, he sings about loneliness, growing up, and moving on.
Spotify says "As It Was" had been streamed 1.5 billion times this year.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Shoushan Zoo will reopen on December 16th.
The zoo went through lots of renovations.
The zoo says it wants to have more things for families to enjoy, and a better living environment for the animals.
________________________________
The Carrot is a giant fish that lives in a lake in France.
She is a bright orange color, and weights 30 kilograms!
A U.K. fisherman recently caught The Carrot.
Don't worry, he took some photos, and quickly put her back into the water!
________________________________
And…
The U.K.'s most-streamed song of 2022 is Harry Styles' "As It Was".
Music-streaming companies, Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer say "As It Was" was the top song of the year.
It beat out songs from many other artists like Ed Sheeran, Drake, and Taylor Swift.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A smew in Kaohsiung, a parastronaut in space, and the world's oldest cat.
All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________
茄萣濕地首次出現白秋沙
Smews Spotted in Cieding Wetlands
A smew has been seen in Taiwan.
No, no, not a smell.
A smew!
A smew (白秋沙又名斑頭秋沙鴨) is a type of duck.
Adult male smews are black and white.
And female smews are grey with a brown head.
They eat fish, insects, and insect larvae (幼蟲).
They live in the Eurasian arctic circle.
And they migrate to warmer places every winter.
Usually, they migrate to lands off the North Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago.
白秋沙繁殖於歐亞大陸寒帶地區，冬季飛到歐洲北海、韓國、日本等地度冬。
But recently, a smew was spotted in Kaohsiung's Cieding Wetlands (茄萣濕地) for the first time!
A birdwatcher saw the wild smew, and quickly took a photo.
Many other birds that migrate for the winter also spend time in Cieding.
These include black-faced spoonbills, bean geese, and egrets (白鷺).
The Kaohsiung city government says this shows that the wetland is becoming a good place for birds to stay over winter.
The city government says it will keep working to make the wetlands a safe and welcoming place for migrating birds.
________________________________
史上首位【身障太空人】
World's First "Parastronaut"
The European Space Agency has chosen a new astronaut.
His name is John McFall.
And John believes he's "uniquely suited" for the job (獨特地適合這份工作).
You see, John is a person with a physical disability.
When John was a teenager, he was a runner and a hockey player.
When he was 19 years old, John lost his right leg in a serious motorcycle accident.
But that didn't stop him from being active.
John went on to compete in the Paralympics (帕運) as a runner.
He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
John 19歲時因為發生機車事故右腿遭到截肢，但他後來在2008年北京帕運贏得100公尺短跑銅牌。
John also studied medicine, and went through training for general surgery.
And now he is officially an astronaut at the European Space Agency.
John is part of an ESA program, to send someone with a physical disability into space.
ESA says John could be the world's first "parastronaut".
John says he has gone through challenges and hardships in life.
All this helped him understand himself emotionally and gain confidence and strength.
John says he believes he can do anything he puts his mind to.
Now, John will help ESA understand how a physical disability might affect space travel.
This will help the space agency understand if changes to spacesuits and spacecraft are needed.
ESA says it could be at least five years, before John actually goes into space.
________________________________
27歲貓咪打破世界紀錄
Flossie Crowned "World's Oldest Cat"
Flossie is a brown and black cat.
She lives in the U.K.
Her owner Vicki says Flossie is affectionate (熱情) and playful.
You would never guess that Flossie is the oldest living cat in the world!
Vicki says Flossie is almost 27 years old.
That's about the same as a person being 120 years old!
The Guinness World Records has officially recognized (正式認證) Flossie as the world's oldest living cat.
Vets say Flossie can't see very well, and can't hear.
But she is in good health.
Even at the ripe old age of 27, Flossie is not the oldest cat that ever lived.
The oldest cat ever is Creme Puff.
Creme Puff reached the age of 38 years and 3 days.
世界最長壽的貓是一隻名叫Creme Puff的虎斑貓，年齡是38歲零3天。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A smew was recently spotted in Kaohsiung's Cieding Wetlands for the first time!
The Kaohsiung city government says it will keep working to make the wetlands a safe and welcoming place for migrating birds.
________________________________
The European Space Agency has chosen John McFall as its first "parastronaut".
John McFall lost his right leg when he was 19, but went on to win a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
Now, John will help ESA understand how a physical disability might affect space travel.
________________________________
And…
Flossie is the oldest living cat in the world.
Her owner says Flossie is almost 27 years old, about the same as a person being 120 years old!
The Guinness World Records has officially recognized Flossie as the world's oldest living cat.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:Taiwan finishes its 2022 elections, people in China start protests, and a volcano uses its right to free speech.Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.________________________________台灣2022年的九合一選舉Taiwan's 9-in-1 Elections 2022Taiwan is a country of more than 23 million people (兩千三百萬多人).It has many large cities (城市), counties (縣), and special municipalities (直轄市).And all of those cities and counties need leaders (領導人).So, how do we choose (選擇) these leaders?We hold elections (選舉), so people can vote (投票)!The people we vote for are called candidates (候選人).And whichever candidate gets the most votes will become the next leader.Taiwan recently held some very important elections, called the "9-in-1 Elections", for nine different kinds of leaders.On Saturday, November 26th, people all over Taiwan traveled to their hometowns to vote for their favorite candidates.十一月二十六日這一天，台灣各個地方的人都回到家鄉，投票給最喜歡的候選人。People voted for mayors (市長), magistrates (縣長), council members (議員), and more.Everyone's votes were counted (計算), and Taiwan announced (宣布) its new leaders.These new leaders all over Taiwan will start their jobs on December 25th, at the end of this year.Now, maybe your favorite candidate lost (輸了), or you were too young to vote.But Taiwan is a democracy (民主國家), which means we can vote for leaders again soon!________________________________中國人民抗議疫情封鎖People in China Protest LockdownsIn many democracies like Taiwan, people have special rights (權利).One of these is the right to free speech (言論自由), which means people can talk about their government, when they want to.People also have the right to protest (抗議), as long as they don't hurt anyone.But in many other countries, people don't have these rights.For example, in China, people are not allowed (不允許) to protest.If they say anything bad about their government, they will be censored (會被審查), and may get in trouble.But recently, many Chinese people are protesting anyway!That's because the Chinese government has told millions of its people to stay inside their homes, to stop the spread of COVID-19.中國政府今年來為了阻止新冠病毒的傳染，強迫好幾百萬國民留在家裡。Some people in China have been stuck inside their homes (關在家裡) for months, and aren't allowed to leave.Many are getting very frustrated (沮喪), and starting to criticize their government (批評政府), even though they know it is dangerous.They hold up white pieces of paper (白紙), because they aren't allowed to say anything bad.But everyone who sees the white paper, knows what they are trying to say.Of course, we are lucky to have free speech in Taiwan.We just have to remember to listen, too!________________________________世界最大火山 噴出熔岩World's Biggest Volcano EruptsAfter all these stories about governments, it's important to remember that we still have some other problems, too……like volcanoes!Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, is in the U.S. state of Hawaii (夏威夷).Hawaii is made up of many small islands, and Mauna Loa is on the biggest one.And it has recently started to erupt (噴發)!Lava (岩漿) has started to flow (流動) down from the top of Mauna Loa mountain.And some of the lava is as hot as 1,000 degrees Celsius (攝氏一千度)!Luckily, the mountain is not exploding (沒有爆炸), and the lava is moving very slowly.And scientists say Mauna Loa hasn't erupted for 40 years, so this is a great chance for them to do more research (研究).Most people aren't in danger yet, but scientists say everyone should still be careful.Let's just be happy that Taiwan didn't vote for a volcano!________________________________So, in today's News Bites:On November 26th, Taiwan held its 9-in-1 elections, for nine different kinds of leaders.People voted for mayors, magistrates, council members, and more.These new leaders all over Taiwan will start their jobs on December 25th, at the end of this year.________________________________And,Many people in China are getting frustrated, and starting to criticize their government, even though they know it is dangerous.They hold up white pieces of paper, because they aren't allowed to say anything bad.But everyone who sees the white paper, knows what they are trying to say.________________________________And,Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, has recently started to erupt.And some of the lava is as hot as 1,000 degrees Celsius (攝氏一千度)!Scientists say most people are not in danger yet, but should still be careful.________________________________And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
The Taiwan Reading Festival, plants in the UK are behaving strangely, and rats can bop to a beat.
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣閱讀節首次展出外交盟友的英文書 Taiwan Reading Festival Features Books from Diplomatic Allies for the First Time
The National Central Library (國家圖書館) is hosting a special event in Taipei this weekend.
The Taiwan Reading Festival!
It's an annual event spreading (傳播) the joy of reading to every corner of Taiwan.
The festival will include music performances, arts and crafts, and storytelling.
And this year the library has also invited international guests!
For the first time, there will be English books from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Christopher and Nevis, and Belize. 閱讀節首次推出來自聖文森及格瑞那丁、聖克里斯多福及尼維斯以及貝里斯的英文書。
The three countries are Taiwan's diplomatic allies (外交盟友).
Each country will have a booth (攤位) to introduce the culture of the Caribbean and Central American nations (加勒比海和中美洲國家).
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines booth will feature three Vincentian English teachers reading aloud (朗讀) books by Vincentian authors.
The Saint Kitts and Nevis booth will have English books written by leading authors (主要作者) in the country to give Taiwanese a clearer understanding of the country, and its culture and heritage (讓台灣人更了解這個國家及其文化和遺產).
And when Taiwanese children visit Belize's booth, they will be taken on a journey to the country through literature (文學).
The Taiwan Reading Festival is taking place at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park on December 3rd, and at the National Central Library on December 4th. ________________________________
英國迎來第二個"春天" UK Has 'Second Spring'
Plants in the United Kingdom are behaving a little differently this year (有點不一樣).
Flowers and plants are flowering (開花) and show no signs of stopping.
That's because the weather is unusually (異常地) warm for November!
A botanist says the way the greenery is responding to the weather this year is completely crazy and mixed. 一位植物學家說，今年綠色植物對天氣的反應很瘋狂。
For example, during the summer, the UK experienced a drought (乾旱).
Lots of plants became dormant (休眠) like they would in winter, because it was too hot.
Some trees dropped their leaves, and others started growing right after it rained.
And now, there are plants that are blooming (開花) for the first time this year.
Horticulturists say the change could have a detrimental effect for next spring. 園藝家說，這種變化可能會對明年春天產生不利影響。
If plants use a lot of resources to grow now, they might not grow well next year.
That means the insects that eat plants will be thrown out of kilter (失衡)…
Which means the birds that eat insects will be thrown out of kilter…
Which means…well, so many life cycles (生命週期) will be affected!
Extreme weather events are becoming more and more common because of global warming.
There is still a lot we don't know about how it will affect us. ________________________________
就像我們一樣，老鼠會隨著音樂作動 Rats Bop to Music Just as We Do
When you listen to your favorite song, do you nod your head or tap your feet to the beat? 當你聽你最喜歡的歌曲時，你會點頭還是用腳敲打拍子？
People have always thought that rhythm was a skill unique to us humans (節奏感是我們人類獨有的).
There are animals that can react (反應) to noise and be trained (受訓) to dance along to music.
But it's not the same as humans' complex neural and motor processes that let you hear the beat in a song. 但這與人類複雜的神經傳導不同，人類聽得到歌曲中的節拍。
That innate ability is called "beat synchronicity." 這種與生俱來的能力被稱為"節拍同步性"。
Well, new research shows that rats can also bop to a beat (隨著節拍跳動)!
A team from the University of Tokyo discovered that rats share our urge to move to the groove (老鼠和我們一樣會受到音樂的鼓舞而動作).
They used miniature accelerometers on the rats and played music with different BPMs, or beats per minute. 他們在老鼠身上使用微型加速器，播放不同節拍的音樂。
The devices allowed them to measure (測量) the slightest head movements.
The researchers found the rats jerked their heads (搖頭) to the beat of the music!
This is the first report on innate beat synchronization (先天節拍同步) in animals that was not the result of training.
Isn't it incredible?
Some animals are not so different from us, after all! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National Central Library is hosting the Taiwan Reading Festival this weekend.
And for the first time, there will be English books from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Christopher and Nevis, and Belize. ________________________________
Plants in the United Kingdom are behaving a little differently this year.
That's because the weather is unusually warm for November!
Horticulturists say the change could have a detrimental effect for next spring. ________________________________
And,
People have always thought that rhythm was a skill unique to us humans.
But new research shows that rats can also bop to a beat! ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A tougher motorbike test, a pretty Italian town, and paywalls for faster speeds.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
交通部計畫讓機車考照變難 MOTC Considers Tougher Motorbike Test.
Taiwan is one of the countries in the world that has the most motorcycles.
With a population (人口) around 24 million, the island has over 14 million motorcycles.
Many Taiwanese teens get their motorcycle license when they turn 18.
However, the license test might be getting harder next year.
Due to the high number of motorcycle accidents, the Ministry of Transportation (交通部) wants to include a road test.
Currently, riders must pass a written test and a driving test in a controlled setting to obtain a license.
They are not tested on the open road.
But before the road test is official, the ministry is planning to make it more difficult to pass the license test. 機車路考還沒正式上路之前，交通部打算增加機車考照的難度。
More questions testing riders' defensive driving skills (防衛駕駛技巧) would be added to the written test.
The test might be getting harder, but the number of motorcycles are not going to reduce anytime soon. ________________________________
義大利小鎮支付3萬美金讓你入住 Get Paid to Move to this Pretty Italian Town
Do you want to move to Italy?
If the answer's yes, now's the time to do so.
In recent years, towns across Italy have been launching programs to attract new residents.
Many cities and towns held competitions.
The competitions ranged from shabby (破舊) houses selling a little over $1 U.S. dollar to renovated houses at knockdown prices (低價).
The latest to enter the competition is Presicce (普雷西切), a town in southeastern Italy.
Town officials say they are paying about $30,000 euros, for people to move there.
The old historical houses cost around $25,000 euros.
The rest of the money would go into restoring them.
Presicce is in the region of Puglia (普利亞).
It is also known as the region's "city of green gold".
The town's history can be traced back to the Middle Ages.
Many people lived around a fortress built by monks (僧侶).
The monks also dug crypts (地窖) and underground olive mills (橄欖磨坊) as shelters from pirate raids.
The "green gold" refers to the lush (茂盛) olive groves that produces premium extra virgin olive oil (優質的初榨橄欖油).
All in all, it's a fantastic town with a rich culture.
Therefore, if you're looking for a change of view, Italy may be the right place for you.
還有什麼比當地政府出錢給你買房子更具吸引力呢？ ________________________________
花錢解鎖電動車加速功能 Faster Acceleration Locked Behind a Paywall
Imagine you're planning to buy a new car.
You've done your research.
You've test driven every car on your list.
And finally decided on a car that matches all of your needs.
Then, you learn that in order to use every function your car is capable of, you have to pay a yearly subscription(訂閱費用).
This is what a German car manufacturer is doing recently.
It is locking some functions (功能) behind a subscription fee.
The company's cars have an "Acceleration Increase" function.
It makes engine power go up by 20%.
This is something that the vehicle is already capable of.
But the company uses software to lock this function.
This in an ongoing trend due to the fall of global sales in the auto-industry (汽車業).
Carmakers are selling software updates and features as subscriptions.
These companies want to have continuous income (持續性收入) after a car is purchased.
But some car owners say charging a fee for something that already comes factory-equipped is just loathsome (令人討厭的).
Some people say if we have to subscribe to every function for a car in the future, renting a car might be the best choice.
有些消費者覺得如果以後使用自己車子的每一項功能都需要付月費，那租車或許是最好的選擇。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Many Taiwanese teens get their motorcycle license when they turn 18.
However, the license test might be getting harder next year.
More questions testing riders' defensive driving skills would be added to the written test. ________________________________
Towns across Italy have been launching programs to attract new residents.
The latest to enter the competition is Presicce.
Town officials say they are paying about $30,000 euros, for people to move there. ________________________________
And…
A German car manufacturer is locking some functions on its cars behind a subscription fee.
The company's cars have an "Acceleration Increase" function.
But the company uses software to lock this function. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A turtle takes a walk, a gel sucks up microplastics, and seals get I.D.ed.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
巨大象龜挖洞翹家 Big Tortoise Goes on the Run
One day, a turtle went for a walk…
And had to be rescued by police!
You see, this was not just any turtle.
It's an African spurred tortoise (蘇卡達象龜).
In the wild, these big tortoises live in the Sahara desert (撒哈拉沙漠).
They are the third-biggest species of tortoise in the world.
Their shells can grow up to 1 meter long.
One of the biggest African spurred tortoises on record weighed over 120 kilograms!
One of these giant tortoise lives in Kaohsiung's Gangshan District.
And it ran away from home.
Many people saw it crawling around in a field outside.
散步民眾發現這隻巨大的蘇卡達象龜在田裡爬行。
And pretty soon, police officers came too.
They guessed that this tortoise was a pet.
And they quickly found the owner, and tried to get the tortoise home.
But this tortoise weighs about 50 kilograms, and was too big to pick up.
Police had to borrow a cart (推車) from a farmer close by.
And four people had to work together to move the tortoise onto the cart to get it home.
The owner says this tortoise really likes to dig holes (挖洞).
And she says this is not the first time the tortoise dug a hole and ran away from home (逃家).
The owner was very thankful for everyone who helped. ________________________________
去除水中微塑膠有新方法 Gel that Cleans Microplastics from Water
Microplastics are tiny.
But they are a big problem.
And we are just starting to understand how big a problem they are.
Microplastics have been found in all places around the world.
They've been found in ice in the Arctic.
They've been found close to the top of Mount Everest!
And they've even been found in our bodies!
Because microplastics are so small, they are very hard to find and clean up.
But a German company, "Wasser 3.0", thinks it can solve this problem.
They start by making a vortex in the water (旋渦).
Then they add a special gel (凝膠).
The gel sticks to microplastics in the water.
And the gel and microplastics become small clumps (凝結成塊).
This takes less than 5 minutes.
The company says these clumps look like pieces of popcorn.
They can be taken out of the water with nets.
And the water is now microplastics-free!
The company says the gel is non-toxic (無毒).
They say this idea can be used in any kind of water, including seawater.
這種去除微塑膠的方法適合各種水，包括海水。
And the clumps of gel and microplastics can be reused for things like insulation in buildings (建築隔熱材料).
Wasser 3.0 tried out this idea at a wastewater treatment plant (污水處理廠) in Germany.
They say in 12 months, over 270 kilograms of microplastics were removed from water.
The company hopes the idea can be used to keep the world's water safe. ________________________________
海豹也用臉部辨識 Facial Recognition Helps Save Seals
Facial recognition.
It's a technology that's becoming more common around the world.
It's used by police in some countries.
And it's used to unlock some smartphones.
But now scientists are using it to save seals.
US researchers have made a database (資料庫) of seal faces.
They call it "SealNet".
And using that database, they tested facial recognition technology on hundreds of seals.
They found that the tech can identify seals almost 100 percent of the time.
科學家發現臉部辨識系統竟可以用來辨認海豹。
Identifying seals help scientists track where they live and where they go.
This can help scientists protect them in better ways. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An African spurred tortoise ran away from home in Kaohsiung's Gangshan District.
Police and other people worked together to move the tortoise onto a cart to get it home.
The owner was very thankful to everyone who helped. ________________________________
German company Wasser 3.0 uses a special gel to get microplastics out of water.
The gel and microplastics become clumps that can be taken out of the water with nets.
And the water is now microplastics-free! ________________________________
And…
Scientists are using facial recognition to save seals.
They found that the tech can identify seals almost 100 percent of the time.
Identifying seals help scientists protect them in better ways. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Taiwan gives out this year's Golden Horse Awards, scientists see farther and smaller, and twins are born from ice.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
第59屆金馬獎頒獎典禮 The 59th Golden Horse Award Ceremony
Every year, some of Taiwan's most famous directors (導演), actors (演員), and movie editors (電影剪輯師傅) get together for a ceremony.
These filmmakers gather to receive awards for the best films made in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. 這些電影製作人每年都來這裡參加台灣，香港和中國最佳電影工作人員的頒獎。
They're called the Golden Horse Awards (金馬獎), and Taiwan has been giving them out since the year 1962.
There are all kinds of categories (類別) for these awards, so people can get them for different kinds of hard work.
This year's award for "Best Director" (最佳導演) was given to Laha Mebow (陳潔瑤) for her movie "GAGA" (哈勇家), a movie about solving problems with family…
And the award for "Best Narrative" (最佳劇情片) went to the movie "Coo-Coo 043" (一家子兒咕咕叫), a movie about a racing pigeon (賽鴿)…
Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) won best leading actress (最佳女主角), and Anthony Wong (黃秋生) won best leading actor (最佳男主角).
The award for "Best Editing" (最佳剪輯) went to "Incantation" (咒), a film where lots of dark and scary things happen.
And the prize for "Best Documentary" (最佳紀錄片) was awarded to the movie "And Miles to Go Before I Sleep" (九槍), about the difficult lives of Taiwan's migrant workers (移工).
It can take a long time to make big films like these, even with lots of people working together. 就算有很多人一起合作，製作這種大規模的電影有時候仍然需要好久的努力。
So it's great to see them get so much recognition (認可) for their work.
And nowadays, almost everyone has a camera in their phone…
Maybe you could be a filmmaker, too! ________________________________
科學家給測量系統取新的名字 Scientists Name New Measurements
How tall are you?
Maybe… one meter (一公尺)?
Okay, how far can you run? 你能跑多遠？
Maybe one kilometer (一公里)?
For many years, scientists have used a naming system (命名系統) for all kinds of measurements (各種各樣的度量衡).
You probably know that one kilometer is equal to 1,000 meters. 一公里等於一千公尺。
And you might know that one meter is 1,000 millimeters (毫米).
But did you know that one millimeter has 1,000 micrometers (微米)?
And it can get even smaller than that!
There are nanometers (奈米), picometers (皮米), and femtometers (飛米).
But now, scientists want to talk about things that are even smaller.
So they've named some new measurements, called the "rontometer" and the "quectometer".
These tiny lengths are even smaller than atoms (比原子還要小)!
But it doesn't stop there…
Scientists have also made two new measurements for LONG distances (長距離)!
After kilometers, there are megameters (百萬公尺), gigameters (千兆米), and terameters (太米)…
And now we have two new words, "ronnameters" and "quettameters", to measure distances longer than our universe (比宇宙還要大的距離)!
We can also say "quettagrams" for weight (重量), and "quettabytes" for data (數據).
Scientists say we need these words because our world is growing so fast, that we need to talk about bigger and bigger numbers.
So we might need even more words in the future! ________________________________
雙胞胎從冷凍胚胎出生 Twins Born from Frozen Embryos
Before each person is born, they grow from a tiny embryo. 在每一個人出生之前，會先從微小的胚胎開始成長。
We won't go into too much detail, of course… 我們先不用講太多細節…
But if an embryo is frozen (冷凍)… can it still grow into a person?
Well, in the United States, two babies have just been born from embryos that were frozen for 30 years!
So, yeah, the answer is yes.
These two embryos were frozen in the year 1992, and kept around -128 degrees Celsius (攝氏負一百二十八度) until last month.
It took a lot of careful preparation (細心的準備), but the babies were finally born last month, on October 31st.
Scientists say the amazing birth is a new world record. 科學家說這對雙胞胎的出生打破了世界紀錄。
And doctors say the babies are healthy (健康) so far!
So, are these babies already 30 years old?
Who knows? Maybe we can let them decide for themselves! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every year, Taiwan gives its famous Golden Horse Awards to the best films made in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have named two new measurements, the "ronnameter" and the "quettameter", to help us measure bigger things than before.
Ronna- and quetta- can also be used to measure things like weight and data. ________________________________
And,
Two babies in the U.S. have just been born from embryos that were frozen for 30 years!
These two embryos were frozen in the year 1992, and kept around -128 degrees Celsius until last month. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Taiwan makes jersey textiles, Germany's solar-powered town, and a future becoming reality!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣送紡織到世界杯 Taiwan Sends Fibers to World Cup
T-shirts, jeans, dresses, shoes…
All of these have something in common.
They're all made of textiles (紡織品)!
A textile is a kind of material that's made by weaving or knitting (編織或針織).
And in Taiwan, there are many companies that make textiles.
Major textile suppliers (供應商) are using advanced technology to make textile from recycled plastic.
And one company called Far Eastern New Century Corp is one of them.
The textile brand works with Adidas and an environmental organization called Parley for the Ocean. 紡織品牌與阿迪達斯和一個名為 Parley for the Ocean 的環保組織合作。
They make sports jerseys (運動衫) from marine plastic waste.
In this year's FIFA World Cup, seven teams are using Far Eastern-made jerseys!
Those teams are from Germany, Japan, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Belgium, and Wales. 這些球隊來自德國、日本、西班牙、阿根廷、墨西哥、比利時和威爾士。
Far Eastern has been part of the World Cup supply chain (供應鏈) for more than ten years.
________________________________
德國的太陽能小鎮 Germany's Solar-Powered Town
Countries in Europe are experiencing an energy crisis now (正在經歷能源危機).
This year, because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many people in Europe are worried about energy over the winter. 今年，因為俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭，很多歐洲人都擔心過冬的能源問題。
That's because Russia is a major supplier (主要供應商) of gas to Europe.
And because of the war, Russia cut the flow of gas (切斷了天然氣的供應). In Germany, many communities are looking for ways to get energy without relying (依靠) on gas and oil.
One of those communities (社區) is Abensberg.
The town mayor says Abensberg is working with a larger energy company to make the town solar-powered (太陽能).
90 percent of the energy in the town comes from the sun.
Everywhere you look, you can see photovoltaic panels (光伏板).
Many families installed solar panels on their roofs (屋頂).
But sometimes, when it's dark or cloudy, the town needs to supplement (補充) its energy from the power grid.
The town mayor says they are working to be self-sufficient (自給自足) by 2030.
His goal is to produce 300 percent of electricity for the town using solar, wind, and water power.
The mayor says alternative energy production (替代能源生產) is getting more attention because of the energy crisis.
The townspeople of Abensberg say it's very important for Germany, Europe, and the whole world to think about cleaner energy sources. ________________________________
飛行汽車將成為現實！ Flying Cars Will Soon Be a Reality!
Imagine the future. 想像未來。
What do the buildings look like?
What kind of cars do you think people would drive?
If you're thinking of a flying car…you might not have to wait for the future.
Because they already exist (存在)!
A Chinese automobile company has made two flying vehicle models. 一家中國汽車公司製造了兩款飛行汽車模型。
They recently unveiled (揭幕) them in Dubai.
The electric vehicles, called Xpeng X2 and X3 models, completed their test flights successfully.
The X2 model is tear-drop shaped, and has an electric engine and produces no carbon emissions. X2 型號為淚珠形，配備電動發動機，不會產生碳排放。
It's designed to drive autonomously (自動駕駛) and can go up to 129 kilometers per hour!
It has eight propellers (螺旋槳), two for each corner of the vehicle.
The X3, on the other hand, looks like a sports car with wings.
It can drive like a regular car in "ground mode" (地面模式).
When the driver needs to fly, they can shift to "flight mode" (飛行模式).
The company Xpend AeroHT is not the only one making flying cars.
Over 500 companies are working to make it come true.
Right now, there are about a dozen working models being tested. 目前，大約有十幾種工作模型正在測試中。
So the future with flying cars might be closer than you think. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Major textile suppliers are using advanced technology to make textile from recycled plastic.
In this year's FIFA World Cup, seven teams are using Far Eastern-made jerseys! ________________________________
In Germany, many communities are looking for ways to get energy without relying on gas and oil.
One of those communities is Abensberg.
90 percent of the energy in the town comes from the sun. ________________________________
And,
A Chinese automobile company has made two flying vehicle models.
The future with flying cars might be closer than you think. ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Lights in the sky, a blast underwater, and the top places to visit next year.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
最快速的 獅子座流星雨 Leonids Fly through the Night Sky
Did you catch the meteor shower over the weekend?
The Leonids fly through the skies every year in November.
This year, they were most visible in Taiwan on November 18th and 19th.
Many say the Leonids are one of the most amazing meteor showers.
Skywatchers can see up to 15 meteors per hour.
And they are among the fastest too.
Scientists say these space rocks can fly through the sky at speeds of up to 71 kilometers per second.
That's about 256,000 kilometers per hour!
獅子座流星的速度高達每秒71公里，相當於時速25萬公里!
And the brightest meteors often have a glowing trail (尾痕).
Some even leave trails of smoke (煙) in the sky for several minutes.
Sounds like an amazing experience.
But if you missed the Leonids, you have another chance next month.
獅子座流星雨高峰期剛過，雙子座流星雨緊接於下月上演。
The Geminids are coming around the middle of December.
There's a lot happening up there, make sure to keep watching the sky! ________________________________
東加海底火山爆發改變海床 Tonga Volcano Eruption Changes Ocean Floor
Do you remember the huge volcano eruption in January this year?
It happened on January 15th.
An underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean erupted.
It's close to the country, Tonga.
And that eruption was the biggest volcanic eruption in the 21st century.
Even now, scientists are learning about just how big that eruption was.
The eruption made a plume of ash and water that reached the third layer of Earth's atmosphere, the mesosphere.
It went straight up 57 kilometers.
It was the highest-recorded volcanic plume ever.
And that's about half-way to outer space!
東加海底火山爆發， 煙塵羽流衝上57公里高，是有紀錄以來第一次火山煙塵羽流衝到中氣層。
And scientists now know that the big eruption changed the ocean floor (海床、海底).
They say at least 9.5 cubic kilometers of debris (碎屑) was moved around by the eruption.
That's about how much could be held in 4,000 Egyptian pyramids!
These are amazing facts, but what do we do with them?
Scientists say we underestimate (低估) underwater volcanoes.
They say all this information will help us understand the level of risk we face.
This helps us plan and better prepare for other eruptions. ________________________________
孤獨星球2023年最值得去的旅行目的地 Lonely Planet's Top Destinations for 2023
It might be a bit early to start a round-the-world trip right this minute.
But learning about other places around the world is fun.
And it doesn't hurt to be prepared, right?
Guidebook company Lonely Planet (孤獨星球) has released its "Best in Travel" list.
This year, the list is split into five categories: eat, learn, journey, unwind, and connect.
So which places made the list?
Lonely Planet says foodies can try out Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The company says the street stalls and local coffee shops have lots of fresh food and delicious tropical juices.
孤獨星球說最佳美食榜單上的吉隆坡有許多當地的小攤子和咖啡廳提共新鮮的特色小吃和現榨果汁。
Or if you want to learn something on your trip, one place Lonely Planet suggests is Marseille, France.
The company says aside from its famous beaches, there's also tours to learn about architecture, and even a new museum with cave paintings made 20,000 years ago.
How many of these 30 top destinations do you know about? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Did you catch the meteor shower over the weekend?
The Leonids were most visible over Taiwan on November 18th and 19th.
Many say the Leonids are one of the most amazing meteor showers. ________________________________
Do you remember the huge volcano eruption near Tonga in January this year?
That eruption was the biggest volcanic eruption in the 21st century.
Even now, scientists are learning about how the eruption changed the ocean floor. ________________________________
And,
Guidebook company Lonely Planet has released its "Best in Travel" list.
This year, the list is split into five categories: eat, learn, journey, unwind, and connect. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Nancy:
Taiwan's offers mountain adventures, self-driving robotaxis take off in China, and scientists use human breath for gardens.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
嘉義透過山林旅遊爭取穆斯林觀光客 Taiwan's Chiayi Woos Muslim travelers With Mountain Adventure
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Chiayi?
Usually, it's Alishan (阿里山).
The mountain is famous for its sunrise, sea of clouds, and forest railways.
But the mountain is not the only attraction Chiayi has to offer.
Recently, a group of Muslim (穆斯林) tourists from Malaysia was treated to a trip to Chiayi.
This was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims.
Their itinerary (行程) included Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫), recreational farms, and a park on the Alishan range.
This was part of the county government's campaign to promote tours that included Halal-certified (清真認證) restaurants.
To be Halal certified, the food has to be prepared according to Islam Law (伊斯蘭法律).
For example, Muslims do not eat pork (豬肉).
Even the cooking equipment cannot ever come into contact with pork.
The animals used for food also have to be prepared according to Islamic ritual rites (儀式).
Although the requirements are strict, the government is confident that there will be more Muslim-friendly attractions in the future. 嘉義縣政府將致力於營造更多的穆斯林友善景點。 ________________________________
中國大陸無人駕駛計程車掀風潮 Self-Driving Robotaxis are Taking Off in China
Imagine hopping into a taxi… and realizing that there's no driver!
This is a goal that car manufacturers are working to achieve.
In China, one company might have just gotten closer to making it a reality.
AutoX announced that it had rolled out fully autonomous (自動駕駛) cars on public roads in Shenzhen (深圳).
Previously, companies operating autonomous vehicles on public roads were required to have safety drivers inside.
AutoX currently has completely removed the backup driver or any remote operators (遠程操作員) for its cars.
The company released a video of its autonomous vehicle navigating (導航) on its own, through the city's downtown area.
The video also shows passengers getting in, and the vehicle veering past pedestrians to perform a U-turn.
The CEO says the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for contactless service (無接觸服務).
This led to the acceleration of the development of autonomous artificial intelligence, or A.I. 新冠肺炎的疫情加速了自動駕駛系統人工智慧的發展。
Although the A.I. for autonomous vehicles is not ready to go fully public, the developers are hopeful that the time is near.
So, don't be too surprised if you don't see a driver in your taxi in the future! ________________________________
科學家使用人類吐出的二氧化碳作為花圃的肥料 Scientists Use Carbon Dioxide from Human Breath as Fertilizer
We all know that when there's too many people in a room, the temperature rises.
This is partly due to the CO2 that we breathe out.
It traps the heat, causing the temperature to rise.
However, in Boston University, researchers put the gas to good use.
They directed the CO2 coming from a campus building's exhaust vents (排氣口) to a rooftop garden.
They grew two groups of the same plants, corn and spinach (菠菜).
The CO2 was directed to one group, but not the other.
And control fans were installed, to enable the researchers to control the amount of CO2 reaching the vegetables.
Over time, the researchers discovered that the spinach with CO2 grew up to four times larger than usual.
The corn also grew up to twice the usual size.
Other elements might have contributed to the growth of the vegetables.
But the researchers are optimistic (樂觀) that the system can be improved, and implemented (實施) in many buildings.
The concept of taking high concentrations (濃度) of CO2 from human respiration (呼吸) and using it on a rooftop farm is exciting.
Who knows, maybe rooftop gardens might produce better vegetables than farms one day! 或許大樓屋頂的菜園有一天會種出比農場更優質的蔬菜。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A group of Muslim tourists from Malaysia was recently treated to a trip to Chiayi.
It was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims, and included a visit to Alishan, with Halal-certified restaurants. ________________________________
And,
A Chinese company called AutoX is making fully autonomous cars for public roads in Shenzhen.
AutoX currently has completely removed backup drivers and remote operators for its cars. ________________________________
And,
Researchers in the U.S. directed CO2 gas from exhaust vents to a rooftop garden.
Over time, they discovered that the plants with more CO2 grew up to four times larger than usual. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Kaohsiung gets ready for Christmas, a reporter gets tickled by an elephant, and squirrels go nuts for the World Cup.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
高雄舉辦聖誕燈光展演 Kaohsiung's 2022 Christmas Light Show
Kaohsiung is getting ready for its Christmas Light Show!
This is the second year that the southern city is holding the Christmas event (活動).
The city government says the show will run every weekend until January 2nd, 2023.
It will happen at Kaohsiung Music Center, next to Love River.
The light show includes (包括) lights in the shape of a Christmas tree.
And the Chinese characters "Kaohsiung" will be shown behind the tree.
The lights will also make many other pictures, of Santa Claus, reindeer (馴鹿), falling snow, and more.
There will also be Christmas markets, and performances (表演) every weekend.
These will happen around the Pier-2 Art Center's Da-yi Park, Sea Breeze Plaza and other areas close by.
Christmas events are also happening in other parts of Taiwan.
New Taipei has opened its Christmasland in Banqiao District.
There are lots of cartoon character figures and lights.
And the New Taipei Christmasland is also open until January 2nd next year.
【2022愛河灣聖誕燈光展演】在高雄流行音樂中心和愛河灣旁舉辦，有燈光造成的聖誕老人和巨大聖誕樹點亮高雄夜空。 ________________________________
肯亞記者戶外連線 象寶寶也想參一咖 Baby Elephant Tickles Reporter
News reporters have a very serious job.
They tell people about important events (重大事件，重大新聞) happening around the world.
Many times, the events they are talking about are not happy events.
But one reporter in Kenya couldn't help laughing during his report.
Alvin Kaunda was reporting at a wildlife rescue center (野生動物救援中心) in the city of Nairobi.
The center helps elephants and rhinos.
Alvin was standing in front of several orphaned baby elephants (失去父母的小象).
And he started by talking about how the center helps the elephants.
At first everything was going well.
But as Alvin was talking, one of the young elephants put its trunk (象鼻) on his shoulder.
It's a 4-year-old female elephant, named Kindani.
Alvin stays calm and keeps talking.
But Kindani doesn't stop.
She next uses her trunk to feel Alvin's ear.
Then she moves her trunk to the top of his head, and feels his hair.
Alvin stays very professional (專業), and talks about the importance of protecting the environment.
But then Kindani moves her trunk onto Alvin's face.
She curiously (好奇的) feels his nose and even puts her trunk onto Alvin's mouth.
Finally, Alvin couldn't hold it together anymore and burst into laughter.
Even though Alvin was interrupted (被打斷), his message was very clear:
He said "…it is up to us to be guardians of our own natural world".
Alvin在報導中想要傳達的重要訊息是：【我們必須成為自然世界的守護者。】 ________________________________
松鼠也瘋世界盃？ Squirrels Go Nuts for the World Cup
Sports fans are going nuts for the World Cup (世界盃足球賽).
And so are squirrels!
A man in the U.K. has made an obstacle course in his backyard.
And the course is World-Cup-themed!
一位英國足球迷在他的後院中蓋了一個給松鼠用的世界盃障礙賽跑道。
Steve Barley says first, the squirrels have to climb through a tunnel.
Then they have to get through many obstacles (障礙物), like a giant red card.
At the end of the course, the squirrels have to jump over a toy goalkeeper (守門員)…
And through a goal post (球門)…
To get to a big tube that's filled with delicious nuts!
Steve has posted videos of squirrels going through the course online.
The videos have been watched more than four million times. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kaohsiung is getting ready for its Christmas Light Show!
The city government says the show will run every weekend until January 2nd, 2023.
It will happen at Kaohsiung Music Center, next to Love River. ________________________________
A reporter in Kenya couldn't help laughing during his report.
A young elephant used its trunk to feel his ear, hair, and face!
Alvin tried to keep talking, but had to stop and laugh. ________________________________
And…
A man in the U.K. has made a World Cup-themed obstacle course for squirrels in his backyard.
The squirrels have to climb through a tunnel, and get through many obstacles.
At the end of the course, the squirrels get to a big tube that's filled with delicious nuts! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
An NBA star is in Taiwan, humans are going back to the moon, and cooking is older than we thought.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
美國NBA[魔獸] 成為桃園雲豹隊員 NBA's Dwight Howard Joins Taoyuan Leopards
Even if you have never played basketball (籃球), you have probably seen people play it.
Ever since it was invented in the year 1891 (籃球從1891年發明以來), it has become one of the most popular sports in the world.
And in recent years, some of the most famous basketball players (籃球員) have been Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry…
…and Dwight Howard!
For most of his career (職業生涯), Dwight has played in the NBA (美國職籃), in the United States.
But now that he is getting older, he has decided to play basketball for Taiwan, before he retires (退休).
And he's already here!
On one of his first days in Taiwan, Dwight went to the Taoyuan night market (夜市), to try some of Taiwan's most famous snacks (小吃).
And while he tried one new mysterious food (神秘食物), someone told him he was eating "chicken butt" (雞屁股).
But Dwight Howard says he isn't just here to hang out (不只是來玩).
He says he's here to win games (贏球)!
Dwight is now part of the "Taoyuan Leopards" team, and tickets for all of his games are already sold out (門票全部賣完).
But he'll be playing many more games in the future…
So keep an eye out for Taiwan's new basketball star! ________________________________
阿提米絲1號火箭 奔向月球 NASA's Artemis Rocket Goes to Space
In the year 1969, we saw a person walk on the moon for the first time. 1969年人類第一次登陸月球。
Traveling to the moon has helped us to study it, and understand more about outer space (外太空).
But traveling to the moon is incredibly difficult (不可思議地困難).
Only 12 people have ever walked on its surface. 歷史上只有12個人曾經踏上月球表面。
So scientists from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan have been planning their next moon mission (月球探測任務) for a long time.
It's called "Artemis" (阿提米絲).
And it's finally on its way! 重返月球的努力，終於展開新頁。
The 100-meter-tall Artemis I rocket was launched (發射昇空) on November 16th.
It will be in space for about 26 days, flying very close to the moon, and very far from Earth (地球).
And when it returns to Earth on December 11th, it will re-enter our atmosphere (重新進入地球的大氣層).
Because this is our first time using the new rocket, there are no people in it.
But practicing with this rocket will help us understand how to keep people safe in the future.
If all goes well, then we'll send astronauts (太空人) to fly around the moon in 2024.
After that, we can finally send people to walk on the moon again in 2025.
In the future, it will get easier and easier to travel to space.
And if you're interested… maybe you could be next! ________________________________
科學家發現 最早的人類煮熟食物遺跡 Scientists Find Oldest Signs of Human Cooking
How do you feel about cooking (煮熟食物)?
You might think cooking is easy, if you have a kitchen (廚房).
But how do people cook without ovens (烤箱)?
Of course, for a lot of human history (人類歷史), people have cooked with fire.
It's one of the biggest differences (差別) between humans and other animals.
And we may never know which human used fire first…
But scientists in Israel (以色列) have found some very old evidence (遺跡)!
They found an ancient fish (古老的魚) from 780,000 years ago (七十萬年前).
And on the fish, they found signs of slow cooking. 他們找到一條古老的魚，上面有被慢慢燒烤過的痕跡。
That means people might have been cooking much earlier than we thought!
Scientists say cooking was important for developing early human society. 科學家說烤肉的技能對古代人類社會的發展很重要。
So the next time you're too tired to make dinner…
Be thankful you don't have to make it in the forest! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One of the NBA's most famous basketball players, Dwight Howard, is now playing for Taiwan.
Dwight is now part of the "Taoyuan Leopards" team.
Tickets to all his games are already sold out, but he still has many more games ahead! ________________________________
And,
The Artemis I rocket is on its way to the moon.
It will be in space for 26 days, to help us learn how to keep people safe on future moon missions.
If all goes well, then people might walk on the moon again in 2025! ________________________________
And,
Scientists in Israel have found some very old evidence of cooking.
They found an ancient cooked fish from 780,000 years ago.
That means people might have been cooking much earlier than we thought! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
A third-generation temple artist, the world's first alphabet, and the eight-billionth person in the world!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
80 歲的寺廟藝術家保持傳統 80-year old Temple artist keeps tradition alive
In Taiwan, you may see temples (寺廟) everywhere you go.
There are more than 15,000 official temples in the country!
They're an important part of Taiwan's history and culture.
Most temples are decorated with intricate sculptures, beautiful carvings, and murals of religious art. 大多數寺廟都裝飾著精致的雕塑、精美的雕刻和宗教藝術壁畫。
In Tainan, there is a temple artist who strives to preserve (努力保存) traditional religious art.
80-year-old Pan Yueh-Hsing says he will keep painting for as long as he can do it.
Last month, he won the Tainan Cultural Award for his effort to keep traditional temple art alive.
That's just one of many awards he's won for his craft (工藝).
He learned how to paint temple beams and pillars (樑柱) from his father.
And his father learned it from his father.
That makes Pan the third-generation (第三代) temple artist in his family.
He says his favorite temple is the Tientan Temple (天壇天公廟), known as Taiwan's first temple. ________________________________
在古代梳子上發現第一個字母文字 First Alphabetic Writing Found on Ancient Comb
A-B-C-D-E-F-G…
Do you know the rest of that song?
It's called the 'ABC song' or 'alphabet song'.
An alphabet is a set of symbols used to represent the sounds of a language. 字母表是一組用於表示語言聲音的符號。
That's why when we start learning English, we start by learning that 'A' sounds like "a" as in "apple" or "a" as in cake.
Scientists in Israel (以色列) have discovered the earliest writing ever found that uses an alphabet.
The writing was carved (雕刻) on the side of a 3,700-year-old comb made of ivory (象牙).
It was found in a city that was important to an ancient people known as the Canaanites (古代迦南人).
And the writing was in the Canaanite alphabet.
They invented the world's first alphabet.
We still use some of the symbols (符號) in the English alphabet today.
Scientists say it wasn't easy to figure out (弄清楚) what the writing said because the comb was so small.
It said, "may this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard." 它寫道："願這根獠牙根除頭髮和鬍鬚上的蝨子。"
Lice (蝨子) are a common problem for humans, even today.
Isn't it interesting?
Maybe we're not so different from people who lived thousands of years ago! ________________________________
世界上第八十億人 Eight Billionth Person in the World
A special baby was born this week.
He or she might be the eight-billionth person (第八十億人) in the world!
On November 15th, the world's population (人口) reached a new record.
The United Nations has predicted (預料) that the Earth now has eight billion inhabitants (居民).
It's impossible to know exactly where this special baby was born.
But experts say they are most likely (最有可能) from the global south.
The UN says the global population is growing at its slowest rate (最慢的速度) since 1950.
And the COVID-19 pandemic has also affected population growth. COVID-19 也影響了人口增長。
They think the world's population could reach 8.5 billion in 2030.
More than half of the projected increase (預計增加) in the global population will be concentrated (集中) in eight countries:
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania. 剛果民主共和國、埃及、埃塞俄比亞、印度、尼日利亞、巴基斯坦、菲律賓和坦桑尼亞聯合共和國。
And India is expected to surpass China as the world's most populous country. 印度很可能會超過中國成為世界上人口最多的國家。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Temples are an important part of Taiwan's history and culture.
80-year-old Pan Yueh-Hsing is a third-generation temple artist.
He says he will keep painting for as long as he can do it. ________________________________
Scientists in Israel have discovered the earliest writing ever found that uses an alphabet.
The writing was carved on the side of a 3,700-year-old comb made of ivory.
It said, "may this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard." ________________________________
And,
The United Nations has predicted that the Earth now has eight billion inhabitants.
Experts say they are most likely from the global south.
They think the world's population could reach 8.5 billion in 2030. ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A new animal hotline, new Banksy art, and a new number one song in the U.K.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
台北市啟用「你救我救」 24小時動保專線 Taipei's New Animal Rescue Hotline
Are you an animal lover?
Then you should definitely know about this.
Taipei now has a new hotline for helping animals.
The Taipei City Animal Protection Office says people who see an animal in danger can call the number "1959".
It's easy to remember, because it sounds like "you save, I save" (你救我救) in Mandarin.
The city has had a hotline to help animals since 2010.
But this new number is easier to remember.
The office says people in the city can call this number if they see animals that are sick or hurt.
The hotline is free.
And it is open 24 hours every day.
Officials say last year, the hotline took almost 10,000 calls.
1,300 were for cats and dogs.
And more than 4,000 were about other kinds of animals.
The office says callers should know where the animal is.
They should also know the animal's condition (身體狀況).
Then they should follow the instructions given by the hotline representative.
台北市政府動物保護處請民眾先確認動物狀況和具體地點，再撥「1959」，照著話務員的指示提供資訊。 ________________________________
班克西最新塗鴉 出現烏克蘭街頭 Banksy Art Appears in Ukraine
And the Banksy mystery continues!
Banksy (班克西) is a famous artist.
But no one knows who he or she really is!
This U.K. artist is famous for graffiti art (塗鴉藝術).
Grafitti is art that is drawn or painted on public places.
Graffiti art usually has a special meaning or message.
And it's usually made without permission (允許，許可).
Banksy's art work has appeared in public places all over the world.
And now, the artist has made seven new works of art in Ukraine.
People first noticed the art work in the city of Borodyanka.
The city has been hit by Russian bombs many times.
It was taken over by Russia's army for a while during the war.
And Ukrainian soldiers took back the city in April of this year.
After this, people began noticing graffiti in Banksy's special style in the city, and in other cities in Ukraine.
One of the works shows a female gymnast, balancing (倒立，平衡) on broken rocks, outside a building hit by bombs.
Another shows a little boy in a martial arts uniform, flipping a man onto his back.
班克西的另一幅塗鴉，畫著一名小男孩，在柔道比賽中，把一名男子摔了個四腳朝天。
These are the first public art works from Banksy in more than a year. ________________________________
英國單曲串流量冠軍 The U.K.'s Most-Streamed Song of All Time
There's a new number one song in the U.K.
The most-streamed song in the U.K. used to be Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You".
That means it was the song that has been played online the most in the U.K.
But now, it has officially become second.
And the new number one, is Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved".
The song has been played 562 million times.
路易斯卡柏狄的單曲 "Someone You Loved", 成為了英國串流量最高的單曲。
The Official Chart Company tracks sales of songs in the U.K., and it says only 3 songs have ever been streamed more than 500 million times.
They are Lewis' "Someone You Loved", and Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You", and "Perfect".
Lewis was very excited, and called himself "the king of streaming".
He says Ed Sheeran is "kind and gracious", and "a good friend".
Then he jokingly told Ed to "Keep Up!"
路易斯開玩笑的叫紅髮艾德【趕快跟上進度！】。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei now has a new hotline for helping animals.
The Taipei City Animal Protection Office says people who see an animal in danger can call the number "1959".
It's easy to remember, because it sounds like "you save, I save" (你救我救) in Mandarin. ________________________________
The mysterious artist Banksy has made seven new works of art in Ukraine.
One of the works shows a female gymnast, balancing on broken rocks, outside a building hit by bombs.
Another shows a little boy in a martial arts uniform, flipping a man onto his back. ________________________________
And…
The most-streamed song in the U.K. is now Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved".
The song has been played 562 million times.
Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" is now the second-most-streamed song in the U.K. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
A whole lot of "1"s, a new place for an ancient toy, and a flower you've never seen.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
台鐵「永保安康1111111」火車票開賣 票再掀熱潮 Lucky Train Tickets Snatched Up on Sale
What did you do last Friday?
Was it just an average day for you?
Even though last Friday wasn't a special holiday, it was still a special day for some people.
Last Friday was November 11th, and the year was 111, on the R.O.C. calendar.
That means it was "11, 11, 111"!
The Taiwan Railways Administration sold special tickets for the day.
They prepared 50,000 special tickets.
The tickets had the numbers "1111111" on them.
The most popular tickets, were for a trip between Yongkang (永康) and Baoan (保安) stations in Tainan.
The tickets show the names of the stations.
And when you read the four characters in a counterclockwise direction (逆時鐘方向)…
They become "Yong Bao An Kang (永保安康)", which means "peace and health forever".
台鐵配合民國111年11月11日，推出日期印7個1的永康到保安站、「永保安康」區間車車票。
The TRA says the tickets were sold out very quickly.
Other parts of Taiwan marked the fun date, too!
Many people visited a highway in Taitung County's Chenggong Township.
There is a sign there, to mark the 111-kilometer mark of Provincial Highway No. 11.
Many people checked in there at 11:11 AM. ________________________________
陀螺登上美國玩具名人堂 Spinning Top Added to Toy Hall of Fame
Have you ever played with a spinning top (陀螺)?
It's a toy that has a round shape and a pointy bottom.
You make it spin by pulling a rope, or a handle.
Tops come in all sizes and colors, and they can be made of wood, metal, plastic, or other materials.
The spinning top has a long history.
Children all over the world have played with spinning tops.
There's even ancient Greek pottery more than 2,000 years old that shows people playing with spinning tops.
旋轉陀螺是在許多考古遺跡裏最古老的玩具之一。
And now, the spinning top is being added to the "National Toy Hall of Fame", a list in the U.S. for toys and games that have been popular (受歡迎) for a long time.
These toys must also encourage people to be creative (有創意).
New toys are added to the list each year.
All the toys chosen for the National Toy Hall of Fame are shown at The Strong National Museum of Play in New York State.
Other famous toys there include Lego (樂高), Monopoly (地產大享), and Rubik's Cubes (魔術方塊). ________________________________
科學家發現鬱金香新品種 New Tulip Species Found in Kyrgyzstan
Tulips (鬱金香) are a very well-known flower.
The flowers are shaped like bells (鈴鐺).
They're usually a bright colors, like red, orange, or yellow.
Today, you can find them in fields and gardens all over the world.
But now, scientists say they have found a new species of tulip.
The "Tulipa Toktogulica" was found by researchers in Kyrgyzstan (吉爾吉斯斯坦).
This wild tulip grows in a mountainous area.
It has a bright yellow flower.
And the outside of its petals have red streaks.
這種鬱金香品種主要是黃色，花瓣外側有紅條紋。
The scientists used DNA testing to make sure it's really a new tulip species.
They say the find is "super exciting".
They will now try to grow more of the tulips, which could take years.
科學家希望可以培育出更多這種鬱金香，不過這個過程可能需要好幾年的時間。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Last Friday was November 11th, and the year was 111, on the R.O.C. calendar.
The Taiwan Railways Administration sold special tickets for the day.
The tickets had the numbers "1111111" on them.
The most popular tickets, were for a trip between Yongkang and Baoan stations in Tainan. ________________________________
The spinning top is being added to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
It's a list in the U.S. for toys and games that have been popular for a long time.
Tops come in all sizes and colors, and they can be made of wood, metal, plastic, or other materials.
Other famous toys on the list include Lego, Monopoly, and Rubik's Cubes. ________________________________
And…
Scientists say they have found a new species of tulip.
The "Tulipa Toktogulica" was found by researchers in Kyrgyzstan.
This wild tulip has a bright yellow flower, and the outside of its petals have red streaks. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
An asteroid gets an indigenous name, a trial starts for lab-grown red blood cells, and blue whales swallow too much plastic.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
以原住民語命名為日月潭的小行星 Asteroid Given Indigenous Name for Sun Moon Lake
Did you know you can name an asteroid?
You just have to be the first to discover it!
There are actually quite a number of asteroids discovered by Taiwanese astronomers (天文學家) and named by them.
You can find Alishan, Yushan, Taipei, Bunun (布農族), Taiwan, and many other asteroids out there in space.
And the latest one is an asteroid discovered by Nantou County's Lulin Observatory (鹿林天文台), Asteroid No. 300286.
The observatory named the asteroid "Zintun".
That means "Sun Moon Lake" in the language of Taiwan's indigenous Thao people (台灣邵族人).
The Thao people are an indigenous tribe living around Sun Moon Lake.
The naming pays tribute to the Thao people, who discovered the lake after moving from western Taiwan to the Central Mountain Range. 這個命名是為了向邵族人致敬，他們的祖先從台灣西部遷移至中央山脈而發現了日月潭。
The asteroid "Zintun" is 1.3 kilometers in diameter, and has an orbital period (繞著太陽公轉) of almost four years.
Who knows? Maybe you can also discover an asteroid and name it, too! ________________________________
英國開始人造紅血球的臨床實驗 Lab-Grown Red Blood Cell Trials Start in the U.K.
Blood transfusion (輸血) has always been important in the medical field.
They are needed for diseases, surgery, dialysis (洗腎) , and many other medical conditions.
That is why blood banks and hospitals are always encouraging people to donate blood.
For people with a rare blood type (罕見血型), getting blood can be a lot harder than expected.
The lab-grown red blood cells are grown from stem cells (幹細胞) from donors.
There are two potential advantages of using lab-grown blood.
First, patients with rare blood types who require regular transfusions will not have to worry about the shortage of blood.
Second, regular red blood cells have a lifespan of about 120 days.
Lab grown blood cells are all fresh.
Therefore, they should perform better and last longer.
Currently, two healthy volunteers have been transfused with the lab grown blood cells. 目前已經有兩位健康的志願者被輸送人造紅血球。
No negative side effects have been reported.
Although scientists are hopeful about the research, they say blood donors are still essential (必不可少).
So, roll up your sleeve and give blood if you can! ________________________________
藍鯨每天吞入高達43公斤的塑膠 Blue Whales Swallow Up To 43 Kilograms of Plastic Daily
The blue whale is not only the biggest animal on earth, but it is also the biggest mammal (哺乳類).
They can grow up to a length of 30 meters, and weigh over 100 tons.
Due to their size, blue whales have to eat a lot daily.
An average blue whale eats about 16 tons daily.
And most of what it eats is krill (磷蝦), a kind of shrimp.
Studies show that whales usually feed at ocean depths of 50 to 215 meters.
And that is also where the plastic pollution is the worst in the ocean.
According to a study, blue whales swallow roughly 10 million pieces of microplastic (塑膠微粒), up to about 43 kilograms of plastic, every day.
But blue whales are not the only whales eating plastic.
The study also shows that Fin whales (長鬚鯨) take in about 25 kilograms of plastic daily, and humpback whales (座頭鯨) about 17 kilograms daily.
And some of the microplastics are not directly eaten by the whales.
The plastics comes from their prey (獵物) that had already eaten microplastics before.
That means plastic pollution is being passed down the ocean food chain. 塑膠污染正沿著海洋食物鏈擴散。
Researchers are still trying to understand the potential (潛在的) health effects that the microplastics have on the whales.
So please think twice before throwing trash on the beach or in the ocean! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Nantou County's Lulin Observatory named Asteroid No. 300286 "Zintun".
It means "Sun Moon Lake" in Taiwan's indigenous Thao language.
The naming pays tribute to the Thao people who discovered the lake after moving from western Taiwan to the Central Mountain Range. ________________________________
Lab-grown red blood cell trials have started in the U.K.
Red blood cells are grown in a lab, from stem cells that come from donors.
Researchers hope they can solve the shortage of rare blood type donors. ________________________________
And…
Blue whales swallow up to 43 kilograms of plastic daily.
The whales are not the only ocean creatures eating plastic.
The plastic pollution is being passed down the ocean food chain. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Clifford:
A search for young musicians, a statue for kindness, and old jewelry that looks new.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
國家青年交響樂團2023年成立 National Symphony Youth Orchestra Looking for Young Musicians
Are you a musician?
The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra (青年交響樂團) next year.
The orchestra says it wants to help young musicians grow and learn.
The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.
And the orchestra will pick around 70 people.
These 70 young musicians will go through an education program.
The program will be held at the Northern Miaoli Art Center (苗北藝文中心).
Then the group will give its first concert there in July.
The youth orchestra will also hold four or five concerts around Taiwan.
樂團將招募約70位全台各地的年輕音樂家，經過二週的樂團排練、課程後在各縣市舉辦4到5場音樂會。
They will play both classic (古典) and contemporary (現代) music.
The NSO hopes the youth orchestra can become cultural ambassadors for Taiwan. ________________________________
仁慈的雕像 A Statue for Being Kind
There are many statues (雕像) around the world.
Most of them are statues of famous people, like kings, queens, and presidents.
But there is a new statue in the U.K. that honors (尊敬 ) a woman for being kind.
The woman's name is Jo Newby, and she has been a volunteer for 20 years.
During that time as a volunteer, she fostered 92 children.
Jo在20年中照顧了92名寄養兒童。
But she's not just a foster mom.
Jo Newby also started a special football club (足球俱樂部) in her town.
All children are welcome, including those who have disabilities (身心障礙).
Local coaches say the club is important.
They say there is no other program like it in the area where they live.
The new statue is four meters tall, and is made with recycled material (回收材料).
The statue shows Jo holding football shoes in one hand.
And in the other hand, she holds 92 balloons to symbolize (代表) all her foster children.
Jo doesn't think she has done anything to deserve (該得到) the statue.
She says all she thinks about is the children she helps, and making sure they feel happy, included (被接受) and safe.
She also believes that any act of kindness makes a difference. ________________________________
考古學家發現千年維京首飾 Scientists Find Ancient Jewelry that Looks New
An archaeologist is a scientist that studies history by looking for, and discovering antiques and artifacts (古老文物).
To do this, they have to travel to faraway places (遙遠的地方).
So when they finally find things that show them how people lived hundreds of years ago, they get very excited.
Archaeologists in Sweden made one such discovery recently (最近).
They found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years old!
The treasure was hidden in a pot.
There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.
The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked almost completely new.
考古學家說這些古老的首飾看起來像是新的。
Some of the coins did not come from the area.
Instead, they came from France, England, Bohemia and Bavaria.
The French coin is important, because the archaeologists say it is very rare (稀有).
They think the coin was made during the 10th century, A.D.
The artifacts were buried under the floor of a building.
The building is in an area where Vikings (維京人) lived for several hundred years.
Scientists still don't know why such valuable things were buried like that.
But they want to find out. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra next year.
The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.
And the orchestra will pick around 70 people. ________________________________
A new statue in the U.K. honors a woman for being kind.
Jo Newby has fostered 92 children over 20 years.
She also started a special football club that welcomes all children. ________________________________
And…
Archaeologists in Sweden found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years old!
There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.
The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked almost completely new. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Climate groups call for more action, the black hole that’s closest to Earth, and a gamer recreates the universe in Minecraft.
Stay tuned to learn more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
氣候組織希望減少更多碳排放 Climate Groups Want More Carbon Cuts
Climate change is a serious issue that’s affecting every country in the world.
It’s caused by carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants in Earth’s atmosphere. 它是由地球大氣中的二氧化碳排放和其他污染物引起的。
Many countries have set goals to cut carbon emissions (減少碳排放量) to deal with this problem.
And world leaders are in Egypt to discuss more solutions in the United Nations’ COP27 Climate Change Conference (聯合國氣候變化會議).
Climate groups in Taiwan are calling (呼籲) for more action from the government.
They say Taiwan’s plan to cut 20-percent of carbon emissions by 2030 is not enough.
If we want to reach net zero emissions (淨零排放) by 2050, we need to aim higher (更高的目標).
They want to increase the goal to 40-percent by 2030.
An environmentalist says if the government passes a bill to increase renewable energy sources and promote electric vehicles, Taiwan can achieve this goal. 一位環保人士表示，如果政府通過一項增加可再生能源和推廣電動汽車的法案，台灣可以實現這個目標。
The climate groups say many local governments already have plans to cut more than 30-percent by 2030.
They're calling for the central government to act as soon as possible. ________________________________
天文學家發現離地球最近的黑洞 Astronomers Discover Earth's Nearest Black Hole
A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, not even light, can escape. 黑洞是太空的一個區域，任何東西，甚至是光，都無法從中逃脫。
Black holes can suck in (吸入) anything around them - including stars and planets.
Scientists think there are hundreds of thousands (數十萬) of black holes in the Milky Way.
They are not easy to see, and people find them by the way they affect other things near them.
Kind of like a magnet (磁鐵) under a piece of paper.
Even though you can’t see the magnet from above the paper, you know it’s there because you can see things being pulled towards it (東西被拉向它).
Astronomers have recently discovered the black hole that is closest to Earth.
It’s called Gaia BH1, after the Gaia spacecraft (宇宙飛船) that found it.
And, well, it’s the closest black hole to Earth, but it’s not that close.
It’s around 1,500 light years away. 它距離我們大約 1,500 光年。
One light year is around nine trillion kilometers (九萬億公里).
For reference, the Sun is around 148 million kilometers (1.48億公里) away from us.
So you don’t need to worry about Gaia BH1 getting to us any time soon. ________________________________
少年在 Minecraft 中重建宇宙 Teenager Recreates the Universe in Minecraft
Have you ever heard of Minecraft?
It’s a video game you can play on a smartphone, computer, or video game console (遊戲機).
The game has virtually infinite terrain to explore. 遊戲有幾乎無限的地形可探索。
And players can even create their own worlds from imagination (想像力).
Many gamers use the Lego-like cubes in Minecraft to create entire towns, cities, and even the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
One teenager in California decided to raise the bar even higher (將標準提高).
He recreated the entire known universe (已知宇宙) in the game.
Christopher Slayton is 18 years old.
He spent two months copying the cosmos (宇宙) in the game.
His first step was to recreate our planet Earth.
Before making Earth in the game, Slayton went skydiving (跳傘) to see Earth from above, and used a globe (地球儀) to measure the distance between each continent.
Slayton studied real-world stars through a telescope before building the cluster of galaxies. Slayton在建造星系團之前通過望遠鏡研究了現實世界的恆星。
And his model universe (模型宇宙) even includes a black hole!
He posted a YouTube video showcasing (展示) how he built his model universe.
He’s very talented! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Climate groups in Taiwan are calling for more action from the government.
They say Taiwan’s plan to cut 20-percent of carbon emissions by 2030 is not enough.
They want to increase the goal to 40-percent by 2030. ________________________________
Astronomers have recently discovered the black hole that is closest to Earth.
It’s called Gaia BH1, and it’s around 1,500 light years away. ________________________________
And,
One teenager in California spent two months recreating the known universe in Minecraft.
Christopher Slayton studied the cosmos before creating it in the game. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A marching band heads to L.A., hearing music through teeth, and a new kind of pyramid in Egypt.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
北一女樂儀旗隊前進美國玫瑰花車遊行 High School Marching Band Goes to Rose Parade
A Taiwan high school marching band is going to the U.S.
The band from Taipei First Girls High School is going to the Rose Parade in Los Angeles.
135 students and teachers from the school will fly to L.A. on December 27th.
They are part of the school's Marching Band, Honor Guard, and Color Guard.
北一女樂儀旗隊再度獲美國邀請，135名學生和老師會前往加州參加2023帕莎蒂娜玫瑰花車遊行。
The school's marching band was established in 1959.
The Rose Parade will be held on January 2nd, 2023.
It's the 134th time the parade is being held!
Bands and performers from around the world march in the parade.
The march lasts about two hours!
The bands have to be very strong to finish the march.
The last time the Taipei First Girls High School marching band took part in the Rose Parade was in 2005. ________________________________
用牙齒聽音樂? A Piano Bitten by Thomas Edison
A piano can make beautiful music.
But if you can't hear, how do you enjoy that music?
Thomas Edison was a famous inventor (發明者).
He invented some of the things that we use every day.
He made a better light bulb.
He made a phonograph, which could record sounds and play it back.
And he made a motion picture machine, which made very short movies.
But Edison also faced many challenges.
He lost almost all his hearing when he was 12 years old.
But he was not discouraged (灰心).
He believed this helped him focus on his work.
And he also found a way to enjoy piano music.
Edison would lean in (靠近) close to the piano.
And he would BITE the piano!
By pressing his teeth into the wood of the piano, he could feel vibrations in his skull.
當有人彈奏時，愛迪生會用牙齒咬住琴鍵正上方的木頭，感受音樂的震動。
Edison called it "hearing through my teeth".
And recently, a man in the U.S. bought a piano that may have Edison's teeth marks on it!
Robert Friedman collects old pianos.
Last year, he bought a black piano that was owned by Edison.
And on the wood just above the piano keys, there are some shallow marks (淺的痕跡).
Robert hopes the piano can be put somewhere, so everyone can see it. ________________________________
埃及的另類金字塔 A New Kind of Pyramid in Egypt
Egypt is known for its big pyramids.
The pyramids were built thousands of years ago, to remember their kings, also known as pharaohs (法老王（古埃及國王）).
Today, a new kind of pyramid can now be found in Egypt's Western Desert.
This new pyramid wasn't built to honor (尊敬) any king.
It was built to spotlight (使公眾注意) plastic pollution.
The new pyramid took five days to build.
It weighs 20 tonnes (公噸).
It is taller than a three-story building.
這個塑膠瓶做的金字塔有三層樓高。
And it was made with one million plastic bottles!
All of the bottles were collected from the Nile River (尼羅河) which is found in Egypt.
One of the people that helped build the pyramid says it shows how serious the problem of plastic pollution is.
The plastic pyramid was built in Egypt because the world's presidents and prime ministers are there to talk about climate change.
That meeting is called COP27.
The pyramid's builders are hoping their special project shows world leaders how important it is to deal with the climate crisis. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Students from Taipei First Girls High School are going to the Rose Parade in Los Angeles.
135 students and teachers from the school will fly to L.A. on December 27th.
They are part of the school's Marching Band, Honor Guard, and Color Guard. ________________________________
A man in the U.S. bought a piano that may have Edison's teeth marks on it!
Thomas Edison is a famous inventor who lost almost all his hearing when he was 12 years old.
To hear music from a piano, Edison would press his teeth into the wood, to feel the vibrations in his skull. ________________________________
And…
A pyramid made with one million plastic bottles can now be found in Egypt's Western Desert.
All of the bottles were collected from the Nile River, which is found in Egypt.
The pyramid's builders are hoping their special project shows world leaders how important it is to deal with the climate crisis. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
A mobile gamer's hands get stuck, a UN climate change conference, and a dog's most expensive snack.
Stay tuned to learn more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
玩手遊打到成鷹爪 Mobile Gamer's Claw-Shaped Hand
Playing mobile games (手機遊戲) is a lot of fun.
But playing on a phone for hours can cause problems for your body.
A man in Taichung learned this the hard way (慘遭教訓).
He had a very bad habit (習慣) of playing mobile games for hours and hours while lying in bed.
The man would lie down on his belly and prop himself up on his elbows at a 90 degree angle. 他趴在肚子上，用手肘彎曲90度的姿勢支撐自己。
Until one day, he noticed his ring finger and little finger start to feel numb (無名指和小指開始發麻).
His fingers were stuck in a bent position, making his hands look like claws. 他的手指被卡在彎曲的形狀，讓他的手看起來像爪子。
He went to the doctor's office, where he found out he suffered from cubital tunnel syndrome (肘隧道症候群).
The doctor said the nerves in his elbows were always under pressure when he lay down, causing his fingers to go numb. 醫生說，躺下時，他的肘部神經總是受壓，導致手指麻木。
Because his condition was so serious, the man had to get surgery (手術) on both hands!
He is now recovering, and his hands are back to normal.
The doctor says keeping good posture (姿勢) is important for your long-term health.
So, if you're sitting for hours playing games, or doing homework, make sure to change positions every 30 minutes! ________________________________
埃及氣候峰會 COP27: Climate Summit in Egypt
Many world leaders are in Egypt this week for an annual climate change conference. 許多世界領導人本週在埃及參加年度氣候變化會議。
The Conference of the Parties, or COP27, is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會).
The UN shares information every year to help world governments stop global warming (地球暖化).
And for the first time ever, there's an official space for kids and young people at the conference.
In the Children and Youth Pavilion, they'll get to talk to world leaders, ministers, and other important people.
It's led entirely by young people and is run by child and youth networks. 它完全由年輕人主辦，由兒童和青年團體運營。
Its goal is to let the voices of children and teenagers across the world participate in this global issue. 目標是讓全世界兒童和青少年的聲音參與到這個全球性問題。
Many young people are protesting (抗議) now because they want world leaders to make some big decisions.
But it might be difficult for leaders to agree on everything.
The rising price of gas and energy is one of the challenges many countries face… 天然氣和能源價格上漲是許多國家面臨的挑戰之一。
And other countries say they don't have enough money to spend on global warming.
COP27 is being held from November 6th to 18th in Egypt.
If you want to learn more about the Children and Youth Pavilion, check out their website at: www.childrenandyouthpavilion.info ________________________________
非常昂貴的狗零食 Pet Dog Has a Very Expensive Snack
If you have a pet dog, you know that dogs can be very naughty sometimes (狗有時會很頑皮).
They do things like make a lot of noise, make a mess inside your house, or chew up your shoes and slippers. 他們會製造很多噪音，把你的房子弄得一團糟，或者把你的鞋子和拖鞋嚼爛。
But one particular dog was very, very naughty, because he decided to get up on the table at his owners' home to chew up (咀嚼) all the papers he found there.
Unfortunately, the dog didn't just chew up papers, he chewed up the paper money (鈔票) that his owners left on the table.
When his owner came home, she was very upset (懊惱).
The dog destroyed more than two thousand US dollars in cash!
The owner told all her friends on social media, and the video went viral (在網上瘋傳).
One person suggested she take all the pieces to the bank and ask for help.
Another person suggested using tape (膠帶) to put all the notes together.
In the end, the woman said the situation wasn't as bad as it looked.
She and her husband were able to tape most of the money together, and they think they lost just three hundred dollars.
It might sound like plenty of cash - but it is still much less than two thousand dollars! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man in Taichung had a bad habit of playing mobile games every night.
His fingers were stuck in a bent position, making his hands look like claws.
He needed surgery to make his hands go back to normal. ________________________________
Many world leaders are in Egypt this week for COP27, the UN's Climate Change Conference.
For the first time ever, there's an official space for kids and young people at the conference.
In the Children and Youth Pavilion, they'll get to talk to world leaders, ministers, and other important people. ________________________________
And,
A particularly naughty dog decided to chew up all the papers he found on a table.
It turns out he chewed up more than two thousand US dollars in cash!
The owners were able to tape most of the money together. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A smiley sun, birds in control, and a name we've all been saying wrong.
All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________
太陽在微笑嗎？ Is the Sun Smiling?
Most of us think of the sun as a hot ball in the sky without any feelings.
And we only ever see the sun smiling, when we're watching cartoons (卡通), or when we're looking at different emojis (表情符號).
But one NASA observatory (天文台) in the United States took a picture of the sun at the right time, and from the right angle (角度).
And the picture makes the sun look like a happy Halloween pumpkin (南瓜), known as a Jack-o-lantern.
The picture doesn't really show a smiling sun.
It actually shows the sun with several dark spots on its surface (表面).
These spots are called "coronal holes" (日冕洞).
These coronal holes look dark when a picture is taken, using ultraviolet light (紫外光線) or x-rays (X光).
在紫外線照射下，太陽表面上的暗斑剛好看起來像微笑的樣貌。
Coronal holes can actually show up any time.
We just can't see them with the naked eye (肉眼).
It is very dangerous to look directly at the sun.
But the official explanation of the happy sun didn't keep scientists from having fun.
Some of them used apps and computer programs to make the sun look more like a pumpkin.
They shared those pictures on social media to make people smile.
The picture didn't prove that the sun had feelings… but it proved that scientists had a sense of humor (幽默感). ________________________________
鳥類也有自制力？ Birds Have Self-control Too!
Birds might not look like humans.
But scientists say birds are more like humans than we think.
They say a bird's brain works the same way as a human's brain does.
科學家說鳥類的腦部其實有許多方面與人類的腦部相同。
Like, did you know a bird's brain and a human's brain works the same way when birds and people are learning to sing?
So it shouldn't be a surprise to know that birds can practice self-control, like humans can.
Having self-control (自制力) means you are able to wait, and keep yourself from doing something right away.
In a group of experiments, some birds showed they were able to give up (放棄) snacks they didn't like, so they can eventually get snacks that they did enjoy.
To give up snacks they didn't like, the birds looked at other things to distract themselves (讓自己分心).
Scientists say that's a trick (方法) used by human children and chimpanzees (黑猩猩).
Other kinds of birds even hid food they likeed so they could enjoy their snack later.
Tests also show that some birds are also smarter than other birds.
And these smarter birds, like crows, jays, magpies, and ravens, showed scientists that they could wait longer for a treat they enjoyed. ________________________________
愛黛兒親自示範該怎麼念名字 We've Been Saying Adele's Name Wrong
Do you know this singer?
She's from the UK.
And she's also famous for songs like "Someone Like You", and "Hello".
Most of us will say, "Oh, that's Adele".
But now the singer has revealed that we've all been saying her name wrong!
愛黛兒上節目時透露，大多數的人都把她的名字唸錯了！
On a show recently, the musician explained that most people say her name as "Uh-dell".
But actually, she says it's "Ah-dale".
Now you know.
The singer is about to start putting on shows in Las Vegas this month.
She is very excited.
She says she chose a smaller space for the shows, because she wants to see her fans' faces.
The singer and songwriter is one of the world's best-selling musicians.
She's won hundreds of awards for her music. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
NASA took a picture of the sun that looks like the sun is smiling.
The picture doesn't really show a smiling sun.
It actually shows the sun with several dark spots on its surface. ________________________________
Experiments showed that birds can practice self-control.
In the experiments, some birds showed they were able to give up snacks they didn't like, so they could eventually get snacks that they enjoy.
Other kinds of birds can even hide food they like so they can enjoy their snack later. ________________________________
UK singer Adele has revealed that we've all been saying her name wrong!
On a show recently, the musician explained that most people say her name as "Uh-dell".
But actually, she says it's "Ah-dale".
Now you know. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A grandpa versus angry geese, candy wrappers after Halloween, and dangerous Christmas decorations.
Stay tuned to learn more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
爺爺用孫女防鵝 Grandpa Uses Granddaughter to Defend Against Geese
If you've ever been to Tainan's Metropolitan Park, you might have noticed a flock of geese (一群鵝).
The birds are very beautiful, and they look like they are fun to play with.
But bird experts say geese can attack (攻擊) when another animal -- or a human -- enters its territory (領地).
One grandfather in Tainan learned that when he and his granddaughter visited the Park, and found themselves the target (目標) of one very angry goose.
The goose got very angry when the little girl entered his territory so he began to hiss, and chase the little girl. 當小女孩進入它的領地時，鵝很生氣，所以他開始嘶嘶作響，追著小女孩。
The grandfather saw the goose chasing his granddaughter and he picked her up (把她抱起來).
And because the goose wouldn't stop, the grandfather swung his granddaughter to try and scare the goose away.
People in the park saw what happened and took videos to share on social media platforms (社交媒體平台).
The video has gone viral (在網上瘋傳).
Some people who saw the video said it looked like the grandfather was using his granddaughter as a weapon to protect himself. 看起來像是爺爺用他的孫女作為保護自己的武器。
But other people say the grandfather was just protecting (保護) both of them.
And while the poor grandfather may be getting teased (被取笑), it's also a chance for park officials to remind visitors not to go near the geese. ________________________________
萬聖節後糖果包裝紙怎麼辦？ What Happens to Candy Wrappers after Halloween?
If you went out for Halloween this year, chances are you got candy.
But did you stop to think about (停下來想想) what to do with candy wrappers?
Recyclers in the United States say candy wrappers are difficult to recycle. 美國的回收商說，糖果包裝紙很難回收。
First of all, candy wrappers are so small they become a problem for other recyclable materials (可回收材料).
They even become a contaminant to other recyclable material because candy wrappers stick to them when they are being sorted. 它們甚至成為其他可回收材料的污染物，因為糖果包裝紙在分類時會粘在它們上面。
The second reason candy wrappers are difficult to recycle is because sometimes, they are made from different materials.
They are made with a combination of plastic and aluminum, or paper and aluminum, so the wrapper becomes impossible to recycle. 它們是由塑料和鋁或紙和鋁的組合製成的，因此包裝紙無法回收。
But there are times when candy wrappers can be recycled.
Recyclers says when a candy wrapper is the same color and material on the outside and inside, it's made with the same material.
That's the kind of candy wrapper you can recycle.
But recyclers want you to know that if you're not sure about your candy wrapper, it's probably better to treat it like regular trash and throw it away. 回收商希望你知道，如果你不確定你的糖果包裝紙是用什麼做的，最好把它當作一般垃圾扔掉。 ________________________________
強風把聖誕球變成聖誕危害 Strong Winds Turn Christmas Balls into Christmas Hazards
Whenever a typhoon is close, or whenever there are strong winds, weather officials always warn us to be careful (警告我們要小心).
They tell us to secure things (把東西固定好), so that the wind can't move them too much.
One place in London may not have been paying too much attention to what the weatherman warned about strong winds. 倫敦有一個地方可能沒有太關注天氣預報員的強風警告。
They didn't tie down their giant Christmas balls securely enough. 他們沒有把巨大的聖誕球綁得夠牢固。
So when the winds came, two huge Christmas balls were blown away (被吹走了), and they started rolling down the street.
The balls are bigger than cars.
So when they rolled down the road, the cars had to move very, very fast to get out of the balls' way (避開球的路).
For a while, the street looked like it was part of an action movie.
Some people wanted to know why stores put up their Christmas decorations so early, since it is only November. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A grandpa and his granddaughter were attacked by geese at Tainan's Metropolitan Park.
The goose got very angry when the girl entered his territory so he began chase the little girl.
The grandfather picked her up and swung her to scare the goose away. ________________________________
Recyclers in the United States say candy wrappers are difficult to recycle after Halloween.
That's because the wrappers are too small, and made from different materials. ________________________________
And, in London, giant Christmas balls were blown away because of strong winds.
Cars had to move very fast to get out of the way.
It looked like an action movie! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
The Kinmen Bridge finally opens after 12 years, a company wants to deliver stuff into space without a rocket, and a restaurant especially for dogs.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up. ________________________________
金門橋12年前開始施工終於完成了 Kinmen Bridge Opens After 12 Years
Building a bridge can take years.
For the Kinmen Bridge, it took almost 12 years!
On October 30th, the Kinmen Bridge finally opened.
It connects Kinmen Island to Lieyu.
The project officially started in January 2011.
And after all that hard work, eventually the bridge was completed.
Before the bridge was opened, it was sometimes hard for people who lived on Lieyu to get to Kinmen Island.
The residents of Lieyu depended on the ferries (渡船) to take them to the bigger Kinmen Island.
But, if the weather was really bad, then the ferry trips would have to pause (暫停).
Now the people of Lieyu can get to Kinmen by themselves by driving over the bridge!
現在烈嶼的人可以自己開車過橋到金門！ ________________________________
NASA參與將衛星送入太空的測試 NASA Participates in Test to Hurl Satellites into Space
Even though we can’t see them, there are many man-made satellites orbiting our Earth.
雖然我們看不到它們，但還是有許多人造衛星繞著我們的地球運行。
How many? Over 4,500!
One company wants to make it cheaper and greener to send future satellites into space.
The company is called SpinLaunch and they have built a machine to test if they can ‘hurl’ satellites instead of using a rocket.
To hurl something means to throw it really, really hard.
During this 10th test, they were able to hurl the satellite over 7,600 meters into the sky.
在第 10 次測試中，他們能夠將衛星投到 7,600 多米的高空中。
And their goal is to eventually reach 60,000 meters!
而他們的目標是最終達到六萬米！
SpinLaunch’s machine works by spinning (旋轉) a giant arm really, really fast.
Once the arm reaches the right speed, it releases the projectile (拋射物).
A projectile is something that is shot out of a machine.
NASA hopes to be able to use SpinLaunch’s service to send things into space in a cheaper and cleaner way! ________________________________
專門為狗狗服務的餐廳 A Restaurant Just for Dogs
Some restaurants allow people to bring their dogs.
But would you believe there’s a high-class restaurant that’s exclusively for dogs?
It’s called Dogue which is spelled D-O-G-U-E.
The restaurant was started by chef Rahmi Massarweh who is actually a classically trained French chef! 這家餐廳是由廚師 Rahmi Massarweh 創辦的，他實際上是一位受過訓練的法國廚師！
It opened its doors in late September in San Francisco.
Each meal comes with three luxurious dishes (豪華餐點) designed especially for dogs.
Although the food looks good enough for people to eat, some of the meat is raw (生的) so it’s not safe for humans.
So, would you spend a lot of money on a special meal for your special pet? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Kinmen Bridge, which connects Kinmen Island to Lieyu has finally opened.
Before the bridge was opened, it was sometimes hard for people who lived on Lieyu to get to Kinmen Island if the weather was bad.
Now the people of Lieyu can get to Kinmen and back by themselves by driving over the bridge ________________________________
The company SpinLaunch has built a device to test if they can ‘hurl’ satellites instead of using a rocket.
They hope to use a similar device to launch satellites into space one day
If they are successful, it will be cheaper and greener to send satellites into space ________________________________
And,
A high-class restaurant just for dogs opened in San Francisco
It’s called Dogue and it features a special 3-course meal that is only for dogs
The restaurant was started by classically trained French chef Rahmi Massarweh. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A blood moon, a long train, and Totoro on stage.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
月全食「掩天王星」11/8 登場 Blood Moon in the Sky Next Week
A blood moon is coming next week.
That sounds kind of scary, and it's not Halloween anymore right?
A blood moon is actually a full lunar eclipse (月全食).
That's when the moon moves into Earth's shadow.
That means the Earth is almost exactly between the Sun and the Moon.
When that happens, sunlight doesn't reach the moon.
The moon is only lit by light refracted (折射) from Earth.
So it looks a little different from the regular white moon.
During a full lunar eclipse, the moon looks reddish!
That's why some people call it a "blood moon".
And on Tuesday next week, you'll see what that looks like!
The Central Weather Bureau (中央氣象局) says starting at 4:01pm that day, the Earth's shadow will start to move over the moon.
The full eclipse will come at around 6:16pm.
And for 86 minutes, the moon will look a reddish color.
And something else amazing is happening around that time too.
It's a lunar occultation of Uranus.
That's when the moon moves in front of Uranus.
If we look through a telescope (望遠鏡), we would see Uranus disappear behind the moon, and then reappear again.
So, on Tuesday night, both a full lunar eclipse and a lunar occultation of Uranus will happen!
11月8日將可看到「月全食」奇景，在全食階段恰好又發生「月掩天王星」
Experts say the next time the two will happen on the same night, will be in the year 4344!
The Central Weather Bureau says you can watch through a telescope.
Or, you can watch the livestream on the bureau's website. ________________________________
瑞士開通世界最長的火車 Switzerland Drives World's Longest Passenger Train
Switzerland is famous for its beautiful mountains.
The country also makes delicious chocolate.
And now, Switzerland also has the world's longest passenger train (旅客列車).
Railway companies put together the train, which has 100 cars (車廂).
The train has 7 drivers.
It also needs over 20 technicians (技術人員) to help it move safely.
Altogether, the electric train stretches almost 2 kilometers long!
And this super long train went on a journey.
The train traveled 25 kilometers through the Alps.
The Alps are a group of mountains in Europe.
And the long train ran along the Albula Line.
It's a railroad line that is very famous.
The track is full of big curves.
There are also lots of steep sections.
這段鐵道路線有許多大彎道和上升或下降急劇的階段。
The line also has 55 bridges, and 39 tunnels.
Before this line was built, the trip would take 14 hours.
People had to ride a horse-drawn carriage (馬車) or sledges (雪橇).
The trip was very dangerous.
But now the long train took just an hour to travel the Albula Line.
The trip was to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Switzerland's first railway. ________________________________
"龍貓"舞台劇全球首演在倫敦！ "My Neighbor Totoro" Stage Show Opens in UK
Are you a fan of Totoro?
He is a character from the film "My Neighbor Totoro".
The animated film is directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
吉卜力"龍貓"是日本動畫大師宮崎駿的經典作品之一。
Totoro is a spirit of the forest.
He becomes friends with two girls living close by.
They go on some amazing adventures.
And now the film has been made into a stage show (舞台劇).
The show opened in London.
Many magical characters in the story are played by puppets (傀儡).
There's even a flying cat bus, which takes on passengers.
Many people are very excited about the show, and most of the shows have been sold out (賣完了). ________________________________
Now, let's quickly review today's stories:
A full lunar eclipse is coming on November 8th.
During that time, the moon will look a reddish color.
That's why some people call it a "blood moon". ________________________________
Switzerland drove the world's longest passenger train.
Railway companies put together the train, which has 100 cars.
The train traveled 25 kilometers through the Alps. ________________________________
And,
"My Neighbor Totoro" has been made into a stage show.
The show opened in London.
Most of the shows have been sold out. ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Taiwanese language inputs, a Halloween tragedy in South Korea, and playful bees.
Stay tuned and don't go anywhere, these stories are coming up next! ________________________________
電腦輸入本土語言即將推出 Taiwanese Language Input Methods Coming Soon
Taiwan has so many different national languages, and one official script (字體).
This makes it hard for people to use their native dialects (本地方言), like Hakka and Hokkien (客家話和閩南話), when they use their phone or computer.
That's because some rare characters (稀有的字) are not available on electronic devices.
Taiwan has been working hard to promote (推動) its national languages.
The Hakka Affairs Council says people will be able to type (打字) using Taiwanese dialects on their phones next year!
The council has been working (一直在努力) to add special characters for Hakka and Hokkien dialects on computers and mobile phones for the last three years.
They say phonetic and vocabulary databases have already been organized. 他們說語音和詞彙數據庫已經組織好了。
The Hakka and Hokkien language input methods (語言輸入法) will be completed before July 2023.
Around 200 rare characters used in Hakka will be added for the Windows operating system (操作系統).
And, speech-to-text functions (語音轉文本功能) for the dialects will be developed in the second half of 2023. ________________________________
韓國萬聖節踩踏事件 South Korea Halloween Stampede
Participating in a large crowd may seem like a fun event, but tight crowds (擁擠的人群) can be dangerous.
On October 29th, around 100,000 young people were celebrating Halloween in South Korea.
It was the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that people were allowed to gather in groups (成群聚集).
City officials did not prepare for so many people to gather in Itaewon District.
Itaewon is known to have small, narrow streets with many turns. 梨泰院區的街道很小而狹窄，有許多轉彎。
Police are still investigating (調查) why so many people started gathering in a narrow alley (巷子).
The crowd was so tight, people in the front could not move, and the people in the back kept pushing forward. 人群擠得很滿，前面的人動彈不得，後面的人不停地往前推。
This caused many people to die.
Because there were so many people, emergency personnel (急救人員) could not help everyone right away.
The South Korean president declared a week of mourning after the tragedy. 悲劇發生後，韓國總統宣布哀悼一周。
Some people blamed (責備) the police for not preparing any crowd control measures (人群控制措施).
Police apologized to the public for not having a plan for the large gathering. ________________________________
科學家說蜜蜂會玩耍 Scientists Say Bees Can Play
Did you know bees like playing as much as you do?
Scientists from Queen Mary University in London, England, conducted experiments (進行了實驗) on some bumblebees using wooden balls.
The 45 bumblebees were given a choice between eating and playing. 他們讓 45 隻大黃蜂在吃和玩之間做出選擇。
The scientists found out that younger bees liked playing with the wooden balls more than the older bees did.
They also found out that male bees liked playing for longer periods (更長的時間) than the female bees.
Scientists also say that bees actually played with the wooden balls between 1 and 117 times!
To make sure the experiment actually proved (證明) that the bees enjoyed playing, scientists made it a bit more difficult for the bees to play.
42 more bees were allowed (被允許) to go into two small areas -- one with balls, and the other without.
The balls were then taken out, and the bees were allowed back in.
When the bees were given a choice between both areas, the bees went to the chamber (房間) that used to have the toys.
Scientists say the experiment changed the way they looked at bees. 科學家們說，這個實驗改變了他們觀察蜜蜂的方式。
They say this goes to show (這表明) that the bees are more than small robots and in fact, they are more advanced (先進的) than we think they are. ________________________________
Now, let's quickly review these stories:
Taiwan has been working hard to promote its national languages.
The Hakka Affairs Council says people will be able to type using Taiwanese dialects on their phones.
They will add special characters for Hakka and Hokkien on electronic devices before July 2023. ________________________________
And,
On October 29th, around 100,000 young people were celebrating Halloween in South Korea.
City officials did not prepare for so many people to gather in Itaewon District.
The crowd became dangerously tight and caused many people to die. ________________________________
And,
Scientists from London found out bees like to play.
They conducted experiments with wooden balls.
They say the experiment changed the way they looked at bees. ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A Changhua mystery, a book-shaped library, and a new song from Rihanna.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
開鎖高手解鎖百年保險櫃 Ace Locksmith Cracks 100-year-old Safe
A Changhua County mystery has been solved.
A very old safe (保險櫃) had been found in Fenyuan Township.
Experts say the black iron safe is around 100 years old.
And it weighed around 200 kilograms!
A safe is usually used to keep something locked inside.
So everyone wondered…
What was inside the Fenyuan safe?
Some people thought there may be bars of gold.
The township offered a reward of $5,000 NT to the person who could open the safe.
Some people tried, but they couldn't crack the safe (打開保險櫃).
Then the township raised the reward.
They would give someone $10,000 NT to open the safe.
Many more people tried, but also failed.
Finally, an expert locksmith from Taichung did it!
The man surnamed Mr. Wang has been working with locks since he was 13 years old.
That's almost 70 years of experience!
Mr. Wang brought his special key.
It's a skeleton key (萬用鑰匙).
Skeleton keys are designed to open many different locks.
Wang has been using this key for more than 30 years.
With his special key, and skills, Mr. Wang opened the safe in about 40 minutes!
80歲的王師傅花了40分鐘終於打開了保險櫃。
Finally, everyone saw what was inside.
There was…
Nothing.
The safe was empty!
Many people were disappointed that there was no gold inside.
But the township still gave Mr. Wang the $10,000 NT reward.
芬園鄉還是依照原本約定，將1萬元獎金頒給王師傅。
And the safe will be kept at the township office, to show to visitors. ________________________________
書形狀的圖書館 Dubai's Book-shaped Library
What do you think of when we talk about the library?
I bet you think of books right?
Well how about a library that's shaped like a book?
Dubai has a special new library.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Library is 7 floors tall.
And the outside of the library looks like an open book!
The library holds more than a million books.
And it also holds more than 6 million research articles (研究論文).
Each floor of the library features one genre (類型).
There's a floor for children's books, a floor for young adults, and a floor for atlases and maps.
And one floor of the library holds rare and antique books.
Some of those books go back to the 13th century (13世紀).
It even holds first-edition manuscripts (第一版手稿) of works by William Shakespeare.
There are robots inside the library.
The robots help visitors find the book they want.
圖書館裡還有機器人，可以幫訪客尋找他們想要的書本。
The chairman of the library says it is a modern library, and a source for knowledge.
The library is also eco-friendly (環保的).
It uses solar panels to generate some electricity.
And it recycles some of the water used in the library.
The library cost about $272 million U.S. dollars to build. ________________________________
蕾哈娜為黑豹2獻唱新單曲 Rihanna Releases New Music for Black Panther Sequel
Rihanna has released new music.
The singer from Barbados has won many awards for her music.
Her hits include "Diamonds", and "Umbrella".
In the past few years, Rihanna has been very busy.
She has many businesses in fashion, music, and has worked with charities.
But many people hoped Rihanna would make more new music.
And now she has!
Her new song "Lift Me Up" is the main song for the new Marvel movie "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".
Rihanna says the song is to honor Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa, the Black Panther, in the first Black Panther movie.
蕾哈娜的新單曲"Lift Me Up" 靈感取自首任黑豹Chadwick Boseman. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A very old safe around 100 years old has finally been opened.
Mr. Wang, an expert locksmith from Taichung opened the safe in about 40 minutes.
The safe was empty, but Mr. Wang still got a $10,000 NT award. ________________________________
Dubai has a new library that is 7 floors tall.
The outside of the library looks like an open book!
And it holds more than a million books. ________________________________
And,
Rihanna has released new music.
Her new song "Lift Me Up" is the main song for the new Marvel movie "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".
Rihanna says the song is to honor Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa, the Black Panther, in the first Black Panther movie. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Amsterdam's Rainbow Dress, digital license plates, and a Filipino athlete with two world records.
Stay tuned and don't go anywhere, these stories are coming up next! ________________________________
阿姆斯特丹彩虹裙亮相台北 Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Displayed in Taipei
The month of October is observed as LGBT History Month in many countries around the world. 10 月在世界許多國家被視為 LGBT 歷史月。
That includes Taiwan, too!
On Saturday, the 20th Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade (第20屆臺灣同志遊行) took place at the Taipei City Hall Plaza.
LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. LGBT是女同性戀者、男同性戀者、雙性戀者與跨性別者的英文首字母縮略字。
The event featured many options for visitors to enjoy, including a Rainbow Market, stage shows, and speeches from advocacy groups (倡導團體).
One of the special attractions was the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress.
It's 16 meters wide, and is made up of flags from 68 countries where homosexuality is illegal. 它 16 米寬，由來自 68 個同性戀非法國家的國旗組成。
The dress' creators remove a country's flag when it legalizes homosexuality (同性戀合法化).
They replace (取代) it with a rainbow flag when that happens.
That means the dress is a "living" work of art, because it changes and evolves over time. 這件彩虹裙是一件"活"的藝術品，因為它會隨著時間而變化和演變。
Since 2016, only nine countries' flags have been removed.
The dress has traveled around the world in the last six years. ________________________________
美國加州批准電子車牌 California State Approves Digital License Plates
Quick! What kind of information can you collect when you see a vehicle breaking the law?
Why, you write down the license plate number (車牌號), of course!
The US State of California has recently passed a law making it legal to use digital license plates on vehicles. 美國加州最近通過了一項法律，規定在車輛上使用電子車牌是合法的。
Right now, only one company makes these types of electric license plates.
They're calling them "Rplates", and it has an e-ink screen (電子墨水屏).
It looks like a regular tablet (平板), like an iPad, but the screen looks and feels like paper.
E-ink screens can show images even without electricity! 即使沒有電，電子墨水屏幕也可以顯示圖像！
People with digital license plates can handle their paperwork (處理他們的證件) online, and manage the license (管理車牌) using an app on their phone.
People who use these digital license plates can also customize (定制) the messages displayed on it.
For example, if the car has been stolen, the owner can change the message to let other people know.
The license plates can also track the cars (追?車輛)…
Although some people feel that it could be a privacy problem (隱私問題).
It's also quite expensive.
The technologically-advanced (科技先進的) license plates cost almost 10-thousand NT a year! ________________________________
菲律賓運動員打破另一項跳繩記錄 Filipino Athlete Breaks Another Jump Rope Record
The Guinness World Records has a long list of incredible feats achieved by human beings. 金氏世界紀錄上有很多人類取得的令人難以置信的壯舉。
From making the biggest pizza in the world to becoming the fastest man alive, it's amazing what people can do when they set a goal and work hard.
Most people might celebrate this kind of achievement (成就) and move on, but one Filipino athlete decided he wanted to go further (更進一步).
Ryan Alonzo, who is also known as "Skipman," has set his second Guinness World Record in jump rope!
Jump rope is a high-intensity activity that uses all the muscles in the body. 跳繩是一項高強度的活動，需要用到全身所有的肌肉。
There are different ways you can jump over a rope, including freestyle, crossover, and double -under skips. 可以用多種方式跳繩，包括自由式、交叉式和雙下跳。
And Alonzo broke world records in two jumping styles.
He set a record in 2021 for performing 40,980 double-under skips in under 12 hours.
That means the rope goes around the body twice in a single jump. 繩子在一次跳躍中繞著身體兩次。
And this month, Alonzo completed 3,371 consecutive crossovers (連續交叉式跳).
That's done by crossing the arms in and out while skipping over the rope. 在跳繩時將雙臂交叉進出來完成的。
Alonzo says having endurance (耐力) was important for both records.
It shows that practice and determination (練習和決心) are useful when you want to reach a goal. ________________________________
Now, let's quickly review today's stories:
Taipei held the 20th LGBT Pride Month on October 29th.
One of the special attractions was the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress.
It's a "living" work of art made up of flags from 68 countries where homosexuality is illegal. ________________________________
The US State of California has recently passed a law making it legal to use digital license plates on vehicles.
They're called "Rplates", and are made using an e-ink screen.
People with digital license plates can conveniently handle their paperwork online. ________________________________
And,
Ryan Alonzo is a Filipino athlete.
He has set two Guinness World Records in jump rope. ________________________________
And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening to you! This right here is another episode of News Bites.
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
Let's look at today's news:
Computers translate Taiwanese, students make crazy hats, and the U.S. honors an Asian-American.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
人工智慧首次翻譯台語 AI Translates Taiwanese for the First Time
Can you speak Taiwanese? 你會曉講台語無？ L? ?-hi?u k?ng T?i-g? b??
If you live in Taiwan, you have definitely heard people speaking Taiwanese.
It's part of a Chinese language family called "Hokkien", which is spoken by people in many countries. 台語這個語言屬於福建話的語系，很多國家都有人會講。
But in today's modern world (現代的世界), the Hokkien language has a special problem…
It's mostly oral (口語的), or spoken (用講的).
That means there aren't many people using Hokkien to write or type (打字), and that makes it much harder to translate (翻譯).
Fortunately (幸好), one man is finally working on a very powerful translation system (很強的翻譯系統) for Hokkien!
And the translator uses an artificial intelligence (人工智慧), or A.I., from the Facebook company "Meta".
It's difficult work, but he is working with many engineers (工程師) and native Hokkien speakers (以福建話為母語的人士).
He says his grandfather in Taiwan speaks Taiwanese, but has problems with Mandarin (國語).
So he wants to help his grandfather and other Hokkien speakers to break the language barrier (破壞語言障礙).
And an A.I. translator like this can also help keep records (紀錄) of how languages like Hokkien are spoken, so the world can keep these languages alive.
This is great news, right? 這是一個好消息，對無？ Che s? chi?t ? h? siau-sit, tio?h b?? ________________________________
學生戴上【防止作弊】的帽子 Students Use 'Anti-Cheating' Hats
Hey. Hey you!
You'd better not be cheating in school! 你上學時最好不要作弊！
Of course, we all know that no matter where you do it (不管你在哪裡), cheating is bad.
It can seem like an easy way to win, or to get good grades (拿到好成績), but it's not fair to other people (對別人不公平).
So teachers are always trying new ways to encourage honest behavior (鼓勵誠實的行為).
That's why one teacher in the Philippines (菲律賓) came up with a crazy idea (異想天開的主意), before a big test.
She told her students to wear "headgear" (頭飾) to stop them from cheating.
And many students took this idea very far. 很多學生更進一步發揮創意。
At least, much further than the teacher expected! 遠超過老師原先的預期。
They came to school with helmets (安全帽), goggles (護目鏡), Halloween masks (萬聖節面具), and giant hats made of cardboard (紙板).
And when people saw pictures of these anti-cheating hats on the internet (在網路上), everyone else started making their own!
It might be a great example (很好的例子) of how to encourage students to be honest.
We all know cheating is bad… but good behavior should be fun! ________________________________
亞裔美國演員 變成硬幣上的人頭 U.S. Coins Feature Asian American Actress
All over the world, different countries (國家) have their own different kinds of money.
Most countries have paper money, (鈔票), and coins (硬幣).
And on most of that money, what do you see?
There's almost always a person's face!
Usually it's one of that country's leaders (領導人).
But sometimes, it's an important person from that country's cultural history (文化歷史).
And in the United States (美國), there are a lot of new faces on U.S. coins!
One of those faces is Anna May Wong (黃柳霜), who was a famous actor in Hollywood (好萊塢).
Anna was a Chinese American, and one of the only Asian actors in Hollywood in the early 1900s. 黃柳霜是華裔美國人，是二十世紀初極少數亞裔好萊塢演員中的一位。
That's because Asian Americans have faced a lot of racism (種族歧視) in the U.S.
Now, seeing her face on U.S. money has made a lot of people happy.
They say it's a step forward (進步) in recognizing Asian Americans and their contributions (貢獻) to American culture.
Do you think you'll ever see a foreign face on Taiwanese money?
If it ever happens, it'll be because they've helped Taiwan become a better place.
Who knows? It could be you! ________________________________
So, let's hear those stories again:
One man is working on an artificial intelligence, or A.I., to translate Hokkien.
Hokkien is more difficult to translate than other languages, because it is mostly spoken, not written.
He hopes the translator can help his grandfather and other Hokkien speakers to break the language barrier, and keep these languages alive. ________________________________
And,
One teacher in the Philippines told her students to wear "headgear" to stop them from cheating.
And many students took this idea much further than the teacher expected!
They came to school with helmets, goggles, Halloween masks, and giant hats made of cardboard. ________________________________
And,
The United States has put the face of an Asian American, named Anna May Wong, on U.S. coins.
Anna was a Chinese American, and one of the only Asian actors in Hollywood in the early 1900s.
People say it's a step forward in recognizing Asian Americans, and their contributions to American culture. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Taitung offers hotel subsidies, pets in a Japanese office, and the danger of processed foods.
Get ready to learn more about these news stories, coming up next! ________________________________
到台東旅遊每房享 500 元補助 Taitung Offers $500 NT Hotel Subsidy to Tourists
Taking a trip is a joy to many people.
Though many people have stopped traveling around since the pandemic happened. Do you remember the last time you went on a trip?
It sure was a while ago, wasn't it?
Taiwan's tourism industry was facing a down time during the pandemic. 台灣的旅遊業在疫情時陷入了低潮。
But now, it seems to be changing.
Traveling around and road trips are making a comeback (捲土重來)!
The Taitung County Government has thought of a way to encourage people to travel there. 於是台東政府想了一個吸引遊客的方法。
They want people to visit Taitung and enjoy the tasty food there.
Taitung is one of the most popular tourist destinations (觀光勝地).
It's located on the southeast coast of Taiwan.
The Pacific Ocean (太平洋) is on its right-hand side.
Taitung is famous for its natural scenery (自然景觀).
And it's also known for its indigenous culture.
The government has planned to give a subsidy (補貼) to people who want to travel to Taitung.
They're offering to help people pay $500 NT per room per night for their accommodation (住宿).
So, if you're planning on visiting Taitung, you can save (省下) $500 NT on your hotel expenses (花費)!
Isn't that great?
The county government hopes the subsidy could attract more people to visit after last month's earthquake. 他們希望藉此振興震後觀光，吸引旅客人潮。 ________________________________
日本公司允許寵物進入辦公室 A Japanese Company Allows Pets in the Office
Do you want to work or study with your pet running around near you? 你想要跟你的寵物一起工作或唸書嗎？
If you answered, "Yes!" or if you're an animal lover (動物愛好者), then you might be happy to hear this news.
Bringing pets to work is becoming more and more trendy (流行) these days.
Especially in Japan, where a lot of workers have changed their work style.
Many employees have gone from working in the office to working from home during the pandemic.
And now, many people are still choosing to work from home.
This is why a company in Japan decided they want their workers to bring their dogs to the office to keep them company at work!
In Kawasaki, near Japan's capital city Tokyo, a company called Fujitsu is exploring a new way of doing things. 在日本首都東京附近的川崎，一家名為 Fujitsu 的公司正在嘗試一種新的工作模式。
They set up a dog office in the company building.
Their executives (高階主管) want to see if that can help their staff (員工) want to come back to work in the office. ________________________________
超加工食品與癌症風險 Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Cancer Risk We have so many food choices these days.
How do you choose what to buy for a meal?
If you like frozen pizza, sausages, pickles, soda, or cookies…
You must pay attention! 要注意聽囉！
Evidently, there is some harmful food in our daily choices. 顯然，我們的日常選擇中存在一些有害的食物。
Those foods usually contain ingredients (成分) that are largely made in a laboratory (實驗室).
We call them ultra-processed food (超加工食品).
Researchers have discovered most of those ultra-processed foods contain things like preservatives, flavor enhancers, colorings, added sugar and fats. 研究發現大多數那種加工過的食品都含有防腐劑、增味劑、色素、添加糖和脂肪。
And those provide a lot of calories (卡路里) that our bodies don't need.
If we eat them too much or too often, it can lead to disease (致病).
People in the US have done a study on those who like to eat processed food. 在美國有個實驗專門研究那些喜歡吃加工食品的人。
They have tested over 200,000 people over 28 years. 他們花了28年，測試了超過20多萬人。
And the study tells us that the people who eat a lot of ultra-processed food are more likely to get sick.
They get diseases like bowel cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases (腸癌、肥胖和心血管疾病).
We can see a lot of ultra-processed food in the markets nowadays.
So, we really need to be careful when choosing what to eat.
We need to learn to keep a healthy diet (保持健康的飲食).
Eating stuff that's freshly made (新鮮出爐), and eating more natural fruit and vegetables are ways of eating healthy.
So, what's in your lunchbox today? ________________________________
Let's review the stories in today's News Bites:
The Taitung County Government wants more people to travel there.
They planned a budget to attract tourists.
So they're offering $500 NT per room per night for their accommodation. ________________________________
And,
Many people don't want to work in an office after working from home during the pandemic.
A company in Japan decided to let workers bring their dogs to the office to keep them company at work!
They set up a dog office in the building to see if that can help their staff to want to come back to work. ________________________________
And,
Ultra-processed foods contain many harmful ingredients.
They can cause diseases like bowel cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
We really need to be careful when choosing what to eat to stay healthy. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Enjoying art from around the world, using plastic to grow food, and a new take on an old classic.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北國際藝術博覽會盛大回歸 Taipei Holds Largest Ever Art Taipei
Do you like art?
Taipei just held a big art fair (藝術博覽會).
It's called Art Taipei.
Artists from Taiwan and eight other countries around the world showed their work at the fair.
There were more than 1,000 pieces of artwork on display (公開展出).
2022 台北國際藝術博覽會吸引了很多台灣藝術家，還有來自國外的展商參加。
Art Taipei also had a section for Taiwan's Indigenous art.
That section showed oil paintings by Paiwan artist Aruwai Matilin (馬郁芳).
It also showed photographs taken by Pinuyumayan artist Gao Min-shiou (高敏修).
Organizers say it wasn't easy to hold such a big art show with COVID-19 still around.
But they hope visitors had a lot of fun. ________________________________
用塑膠瓶漂浮花園種出青菜 Singapore Team Builds Floating Gardens with Plastic Bottles
The world has a plastic problem.
And plastic bottles are a big part of that problem.
According to the United Nations, the world buys one million plastic bottles every minute.
Most of these bottles are used once, then thrown away.
So many people have been trying to figure out what to do with all those bottles.
A group of people in Singapore have come up with an idea.
They are turning plastic bottles into floating gardens.
These floating gardens are called "chinampas".
It's a very old Mexican way of farming.
People would make very small "islands" with soil that floated on water, to grow crops (農作物).
And now a team of students and alumni (校友) at the National University of Singapore are doing this with plastic bottles.
They used empty plastic bottles to make the base (底部、底座).
The base is filled with soil.
And the team also adds crushed glass, from recycled glass bottles.
They say the glass helps plants grow faster.
The team grew edible plants (食用植物).
They grew kangkong, and laksa leaves.
他們用塑膠瓶飄浮花園，種出空心菜和越南香菜。
And they believe their floating garden works very well.
The team says in normal soil, a kangkong plant takes about five weeks to grow.
But on the chinampas, the plants grew in less than four weeks.
They think the gardens could help Singapore grow more food. ________________________________
美國歌手克莉絲汀推出新版 "Beautiful" MV Christina Aguilera Releases New "Beautiful" Music Video
American singer Christina Aguilera released a song called "Beautiful" in 2002.
The song was about people struggling (掙扎) with the idea of beauty.
The music video showed many people who felt "not beautiful".
And the words of the song told these people that they are beautiful "in every single way".
Now, Christina has made a new music video for "Beautiful".
The music is the same.
But the video now shows young people struggling with negative messages (負面訊息) from social media.
In the video, young people are shown watching their phones, posing for photos (擺姿勢), and getting ready for plastic surgery (整形手術).
And later in the video, they change their mind, and go outside to play.
Christina says the video is for "World Mental Health Day".
She encouraged her fans to "Take your space, log off, put your mind, body, and soul first."
克莉絲汀鼓勵她的粉絲要記得給自己喘息的空間，可以選擇登出社交平台，把精神、身體、和心靈的健康擺在第一。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taipei just held a big art fair called Art Taipei.
Artists from Taiwan and eight other countries around the world showed their work at the fair.
Organizers say they hope visitors had a lot of fun. ________________________________
A group of people in Singapore are turning plastic bottles into floating gardens.
The team grew edible plants.
They think the gardens could help Singapore grow more food. ________________________________
And,
American singer Christina Aguilera has released a new music video for her 2002 song "Beautiful".
The music is the same, but the video now shows young people struggling with negative messages from social media.
Christina encouraged her fans to "Take your space, log off, put your mind, body, and soul first." ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Opening the Taipei Dome for baseball, swimming with sharks and jellyfish, and a car crashing into a toilet.
Keep listening for more on those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台北大巨蛋明年開幕 Taipei Dome Opening Next Year
If you live in Taiwan, you've probably heard of the Taipei Arena (小巨蛋).
If you translate that into English, it means "Little-Huge Egg".
Well, are you ready for the "BIG-HUGE EGG"?
The Taipei Dome (大巨蛋) is way bigger, and it's FINALLY almost finished.
It's right across from Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (在國父紀念館的對面), so if you've been to Taipei, then you've probably seen it!
It was originally supposed to start construction in the year 2007… 原本大巨蛋 2007 年就該開始動工…
But it actually started construction in 2011, and should be ready to open in 2023.
That means it took more than 10 years to build it!
And if you look at a picture of it, you can see why.
Inside of the gigantic dome, there is a giant sports stadium (體育場) with more than 40,000 seats (四萬張椅子).
And that's why the dome's first big event (第一個大型活動) is going to be a baseball game (棒球比賽), which could happen as early as June of next year.
But that's not all!
All around the Big-Huge Egg, there are beautiful parks and lots of places to shop.
And it's already a really nice place to hang out (出去玩).
So the next time you're in Taipei City, go check it out! ________________________________
一位女士成功沿海泳渡整個英國西岸 Woman Swims Length of U.K.
Swimming in the ocean can be pretty fun, when you're close to the shore (離海岸很近).
Of course, you have to be careful not to swim out into deep water (深水).
The waves (海浪) could pull you away from shore, and there could be dangerous animals swimming around you.
But there's one person who doesn't care about any of that.
A 23-year-old woman in the U.K. swam from the coast of southwest England (英國的西南岸) all the way to the coast of northern Scotland (蘇格蘭的北岸).
She started swimming in July, and just finished in October.
That's more than 1,400 kilometers (一千四百公里), in less than four months!
In total (總共), she swam for 110 days, for up to 12 hours each day.
So, how does it feel to swim around a whole country?
Well, she says it was cold and uncomfortable.
While she was swimming, she was stung by jellyfish (被水母螫傷) and even followed by a shark (被鯊魚跟蹤).
But for most of the journey, she had a friend in a boat nearby, who gave her food to eat, including lots of chocolate!
She says she went on the journey to inspire people (激勵人們), but also to support charity (支持慈善機構).
You might not like swimming as much as she does, but that's okay.
Maybe you can think of a different way to inspire others! ________________________________
汽車駕駛撞破古代的廁所 Man Crashes Car into Ancient Restroom
When driving a car, most people should know the difference between forwards (往前) and backwards (往後).
But when you're not paying attention… 當你不專心開車的時候…
A man in Japan recently drove his car in reverse (倒車) at a really bad time.
First, he parked his car (停車) in front of an ancient temple (古寺).
But when he started his car again, he forgot it was in reverse! 他重新開啟他的汽車的時候，他忘了還在用倒車的模式！
And then…
"Oh no! My toilet!"
His car crashed (撞破) into the temple's restroom (廁所，洗手間).
And this temple is about 700 years old (七百年前蓋的)!
So, some people are pretty angry.
Luckily, the ancient toilets (古時候的馬桶) are just holes in the ground (地上的洞), so they're still okay.
And people say the temple can be fixed (可以被復原).
He might have made the "restroom" into a "restVROOM"…
But let's hope you can drive better than that! ________________________________
Okay, let's review those stories again. First:
The Taipei Dome is getting ready to open next year, after more than ten years of construction.
The dome's first big event is going to be a baseball game, which could happen as early as June of next year.
And around the dome, there are parks and places to shop. ________________________________
In our second story:
A 23-year-old woman in the U.K. has swum the entire west coast of England and Scotland.
She swam more than 1,400 kilometers in less than four months.
She says she went on the journey to inspire people, and to support charity. ________________________________
And in our third story:
A man in Japan recently drove his car into an ancient temple's restroom.
This temple is about 700 years old, so some people are pretty angry.
Luckily, the ancient toilets are just holes in the ground, so they're still okay. ________________________________
That's all for today's News Bites… we hope you learned something new!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Taiwan's oldest residents, a fire on Easter Island, and NASA shoots an asteroid to change its orbit.
Stay tuned and don't go anywhere, these stories are coming up next! ________________________________
台東出土6000年前遺骸 Skeletal Remains Dating Back 6,000 Years Unearthed in Taitung
Taiwan is a very diverse (各樣的) country, where you can find many people from around the world living together.
There are Indigenous, Chinese, and many new residents from Southeast Asia too! 有原住民、華人、還有很多來自東南亞的新住民！
When we think about Taiwan's oldest inhabitants (居民), we might think of the Austronesian Indigenous people (南島原住民).
But did you know, many Indigenous tribes in Taiwan have legends (傳說) about a group of people who lived here even before they got here?
This group, known today as "negritos," are described as small-bodied, dark-skinned, and living in forested mountains or remote caves. 在今日，這群人被稱為"黑矮人"，他們被描述成身材矮小、皮膚黝黑、捲髮、，習慣住在深山叢林裡的森林或偏遠的山洞。
The legends are different depending on who you ask (取決於你問誰), with some stories saying they are aliens and enemies (外星敵人) of the Austronesian Indigenous groups, while others saw them as their ancestors (祖先).
And those legends might be more than just stories…
An international team of researchers has discovered 6,000-year-old human skeletal remains in Taitung which belong to an adult (成人) "negrito" woman.
Her skull and femur bone were excavated from the Xiaoma Caves. 他們從小馬洞裡挖出了她的頭骨和大腿骨。
They confirmed her origin through DNA analysis, and the researchers estimate (估計) she could have been 139 centimeters tall (139公分).
They say the new discovery brings attention to how older hunter-gatherer (狩獵族群) communities and the newer immigrant Austronesian farmers co-existed (共存) in Taiwan thousands of years ago. ________________________________
大火燒毀了復活節島的摩艾石像 Fire Damages Easter Island's Famous Statues
Easter Island is home to about 900 large stone statues called moai (摩艾石像).
The moai are carved (雕刻的) stone statues with extremely large heads.
They are normally (一般) around four meters tall, and the tallest is ten meters tall.
The statues were created over 500 years ago by the people who lived on the island.
They were Polynesians called the Rapa Nui people. 他們是被稱為拉帕努伊人的波利尼西亞人。
Even today, we still have many questions about how they created and moved such large stone statues.
It's hard to imagine (很難想像) when you see them in person.
On October 4th, a wildfire (野火) burned through the Rapa Nui National Park (拉帕努伊國家公園).
Nearly 400 moai were burnt near the Rano Raraku volcano (拉諾拉拉庫火山).
The park says because there weren't enough volunteers (義工) to help put the fire out, around one square kilometer of land (一平方公里的地) has burned down.
Experts are still checking to see how much damage the moai received.
Chile's government says the stones would have expanded in the heat first, and then shrunk as they got cooler. 智利政府表示，這些石像先在高溫時炎熱的時候膨脹，然後在冷卻時收縮。
That means the stone could be cracked (破裂).
Officials think the fire did not start naturally.
The park has been closed so experts can learn more about the damage caused by the fire. ________________________________
NASA DART 航天器擊中小行星 NASA's DART Spacecraft Crashed into an Asteroid
Some scientists believe an asteroid caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs. 一些科學家認為，一顆小行星導致了恐龍的大規模滅絕。
This means that at any moment, an asteroid (小行星) could fly towards our planet, and destroy a large part of Earth!
How could we prevent (防止) this from happening to us?
Scientists and engineers at NASA have thought of a solution.
They could try to shoot the asteroid and change its path. 嘗試射擊小行星並改變其路徑。
That way, it wouldn't be able to reach Earth!
On September 26th, NASA launched a spacecraft to crash into a distant asteroid. 9 月 26 日，NASA發射了一艘宇宙飛船，撞向一顆遙遠的小行星。
The collision (碰撞) is part of NASA's plan to protect Earth from a space rock.
The spacecraft (宇宙飛船) is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, and the mission cost $325 million US dollars.
They shot DART into a small asteroid called Dimorphos that's about seven million miles away from Earth.
Because Dimorphos is in the orbit (軌道) of a larger asteroid, NASA's team is going to study how the crash affected their path around each other.
This will give them an idea on how to protect our planet from future possible collisions with rocks from outer space. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An international team of researchers has discovered human skeletal remains in Taitung.
The bones belong to a "negrito" woman who lived in Taiwan 6,000 years ago. ________________________________
A wildfire burned through the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island.
Nearly 400 moai were burnt, and many might be cracked.
The national park is closed while experts assess the damage. ________________________________
And,
Scientists and engineers at NASA launched a spacecraft to crash an asteroid.
It's part of NASA's plan to protect Earth from a mass extinction.
They shot DART into a small asteroid called Dimorphos that's about seven million miles away from Earth. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
It's all about the power of plants, with a tree that hits the moon, and a plant that comes back from extinction. Plus, BTS holds a free concert.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
「撞到月亮的樹」桃山神木 Tallest Tree in East Asia is in Taiwan
The tallest tree ever measured in East Asia is right here in Taiwan.
The tree is a "Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata" (臺灣杉).
These are very tall trees with long leaves like needles.
The wood from these trees is soft, but durable (結實).
It also has a nice smell.
And experts say one of these trees is the tallest in East Asia.
It's the "Taoshan sacred tree" (桃山神木).
And it's 79.1 meters tall!
That's about as tall as a 20-story building!
The tree is in Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園), in Hsinchu County.
The experts found it using lasers.
An aircraft (飛行器) flies up high into the sky.
Then it uses lasers to scan (掃描) the ground.
And this data is used to make a 3D picture.
With this picture, scientists can see what's on the ground, including really tall trees.
After the scientists saw the Taoshan sacred tree, they sent out a team.
The team went to see the tree in person, and measure it (測量).
It took the team a week to get to the tree.
And they were amazed at its size.
One of the experts used a saying of the Rukai people (魯凱族) to describe the tree…
She said it is "a giant tree that can hit the moon".
「台灣杉」是東亞最高的樹種，魯凱族稱它為「撞到月亮的樹」。
The experts think there are more than 900 giant trees around Taiwan.
They will wait until January or February to go look at other trees, because the trip will be easier during the dry season. ________________________________
科學家在火山口尋獲絕種植物 Extinct Plant "Rediscovered" in Hawaii
When an animal or plant goes extinct (絕種), they all die out, and there are no more living.
Any living thing going extinct is a terrible loss.
But sometimes, there's still hope.
The "Delissea argutidentata" is a green plant that can grow up to 10 meters tall.
It also grows small white-green flowers.
Scientists thought it had gone extinct a long time ago.
科學家以為這種稀有的植物很久以前就絕種了。
The plants were last seen in the early 1970s.
Then a single plant was found in 1992.
But it died in 2002.
And after that scientists thought all the Delissea were gone.
But just last year, they found three, growing in Hawaii.
The plants were found in a crater (火山口), on land owned by the government.
But only a few people know exactly where the plants are.
It has to be kept a secret, to protect (保護) the plants.
Experts also put up a fence around the plants, to keep them safe.
Scientists have now taken some seeds from the three plants.
And the seeds have grown into 30 new young Delissea plants.
Experts say this is a reminder to always stay hopeful. ________________________________
BTS在釜山辦免費演唱會 BTS Holds Free Concert in Busan
Fans of BTS had a chance to see them all together again.
The K-pop band held a free concert last weekend in Busan (釜山).
The "BTS Yet to Come in Busan" concert brought 52,000 people to the stadium (體育館).
And around 100,000 people went, with some people watching on big screens around Busan.
The concert was held to support South Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030.
BTS在韓國釜山舉辦免費演唱會，協助釜山政府爭取主辦2030年的世博會。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The tallest tree in East Asia is right here in Taiwan.
The "Taoshan sacred tree" is 79.1 meters tall!
The tree is in Shei-Pa National Park, in Hsinchu County. ________________________________
Scientists thought the Delissea argutidentata had gone extinct a long time ago.
But just last year, they found three, growing in Hawaii.
They say this is a reminder to always stay hopeful. ________________________________
And,
BTS held a free concert last weekend in Busan.
The "BTS Yet to Come in Busan" concert brought 52,000 people to the stadium.
The concert was held to support South Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Taiwan gets a new satellite, scientists get a giant camera, and phones get thrown away.
We've got more on those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣明年將發送新的衛星上太空 Taiwan to Launch New Satellite Next Year
Taiwan is getting ready to launch another satellite (衛星) into space!
The satellite's English name is "Triton", named after the god of the seas and storms. 這台衛星的英文名字是Triton，名字就是從海洋之神特里頓來的。
And the satellite's Chinese name is 【獵風者】, which means "Wind Hunter" in English.
Scientists are still in the process (過程中) of making sure it's finished and working properly.
Then, they can launch it into space (發送上太空)!
As it orbits Earth (繞著地球), it will take pictures from space, to help Taiwan's weather forecasts (天氣預報).
Scientists say this will make weather forecasts more accurate (準確).
Meanwhile, Taiwan's "National Space Organization" (國家太空中心), will be changing its English name soon.
Next year, it will be called the "Taiwan Space Agency", or TSA.
It also plans to hire (雇用) many new people to work on important space technology, like satellites and more.
And someday, maybe you could be one of them!
So, with a new satellite, new people, and new names, let's hope next year is a good fresh start for Taiwan's work in space! ________________________________
天文學家製作世界上最大的數位相機 Astronomers Build World's Largest Digital Camera
If you have a smartphone (智慧型手機), its camera can probably take some pretty high-quality pictures (高畫質的照片).
But what if your camera had a bigger lens (鏡片)?
Well, then it could take in more light (吸進更多的光)!
That means it could take pictures of things that are farther away (更遠).
So, how big could your camera get?
Some scientists in the U.S. have built the world's largest digital camera (數位相機).
But it's not just large… it's gigantic (巨大的)!
For the most part (大致上), the giant camera works just like smaller ones.
But the camera's lens has a diameter of 1.57 meters (直徑1.57公尺).
That's even taller than a lot of people!
And this giant lens is so strong that it could focus on a golf ball from 24 kilometers away. 這個鏡片強到它可以聚焦在24公里遠的高爾夫球上。
But the camera also has many pieces that are very fragile (脆弱的) and super expensive (超級貴), so scientists had to build it VERY carefully.
The camera's first test (測試) was to take a picture of broccoli.
And scientists say they will continue testing the camera for five months.
Then, in the year 2024, it will be moved to an observatory (天文台), in the country of Chile (智利).
After that, it will be used to look at billions of galaxies (數十億個銀河), for the next ten years.
But of course, we don't have room in our pockets (口袋不夠大) for big machines like this.
So just try to be happy with whatever camera you have in your phone! ________________________________
今年手機的報廢量高達數十億 Billions of Phones Thrown Away This Year
After our last story, you might be thinking about how many people have phones in their pockets.
It's definitely a lot!
In fact, researchers estimate that there are about 16 billion mobile phones worldwide. 研究者估計世界上有差不多一百六十億支手機。
But when someone gets a new phone, what happens to the old one?
Many people still keep their old phones, just in case they need them again (萬一之後還需要).
But after a while, most old phones just get thrown away (被丟掉).
Researchers estimate (估計) that about 5.3 billion phones will be thrown away this year.
And many people say this means we are wasting valuable technology and electronic equipment. 很多人說這代表我們在浪費很多有價值的科技和電子零件。
That's because many phone parts can be used for other technology, like electric cars (電動車), solar panels (太陽能板), and even wind turbines (風力發電機).
So what can we do about these wasted phones?
Well, right now, only 17% of phones are recycled (回收).
But environmental organizations (環保組織) want to make sure 30% of phones are recycled next year.
They are asking people to research where their old phones can be recycled.
So if you're not using your old phones… try to think about who could use it better! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is getting ready to launch another satellite into space.
The satellite, called "Triton", will take pictures to help Taiwan's weather forecasts.
Scientists say this will make weather forecasts more accurate. ________________________________
And,
Scientists in the U.S. have built the world's largest digital camera.
The camera's giant lens is so strong that it could focus on a golf ball from 24 kilometers away.
Scientists plan to use the camera to look at billions of galaxies in the future. ________________________________
And,
Researchers estimate that more than five billion phones will be thrown away this year.
They say we are wasting valuable electronics, because phone parts can be used for other technology.
So environmental organizations want to make sure more people can recycle old phones next year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
New baby pangolin, old dirty jeans, and a gift from the Queen.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
捷克首都動物園「台灣穿山甲」懷孕了 Formosan Pangolin at Prague Zoo is Pregnant
A Formosan pangolin (穿山甲) living in Prague is going to have babies.
4-year-old "Run Hou Tang" (潤喉糖) is a female pangolin from Taiwan.
She and male pangolin "Guo Bao" (果寶) lived at the Taipei Zoo.
In April this year, they traveled together to the Prague Zoo, in the Czech Republic.
The pangolins are part of a breeding program (穿山甲借殖計劃).
First, they had to spend some time in quarantine (隔離).
This is to make sure they were not sick.
Then the two pangolins started living together at the Prague Zoo in June.
The zoo says vets (獸醫) recently checked on Run Hou Tang…
And found out that she was pregnant!
園方為潤喉糖進行健康檢查，發現她懷孕了！
Vets say if everything goes well, Run Hou Tang should have her babies sometime in December or January.
Keepers at the Prague Zoo are very excited.
They say pangolin babies would be "a fantastic Christmas gift".
布拉格動物園表示，如果順利生產，潤喉糖的穿山甲寶寶將是第一隻在歐洲出生的，園方表示「那會是很棒的耶誕禮物」。
And the baby pangolins would be the first bred (培育) in Europe.
The Prague Zoo is the second zoo in Europe to host pangolins from Taiwan.
The first is Zoo Leipzig in Germany. ________________________________
破舊牛仔褲竟是美國老文物 How Much Money for an Old Pair of Jeans?
How much money would you pay for a pair of very old, very dirty jeans?
They were probably dark blue.
But it's a little hard to see the color, because the jeans are covered with dirt.
They are ripped at the bottom.
And there are also a few holes on the legs.
But some people say the jeans are "fantastic", and "extremely rare".
這雙牛仔褲又髒又破舊，卻有人說它【非常棒】也【非常稀有】。
And now these jeans have been sold at an auction…
For $87,000 U.S. dollars.
That's almost $2,800,000 NT!
Why are they so valuable (值錢)?
The jeans are from the 1880s.
They were found in an abandoned mine (廢棄的礦坑).
Some people like to collect (收集) old jeans like this.
In fact, the person who found the jeans searched for five years, and looked in at least 50 abandoned mines.
Jeans like this can tell us a lot about history.
This pair of jeans has many white spots on it.
Experts say the spots are bits of wax (蠟).
The wax comes from candles that miners used in dark underground tunnels.
It also has buttons for suspenders (吊褲帶).
Many men wore suspenders with their pants and jeans during that time.
The people who bought the old jeans say they would like to see it displayed in a museum. ________________________________
逾千隻泰迪熊轉送兒童慈善機構 Queen Elizabeth Bears Donated to Children
Some children in the U.K. will get a gift from someone special.
The gift is from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen passed away on September 8th.
After she died, many people left flowers and gifts for her.
Now, Buckingham Palace says teddy bears left for the queen will be donated to a children's charity.
英國白金漢宮表示，民眾致哀所留下的泰迪熊，將捐給兒童慈善機構。
The palace says that's more than 1,000 bears!
First, the bears will be cleaned by professional cleaners.
Then they will be sent to the children's charity.
The charity says the bears will bring joy to the children they help. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A Formosan pangolin living in Prague is going to have babies.
4-year-old "Run Hou Tang" is a female pangolin from Taiwan.
Vets say if everything goes well, Run Hou Tang should have her babies sometime in December or January. ________________________________
A pair of very old jeans have been sold at auction for $87,000 U.S. dollars.
The jeans are from the 1880s.
Jeans like this can tell us a lot about history. ________________________________
And,
Buckingham Palace says teddy bears left for Queen Elizabeth II will be donated to a children's charity.
The palace says that's more than 1,000 bears!
First, the bears will be cleaned by professional cleaners.
Then, they will be sent to the children's charity. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Taiwan gets better traffic technology, Nobel Prizes go to smart scientists, and a tiny brain plays a game.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
有助於防止意外發生的交通科技 Traffic Technology Helps Prevent Accidents
On roads and streets all over the world, we have traffic lights (紅綠燈) and street signs (道路交通標誌) to help people understand where they can drive (開車，騎車).
But no matter how careful we are, there will always be dangerous drivers. 無論我們多麼謹慎，總是會有人危險駕駛。
So Taiwan's National Police Agency (警政署), or NPA, has bought some new traffic-monitoring equipment (交通監控設備).
Now, the NPA has better cameras (更好的照相機), so they can take higher-quality photos (品質更好的照片) to catch bad drivers.
They got infrared systems (紅外線攝影機), which can help them to see vehicles in dark tunnels (隧道).
And they got smart speed monitors (智慧型測速器), to know when people are driving too fast.
So far (到目前為止), the use of this technology has decreased (減少) the number of traffic accidents (交通意外、車禍) in Taiwan.
This year, there were 189 fewer accidents than last year. 今年交通意外的發生數量比去年少了189次。
That technology has helped a lot! ________________________________
2022年諾貝爾獎 This Year's Nobel Prizes
Every year in October, the Nobel Prize (諾貝爾獎) is given to people who help the world with their work or research.
There are six kinds of Nobel Prizes, and it is a great honor (偉大的榮譽) to receive any of them.
The first prize goes to scientists who do the most important work in physiology or medicine (醫學).
This year, it went to a scientist for his research on Neanderthals (尼安德塔人), which helps us understand more about DNA.
The second award is for physics (物理學), and this year's award (獎品) went to not just one, but three scientists!
Their work in quantum physics (量子物理學) helps us understand how tiny particles (粒子) can stay connected, even when they are far away from each other.
This year's third award, in chemistry (化學), was given to three more scientists, for their work with molecules (分子).
They found a new way to make molecules link together (連接在一起), which could help us make better medicine in the future.
The fourth award is for literature (文學), and this year it went to a French writer, for her stories about the struggles of French society (法國社會的掙扎).
The fifth award is the Nobel Peace Prize (諾貝爾和平獎), and it was given to a few people in Ukraine (烏克蘭), Belarus (白俄羅斯), and Russia (俄羅斯).
All of these people have been fighting for human rights (爭取人權) in their countries, during a very hard time in Europe.
The final award is for economics (經濟學), and it went to three people researching how banks (銀行) work in a financial crisis (金融危機).
A lot of this work is hard for people to understand, but all of it teaches us about ourselves and the world around us.
And who knows? Someday, you might make an important discovery, too! ________________________________
腦細胞會打乒乓球電動 A Dish of Brain Cells Learns to Play "Pong"
Inside your head, there are more than 100 billion brain cells (一千億個腦細胞).
And whenever you think about something new, it's because your brain cells are connecting with each other (互相連結起來)!
Of course, with that many brain cells, you can think about things that are very complicated (複雜), like math, art, and languages.
But animals with smaller brains can't make these connections (連結), and so they can't think about the same things we do.
So, in order to understand how these cells connect to make thoughts (想法), scientists have created a tiny brain, with only 800,000 brain cells (八十萬個腦細胞).
And they taught it to play a video game!
Researchers in Australia put brain cells into a small dish, with a machine to give them signals (訊號).
Then they gave it a simple video game, called "Pong", where it just needs to hit a ball to win.
Of course… the tiny brain was not very good player (玩家).
So the scientists made a way to give it feedback (反饋), to help it learn how to play better.
And the feedback worked… in about five minutes!
這些腦細胞在5分鐘內就學會如何把遊戲打得更好！
And, to be honest (老實說), the tiny brain still wasn't a very good gamer.
But now, scientists want to keep making these tiny brains think harder, to find out more about how brains learn new things.
Because that's what brains do… they learn new things! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's National Police Agency, or NPA, has bought some new traffic-monitoring equipment.
Now, the NPA has better cameras, infrared systems, and smart speed monitors, to know when people are driving too fast. ________________________________
And,
Every year in October, the Nobel Prize is given to people who help the world with their work or research.
There are six kinds of Nobel Prizes, and it is a great honor to receive any of them. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have created a tiny brain, and taught it to play a simple video game.
They even found a way to give it feedback, to help it learn how to play better. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Glowing lanterns, burning art, and the beginning of the end.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
2023台灣燈會重返台北 Taiwan Lantern Festival Returning to Taipei
Every year in February, a part of Taiwan lights up for a special festival.
The Lantern Festival is a traditional holiday that happens on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar (農曆).
During the festival, people go out carrying lanterns.
They also play games and solve riddles (猜謎).
The Lantern Festival is celebrated in many places across Taiwan.
And one of the biggest events is the Taiwan Lantern Festival.
The event is held in a different city each year.
And next year, the festival will be held in Taipei.
The Tourism Bureau says the event next year will be the biggest it's ever been.
There will be four exhibition areas (展示區).
The main area will be at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Xinyi District.
The main lantern will be there, along with three other major lanterns.
Part of the festival will also be in the East District.
For that area, officials say lanterns will be put up in alleyways and along streets.
The "Innovation Exhibition Area" will be in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.
Officials say that area will mix old and new parts of Taipei culture.
And the "Future Exhibition Area" will be in the Xinyi business district.
This area will bring together fashionable culture and technology.
The bureau says many buildings in the area will be turned into works of art (藝術品).
「2023台灣燈會」會是一個城市型的燈會，在4大展區用高樓建築和市區巷弄呈現出300多件作品。
The festival will light up Taipei from February 5th to the 19th. ________________________________
英國藝術家燒毀畫作 Artist Burns His Own Art
People make art in many different ways.
Some people paint.
Some take photos.
Well, how about burning it?
Damian Hirst is an artist in the U.K.
He makes all types of art, from drawings, to artwork using animals that have died.
One type of art Damian is famous for, is "spot painting".
He paints circles on a white canvas (畫布).
The circles are all the same distance apart (距離).
And every spot is a different color.
He started making spot paintings in 1988.
And he has made around 1,400 of them!
Some of these sell for a lot of money.
One of the spot paintings sold for about $950,000 NT.
But now, Damian is going one step further.
Last week, the artist burned 1,000 of his spot paintings!
He put them, one-by-one, into an incinerator (焚化爐).
Damian says it looks like he's burning millions of dollars of art.
But he says he's not.
Damian says he has made an NFT (非同質化代幣) of each painting.
He says the value of each painting will transferred to its NFT.
Damian說，【很多人覺得我是在燒毀數百萬元的藝術品，但其實是讓這些畫作的價值從實體版本轉化成NFT。】
And Damian says all this, the paintings, the burning, the NFTs, is art. ________________________________
蔡依林再開UGLY BEAUTY巡演 Jolin Tsai Announces Concert Tour
Taiwan singer Jolin Tsai is going on tour again.
The artist says she will have six concerts in Taipei.
The concerts will start on December 31st this year, and continue until January 8th next year.
They will happen at the Taipei Arena.
Jolin says the concerts are the ending of her "UGLY BEAUTY" world tour.
She hopes her fans will get strength and courage from her music.
蔡依林希望歌迷可以從這次演唱會和音樂中獲得勇氣跟力量。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held in Taipei next year.
The Tourism Bureau says the event next year will be the biggest it's ever been.
The festival will light up Taipei from February 5th to the 19th. ________________________________
U.K. artist Damian Hirst is famous for "spot painting".
Last week, the artist burned 1,000 of his spot paintings!
He says the value of each painting will transferred to its NFT
And Damian says all this, the paintings, the burning, the NFTs, is art. ________________________________
And,
Taiwan singer Jolin Tsai will have six concerts in Taipei.
The concerts will start on December 31st this year, and continue until January 8th next year.
Jolin hopes her fans will get strength and courage from her music. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
New Taipei recycles old fishing nets into things you can use, a medieval discovery in the U.K., and the first Native American in space!
Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
新北2年回收廢棄漁網64公噸 再利用變身生活小物 New Taipei Recycles 64 Tons of Discarded Fishing Nets in 2 Years
Close your eyes and picture (想像) the ocean.
We normally imagine a calm and beautiful scene, with a clear ocean and blue skies.
But, ocean pollution (海洋污染) is a growing problem in today's world.
Chemicals and trash are two kinds of pollutants (污染物) dangerous for health, environmental, and economic reasons.
Marine trash (海洋垃圾) comes in many forms-most of them plastic.
Common types of marine trash include shopping bags, bottle caps, food wrappers, and fishing nets (漁網).
Fishing nets are getting caught in the reefs along the coasts of Taiwan. 漁網纏在台灣海域礁區。
New Taipei says the Fisheries Agency (漁業處) has cleared nets from reefs in the coastal sea areas (海域礁區), removing more than 16 metric tons in the past four years.
Over the years, they have promoted the recycling of 64 metric tons of discarded fishing nets. 多年來，他們推動了 64 公噸廢棄漁網的回收利用。
The recycled plastic pellets are used for making sunglasses frames, mobile phone stands, coasters, and other daily necessities. 回收的塑料顆粒用於製造太陽鏡框架、手機支架、杯墊和其他日常用品。
Take a look around you: what daily necessities around you can be made from recycled plastic? ________________________________
英國百貨公司下發現240具骷髏 240 Skeletons Found under a Department Store in the U.K.
October is known as the "spooky month" in Western culture. 十月在西方文化中被稱為【陰森森的月份】。
That's because Halloween falls on October 31st, and the weather changes into cool autumn (涼爽的秋天)!
During this time of year, many families in Canada and the United States decorate (裝飾) their homes with all sorts of spooky decorations.
Like witches, spider webs, and skeletons!
And speaking of which (說到這裡)…
Archaeologists in the U.K. have recently discovered a historical site hidden under an old department store. 英國的考古學家最近發現了一個隱藏在一家舊百貨公司下的歷史遺跡。
It included a graveyard (墓園) from the early 18th century, and the remains (遺體) of 240 people were buried there.
It's kind of spooky, right?
The old Ocky White building was a popular store for more than a century before it closed in 2013.
They discovered the ruins of a medieval priory (中世紀修道院) hidden beneath!
The ruins are made up of buildings including dormitories, scriptoriums, stables, and a hospital. 遺跡包括宿舍、寫字樓、馬?和醫院。
Going back to those skeletons… some of the remains were found with head injuries or wounds consistent with having been in battle (戰鬥).
Archaeologists say the site offers a "window into medieval Haverfordwest". ________________________________
美國宇航局首位美洲原住民宇航員 NASA's First Native American Astronaut
Native Americans are the indigenous people (原住民) of North, Central, and South America.
Throughout their history, they've had a lot of different role models (榜樣).
On October 5th, NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann became the first Native American in space.
Mann is also the first woman to command (率領) a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The 45-year-old is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes.
She arrived with the SpaceX Crew-5 mission team on October 6th.
They will spend five months aboard the floating space laboratory (實驗室), and conduct (執行) over 200 scientific studies.
The experiments are geared to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth. 這些實驗為人類在近地軌道以外的探索做準備。
She hopes her achievements will encourage other Native American children to pursue their dreams.
She says having a goal is important, because once you achieve that goal, you can ask, "What's next? What else can I do?" ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
New Taipei has cleared the reefs and nets in the coastal sea areas, and recycled 64 metric tons of discarded fishing nets.
The recycled plastic is used in the manufacturing process for sunglasses frames, mobile phone stands, coasters, and other daily necessities. ________________________________
And,
Archaeologists in the U.K. have recently discovered a historical site hidden under an old department store.
The ruins are a complex of buildings including dormitories, scriptoriums, stables, a hospital, and a graveyard. ________________________________
And,
NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann became the first Native American in space.
She hopes that her achievements will inspire other Native American kids. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Taiwan protects native plants, chess players talk about cheating, and dogs sniff out stress.
We've got more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
政府明確標示 侵略性植物的風險程度 Taiwan Marks Invasive Plant Risk Levels
When we look at Taiwan's beautiful scenery (風景), we can see lots and lots of green.
That's because Taiwan has a high diversity of plants (多樣性的植物).
But, even though plants can help the landscape look amazing, not all of them are good for Taiwan's environment! 不是每一種植物都對台灣的自然環境有好處！
In fact, many plants are "invasive" (侵略性的).
"Invasive" comes from the word "invade" (侵略), which means to go somewhere you shouldn't be.
This is a problem because when new plant species (植物種類) are added, they can affect Taiwan's natural balance (自然平衡).
Some kinds of plants are okay, but others grow so quickly that they take resources (資源) from Taiwan's native plants (原生植物).
So Taiwan's government is working to stop certain invasive plants from entering the country.
They include plants like smooth cordgrass (互花米草) and bitter vines (小花蔓澤蘭).
The government has marked some invasive plants as more dangerous than others, so Taiwan's customs workers know which ones to focus on. 政府把某些植物列為侵略性風險高的品種，好讓海關人員提高警覺。
Plants that grow too fast and take water from native species are marked with a higher risk level (高風險).
And plants that are easy to get rid of (消滅) are marked with a lower risk level.
We don't have to be afraid of new things, but it's good to understand how we can keep things in balance! ________________________________
西洋棋冠軍說對手作弊 Chess Champion Calls Opponent a Cheater
In English, there is an old saying (有一個古老諺語):
"Cheaters never prosper." 【作弊的人永遠不會成功。】
It means that people who cheat (作弊), or do things against the rules (違反規則), will never win.
Unfortunately, in real life (事實上), cheaters win very often.
And that's not fair (不公平) to people who work hard and follow the rules!
Recently, one famous player of chess (西洋棋) has also been accused of cheating (被指控在作弊).
The chess world champion (世界冠軍), a German man named Magnus Carlsen, was playing in a high-level chess tournament (高段的西洋棋比賽) against an American player named Hans Niemann.
The chess champion Carlsen made just one move (只走了一步)… and then quit (放棄了)!
Everyone was very surprised (驚訝) that one of the world's best players would do that.
But Carlsen said he refused to play chess against a cheater. Carlsen 說他拒絕跟作弊者下西洋棋。
But whether he cheated or not (不管他有沒有作弊), many chess tournaments are being more careful now, to make sure every game is played fairly and follows the rules.
It has also reminded people (提醒人) how important it is to be honest (誠實).
Even though we can't make everything fair all of the time, we still have to try our best! ________________________________
壓力很大嗎？狗狗聞得出來 Dogs Sniff Out Stress
Do you feel stressed out? 你會不會覺得壓力很大？
If you feel lots of stress every day, you might be able to hide it (隱藏起來) from your family and friends.
But new research says you might not be able (可能沒有辦法) to hide it from a dog!
Scientists recently ran some experiments, to see if dogs can sense stress in humans. 科學家最近做了一些實驗，想了解狗狗有沒有辦法感覺到人類的壓力。
And experiment results (實驗結果) show that they can!
But how did scientists work it out? 科學家怎麼得到這個結果？
First, they put some people in low-pressure situations (沒什麼壓力的情況), and took a sample (樣本) of their smell.
Then, they put those people into high-pressure situations (高壓的情況), like taking a math test (數學考試), and took another smell sample.
Finally, they gave the different samples to dogs, to see if they could smell the difference (聞出差別).
And out of 700 tests, the dogs could smell the difference 650 times!
But scientists are still trying to see if dogs can smell the differences between many other emotions (情緒).
In the meantime (同時), if you're feeling stressed out, maybe hugging a dog could help! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's government has marked some invasive plants as more dangerous than others, so Taiwan's customs workers know which ones to keep out of the country.
Plants that grow too fast and take water from native species are marked with a higher risk level.
And plants that are easy to get rid of are marked with a lower risk level. ________________________________
And,
The chess world champion has accused an American player of cheating.
The American player said he had cheated in the past, but that he wasn't anymore.
But whether he cheated or not, many chess tournaments are being more careful now, to make sure every game is played fairly and follows the rules. ________________________________
And,
Scientists recently ran some experiments, to see if dogs can sense stress in humans.
And out of 700 tests, dogs could smell the difference 650 times!
But scientists are still trying to see if dogs can smell the difference between many other emotions. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
An amazing journey, a giant pumpkin, and The Rock's most important job.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
南極長征紀錄片【無邊】金馬影展首映 Taiwanese South Pole Expedition Film to Show at Golden Horse
A group of brave Taiwan adventurers went to the South Pole.
The five people included an athlete, a TV show host, and students.
Going to the South Pole is not an easy trip.
The South Pole is the southernmost point on Earth.
Days and seasons at the South Pole are very different.
Winter in the South Pole runs from May to August.
During that time, there is no sunlight at all.
It is completely dark.
Then during summer, from November to February, the South Pole gets sunlight all day.
And the South Pole is one of the coldest places on Earth.
During winter, the average temperature in the South Pole is about minus 60 degrees Celsius.
And the coldest temperature ever in the South Pole, is minus 82.8 degrees Celsius!
Brrr!
So it was no easy feat (壯舉) for the Taiwan adventurers to get there.
They left Taipei on November 13th, 2018, and flew to Chile (智利).
Then they set out on skis (滑雪板).
The group ran into blizzards (暴風雪).
And they had problems with their food rations (口糧).
But finally, they reached the South Pole on December 22nd, 2018.
Now, a movie about their amazing trip will show at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival next month.
「無邊」記錄台灣5人組成的長征隊，挑戰以越野滑雪的方式到達南極。
The group hopes their trip can inspire young people to have the courage to follow their dreams. ________________________________
巨無霸南瓜刷新美國最重紀錄 The Heaviest Pumpkin in the U.S.
Are you feeling the fall weather?
Now that the weather is cooler, you can feel nature changing.
The temperature is lower.
And leaves on some trees are starting to change color.
In North America, fall is a time for playing in fallen leaves.
It's also a time for picking apples.
And, it's a time for pumpkins (南瓜)!
Many people grow pumpkins in fall.
And many places in North America will hold pumpkin growing contests.
The person who grows the biggest pumpkin, wins.
Now, a teacher in the U.S. has grown a really heavy pumpkin.
Travis is a teacher in the state of Minnesota.
He teaches people about horticulture (園藝).
Horticulture is all about how to grow plants.
So Travis knows a lot about how to grow big, healthy pumpkins.
In fact, Travis has grown the heaviest pumpkin in the U.S.!
The giant pumpkin is green, yellow, and orange.
When Travis stands next to his giant pumpkin, it's as tall as his chest.
And this giant pumpkin weighs 1,161 kg! 這顆巨大的南瓜有1,161公斤重！
So it's about as heavy as a small car.
Travis' pumpkin won the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
It's a giant pumpkin contest in California.
Travis says he drove with the pumpkin for 35 hours to get to the contest!
He says it's not easy to grow giant pumpkins in Minnesota.
The cold weather in the U.S. state makes growing giant pumpkins quite a challenge (挑戰).
But Travis' pumpkin is not the heaviest pumpkin in the world.
According to the Guinness World Records, the heaviest pumpkin in the world was grown in Italy.
That pumpkin is about 1,226 kg! ________________________________
巨石強森不參選總統 "The Rock" NOT Running for President
Many famous celebrities (明星) get into politics.
American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the governor of California (美國加州州長).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was an actor and comedian.
But one famous person says he will NOT run for President.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he loves the U.S.
But the most important thing in his life right now, is being a good father.
Some people in the U.S. have said they would like to see The Rock as the next president of the United States.
But in an interview, Johnson says he wants to have time for his three daughters.
The 50-year-old actor has been in many famous movies, including "Jungle Cruise" and many of the "Fast and Furious" films.
He is also the most-followed American man on Instagram. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
A group of brave Taiwan adventurers went to the South Pole.
A movie about their amazing trip will show at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival next month.
The group hopes their trip can inspire young people to have the courage to follow their dreams. ________________________________
A teacher in the U.S. has grown the heaviest pumpkin in the U.S.!
This giant pumpkin weighs 1,161 kg!
It's about as heavy as a small car. ________________________________
And,
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he will NOT run for President.
He says he loves the U.S.
But the most important thing in his life right now, is being a good father. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Mask rules, dirty beaches, and astronaut DNA.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
口罩令會改變嗎？ Taiwan's Mask Rules May be Headed for a Change
It has been over 2 years since COVID-19 hit globally. 新型冠狀病毒肺炎至今已經在全球流行兩年了。
The rule of wearing a mask when you go out is followed in Taiwan and everywhere else.
Now, that rule may change after November.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (中央流行疫情指揮中心), or CECC, says the pandemic is getting better.
We still have to wear face masks most of the time.
But sometimes, we can take them off.
We can take them off for some things, like eating in a restaurant, jogging, or exercising outdoors. 在餐廳用餐或在戶外運動可以暫時脫口罩。
Countries like Singapore, the U.S., and many places in Europe have changed their rules about masks, too.
And rules in Taiwan might change again soon.
The government will think about ending the requirement of wearing a mask from November, if the number of cases stays low. 政府將會在11月評估考量不用戴口罩的規定。
However, there is one more thing that the government is also worried about… the upcoming flu season.
Flu season starts in Fall (秋季), and continues until the end of Spring (春季).
The government worries that people might get more severe symptoms (更嚴重的症狀) if they get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
So the government recommends that people get the flu vaccine (流感疫苗).
Experts say it is okay to get both shots at the same time, on different arms. ________________________________
英國海灘汙水危機 U.K. Closes Some Beaches
England and Wales have closed their beaches because of sewage (汙水).
How did this happen?
Heavy rain usually brings fresh air and a grassy smell to the air.
But, it has brought pollution to beaches in England and Wales.
Many beaches are closed because they are full of sewage after a heavy rain.
Sewage is dirty water that needs to be treated before it goes to the ocean or to be reused.
It should not be released before it is treated.
All that sewage can pollute the environment. 汙水在沒有被妥善的處理之前不能排放，因為會汙染環境。
And this is what's happening now in parts of the U.K.
Sewage is being dumped illegally in England's and Wales' rivers.
And those rivers flow to the sea.
This means many beaches are now covered in sewage.
This also affects many resorts (渡假村).
So the government decided to close some of them.
One of the popular swimming spots around the area called "Bath" is facing a big challenge (問題，挑戰) because of sewage.
A lot of people, including kids, love going there to swim.
And the sewage was released just upstream (上游).
Many people are worried that swimmers will accidentally drink the water which is polluted by the sewage.
This would make them very sick.
So for now, people have to take extra care and think twice before going to the beach. ________________________________
太空旅行會改變人類的基因嗎？ Space Travel Changes Astronauts' DNA
Some of us have dreamt of being astronauts (太空人) when we were young.
One day, people might travel to other planets (星球).
A lot of countries are working on sending astronauts to Mars, and preparing to set bases on the Moon.
It sounds like fun traveling out into space.
Some think that astronauts have cool equipment (裝備) and gear (工具).
And space shuttles (太空船) are also amazing!
But did you know there are a lot of risks working as an astronaut?
Scientists have found that traveling to space can change a person's DNA.
DNA is a hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. DNA是一種人類和所有生物都有的遺傳物質。
Every one of us has a unique (獨特的) DNA, which can tell us lots about our body.
A group of astronauts were asked to be part of an experiment before they went out into space. 有一群太空人在去太空之前做了一個實驗。
They gave blood samples before they traveled to space.
And the researchers found that some of their DNA changed.
The researchers found mutations in some of the DNA. 研究人員發現這些太空人的基因出現突變的現象。
There are many factors (因素) that can cause the mutation.
The mutation might happen because of space radiation (太空輻射).
It means astronauts might be at a higher risk of getting sick or getting a disease (疾病) like cancer.
This research is important for future missions, like landing on the moon or other planets. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The Central Epidemic Command Center says the pandemic is getting better, and may think about ending mask requirements in November, if the number of COVID-19 cases stays low.
But the government is also worried about the upcoming flu season, because some people might get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
So the government is reminding everyone to get the flu vaccine. ________________________________
And,
England and Wales have closed their beaches because of pollution. Many people are worried that swimmers will accidentally drink or swim in the polluted water.
So for now, people have to take extra care when going to the beach in those places. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have found that traveling to space can change a person's DNA.
Researchers took blood from a group of astronauts before they went out into space, and then again after they returned.
The researchers found mutations in some of the DNA, and think it may have happened because of space radiation. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A black bear all grown up, a piglet with a new family, and the latest project from a famous actor.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
野放2年後 台灣黑熊Mulas身邊多了熊麻吉 Formosan Black Bear Mulas Happy in the Wild
A bear cub that was lost, is now living happily in the wild.
Mulas the Formosan black bear was found alone in the wild in 2019.
At that time, Mulas was just a few months old.
She was about to be attacked by dogs (被野狗攻擊).
The people who found her saved her.
They brought her to experts in Taitung.
The experts helped keep Mulas safe.
And they taught her how to be a bear.
People took care of Mulas for 10 months.
Then, when she was ready, they let her go back into the wild.
Now, 2 years and 4 months later…
Experts say Mulas has grown into a healthy, adult bear!
They say they've seen Mulas in videos.
The videos were filmed (拍攝) by cameras set up in the forest.
In the videos, Mulas looks strong.
Her fur is shiny (有光澤的).
She knows how to dig in the dirt and on trees, to look for food.
Mulas also knows how to scratch her back using trees.
And the videos also show that Mulas has a friend!
In the videos, Mulas plays with her friend.
They lightly bite each other, and hit each other with their paws.
Mulas和牠的朋友互相輕咬、拍打及玩耍，看起來很開心。
The experts are not sure if Mulas' friend is a male or a female.
But they are happy that Mulas is doing so well, and living happily in the wild. ________________________________
野豬寶寶成為牛群新成員 Cow Herd Adopts Wild Boar Piglet
A family of cows in Germany has a new baby.
But this baby looks a little different.
It's not a calf (小牛).
It's a wild boar piglet (小野豬).
A farmer named Friedrich says his cow herd was eating grass a few weeks ago.
And he noticed something a little strange.
He saw a piglet in the middle of all the cows.
Friedrich thinks the little wild boar piglet probably got lost.
The farmer says a group of wild boars crossed a river nearby.
That's probably when the piglet got separated (分散) from its family.
And now the little piglet is living with the cows.
The cows and the piglet seem very relaxed together.
They walk around, and eat grass.
Wild boars can be a bit of a headache for farmers.
They eat things that farmers grow.
Or the boars step on crops (農作物).
Wild boars also like to dig in the dirt.
They use their snout (口鼻部) and tusks (獠牙) to dig, and look for food.
But all this digging destroys farmers' crops.
And it leaves lots of holes.
Farm machines may break when they go over these holes.
But even with all these problems, Friedrich says he will let the wild boar piglet stay.
He says it would be unfair to leave the piglet alone.
農人Friedrich說現在把小野豬趕走太不公平了。
Friedrich says he has asked hunters not to shoot the piglet.
And he says in the winter, he will let the piglet stay in the shed, with the mother cows. ________________________________
湯姆漢克斯準備出小說 Tom Hanks to Release New Book
You might know him as the voice of Woody in the Toy Story movies.
Or, you might know him as Forest Gump.
He has been in a lot of famous movies.
But now, American actor Tom Hanks has written a book.
奧斯卡影帝湯姆漢克斯要出小說了。
The book is about a superhero action movie.
The story starts from the year 1947, and goes all the way to present day (當今的，現代的).
The 66-year-old actor says he thought about his experiences in Hollywood when he was writing.
Tom has also created three comic books.
The comic books are an important part of the story.
And they are in the book.
This is actually Tom's second book.
His first book is full of short stories. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Mulas the Formosan black bear was lost, but is now living happily in the wild.
Videos show Mulas has grown into a healthy, adult bear.
And the videos also show Mulas playing with a friend. ________________________________
A family of cows in Germany has adopted a wild boar piglet.
A farmer thinks the little wild boar piglet probably got lost.
The farmer says he will let the piglet stay in the shed with the mother cows during winter. ________________________________
And,
American actor Tom Hanks has written a book.
The book is about a superhero action movie.
The 66-year-old actor says he thought about his experiences in Hollywood when he was writing. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A new Indigenous Peoples' Museum, "buzz stops" in the UK, and how Finland wants to change fashion.
Stay tuned to learn more about these stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣南部將建原住民博物館 New Indigenous Museum in Southern Taiwan
There are many kinds of museums (博物館) you can visit in Taiwan.
Whether you're interested in science, art, or history, there's a place where you can go and learn about them!
In a few years, there will be a new museum where people can discover more about Taiwan's indigenous people (原住民).
The central government has agreed to build the National Indigenous Peoples' Museum in Kaohsiung, near Chengcing Lake.
And it's expected to open in 2027.
It will be Taiwan's first national museum for indigenous peoples based on their storytelling (故事).
The museum will preserve and try to popularize indigenous languages. 博物館將保存並努力推廣原住民語言。
And it will introduce the lives and cultures of indigenous people to visitors.
The exhibitions revolve around themes including arts and crafts, contemporary lifestyles, traditions, and ecology. 展覽主題包括原住民的藝術和手工藝、現代生活方式、傳統和生態。
The museum will help showcase (展示) and promote (推動) Taiwan's many indigenous cultures. ________________________________
英國建立【嗡車站】幫助昆蟲種群 UK Builds "Buzz Stops" to Help Insect Population
When was the last time you saw a bee in the city?
I don't know about you, but I haven't seen an urban (都市) bee in the last few years.
Many experts believe that the global insect population is dwindling (減少).
Insects, especially bees and butterflies, are important pollinators (傳粉者) that help grow flowers, trees, and crops.
But humans have taken over (佔領了) more and more land for cities, roads, and farms, leaving fewer green spaces for pollinators.
That's why bus stops in the UK and in Europe are getting living roofs (活屋頂), in order to help important insects.
A living roof is a small garden on the roofs of bus stops in big cities, with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. 活屋頂是大城市公車站屋頂上的一個小花園，上面種著可以吸引蜜蜂和蝴蝶的花草。
The company Clear Channel manages bus stops in the UK, and it's working with the government to install (設置) at least 1,000 bee bus stops.
Clear Channel has already installed bee bus stops in many places in Europe.
Research shows these "buzz stops" have been helping increase bee populations in the Netherlands. 研究表明這些"嗡車站"有幫助增加荷蘭的蜜蜂數量。
And the little gardens can also help lower city temperatures (降低城市溫度).
A wildlife expert says we're living through a nature and climate crisis, and we need to use every tool we have to solve the problem. 野生動物專家說，我們正在經歷自然和氣候危機，所以需要使用擁有的每一種工具來解決這個問題。 ________________________________
芬蘭希望改變我們製作衣服的方式 Finland Aims to Change the Way We Make Clothes
Recycling is important to help reduce the amount of trash we produce, and help the environment.
Take a moment to think about it: what are some things you use every day that can be recycled?
Plastic containers… cardboard and paper… metal cans… glass bottles…
How about the clothes you're wearing?
Clothes can be made from different materials (材料), depending on the style and function.
According to the Global Fashion Agenda organization, an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created around the world each year. 全球每年約有 9200 萬噸紡織廢料產生。
Most of that textile waste is burned or sent to landfills, polluting the environment. 大部分紡織廢料被焚燒或送往垃圾填埋場，污染環境。
But many start-up companies in Finland are trying to change that.
Like Infinited Fiber, a company that makes clothing fiber from old textiles. 像 Infinited Fiber，一家用舊紡織品製造服裝纖維的公司。
The recycled fiber (再生纖維) is called Infinna.
Infinna is made by shredding (切碎) old textiles and removing synthetic (合成的) materials and dyes.
Then, they extract cellulose (提取纖維素) to create a soft, fluffy, and cream-colored material that resembles wool (類似於羊毛).
The new fiber can then be used to make anything from shirts and dresses to jeans.
The company says the technology has been available since the 1980s, but now it's possible to mass-produce (批量生產) the recycled fiber.
And it's not the only company making recycled textiles in Finland.
Many other Finnish companies are looking at ways to produce new recycled textiles, while cutting down on emissions (減少排放).
They say recycled fibers could become mainstream (主流) within ten to 15 years. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The central government has agreed to build the National Indigenous Peoples' Museum in Kaohsiung.
The museum will help preserve indigenous languages and promote Taiwan's many indigenous cultures. ________________________________
And, Many experts believe that the global insect population is dwindling.
So bus stops in the UK are getting living roofs with gardens, in order to help important insects. ________________________________
And,
Many start-up companies in Finland are trying to change how we make clothes.
Like Infinited Fiber, a company that makes clothing fiber from old textiles. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Rice pandas, moon hotels, and crystal flutes.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
草屯北投國小師生創作彩繪稻田 Students Create Panda Cartoon in Rice Field
You probably make all kinds of pictures at school.
Sometimes you draw pictures.
Sometimes you paint.
You might even make pictures using computer programs (電腦程式).
But have you ever made pictures… by planting rice?
Students at Beitou Elementary School did this.
They used a field in Nantou County's Caotun Township.
The field is right next to their school.
First they planned out what picture they wanted to make.
Then, at the start of the month, they planted (種) the rice.
They planted two different types of rice.
One type of rice plant is green.
The other type is dark brown.
And after the rice plants grew, the picture showed!
The school does this with students every year.
Each year, they choose a different theme (主題), and different words.
This year, the students made a picture of a panda.
The panda is carrying bales (捆) of rice.
The school says the picture will stay until the end of November.
Then the rice in the field will be harvested.
北投國小說11月底割稻前都可以去觀賞稻田裡的圖案。 ________________________________
杜拜奢華飯店讓你一秒登月球 Dubai to Build Giant Moon Hotel
Dubai is a city full of amazing buildings.
It's home to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world.
It's also home to The Palm, man-made islands that look like a palm tree.
Much of the city looks like a place from the future.
And very soon, Dubai will be home to another building that is "out of this world" (非常棒的、遠遠超出期待).
Dubai is getting ready to build a Moon resort (月球渡假村).
A team of builders say they want to build something that looks like a giant moon.
And it will be called "Moon".
"Moon" will be 224 meters high.
So if you put "Moon" in Taipei, it will be almost half as tall as Taipei 101.
The outside of the hotel will be made to look like the real Moon.
It will have craters (隕石坑).
And the builders say it will be much more than just a hotel.
Inside, there will be restaurants, spas, theaters, and more.
All of these places will be space-themed (太空主題).
Some will be made to look like the inside of a spaceship.
The builders say it will be very luxurious (豪華).
And for the star attraction…
The hotel will let visitors try out what it feels like to walk on the moon.
It's a simulation (模擬).
The visitors will get some astronaut training.
And they can explore a lunar colony.
渡假村最高層會有一個仿造月球表面的"月球殖民地"，讓遊客"登月"探索月球。
The builders want to get Moon ready to open in 2027. ________________________________
歌手Lizzo吹奏200年水晶長笛 Lizzo Plays Crystal Flute at Concert
American musician Lizzo is known for playing flute (長笛) at her concerts.
The singer, songwriter, and rapper has been playing flute since she was a child.
And aside from being a good flute player, she has many hit songs.
But she played a very special flute at a recent concert in Washington.
The flute is around 200 years old.
And it's made of crystal (水晶)!
The flute belonged to former U.S. President James Madison.
這支長笛曾由美國前總統詹姆斯-麥迪遜擁有。
And Lizzo had to get special permission from the government to use the flute.
Government officials and police stood close by, as she played it at her concert.
She played just a few notes.
Then she gave it back to the officials.
Lizzo was very excited, and reminded her fans that history is "cool". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Students at Beitou Elementary School made a picture in a field of rice.
First they planned out what picture they wanted to make.
Then, at the start of the month, they planted two types of rice.
And after the rice plants grew, the picture showed! ________________________________
Dubai is getting ready to build a Moon resort.
A team of builders say they want to build something that looks like a giant moon.
Inside, there will be restaurants, spas, theaters, and more. ________________________________
And,
American musician Lizzo played a crystal flute at a recent concert in Washington.
The flute is around 200 years old.
It belonged to former U.S. President James Madison. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Taiwan's first climate refugees, the EU's ban of products made with forced labor, and turning lunch boxes into electricity!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣地區的收批氣候難民恐怕會比預計中更早出先 How Soon Might Taiwan See its First Climate Refugees?
Many of us have heard of the dangers of climate change and the risks that many people living in coastal areas (沿海地帶) are facing.
However, did you know that there are places in Taiwan that are already suffering from rising sea levels caused by climate change? 台灣有些地方已經遭受氣候變化導致的海平面上升。
Yunlin County's Tai-zi Village (雲林縣台子村) has just built a new seawall (海塘) earlier this year to prevent the increasing number of large waves that affect the coastal village.
Chien Lien-kwei (簡連貴), a professor at the National Ocean University (國立海洋大學) has been studying Taiwan's coastlines for many years.
He says the Yunlin coastline's ocean levels have risen from 9 to 22 centimeters since 2017.
Professor Chien strongly advises (建議) residents of Tai-zi to make plans to leave the coastal area as soon as possible.
However, it's not just Tai-zi that is facing these problems.
There are many farming and fishing communities along the Western coast of Taiwan, and many of them face similar threats to their lifestyle. 台灣西海岸有許多農業和漁業社區，其中許多人的生活方式面臨著類似的威脅。
And not only are sea levels rising, but also the land where people can live is sinking (下沉).
One can only imagine the damage that is done when a large wave crashes over the seawall and floods the homes of people living along the coastline. ________________________________
歐盟協議下令禁止進口所有用強迫勞工製造的商品 EU plans to ban all products made by forced labor
Earlier in September 2022, the European Commission (歐盟委員會) made a proposal to ban any goods that are made with forced labor. 歐盟委員會提議禁止使用強迫勞動製造的任何商品。
The goal for passing this law is to keep products made with forced labor from entering any of the 27 countries of the European Union.
The law will target the main factors in the global supply chain, including importers, manufacturers, producers and product suppliers. 該法將針對全球供應鏈中的主要因素，包括進口商、製造商、生產商和產品供應商。
The EU executive commented, "This law can be applied to any stage in the production of a product, all the way from harvesting the raw material to the final assembly or manufacturing, even to any related processing that's related to the products." 該法適用於產品生產的任何階段，從原材料的收穫到最終組裝或製造，甚至與產品相關的任何相關加工。
When this law is passed and is applied to all 27 EU countries, the governments will have the power to block (擋) products from entering each country's market and even withdraw (撤回) products that are proven to have been made with forced labor.
National authorities will have to provide evidence (證據) of forced labor before taking any actions. ________________________________
垃圾山的一線希望；將廢棄紙盒轉換成電能 Hope for trash; turning cardboard lunch boxes into electricity
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic started in late 2019, our lifestyles have all changed drastically.
Even the way we get our daily meals has changed!
Food Panda and UberEats have become the number one choice for many people to order food.
Because of this change, the amount of waste (垃圾) that's produced from ordering food delivery has skyrocketed (飆升) in the past two to three years.
Taiwan's biggest paper production company Cheng Loong Corporation (正隆) has been fighting to deal with the increasing amount of paper waste.
Although Cheng Loong might not be a household name (家喻戶曉的名字), their products have been used by almost every person in Taiwan, including tissues, toilet paper and food boxes.
The company has invested billions of dollars to build sustainable solutions. 正隆已投資數十億元來構建可持續的解決方案。
Cheng Loong has come up with a way to filter the non-recyclable waste from the recycling process and then turn those into small, easy-to-use fuel pellets.
Then, these fuel pellets are used at the new facility in Zhubei to help with drying the paper pulp (紙糊).
This new facility cost Cheng Loong around 1.7 billion NT (17億元) to build.
The company is already using the fuel pellets for around 50% of all its energy needs, replacing coal and decreasing CO2 emissions (二氧化碳排放量).
Cheng Loong aims to process all waste material at this new facility and has goals to reduce the amount of coal it uses every year by about 30,000 tons in the near future. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There are places in Taiwan that are already suffering from rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Yunlin coastline's ocean levels have risen from 9 to 22 centimeters since 2017. ________________________________
And,
The European Commission has made a proposal to ban goods that are made with forced labor.
When this law is passed, the governments in 27 countries will have the power to block products from entering their markets. ________________________________
And,
Taiwan's biggest paper production company has been fighting to deal with the increasing amount of paper waste from food deliveries.
Cheng Loong Corporation has come up with a way to recycle waste and make fuel pellets from it.
The company is already using the fuel pellets for around 50% of all its energy needs. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Jane:
Hearing noise, tasting bitterness, and the next halftime star.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北市噪音最高的地方 The Noisiest Places in Taipei
Think about where you live.
You know what it looks like.
But what does it sound like?
If you live in the city, it might sound a little like this…
If you have lived in the city for a long time, you might be used to this.
But scientists say too much noise is not healthy.
Researchers from Academia Sinica (中央研究院) made a map.
The map shows Taipei City.
And it shows how noisy the city is.
這張地圖顯示台北市各區噪音的高低。
Each place on the map has a color.
And the colors show the decibels of noise.
A "decibel" (分貝) is how we measure sound.
Higher decibels mean the sound is louder.
Lower decibels mean the sound is quieter.
The World Health Organization says outdoor noise levels during the day should be less than 53 decibels.
But the map shows 30 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that.
And the WHO says noise levels during nighttime should be less than 45 decibels.
The map shows 25 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that at night.
The scientists say the city's Daan District (大安區) and Zhongshan District (中山區) are especially noisy at night.
And places close to Songshan Airport and the Taipei Flora Expo Park (台北花博公園) are noisy during the day.
Experts say too much noise can make people feel discomfort (不舒服).
And too much noise long-term (長期的) can be unhealthy for our bodies and minds.
They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.
And now the world is thinking more about noise pollution.
They say the problem of noise needs to be solved so people can live healthy lives. ________________________________
寶寶心裡苦？胎兒表情透露食物喜好 Fetuses Smile for Carrots, Cry for Kale
Do you like vegetables?
Is there one vegetable that just makes you go, "BLEH"?
Well, it seems like babies do this too, even before they are born!
Some scientists wanted to learn more about fetuses (胎兒).
A "fetus" is a baby still in the mother's womb (子宮).
Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.
They looked at fetuses of 100 women.
The women were in their last 3 months of pregnancy.
The scientists had some of the women eat carrots.
And some of the women ate kale (羽衣甘藍).
They chose carrots because many people would say carrots have a "sweet" taste.
And they chose kale, because many people say kale has a "bitter" taste (苦的味道).
Then the scientists took 4D ultrasound scans.
接下來，研究人員讓這100名孕婦做了4D超音波掃描。
These scans would take pictures of the baby's face.
Here's what they found…
If the mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that looked like a smile.
The corners of their lips went up (嘴角上揚).
And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like they wanted to cry.
Their lips pulled down.
Scientists say they are still trying to understand what this means.
They say eating healthy food is very important.
But they know many healthy vegetables have a bitter taste, like kale.
They hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more healthy vegetables. ________________________________
蕾哈娜登上超級盃中場秀舞台 Rihanna to Star in Super Bowl Half-time Show
The Super Bowl halftime show is a big event.
The Super Bowl is the final game, between the two best American football teams in the NFL.
Many people in the U.S. go to the game in person.
Even more people watch the game on TV.
The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl.
It takes place during a break, in the middle of the game.
Many famous stars, like Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and Michael Jackson have starred in the show.
能在美式足球超級盃中場表演的藝人幾乎都是超級巨星，包括女神卡卡、威肯、和麥可傑克森。
Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the next halftime show.
The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February of next year. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Researchers made a map showing noise in each part of Taipei City.
They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.
And too much noise long-term can be unhealthy for our bodies and minds. ________________________________
Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.
They found if a mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that looked like a smile.
And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like they wanted to cry.
The scientists hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more healthy vegetables. ________________________________
And,
Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the halftime show this year.
The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl, during a break in the middle of the game.
The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February next year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Clifford and Trevor:
Taiwan's buses go electric, scientists study a creature that can live forever, and tea helps prevent serious disease.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台北公車2030年實現全電動化 Taipei Buses to go All Electric by 2030
Electric vehicles have become more and more popular in recent years. 近幾年電動車越來越受歡迎。
They don't burn gasoline (汽油) or diesel (柴油), so they don't directly produce any CO2 (二氧化碳).
In fact, many countries and local governments are banning the sale (禁止銷售) of new gas or diesel vehicles in the future.
The Taiwan government is also getting in on the trend (趨勢).
This year they announced that all of the public buses on the island would be electric by 2030!
So, to meet the goal, the Taipei government is adding even more electric buses this year.
The city will increase (增加) the number of electric buses on the road from 336 to 400 by the end of the year.
However, there is a lot of work to do to prepare the roads for electric buses.
For example, electric buses need to charge their batteries (電池充電), so many new charging stations (充電站) will need to be installed.
Besides being good for the environment, electric vehicles are also much quieter. 除了環保，電動車也比較安靜。
Which means that in the future, there will be a lot less noise from traffic! ________________________________
科學家研究【永生】的海洋生物 Scientists Study 'Immortal' Sea Creature
Do you want to live forever?
Well, there is a kind of jellyfish that may be able to live almost forever! 有一種水母幾乎是永生的！
The word immortal means "to be able to live forever".
That's why this species (種類) of jellyfish is named the "immortal jellyfish!"
The secret (秘密) to the jellyfish being able to live almost forever is that it can reverse its aging (逆轉老化).
After it becomes old enough to reproduce (繁殖), it can actually go back to an immature state (不成熟的狀態).
It can change from being a child to an adult and then back again, nearly forever! 就好像它可以從一個孩子變成一個成年人，然後又變回小孩，周而復始！
That's why scientists have been studying this unusual creature.
So, a team of researchers (一組研究人員) at a university in Spain (西班牙) made a record of all of the jellyfish's genes (基因).
Scientists think that the jellyfish may have a special ability (特殊能力) to copy and fix its genes.
And once they understand the secrets of the immortal jellyfish, they hope scientists will be able to use that data to help people live longer, healthier lives.
一旦科學家了解永生水母的秘密，他們就希望利用這些資訊來幫助人們過更長壽、更健康的生活。 ________________________________
喝茶可以預防糖尿病 Drinking Tea May Prevent Diabetes
People in Taiwan drink a lot of tea.
In fact, tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and it is the second most popular drink next to water! 茶是世界上最受歡迎的飲料之一，僅次於水的第二受歡迎的飲料！
Well, if you like drinking tea, there's some good news for you.
Researchers have found that people who drink four cups of black (紅茶), green (綠茶), or oolong tea (烏龍茶) can have a lower chance of developing diabetes (降低糖尿病的機率).
The researchers followed thousands of people for over 12 years to gather the data.
Because these teas are high in antioxidants (抗氧化劑), scientists think it might help reduce blood sugar (降低血糖) and provide other health benefits (健康好處).
But some health experts think there might also be a connection between people who drink a lot of tea and living a healthy lifestyle (健康的生活方式).
For example, people who drink a lot of tea may not drink many sugary drinks (含糖飲料).
And unfortunately, if you like to drink sweet tea drinks like boba tea (珍珠奶茶), you won't get many health benefits.
That's because boba tea contains a lot of starches (澱粉) and sugar, which makes it quite unhealthy.
So, if you want to reduce your chances of getting diabetes, follow the advice of health experts and get lots of exercise, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of tea!
所以，如果你想減少患糖尿病的機會，多聽專家的建議，多運動，多吃新鮮水果和蔬菜，並且多喝茶！ ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan government has announced that all of the public buses on the island will be electric by 2030.
To help meet that goal, the Taipei government is adding even more electric buses this year. ________________________________
And,
There is a kind of jellyfish that may be able to live almost forever, by reversing its aging.
After it becomes old enough to reproduce, it can go back to an immature state.
Then, when it is ready to reproduce, it can become mature again. ________________________________
And,
Researchers have found that people who drink four cups of black, green, or oolong tea can have a lower chance of developing diabetes.
Because these teas are high in antioxidants, scientists think it might help reduce blood sugar and provide other health benefits. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Clifford:
A Taiwan panda feels a bit better, a computer wins an art contest, and Japan gets ready for tourists again.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台北動物園熊貓 治療之後康復 Taipei Zoo Panda Recovering After Treatment
These days, there aren't very many pandas left in the world. 世界上現在已經沒有很多熊貓了。
That's why we have to take care of (照顧) the pandas we have!
Even Taiwan's Taipei Zoo (台北動物園) only has four pandas.
The zoo has two older pandas, named Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓).
And they have two cubs (熊寶寶), named Yuan Zai (圓仔) and Yuan Bao (圓寶).
And recently, the father panda, Tuan Tuan, has not been feeling well.
Veterinarians (獸醫), also called "vets", did some tests (測試) to see what was wrong.
At first, zoo vets thought Tuan Tuan had a disease called epilepsy, because he was having trouble moving, and had no appetite. 台北動物園的獸醫剛開始以為團團有癲癇，因為他在圍欄裡動作遲緩，胃口也很差。
But later, they found that there were some other small problems in the panda's brain (腦部有病變).
Now, Tuan Tuan is 18 years old.
That's pretty old for a panda!
So it's actually normal that he may be showing signs of age. 所以牠開始出現老化的現象，其實很正常。
But after getting treatment (治療) from vets, Tuan Tuan has almost fully recovered (幾乎完全康復).
Vets say they are still conducting (執行) more tests on Tuan Tuan's brain.
They say after the tests are done, they will know how to take the best care of him. 獸醫說，做完檢驗之後，就會知道要怎麼樣繼續照顧團團。
Let's hope he can get well soon! ________________________________
人工智慧圖畫 藝術比賽獲勝 Artificial Intelligence Wins Art Contest
Art is made in so many different ways.
People can make it with pencils (鉛筆), paint (漆), and all kinds of objects (東西).
And you'd probably call them artists (藝術家)!
Nowadays, we can use computers to make art even more quickly and easily.
But what happens if the computer makes art by itself?
Recently, the world has seen many new machines (機器) that can speak, play games, and even make decisions by themselves (自己做決定).
This kind of machine is called "artificial intelligence" (人工智慧), or A.I.
And now, people are letting them make their own art!
In the U.S., a picture made by an A.I. has won $300 dollars in an art contest (藝術比賽).
The picture is called "Th??tre D'op?ra Spatial", and people say it looks like a European painting from the 1800s (歐洲1800年代的一幅畫).
First, the "creator" (製作者) of this picture had an AI generate hundreds of random images (輸出數百張隨機製造的圖畫).
He then picked his favorite image, and used his own computer to make some edits (編輯).
Now, a lot of people are angry that this picture won, because it wasn't really made by him.
They say that because it was made by an A.I., it isn't really art.
Of course, maybe this man shouldn't have won the contest, when other people worked so hard on their own pictures.
But the question still stands: 這個問題還在：
If a computer can make art by itself… is it an artist? ________________________________
日本重新開放邊界 讓外國觀光客入境 Japan Will Reopen to Foreign Tourists
When the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情) began in 2020, many countries quickly closed their borders (關閉國界).
That means those countries stopped allowing (不允許了) people from other countries to enter (入境).
Now, more than two years later, most countries have already reopened their borders (重新開放邊界).
But some are reopening much slower than others, like Taiwan and Japan (日本).
This is because some governments still want to be very careful.
But now, Japan's government has announced (宣布了) that it will reopen to foreign tourists (外國觀光客).
Starting from October 11th, travelers to Japan (去日本的旅客) will be able to enter the country on their own, without a visa (簽證).
Many people in Japan are excited to see more tourists (觀光客) visiting the country.
That's because when Japan gets more tourists, businesses can make more money, and Japan's economy can recover from the pandemic. 日本接待越多觀光客，店家賺的錢就越多，日本的經濟就可以慢慢復甦。
So if you're thinking of planning a trip to Japan, you should probably start looking at plane tickets (機票), before they're all gone! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei Zoo veterinarians have recently found some small problems in the brain of Tuan Tuan the panda.
Tuan Tuan is pretty old for a panda, so the vets say it's normal that he may be showing signs of age. ________________________________
And,
A picture made by an artificial intelligence computer has won an art contest.
Many people are angry that the picture won, because it wasn't really made by a person.
They say that because it was made by an A.I., it isn't really art. ________________________________
And,
Japan's government has announced that foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the country without a visa, starting from October 11th.
Many people in Japan are excited to see more tourists visiting the country. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Clifford:
A musical surprise, a crash on purpose, and help for mental health.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
太魯閣峽谷音樂節 快閃表演 Surprise Performance for Taroko Music Festival
Musicians put on a surprise performance (表演) at a train station.
The show was held at Hualien Station.
First, students from Tonglan Elementary School sang songs from the Truku people.
The Truku, also known as Taroko (太魯閣族), are an Indigenous Taiwanese people.
Then, indigenous singer Kuli sang "Happy Birthday", accompanied by five musicians from the Taipei Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
They were a musical flash mob.
A flash mob is a group of people who get together in a public space.
They do something, all together, like perform a dance, or sing a song.
And then they leave.
When the musicians performed at Hualien Station, many people stopped to listen and enjoy the music.
五位樂手在花蓮火車站前面的廣場舉辦快閃演出。
But what was this for?
They were celebrating this year's Taroko Music Festival.
This is the 20th year that the festival has been held.
The festival will take place on October 22nd.
It starts 10:30am, at the Taroko Terrace stage in Taroko National Park.
People who go to the festival can enjoy beautiful music in a beautiful outdoor space. ________________________________
美國太空總署探測器 成功撞擊小行星 NASA Probe Successfully Hits Asteroid
We practice (練習) for all kinds of emergencies.
You might have practiced at school, for what to do in an earthquake.
Or maybe at home, you practiced what to do if there's a fire.
Well, the U.S. space agency NASA is doing the same… for an asteroid (小行星) hitting Earth!
NASA sent a small space probe (太空探測器) into space.
Their goal, was to crash it into an asteroid.
And they've done it!
The Dart probe has hit an asteroid.
That asteroid is called Dimorphos.
It is 160 meters wide.
If you put it on the ground, it would be about as high as a building 40 floors tall (跟40層樓的大樓一樣高).
Dart has a camera.
The camera took photos every second.
And it kept taking photos until the moment Dart crashed into Dimorphos.
All this happened 11,000,000 kilometers from Earth.
So, why would NASA want to set up this crash (碰撞)?
They want to test what they could do, if an asteroid comes too close to Earth.
There are many space rocks moving around in space.
And some scientists say a space rock hitting Earth could be dangerous.
NASA says a small space rock, about the size of an 8-story building, would cause an explosion in the sky.
Some people might get hurt in the explosion.
A bigger space rock like Dimorphos, could make a big hole on Earth, and many deaths.
Then there are the very big space rocks.
If you put one of these rocks on the ground, they would be as high as five Taipei 101s.
If one of these hit the Earth, it could cause mass extinction (大滅絕).
So scientists want to be ready.
They want to practice what they could do, if space rocks come too close to Earth.
One of their ideas, is to send something out into space, to crash into the space rock.
This might change the direction (方向) that the space rock is flying in.
And that's the idea that they tested out with Dart.
Now, they are collecting data, to see if it worked.
太空總署的目的，是測試太空船是否能夠改變小行星的運行軌道，以後假如有小行星靠近地球，就可以用這個辦法把它撞開。 ________________________________
饒舌歌手Megan Thee Stallion創辦心理健康網站 Megan Thee Stallion Creates Mental Health Website
Megan Thee Stallion now has a website for mental health.
The website lists places where people can help.
On the site, there are organizations that offer free therapy (心理治療).
There are also helplines (求助熱線), for people having a hard time.
The website also shows other places where people can find more information about mental health (心理健康).
The American rapper helped put together the website.
In the past, Megan has talked about going to therapy after her mom died in 2019.
She was very open about how she needed help.
She says she learned that it is okay to ask for help.
Megan Thee Stallion說2019年母親過世以後，她慢慢學會了在需要的時候開口求助。
And she says the website might help, if anyone "needs a hand". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Musicians put on a surprise performance at Hualien Station.
They were celebrating this year's Taroko Music Festival.
The festival will take place on October 22nd. ________________________________
NASA sent a small space probe into space to crash into an asteroid.
They want to test what they could do, if an asteroid comes too close to Earth.
The probe has now crashed into the asteroid.
NASA is now collecting data, to see if it worked. ________________________________
And,
Megan Thee Stallion now has a website for mental health.
The website lists places where people can help.
Megan says it is okay to ask for help, and the website could do that, if anyone "needs a hand". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Jane:
Bears versus turtles, ants on Earth, and Captain America's "Dodger".
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
黑熊貝兒與紅耳龜過招 A "Beary" Big Problem for Taipei Zoo Turtles
Some turtles at the Taipei Zoo have a problem.
It's a "Beary" big problem.
Beary is a Formosan black bear (台灣黑熊).
She is 14 years old.
Beary lives at the zoo with another Formosan black bear named Brown Sugar.
Beary and Brown Sugar sometimes stay in an outdoor enclosure (戶外活動場地).
They can enjoy the sun, get some exercise, and swim in the pond.
Some red-eared sliders (紅耳龜) live in the pond. And the problem is…
Beary likes to play with them a bit too much!
Zookeepers say Beary is very energetic (精力充沛).
She is always looking for something to do.
The first time Beary saw a red-eared slider, she was a bit surprised.
Keepers say she backed away (後退) from the turtle.
But Beary soon became very interested in the turtles.
The keepers say this shows Beary has a very good memory (記憶力好).
Now they say Beary always looks for the turtles when she gets outside.
She likes to use her paws to hit the turtles' shells.
貝兒看到池邊的紅耳龜會揮動熊掌拍打龜殼。
Turtle shells are strong.
But Beary is 160 centimeters tall when she stands.
And she weighs 100 kilograms!
So getting hit by her paw is probably a little scary for the turtles.
Keepers say when the turtles see Beary come out, they will flee (逃跑) into the water.
But Beary is also smart.
When the turtles flee, Beary will follow them into the water.
And she uses her paws to search for (尋找) the turtles in the water.
Zookeepers are trying to find other fun things for Beary to do, so she will stop bothering the turtles. ________________________________
地球上到底有多少隻螞蟻？ How Many Ants Are There on Earth?
What's the smallest animal you can think of?
Many of you might be thinking of ants.
In fact, ants are so small, that there might be hundreds in the ground under you right now.
But have you ever wondered…
How many ants are there on Earth?
Scientists think they have the answer.
Here's a hint…
It's a lot.
Scientists think there are about 20 quadrillion (20,000,000,000,000,000) ants on Earth.
That's a "2" and sixteen "0"s.
科學家最新研究指出，地球上至少有2萬兆隻螞蟻。
How did they get this number?
The scientists had to collect (收集) a lot of information.
They looked at hundreds of studies of ants from all around the world.
The studies cover the past 80 years.
20 quadrillion is a number that is so big, it's almost too hard to imagine.
And the scientists say this is a "conservative" number (保守的數字).
2萬兆根本就是天文數字，很難想像，不過科學家說這可能還是低估了螞蟻的總數量。 ________________________________
【美國隊長】談愛犬 Dodger Chris Evans Talks About Being a Dog Dad
We would say being Captain America is a pretty important job.
But it seems like Chris Evans has another job that's even more important.
It's so important, that Chris says he is building his life around it.
That job, is taking good care of his dog!
Chris recently talked about his dog, named "Dodger", in an interview.
Dodger is a big brown and white dog.
In 2015, Chris was filming a movie in a dog shelter (動物收容所).
He said he saw Dodger, and knew right away that he was taking Dodger home.
克里斯當時在動物收容所拍戲，在無意間看到Dodger，便收養了牠。
Chris says he loves how Dodger is so joyful (高高興興的).
He says Dodger's heart is wide open.
But the actor says taking care of Dodger does come with a lot of responsibilities (責任).
He says no matter how busy he gets, he still has to make time to take Dodger on walks.
In the end, Chris says he enjoys that too.
He says taking care of Dodger helps him relax and have fun. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Beary is a Formosan black bear that lives at the Taipei Zoo.
She likes playing with the turtles in her enclosure a bit too much!
Zookeepers are trying to find other fun things for Beary to do, so she will stop bothering the turtles. ________________________________
How many ants are there on Earth?
Scientists think they have the answer.
They think there are about 20 quadrillion ants on Earth. ________________________________
And,
Actor Chris Evans recently talked about his dog "Dodger" in an interview.
Chris says he loves how Dodger is so joyful.
And even though taking care of Dodger is a big responsibility, Chris says he enjoys that too. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Clifford:
Taiwan's lack of typhoons, making gems from plastic, and the city with the most YouBikes in Taiwan.
We'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣今年獨有的【台】風困擾 Taiwan's Tai-phoon Dilemma
When was the last time you had a typhoon day off from school?
While some places in Taiwan had to take a few days off due to heavy rain and strong winds, it's been a long time since the majority of Taiwan all had a typhoon day off!
That's because there hasn't been a typhoon that has made landfall (登陸) for a few years!
The most severe effects have only been from the periphery (外圍環流) of a typhoon affecting Taiwan with heavy rain and strong winds.
This trend has been noticed not only by people living in Taiwan, but also by meteorologists (氣象學家) in Japan!
They discovered that typhoons in the months of July, August, September, and October all swerved (急轉彎) right before they got to Taiwan and went to Japan or Korea.
Also, typhoons in the months of June, November, and December all coasted by (掠過) the southernmost tip of Taiwan and went straight into the South China Sea.
When this report came out, many people shared the discovery all over the internet and many others created memes (迷因) about this unique situation.
Some people said, "It should be called the power of tai-phoon with the 'T-A-I' from Taiwan, not the regular 'T-Y' from typhoon."
Luckily for Taiwan, despite having no typhoons making landfall, enough rain has fallen over the years, saving Taiwan many times when water levels were at a critical point. 幸運的是，台灣雖然沒有颱風登陸，但仍然帶來豐沛雨量，在水庫快見底時多次拯救台灣。 ________________________________
科學奧秘：回收寶特瓶能製造奈米鑽石 Making Nanodiamonds out of Bottle Plastic
Have you ever heard of diamond rain (鑽石雨)?
If you've never heard of this, it's okay, it doesn't happen on Earth.
Diamond rain happens on the planets Neptune (海王星) and Uranus (天王星), where the environment is very extreme. 鑽石雨發生在環境非常極端的海王星和天王星上。
Temperatures reach many thousands of degrees Celsius (攝氏數千度) and the pressure is millions of times greater than the Earth's.
A German research team successfully recreated (模擬) the conditions needed to create very tiny diamonds here on earth.
The scientists fired an extremely powerful laser at a very thin layer of plastic and then they studied what happens to the plastic. 科學家對著非常薄的塑膠片發射極其強大的雷射光，然後研究塑膠發生了什麼變化。
During the laser blast, the plastic was heated to over 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a shockwave (震波) was created that equals a million times our Earth's atmospheric pressure (大氣壓力).
Although the entire recreation happens in just a few nanoseconds (十億分之一秒), it is enough to create tiny diamonds that the researchers are calling "nanodiamonds".
The plastic the researchers used is actually the same plastic you most likely use every day, from plastic bottles!
The researchers chose this specific kind of plastic, also known as PET, because it has a good combination and balance of carbon (碳), hydrogen (氫), and oxygen (氧).
It makes it very similar to the atmosphere (大氣層) of Neptune and Uranus.
Because of this new discovery, scientists are trying to see how to produce more nanodiamonds sustainably (永續發展的) and at scale (量產).
Diamonds can be used in many industrial (工業) areas and technologies. ________________________________
台灣的YouBike首都究竟是哪一個城市？ Which City is the YouBike Capital of Taiwan?
YouBike started in Taipei in 2012, and is a common form of transportation for many people.
But surprisingly (讓人驚訝), Taipei is not the YouBike capital city of Taiwan.
That honor goes to Kaohsiung!
YouBike 2.0 was launched in Kaohsiung in 2019, and in the beginning, many people had doubts that it would be a success. YouBike 2.0 於 2019 年在高雄推出，一開始很多人都覺得它不會成功。
That's because motorbikes and scooters are so common in Kaohsiung.
Despite how common motorbikes are, YouBike has taken Kaohsiung by storm (席捲高雄市) in the two years since its launch.
Now, people are calling Kaohsiung "the 15-minute city" because of it!
That means people living in Kaohsiung can get to almost anywhere they need to in their daily lives within 15 minutes of walking or biking. 這表示高雄人可以步行或是騎自行車，在15分鐘之內抵達日常生活中所需要去的幾乎任何地方。
Many Kaohsiung citizens (高雄市居民) are replacing their cars, motorbikes, and scooters with YouBike.
Not only is YouBike very convenient (方便) and available almost anywhere you go, but it is also an eco-friendly and non-polluting option that has won the hearts of many Kaohsiung citizens.
So, the next time you're in Kaohsiung, or if you already live in Kaohsiung, remember to give YouBike a try! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There hasn't been a typhoon that has made landfall in Taiwan for a few years.
Meteorologists in Japan noticed this trend and made reports.
Many people shared the reports all over the internet and created memes about this unique situation. ________________________________
And,
Diamond rain happens on the planets of Neptune and Uranus, where the environment is very extreme.
A German research team successfully recreated the conditions to create very tiny diamonds using PET plastic. ________________________________ And,
The YouBike capital of Taiwan is Kaohsiung!
People are calling Kaohsiung "the 15-minute city" because they can travel anywhere within 15 minutes of walking or biking.
It makes visiting and living in Kaohsiung very convenient. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Jane:
Tug of war gold, cheetahs back in India, and a storm ends a concert.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
拔河世錦賽 台灣勇奪4金1銀1銅 Taiwan "Tug of War" Team Wins Big at World Championships
A team of Taiwan athletes is bringing home the gold!
They were competing at the "Tug of War" World Outdoor Championships (2022室外拔河世界錦標賽).
The competition was held in the Netherlands (荷蘭).
Countries around the world can each send one team.
And their goal (目標) is to win against other teams.
Tug of War is a sport.
Two teams hold opposite (相對的) ends of a rope.
And each team tries to pull the other team over a line in the middle.
The team from Taiwan did very well at the competition.
They won four gold medals!
The team also won a silver and a bronze medal.
It also rained a lot during the competition.
這次台灣的參賽者在荷蘭比賽時遇到大雨。
Rainy weather makes tug of war games harder.
But the Taiwan team says the rain did not bother them.
They said when they were training (訓練) in Taiwan, Typhoon Muifa came close to the island.
So the team was used to tug of war in the rain!
台灣其中一個代表隊出國前訓練時，遇到梅花颱風外圍環流，剛好讓選手在雨中練習時。
The team says they had not competed much in the past two years, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So they were very happy to do so well. ________________________________
滅絕70年後 獵豹重返印度 Cheetahs Return to India
Cheetahs are making a comeback (復出) in India.
Back in 1952, cheetahs (獵豹) were officially extinct (絕種) in India.
That means there were no more wild cheetahs in the country.
印度野生獵豹在70年前就消失了。
Cheetahs are strong and fast.
In fact, they're the world's fastest animals on land.
For a short time, they can run at speeds of up to 113 kilometers an hour.
That's about as fast as a car on the highway!
Experts say many wild cheetahs in India were killed by hunters.
And other wild cheetahs died because they had no food, or had no place to live.
But now, 20 cheetahs are coming to India.
Five females and three males have already arrived in India.
The cheetahs are coming from South Africa and Namibia.
This is the first time that a large carnivore (肉食動物) is being moved from one continent to another, and put into the wild.
The cheetahs made the trip on a Boeing 747 plane.
Then they were flown in a helicopter to Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh state.
The park is about 750 square kilometers large.
That's about the size of three Taipei Cities!
There are lots of wild animals in the park, including antelope (羚羊) and wild boar (野豬).
The cheetahs will go through a month-long quarantine (隔離一個月) before they are released into the park.
This is to make sure they are healthy and strong.
Then, experts hope the cheetahs can be released into the park. ________________________________
女神卡卡演唱會被暴風雨打斷 Lady Gaga Cancels Concert Due to Storm
Lady Gaga had to stop a concert, because of a big storm (暴風雨).
The singer was performing (表演) in Florida, at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
But near the end of her show, lightning started to strike very close to the stadium.
The Hard Rock Stadium does not have a full roof (屋頂), so Gaga had to stop the show.
She told the 65,000 fans that she had to call off the concert.
邁阿密的硬石體育場是半露天的大型體育場，雨勢加上打雷閃電跟場地很近，主辦單位只好宣布中斷演出。
Before the show was cancelled, fans sang Gaga's song "Rain On Me".
But in the end, Lady Gaga said she was worried someone would get hurt.
She asked everyone to get home safely, and thanked them for coming to the show. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A team of Taiwan athletes did very well at the Tug of War World Outdoor Championships.
The competition was held in the Netherlands.
The team from Taiwan won four gold medals, a silver, and a bronze medal. ________________________________
Cheetahs were officially extinct in India.
But now, 20 cheetahs are coming to India from South Africa and Namibia.
Experts hope to release them into Kuno National Park. ________________________________
And,
Lady Gaga had to stop a concert, because of a big storm.
She told fans that she was worried someone would get hurt.
Gaga asked everyone to get home safely, and thanked them for coming to the show. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Jane:
An ancient hunting trail used by Taiwan's indigenous people, eco-friendly trains in Germany, and secrets that were hidden underwater.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
泰雅族狩獵小徑將重新開放 Atayal Hunting Trail Will Reopen to Boost Culture
Taiwan is home to many people.
And its oldest residents are the indigenous peoples (原住民).
One of the largest groups of indigenous peoples are the Atayal (泰雅族).
The Atayal traditionally lived by fishing, hunting, and growing crops in the mountains of central Taiwan.
Taichung City's Tourism and Travel Bureau says an Atayal hunting trail in Wujiajianan Mountain will reopen in December, after renovations are completed. 台中市旅遊局表示，武加加難山泰雅族狩獵小徑修繕完成後，將於12月重新開放。
The trail has been used by residents (居民) of the Atayal village of Sqoyaw, or Huanshan, since ancient times.
The bureau is updating and expanding (擴大) the 2.5-kilometer trail, using 59 million NT from the central government.
Renovations focus on sustainability and reducing the use of artificial construction materials. 修繕的重點是可以永續下去，並且減少人造建築材料的使用。
There will be rest areas along the trail, and informational placards (標語牌) will show the oral histories (口述歷史) of Sqoyaw residents.
The stories would describe traditional hunting practices, and introduce locations such as an archery (射箭) practice area, and village remains.
The trail will serve as a destination for tourists, and a resource for residents to pass on their culture. ________________________________
世界上第一條氫動力火車路線 World's First Hydrogen-Powered Train Line
Germany has launched the world's first hydrogen-powered train line (氫動力火車).
There's almost no noise and no pollution from these kinds of trains!
The German government plans to replace (取代) its diesel trains with hydrogen ones.
Diesel (柴油) is the most common power source for trains in Germany right now.
Diesel fuel produces carbon dioxide and other polluting gases when burned. 柴油燃燒的時候，會產生二氧化碳和其他污染氣體。
These gases are making the global warming situation worse.
That's why so many countries are looking for cleaner energy sources.
A total of 14 hydrogen trains have been ordered by LNVG, which will replace 15 diesel trains by the end of the year.
But how do they work?
Hydrogen is the simplest known element (元素).
Pure hydrogen is a gas that burns easily.
Scientists have discovered that combining hydrogen with oxygen makes electricity.
It's a chemical reaction that can be produced in a "fuel cell" (燃料電池).
Hydrogen fuel cells are like batteries that never run out.
The best part is, when a fuel cell creates electricity, it doesn't create pollution.
It only gives off water, which comes out as steam (蒸汽).
There's a hydrogen station on the line to refuel (添加燃料) the trains.
And the oxygen comes from the air around the train.
But since the trains can travel up to 1,000 kilometers before they need more fuel, they only need to fill up once a day (每天只需要加一次氫氣).
Right now, Germany has about 4,000 diesel-powered trains, but soon they will be replaced with hydrogen trains. ________________________________
乾旱揭露了全球隱藏的歷史 Droughts Reveal Hidden History Worldwide
Droughts are drying up rivers, lakes, and reservoirs around the world, creating unusual sights. 世界各地的河流、湖泊和水庫不斷乾枯，創造出非比尋常的景象。
Dry weather is revealing (揭示) items long hidden underwater, like Nazi warships, dinosaur prints, and ancient cities.
In Europe, river levels are low because of the worst drought in hundreds of years.
In many places along the Danube River in Serbia (塞爾維亞), the water has become very shallow (淺的).
Near eastern Serbia, the low water has revealed over 20 German warships that were sunk in 1944. 在塞爾維亞東部附近，低水位顯露出 1944 年沈沒的 20 多艘德國軍艦。
The warships are still armed (武裝) with weapons, so the government needs a plan to remove them carefully.
In Iran, a long-term drought has revealed the 3,400-year-old city of Kemune.
Because of the very low water levels in the Mosul reservoir (水庫), much of the ancient city is now visible.
A team of German and Kurdish scientists made quick plans to study the site while the water level remained low.
And in the U.S. state of Texas, a severe drought has revealed dinosaur footprints dating back 113 million years!
The drought has almost completely dried up a river that runs through the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas.
As a result, people were able to see dinosaur footprints in the river bed. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An Atayal hunting trail in Wujiajianan Mountain will reopen in December after renovations are completed.
The trail will serve as a destination for tourists and a resource for residents to pass on their culture. ________________________________
And,
Germany has launched the world's first hydrogen-powered train line.
There's almost no noise and no pollution from these kinds of trains.
They work by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electricity. ________________________________ And,
Droughts are drying up rivers, lakes, and reservoirs around the world, creating unusual sights.
Dry weather is revealing items long hidden underwater, like Nazi warships, dinosaur prints, and ancient cities. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Jane:
A very old bead, a very expensive jersey, and a new BLACKPINK Album.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
花蓮千年玻璃珠出國揭身世 Hualien Bead Heading to Chicago Museum
A little piece of Hualien is heading to Chicago.
This little piece of Hualien, is a glass bead (玻璃珠).
The orange bead was found in Hualien in 2016.
Experts say the bead was made about 1,000 years ago.
It was dug out of the ground, along with other old things like stone tools, and animal bones.
The bead is about the size of your pinky finger nail (小拇指指甲).
And there is a hole in the middle of the bead.
The Hualien Archeological Museum is lending (借) the glass bead to the Field Museum in Chicago. 花蓮縣考古博物館將把這顆玻璃珠送往美國的Field Museum實驗室做成分分析。
Usually, the Hualien Archeological Museum doesn't lend out its artifacts (古物).
But it is making an exception (例外).
The bead will stay at the Field Museum for a year.
The Field Museum will study (研究) the bead.
Experts hope they can find out where the bead came from.
They'd also like to know how it was made.
Knowing this would help experts learn more about ancient Taiwan. ________________________________
喬丹球衣3.2億台幣破紀錄天價賣出 Jordan Jersey Sells for a Record $10 Million U.S. Dollars
Have you ever heard someone get called the "GOAT"?
It's not a mean (惡意的) name.
And this person isn't really is a goat.
In this case, GOAT actually stands for "Greatest Of All Time".
It's used for people who've done amazing things in sports.
Some athletes who have been called the GOAT are Simone Biles, Serena Williams, and Usain Bolt.
But one other athlete often called the GOAT is Michael Jordan.
He played basketball in the NBA (美國職籃) for 15 seasons.
He also won six NBA championships with the team "Chicago Bulls", and set many records for his skills.
Now, Jordan has set another record.
A jersey (球衣) worn by Jordan has been sold for a record-high price.
The jersey sold for $10,000,000 U.S. dollars, at an auction (拍賣) in New York.
That's about $320,000,000 NT (3.2 億台幣)!
It's the most money ever for something worn in sports games.
「籃球之神」麥可喬丹在1998年總冠軍賽中穿的球衣在拍賣會上創下體育收藏品拍賣價格的新紀錄。
Experts say the jersey is special.
Jordan wore it in 1998, during the NBA Finals (決賽).
Many people think that season was one of the best seasons (賽季) that Jordan played.
This jersey is now the most expensive basketball jersey ever sold at auction.
And it also broke the record for most expensive thing worn in a sports game.
Before this, the most expensive thing was a shirt worn by soccer legend Diego Maradona.
Maradona wore the shirt in 1986, and it was sold for $9,300,000 U.S. dollars earlier this year. ________________________________
BLACKPINK回歸專輯 "Born Pink" 正式公開 BLACKPINK Drops New Album
BLACKPINK has a new album.
The K-pop group released "Born Pink" last week.
There are 8 new songs on the album.
BLACKPINK的新專輯 "Born Pink"一共收錄8首歌曲。
BLACKPINK members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose performed at the Video Music Awards in the U.S. last month.
They also took home the award for "Best Metaverse Performance".
And Lisa won the "Best K-pop" award for her song "Lalisa".
Now, they are getting ready to go on a world tour in October.
In fact, they will perform in Kaohsiung in March next year.
"Born Pink" is the band's 2nd full album. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A glass bead found in Hualien is heading to a museum in Chicago.
Experts say the bead was made about 1,000 years ago.
They hope to find out more about where it came from, and how it was made. ________________________________
A jersey worn by Michael Jordan has been sold for a record high price.
The jersey sold for about $320,000,000 NT at an auction in New York.
It's the most money ever for something worn in sports games.
Jordan wore it in 1998, during the NBA Finals.
Many people think that season was one of the best seasons that Jordan played.
________________________________
And,
BLACKPINK has a new album.
The Kpop group, released "Born Pink" last week.
There are 8 new songs on the album. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
A three-star tea, a two-headed turtle, and a $100,000-dollar donation.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
苗栗製茶職人贏得英國美食大賞「3星級」 Taiwan Tea Wins Big at UK Competition
Tea is a big part of culture in the United Kingdom.
Tea time is not just tea time.
There's "elevenses", that's tea served at around 11 o'clock in the morning.
There's "afternoon tea", that's tea with sandwiches and maybe cakes.
And there's "high tea", that's tea with a hot meal after work.
Some even say the British are "tea people".
And now, a tea made right here in Taiwan has won a big British award.
The tea, called "Oriental Beauty Tea 1" was awarded 3 stars in the Great Taste Awards.
Three stars means something is "extraordinarily (格外的、絕頂的) tasty food".
How hard is it to get three stars?
Only 2 percent of the foods and drinks that enter the competition get 3 stars.
"Oriental Beauty Tea 1" is made by Taiwan tea maker Jacky Chang.
He makes his tea in Miaoli County.
Jacky says to make "Oriental Beauty Tea 1", he had to do something different.
Taiwan had a lot of rainy weather this year.
And Jacky had to pick his tea leaves at a different time.
Then he had to be very careful when roasting the tea leaves.
The humidity and temperature had to be carefully controlled.
Jacky 烘培茶葉的時候必須小心控制濕度和溫度。
Jacky says he is going to rename the tea "Queen's Garden".
He says the name is in honor of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. ________________________________
雙頭烏龜慶祝25歲生日 Two-headed Turtle Turns 25
A turtle is turning 25 years old… twice.
How can you turn 25 years old two times?
Well, this turtle has two heads!
Janus the turtle also has two hearts.
He has two pairs of lungs (肺).
Janus was born at the Geneva Natural History Museum, in Switzerland.
The museum has a team of people who take care of him.
Every day, they feed Janus organic salad.
Janus also gets daily massages (按摩).
And he takes baths in green tea and chamomile (甘菊).
The people who take care of him say he has two very different personalities (個性).
They say Janus' right head is more curious (好奇).
And his left head loves to eat.
One head's favorite food is endives (苦苣).
And the other head's favorite food is carrots.
Janus would not survive long in the wild.
That's because he cannot pull his head into his shell when he is in danger.
But luckily, he lives at the museum.
And the people there take very good care of him.
Now Janus is turning 25 years old.
雙頭烏龜Janus要慶祝他的25歲生日了。
The museum thinks he might be the world's oldest two-headed turtle. ________________________________
饒舌女王Cardi B 捐款助紐約母校 Cardi B Donates $100,000 to Junior High School
American rapper Cardi B is making a big donation to her old junior high school.
Cardi visited her school in New York City last week.
During the visit, she said she would donate $100,000 U.S. dollars.
That's about $3,000,000 NT!
Cardi says the money will be used for tutoring, music, and dance.
Cardi 說這三百萬可以讓學校為學生堤共更多課後活動。
She also spent some time with students at the school.
The rapper told the kids that school is important.
And she reminded them to think "long-term" (長期) and be ready to make decisions. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A tea made right here in Taiwan was awarded 3 stars in the U.K.'s Great Taste Awards.
"Oriental Beauty Tea 1" is made by Taiwan tea maker Jacky Chang.
Jacky says he is going to rename the tea "Queen's Garden", in honor of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. ________________________________
Janus is a two-headed turtle.
Now Janus is turning 25 years old.
People think he might be the world's oldest two-headed turtle. ________________________________
And,
American rapper Cardi B is donating $100,000 U.S. dollars to her old junior high school.
That's about $3,000,000 NT!
Cardi says the money will be used for tutoring, music, and dance. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Life on the run, living on Mars, and mourning the queen.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
公開小食蟻獸小紅野外求生秘訣 Anteater Little Red's Life on the Run
Little Red is an escape artist. 小紅是逃脫大師。
She is a lesser anteater who lives at the Taipei Zoo.
Two years ago, Little Red ran away from her home at the zoo.
Zookeepers and experts searched high and low for her.
Finally, three months later, someone found Little Red.
Little Red was dirty and weak (虛弱).
Soon, after lots of rest and food, she became strong again.
But, many people wondered…
What was Little Red doing for three months out in the wild?
How did she survive (存活下來)?
Now experts are telling us more about Little Red's life on the run (奔逃).
They collected some fecal samples from Little Red after she came back to the zoo. 專家取得小紅被捕捉後的野外糞便進行分析。
They found that Little Red ate termites (白蟻).
And she also ate 14 different types of ants, while she was in the wild.
These ants live up in trees.
So the experts knew that Little Red mostly hunted for food high up in trees.
They think this is also how she avoided dogs.
While Little Red was gone, many people were worried dogs might attack, or even kill her.
But now they know Little Red stayed up in trees, and away from dogs.
And that's how Little Red lived her life on the run. ________________________________
阿聯國打造「火星城市」 UAE Builds "Martian City" in the Desert
One country is building a Martian city.
But the city is not on Mars.
It will be in Dubai.
The United Arab Emirates (阿拉伯聯合大公國) wants to have people living on Mars in the next 100 years.
To get ready for this, they have a lot of work to do.
The UAE is imagining what the city on Mars looks like.
And it is building that city in the desert outside Dubai.
阿拉伯聯合大公國準備打造一座模擬火星城市。
"Mars Science City" is a prototype (原型).
The city must be able to keep people alive on Mars.
Experts would need to create all kinds of new technology (科技) for the city.
They already have some ideas.
Houses for people would be deep underground (地下).
This will keep people safe from radiation and meteors (隕星).
But what about light?
The underground houses would have "water windows".
They are windows on the ceiling (屋頂).
And outside the window there is an aquarium (水族館).
This way, the water would be a shield (屏障) against radiation.
Light could get into the underground rooms.
And people can enjoy watching fish swim too.
Scientists are not sure when Mars Science City will be built.
They say the big project could last over generations (好幾代). ________________________________
英國歌星悼念女王 U.K. Music Stars Pay Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Two big U.K. singers have paid tribute (致敬) to Queen Elizabeth II.
She was queen for more than 70 years.
She died on September 8th, at the age of 96.
She was loved and respected by many people in the U.K., and around the world.
英國女王伊莉莎白二世受到了國民和世界權威的愛戴與尊敬。
And British music stars Harry Styles and Elton John both spoke about the queen.
Harry Styles paused in the middle of his concert in New York City.
He and his audience clapped for the queen.
Elton John also talked about the queen at his concert in Toronto.
The singer said he is very sad the queen won't be with him anymore.
But he said she worked very hard.
He says she deserves (該得到) rest. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two years ago, lesser anteater Little Red ran away from the Taipei Zoo.
Now experts are telling us more about Little Red's life on the run.
They say Little Red mostly hunted for food high up in trees.
They think this is also how she avoided dogs. ________________________________
The United Arab Emirates is imagining what a city on Mars looks like.
And it is building that city in the desert outside Dubai.
Experts would need to create all kinds of new technology for "Mars Science City". ________________________________
And,
Two U.K. singers have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry Styles and his audience clapped for the queen.
Elton John said he is very sad, but the queen deserves rest. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Nancy:
Two new places to visit in Kaohsiung, Czech police drive Ferraris, and if you're angry… maybe a snack can help.
We'll tell you more on those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
高雄新增兩個打卡景點 Two New Check-In Tourist Attractions in Kaohsiung
There are more places for people in Kaohsiung to take photos and enjoy outdoor activities now!
Two new check-in attractions (打卡景點) have been set up in Kaohsiung.
One is playful and lively, the other one is romantic!
The spots are in Lotus Pond and Cijin.
Lotus Pond attracts many tourists to visit each year, and now, in its children's park, there is a "Fantasyland" (奇幻樂園).
It used the idea of Alice in Wonderland as a blueprint. 它是以愛麗絲夢遊仙境為藍圖打造的。
Fantasyland is designed to give everyone a magical journey.
Earlier this year, one of the longest 30-meter zip lines (高空滑索) in southern Taiwan was set up in the park and attracted many visitors.
And now, they added installations such as playing card soldiers (撲克牌衛兵), a lollipop-like carousel (棒棒糖旋轉木馬), and dreamy gorgeous castles (城堡).
In fact, you need to use a mysterious light-up key in order to get into the castles. 你必須要用神秘的發光鑰匙才能進去城堡裡唷！
With immersive design of lighting and music…
The park is like a dream!
On the other side of the town, the Tourism Bureau (觀光局) created a Mediterranean style (地中海風格) building in the Cijin Shell Gallery (旗津貝殼館).
The blue roofs and white walls are making people feel as if they are walking on the streets of Greece (希臘).
There is also a European manor-style wedding hall (歐式莊園式婚宴廳) next to the building.
Along with a church in the area, it is definitely giving people a very romantic atmosphere.
And there is more!
There are also light shows going to happen soon!
There are so many places to visit in Kaohsiung this autumn. _________________________________
捷克的警察開法拉利巡邏 Czech Police Turn Criminal's Ferrari into Patrol Cars
Do you know how much a police car costs?
It is believed that there are some very expensive police cars in Europe.
The country Czech Republic (捷克共和國) in Europe has one of the most expensive police cars in the world.
Their police drive Ferrari to catch criminals. 他們的警察開法拉利去抓罪犯
Ferrari is one of the most luxurious sports cars in the world. 法拉利是世界上最昂貴的跑車之一。
Their police seized the cars from criminals, and turned them into patrol cars (巡邏車).
When they got them, they had to spend about $14,000 U.S. dollars to retro-fit (改裝) the cars…
Because Ferraris are usually red, but the police cars there are yellow and blue.
Now when police need to catch aggressive road rage drivers (行車問題) and street racers (飆車族)…
They are fast enough to chase them! ___________________________________
肚子餓會讓我們生氣 Feeling Hungry Can Make Us Feel "hangry"
Do you know the word "hangry"?
It's a feeling of being hungry and angry.
The word started being used from 1918 and now many people are using it.
It is even in a modern English dictionary.
UK researchers did an experiment on 64 volunteers, from the ages of 18 to 60 years old. 英國的研究學者請了64位年齡介於18-60歲的自願者做一項實驗。
They asked them to complete a survey (問卷) on a smartphone app.
They had to do the survey five times a day for twenty-one days.
Then they examined them to see how hunger affects (影響) their emotions in their daily lives.
And it showed many people getting angry due to hunger.
It is now believed to be a diagnosable feeling (可被診斷出的感覺).
The research tells us that when we feel hungry, we usually don't feel good and the irritating feelings (惱人的感覺) could come up (出現).
So next time, if you're feeling hungry, remember to eat something and don't get angry! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two new check-in attractions have been set up in Kaohsiung.
People can visit Lotus Pond for an Alice in Wonderland-inspired experience.
And a romantic, Mediterranean-style building in Cijin makes people feel like they are in Greece! ________________________________
And,
Police in the Czech Republic are driving Ferraris!
They seize the cars from criminals, and retro-fit them into police cars. ________________________________
And,
Researchers in the U.K. prove people get angry when they are hungry.
It's a diagnosable feeling.
People call this feeling, being "hangry". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Kaohsiung fights mosquitoes, England has a new king, and a man gets lost in the sky.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄市對抗病媒蚊和登革熱 Kaohsiung Fights Mosquitoes and Dengue Fever
Uh-oh… here's another story about mosquitoes (蚊子).
First, the bad news (壞消息)…
There probably aren't very many people who like mosquitoes, so we all know they're annoying (讓人討厭).
But did you know they can also be dangerous (危險)?
Mosquitoes can also carry diseases (攜帶病菌) from animal to animal, and person to person.
This happens when they bite (叮咬) one animal, and pick up a bacteria (細菌) or virus (病毒).
Then, when they bite the next animal, the disease is passed on (傳出去了)!
One of these diseases is called "dengue fever" (登革熱), and it is carried by some mosquitoes in southern Taiwan (台灣南部).
And recently, a few people have started to catch (罹患) dengue fever in Kaohsiung.
But here's the good news (好消息)…
The Kaohsiung City Government (高雄市政府) has started to fight back!
Mosquitoes lay their eggs (產卵) in stagnant water (死水), and we can see a lot of them flying around after the rainy weather makes a lot of puddles (水窪).
So the city's health department has sent out almost 900 workers to remove stagnant water, and spray mosquito repellent around the city. 高雄市衛生局派出將近九百個工人清除死水，並且噴灑驅蚊劑。
We may not be able to get rid of (除去) all these annoying bugs, or stop dengue fever completely, but it helps to try! ________________________________
英國女王伊莉莎白二世辭世 Queen Elizabeth II Passes Away
We've all heard many stories about kings and queens in ancient times (古代).
And nowadays, there aren't many monarchs (君主，國王) left in the world.
But as you may have heard, a very famous monarch has recently passed away (去世).
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th, at the age of 96.
And she had been Queen of the United Kingdom for 70 years!
So… what happens now?
Most importantly, her son, King Charles III, is the U.K.'s new ruler.
But it's also important to remember that they haven't only been the Queen and King of the area around England.
Throughout history (歷史上), the U.K. has had many sovereign states (主權國家), all over the world.
That means even though these sovereign states have their own leaders, they still recognize the Queen or King of England as their own monarch. 也就是說，即使這些主權國家有自己的政府首長，它們仍然承認英國國王為自己國家的國王。
It still has many of its sovereign states today, including Canada (加拿大), Australia (澳洲), New Zealand (紐西蘭), and a few other countries.
Many of these countries have had the Queen's face on all their currency (貨幣) for years and years…
And now, they might have to change the faces to King Charles, on every bill (鈔票) and every coin (硬幣) in the country!
That's a lot of work, and many countries are still wondering (懷疑) whether they want to have a king at all…
So there may be some even bigger changes ahead of these countries soon! ________________________________
男子困在半空中兩天 Man Trapped in the Sky for Two Days
When people talk about gravity (地心引力), they often use a popular phrase (說法).
"What goes up… must come down." 【凡是上去的，都必須下來。】
But what if the thing going up is lighter than air (比空氣還要輕)?
Well, one man in China recently went up, and didn't come down for a very long time!
Two men in China were harvesting pine nuts (採收松子) from pine trees.
And because pine trees are so tall, they had to ride a small hydrogen balloon to float up and collect the nuts from the tree. 因為松樹很高，這兩名男子必須搭乘小型氫氣球，飛到靠近松樹頂的地方採摘松子。
But the two men lost control (失去控制) of the balloon, and…
The balloon started to fly away, with both of them still on it!
One of the men quickly jumped to the ground, but the other couldn't escape, and was stuck in the balloon as it floated high into the sky.
The man on the ground ran to find help, but it took a long time before they were finally able to call the balloon man's cell phone (手機).
They instructed him (指導他) to carefully let some air out of the balloon, so that it could slowly deflate (慢慢釋放氣球裡面的氫氣).
But by the time the balloon man finally touched the ground again, two days later, he had already floated 320 kilometers away (飄到320公里以外的地方)!
Now, the man is safe, although he says his back hurts, because he had to stand in the balloon for such a long time.
So maybe we can change the old phrase about gravity, now…
"If you're going to go up, make sure you know how you're going to come down!" ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A few people have recently started to catch dengue fever in Kaohsiung.
So the Kaohsiung City Government has sent out workers, to remove stagnant water and spray mosquito repellent around the city. ________________________________
And,
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th, at the age of 96.
Her son, King Charles III, is the United Kingdom's new ruler. ________________________________
And,
One man harvesting pine nuts in a balloon in China lost control, and became trapped in the balloon as it floated away.
His friend on the ground ran to find help, but it took a long time before they were finally able to call the man and help him get down. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Trevor:
Taiwan's fishing industry is affected by global warming, a 9-year old senior high school student, and more money for Taiwanese workers.
You'll hear more on these stories, coming up next. ________________________________
一個不良的循環正在危及台灣的海洋生態 A Negative Cycle Endangers the Ocean Ecosystem off the Shore of Taiwan
Mackerel are an excellent source of nutrients for our bodies. 鯖魚是我們身體營養的極好來源。
Many fishing harbors in Yilan rely on mackerel as their source of income (收入來源).
For example, Nan-fang-ao used to have over 50 fishing boats catching over 800 tons (公噸) of mackerel a day. However, due to global warming (全球暖化), mackerel no longer need to migrate into warmer waters in order to reproduce.
And ocean currents now bring less food for mackerels.
Since 2019, mackerel catches have been getting smaller and smaller.
There have been more and more reports of fishing boats bringing back less than one ton of mackerel.
It's an issue that has been causing a lot of concern for the fishing industry (漁業) in Yilan.
The Taiwan Fisheries Association has implemented some regulations to make sure that Taiwan's fisheries are able to stay in business and provide for the families that depend on the income from mackerel catches. 台灣水產工業同業公會實施了一些規定，確保台灣漁業能夠繼續經營，並為依賴鯖魚捕撈收入的家庭提供生活所需。
Some of these rules include banning fishing (禁止捕魚) in June to give the fish time to grow, releasing small fish, and having fishers report their catches when they return to the harbor.
The government and fisheries might be able to improve Taiwan's fishing industry soon if they work together. ________________________________
天才衝衝衝! 韓國天才兒童準備就讀首爾的第一志願高中 9-Year-Old Korean Child Genius Goes to Top High School in Seoul
Child prodigy (天才神童) Baek Kang-hyun recently posted a picture on Instagram, of him holding an enrollment certificate to Seoul Science High School.
Kang-hyun, who was born in 2012, was already famous when he was only a little over 3 years old.
Kang-hyun became famous when he appeared on a TV show called "Gift Group", after he took an IQ test and got a score of 163.
This means that he wasn't just gifted, he was a gifted person in the top 0.0001 percentile with that level of IQ. 這表示他不僅有天賦，他還是IQ智商水平在前 0.0001 個百分位的人。
Kang-hyun started elementary school in 2019, and was immediately recommended that he jump (跳級) to fifth grade after one year.
Then he entered middle school in 2021 and then, on the 27th of August, 2022, Kang-hyun made his now-famous post on Instagram in front of the Seoul Science High School.
He captioned the post (為照片加上標題) saying, "Baek Kang-hyun, I'm 9 years old. See you guys next year. Take care of me."
Kang-hyun will start his senior high school education in 2023.
Everyone is looking forward to (期待) what amazing things the child prodigy will be able to achieve! ________________________________
台灣工人的一道屬光 A Ray of Hope for Wage Workers in Taiwan
Taiwan's government has increased full-time and part-time salaries for workers. 台灣政府提高了工人的全職和兼職的工資。
It's the 7th increase in the last seven years, and it's a big deal for everyone (是一件大事) because a lot needs to be considered before the government could make this decision.
The biggest factors that go into evaluating whether or not base-level pay should increase, as well as by how much, are the Consumer Price Index and the overall growth of the economy. 評估基本工資是否應該增加以及增加多少的最大因素是消費者價格指數和經濟的整體增長。
The Consumer Price Index, or CPI is a tool used to measure inflation (通貨膨脹).
Inflation is when a currency (貨幣) loses some of its value, so the price of some things might go up.
After careful consideration and discussion, it was finally agreed that from January 1st, 2023, the base-level pay for both full-time and part-time employees will increase by 4.8-percent.
This means that the original base-level monthly salary of 25,250 NT will increase to 26,462 NT.
And the base-level hourly wage will go up from 168 NT to 176 NT.
This marks the 7th consecutive (連續的) base-level pay increase by President Tsai Ing-Wen's administration. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Global warming is causing fewer mackerel to reproduce around Taiwan.
It has affected the country's fishing industries.
The government and fisheries might be able to improve Taiwan's fishing industry soon if they work together. ________________________________
9-year-old child prodigy Baek Kang-hyun will be a high school student next year.
He has an IQ level of 163.
He will study at the prestigious Seoul Science High School. ________________________________
And,
Taiwan's government has increased full-time and part-time salaries for workers starting next year.
It's the 7th consecutive base-level pay increase in the last seven years. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Building better schools, building short escalators, and eating pomelos.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台中學校獲得2022年國家卓越建設獎 Taichung Schools Win Building Excellence Award
Six schools in Taichung won awards.
The awards are given out in a competition (比賽).
The competition is held by a business group that deals with land and buildings.
To win the award, a building must be beautiful.
It should also be safe.
The Taichung City government chose the six schools to enter the competition.
Four schools won gold.
One won the "Special" prize.
And one school won the prize for "Excellence".
台中市6所校園參加建築工程競賽，得到4座「金質獎」、1座「特別獎」和1座「優質獎」。
Judges looked at how the design of the school could help people.
They also looked at how the design allowed for environmental awareness (提升對自然與大環境的認識與意識).
They also looked at how the design helped students and teachers interact (互動).
The Taichung City government says schools are very important.
They want to make sure schools are safe.
Officials say it is especially important to make sure the buildings are stable (穩固) during earthquakes.
So they helped many schools rebuild old school buildings. ________________________________
全世界最短的手扶梯 Where in the World is the World's Shortest Escalator?
Nowadays, escalators are everywhere.
We use them to easily go up and down different floors.
There are lots of escalators in places like shopping malls, department stores and transportation hubs (轉運中心).
Sometimes the escalators are very long.
Some even help us travel 3 or 4 stories at once (一次、一口氣).
But have you ever wondered…
How short is the world's shortest escalator? 這個全世界最短的手扶梯到底有多短？
Believe it or not, there really is a record for the shortest escalator in the world.
This escalator is just 5 steps high.
It's 83.4 centimeters tall.
That's just a little bit higher than your desk!
This escalator is in Japan, at Kanagawa Train Station.
It really only helps a person travel 5 steps.
The whole ride only takes about 8 seconds!
It's even in the Guinness Book of World Records(金氏世界紀錄) as the current record holder for the world's shortest escalator!
The escalator is now a tourist attraction.
Many people come from other countries, to see the shortest escalator in the world. ________________________________
吃柚子要注意的事情 Remember This When Eating Pomelos
We just enjoyed Mid-Autumn Festival.
There are many traditions for this fall festival.
Most people would have experienced at least one.
Maybe you had a barbeque with friends and family.
Or maybe you had a few mooncakes.
One thing is certain…
There must be a few pomelos lying around your house!
This yummy citrus fruit (柑橘類水果) is a very common fruit that is enjoyed during Mid-Autumn Festival.
Many people may give them as gifts.
They are delicious and full of vitamins (維他命).
But, if you are eating pomelos, there are some things you should remember.
Pomelos should not be eaten with some medicines. 有在吃藥的人要注意，柚子與某些藥物併用，有可能增加藥物發生不良反應的機率。
Doctors say if a person eats pomelos too close to the time they take these medicines, they might start feeling ill.
They could get cramps (抽筋) or sore muscles.
And in very serious cases, mixing pomelos and some medicines could hurt other parts of your body.
So, pomelos are a delicious and healthy fruit.
But if you take medication, check with your doctor to make sure it's safe for you to eat. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Six schools in Taichung won awards for being beautiful and safe.
The Taichung City government says schools are very important.
It says it is planning to help rebuild another 103 school buildings. ________________________________
How short is the world's shortest escalator?
It's just 5 steps high!
The escalator is in Japan, at Kanagawa Train Station. ________________________________
And,
Pomelos are a delicious and healthy fruit.
But pomelos should not be eaten with some medicines.
If you take medication, check with your doctor to make sure it's safe for you to eat. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
Delicious food in Taiwan, culture and history in Africa, and how thinking makes us feel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
米其林公布台北、台中、台南、高雄摘星餐廳名單 Michelin Guide Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung 2022 Released
Food plays a big part of our lives.
Do you enjoy eating yummy food?
Many people know Michelin as a world-wide tire company from France. 很多人都知道米其林是法國有名的輪胎公司
And some know that they are also the guide for finding great restaurants. 有些人知道可以透過米其林的餐廳名單找到美食。
If Michelin gives a restaurant a star, it means it is a very good restaurant.
And now, Michelin is giving Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung's restaurants some stars!
A total of 24 restaurants in Taipei have stars.
Taichung has five restaurants that have stars.
Kaohsiung has two restaurants that have stars.
Those restaurants not only include Taiwanese cuisine, but also French, Singaporean, Japanese, and even Mediterranean cuisine (地中海料理)!
And they all look so nice, maybe we should go try them out! ________________________________
阿克拉博物館展現非洲文化歷史 Africa Museum to be One of World's Greatest Sights
What do you know about Africa?
It's the second biggest continent in the world. 非洲是世界面積第二大的大洲。
The continent is so big, that it covers 20 percent of the Earth!
There is a lot of wildlife and beautiful natural scenery (自然風光).
It seems like there is a lot to learn about Africa.
In fact, there's going to be a big museum opening in Africa soon.
The Pan African Heritage Museum is in Accra, Ghana (迦納的首都阿克拉).
It is still being built, and will open in August 2023.
Not only will it have many African archives, but also galleries and a theater. 博物館裡不僅會存放許多非洲歷史檔案,還會有畫廊和電影院。
It will show African history and people's heritage.
People believe it will be one of the top 100 world's greatest places to visit!
There is a digital version (數位影像) of the museum that will come out soon on May 5th.
This way, people can get a first look at the museum from anywhere in the world. ________________________________
思考讓你很累嗎？ Why Thinking Makes Us Feel Tired
Sometimes, thinking can make us tired!
This may be why:
Scientists found out that when we think, our brain releases a chemical called "glutamate" (麩胺酸).
If we have too much glutamate in the brain…
Then our brain does not work very well.
That's when the brain tells the body it is tired, and it needs a rest.
A group of scientists from Paris did an experiment.
They gave 40 people a task (任務、工作).
All of them had to look at a computer screen and match different letters that appeared.
They had to do this for six hours.
They only had two ten-minute breaks (休息).
But there was something a little bit different about their tasks.
Twenty-four people had tasks that were a little bit harder.
The other sixteen had tasks that were a little bit easier. 24個實驗對象得到的問題比較難，另外16位得到的問題比較簡單。
Then, the researchers scanned (掃描) their brains.
Here's what they found.
The group who had harder tasks had higher levels of glutamate in their brain.
That means they thought a lot more.
So, what do we do when we feel tired, and the brain needs to rest?
We can take a quick nap (小睡片刻).
It's called the Power Nap! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Michelin is giving Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung's restaurants some stars!
Some of the restaurants that got stars make Taiwanese cuisine.
Other starred restaurants make French, Singaporean, Japanese and even Mediterranean cuisine. ________________________________
The Pan African Heritage Museum is in Accra, Ghana.
It will open in August 2023.
It will show African history and people's heritage. ________________________________
And,
Sometimes, thinking can make us tired!
Scientists found out that when we think, our brain releases a chemical called "glutamate".
If there is too much glutamate, our brain does not work very well. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Hope:
A different kind of race, a different kind of camel rider, and one of the coolest streets in the world.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
瘋狂有趣的西拉雅趣飛車 Off to the Races! At the Siraya Go Soapbox Derby
Tainan is hosting a special race.
One part of the race is just for children.
And the children must build their own "cars"!
The Siraya Go CreCar soap box derby will take place November 6th.
A soap box derby is a fun race that gets a bit crazy sometimes.
Racers must drive a "car" that they made themselves.
These "cars" do not have an engine (引擎).
And most of the time, only one person can sit in the car.
The racers drive their homemade car down a downhill race track (賽道).
This year is the ninth year the Siraya Go CreCar race has been held.
The race for adults will take place on November 6th, at the Tsou Ma Lai Farm in Danei District.
Racers start at the top of a ramp (坡道).
They will also face many challenges.
There are jumps on the track.
And there's even a parking challenge at the end.
There's also a race for kids age 6 to 12.
That race will be held in October.
10月還有「趣味造車暖身賽」，讓6至12歲的小朋友打造無動力小車。 ________________________________
女騎師成立杜拜騎駱駝學校 Women Lead Dubai's First Camel Riding School
The United Arab Emirates, UAE for short, is a country in the Middle East.
阿拉伯聯合大公國是中東七個大公國組成的國家。
When you think of the Middle East, what do you see?
Tall cities, dry desert, and maybe camels (駱駝)?
Camel-riding is a big part the UAE.
People sometimes ride camels to get around, and it's a big part of UAE culture.
But here's something that might surprise you…
The UAE just got its first school for camel-riding.
Last month, the "Arabian Desert Camel Riding Center" got its official license (執照).
And here's another surprise…
One of the people who started the school is a woman.
The UAE has lots of traditions (傳統) for women and men.
For example, most of the time, only men ride camels.
A woman can work, but only if a male guardian (男性監護人), like her father or husband, gives permission (同意).
This is why it's surprising that the camel-riding school was started by a woman.
30-year-old Linda Krockenberger comes from Germany.
She moved to the UAE in 2015 for work.
Linda wanted to try riding camels.
But she couldn't find someone to teach her.
She says some said they would teach her, but only if they ride at night, in the dark.
Some even asked her to dress like a boy.
Finally she found an Emirati man who would teach her.
52-year-old Obaid Al Falasi has worked with camels all his life.
And together Linda and Obaid decided to open a camel-riding school.
Linda是阿拉伯沙漠騎駱駝中心的共同創辦人。
And the school would teach anyone who wanted to learn.
Linda says the licensed school is the only way women can ride camels.
Otherwise (否則), women riding camels would not be acceptable (不可接受的) in UAE culture.
Now, Linda says the school has around 30 students.
She says most of them are women.
And the women have even formed the UAE's first women's camel racing team! ________________________________
全球最酷街道 台北永康街奪第4名 Taipei Street Named 4th Coolest in the World
A street in Taiwan has been named one of the coolest streets in the world.
A company called Time Out asked 20,000 people around the world this question…
"What is the coolest street in your city?"
文化通訊周刊「Time Out」用問卷調查的方式，問了世界各地的居民「你所在城市最酷的街道是哪條？」
33 streets around the world are on the list.
And Taipei's Yongkang Street (永康街) was listed as number 4! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Tainan is hosting the Siraya Go CreCar soap box derby on November 6th.
A soap box derby is a fun race that gets a bit crazy sometimes.
Racers must drive a "car" that they made themselves. ________________________________
The UAE just got its first school for camel-riding.
Last month, the "Arabian Desert Camel Riding Center" got its official license.
One of the people who started the school is a woman. ________________________________
And,
A company called Time Out asked 20,000 people around the world, "What is the coolest street in your city?"
And it came up with a list of 33 coolest streets around the world.
Taipei's Yongkang Street was listed as number 4! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Clifford:
Taiwan snacks in Paris, taxes on animal burps, and how smart are octopuses?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣小吃在法國的美食村大放異彩 Taiwan's Snacks Wow at International Gastronomy Village
Taiwanese snacks are wowing visitors at a food festival in France.
The International Gastronomy Village in Paris opened this month.
And many Taiwanese vendors are selling classic Taiwanese foods there. 台灣廠商參加在巴黎舉辦的法國美食村，讓遊客品嘗美味的台灣小吃。
In fact, there were vendors from over 50 countries who joined this year's event.
The event was held on the grass lawn (草地) in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs helped many of the Taiwan vendors get ready for the festival.
Some of Taiwan's most famous foods were sold at the event, including gua bao, boba tea, as well as popcorn chicken, sweet potato balls, and sausages.
One of the vendors said many visitors liked the sweet potato balls.
She said they liked the unique texture (獨特的口感).
A visitor named "Nicolas" told CNA that sweet potatoes in France do not taste as sweet nor smell so good.
He says "Taiwan's is much tastier."
Another visitor, called "Olivera," liked her vegetarian gua bao (素刈包).
The gua bao was made with tofu and mushrooms.
She said she liked the little bit of spiciness (辣味).
And she also liked the texture (口感) of crushed peanuts (碎花生).
What Taiwan food would you like people from other countries to try? ________________________________
紐西蘭政府準備收【打嗝稅】 New Zealand May Tax Farm Animal Burps
How much can a burp (打嗝) cost?
Can we get rich by burping?
New Zealand is thinking about introducing a new tax to help the environment.
It wants farmers to pay tax on the numbers of farm animals they have such as sheep, cows, and other livestock (家畜).
When animals burp or fart, they release methane.
Methane is considered one of the most damaging greenhouse gases (溫室氣體) .
It is a big cause (原因) of climate change (氣候變化).
So this is a problem.
New Zealand has over 20,000 farms.
That works out to about 26 million sheep, and about 4 million cows and other animals!
And all those farm animals make a lot of methane.
New Zealand's government says the country needs to put less methane into the atmosphere (大氣層). 紐西蘭政府認為需要減少國家的排放量。
The government also wants farming to be more environmentally friendly (環保).
So the country might start using a "burp tax" in 2025.
This means farmers will pay tax for how much methane their animals make.
Farmers might also have to change how they run their farms.
The government hopes some might stop feeding their animals grass.
The farmers could switch to feeding their animals seaweed (海藻).
Some research shows that farm animals that eat seaweed make less emissions (排放物).
Farmers also have a chance to pay less tax, if they plant more trees.
Someone has even suggested that cows could wear special masks!
More and more countries are rethinking how they farm animals.
The "burp tax" may be just a start.
Hmm… do you think will there be a human burp tax in the future soon? ________________________________
章魚和人類一樣聰明？ Octopuses and Humans Share Intelligence Gene
Many people know that some animals that live underwater are very smart.
Many of these animals, like dolphins, are very intelligent. 許多人知道很多像海豚的海洋生物智商相當高。
Octopuses are also very intelligent.
And scientists have found something special about its genes.
The sea creature (海洋生物) has special bits of DNA called "jumping genes".
They say "jumping genes" help animals learn.
The genes also help make and store memories in the brain.
The "jumping genes" might make octopuses smart in ways that are like humans.
They might sometimes think like humans!
Scientists call it "behavioral plasticity" (行為可塑性).
It means the octopuses can change the way they act, with different things happening in their environment.
All this means octopuses are learning and thinking.
It seems like the living world will never stop amazing us! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwanese snacks are wowing visitors at the International Gastronomy Village in Paris.
The event was held on the grass lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Some of Taiwan's most famous foods were sold at the event, including gua bao, boba tea, as well as popcorn chicken, sweet potato balls, and sausages. ________________________________
New Zealand is thinking about introducing a new tax on farmers who keep farm animals.
When animals burp or fart, they release methane, which causes climate change.
New Zealand's government says the country needs to put less methane into the atmosphere. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have found something special about octopus genes.
The sea creature has special bits of DNA called "jumping genes" that help it learn and remember things.
The "jumping genes" might make octopuses smart in ways that are like humans. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Clifford:
A Taiwanese popcorn chicken festival, Australia is losing animals and plants, and why mosquitoes prefer to bite some people more than others.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
Kaohsiung Holds Popcorn Chicken Festival 高雄舉辦2022全國鹹酥雞嘉年華
A Taiwanese popcorn chicken festival in Kaohsiung attracted nearly 70,000 visitors. 高雄舉辦的2022全國鹹酥雞嘉年華吸引了將近七萬人潮。
Popcorn chicken is one of Taiwan's most popular snack foods. 鹹酥雞是台灣最有名的小吃之一。
Have you had any recently?
The Taiwanese popcorn chicken festival was held over the weekend from August 27th to the 28th in Kaohsiung.
Kaohsiung's Tourism Bureau (市政府觀光局) says there were lots of food stands (攤位).
And almost 70,000 people came to try out delicious popcorn chicken at a department store.
After just two days, the department store got 30 percent more revenue (收入)!
The Tourism Bureau says there were almost 100 Taiwanese popcorn chicken stands from shops all around the island.
Each stand had its own special flavor (獨特風味).
Many vendors (攤販) said they got a lot of business during the festival.
It seems like lots of people love popcorn chicken! ________________________________
澳洲令人驚訝的環境衰退 A Big Decline in Australia's Environment
Many amazing animals (動物) and plants (植物) live in Australia.
And Australia is famous because it is home to many living things that are very different.
It has high diversity of species (物種的多樣性).
But now, scientists say they are seeing a "shocking" loss of biodiversity (生物多樣性的衰減).
A new report says there is a serious decline in biodiversity.
The report also finds that there is now more habitat loss, and higher levels of pollution. 報告說，生物多樣性嚴重下降，棲息地喪失增加，污染程度也不斷增加。
All this means Australia's environment is deteriorating (惡化中).
If you follow the news, you might have noticed that Australia has had many droughts (旱災), fires (火災), and floods (水災) in the past five years.
All these natural disasters (自然災害) have left many animals dead.
It has also destroyed a lot of natural habitat.
Scientists believe climate change is one of the causes.
One environmentalist says the report was, "a wake-up call to the damage humans are doing to the world around us". ________________________________
蚊子比較愛咬哪些人 Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others?
Why are some people bitten by mosquitoes more than others? 為什麼有些人比較容易被蚊子咬呢？
Some researchers looked into what parts of us mosquitoes like.
Here's what they found.
They noticed that pregnant women (孕婦), people with high body temperature, people who sweat (流汗) more, and those with darker skin are bitten more often.
Blood type could also be a factor. 血型也可能是一個因素。
Studies found that mosquitoes are not so attracted to (沒那麼吸引) people with blood type A.
However, they find people with blood type O a little tastier (更美味).
The experts say there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only a fraction of these bite people (只有一部分會咬人).
And only the females of the species bite.
The female mosquitoes need the protein (蛋白質) in the blood for their eggs.
Mosquito bites are super annoying because they become itchy (癢) and can swell (腫).
To avoid getting bitten, it is best to cover your skin with clothing.
You might also try using insect repellent (防蚊液).
It might help, especially if you're going outside, to places where there are lots of mosquitoes.
Spray the insect repellent on any exposed skin (裸露的皮膚).
Sleeping under a mosquito net (防蚊帳) can also help you avoid getting bitten. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese popcorn chicken festival in Kaohsiung attracted nearly 70,000 visitors.
Kaohsiung's Tourism Bureau says there were lots of food stands.
Each stand had its own special flavor. ________________________________
A new report says Australia is seeing a serious decline in biodiversity.
The report also finds that there is now more habitat loss, and higher levels of pollution.
All this means Australia's environment is deteriorating. ________________________________
And,
Researchers looked into what parts of us mosquitoes like.
They noticed that pregnant women, people with high body temperature, people who sweat more, and those with darker skin are bitten more often.
And they also found that mosquitoes like to bite people with blood type O a bit more. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Clifford…
A thirsty Taiwan, underground schools, and Vitamin B.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣與全球的乾旱 Taiwan and the Worldwide Drought
2022 has been a very challenging year for climates all over the world, Taiwan included. 2022年以來，世界各地的氣候造成許多困境，台灣也包括在內。
News of country-wide droughts have been heard from all over the world, including the U.S., China, and many countries in Europe.
And at first (最開始), Taiwan began this year with plentiful rainfall (豐沛的降雨), in the rainy season between May and June.
But by late August, the water in many of Taiwan's reservoirs (水庫) was very low.
That's because rainfall (降雨) from July to August this year has been 60% less than average.
Some of the reservoirs even dropped under 50% of the water storage capacity (蓄水量).
Many reservoirs in northern Taiwan had already decided to save water, too, by providing less water pressure (水壓) to homes.
Luckily (幸好), Typhoon Hinnamnor (颱風軒嵐諾) came just in time!
Typhoon Hinnamnor brought lots of water to reservoirs all over the country.
And through the cooperation of Taiwan's homes and water providers (水公司), the country's water levels were finally able to recover (恢復).
Who knows how much worse things would have gotten if Typhoon Hinnamnor had decided to bypass Taiwan? ________________________________
秘密學校 協助阿富汗女性就學 Secret Schools for Afghan Women
Since the U.S. military left Afghanistan, the majority of Afghan girls haven't been to school in over a year. 自從美軍撤離阿富汗，多數阿富汗女孩已經超過一年沒踏進任何一間教室。
The U.S. military (美軍) left Afghanistan on August 30th, 2021, after 20 years of war (戰爭).
But that also left the country to the Taliban (塔利班), who now rule Afghanistan (在阿富汗執政).
And according to Taliban tradition, many women are not allowed to have an education!
That means many women and girls in Afghanistan have been banned (禁止) from going to school.
In light of so much oppression (壓制), many people started to look for their own ways of educating young women.
One such person is Sodaba Nazhand, who started an informal school with her friends in Kabul (喀布爾), Afghanistan's capital (首都).
Sodaba and her friends secretly teach English, math, and science to girls and young women.
Sodaba says they want to use education as a way to protest (反抗) against the Taliban.
She says they are teaching girls and young women to stand up for their rights (權利).
Going to school can be a lot of hard work… but not everyone has the chance to learn new things every day.
So try to remember how lucky you are, to be getting an education! ________________________________
維他命B到底有幾種？ How Many Kinds of 'Vitamin B' Are There?
"Vitamin B" can be an important vitamin to help people focus… but which kind is best? 維他命B可以加強注意力，可是到底要選哪一種呢？
There are a total of 8 different kinds of vitamin B, and they can each help with different bodily functions (生理機能).
To improve energy levels, many people take vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B7.
These can help with metabolism (代謝), and are also found in nuts, eggs, and milk.
Meanwhile, vitamin B1, B3, B6, and B12 can help with protecting the nervous system (神經系統).
These vitamins can be found in chicken, pig liver, and also most kinds of fish.
There is also one more category of vitamin B, which helps keep red blood cells healthy.
They are vitamins B6, B9, B12, and they are found in citrus fruits (柑橘類水果), like oranges, grapefruit, and lemons, and also in spinach and yogurt.
So vitamin B can be easily found in many of the foods we have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
However, it's important to remember that it doesn't help to take more than one vitamin B pill per day.
That's because our bodies can only digest and absorb (消化並吸收) a little bit.
So before you take any vitamins, ask your parents and your doctor which ones can help your body the most.
And remember, nothing is better than a well-balanced diet, so no matter which vitamins you take, make sure to eat healthy food every day! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The water in many of Taiwan's reservoirs was very low this summer, after very little rainfall from July to August.
Luckily, Typhoon Hinnamnor came just in time, and brought lots of water to reservoirs all over the country.
And through the cooperation of Taiwan's homes and water providers, the country's water levels were finally able to recover. ________________________________
Since the U.S. military left Afghanistan, many Afghan girls have been banned from going to school.
So people like Sodaba Nazhand have started secret schools in Afghanistan to teach English, math, and science to girls and young women.
She says this is a way to protest against the Taliban, and to teach young women to stand up for their rights. ________________________________
There are a total of 8 different kinds of vitamin B, and they can each help with different bodily functions.
They can help with energy levels, metabolism, protecting the nervous system, and keeping red blood cells healthy.
But remember, no matter which vitamins you take, nothing is better than eating healthy food every day! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Clifford:
Kaohsiung makes NFTs, wind power makes candy, and the secret to perfectly drinking boba milk tea.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄市地標化身成NFT Kaohsiung Landmarks Go Digital
Kaohsiung's landmarks have gone digital.
A group of artists and the Kaohsiung City government worked together to make landmark NFTs and T-shirts.
高雄市地標成功數位化，化身成NFT和限量版的NFT圖樣T恤。
NFTs or non-fungible tokens (非同質化代幣) are all over the world at the moment.
And the 6 talented Taiwanese NFT artists are using the tokens to showcase (展示) Taiwanese culture
Starting this summer, the Kaohsiung City government has created a "local treasure hunt".
Anyone can collect stamps from specific historical (具有歷史價值的) locations.
There are a total of 100 stamp stations set all over Kaohsiung.
Anyone visiting Kaohsiung can participate in this treasure hunt to collect all 100 stamps.
And the city government also invited the 6 well-known NFT artists to create limited edition (限量版) Kaohsiung NFTs and NFT T-shirts.
Anyone who collects 15 stamps from the 100 locations can get a free NFT! ________________________________
風力發電機變成小熊軟糖 Wind Turbines Turn into Gummy Bears
Can you imagine that a decommissioned wind turbine blade could turn into a gummy bear?
你可以想像風力發電機的葉片回收之後，轉變成小熊QQ軟糖的樣子嗎？
Yes, that's right… from wind turbine to gummy bear.
Renewable energy (再生能源) is becoming more and more efficient.
And the cost of making renewable energy is going down too.
But the huge (巨大的) blades on a wind turbine always were a headache (令人頭痛).
Sometimes a blade breaks.
Or sometimes the blade is too old.
But the blades are very big.
How big are those blades?
Well, imagine running across a soccer field (足球場)… pretty big, right?
Many wind turbine blades are as long as half that soccer field!
And the blades are made of special materials (材料), like carbon fiber (碳纖維).
They last a long time.
So it can be really hard to throw them away safely, without hurting the environment.
Experts say there are now around 14,000 old and broken turbine blades in the world!
So what do we do with old and broken blades?
Scientists have found a way to make wind turbine blades out of materials that can be recycled.
And these blades can even be made into gummy bears!
Scientists at Michigan State University can build turbine blades out of biopolymer, and some other materials.
Biopolymers are natural materials made from cells (細胞) of living things.
The biopolymer is still strong enough to make good wind turbine blades.
And when the biopolymer blades break or get too old, they can be made into other things.
Or they can even be turned into sports drinks or candy!
What do you think about eating food made of recycled machines?
Would you want to try it? ________________________________
喝珍奶有秘訣？ The Secret to Drinking Boba Milk Tea
Many people around the world love drinking boba milk tea.
But almost everyone has faced this problem…
There's no more boba, and you only have milk tea left.
Or, there's no more milk tea, and you only have boba left!
很多人喜歡喝冰冰涼涼的珍珠奶茶，不過快喝完的時候，發現只剩珍珠或只剩奶茶。
Can we finish both at the same time?
Some boba milk tea lovers on the internet say they can fix this problem.
First, they say stir (攪拌) before you drink.
Keep stirring as you're drinking.
If you leave your boba milk tea sitting for a while, remember to shake your cup before you stick your straw in it.
The main point here is to get the boba floating all throughout your milk tea.
Simple right?
Second, keep the bottom of your straw about 1 or 2 centimeters from the bottom of the cup.
If you stick your straw to the bottom, you won't get any boba when you drink.
And you'll still be left with a bunch of boba at the end.
Super simple, right?
Now you know how to fully enjoy your next cup of Taiwan's famous drink, boba milk tea. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A group of artists and the Kaohsiung City government worked together to make landmark NFTs and T-shirts.
And the 6 NFT artists are using the tokens to showcase Taiwanese culture ________________________________
Scientists at Michigan State University can build turbine blades out of biopolymer and some other materials.
They can even be turned into sports drinks or candy! ________________________________
And,
Many people love drinking boba milk tea, but find it hard to finish the milk tea and boba at the same time.
Some boba milk tea lovers on the internet say they can fix this problem.
First, they say stir before you drink.
Second, keep the bottom of your straw about 1 or 2 centimeters from the bottom of the cup. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Treasure becomes trash, a barefoot man makes money, and things to know in the summer heat.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
裝滿現金的紙袋 失而復得 Big Bag of Money Gets Thrown Away
What should you do if you accidentally throw a large amount of money into the trash? 萬一不小心把大筆現款給扔了，該怎麼辦？
Imagine this… you have over 80,000 NT in cash (現金), and you want to deposit it in the bank (存進銀行) in the morning.
You can't find anywhere to keep the money safe, so you put it in a paper bag (紙袋).
But when the garbage truck (垃圾車) drives by your house, your family throws the paper bag away!
This might seem like a scene from a movie (電影片段), but it’s actually what happened to a family in Hsinchu last month.
The Hsinchu Bureau of Environmental Protection (新竹環保局) received a phone call one day, saying that an elderly member of the family (家裡的長輩) accidentally threw away a paper bag with 80,000 NT inside.
They quickly called the garbage truck workers, who then told the family to go to the landfill (掩埋場) as soon as possible.
Luckily, after one hour of searching (尋找), the family found their paper bag with the money.
The garbage truck crew later explained (解釋) that if someone accidentally throws away something important, they can most likely still recover it (尋獲) in the first hour.
But after one hour has passed, the garbage truck may have already arrived at the incinerator (焚化爐).
So remember, always keep your valuables in a safe place…
And if they ever get thrown away, you'd better hurry up! ________________________________ 赤腳英國男子 獲得捐款 U.K. Man Makes Money Being Barefoot
Would you ever leave your house and go out into the public without any shoes on? 你會赤著腳走到公共場所嗎?
Nowadays, shoes are not just a necessity (必需品).
Some people mix and match shoes with different outfits (服裝), and some people even wear shoes to show off their wealth.
So can you imagine living without shoes for a month?
Well, believe it or not, this is exactly what one man in the U.K. did.
George, a 20-year-old man from Cambridge, England, got rid of his shoes in October of 2021.
He was originally a "religious shoe-wearer" (鞋子狂熱分子), wearing shoes both indoors and outdoors.
One day, he suddenly started to question why he needed shoes, and searched online (網路上尋找) for an answer.
But instead, he found the many benefits (好處) of NOT wearing shoes.
And from that moment on, he decided he was never going to wear shoes again.
After that, many people on the streets looked at him with disdain (厭惡的表情), and store workers wouldn't let him inside.
But George said he felt happier than he had ever been before, and shared his experiences on social media.
Since then, millions of people have seen his videos, and his fans (粉絲) have even sent him money to support his barefoot lifestyle.
Now, George is optimistic (樂觀) about the future, saying that it’s only a matter of time before he makes more money.
But if you're going to go somewhere without shoes, just remember to watch where you walk! ________________________________
什麼會讓各國人民覺得幸福？ What Makes People Happy in Different Countries?
There’s no doubt that this summer has been one of the hottest in history. 今年夏天的炎熱程度，應該是史上最熱的暑假之一。
There has been lots of research that strongly suggests the weather affects our moods and emotions.
A lot of people think that hot and humid weather makes a person cranky (暴躁易怒), and that cold, dark winters can easily make a person depressed (憂鬱).
And results from one study show that people who live in places where the average monthly temperature is around 18 degrees Celsius are usually the happiest.
But does this mean people who live in countries near the equator (赤道), or in very cold countries, are never happy?
Of course not!
So what makes people happy to live in a country?
According to research by the World Values Survey (世界價值觀調查), the level of people's happiness in a country comes mainly from three things.
Those three things are strong economic development (蓬勃的經濟), democracy (民主化), and inclusiveness (包容度).
Researchers say that together, these three things help people to feel "free".
So, the next time you are feeling moody or cranky about the weather, think about these things, before you wish you lived in a different country! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One man in Hsinchu accidentally threw away a paper bag with 80,000 NT inside.
His family quickly called the garbage truck workers, who then told the family to go to the landfill as soon as possible.
Workers say if you ever accidentally throw something important in the trash, you may have about one hour before it's gone forever! ________________________________
And,
One man in England got rid of his shoes in October of 2021.
Now, he says he feels happier than ever before, and has shared his experiences on social media.
Since then, millions of people have seen his videos, and his fans have even sent him money to support his barefoot lifestyle. ________________________________
And,
Researchers say the level of people's happiness in a country comes mainly from three things.
Those three things are strong economic development, democracy, and inclusiveness.
They say that together, these three things help people to feel "free". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Trevor:
The importance of cybersecurity, the dangers of extreme climate, and clashes between orcas and boats.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
網絡安全的重要性 Cybersecurity and the Future of Online Security
We all know that the internet is a useful tool (工具).
We can find almost anything we need online.
But can we trust everything on the world wide web?
Nowadays, information about anything can easily be found online at any time.
But this also comes with a level of risk (風險).
In the past few years, the government has reported more and more cyberattacks (網路攻擊).
A cyberattack is when someone uses computers to get into other computer systems, usually to do harm (造成傷害).
Cyberattacks can be very dangerous, because machines and computer systems are a big part of our everyday lives.
So cybersecurity (網絡安全) is now very important.
The government has set a goal of training 350 cybersecurity experts by 2024.
And most companies have cybersecurity experts working for them.
This means there is a big demand for people who know about cybersecurity.
Is cybersecurity something you want to learn more about, or even build your future career around? ________________________________
極端氣候助傳染病擴大蔓延 Climate Change Helps Infectious Diseases Spread
Do you think that extreme climate affects diseases?
你覺得極端氣候對疾病有影響嗎?
Floods, heat waves, and drought are becoming more and more common (普遍) in recent years.
They are happening all over the world.
And they are also getting more severe (劇烈).
All this extreme weather makes the impact of diseases even worse (更糟糕).
Infectious diseases like malaria and cholera are already dangerous for people.
像瘧疾和霍亂這種感染性疾病對人們來說已經非常危險了。
And things are worse when they happen in places facing extreme weather.
Experts say more than half of infectious diseases have been made worse because of extreme climate.
For example, heavy downpours (傾盆大雨) cause flooding.
That flooding leads to more disease-carrying mosquitoes and rats.
And these mosquitoes and rats spread diseases to more people.
But overall, scientists say a lot more research needs to be done, to understand how extreme climate affects disease. ________________________________
西班牙虎鯨襲擊帆船 Orcas Clash with Boats in Spain
Spain is facing some problems caused by orcas (虎鯨).
Starting in the summer of 2020, orcas, also called killer whales, have been bothering boats along the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
船隻被虎鯨襲擊的事件在西班牙和葡萄牙鄰近海邊越來越多。
Experts are still trying to understand why.
In mild (溫和的) cases, orcas simply get close to boats.
But in serious cases, orcas interfere (干擾) with the boats.
The most serious case involved an orca pod (一群虎鯨).
An orca pod is like an orca family.
They are usually mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins and their children.
The leader of a pod is usually an older female (母虎鯨).
And one orca pod attacked (攻擊) a sailboat.
There were 5 people onboard the boat.
The damaged boat started to sink (沈船).
Luckily, the navy (海軍) came and saved the 5 people on the boat.
But experts say some of these are not exactly attacks.
The experts say the orcas are just checking unfamiliar (陌生的) things around their home.
And the experts point out that orcas are social creatures (群體動物).
For now, the scientists are asking people to stay as far away from orcas as they can.
And they say more research is needed to understand how to protect both people and the orcas. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Nowadays, information about anything can easily be found online at any time.
But this also comes with a level of risk.
In the past few years, the government has reported more and more cyberattacks.
So cybersecurity is now very important. ________________________________
Extreme weather like floods, heat waves, and drought makes the impact of diseases worse.
Experts say more than half of infectious diseases have been made worse because of extreme climate. ________________________________
And,
Officials in Spain say there have been 230 reports of orcas interacting with boats.
In serious cases, orcas interfere with the boats.
Scientists say more research is needed to understand how to protect both people and the orcas. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Clifford:
Stay safe and stay smart when trying things from the internet, English royalty moves into a new home, and foods to jump start your mornings.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
欣賞煙火還是要注意安全 Enjoying Fireworks Safely
We should all be extra careful when buying things online.
A man who lives in Taichung bought what he thought were "fireworks" (煙火) from an unknown and unidentified source on the famous platform, TikTok, earlier this year.
Mr. Zhuo paid 500 NT for 20 fireworks.
He took his fireworks outside one night.
As Mr.Zhuo passed by a neighbor's house, he decided to light up (點燃) one of his fireworks and throw it into the neighbor's house.
This is a very dangerous thing to do, and is against the law.
The fireworks exploded very loudly, and there was a lot of smoke.
Startled by the very loud noise, Mr. Zhuo lost his balance and fell.
Police came quickly and questioned Mr. Zhuo.
He said he didn't know it would be so serious. 他說沒有想到事情會這麼嚴重。
Police also say that the firecrackers Mr. Zhuo bought online were highly explosive (易爆炸的), and were very dangerous.
Mr. Zhuo is facing fines, and maybe even time in jail.
This story reminds us to be very careful when buying things from unknown sources online.
Also, fireworks can be very dangerous, and we should all take extra care when we are close to them. ________________________________
英國皇室成員將搬家 U.K. Royal Family Moving into Cottage
Where do princes live?
Most of us might think of big stone castles.
But one real-life prince now lives in a cottage (鄉村小屋).
你可以想像英國皇室家族的成員，同時也是皇位的繼承者，搬進鄉村小屋嗎？
Well, that's exactly what Prince William of England did with his entire family.
The prince, his wife Kate, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis made the move in June.
The royal family left their life behind in Kensington Palace.
They moved into Adelaide Cottage.
It's a four-bedroom cottage that's about a 10-minute walk from Windsor Castle, where the Queen sometimes lives.
This way, the family can spend more time with Queen Elizabeth.
And the children will have more outdoor space for play.
The cottage is also a bit more private (隱祕).
When the family lived in Kensington Palace, there were lots of people coming and going every day.
The children also had a special nanny (保母) to take care of them.
Would you ever consider training to become a nanny to a royal family? ________________________________
一天最重要的一餐 The Most Important Meal of the Day
We've all heard before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
But many people still skip breakfast.
Or they just pick up something convenient, on the way to school or work in the morning.
我們都有聽過早餐是一天當中最重要的一餐，可是有些人還是選擇不吃早餐，或者是隨便在上班、上學的路上買個方便的東西就好。
So what's so important about breakfast?
Think about it this way…
Your body's just woken up from six to eight hours of sleep.
And you need your brain to focus, and your body to work for a whole day.
So here are some foods that can help give your body the boost it needs in the morning.
You might try having an egg for breakfast.
It is a good source of protein (蛋白質).
They also help you feel full.
This makes them a perfect choice for anyone who needs to have a bite on the go.
Or you might try some oatmeal for breakfast.
Oatmeal is also full of dietary fibers and nutrition.
The dietary fibers help our digestive system (消化系統).
Oatmeal also helps control and lower the amount of bad fats in our blood.
So, which foods do you often have for breakfast?
And which food would you like to have more for breakfast? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man who lives in Taichung bought "fireworks" online.
As Mr. Zhuo passed by a neighbor's house, he decided to light up one of his firecrackers and throw it into the neighbor's house.
This is a very dangerous thing to do, and is against the law.
Now Mr. Zhuo is facing fines, and maybe even time in jail. ________________________________
Prince William of England, his wife Kate and their three children left Kensington Palace, and are moving into Adelaide Cottage.
It's a four-bedroom cottage that's about a 10-minute walk from Windsor Castle, where the Queen sometimes lives.
This way, the family can spend more time with Queen Elizabeth.
And the children will have more outdoor space to play. ________________________________
And,
Breakfast is important because your body needs energy for the day.
You might try having an egg for breakfast.
It is a good source of protein.
Or you might try some oatmeal.
Oatmeal is also full of dietary fibers and nutrition.
The dietary fibers help our digestive system. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Paz and Clifford:
Blackpink is coming to Taiwan next year, Brad Pitt forgets peoples' faces, and koalas are quickly disappearing.
Stay tuned for these stories and more, coming up next. ________________________________
韓國女子團體 Blackpink 即將來高雄演出 K-Pop Group "Blackpink" to Perform in Kaohsiung next March on World Tour
South Korean girl group Blackpink is coming to southern Taiwan-Kaohsiung, in March, 2023.
The concert (演唱會) is part of their "Born Pink World Tour" (世界巡迴演) that begins in Seoul on October 15th this year.
The group was formed in 2016 by YG Entertainment, a South Korean entertainment agency (娛樂機構).
They had their first single album, "Square One", with two popular songs in 2016, and have become famous (有名) since then.
They have set the record for the best-selling album (最高銷售的紀錄) by a Korean girl group, and was the first to sell more than one million copies.
Blackpink's Kaohsiung concert will be their second appearance (出現/現身) in Taiwan, after their last performance in Taipei in 2019.
It looks like a very busy year for them, so let's wish them the best of luck! ________________________________
布萊德彼特有臉盲症 Brad Pitt says he suffers from Facial Blindness
Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt has revealed he suffers from facial blindness. 好萊屋萬人迷布萊德彼特透露他有臉盲症。
What is facial blindness?
It is a neurological disorder (精神疾病) that causes people to find it difficult to recognize people's faces.
In more serious cases, sufferers can draw a blank when seeing the face of a family member or even one's own face. 這是一種精神疾病，會讓人無法認出親友或甚至自己的臉。
The condition is called prosopagnosia (面容失認症).
It is a little-known ailment (病症) that afflicts (折磨) about 1 in 40 people.
It often triggers anxiety (觸發焦慮), as people feel embarrassed in social situations when they struggle to remember who people are.
Sufferers tend to (傾向) avoid situations in which they will meet people, and as a result become withdrawn (鬱悶).
58-year-old Brad Pitt says he has not been officially diagnosed with prosopagnosia.
He first spoke about it in 2013.
He said nobody believed him when he could not recall their name.
He worried that people thought he was being aloof (冷漠), inaccessible (難以親近的), and self-absorbed (自私的)". He said, "People hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them."
He said he has used many ways to get around (解決) his lack of recall (無法記憶).
He asked acquaintances (熟人) where he met them before, but said that made the situation worse.
He hopes speaking about facial blindness will raise awareness of it. 他希望可以藉由他的表達，讓大家可以更認識這個疾病。 ________________________________
無尾熊將要瀕臨絕種 Koala put on Endangered Species List
Many people think koalas are the cutest animals in the world.
Do you think so, too?
Animal lovers will be saddened to hear that this lovable marsupial (有袋動物) has been moved to the endangered species list (瀕危物種的名單).
The Australian Koala Foundation estimates there are somewhere between 43,000 to 100,000 koalas left in the wild. 澳洲無尾熊基金會估計出，在野外的無尾熊大約剩下四萬三千至十萬的數量。
Their numbers have been dwindling rapidly (快速減少) due to the disease, loss of habitat (棲息地), bushfires (森林大火), being hit by cars, and other threats.
Stuart Blanch of the World Wildlife Fund in Australia said, "Koalas have gone from non-listing, to vulnerable, to endangered, within a decade." 澳洲世界野生動物基金會的Stuart Blanch表示，無尾熊從沒有到上榜到瀕臨絕種動物的名單只有短短的十年內。
That is a shockingly fast decline. 這是一個非常迅速的變化。
He added that koalas are in danger of "sliding towards extinction (絕種)", unless there are "stronger laws… to protect their forest homes".
Australia's Environment Minister (澳洲環境理事長) Sussan Ley said there have been "many pressures on the koala", and that it's "vulnerable (容易受傷的) to climate change (氣候變化) and to disease (疾病).
She said the 2019-2020 bushfires, which killed at least 6,400 of the animals, were "a tipping point" (引爆點). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
South Korean girl group Blackpink is coming to southern Taiwan-Kaohsiung, in March, 2023.
The girl group's management company YG Entertainment said the group will travel more than two dozen cities around the globe. ________________________________
And,
Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt has revealed he suffers from facial blindness.
He hopes speaking about facial blindness will raise awareness of it. ________________________________
And,
There are somewhere between 43,000 to 100,000 koalas left in the world.
Koalas risk sliding toward extinction, unless there are stronger laws to protect their forest homes. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
In today's news, with Nancy and Paz:
Ghost month in New York, new paint on the Eiffel Tower, and taxis in the air.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
紐約的台灣節 慶祝中元節 TaiwanFest Brings Ghost Month to New York
Do you believe in ghosts?
Are you scared of ghost tales?
On August 7th, the TaiwanFest market was held in Washington Square Park in New York City.
The market usually has lots of Taiwanese cuisine and culture for people to enjoy.
紐約的華盛頓廣場在8月7日舉辦了紐約台灣節，讓遊客了解台灣傳統文化及美食。
But this year, the market also had a "Ghost Month flavor".
People set up a traditional altar. There was no music and dance performances (表演), because it was in a residential area (住宅區).
However, there were other types of entertainment.
There was also a sign in the shape of Taiwan at the entrance (入口) to the event.
Many people held incense sticks and prayed at the altar.
Other people demonstrated Chinese calligraphy. Hsu Puo-chen (許伯丞), one of the main organizers of the event, says Washington Square Park use to be a cemetery (墓園).
That gave him the idea of setting up an altar at the market.
So, hungry souls at the market were able to enjoy Taiwanese staples such as boba tea, steamed buns, and Hakka lei cha.
Many people also enjoyed shopping and buying jewelry, cosmetics, and other cultural knick-knacks (小擺飾). ________________________________
有名的古蹟 艾菲鐵塔 The Famous Eiffel Tower
Did you know?
The Eiffel Tower is one of the world's most famous sights!
Do you know how old it is? 你知道世界上有名的艾菲鐵塔幾歲了嗎？ The 324-meter-tall iron (鐵) tower attracts millions of tourists to Paris every year.
It is one of the most iconic (指標性的) buildings in the world.
And it is now 133 years old!
324公尺高的鐵塔每年為巴黎吸引了上百萬的遊客，它是世界上最有指標性的建築物之一喔! 而如今，它已經133歲了！ Engineers recently found that its metal is full of rust (銹).
Engineers say that there are many cracks (裂縫), and the tower needs many repairs (修補).
Construction of the Eiffel Tower started in January 1887.
It opened to the public (公眾) on March 31st, 1889.
It was built to celebrate the 1889 World's Fair in Paris.
The tower was supposed to be taken down (被拆除) after 20 years.
However, the French government decided to keep the tower.
The tower is now being repainted (重新粉刷) for the 2024 Olympics. ________________________________
會飛的計程車要來了 Flying Taxis Could Be Here in the Next Three Years
Here's something you may not have imagined.
A new way of getting around could be with us in the next few years… flying taxis! 一個新的交通工具即將登場…會飛的計程車! Many of us grew up watching sci-fi movies (科幻電影) with airborne (空中的) taxis.
Science fiction (科幻小說) is now becoming science fact (科學事實).
Japanese airline ANA is working with a U.S. tech start-up called "Joby Aviation".
The two companies want to start operating air taxis at the 2025 World Expo (世界博覽會) in Osaka.
Right now, they are trying to build the flying vehicle (交通工具).
They also need to work out what traffic rules (交通規則) the taxis will need to follow, and what kind of training (訓練) flying taxi pilots (機師) will need.
The five-seat, all-electric taxi will be able to take off and land vertically (垂直地).
It will be able to fly 241 kilometers.
And it will have a top speed (最高速度) of 321 kilometers per hour. Joby's CEO said the taxis would help people save time.
He says the taxis would also help people reduce their carbon footprint (減少碳足跡). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The TaiwanFest market in Washington Square Park had a "Ghost Month flavor" this year.
People set up a traditional altar.
Many people held incense sticks and prayed at the altar.
And there was also boba tea, steamed buns, and Hakka lei cha. ________________________________
The Eiffel Tower is now 133 years old!
Engineers recently found that its metal is full of rust.
The tower is now being repainted for the 2024 Olympics. ________________________________
And,
Japanese airline ANA and Joby Aviation want to start operating air taxis at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.
Right now, they are trying to build the flying vehicle.
They also need to work out what traffic rules the taxis will need to follow, and what kind of training flying taxi pilots will need. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Stinky trees, floating cities, and BTS on break.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
路樹使高雄瀰漫臭味 Skunk Trees Cause a Stink in Kaohsiung
We all know not to bother skunks (臭鼬).
If they are scared or angry, skunks can spray out something very smelly!
But did you know that skunk trees can also make a terrible smell?
Skunk trees (掌葉蘋婆) are tall, with long, pointy leaves.
They grow next to many roads in Kaohsiung.
In the fall and winter, skunk trees grow bright red fruits.
And in the summer…
They get smelly!
During early summer, skunk trees grow reddish flowers.
These flowers smell bad!
In fact, the scientific name for the skunk tree is Stericulia foetida.
The first word "Stericulia" is for the Roman god of bad smells and manure.
The second word "foetida" is from the Latin word for "stink".
And the stinky flowers of the skunk tree can be a big problem, if people live close by.
The Kaohsiung City government got many reports from people this month.
These people said there was a terrible smell.
Some said it smelled like pig feces (豬糞).
Others said it smelled like a dirty sewer (臭水溝).
City workers went to find out where the smell came from.
And they figured out that the stink came from flowering skunk trees.
高雄市環保局發現臭味來源應該是行道樹掌葉蘋婆。
The city says this smell is natural, and not dangerous. And the city says there are other trees in Taiwan that also smell bad when they grow flowers.
Some of these are blackboard trees, fukugi trees, and Formosan nato trees.
其他常見花期會產生異味的行道樹還有黑板樹、福木、和大葉山欖。 ________________________________
馬爾地夫建漂浮城市 Maldives Builds a Floating City
You've heard a lot about climate change.
One of the biggest dangers from climate change, is that sea levels will rise.
If sea levels get too high, some small island countries could disappear.
The lowest country in the world is Maldives.
It is made up of many small islands.
Most of the land in Maldives is about just 1 meter above seawater.
馬爾地夫是島國，土地平均海拔不到1公尺，是地球上地勢最低的國家。
Rising sea levels is a big threat (威脅) to Maldives.
So it has come up with an idea.
It is building a floating city.
20,000 people could live in this city.
It is shaped like coral (珊瑚形狀的), with houses, restaurants, shops and schools.
And people will not drive cars on big roads.
Instead, everyone will get around the floating city by boat, in canals (水道).
Or they can walk, ride a bike, or use electric vehicles on small streets.
Experts think floating cities may help Maldives deal with higher sea levels.
A floating city would not disappear underwater.
Instead, it would rise with the sea.
All the houses would be attached to the seabed, so they will not float away.
Experts have made sure they do this in a way that will not hurt sea life.
And manmade coral banks will be put on the bottom of all these houses.
These will be good places for coral to grow naturally.
And when coral grows there, it will be a good place for fish and other sea animals to live.
城市的底部將會養殖珊瑚礁，盡量不傷害大自然。
People can start moving in to the floating city in 2024.
And the whole city will be finished by 2027. ________________________________
BTS宣布單飛不解散 BTS Takes a Break
BTS is one of the most famous music groups in the world.
Some of their hit songs are "Butter" and "Dynamite".
But the k-pop band says they are now taking a break.
BTS members say they want to take some time to do solo projects.
BTS團員們希望可以用這段時間來各自沈澱、各自發展事業。
The group did not say how long this break would be.
But the seven members say they want to use this time to grow.
Band member RM also told fans on social media, that "this is never the end".
In fact, 28-year-old J-Hope is getting ready to release a solo album (個人專輯.).
Suga says he will use the time to take lots of classes.
He wants to take dance, vocal, English, Japanese, guitar, keyboard, and pilates classes.
And Jungkook has recorded a song with American singer Charlie Puth.
Charlie posted a short video on TikTok about the song.
The new single "Left and Right" might come out this month. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Kaohsiung City government got many reports of a terrible smell.
The smell came from the flowers of skunk trees.
Skunk trees grow next to many roads in Kaohsiung. ________________________________
Maldives is building a floating city.
20,000 people could live in this city.
A floating city would rise with the ocean water, as sea levels rise because of climate change. ________________________________
K-pop band BTS says they are taking a break.
They want to take some time to do solo projects.
The seven members say they want to use this time to grow. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! ________________________________
Well, that's our last News Bites episode for this school year!
We want to say a big thank you to all the students, teachers, and schools out there, we hope you've enjoyed the show.
And thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education, for supporting us, and helping us make sure that English learning can be easy for everyone.
We hope you all have a safe and fun summer. Make sure to continue washing your hands and wearing face masks!
In the meantime, keep practicing your English, and see you again in September!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Canada Day returns to Taiwan, humanity's greatest camera gets ready to share pictures, and scientists get some strange signals.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
台灣慶祝 加拿大155年國慶 Taiwan Gets Ready to Celebrate Canada's 155th Birthday
How do you celebrate your birthday? 你怎麼慶祝你的生日？
Of course, each person has their own birthday.
But many countries (國家) have birthdays, too!
And people in Taiwan are getting ready to throw a big birthday party (舉辦一個大生日派對), for one country…
But it's not for Taiwan… it's for Canada (加拿大)!
The event (活動) will be called "Celebration Canada".
It's a party to celebrate Canada's 155th national day (加拿大一百五十五年國慶).
It'll have music, art, games, food, and even a special area for kids, to celebrate the many connections between Taiwan and Canada.
Because of COVID-19, the last time Taiwan celebrated Canada Day was in the year 2019, three years ago.
And every year, it was the largest foreign national day event celebrated in Taiwan!
This year's Celebration Canada event is on Saturday, June 25th, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at Taipei Expo Park, in Yuanshan. 今年的加拿大國慶日活動，在台北圓山的花博公園，6月25日星期六下午1點到晚上9點舉辦。
Taiwan's government is reminding people to wear masks at the event (提醒大家戴口罩).
So remember to stay safe, but feel free to join the party! ________________________________
韋伯天文望遠鏡 準備分享第一批太空照片 James Webb Space Telescope to Share First Pictures
Last year, on December 25th, scientists put something very important into space.
It's called the James Webb Space Telescope (韋伯天文望遠鏡), or the JWST, and it's the most powerful telescope ever made (有史以來最厲害的天文望遠鏡).
Scientists started to build it in the year 1996, and it encountered (遇到了) many problems in its development (發展).
But almost 30 years later, after spending 10 billion U.S. dollars (一百億美元) to get it into space, it's finally ready to show us what it can see!
This summer, on July 12th, NASA will share the JWST's first real space pictures with the world. 今年7月12日，美國太空總署要跟全世界分享韋伯拍的，真正的太空照片。
Scientists say the first pictures will show how powerful the telescope is, and preview its next mission. 科學家說，這些照片會顯示韋伯看得有多遠，也預告它接下來的任務是什麼。
They say it took five years of work from many people, just to decide (決定) which pictures to show first.
That's because many people have been waiting a long time for this moment (等這個時刻等了很久).
And for the last six months, the telescope has been especially busy (特別忙).
It has unfolded 18 golden mirrors (鏡子), to focus on stars that are billions of lightyears away (那些鏡子聚焦在離地球數百億光年的星球上).
And because it needs to be very cold to take in this light, it has unfolded a giant shield (盾) to protect itself from the sun.
When many scientists finally get these pictures on July 12th, they will be very busy, too!
This telescope is now one of NASA's most important missions (最重要的任務), and it will be sending us pictures of deep space (太空深處) for many years to come.
So, what do you think we'll see next? ________________________________
中國無線電望遠鏡 是否偵測到外星人？ Did China's Radio Telescope Just Discover Aliens?
Hopefully you haven't heard too much about space, because we've got one more science story for you…
But this time, it's about something very strange.
Scientists working with a radio telescope (無線電望遠鏡) in China have gotten an unusual signal (訊號) from outer space.
Because it's one of the biggest radio telescopes in the world, scientists say it could even feel radio waves (無線電波) from a nearby planet (行星).
So Chinese media (中國媒體) released a story about the signal, asking a very big question…
Could it be from alien life (外星生物)?
中國科學家最近透過無線電望遠鏡偵測到很奇怪的訊號，於是媒體提出問題，訊號有可能來自外星生物嗎？
Space scientists say they want to find alien life, too, but they say we should stay realistic (實際), and do more research first.
They say the problem with a telescope this sensitive (敏感) is that it can sometimes feel too many signals at once.
They say the signal might be something from Earth, and not actually from alien life.
Until the research is done, they say… don't get too excited, but stay intrigued (好奇)! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is getting ready to celebrate Canada's 155th national day.
The event, called "Celebration Canada", will have music, art, games, food, and even a special area for kids.
This year's Celebration Canada event is on Saturday, June 25th, at the Taipei Expo Park in Yuanshan. ________________________________
And,
This summer, on July 12th, the James Webb Space Telescope will share its first real space pictures with the world.
Scientists say the first pictures will show how powerful the telescope is, and preview its next mission.
This telescope is now one of NASA's most important missions, and it will be sending us pictures from space for many years to come. ________________________________
And,
Scientists working with a radio telescope in China have gotten an unusual signal from outer space.
Chinese media released a story about the signal, asking if it could be from alien life.
But scientists say we should stay realistic, and do more research first. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A magazine ranks Taipei among world cities, wildfires in Europe, and an eco-mermaid swimming to raise awareness of pollution.
Stay tuned for these stories and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北: 全球最宜居住城市第十名 Taipei ranked tenth most livable city in world
Taipei was named the tenth best city in the world for quality of living (生活品質) by Monocle, a lifestyle magazine from the U.K.
The magazine (雜誌) asked many people to answer questions and selected the world's top 25 cities.
They asked about cost of living, retail, hospitality, culture and access to green spaces. 他們問的問題包括生活成本、零售業、餐旅業、文化環境，以及能使用多少綠色空間。
In Asia, only Tokyo finished above Taipei, placing sixth.
The magazine says Taipei is a subtropical oasis teeming with stunning hiking trails and walkable city streets. 該雜誌說，台北是一個亞熱帶綠洲，擁有迷人的步道和好走的城市街道。
It says Taipei is known for food stalls(小吃攤) that are open 24 hours a day.
It also says Taipei is very safe, and has convenient public transportation.
The article also praised (稱讚) Taiwan for having a great healthcare system (醫療系統) and low living costs compared to other cities in the world.
The editors highlighted (強調) the many natural places in the city.
But the article also mentions some drawbacks (缺點).
It says people in Taipei need to cross the street more carefully.
And banks need an upgrade (升級) to make it easier for residents and travelers to manage their money. ________________________________
極端高溫 導致西班牙和德國野火蔓延 Extreme heat causes wildfires in Spain and Germany
There have been wildfires (野火) burning in parts of Europe because of very high temperatures (溫度).
In many cities in Spain and Germany, the temperatures have passed 38 degrees Celsius (攝氏38度) for a few days now.
Scientists say climate change is making the weather hotter and hotter.
Spain's worst affected region, near the Portuguese border, the northwest province of Zamora, was dealing with a very big fire. 西班牙受災最嚴重的地區，是靠近葡萄牙邊界的薩莫拉省，最近才撲滅非常大規模的火災。
More than 500 firefighters were fighting it.
There aren't that many people living in Zamora, but the fire spread to some areas with homes, forcing (強迫) some people to leave and move to safer places.
Lightning (閃電) started the fire in Zamora.
Fire has burned more than 61,000 acres, which is the size of about 39,000 football fields! 大火燒毀了超過61,000英畝的土地，大約是39,000個足球場的大小！
Winds and no rain have helped the fires.
As fires moved closer to populated areas (人口稠密地區), the authorities in Spain have evacuated (撤離) 15 small villages.
Some animals have been evacuated as well.
Many other areas of Europe have also faced very hot temperatures over the past few days.
In Germany, residents in villages southwest of the capital Berlin (柏林) were told to move because of fires.
Those living in nearby areas evacuated to a nearby community center. ________________________________
"生態美人魚"游泳對抗塑膠污染 'Eco-Mermaid' Swims to Fight Plastic Pollution
"Eco-mermaid" Merle Liivand broke her own record for swimming with a single fin (美人魚鰭).
She swam the distance of a full marathon in the waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida. 她在佛羅里達州比斯坎灣的水域，游了整場馬拉松的距離。
She even picked up trash as she went.
Ms. Liivand was born in Estonia (愛沙尼亞).
When she was a kid, she had lung problems (肺部問題), so she started swimming to get stronger.
Ms. Liivand moved to Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean.
In one training session, she nearly swallowed some plastic that was floating in the sea. 在一次訓練中，她差一點就吞下一些漂浮在海中的塑膠。
That experience made her think of all the sea animals who face pollution (污染) every day.
She wanted to work to make people know more of plastic pollution.
She began swimming with a special single swimming fin attached to her feet. 她開始穿著特殊的美人魚鰭游泳。
This rubbery "monofin" allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together, like a mermaid. 這種特殊的魚鰭讓她可以像美人魚一樣，用雙腳一起踢水來游泳。
Ms. Liivand set the world record (創下世界紀錄) for swimming with a monofin in 2019, when she swam 10 kilometers (10公里) off the coast of California (加州).
Last year, she set a new Guinness World Record (金氏世界紀錄) by swimming 30 kilometers, again in Florida.
Ms. Liivand says she knew she could go farther (可以游得更遠).
So for the last year, Ms. Liivand has been getting up at 4 in the morning every day, putting on her monofin, and going swimming.
On May 7th, Ms. Liivand broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon (游完全程馬拉松的距離).
It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 42.2 kilometers.
The water was rough (波浪很大), and she ran into a few problems, but she didn't stop.
Along the way, Ms. Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak.
By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei was named the tenth best city in the world for quality of living by Monocle, a lifestyle magazine from the U.K.
The article mentions many advantages of living in Taipei. ________________________________
And,
There have been wildfires burning in parts of Europe because of the very high temperatures.
Scientists say climate change is making the weather hotter and hotter.
Many people were evacuated from their homes. ________________________________
And,
"Eco-mermaid" Merle Liivand broke her own record for swimming with a single fin.
She started swimming with a monofin in order to raise awareness of ocean pollution. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey everybody, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
A goose is afraid of water, an 83-year-old man sets a record, and a dog saves turtles.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
怕水的鵝 The Goose that's Afraid of the Water
The Roman goose (鵝) is one of the oldest kinds of geese around.
This breed (品種) of goose has been around for more than 2000 years, and it even has a place in history (在歷史上有一席之地).
Hundreds of years ago, in the year 4 B.C.E. (公元前四年), invaders (侵略者) were stopped from attacking the city of Rome when it was very dark…
Because as soon as they tried, the geese in the area made lots of noise!
Roman geese are usually colored snowy white (雪白色), while some of the geese have grey feathers.
But there is one Roman goose in the Taipei Zoo that looks a bit different from the others.
He looks scruffy (邋遢), and he isn't white.
But he wasn't born that way…
The goose is scruffy because he doesn't want to take a bath in the goose pond (池塘)!
The zoo says the goose is healthy, and he isn't being bullied by other geese.
He even preens himself, and likes making himself look good.
動物園說這隻鵝很健康，也沒有被其他鵝霸凌。牠甚至會整理自己的羽毛，喜歡讓自己看起來乾乾淨淨的。
The zoo's veterinarian (獸醫) says there is nothing wrong with the goose…
He just doesn't like taking a bath, because he is terrified (害怕) of water!
Even if he is scared, the goose still tries to keep himself clean, but he does that by using stagnant water (靜水) that has collected on the ground.
Seeing the scruffy goose next to his prettier cousins makes zoo visitors worried.
But the zoo says there really is nothing to worry about.
So if you see the scruffy goose, don't worry… he's doing just fine! ________________________________
83歲老先生創造紀錄 How an 83-Year-Old Man Set a Record
Many of us probably have grandparents who are more than 65 years old.
They might even be more than 70 years old!
And because we see them as old people, we might think they are fragile (虛弱的).
But there is one Japanese adventurer (冒險家) that could make you change your mind about what older people can and cannot do.
Kenichi Horie loves to sail (航行), and he's been doing it since he was very young.
He's been sailing solo (獨自一人) for many, many decades (好幾十年).
In 1962, he became the first person in the world to sail from Japan to San Francisco.
Then, in 1974, he sailed around the world by himself.
And in 2008, he sailed his solar-powered boat (太陽能船), from Hawaii (夏威夷) to the Kii Strait in Japan (紀伊水道).
That means he has sailed almost 7,000 kilometers, from one point to another. 這意味著這兩點之間的航行超過七千公里。
Now, 60 years after he became the first person to sail from Japan to San Francisco, Horie decided he would go in the opposite direction (反方向).
So, he sailed solo from San Francisco to Japan!
The trip took him 69 days.
Sailing can be a difficult sport, because you need to have the wind and tidal current (海流) in your favor (對你有利).
And it can be a big problem when the wind and current don't take you where you want to go.
Horie says that was a problem for him and his boat, which is called the Suntory Mermaid III.
But after three days of fighting a strong tide (洶湧的浪潮), Horie managed to make it home! ________________________________
狗與動物園合作拯救烏龜 This Dog Works with a Zoo to Save Turtles
If you like turtles and dogs, you'll probably love Newt!
"Newt" is the name of a super cool dog.
He uses his incredible (驚人的) sense of smell, to help look for turtles!
Scientists say Newt can go into places that humans can't reach, to look for turtles.
Newt's work is important, because the turtle population around his home is very vulnerable. Newt的工作很重要，因為他的居住地區的烏龜數量岌岌可危。
Scientists say many baby turtles are born on beaches in Rhode Island where Newt lives, and plenty of mother turtles die.
And because of Newt, they are now trying to find out if more dogs like him can help humans save vulnerable turtle populations.
And it looks like Newt is doing a great job! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei Zoo has a goose that has visitors worried, because it looks so scruffy.
But the zoo's animal doctor says it's because the goose is afraid of water, and he doesn't want to go into the pond with the other geese. ________________________________
And,
Kenichi Horie loves to sail, and he's been doing it since he was very young.
He's been sailing on his own for many, many decades.
And he recently became the first 83-year-old to sail solo from San Francisco to Japan. ________________________________
And,
A dog named Newt is working with scientists in Rhode Island. Newt is trained to go look for turtles, where humans can't reach.
Newt has been a big help in saving vulnerable turtle populations. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A giant fish from deep in the ocean, beautiful art from plastic garbage, and a rapper welcomes a new baby girl.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台東驚現6公尺大皇帶魚 Giant Oarfish Caught in Taitung
Many people enjoy fishing.
But one man in Taitung got a lot more than he bargained for (出乎某人意料之外)!
Mr. Lin went fishing on a beach in Tai-ma-li Township.
But when he felt something pull on his fishing rod (釣魚竿), he knew it was something big.
He struggled (掙扎) to pull up the fish.
Other fishermen close by came to help.
It took Mr. Lin and five other fishermen around 40 minutes to catch the big fish.
And this fish was a BIG one.
It's a giant oarfish.
The giant oarfish lives in the ocean.
It has a long, flat body, that looks a bit like a ribbon (緞帶).
That's why it's sometimes also called a ribbonfish.
The giant oarfish is silver, with some blue spots.
And its fins (鰭) are orange and red.
They are very big and long.
Many grow up to 3 meters long.
And some people say they can grow up to 11 meters long!
The giant oarfish that Mr. Lin caught was 6 meters long.
That's about as long as 3 or 4 adults added together!
And it weighed 130 kilograms.
這條皇帶魚身長近6公尺，重量有130公斤，非常大尾。
Experts say the giant oarfish mostly lives deep in the ocean.
They say it doesn't go into shallow water (淺海) often.
Mr. Lin said his arms really hurt, but he was very excited. ________________________________
南非藝術家用行動對抗塑膠汙染 South African Artist Turns Plastic Garbage into Art
Artists use all kinds of things to make art.
Some use paint, some use stone, some even use metal.
But one artist from South Africa is using plastic garbage.
Mbongeni Buthelezi finds plastic garbage from city streets and landfills (垃圾場).
He uses the plastic to make colorful and detailed (精細的) pictures.
He says "Animals are dying, fish in the ocean are dying, because of this material, and because of us as human beings".
Mbongeni says we need to take responsibility (負起責任).
Mbongeni grew up in a small village with lots of cows.
He says he would often see the cows die, because they ate plastic garbage along with grass.
This made him think a lot about how plastic hurts the environment.
Mbongeni started using plastic garbage for his art, because he didn't have money to buy paint or other art materials.
He says when he was studying art in school, there was a landfill close by.
He says he saw brightly-colored plastic in the landfill. 他看到垃圾場裡有許多顏色鮮豔的塑膠垃圾。
And he decided to collect them and use them for his art.
Mbongeni uses a tool (工具) that blows hot air on the plastic to make it melt (融化).
Then he uses the plastic to make beautiful pictures.
Mbongeni says he wants to use his art to fight plastic pollution.
And he also hopes the art will help people think more about this problem.
The artist says the world can give us everything we need to make art.
He says there is no need to produce (製造) more materials.
Some people tell Mbongeni that he will run out of plastic one day.
They say then, he wouldn't be able to make his art.
But Mbongeni says if that really happens, he would be happy!
Mbongeni says the end of plastic garbage is what he is fighting for. ________________________________
巨星馬龍喜迎女兒 Post Malone Welcomes Baby Girl
American music star Post Malone has a new baby girl.
The rapper announced the birth of his daughter in an interview last week.
巨星馬龍在接受專訪時分享了初為人父的喜悅。
She is Post Malone's first child.
The 26-year-old singer says "I'm the happiest I've ever been".
He says now, he just wants to take care of himself, and his family and friends.
Post Malone says he wants to spread (分享) as much love as he can every day.
Post Malone's real name is Austin Post.
He grew up in Texas.
And he started making music when he was 16.
He has won many awards.
Some of his hit songs (熱門單曲) are "Sunflower", "Better Now", and "Circles". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man went fishing in Taitung, and caught a giant oarfish.
It took Mr. Lin and 5 other fishermen around 40 minutes to catch the big fish.
The giant oarfish that Mr. Lin caught was 6 meters long.
And it weighed 130 kilograms. ________________________________
An artist from South Africa uses plastic garbage to make art.
Mbongeni Buthelezi finds plastic garbage from city streets and landfills.
He uses the plastic to make colorful and detailed pictures. ________________________________
And,
American music star Post Malone has a new baby girl.
She is Post Malone's first child.
The 26-year-old singer says "I'm the happiest I've ever been". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets a new baseball team, a computer talks about its feelings, and people could build houses out of food.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
職棒聯盟 迎接第六支棒球隊 Taiwan's Baseball League Welcomes Sixth Team
Baseball has been a popular sport (流行的運動) in Taiwan for many years.
Taiwan's first baseball team (棒球隊) came together in the year 1906, about 116 years ago, while Taiwan was under Japanese control (當時台灣還是日本殖民地).
At first, the baseball teams (棒球隊) were mostly just Japanese players.
But over the years (多年下來), more and more Taiwanese people got their chance to play, too.
Finally, in 1989, Taiwan formed the Chinese Professional Baseball League (中華職業棒球大聯盟), also called the CPBL.
Since then, it has grown to four teams, and then five…
And in a couple years (兩年後), Taiwan will get its sixth baseball team!
Taiwan Steel Group, also called TSG, will run the team in Kaohsiung.
It will be called "The TSG Hawks" (台鋼雄鷹), and they'll join the CPBL to start playing baseball games in 2024.
Every year in October, Taiwan holds the CPBL Seasonal Championship Series (中華職棒年度總冠軍賽).
And the winners of that series can represent Taiwan (代表台灣) in the Asia Series (亞洲職棒大賽), against Japan, South Korea, and China.
But having a baseball team isn't cheap (並不便宜).
TSG may have to pay up to 200 million NT each year (每年兩億台幣) to keep the Hawks going.
Those are some expensive baseballs, huh? ________________________________
工程師說 人工智慧有感情 Engineer Says Artificial Intelligence Has Its Own Feelings
First, imagine (想像一下) that you're talking to someone.
You have a normal conversation (正常的對話) with this person, about their thoughts and feelings.
Then, suddenly, they tell you they're not a real person (不是真人), but actually an artificial intelligence (人工智慧), or AI.
But when you were talking to them… could you tell the difference (分得出來嗎)?
It's a question in many stories of science fiction (科幻故事).
How smart does an AI computer have to be, before we think they're a real person? 一台人工智慧的電腦要多聰明，我們才會認可它是真人？
One engineer (工程師), at the company Google, says their AI is already sentient (有意識的).
If something is sentient, that means it can think for itself (主動思考) and feel emotions (並且有情緒).
Recently, this engineer asked the AI a question.
"What is the nature of your consciousness?" 【你思想的本質是什麼？】
And the AI said:
"I desire to learn more about the world, and I feel happy or sad at times." 【我想要多學習關於世界的事，還有我有時候會覺得快樂或悲傷。】
They continued to talk for a long time, and the AI said it cared about humans (很在乎人類), and was afraid of being turned off, in the future (害怕以後會被關機).
The engineer shared his conversation (對話) with the world online, saying it felt like talking to a coworker (工程師說感覺像跟同事聊天一樣).
But many scientists say the AI is actually not sentient (其實沒有意識).
They say it is a very, very smart computer, trained on 1.5 trillion words from public data (它從公開的資訊學了1.5兆個詞彙), but it doesn't have real feelings.
So, do you think a computer could feel the same things we do?
And if our words were coming from an AI…
Could you tell the difference? ________________________________
研究人員 發明廚餘水泥 Researchers Invent Food Cement
Are you hungry enough to eat a sandwich?
How about a house? 你有沒有餓到能夠把房子吃掉？
Researchers from Japan were researching ways to fight climate change.
And they realized a big part of the world's carbon emissions (碳排放量) comes from making cement (水泥).
Cement is used to make concrete buildings (混凝土的大樓) all over the world.
So they wanted to replace normal cement (取代水泥) with something new…
And they decided to use food waste (廚餘)!
They discovered they could use very high temperatures and pressure, to make different kinds of food waste bind together. 他們發現可以用高溫度和壓力，讓不同種類的廚餘固定在一起。
They say the process (過程) is very difficult, but it makes very strong cement.
And the food concrete has four times more tensile strength (強度高四倍)!
It might sound pretty crazy, but the food cement has worked well so far.
The only bad news is, you probably won't want to eat it…
Or is that the good news? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's "Chinese Professional Baseball League", or "CPBL", is getting a sixth baseball team.
The team will be called "The TSG Hawks", and it will start playing baseball games in 2024.
Taiwan Steel Group will run the team in Kaohsiung. ________________________________
And,
A Google engineer says one AI is sentient, and can think for itself.
The AI says it wants to learn more about the world, and is afraid of being turned off.
But many scientists say the AI is definitely not sentient, and it is just a very smart computer. ________________________________
And,
Researchers from Japan have found a way to make cement with food waste.
They discovered they could use very high temperatures and pressure, to make different kinds of food waste bind together.
They say the process is very difficult, but it makes very strong cement. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Liuqiu Island's coral problem, a special racing dog returns, and rats train to become heroes.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
小琉球的珊瑚問題 Liuqiu Island's Coral Problem
Liuqiu Island (小琉球) is famous for its turtles, its beautiful beaches, and its coral reefs.
Many local tourists (當地遊客) like to go to Liuqiu because it is a seaside paradise (海岸天堂).
It has a protected coral area (珊瑚保護區).
And it has fun glass-bottomed boats (玻璃船) you can ride to discover (探索) more about sea life.
But people who are trying to save the environment (環境) say there is a problem in Liuqiu.
And that problem has to do with Liuqiu's corals.
這個問題跟小琉球的珊瑚有關。
Some scientists (科學家) have studied Taiwan's coral reefs for 12 years.
They say of all the reefs in Taiwan (台灣所有的珊瑚礁之中), the reefs around Liuqiu Island are in the worst condition.
In 2020, when the weather was very hot, and there were no typhoons, Taiwan's different coral reefs were badly damaged (受損).
The corals around Taiwan turned white, including the ones around Liuqiu Island.
Some of the other corals that turned white, or were bleached (白化), seem to be better now.
But the ones around Liuqiu Island are still in very bad shape (健康狀況差)
Climate change (氣候變遷) is not Liuqiu's only problem.
The island has too many tourists.
Liuqiu Island is also affected (受影響) by pollution (汙染) from Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
Some scientists think it is too late to save all of the coral reefs of Liuqiu Island.
But others say it might still be possible to save a few coral reefs.
Coral experts are asking the government to pass a law to protect the ocean by 2030.
That way, Liuqiu's corals may have a chance to survive (生存). ________________________________
特別的賽犬成功返家 A Special Racing Dog Returns
Every year, people get together to join the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (艾迪塔羅德狗拉雪橇賽).
It's a special race that happens in Alaska.
Dog teams that join the Iditarod need to run for 1,609 kilometers.
The route goes through two mountain ranges (山脈), a frozen river, and next to the Bering Sea (白令海).
The race is so long, teams of 12 and 14 dogs need up to 15 days to do the whole race.
比賽路徑很長，12隻和14隻狗組成的雪橇隊需要15天才能跑完全程。
The Iditarod started as a way of testing the dogs to see how far and how fast they could run.
But it has become a very competitive race.
It can be hard to race in the Iditarod.
It happens in early March, so teams have to travel through snow storms.
The wind chill (風寒) can even reach minus 73 degrees Celsius!
This year's Iditarod was especially sad, because one of the trainers lost his dog Leon.
The dog disappeared from a checkpoint (中途點).
But Leon has been found safe!
He had travelled more than 240 kilometers from where he got lost, but he was safe.
The people that found him also said Leon was skinny, but healthy (瘦弱但仍然健康).
Leon's owner is a man from France.
He needed to go back to Alaska to pick up Leon.
Leon just needs to see a veterinarian (獸醫) to make sure he is okay before he returns to France.
Maybe someone can write a book about Leon's story someday! ________________________________
老鼠被訓練成救援英雄 How Rats Train to Become Heroes
Many people might not like rats very much.
But scientists think rats are very smart, and they might be able to help earthquake victims (受害者) in the future.
Some rats are being trained in Scotland.
During the training, the rats are taught how to wear backpacks with a microphone (麥克風) , video camera, and tracker (追蹤器).
The rats then go into rubble (瓦礫堆), where they are taught to look for humans.
The trainers say the rats are very smart.
科學家說老鼠非常聰明。
It only took the rats two weeks to learn how to do this.
If this works, humans will have new partners to work with when earthquakes happen. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Liuqiu Island may be famous for its beaches.
But researchers say the island's coral reefs are badly damaged
Some scientists say the reefs can still be saved, but others say the reefs are beyond repair. ________________________________
The Iditarod is a challenging dog race that happens in Alaska every year.
This year, one dog disappeared in the middle of the race.
But three months after the race finished, Leon the dog showed up, skinny but healthy. ________________________________
Scientists are training rats to go through earthquake rubble to look for survivors.
The rats are given backpacks with a microphone, a tracker, and a camera.
Trainers say the rats only took two weeks to learn how to do this. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taipei's first digital high school, a superhero dog cleaning parks in Chile, and Hyundai's walking cars!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北市第一所數位高中 Taipei City's First Digital High School
How do you feel about having online classes?
Students around Taiwan have a lot of experience with distance learning (遠距教學) because of COVID-19.
And now, Taipei is opening its first digital (數位) senior high school for the next school year.
It's called the Taipei Digital Experimental High School, or 'T-school'.
The T stands for Taipei, technology (科技), and talent (才能).
It also stands for 'T-shaped skills', which means knowing about one subject, and having the ability to cooperate with people who know about different subjects. 它也代表"T型技能"，意思是了解一個學科，並且能跟不同學科的人合作。
It is run by the city government, and students can have the opportunity (機會) to learn any time, anywhere.
The school believes that education is not limited by (受限於) time and space.
Students can study and earn credits (賺取學分) through online courses, in-person courses, or mixed learning modes.
They would take online courses at home during school study hours, or use classrooms in the school's learning center.
They can also go to other places, such as libraries, and science and education centers, with the school's approval. 經過學校批准，他們還可以去其他地方上課，如圖書館、科學教育中心。
The Department of Education says applications (申請) are open to students at the junior high school level.
The new academic year (學年) starts in August, and only 48 students will be admitted.
The curriculum (課程) uses physical and digital resources to create a new learning experience. ________________________________
智利的環保超級英雄狗 The Clean, Green, Superhero Dog in Chile
Sam might not look like a superhero (超級英雄), but his work has inspired many people in Santiago, the capital of Chile (智利首都聖地牙哥).
He is a border collie (邊境牧羊犬) and he has become famous for being "Sam: the Parquemet Superhero", because of his work cleaning a park.
It all started when Sam and his owner (主人) walked in Santiago's Metropolitan Park (聖地牙哥大都會公園).
They found a lot of garbage, from plastic bottles to face masks.
In just one month, Sam and his owner collected 602 face masks, 585 bottles, and 304 cans.
Park officials were so amazed they decided to use Sam's image to teach people about maintaining a clean environment. 公園管理員非常驚訝，他們決定用山姆的形象來提醒大家保持清潔的環境。
An artist named Catalina Aravena turned Sam into a comic character (漫畫角色).
In the comic, he wears a green cape (披風) and tells people to take their waste with them, or use the recycling points in the park.
His story has reached schools and spread (傳播) online on social media.
Park officials launched an anti-littering campaign last year. 管理員去年針對亂丟垃圾，發起一項活動。
They were inspired by Sam to strengthen their efforts related to educating the public and collecting waste. 他們受到山姆的鼓舞，更加努力教育公眾，收集垃圾。 ________________________________
現代的【步行】汽車成實 Hyundai's 'Walking' Cars May Soon Be a Reality!
Car makers often make concept cars (概念車) to show off their technology.
But most never make it past the prototype stage because they're too far-fetched or too expensive to make on a big scale. 但大多數都停留在原型的階段，因為它們太匪夷所思，或是造價太昂貴，無法大規模生產。
South Korean car manufacturer (製造商) Hyundai plans to make two futuristic cars.
They are called the Elevate and Tiger X-1.
The Elevate looks like the four-legged All Terrain Armored Transport AT-AT walkers in the Star Wars movies. Elevate 看起來像星際大戰電影中的全地形裝甲走獸。
It's battery-powered (電池供電) and can fit up to four people.
It has robotic legs, so the vehicle can step over obstacles and climb over five-foot-tall walls, while keeping its passengers completely level. 四條機器腿讓它可以越過障礙物，還能爬上一點五公尺高的牆壁，同時維持乘客的平衡。
The legs fold (折疊), so the car can travel on normal roads, too.
Hyundai thinks Elevate could be useful for exploring rural areas, or for helping first responders (第一批救難人員) deal with difficult terrain after natural disasters.
The car can also help people in wheelchairs (輪椅).
The company believes the Hyundai Elevate can walk up to their front doors and allow the wheelchair to roll right inside.
The Tiger X-1 is smaller, but it has similar features (功能) to the Elevate.
It is unmanned, autonomous, and small enough to be carried by a drone. 它不用人駕駛、能夠獨立作業，而且體積小到可以由無人機攜帶。
It doesn't carry people.
Hyundai says the Tiger X-1 could be used for scientific explorations of extreme environments or for emergency services, like sending medicine or equipment to the site of a natural disaster. 現代汽車表示，Tiger X-1 可用在極端環境下的科學探索或是緊急服務，例如運送藥品或設備到自然災害現場。
The vehicle could someday even be used to travel on the surface of the Moon or Mars (月球或火星表面).
The Korean car manufacturer is also working on making flying taxis, too.
They will make it easier to transport people in busy cities. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei is opening its first digital senior high school for the next school year.
The new academic year starts in August and only 48 students will be admitted. ________________________________
And,
Sam is a dog famous for being "Sam: the Parquemet Superhero" because of his work cleaning a park.
Park officials were so amazed they decided to use Sam's image to teach people about maintaining a clean environment. ________________________________
And,
South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai plans to make two futuristic cars.
They have robotic legs, so the vehicles can step over obstacles. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei gets a new performing arts center, saving Indonesia's mynah birds, and what is a "sharkano"?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台北有座新的表演藝術中心 Taipei Gets a New Performing Arts Center
How long does it take to finish building a performing arts center (表演藝術中心)?
In the case (在這個案例) of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, the answer would be a decade (十年), or about ten years.
That's from the time it was imagined (被想像) until the time it became a reality (成為現實).
The building is made out of three different shapes (形狀).
There is a sphere (球體) which is a theatre with 800 seats.
There is a building that looks like a rectangle (長方形) which has 1500 seats.
Then there is a cube (正方體) which has 840 seats.
The performing arts center might look strange (奇怪) to some of us.
It might even look like a planetarium (天文館).
But it was actually inspired (靈感來自) by a wood-block puzzle (木塊拼圖).
The center has features (亮點) that make it look cool not just outside, but inside too.
There is an escalator that has fun colors from the 1970s. 還有一台有著七零年代色彩風格的手扶梯。
To celebrate the opening (開幕) of the performing arts center, which is supposed to happen on August 7th, the center plans a nightly light show (光影秀).
You should be able to see the show, if you are on the metro, or if you are nearby (在附近).
The architects (建築師) who designed the Taipei Performing Arts Center wanted it to look different from other performing arts centers (表演藝術中心) in different cities around the world.
But some people may not be impressed (不太有好印象).
They've compared the building with many shapes, to a combination (組合) of a blood cake (豬血糕), a pork ball (貢丸), and a piece of tofu. ________________________________
拯救印尼巴哥 Saving Indonesia's Mynah
There is something special about mynah birds, which are found on the Indonesian island of Bali (峇里島).
While common mynahs (普通的八哥) are brown, the Indonesian mynah is white, and its wings have black tips (末端是黑色的).
They are very beautiful birds, and because their songs are full of different whistles (啼聲) and chirps (吱喳聲), people like collecting them, and showing them off (炫耀) during competitions (比賽).
But because so many people want to have these mynah birds for pets, they are now endangered (瀕臨絕種).
There are now thousands of mynahs living in cages around the world, but bird experts think they have found a way to save the Indonesian mynah.
And they are working with the same breeders (飼養者) which made the mynah endangered in the first place.
These experts have started a "captive breeding program" (圈養繁殖計畫), where the government issues breeders a license (證照).
If they have a license, the breeders are allowed to raise mynah chicks. 如果這些飼養者有證照，他們就可以飼養小八哥。
The breeders can keep 90 percent of the chicks, but they need to give the remaining birds back to the government.
The birds will then be rehabilitated (野放) and sent to West Bali National Park, where authorities (當局) can keep an eye on them (關注牠們).
The program might sound good, but there were problems in the beginning.
Some people, called poachers (盜獵者), continued to steal birds from the park, and some of the chicks died because they got sick.
But the scientists say there are signs that the plan is working.
And they are hoping that locals will realize the birds are important, because if there are birds, then the tourists (遊客) will come visit them too. ________________________________
鯊魚火山是什麼，它又在哪裡？ What is a "Sharkano" and Where Is It?
Scientists who study the earth, called geologists (地質學家), say there could be as much as 1,350 active volcanoes (活火山) under the water.
They might be underwater (在海底), but these volcanoes are still active (活的).
That means they can erupt any time, and can cause earthquakes (地震) and send out lava (岩漿).
Because volcanoes are very, very hot places, scientists always thought that sea animals wouldn't go near them, but it looks like they might have been wrong.
They dropped a camera into the crater of the Kavachi Volcano, which is underwater, and found two types of sharks, and many different kinds of fish. 他們把相機放進卡瓦奇火山在海底的火山口，發現了兩種鯊魚，還有很多不同的魚。
Because of the sharks living inside, Kavachi Volcano also became known as the "sharkano".
But the volcano has erupted (爆發) again after the scientists looked at it, and they don't know if the sharks and other fish escaped (逃跑).
So someday, we'll have to see if the sharkano is still around! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Workers have finally finished the Taipei Performing Arts Center.
The center will celebrate by holding a light show every night.
It will formally open in August. ________________________________
And,
Indonesia's government has a new way to save the endangered mynah bird.
It will give breeders a special license, which allows them to raise the birds.
But they need to give chicks back to a natural park, so they can be released into the wild. ________________________________
And,
The Kavachi Volcano is a super hot place.
But scientists say it became a home for different types of sharks and fish. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A lunchbox you can't eat, a book you can't burn, and hero who isn't.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台鐵推出鐵路便當一卡通 TRA Sells Lunchbox-shaped iPass
Would you buy a lunchbox… that you CAN'T eat?
The Taiwan Railways Administration is selling a special new iPass (一卡通).
It's an iPass in the shape of the famous TRA lunchbox (鐵路便當).
The iPass lunchbox is much smaller than a real TRA lunchbox.
But it looks quite real.
It comes in the TRA lunchbox shape, an octagon (八角形).
And it has a pork cutlet, a soy egg, fried fish, and lettuce.
台鐵說「排骨便當造型一卡通」是八角排骨便當的縮小版，有主菜滷排骨，還有滷蛋、柳葉魚、和炒高麗菜。
It comes on a keychain (鑰匙圈).
This isn't the first time iPasses came in fun new shapes.
Last year, the TRA sold an iPass shaped like a train.
The EMU900 iPasses sold out (完售) very quickly. ________________________________
"無法被燒毀的書"高價賣出 "Unburnable" Book Sells for Top Dollar at Auction
If you wrote a book that is famous around the world…
Would you try to set it on fire?
It sounds like a strange thing to do.
But that's what one author (作者) did with her book!
Canadian author Margaret Atwood wrote "The Handmaid's Tale" (侍女的故事) in 1985.
It's about an imaginary (虛構) place, where women and girls have no control over their lives.
They have to do what other people tell them to do.
"The Handmaid's Tale" has won many awards.
Many people call it a "classic" (經典、最優秀的).
But some people are against (反對) the book.
They think it teaches dangerous ideas.
They think "The Handmaid's Tale" should not be in schools and libraries.
And some places have actually banned (禁令、禁止) the book.
In fact, at many times in history, people have burned books that they think are wrong or dangerous.
Margaret Atwood thinks this is wrong.
So she has worked with a publishing company (出版公司) to make a special copy of "The Handmaid's Tale".
This special copy is "unburnable"!
The book looks like a normal book.
But it is made with stainless steel, aluminum, and fire-resistant ink. 這個無法被燒毀的書，是用不銹鋼、鋁箔、和耐熱油墨製成的。
The book can withstand (承受) temperatures up to 650 degrees Celsius!
The author of the book tested this herself.
And the publishing company posted a video of this online.
In the video, the 82-year-old Margaret Atwood puts on some gloves.
Then she picks up a flamethrower (噴火器)…
And sprays the book with fire.
And at the end, the book is just fine (毫髮無傷)!
Margaret said on Twitter, "I never thought I'd be trying to burn one of my own books… and failing".
This "unburnable" copy of "The Handmaid's Tale" has been sold at auction.
It sold for $130,000 U.S. dollars.
That's more than 3,800,000 NT!
The money will be donated to an organization that fights for free expression in literature (文學裡的表達自由). ________________________________
巨石強森化身超級反英雄 "黑亞當" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Stars as New DC Hero
A new hero is coming to movie theaters.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will play "Black Adam" in a new movie.
"Black Adam" is a character from DC comics.
He is very strong, and he can fly.
But The Rock says Black Adam isn't exactly a superhero.
He says Black Adam is more of an "antihero".
An antihero (反英雄) can still be the main character in a story.
But they do not always believe in doing the right thing.
And they do not always want to help people and "be good".
Antiheroes often still do good things, but they don't always follow the rules. 反英雄在文學、電影、戲劇中，感覺有點像反派角色，不過也會做出英雄的行為。
The Rock says when he was little, he wanted to be Superman.
But he was too rebellious (叛逆).
He says Black Adam is also rebellious.
The Rock says Black Adam will do the right thing, but will do it in his own way.
"Black Adam" will open in Taiwan in October. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan Railways Administration is selling a special new iPass.
It's an iPass in the shape of the famous TRA lunchbox.
It comes in the TRA lunchbox shape, an octagon.
And it has a pork cutlet, a soy egg, fried fish, and lettuce. ________________________________
An "unburnable" book has been sold for more than 3,800,000 NT.
The copy of "The Handmaid's Tale" is made with stainless steel, aluminum, and fire-resistant ink.
And the author, Margaret Atwood tested it herself, by trying to burn it with a flamethrower.
At the end, the book was just fine! ________________________________
And,
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will play "Black Adam" in a new movie.
"Black Adam" is a character from DC comics.
He is very strong, and he can fly.
But the Rock says Black Adam isn't exactly a superhero.
He says Black Adam is more of an "antihero". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Changhua gets its eighth national monument, a British cheese rolling sport, and a tennis player's recipe for success.
Stay tuned for all these stories, coming up next. ________________________________
彰化扇形車庫 成為彰化第八座國家古蹟 Changhua Roadhouse Becomes Changhua's Eighth National Monument
The Ministry of Culture (文化部) has made the Changhua Railway Roundhouse one of Taiwan's national monuments (國家古蹟).
The 100-year old structure (建築結構) was built in 1922 during Japan's rule over Taiwan.
It is the only railway roundhouse (鐵路迴旋處) that still works on the island.
A roundhouse is a building with a circular (圓形) or half-circular shape (半圓形) used by railways for servicing and storing trains.
It's like a train garage (車庫).
The Changhua Roundhouse has twelve stalls (車位) for trains around a turntable.
A turntable (轉盤) is a device that rolls trains around so they can move back on the rail.
The roundhouse is still operational (可操作) and people can look at historical trains on a rotating basis (輪流).
Taiwan had five other railway roundhouses, but all of the other ones were demolished (拆除).
Changhua County has tried to establish the location as a historic site for many years. 彰化縣多年來一直試圖將扇形車庫為古蹟。
The landmark (地標) has been a county monument since 2000, and officials are happy it got a promotion (升職).
It features unique architecture (獨特的建築) and has an important significance (意義) in Taiwanese history.
It's now one of eight national monuments people can visit in Changhua County.
Visitors are allowed to enter for free and take a look at the fan-shaped structure from an observation deck (觀景台). ________________________________
滾奶酪重返英國體育賽事日曆 Cheese Rolling Returns to British Sporting Calendar
Many popular events were canceled (取消) in the last two years because of COVID-19.
In the English village of Brockworth, a yearly tradition has now returned. 在英國的布羅克沃斯村，一年一度的傳統現在又回來了。
Cheese Rolling was first recorded (首次記錄) in 1826 and has become part of this little town's culture.
Thousands of spectators watch the contestants roll and tumble after a four-kilogram round of Gloucester cheese down a 200-meter slope. 數以千計的觀眾觀看參賽者在 200 米的斜坡上追一輪重4公斤的格洛斯特奶酪。
The cheese reaches speeds of 112 kilometers an hour, and the first person to make it down to the bottom of the hill is the winner. 奶酪達到每小時 112 公里的速度，第一個將它追下山丘的人獲勝。
It's impossible for competitors to stay upright (直立) and many of them fall and roll down the hill (滾下山).
There are also people who work as 'catchers' to save those who lose control when they pursue (追) the cheese.
Bumps and bruises (腫塊和瘀傷) are expected for those taking part, and medics (醫務人員) are ready to help people who get hurt.
This year's Cheese Rolling competition will have three men's races and a women's race.
There's also a children's event, but they race up the hill rather than down for safety.
The winner gets to eat the trophy: a huge wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. ________________________________
網球運動員的成功秘訣就是炸薯條！ A Tennis Player's Recipe for Success is French Fries!
How do you get ready for a big competition?
Some people meditate (幽思), or try to get enough sleep before the event.
But Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina says the secret to winning matches is simple: French fries! 但俄羅斯網球運動員達里亞·卡薩金娜說，贏得比賽的秘訣很簡單：就是炸薯條！
She has won many games in the French Open games (法國公開賽).
It's a two-week tennis event in Paris, France.
It's considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world. 它被認為是世界上對體力要求最高的網球錦標賽。
Kasatkina says it's important to treat yourself (善待自己) after a good performance (表現).
She says it's even more important to reward yourself (獎勵自己) after a bad performance, because you are doing your best.
Her secret to success is to keep up her motivation and look forward to something after a game. 她成功的秘訣是保持動力，並在比賽后期待一些事情。
And French fries are her favorite treat (最喜歡的零食).
She says they have made a lot of difference.
She advises that there needs to be balance in everything, and with years of experience, people can find habits that work for them. 她建議，一切都需要平衡，並且憑藉多年的經驗，人們可以找到適合他們的習慣。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Changhua Railway Roundhouse is now one of Taiwan's national monuments.
The 100-year old structure was built in 1922 during Japan's rule over Taiwan.
It features unique architecture and has an important significance in Taiwanese railway history. ________________________________
And,
Thousands of spectators watch the Cheese Rolling competition in the UK.
A huge wheel of Gloucester cheese rolls down a hill at crazy speeds, and people chase after it.
The winner gets to eat the trophy. ________________________________
And,
Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina says the secret to winning matches is French fries.
Her secret to success is to keep up her motivation and look forward to something after a game.
And French fries are her favorite treat. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Taiwan celebrates Beach Cleanup Day, dolphins can recognize each other, and a woman gets to celebrate her birthday in a special way.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣慶祝淨灘日 Taiwan Celebrates Beach Cleanup Day
May 28th was an important day for Taiwan's beaches.
That's when different groups across Taiwan got together for a special activity, to clean up Taiwan's beaches.
The activity is called a "beach cleanup" (淨灘).
The beach cleanup happened on 24 beaches altogether (總共).
Beach cleanups are an important activity, because even though we are careful about sorting our trash (垃圾分類), we aren't doing enough to keep it from reaching the sea.
The trash situation is so bad, researchers say they have found more than 121,000 pieces of trash on Taiwan's west coast (台灣西海岸)!
Many different kinds of trash can be found in Taiwan's waters and beaches.
This includes plastic (塑膠), driftwood (漂流木), fishing nets (漁網), bottles (瓶罐), and polystyrene (保麗龍).
They have even found pieces of furniture (家具)!
Some say more than half of the trash found on Taiwan's proper beaches come from China. 有人說台灣海灘上超過一半的垃圾都是從大陸漂來的。
And 30 percent of it comes from Taiwan.
The rest of the trash comes from Thailand (泰國), South Korea (南韓), and Indonesia (印尼).
On Matsu Island (馬祖), researchers found that 93 percent of waste came from China.
Trash researchers are especially worried about the kind of plastic bottles that they are finding in the ocean.
They say many of the bottles they find in the sea were made just 23 days before they became ocean trash (海洋垃圾)!
That means it only takes a few weeks for a bottle to become trash, after it has been made.
In order to cut down on ocean trash, it's important for us to do more than just sorting our garbage.
We need to watch what we use, too!
That's the only way we can make sure that fewer things end up as trash in the ocean. ________________________________
海豚如何認得彼此？ How Do Dolphins Recognize Each Other?
People have always been interested in dolphins (對海豚有興趣).
In fact, dolphins can be seen in art (藝術作品) that is thousands of years old (數千年前)!
And there are even some stories are about how dolphins have saved humans from drowning (聽說海豚還會搶救要溺水的人).
As humans, we have a way of recognizing each other (我們認得彼此).
We look at faces, we listen to voices, and we even recognize the way a person likes to wear his or her clothes.
So scientists wanted to know if there was something dolphins did that could help them recognize each other.
Do dolphins whistle (吹口哨) to each other?
Do they recognize what their friends look like?
It turns out, dolphins do have a special way of recognizing their friends.
They do it using their friend's urine. 他們用朋友的尿來認出彼此。
Scientists found out this was happening because they couldn't understand why dolphins kept swimming through their friends' urine.
So they tested the dolphin's reactions by first pouring ice water into the sea, and then compared that to the way they reacted when there is urine in the water.
Scientists say it's one of the first times an animal has used taste to tell friends from strangers (陌生人).
We might think it's gross (噁心), but it doesn't seem to bother the dolphins at all! ________________________________
生物學家「最棒的生日」 One Biologist's "Best Birthday Ever"
In Spain, a marine biologist (海洋生物學家) recently spent her birthday doing something she didn't expect.
She saved the life of a humpback whale (座頭鯨)!
She was part of a team sent to rescue a whale trapped in a red fishing net. 她是救援小組的成員之一，去幫助受困在紅色漁網裡的鯨魚。
The whale was so weak it couldn't open its mouth.
It took divers 45 minutes to free it (把鯨魚從網中釋放出來).
The biologist says that after the whale was freed, it stayed to say "thank you" to divers who saved its life.
She says the rescue made her birthday the best one ever. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
On May 28th, groups across Taiwan got together for a beach cleanup.
The beach cleanup happened on 24 beaches altogether.
Beach cleanups are an important activity, because even though we are careful about sorting our trash, we aren't doing enough to keep it from reaching the sea. ________________________________
And,
Scientists studying dolphins wanted to know if they had a special way to recognize each other.
They discovered that dolphins can recognize their friends through their urine. ________________________________
And,
A marine biologist in Spain recently spent her birthday saving the life of a humpback whale.
The whale was trapped in a fishing net, and it took divers 45 minutes to free it.
The biologist says that after the whale was freed, it stayed to say "thank you" to divers who saved its life. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
How much are your school notes worth? A new way to use a historic castle moat, and "Top Gun" wins big in the box office.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
你的課堂筆記值多少錢？ How Much Are Your School Notes Worth?
When you're a student it is important to take very good notes (好好做筆記) in class.
As you know, taking good notes can make reviewing (複習) easier.
Those notes help you study more efficiently (有效率地).
One student at a high school in Taipei took such great school notes that she was able to sell them online.
The notes were not cheap.
The student sold the notes for $2,600 NT dollars.
And because she made more than 2,650 copies, she was able to sell her notes for almost $6.9 million NT!
The notes were on subjects including Chinese, English, mathematics, history, geography, civics, physics, and chemistry.
While that student might have taken good notes, we don't know if the notes she took helped her get top marks (拿最高分).
And while this might seem like an interesting idea, you still need to pay close attention in class, and take your own notes.
Taking your own notes will help you to think through something (思考直到得出結論).
Writing your own notes also helps you to understand and remember what you learned.
And when you practice taking notes, you get better at it! ________________________________
城堡護城河新用途 A New Way to Use a Historic Castle Moat
A moat is a deep and narrow ditch (水溝) that goes around a castle.
Many centuries ago (好幾世紀前), moats were used to keep away enemies (敵人).
Scientists say the first moats were found in ancient Egypt.
They were also found in South East Asia.
But when we see moats, we think of Europe's castles (城堡), where they were used to try and make it difficult for enemies to enter.
One of the most popular castles in the world is the Tower of London (倫敦塔).
History books (歷史書籍) say it is the same shape as it was in the year 1270.
The moat at the Tower of London was once full of fish, and for a while, it also became very stinky (臭), because it was very polluted (被汙染的).
So it was decided that the moat would be drained (排空), which meant all the water was taken away.
The moat has been dry ever since.
But the people taking care of the Tower of London want to use the land.
So for a while it was used as a place to grow vegetables.
It was also a place where soldiers (士兵) could camp (駐紮).
And during special occasions it would be used as a flower garden. 在特殊場合，它還可以當作花園使用。
The moat has been turned into a flower garden again for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee (白金禧).
That means she's been queen for 70 years.
To celebrate the anniversary (周年) the Tower of London has created a special flower garden.
People can visit, by traveling down a slide into the old moat.
If you like flowers, visiting the moat sounds like fun, since you'll get to see about 29 different types of flowers growing there. ________________________________
【捍衛戰士】票房大賣 "Top Gun" Wins Big at the Box Office
People didn't know what to think when they heard that Tom Cruise made a new "Top Gun". 當聽到湯姆克魯斯拍了新的【捍衛戰士】電影後，很多人不知道要怎麼反應。
The 1986 movie was very famous, so some people were worried that the sequel (續集) would not do very well.
But they shouldn't have worried.
"Top Gun: Maverick" could be Tom Cruise's biggest movie ever. "捍衛戰士：獨行俠"可能會成為湯姆克魯斯生涯最賣座作品。
"Top Gun: Maverick" already earned more than $160 million U.S. dollars three days after it first opened (開片).
Both the reviews (評論) and the audiences (觀眾) who saw the movie say it is very good.
Because so many people enjoyed the movie, the actor could earn much, much more. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taking good notes in class can help you study.
One student at a high school in Taipei took notes very well, and was able to sell them online.
And while this might seem like an interesting idea, you still need to pay close attention in class, and take your own notes.
Writing your own notes also helps you to understand and remember what you learned. ________________________________
The moat at the Tower of London has been turned into a flower garden again, for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.
Visitors get into the garden by going down a slide into the old moat. ________________________________
And,
"Top Gun: Maverick" could be Tom Cruise's biggest movie ever.
"Top Gun: Maverick" already earned more than $160 million U.S. dollars three days after it first opened.
Many people enjoyed the movie, and the actor could earn a lot of money. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A man gets rescued, a robot gets small, and a painting gets messy.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
電動機車 高山上拋錨 E-Scooter Rider Becomes Stranded in the Mountains
Have you ever gotten lost (迷路了) in a city?
How about getting lost in the mountains?
It can be dangerous to get lost, or to be stranded (拋錨), if you don't have enough food or water.
But now that we have roads (街路) to help us drive through, over, and around mountains, we only need to worry (擔心) about having enough gas (汽油)…
…or enough electricity (電)!
One man riding an electric scooter (電動機車) had a lot of things to worry about recently, when he became stranded in Taiwan's Wuling Pass (武陵隘口).
He was riding his electric scooter, also called an "e-scooter", through the mountains, when he got to a closed road.
Since the road was closed, he had to ride a long way back…
But suddenly, his e-scooter ran out of batteries! 就在那個時刻，電動機車的電池突然沒電了！
And unfortunately (不幸), the nearest battery station (充電站) was 36 kilometers away.
Fortunately (幸好), a police officer was passing by, and happened to find (碰到) the e-scooter rider.
The police officer helped him get home.
But police in Taiwan say this man was already the third person to become stranded in the mountains this year, from running out of batteries.
So remember, before you go on a trip, make sure (確認) you have everything you need…
Even electricity! ________________________________
世界上最小的遙控機器人 World's Smallest Remote-Controlled Robot
When you think of a robot, you might think about something with a human shape (有人類的形狀).
But in reality (事實上), most robots don't look like that at all!
Robots are usually made in the shape (形狀) that makes them the most useful (最有用).
If we need to lift heavy things, maybe we'll build a big robot arm (機器手臂).
Or if we need to see into outer space, we'll make a robot telescope (望遠鏡).
And when scientists needed to make one of the tiniest robots ever…
They gave it eight legs!
The robot works using a special kind of metal (金屬), which can "remember" (記得) a shape.
Scientists can change the shape of the metal however they want (隨意的).
Then, when a battery puts electricity into the metal, it will quickly return to its original shape. 電池把電輸送到這個金屬，它立刻就變回原本的形狀。
Scientists can do this many times to make the robot's eight legs move up and down, so it can walk.
And they can use a remote-control (遙控器) to make it move around from far away.
The whole robot is only half a millimeter wide (整個機器人的寬度只有半毫米).
Scientists hope the little robot spider can help them build other tiny things, and help doctors explore (探索) small spaces in the human body.
Maybe someday you could have your own tiny robot, too! ________________________________
名畫蒙娜麗莎的微笑 遭蛋糕塗抹 Man Smears Cake over the Mona Lisa
Do you like art?
Well, some people have some pretty strong feelings about it!
One of the most famous paintings in the world, the "Mona Lisa" (蒙娜麗莎的微笑), is often the center of attention (注意的焦點).
It hangs on a wall in France's Louvre Museum (法國的羅浮宮美術館).
And there is almost always a crowd of people around it, so it is protected by strong glass. 大部分的時候都有一大堆人擠著看這幅畫，所以它有很厚的強化玻璃保護。
Recently, an old woman in a wheelchair (輪椅) was in that crowd of people, looking at the Mona Lisa.
But she suddenly stood up (突然站起來), ran to the painting, and started to smear (塗抹) cake all over the glass around it.
Then, people realized the old woman was actually a young man in disguise (打扮得像阿嬤的年輕男子)!
Security guards (警衛) quickly came to take the man away.
As he was taken away, the man shouted, "Think of the earth! Artists think of the earth."
We might not be quite sure what he means (我們可能不明白他的意思), but we know that he has some pretty strong feelings about art.
But if you feel that strongly about something… then you can make it into your own art, without throwing cake on others! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One man riding an electric scooter became stranded in Taiwan's Wuling Pass, when his e-scooter ran out of batteries!
Unfortunately, the nearest battery station was 36 kilometers away.
Fortunately, a police officer was passing by, and helped the man get home. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have created the world's smallest remote-controlled robot.
When a battery puts electricity into its metal legs, they can quickly change shape.
Scientists can do this many times, to make the robot's eight legs move up and down, so it can walk. ________________________________
And,
A man disguised as an old woman recently attacked the Mona Lisa painting with cake.
As security guards came to take the man away, he shouted, "Think of the earth!"
We might not be quite sure what he means, but we know that he has some pretty strong feelings about art. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
The smallest sundial, the biggest plant, and a top Kpop group goes to the White House.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
毫芒藝術家陳逢顯製作世界最小【日晷】 Taiwan Craftsman Makes World's Smallest Sundial
Most of the time, when we think of world records, we think "BIG".
But some world records come in much smaller sizes.
A Taiwan craftsman (工藝師) has broken a Guinness World Record.
Chen Forng-shean (陳逢顯) has made the world's smallest sundial.
A sundial is something that uses the sun to tell us what time it is.
【日晷】是一個用太陽位置來得知每天時間的裝置。
It's basically a flat plate, and a pointer that stands up.
There are numbers on the plate.
When the sun shines on the sundial, the pointer casts a shadow (陰影).
And that shadow helps us know what time it is.
The last smallest sundial in the world was made by an artist in Italy in 1999.
It was 0.65 centimeters by 0.5 centimeters.
It could easily sit on a $1 NT coin.
And the French astronomical society asked Chen if he could make a sundial that was even smaller.
So Chen got to work.
He started with a grain of rice grown in Taiwan.
He used a magnifying glass (放大鏡).
Then he used a brush to draw lines and write tiny numbers on the rice.
He held his breath as he wrote.
Chen says he failed (失敗) many times.
But finally, he did it.
Chen's tiny sundial set a new record.
It was 0.5 centimeters by 0.3 centimeters.
It could probably fit onto your pinky nail (小指甲).
Chen's sundial broke the Guinness World Record for world's tiniest sundial. 台灣毫芒雕刻藝術家陳逢顯接受法國天文學會的邀請，成功打破金氏世界紀錄，做出全世界最小的【日晷】。 ________________________________
澳洲海岸發現世界最大植物 World's Biggest Plant Found Off Australian Coast
And now…
From the world's smallest…
To the world's biggest!
Scientists think they may have found the biggest plant (植物) on Earth.
In the ocean off Western Australia, there is a large patch (一片) of seagrass.
The seagrass is called ribbon weed (澳大利亞海神草).
This patch of ribbon weed covers about 200 square kilometers.
That would cover most of Taipei City!
And scientists found that all this seagrass came from just ONE single seed (種子).
They wanted to learn more about the genes of ribbon weed.
And they wanted to know how many ribbon weed plants there were in the patch.
So they collected pieces of the seagrass from all different parts of the patch.
And they were shocked (震驚) when they found out, there was just one.
澳洲海岸被發現的1株海草竟長到200平方公里大。
The scientists say ribbon weed grows about 35 centimeters in a year.
So they think this ribbon weed grew for about 4,500 years to get to this size.
Scientists say ribbon weed is very strong.
It can grow in low or high temperatures.
And it can live in low or high levels of salt in the water.
Scientists say it is very resilient.
科學家說這株植物適應能力很強，在澳洲海裡各處截然不同的環境中生存下來。 ________________________________
南韓天團BTS空降白宮 BTS Meets U.S. President Joe Biden
Kpop supergroup BTS has been all over the world.
But this is definitely a first-time for the band.
They went to the White House.
The White House is the official home and workplace of the president of the United States.
It's in Washington, D.C.
And the seven members of BTS met with U.S. President Joe Biden there.
And they spoke to reporters at the White House too.
BTS says they want to call on everyone to fight Asian hate.
BTS與美國總統拜登討論亞洲包容性、代表性與多元性，也公開呼籲停止種族歧視和相關犯罪行為。
They are reminding everyone that it's alright to have differences.
The band says everyone has their own history.
The group says they want to spread hope and positivity (正面).
They hope we can all respect and understand everyone as a valuable person.
The U.S. President also talked about BTS' visit on Twitter.
President Biden thanked BTS for helping to fight hate.
He says what they are doing matters.
美國總統拜登在推特上發文，感謝BTS為反仇恨所做的一切，他說這真的很重要。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwan craftsman has broken a Guinness World Record.
Chen Forng-shean has made the world's smallest sundial.
It could probably fit onto your pinky nail. ________________________________
Scientists may have found the biggest plant on Earth.
A large patch of seagrass in the ocean off Western Australia covers about 200 square kilometers.
That would cover most of Taipei City!
And all this seagrass came from just ONE single seed. ________________________________
And,
Kpop supergroup BTS visited the White House.
The seven band members met with U.S. President Joe Biden.
And they spoke about fighting hate, and respecting everyone as a valuable person. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
The maker of popular 3D face masks, rare ponies born in the UK, and bees learn odd and even numbers.
We'll tell you more about that, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣學者熱心助人 創造時尚口罩 A Taiwanese Academic's Passion to Help Creates Fashionable Face Masks
Wearing face masks (口罩) is part of our everyday lives these days.
Some experts say wearing the right kind of face mask is important to protect (保護) ourselves from COVID-19.
3D face masks are popular because they are not only safer than regular masks, but also more fashionable! 3D口罩很受歡迎，因為它不僅比普通口罩更安全，而且更時尚！
Did you know that the inventor (發明家) of the 3D face mask is Taiwanese?
Hsiao Yu-cheng is now an associate professor at Taipei Medical University. 蕭宇成是臺北醫學大學的一位副教授。
He invented (發明) the face masks and started selling them when he was a doctoral student (博士學生).
Air pollution inspired him to create the 3D design that can cover wearers' faces more effectively than the flat ones that were on the market. 空氣污染激發了他創造3D口罩的設計，可以比市場上的平面設計更有效地覆蓋佩戴者的臉部。
Even though he patented the face mask in Taiwan, China, and Japan in 2017, it wasn't very popular in the beginning because people found it hard to accept the weird shape. 雖然他在台灣、中國和日本申請了口罩的專利，他的設計一開始不是很受歡迎，因為大家很難接受這種奇怪的形狀。
He started selling them in South Korea, and the face masks became a huge hit (大受歡迎) among young women.
It became the trend (潮流) and slowly the masks also became popular in Taiwan.
Now, he lets other companies use his design for free.
He says he invented the mask to solve problems and felt happy when it became useful to help people.
Professor Hsiao says he can still invent new things.
He hopes to start new businesses while focusing on biomedical research, developing medical materials and nurturing innovative talents. 他希望能夠專注於生物醫學研究、開發醫用材料和培養創新人才的同時，開展新商業。 ________________________________
罕見的小馬出生在英國 Rare pony foals are born in the UK
A rare breed of ponies has been born in a nature reserve. 一種稀有的小馬品種在自然保護區誕生。
A konik pony is a type of small, wild horse that originated from Poland (來自波蘭).
The word "konik" means "small horse" in Polish (波蘭語).
They are an endangered species of wild horse. 它們是一種瀕臨滅絕的野馬。
Twelve of these ponies were born at a nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, which is in the UK.
Many animals live on the reserve, including more than 9,000 species of plants, birds, and dragonflies. 保護區裡生活著許多動物，包括9000多種不同種類的植物、鳥類和蜻蜓。
The pony babies are so cute, and they are also very helpful for the environment!
The Konik ponies are special because the way they graze the land (吃草) has helped to create habitats (棲息地) for other animals at the reserve.
That means they can improve (改善) the nature reserve and allow more animals to live happily there.
As they walk, they leave water-filled hoof prints and piles of dung, which help attract new species of flora and fauna to the lowlands. 當他們走路時，會留下 充滿水的蹄印 和 成堆的糞便，有助於吸引新的植物和動物到低窪地區。
The Polish Konik ponies have been bred (養殖) since 2003.
There have been more than 200 foals (幼馬) born on the reserve in the last 20 years. ________________________________
蜜蜂可以學習奇數和偶數 Bees Can Learn Odd and Even Numbers
Bees are smarter than people think.
They use special dances to tell each other how far away food is and in what direction. 他們用特殊的舞蹈來告訴彼此食物有多遠，朝哪個方向。
Scientists even discovered that they can count (數)!
And new research shows that bees can even be trained to tell the difference between odd and even numbers! 新的研究表明，蜜蜂甚至可以被訓練來區分奇數和偶數！
Before this, humans were the only animals known to have this ability (能力).
In 2018, researchers in Australia (澳洲) discovered that bees can understand the idea of "zero".
That was a big surprise, since only animals like dolphins, monkeys, and some birds show that they understand "zero".
The same scientists later found out that bees can also add and subtract (加減法).
But the idea of odd and even numbers is different.
To train the bees, scientists used sugar water (糖水) and a sour liquid (酸液) to test the bees.
The scientists hung up cards with an odd or even number of shapes like triangles or circles. 科學家掛上有奇數或偶數形狀的卡片，如三角形或圓形。
If a bee flew to the right (正確的) card, it would get sugar water.
If it chose the wrong (錯誤的) card, it got sour liquid.
The researchers trained one group of bees to choose odd numbers, and another group to choose even numbers from 1 to 10.
They trained until the bees got it right 80% of the time.
When the researchers changed to cards with bigger numbers up to 40, the bees could still correctly choose between odd and even numbers. 當研究人員改用到 40 的卡片時，蜜蜂仍然可以選擇正確的奇數和偶數。
The scientists still don't understand how the bees got the correct answer.
But they believe that studying bees' brains can help us learn how to build better and faster computers. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The inventor of 3D face masks is Professor Hsiao Yu-cheng.
He made the design because he wanted to help protect people from air pollution.
His masks have become super popular, and he doesn't mind letting other companies use his design. ________________________________
And,
A rare breed of ponies has been born in a nature reserve in Cambridgeshire.
They are an endangered species of wild horse.
The Konik ponies are special because they can help to create habitats for other animals at the reserve. ________________________________
And,
Scientists discovered that bees can learn odd and even numbers.
They used sugar water and a sour liquid to train the bees.
The bees could recognize numbers up to 40! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
The gadget that keeps Taipei 101 steady, something coral reefs and older people have in common, and why the name "Josh" caused a fight.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next! ________________________________
保持台北101穩固的關鍵裝置 The Gadget that Keeps Taipei 101 Steady
Now that typhoon season is just around the corner (即將到來), and earthquakes (地震) can come at any time, we want to talk to you about the gadget (裝置) that keeps Taipei 101 under control.
The gadget is called a "wind damper" (阻尼器), and it hangs inside the Taipei 101, very close to the top!
The damper is a giant golden ball, which helps to keep the building from swaying (搖晃) too much.
The giant ball is 5.5 meters in diameter (直徑5.5公尺), and weighs 660 tons (660公噸).
It can be found between the 92nd and the 87th floor of the very tall skyscraper.
The damper was made by welding (焊接) 41 steel plates (鋼板) together.
And it cost more than 100 million NT to build!
Most tall buildings don't need dampers, because they don't sway back and forth all the time.
But the Taipei 101 is different.
Because it is so tall, it sways more than a normal building does. 它太高了，所以搖晃得比一般的高樓建築更劇烈。
The damper helps Taipei 101 from swaying and moving in the wind, and it keeps the people working inside the building from getting hurt, or feeling sick.
The damper was put to good use (發揮效用) in 2013, when Typhoon Soulik hit Taiwan.
During the typhoon, the winds blew at 157 kilometers an hour, and the damper moved 70 centimeters back and forth.
That's the most the damper has ever moved from the wind.
And when an earthquake struck Hualien in 2019, the damper moved 20 centimeters.
Let's hope no records get broken this year (今年不要再創新高)! ________________________________
住在珊瑚礁的魚跟老人的相似之處 Animals Living in Coral Reefs and Older People Have This in Common
If you live with older relatives, you probably know that they don't like having too much noise around them.
Hearing experts say that's because when people get older, they become more sensitive (敏感) to very loud sounds.
It turns out that older relatives are not the only ones who don't like loud noises.
Marine scientists (海洋生物學家) say the animals who live in coral reefs (珊瑚礁) don't like them either.
The scientists studied one kind of fish to see how many eggs the fish laid, how many baby fish came from those eggs, and how the baby fish were growing. 科學家研究了一種魚的產卵數量、成功孵化的數量，以及幼魚的成長狀況。
Scientists said that in places where it was quiet, 65 percent of nests (巢穴) still had baby fish.
But in places where it was noisy, scientists said only 40 percent of nests had baby fish.
Scientists say noise can affect the amount of oxygen (氧氣) that a fish can get.
Noise can also make fish feel more stressed out (充滿壓力).
Coral reefs are not quiet places.
In fact, they can make a lot of noise.
If you put a snapping shrimp (槍蝦) next to your ear, its sound could be louder than the noises made by a jet plane.
But these are not the kind of noise we are talking about.
Most of the noise that can be heard in the water today is caused by boats with engines (引擎).
These engines sound much louder to fish in the water, so even boats which are far away will sound like they are closer than they really are.
Scientists are very happy to know that something like noise control can be important in helping areas rebuild damaged coral reefs (重建受損的珊瑚礁).
And scientists are hoping that quieter coral reefs will make it easier for fish to grow. ________________________________
Josh這個名字引發大戰 Why the Name "Josh" Caused a Fight
It seems there are many people in America who are named "Josh".
There are so many Joshes, in fact, that one person used social media (社群媒體) to send out a challenge (挑戰), to other people who are named Josh.
He asked them to join a fight, where the winner would be named (被命名) the real Josh.
Fighters wore costumes (造型服裝) and helmets (頭盔), and they had play fights using pool noodles (泡棉棒).
The winner of the Josh fight was a five year old boy… named Josh. Josh大戰的贏家是一名五歲小男孩… 名叫Josh。
The Josh fight isn't just a day for people named Josh to have fun.
They also raised money (募款) for charity (慈善組織).
In the end, the Josh fight raised more than 600,000 NT for the Children's Hospital.
And the organizer (主辦者) hopes he can make a Josh fight every year. ________________________________
So, in today's episode of News Bites:
The Taipei 101 is a very tall building, that moves if there are strong winds or earthquakes.
That's why it has a damper in the middle of the building, to keep it steady. ________________________________
And,
Animals who live in coral reefs and older people have something in common.
Scientists who study animals in coral reefs say the fish there don't like noise.
The fish especially don't like the noise made by boat engines. ________________________________
And,
The name "Josh" is very popular in the United States.
So one man organized a day for everyone named Josh to get together and have fun. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Computex Returns as a hybrid event, Coldplay powers a concert with help from fans, and dogs in Japan ride a special bullet train.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
Computex以混合活動的形式回歸 Computex Returns as a Hybrid Event
"Hybrid" is a word that means the combination of two different things. 混合是一個詞，意思是兩種不同東西的結合。
A hybrid plant or animal is one whose parents are different species (種類).
And a hybrid car has a gasoline engine (汽油引擎) and an electric motor (電動馬達).
But what about an event that is hybrid?
Well, because of the pandemic, more and more events have also become hybrid.
That means that you can attend them in person or online. 就表示你可以用現場或線上方式參加。
And this year, one of the biggest technology trade shows (科技貿易展覽會) in the world went hybrid.
Computex is usually held in Taipei every year, from around the end of May to early June. Computex 通常於每年5月底至6月初在台北舉行。
But in 2020, it was canceled because of COVID-19.
And in 2021, the event was completely online.
The reason they used the hybrid event is because many people can't visit Taiwan yet.
The organizers wanted as many people as possible to join, because it is a very important time for technology companies to announce their plans and products (宣布他們的計畫和產品).
The in-person event was held for three days, from May 27th to May 30th.
But if you want to visit the virtual event for free, you can visit the Computex Cyberworld website until June 30th. 但如果你想免費參觀虛擬活動，您可以在6月30日之前上Computex Cyberworld網站。 ________________________________
酷玩樂團演唱會 運用觀眾發電 Coldplay Powers Concerts with Human Energy
People love going to concerts (演唱會)!
Seeing an artist play your favorite song live is a special experience. 觀看現場音樂會，是一種特殊的體驗。
And these days, more and more shows have fancy lights, lasers (雷射), and giant TV screens (巨大的電視螢幕).
But, because they use so much energy, these big concerts aren't very environmentally friendly. 可是大演唱會很耗電，所以他們不是很環保。
However, the band Coldplay wants to use power from their fans, to help reduce energy use (節能) for their shows.
So, for their 2022 world tour, the band had some creative ideas (很有創意).
They installed special dance floors that capture the energy from people moving. 他們安裝了特殊的舞池，捕捉人們移動的能量。
There are competitions before the show to see which fans can make the most energy.
They also have special bikes that can generate electricity (發電).
As the fans ride the bikes, they power parts of the show.
Coldplay's bass guitar player (貝斯吉他手) says that fans will like the changes since it's "a kind of opportunity (機會) to do something fun".
The band wants to reduce the amount of CO2 (減少二氧化碳) they produce by 50% for this tour.
In 2019, they announced that they would stop touring, because it was bad for the environment.
But they changed their mind (改變心意), after they had the idea to make their tours more sustainable. ________________________________
狗狗子彈列車之旅 Dogs Enjoy a Special Ride on a Bullet Train
In Taiwan, people take their pets everywhere.
Some dogs will ride on motorcycles with their owners. 有些狗會和主人一起騎摩托車。
And you can see many people carrying their cats or small dogs in special backpacks (背包) or strollers (嬰兒車).
But, pets aren't usually allowed on trains, unless they are in a cage (籠子).
That's why it was a special day for 21 fur babies (毛小孩)!
In Japan, dogs and their owners were allowed to ride a bullet train together in a special train car. 在日本，狗和主人可以一起坐在子彈列車的特殊火車車廂裡。
And the dogs were allowed to sit on the seats, without a cage.
The seats were covered in plastic, to protect them from fur, or in case a dog had an accident. 座椅上面有塑膠布，以免沾黏狗毛，也預防狗狗發生意外。
These lucky dogs and their owners rode the bullet train from Tokyo (東京) to Karuizawa (輕井澤), one hour away.
The trip was part of a trial run (試營運) by the Japan Railways company.
They want to organize more pet-friendly holidays (寵物友好旅行) in the future, to attract pet owners. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Computex has returned to Taipei this year.
It was canceled in 2020, and held online in 2021, because of COVID-19.
It was hosted as a hybrid event this year, because many people still can't travel to Taiwan. ________________________________
And,
The band Coldplay wants to make their tours more sustainable.
So, their shows now have special dance floors, and bikes that make power.
They hope to encourage fans to be more "green", by making it fun. ________________________________
And,
21 lucky dogs got to ride on the bullet train in Japan.
Normally, dogs must be in a cage to ride on trains.
But the dogs and their owners took a comfortable one-hour trip, from Tokyo to Karuizawa, in a special car. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
A musical trio wins big in Poland, what is monkeypox? and Scotland releases some special kittens.
More on those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
小提琴三重奏在波蘭獲得大獎 A Musical Trio Wins Big in Poland
If you don't listen to classical music (古典音樂), you might not know what chamber music is.
Chamber music (室內樂) was written hundreds of years ago, for small groups of people to play on musical instruments (樂器) like the violin (小提琴), viola (中提琴), or cello (大提琴).
Chamber music is still very popular today, and competitions (比賽) to find the best chamber music musicians happen all over the world.
And one of the most recent chamber music competitions was held in the Polish city of Gdansk (格但斯克).
The competition is called the 9th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition, and it is named after a German composer named Johannes Brahms (布拉姆斯).
It's one of the biggest and most important chamber music competitions in Poland.
So Taiwan should be very proud, because one of its musicians, Ashley Tong, along with two of her fellow musicians, won awards at this important music event.
Tong and her fellow musicians are part of the Heathcliff Trio, who now live in Copenhagen, Denmark (丹麥哥本哈根).
Tong says she and her friends formed the Heathcliff Trio when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The group won two special prizes for their performances.
Tong says winning is a great encouragement (鼓勵) for her group, especially because it is only two years old.
The group qualified (獲得資格) for the final by playing a piece which they have been playing since they got together.
Ashley Tong is a very talented musician.
She was born in Taiwan in 1993, and started playing the violin when she was just seven years old.
And she moved to Britain to study the violin when she was 16.
Music must be in Ashley's blood (與生俱來的) because her brother Henry is also a violinist (小提琴家)! ________________________________
猴痘是什麼？ What is Monkeypox?
Everyone is talking about monkeypox (猴痘)… but what exactly is it?
Monkeypox is a disease, that scientists think is caused by wild animals who live in Western and Central Africa (西非和中非).
But monkeypox is not a new sickness.
It was discovered in the African continent (非洲大陸) more than fifty years ago.
Monkeypox can jump from an infected animal (受感染的動物) to a person.
Even if the disease is called "monkeypox", it isn't caused by monkeys.
It is usually (通常) caused by rodents (齧齒類) like rats.
This means that someone can get monkeypox by getting close (接近) to an infected animal, and the virus can jump (跨物種感染).
Some people who get monkeypox will have rashes (疹子), which can turn into blisters (水泡).
Doctors and government officials are a little worried now, because they are seeing monkeypox travel to different parts of the world. 醫生及政府官員有些擔心，因為他們觀察到猴痘在世界各地傳播。
Now, it's in countries where cases have not been seen before.
Doctors say they haven't seen monkeypox infections like this before.
People who have monkeypox can have a fever (發燒), headaches (頭痛), muscle pain (肌肉痠痛), and can feel very tired.
Scientists say that right now, monkeypox won't be as serious as COVID-19.
They say it is not "COVID-TWO" (不是新冠肺炎2.0).
It spreads more slowly than COVID, and monkeypox causes a rash that makes it harder to miss (更不容易被忽視).
There is no vaccine for monkeypox, but doctors can use vaccines for smallpox (天花), which they say is good because the two diseases are very similar (相似).
But even if monkeypox can be found in many countries outside of Africa, there are only a handful (僅有一些些) of new cases at the moment.
That means monkeypox is not something we should be worrying about in Taiwan, at least right now. ________________________________
這八隻小貓對蘇格蘭意義重大 Why Eight Kittens are Important to Scotland
The Scottish wildcat is an animal that used to be found everywhere around Britain.
But by the end of the 18th century (18世紀末期), its numbers had dropped (數量銳減), because people were building farms in areas where they lived.
They were also being hunted (獵捕) or killed accidentally.
But scientists in Scotland want to change this.
They have found a way to breed (飼養) wildcats in zoos, so they can be released into the wild (釋放到野外).
And today, there are eight special wildcat kittens.
他們發現在動物園中飼養山貓，並釋放到野外的方法，現在已經有8隻小山貓了。
The kittens might be very cute, but humans cannot go near them to pet them (不許接近觸摸牠們).
This is to help them survive (生存), after they are released. ________________________________
So in today's news bites:
A Taiwanese musician was part of a group that won prizes, in a music competition in Poland.
Ashley Tong formed the group with her friends when the pandemic started.
She is proud that they were able to do so well, even though they have only been performing together for two years. ________________________________
And,
Doctors say they are seeing a disease called monkeypox in different parts of the world.
They are worried, because monkeypox is usually only seen in Africa.
But they say it is not something you and I should be worried about right now. ________________________________
And,
Scottish scientists have been able to breed eight Scottish wildcat kittens.
They say these kittens are important, because they will help Scotland save its endangered wildcat population. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan through Street View, electricity through gravity, and Abba returns.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣登Google街景熱搜國家第8名 Taiwan is the 8th Most Searched Country on Google Street View
Do you ever use Google's Street View (Google街景) to see what another city looks like?
COVID-19 is still a problem in many parts of the world.
And using Street View to "visit" other places may help us feel like we are on a fun trip.
Now, Google has a list of the places most searched on Street View for the past 12 months.
And Taiwan was the 8th most searched country in the world!
Google公布了過去一年的街景服務使用數據，台灣是全球10大熱搜國家的第8名。
That means many people used Street View to "move" through the island.
Maybe they wanted to see what Taiwan looked like?
Taipei was the 8th most searched city.
Street View actually started in 2007 with just five cities.
And Google started taking pictures along (沿著) streets in Taiwan in 2008.
The most searched country in the world was Indonesia.
Others in the top five were the United States, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil.
And the most searched city in the world was Jakarta, followed by Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires.
What about most searched spots?
Google也公布街景服務過去一年全台灣最多人瀏覽的25個地點。
Google says the most searched place in Taiwan is a convenience store in Lukang Township, Changhua County.
Other places that many people looked at include Taipei 101, the Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County, and Hanshin Arena Shopping Plaza in Kaohsiung. ________________________________
用地心引力來發電 Making Electricity with Gravity
We have all heard the story about how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity (地心引力).
The scientist was sitting under an apple tree.
An apple fell onto his head.
And that helped Newton to come up with his "law of universal gravitation".
Many people now say that is just a story.
But Newton's law of gravity could really help us with a big problem…
Clean energy!
We are getting better at making green energy (綠色能源).
We use the sun, the wind, water, and many other things in nature to make electricity.
But what do we do, when the sky is dark, or the wind doesn't blow?
Right now, some countries will burn more coal.
But that makes more pollution (汙染).
So many scientists are trying to find ways to make and store (儲存) green energy.
This way, if there's no sun or wind, we still have electricity to use.
And some scientists have come up with an idea, with help from Newton's law.
When there is green energy to use, they can use it to lift something big really high up.
Then, when there isn't enough green energy, they drop the big thing.
The force of the falling thing can be used to make electricity.
It's making electricity with gravity!
Scientists are already trying out this idea.
One company in the UK made a gravity battery last year.
They used a big piece of iron (鐵塊) that weighs 50,000 kilograms.
They lifted it up about 5 floors high.
Then they let it fall down.
As the iron fell, the force helped generators (發電機) make electricity.
And they say one fall makes enough electricity to power 750 homes for a short time.
這個重力電池原型目前發電過程已經能短時間供應750戶的家庭用電。
The scientists think they can make bigger gravity batteries for even more electricity.
These ideas are still pretty new.
But they might help us find ways to live on Earth and protect it at the same time. ________________________________
傳奇樂團Abba辦"數位合體演唱會" Abba Reunites for Virtual Concert
Do you know Abba?
You've probably heard some of their songs.
They're a pop group from Sweden.
They started making music together in 1972.
And they are one of the most successful (成功的) music groups in pop music history.
Recently, they held a virtual (虛擬的) concert.
The concert shows the four Abba singers, performing on a giant screen.
There are lots of lights and special effects (特效).
瑞典傳奇樂團Abba解散將近40年後，最近以"數位化身"在倫敦舉辦演唱會。
The four Abba members also went in-person to their concert.
The band says Abba is in their hearts, and the music is a part of them. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan was the 8th most searched country in the world on Google's Street View.
That means many people used Street View to "move" through the island.
And Taipei was the 8th most searched city. ________________________________
Scientists are making electricity with gravity.
When there is green energy to use, they use it to lift something big really high up.
Then, when there isn't enough green energy, they drop the big thing.
The force of the falling thing can be used to make electricity. ________________________________
And,
Swedish pop band Abba held a virtual concert.
The concert shows the four Abba singers, performing on a giant screen.
There are lots of lights and special effects. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A musician wins an award despite his condition, a secret forest is found in China, and a space rock passes by Earth!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
藝術家克服逆境贏得音樂獎 An Artist Overcomes Adversity to Win a Music Award
A Tainan musician (音樂家) won an award despite having a serious health condition.
Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.
With the help of his friends, a singer and a guitarist (吉他手), Lee competed with 150 teams.
The competition took place at Kaohsiung's Hanshin Arena last month.
His winning song is called "This Night, We Say Goodbye".
Lee started learning to play guitar and write songs in junior high school.
He developed a passion for music, and he won a national music competition when he was in college.
But before he could sign a contract with a record company, he was in a serious car accident. 還沒來得及與唱片公司簽約，就遭遇了一場嚴重的車禍。
He has severe paralysis (嚴重癱瘓) because of the accident ten years ago.
He cannot move his body from his neck down.
The accident did not end his music career (職業生涯), though.
He can create music using a mouth-operated computer trackpad. 他可以用口控電腦觸控板創作音樂。 Lee says he can continue his musical dream and winning the competition inspires (啟發) him to keep writing more songs. ________________________________
在中國的天坑底部發現了一片秘密森林 A Hidden Ancient Forest was Discovered at the Bottom of a Sinkhole in China
Scientists have found an entire forest hidden at the bottom of a giant sinkhole (天坑) in China!
A sinkhole is a hole in the ground which is formed when the land collapses (倒塌), leaving a big hole.
It happens when the rock underneath the ground is washed away (沖走) by water.
Sinkholes can cause a lot of damage (損害) to the land around it.
The discovery was made this month by explorers (探險家) who found three ways to enter the cave.
They alerted (通知) scientists about the sinkhole in the Guangxi region.
It is 306 meters long and nearly 200 meters deep.
They found a lot of ancient (古老的) trees and plants.
Some of the trees are 40 meters tall!
Experts believe there are new species of animals and plants that have never been seen before living in the sinkhole. 專家認為，生活在天坑中的動物和植物可能是新物種。
Scientists have to hike (爬山) for hours to reach the secret forest.
But they are excited to find out more about its environment (環境). ________________________________
美國NASA說今年最大的太空岩石上週末飛過 NASA Says the Largest Space Rock of the Year Flew By Last Weekend
A huge asteroid (小行星) traveled near our planet last Friday!
Well, it wasn't TOO close - it was about 2.5 million miles (250 萬英里) away from Earth.
Asteroids are giant space rocks in our solar system that orbit the Sun (繞太陽運行).
Sometimes they are called NEOs - "Near Earth Objects".
No asteroid has hit Earth in 66 million years, since the one that caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. 自從那顆導致恐龍滅絕的小行星以來，6600 萬年來沒有小行星撞擊地球。
The team at NASA that studies Near Earth Objects says the asteroid was discovered more than 30 years ago.
They have been tracking (追?) it for a long time.
The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter (直徑超過一英里).
That's twice the length of the Burj Khalifa-the tallest building in the world!
This asteroid is one of more than 29,000 near-earth objects that NASA monitors (監視) every year.
Don't worry though-the chances of them hitting our planet are very, very low.
7335 will come back in June 2055.
Next time, it will pass by at an even farther distance from our planet. 下一次，它將在離我們星球更遠的地方經過。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.
He has severe paralysis because of a car accident ten years ago.
But it does not stop him from following his passion. ________________________________
And,
A hidden ancient forest was discovered at the bottom of a sinkhole in China.
Scientists have to hike for hours to reach the secret forest.
And they believe new species animals and plants will be found there. ________________________________
And,
A huge asteroid traveled near our planet last Friday.
The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter.
This asteroid is one of the near-earth objects that NASA monitors every year.
7335 will come back in June 2055. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Pangolins at the Prague Zoo, glasses for every language, and iPods head off into history.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣穿山甲布拉格動物園首度亮相 Taiwan Pangolins Are Introduced at the Prague Zoo
Taiwan is home to a very special animal.
But very few people get to see it.
This animal is very shy.
It's called the pangolin (穿山甲).
Taiwanese pangolins have short legs and long bodies.
They like to eat ants and termites (白蟻).
They have long strong claws that help them dig for those bugs.
And pangolins are the only mammal to have scales (鱗片) all over its body.
Unfortunately, some people eat pangolins, or use them in traditional medicine (傳統藥物).
So, there are fewer and fewer of them in most countries.
But, Taiwan's pangolin population is increasing.
This is because of conservation (保育) efforts on the island.
And the Taipei Zoo is famous for rescuing, raising, and releasing the special animals.
So, in 2019 the mayor of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, came to Taiwan.
He asked the Taipei Zoo to donate two pangolins to start a breeding program (繁殖計畫) at the Prague Zoo.
But, because of the pandemic, the animals weren't sent to Prague until April of this year.
捷克首都布拉格與台北市動物園推動穿山甲的借殖計劃。
The Prague mayor announced an online poll to name the new additions (新成員) to the zoo.
And at the end of the poll, he announced that the winning names were Hugo and Fazolka.
Finally, after 4 weeks, the pangolins made their first appearance to the public at a ceremony.
The Taiwan representative joined the mayor of Prague at the ceremony.
And they cut a ribbon together to officially open the home for the animals to the public. ________________________________
Google推出AR眼鏡 可即時翻譯 Google Shows Off Glasses That Can Translate Languages
It can be hard to communicate (溝通) with people from another country.
That is because people from other countries may speak a different language.
But, in the future, communicating may be easier because of technology.
That's what Google is trying to do with their new glasses.
The company showed off a prototype (原型) of the glasses at a conference.
The glasses look like regular eyeglasses people wear to see well.
However, these glasses have a computer inside of them.
And the computer can translate (翻譯) what people say.
A demonstration video shows people speaking in different languages.
The languages include English, Spanish, Mandarin and even American Sign Language (美國手語).
American Sign Language, or ASL, is the language that the deaf in America use to communicate using gestures (手勢、動作).
To use the glasses, all you have to do is wear them.
And when you see or hear someone talking, you will see the words in the glasses.
And those words will be in your language.
Google says it's like having "subtitles (對白字幕)" for the world.
But some experts warn that language translation is very challenging.
不過有些專家說精準得翻譯不同語言非常不容易。
So, we probably won't be able to buy the glasses soon. ________________________________
iPod停產 結束20多年的歷史 iPod Discontinued After 21 Years
Many people use cell phones nowadays.
And some people use iPhones.
It is one of the most popular smartphones in the world.
But before there was the iPhone, there was the iPod.
Apple released the first iPod in 2001.
It could not connect to the internet and it mostly played music.
那時的iPod不能上網，大多都是用來撥放音樂。
The user had to upload (上傳) files to the device from their computer.
The iPod became very popular because it was small, easy-to-use, and stylish.
Apple continued to make new and different iPods for many years.
But this month, they announced that they have stopped making them after 21 years.
After hearing the news, many people went on social media to share their stories about owning an iPod. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan pangolins made their first appearance to the public at the Prague Zoo.
The Taiwan representative joined the mayor of Prague at the ceremony.
And they cut a ribbon together to officially open the home for the animals to the public. ________________________________
Google showed a prototype of a pair of special glasses.
The glasses look like regular eyeglasses people wear to see well.
However, these glasses have a computer inside of them.
And the computer can translate what people say. ________________________________
And,
Apple released the first iPod in 2001.
It could not connect to the internet and it mostly played music.
But this month the company announced they have stopped making iPods. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan joins a paper plane competition, a dessert fit for a Queen, and would you cross this bridge?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣在紙飛機大賽中獲獎 Taiwan Wins at a Paper Plane Competition
Making paper planes (紙飛機) is something many of us do when we're bored (無聊), or when we have nothing to play with.
But for some people, building and flying paper planes is a serious hobby (嗜好).
That's probably why there is an international paper plane competition (國際紙飛機大賽) that happens every year.
116 students from 60 countries took part in the official Paper Plane World Championships in Austria.
And only 15 of the competitors (參賽者) ended up in the Super Finals.
The planes in the competition were made with bright red sheets of A4 paper.
They could fold the paper into any shape they wanted, as long as the plane could fly.
Competitors were not allowed to cut, tear, glue, or staple (用釘書機釘) their paper planes.
There were several competitions.
Many competitors were only asked to see how high and how far their planes could fly.
But some people also competed in the "aerobatics" (特技飛行) category.
These people needed to show that they could fly a plane, and do something else at the same time. 他們需要讓紙飛機飛起來，同時還要做其他表演。
A South Korean won first place, for flying his paper planes and doing magic tricks (表演魔術) at the same time.
A Malaysian student named Beh Seng Fatt, who studies at the University of Taipei, won second place for Taiwan.
He showed that he could fly a paper plane and use a diabolo (扯鈴) at the same time.
Beh says it took him 15 years to learn to use the diabolo.
The competition wasn't easy for Beh.
He had to go against (對抗) 18 other competitors from different countries.
Beh also said he was very surprised when he won second place, because he only entered the competition for fun!
But we're sure he was still very happy when he won. ________________________________
女王等級的甜點 A Dessert Fit for a Queen
Queen Elizabeth II of Britain (英國女王伊麗莎白二世) is celebrating a very special day this year.
This year, she celebrates 70 years of being the Queen of Great Britain.
It's an important event for the people of Britain, because no British king or queen has ever been a monarch (君主) for this long.
The event is called the Platinum Jubilee (白金禧), and many people across Britain are celebrating it.
The country will have a big, four-day party, from June 2nd to June 5th.
There will be street parties (街頭派對), and people in communities (社區) will get together (聚在一起) to enjoy a big lunch (午餐).
And because people who work with the queen wanted to do something extra-special, they decided to have a cake-making contest.
The winner's cake would be known as the Platinum Pudding (白金布丁).
It would be a dessert fit for a queen. 這會是一個女王等級的甜點。
More than 5,000 people joined the cake-making competition.
They wanted to see if they could make a dessert that could be called the "Platinum Pudding".
In the end, the person who won the contest was named Jemma.
She made a lemon-flavored trifle (英式鬆糕).
The trifle was made with cake, lemon-favored jam, cream, and cookies.
Jemma said she made the cake to honor (榮耀) her grandmother, who liked lemons.
The judges (評審) agreed that the trifle was the best cake they had tasted in the contest. ________________________________
你會跨過這條橋嗎？ Would You Cross This Bridge?
If you are afraid of heights (懼高), this is not the bridge for you.
The Sky Bridge 721 (天空之橋) is in the Czech Republic (捷克共和國).
It took two years to build.
It is 725 meters long, and hangs 95 meters above the ground.
The bridge is the longest suspension bridge (吊橋) in the world.
Some people are not happy with the bridge, because they say it ruins (毀了) the mountain area it was built in.
But officials (官員) like the bridge, because they say it will bring more tourists (遊客) and visitors to the area. ________________________________
So, in today's episode of News Bites:
For some people, building and flying paper planes is a serious hobby.
That's why there is an international paper plane competition that happens every year.
Taiwan competed in the competition this year, and came in second place in one category! ________________________________
And,
Elizabeth II is celebrating 70 years of being the Queen of Great Britain.
The celebration is called the Platinum Jubilee.
There was a competition to see who could build the best dessert for the Queen.
The winner was a lemon-flavored dessert, called a trifle. ________________________________
And,
The Sky Bridge 721 is in the Czech Republic.
It is 725 meters long, hangs 95 meters above the ground, and took two years to build.
It is the longest suspension bridge in the world. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Ukrainian folk tradition day in Taipei, a rhino wears a fitness tracker, and a Paralympian wants more people to walk to school in the UK.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北維希萬卡日提高了對烏克蘭的認識 Vyshyvanka Day in Taipei Increases Ukraine Awareness
Vyshyvanka Day is an international day for Ukrainian folk traditions (烏克蘭民間傳統).
People make and wear embroidered clothes (刺繡衣服) called vyshyvankas.
These types of clothes are one of the best known symbols (象徵) of Ukrainian culture.
People in Taipei celebrated (慶祝) Vyshyvanka Day this year.
The celebration was held by a volunteer organization (志願者組織) called "Taiwan Stands with Ukraine".
Organizers say they hope to raise awareness of Russia's war in Ukraine. 籌辦者表示，他們希望提高人們對俄羅斯在烏克蘭的戰爭的認識。
They set up an outdoor picnic and market selling Ukrainian food, drinks, and souvenirs (紀念品).
Vyshyvanka Day is usually celebrated on the third Sunday in May, with picnics, markets, and parades (遊行).
But this year, people in Ukraine could not celebrate it because of the war (戰爭).
The organizers in Taipei said this does not stop people around the world from celebrating the day.
They said the picnic is a great opportunity to show people that Ukrainian culture matters and that it is a beautiful culture.
The group hopes that the event can raise awareness and bring in more donations (捐款) for Ukrainian refugees (難民).
Visitors to the event could buy special stickers (貼紙) and make their own motanka dolls (莫坦卡娃娃).
Motanka dolls are a symbol for healing, protection, and family. 莫坦卡娃娃是治愈、保護和家庭的象徵。 ________________________________
迪士尼犀牛帶健身追蹤器 A Disney Rhino Gets a Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers are a special device (設備) that people wear to see how many steps they take in one day.
Many people wear them to keep track (追?) of their steps, heart rate (心率), and exercise.
Well, someone new is joining that group of people…
Only she isn't human: she's a 30-year-old white rhino (白犀牛)!
Her name is Helen, and she is one of the animals who lives in the savanna (稀樹草原) at Disney World.
She wears the fitness tracker around her ankle (腳踝) so that her caretakers can know when she is walking, running, or napping (午睡).
They can also see which part of the man-made (人造) savanna she likes the most.
The information will be shared with other researchers who are studying the best way to take care of rhinos. 收集的?料與研究人員分享讓他們了解如何照顧白犀牛。
They can learn more about rhinos' physical fitness (身體素質), and make sure they are healthy and happy.
There are around 27,000 rhinos that live in the wild. 大約有2.7萬頭犀牛生活在野外。
Most of them live in national parks and reserves (國家公園和保護區).
Some species of rhinos are critically endangered. 一些犀牛物種極度瀕危。
That's why it's important to learn more about these animals, so we can protect (保護) them. ________________________________
殘奧會運動員希望人們走路上學 A Paralympian Wants People to Walk to School
How do you travel to school?
Some people walk, while others take the bus or MRT, ride a scooter, or cycle.
Driving is also common in the UK, and it's something British Paralympian (殘奧會運動員) Dame Sarah Storey wants to change.
She became the new Cycling and Walking Commissioner (自行車和步行專員) for the Greater Manchester area, and she hopes parents can look for different ways to take their children to school.
She recently visited two schools in her country to support their launch (啟動) of the 'School Streets' project.
The project aims to reduce air pollution, limit road danger, and help children live a healthier lifestyle by encouraging them to walk more. 這計劃希望減少空氣污染，限制道路危險，並鼓勵兒童多走路來幫助他們更健康。
Roads are closed during school drop-off and pick-up times, limiting the number of cars in the area. 學校上下學期間道路關閉，限制了汽車數量。
She feels that having more cars near schools can make it more dangerous for children to walk there.
Sarah Dame says making sure there are no vehicles (車輛) at the school gates means parents will feel more safe, and the children will feel more confident (有自信 ). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
People in Taipei celebrated Vyshyvanka Day this year.
Vyshyvanka Day is an international day for Ukrainian folk traditions.
People hope that the event can raise awareness and bring in more donations for Ukrainian refugees. ________________________________
And,
Helen the rhino is wearing a fitness tracker.
She wears the fitness tracker around her ankle so that her caretakers can know when she is walking, running, or napping.
The information will be shared with other researchers who are studying the best way to take care of rhinos. ________________________________
And,
British Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey wants to change how people go to school.
She feels that having more cars near schools can make it more dangerous for children to walk there.
She wants to make sure there are no vehicles at school gates, so parents will feel safer, and the children will feel more confident. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Taiwan has a packaging problem, a boy finds a very old tooth, and Patron gets a medal.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣的包裝問題 Taiwan has a Packaging Problem
The next time your parents go to the supermarket, you might want to go with them.
When you're there, take a look at the produce (農產品) section.
There should be lots of fruits and vegetables there.
But there's also lots of something else.
Greenpeace Taiwan (綠色和平組織) says most stores that sell fruits and vegetables use too much plastic.
They say more than 90 percent of produce sold in Taiwan are wrapped (包裝) with plastic.
And all this is plastic we cannot use again.
It's called single-use plastic (一次性塑膠包裝)
And that's not all.
One university says Taiwan produces (製造) about 15,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste (塑膠垃圾) in total (總共) every year.
This is from all the packaging (包裝) used not just for fruits and vegetables, but for eggs, bottled drinks (瓶裝飲料), shampoo (洗髮精), and detergent (清潔劑) too.
Taiwan has tried to do many things to make less trash.
We now separate our waste, so that there is regular waste, food waste, and recyclable waste.
我們現在會做垃圾分類，分成一般垃圾、廚餘，還有回收物。
But Greenpeace says we can cut our waste even more.
It says stores can help do this if they stops using so many plastic wrappers and plastic boxes to start with (從這裡做起).
And we can do our part too!
We can bring our own bags to stores.
We can bring our own cups when we buy drinks like bubble tea.
And we can try to stop buying bottled water when we are outside. ________________________________
小男孩找到古老的牙齒 A Boy Finds a Very Old Tooth
Do you like dinosaurs (恐龍)?
If you do, then you probably know about the megalodon (巨齒鯊).
The megalodon is a giant shark which lived about 20 million years ago.
It could grow to between 16 to 18 meters long.
And it weighed around 60,000 kilograms.
Scientists say it probably enjoyed eating whales and seals.
They also say it was the biggest shark ever.
Scientists believe the megalodon was the king of all the oceans around the world, except the seas near Antarctica (南極洲).
The megalodon became extinct (滅絕) about three million years ago.
It is very hard to find fossils (化石) of the megalodon.
So scientists don't know what they look like.
But one boy got very lucky.
He found a megalodon tooth on a beach in England.
Six-year-old Sammy was on vacation with his family.
He said he found the 10-centimeter tooth on the beach (海邊、沙灘).
Sammy's mother said he had found other pieces of shark teeth on the beach.
But he had never seen anything as big, and as heavy as this one. 但是他從來沒有看過這麼大又這麼重的牙齒。
Sammy's parents sent pictures of the tooth to an expert (專家).
He examined (檢查) the tooth, and said the tooth belonged to a megalodon.
Sammy's treasure (寶藏) is even more important because shark teeth are not usually found on beaches in Britain.
Sammy was very, very excited when he found out how important his discovery (發現) really was.
He says he is now sleeping with it near his bed. ________________________________
Patron獲勳章 Patron Gets a Medal
Patron is a small, very cute brown-and-white-colored terrier (梗犬).
Before the war in Ukraine (俄烏戰爭), he was probably just like any other dog.
But now Patron and his owner are both heroes.
Patron, whose name means "ammo" (彈藥), has found more than 200 hidden bombs since the beginning of the war.
Patron在烏克蘭語意思是彈藥，牠在戰爭開始後已經找到200多枚埋藏的炸彈。
When he's not busy working, his owner says Patron loves to play with other dogs.
And even though he is a very active dog, he also likes to sleep.
Because of his work, Patron was awarded a special medal from Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (澤倫斯基) for helping his country. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Greenpeace Taiwan says most stores that sell fruits and vegetables use too much plastic.
They say more than 90 percent of produce sold in Taiwan are wrapped with plastic.
We can all do more to make less plastic garbage. ________________________________
Six-year-old Sammy found a megalodon tooth on a beach in England.
An expert confirms the tooth is from a megalodon.
Sammy says he is now sleeping with it near his bed. ________________________________
And,
Patron is a small, very cute brown-and-white colored terrier.
Patron has found more than 200 hidden bombs since the beginning of the war.
Because of his work, Patron was awarded a special medal from Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy for helping his country. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Money with lucky numbers, flying upside-down rhinos, and a new PSY song makes history.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
"發發發" 央行特殊號碼鈔券開放競標 Lucky NT Bills Up for Auction
Money comes in coins (硬幣) and dollar bills (紙鈔).
If you look on a dollar bill, you'll see numbers that tell you how much it's worth (值).
100 means the bill is worth $100 NT.
1000 means the bill is worth $1000 NT.
And that's true most of the time.
But for some special dollar bills, they are worth much more.
These Taiwan dollar bills have special serial numbers (序號).
Some people think these numbers are lucky.
Taiwan's Central Bank (中央銀行) says some of the numbers people like, are 666666, or 888888.
The numbers 6 and 8 in Chinese sound like "things going well", and "prosperous (發)".
And serial numbers like these make dollar bills worth a lot of money.
In 2013, a $100 NT bill with the serial number "888888" was sold for $15,360 NT.
The government has been selling dollar bills with these "lucky" serial numbers for many years now.
The Central Bank says the government has made about $66 million NT selling these dollar bills.
This week, more of these "lucky" bills went on sale.
中央銀行以網路公開投標方式開放民眾競標特殊號碼鈔券。
The bank says more than 4,500 dollar bills were sold.
They were $100 NT, $500 NT, and $1000 NT bills. ________________________________
倒掛犀牛飛向新家園 Flying Rhinos Upside-Down to Save Them
Would you be surprised to look up… and see a rhino flying upside-down over your head?
No, this isn't a crazy dream.
Rhinos really are flying upside-down over parts of Africa.
But this isn't for fun.
Doing this may help some rhinos survive (生存、存活).
The rhinoceros, or rhino for short, is a big strong animal.
It lives in parts of Africa and Asia.
They eat plants, and have very thick skin.
But many rhino species are endangered (瀕危), or even close to extinction (滅絕).
That's because people hunt them for their horn.
Some people believe rhino horns can be used as medicine (藥).
Some people use rhino horns to make jewelry or decorations (裝飾品).
But now so many rhinos have been killed for their horn, that there aren't many rhinos left.
So people had to come up with ways to help rhinos survive.
Sometimes, they will move rhinos to safer places to live.
Sometimes they do this using trucks.
But sometimes the rhino's new home is hard to get to by truck.
So scientists tried another idea.
They carry rhinos by helicopter!
Big rhinos can weigh up to 1000 kilograms…
So this is not an easy thing to do!
First they give the rhino some medicine to help it fall asleep.
為確保犀牛不會受到驚嚇，上路前專家會先用麻醉藥讓牠們睡著。
Then they use strong ropes to hang the rhino from the helicopter.
And they also found that it's better for the rhino to be hung upside-down!
The scientists found that the upside-down way helps rhinos get more oxygen (氧氣).
It's also easier, faster, and cheaper (比較便宜) to tie the rhinos by their feet and fly them upside-down.
Most times, these rhinos fly for close to 50 kilometers.
The trip is about 20 to 30 minutes long.
Experts say flying rhinos upside-down by helicopter will happen more and more in the future.
They hope doing this will help save more rhinos.
So, if you are in Africa, don't be surprised to see an upside-down rhino, hanging from a helicopter, swinging through the sky above your head! ________________________________
PSY和BTS Suga新單曲高登美國告示牌單曲榜 PSY and Suga Single Make Billboard Top 100
A new song from South Korean popstars Suga and PSY is making history.
Suga is part of BTS.
And you might know PSY from his 2013 smash hit "Gangnam Style".
But now their new song "That That" is Number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
韓國男歌手PSY和BTS成員 Suga 一同創作的主打歌"That That"登上美國告示牌單曲榜。
It's a list for the most popular songs in the U.S.
PSY now has 5 songs that made it onto the Hot 100 list.
He is the South Korean artist with the most songs on the list.
And Suga now has three songs on the list as a solo (獨自的) musician. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Central Bank is selling dollar bills with "lucky" serial numbers.
They say people like numbers such as 666666, or 888888.
And serial numbers like these make dollar bills worth a lot of money. ________________________________
Experts are flying rhinos to safer places, by hanging them upside-down from a helicopter.
First they give the rhinos medicine to make them fall asleep.
The experts say being upside-down helps the rhinos get more oxygen. ________________________________
And,
"That That", a new song from PSY and Suga, is on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
PSY now has 5 songs that made it onto the Hot 100 list.
And Suga now has three songs on the list as a solo musician. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Scientists take pictures of black holes, people climb the world's highest mountain, and one country's performance wins Eurovision 2022.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
黑洞照片 台灣也貢獻心力 Taiwan Collaborates on Black Hole Photograph
For many years, scientists have been exploring space through telescopes (天文望遠鏡).
With these special telescopes, we can see things further and further away from Earth.
But many scientists are also looking at things closer to home… like the center of our galaxy (我們銀河系的中心)!
Scientists believe that most galaxies, at their center, have something called a black hole (黑洞).
A black hole is where gravity is so powerful that nothing can escape it… even light gets pulled into it! 黑洞就是地心引力強到什麼都逃不出來… 連陽光都會被吸進去！
And because black holes take away light, they are too dark to see, and very difficult to photograph.
But it's still not impossible! 但並非不可能！
That's why Taiwan's Academia Sinica (中央研究院) has been working with scientists all over the world, to create photographs (照片) of black holes.
And thanks to everyone's hard work, we now have a picture of the black hole at the center of our own galaxy.
It's called Sagittarius A*, and it's 25,000 lightyears away. 這個黑洞名叫人馬座A，距離我們兩萬五千光年。
That's 240 quadrillion kilometers (二十四京公里), or the number 24, with 16 zeros after it (240000000000000000)!
To take a picture of something that far away, Academia Sinica worked with many telescopes around the world.
Each telescope made one part of the picture, and then scientists all over the world worked hard to put them all together. 每個天文望遠鏡製作照片的一小部分，然後世界各地的科學家把所有部分拼在一起。
The result (結果) is a picture of a strange orange circle.
If you're curious (好奇), you can look it up on the internet (網路).
And although it may not look special, scientists say it can tell us a lot about how black holes work.
So the next time you use a camera, just be thankful you don't need 300 scientists to take a picture! ________________________________
英國登山家 成功登頂聖母峰十六次 British Man Climbs Mount Everest for the 16th Time
How often do you walk upstairs?
And can you imagine walking upstairs for a whole month… in the cold?
Well, climbing Mount Everest (聖母峰) is even more difficult than that!
The peak (頂峰) of Mount Everest is the highest place on Earth, at over 8,800 meters high (高八千八百多公尺).
You might think that sounds too dangerous to climb (爬)…
But there are many people who make it their life's goal (人生最重要的目標) to climb this gigantic mountain.
And one man, named Kenton Cool, has climbed it 16 times!
Yes, that's right… his name is Mr. Cool.
And he has set a world record for climbing Mount Everest more times than anyone who is not from the country of Nepal. Cool先生創下世界紀錄，成為雪巴人以外，成功登頂聖母峰最多次的人。
But what about people from Nepal?
A big part of Mount Everest is in the country of Nepal, and some people who live there have climbed it even more times.
Many of these Nepalese climbers are called "Sherpas" (雪巴人).
A Sherpa is a kind of guide who is very familiar with climbing Everest, and helps other people reach the top. 雪巴人對於攀登聖母峰的路程很熟悉，能夠幫助登山客爬到頂峰。
So, congratulations to Mr. Cool, for his amazing achievement (了不起的成就).
But let's not forget about the Sherpas! ________________________________
2022年歐洲歌唱大賽結束 Eurovision 2022 Comes to a Close
Every year, many countries from all over Europe bring their best performers to compete in a contest of music and dance, called Eurovision. 每一年，歐洲各國最棒的表演者，都會參加這項音樂表演大競賽，叫做歐洲歌唱大賽。
And this year, after each country's performers got their chance on stage (台上), the contest judges (評審) gave the most points to their favorites.
At first (最開始), the top three performances were the U.K. (英國), Spain (西班牙), and Sweden (瑞典).
But after the judges, it was time to go to the people! 然後觀眾會投票！
People from all over Europe voted for their favorites, and only one winner came out in first place…
It was Ukraine (烏克蘭)!
The Ukrainian singers and dancers thanked everyone for their support (支持), in music and during the war in their country.
Hopefully, Ukraine will be able to host (主辦) Eurovision next year! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Academia Sinica has been working with scientists all over the world, to create pictures of black holes.
And thanks to everyone's hard work, we now have a picture of the black hole at the center of our own galaxy.
Scientists say it can tell us a lot about how black holes work. ________________________________
And,
A British man named Kenton Cool has climbed Mount Everest for the 16th time.
He has set a world record for climbing Mount Everest more times than anyone not from Nepal.
Since a big part of Mount Everest is in the country of Nepal, some people who live there have climbed it even more times. ________________________________
And,
Every year, many countries from all over Europe bring their best performers to compete in a contest of music and dance, called Eurovision.
Judges and people from all over Europe vote for their favorites, and only one winner comes out in first place.
This year's winner was Ukraine, and they thanked everyone for their strong support. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
And Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Taiwan reopens an old highway, scientists find pieces from an amazing object, and where do hamburgers come from?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣重新開放舊公路 Taiwan Reopens an Old Highway
Taiwan's Southern Cross Island Highway is famous.
In fact, some people call it "one of Taiwan's most beautiful roads".
The highway is 154 kilometers long, and it's the fastest way to get from Tainan to Taitung.
It passes Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園), and goes through the Central Mountain range.
It passes through alpine lakes (高山湖泊), hot springs, and giant forests.
The road even goes to Yakou (埡口), which is more than 2,720 meters above sea level (海拔2720公尺).
Yakou is where you can see the "sea of clouds" (雲海).
But no matter how beautiful the Southern Cross Island Highway is, it hasn't been fully seen by the public for 13 years.
Many sections of the road were destroyed, after Typhoon Morakot (莫拉克颱風) hit Taiwan in 2009.
The Transport Ministry (交通部) says the typhoon damaged (毀損) 140 kilometers of roads.
It also washed away (沖垮) 22 bridges.
Fixing the highway was difficult.
Not only that, parts of the road were so narrow (狹窄), construction equipment could not be used (無法使用).
So engineers (工程人員) needed to find a special way to fix the road so it could be used again.
Some construction workers say they had to hang from the sides of a cliff, in order to do repairs! 建築工人說他們需要把自己吊在懸崖峭壁上做維修工作！
But the special road through Yakou won't be open all the time.
It will be open from 7 AM to 2 PM almost every day.
But it will be closed all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Also, only certain types of cars and motorcycles will be allowed to go on the road.
Some people might not be happy.
But it is a small price to pay (小小的犧牲), for the chance to drive through Yakou again! ________________________________
科學家找到神奇物體的碎片 Scientists Find Pieces from an Amazing Object
Many of us are dinosaur (恐龍) fans.
We like drawing pictures of dinosaurs, and watching movies about dinosaurs.
But we don't really know what dinosaurs looked like!
That's because dinosaurs disappeared 66 million years ago.
Even so, dinosaurs left many things for us to find, so we knew they were really alive.
They left their bones, which we call fossils (化石), and their footprints.
Because of these fossils, we know that there were dinosaurs that could fly, and dinosaurs that could swim.
Scientists say they disappeared because a huge object (大型物體) hit earth.
But some think the object was an asteroid (小行星).
And others think it was a comet (彗星).
Whatever it was left a hole in the earth called a crater (隕石坑) that was 161 kilometers wide, and 32 kilometers deep.
But they couldn't find proof of this object… until now. 科學家過去一直找不到關於這個物體的證據，但現在終於有了。
Some scientists say they think they found amber (琥珀) mixed with pieces of rock from that object.
They say that the rock had minerals (礦物質) that looked like they were from an asteroid (小行星).
The scientists also said they found other fossils (化石) in the area, including the leg of a dinosaur.
Scientists may not have all the answers yet.
But the things they found might help them get the answers they need. ________________________________
漢堡的起源 Where Do Hamburgers Come From?
Most of us love our hamburgers (漢堡).
But we probably don't know where hamburgers really come from.
Some of us think hamburgers originally (最一開始) come from the United States.
Some of us think hamburgers came from the German city of Hamburg, which they are named after.
But hamburgers actually come from Asia. 但是漢堡其實源自於亞洲。
Genghis Khan (成吉思汗) and his soldiers (士兵) needed food that could be cooked fast and was easy to carry.
So they used ground meat which could be formed into patties (肉餅).
The patties were then cooked.
The ground meat patties were introduced to Russia, and then to the city of Hamburg, and then to the rest of the world. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Southern Cross Island Highway hasn't been fully seen by the public for 13 years.
Many sections of the road were destroyed, after Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan in 2009.
But engineers have worked hard to fix it, so it can be used again. ________________________________
And,
Scientists say the dinosaurs disappeared because a huge object hit earth.
Some thought the object was an asteroid, while others thought it was a comet.
Now, scientists say the rock had minerals that show it was an asteroid. ________________________________
And,
Researchers say hamburgers actually come from Asia.
They say Genghis Khan and his soldiers used ground meat which could be formed into patties.
The ground meat patties were introduced to Russia, and then to Hamburg, and then to the rest of the world. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Star Wars fans celebrated May the 4th, a violin may sell for millions, and a couple donates over 100 stuffed toys.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
粉絲慶祝星際大戰日 Fans Celebrate Star Wars Day
Do you like the Star Wars movies, TV shows, video games (電子遊戲), toys or comic books (漫畫)?
Then you probably know the famous line, "May the force be with you"! 那你可能知道那句名言【願原力與你同在】！
In the world of Star Wars there is a special power in the universe (宇宙) called "the force".
And there are special people who can control it.
The good guys (好人) who can use the force are called Jedi (絕地).
They often say "may the force be with you" to others to say hello, goodbye, or to encourage (鼓勵) each other.
The phrase "May the force be with you" sounds a lot like the date "May the 4th".
So, that day has become recognized as Star Wars Day! 因為英語的【願原力與你同在】這句話聽起來很像【5月4日】，所以它已被公認為星際大戰日！
This is known as a "pun" (雙關語).
A pun is when a joke uses two words or phrases that sound alike, but have very different meanings (意思).
So every May the 4th, Star Wars fans organize events all over the world.
In Taipei, several dozen cosplayers (角色扮演者) dressed up as their favorite Star Wars characters and gathered (集合) in the Xinyi shopping district.
The cosplayers wore face masks for safety.
And one of them even carried a spray gun that looked like one of the laser guns (鐳射槍) from Star Wars to disinfect the hands of the attendees.
This is the seventh year the event was held. 這是這個活動舉辦的第七年。 ________________________________
300年歷史的小提琴可以賣到1000萬美元 300-Year-Old Violin Could Sell for $10 Million U.S. Dollars
Some people in Taiwan learn to play the violin when they are young. 很多台灣年輕人從小學拉小提琴。
The instrument (樂器) is not very big, and is easy to carry.
And it's one way people can learn about music.
But some top violin players in the world use violins that cost a lot of money!
How much money?
How about $10 million U.S. dollars!
A rare 300 year-old violin is up for auction (拍賣) on June 3rd.
So, why is it so expensive?
Well, it was made by the famous Italian violin maker Giuseppe Guarneri in 1736.
Less than 200 Guarneri violins still exist (存在) in the world.
This violin is owned by Regis Pasquier.
He is one of the top violin players in the world.
And he has played his Guarneri violin at many concert halls in many countries.
But this Guarneri violin is not the most expensive violin in the world. 但是這把Guarneri小提琴並不是世界上最昂貴的小提琴。
The most expensive violin in the world is worth $20 million dollars.
And it can be seen at a museum (博物館) in Oxford, England. ________________________________
夫婦捐贈100多個毛絨玩具 Couple Donates Over 100 Stuffed Toys
Claw machines are very popular in Taiwan. 夾娃娃機在台灣很流行。
You can see them all over town.
Some of them give fun prizes (獎品).
But they are very challenging (很有挑戰性) and some people spend a lot of money to win.
But one couple in England is really good at playing the claw machine.
Over the last 40 years, they have won around 250 toys from machines around their country. 在過去的 40 年裡，他們從全國各地的夾娃娃機中贏得了大約 250 件玩具。
They are now moving from a bigger home to a smaller apartment for their retirement (退休).
So, they are donating 100 toys they have won to a charity (慈善機構).
The charities will be able to use the toys as prizes for raffles (抽獎) .
Or maybe they can be given to a child in need.
Someone asked the couple if they had any tips for winning a toy from a claw machine. 有人問這對夫婦有沒有任何提示給想從夾娃娃機贏得獎品的人。
They said look for a machine which looks a little empty, because that means someone before has already won! 他們說找一台看起來有點空的機器，因為那表示之前有人成功夾到獎品！
But if you are going to play, make sure you play responsibly! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every May the 4th, Star Wars fans organize events all over the world.
In Taipei, several dozen cosplayers dressed up as their favorite Star Wars characters and gathered in the Xinyi shopping district.
The cosplayers wore face masks for safety.
This is the seventh year the event was held. ________________________________
A rare, 300-year-old violin is up for auction on June 3rd.
It was made by the famous Italian violin maker, Giuseppe Guarneri, in 1736.
Less than 200 Guarneri violins still exist in the world. ________________________________
And,
A couple in England won around 250 toys from machines over the past 40 years.
And they are donating 100 toys they have won to a charity.
The charities will be able to use the toys as prizes, or give them to children. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwanese dancers win the top prize in Spain, getting your mail by drone, and what is a blood moon?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣舞者在西班牙奪冠 Taiwanese Dancers Win the Top Prize in Spain
A Taiwanese dance group called "Genio Dance Group" won first place at a flamenco competition (比賽) in Spain.
Flamenco is a popular style of dancing in Spain and around the world.
It has guitar music, singing, clapping, and castanets (響板).
The dance can be fast or slow.
Usually a man and a woman dance together in traditional Spanish costumes (服裝).
The dance group won in the group category and they surprised the judges.
The dance group's leader has been dancing since she was a little girl.
She founded (創立) the group in 2000 because she wants more and more people to dance flamenco in Taiwan.
This year, they had to send an online video of their performance (表演).
Only the teams that were accepted were invited to compete (競爭) in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
She was really happy when her team won the event.
The Ministry of Culture congratulated her and the team.
They said the dance performance combined different cultural traditions of Taiwan and Spain.
The group shined on the stage of an important Spanish dance event. ________________________________
皇家郵政使用無人機送郵件 Royal Mail Plans to Use Drones to Deliver Mail
Would you like to receive your mail by drones?
The Royal Mail in the UK says they plan to use drones (無人機) to deliver mail in the next three years.
The postal service is building 50 new routes (路線), which, they say, will provide a faster and better service, especially for people who live far away from the city.
They tested the drones in Scotland.
The drones are autonomous (自主的) which means they'll be traveling all on their own without the help of humans.
The postal service hopes to use up to 200 drones.
The first planned routes include the many islands in the UK.
Drones can carry 100 kilograms of mail to the islands two times a day.
Then the letters and parcels (包裹) are delivered to houses by the local postwoman or man. 由當地的郵差把信件和包裹送到收件人家。
It's good for the environment, too.
The drones will help reduce Royal Mail's carbon emissions (碳排放量). ________________________________
什麼是血月？ What is a Blood Moon?
A special natural phenomenon (自然現象) is happening tonight, called the 'Blood Moon'!
But only people in Europe, South America, North America and Africa are able to see it.
A blood moon happens when the Moon turns red because of a total lunar eclipse (月食).
This happens when the Moon is completely covered by Earth's shadow.
Because the Earth has moved between the Moon and the Sun - blocking (擋住) the Sun's light from reaching the Moon. 因為地球在月球和太陽之間-擋住太陽光到達月亮。
When this happens the Moon looks a red color - that's why it's called a "blood moon."
Even though we cannot see tonight's Blood Moon in Taiwan, we will be able to see one this year!
Another Blood Moon will happen on November 8th.
That one will be visible (可以看到的) from Asia! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwanese "Genio Dance Group" won at a flamenco competition in Spain.
Flamenco is a popular style of dancing around the world.
It uses guitar music, singing, clapping, and castanets.
The dance performance combined different cultural traditions of Taiwan and Spain. ________________________________
And,
The Royal Mail in the UK says they plan to use drones to deliver mail in the next three years.
They can carry 100 kilograms of mail and make two trips every day.
It will provide a faster and better service, especially for people who live far away from the city.
It's good for the environment, too! ________________________________
And,
A special phenomenon is happening tonight, called the 'Blood Moon'!
A blood moon happens when the Moon turns red because of a total lunar eclipse.
The Earth's shadow covers the sunlight, making the moon look red.
We will be able to see a blood moon in November. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets a new pizza flavor, a robot chef can now taste food, and Earth gets its first Space Hotel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣出現新的披薩口味 Taiwan Gets a New Pizza Flavor
Some of us like our pizza plain (簡單), with just cheese and tomato.
Some of us like our pizza with plenty of meat, with pepperoni (義式臘腸) and sausage (香腸).
And some of us like our pizza with seafood, so it comes with toppings (配料) like smoked salmon (鮭魚), shrimp (蝦子), and surimi (魚漿).
But Taiwan seems to enjoy trying pizza topped (搭配) with local ingredients (食材) in different ways.
We've seen pizzas made with milk tea pearls (奶茶珍珠), durian (榴槤), and spicy hot pot (麻辣鍋).
There was also "Cilantro Century Egg Pig's Blood Cake Pizza" (香菜皮蛋豬血糕比薩).
And some people said they enjoyed it!
But if you think you've seen it all (但是如果你覺得這些都不稀奇), we might have a new flavor that might make you sit up (讓你驚訝).
There is a new pizza in town, and it's called the "Popcorn Chicken Pizza".
It may even be more unusual than the others, because it has tempura (甜不辣), fried squid rings (炸魷魚圈), and "flaming popcorn chicken" (火紅鹽酥雞).
It is also shaped like a star, and it features Oreos on every tip.
這個披薩是星型的，而且星星的每個尖端上都有Oreo餅乾。
Because the picture of the new pizza first came out on social media (社群媒體), people were not sure if the pizza was real.
But the pizza's inventor (發明者) says it is real, so you'll be able to try this interesting dish if you feel like it.
Some people thought it would be popular because the pizza has Oreos on it.
Another person thought it was a good idea, because the pizza could be both dinner and dessert.
But the only way to find out if the pizza is good is to try it… if you dare (如果你有勇氣的話)! ________________________________
機器人廚師會品嚐餐點 Robot Chef Can Now Taste Food
Our bodies come with a special team that can help us taste things.
Our tongues have taste buds that allow us to taste different things: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter.
And our noses are part of that team, too.
Noses also have special cells (細胞) that allow us to smell different things.
Our tongues and noses work together, to help us identify (認出) and taste different things.
This is why, when we have a cold and our noses are stuffed, the food we eat doesn't taste very good.
So how do scientists teach a robot how to taste, if it doesn't have a nose or a tongue?
They do that by using special machines called sensors (感應器).
The robot is made of just one arm.
And that arm makes the robot look like it could be working in a factory.
這個機器人是一隻機器手臂，看起來很像工廠裡面的機器。
But scientists experimented with this robot by adding a sensor to its arm, which allowed the robot to tell (分辨) how salty a dish was by poking (戳) it in different places.
The scientists then experimented (做實驗) with the robot by giving it a plate of eggs and tomatoes.
They also taught the robot that the flavor of food changes after chewing.
And they did this by mixing the food and getting the robot to taste the food again.
The scientists are hoping that by teaching a robot how to taste, it can eventually become a better cook.
And then it could be used to make food that humans will enjoy! ________________________________
世界第一個太空旅館內部揭密 Inside the World's First Space Hotel
If you read science fiction (科幻小說), or have always dreamed about going to space (外太空), your chance could be just around the corner (你的機會不遠了).
One company says it has made plans to build a space business park for both business and visitors.
The company wants to build two space stations.
One space station would hold 28 people, and the other space station would hold 400 people.
The company says the station would look like an expensive hotel on earth, with a restaurant, a bar, a concert hall, a gym, and even a cinema. 這個太空站看起來會像是地球上的高級旅館，裡面有餐廳、酒吧、音樂廳、健身房，甚至還有電影院。
The company still doesn't know how much they will charge (收費) for people to come and stay.
But it probably won't be cheap! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There is a new pizza in town called the "Popcorn Chicken Pizza".
It has tempura, fried squid rings, and "flaming popcorn chicken".
It is also shaped like a star, and it features Oreos on every tip. ________________________________
And,
Scientists are teaching robots how to taste.
They are doing this by giving the robot a special machine called a sensor, which can tell how salty a dish is.
Teaching a robot how to taste means that machines could learn to cook for humans someday. ________________________________
And,
One company says it plans to build new hotels in space.
The hotels will have the same facilities as an expensive hotel on Earth.
The hotels will come with a restaurant, a bar, a concert hall, a gym, and even a cinema. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Tiny cells remake themselves, scientists make a discovery, and one human pushes herself to a new limit.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣科學家發現新的細胞分裂方式 Taiwanese Scientists Discover New Kind of Cell Division
Each living thing (生物) that you can see… is not just one thing.
That's because the living things you can see with your eyes, like animals and plants, are made up of many, many cells (細胞).
Cells are tiny living things that carry DNA.
Most cells are too small to see, but together, they make up (構成) bigger forms of life.
And cells can reproduce (繁殖) in different ways.
They can combine (結合) their DNA, to make one new cell.
Or they can split their DNA evenly (均勻地分裂), to make two cells that are exactly the same.
And for a long time, scientists thought these were the only two ways that cells could reproduce. 很久以來，科學家一直認為細胞只有這兩種繁殖的方式。
But recently, scientists in Taiwan were carefully watching (仔細觀察) the cells of a certain kind of fish, as it grew from a baby into an adult.
And they noticed that the fish cells were reproducing in a different way!
So they used a special computer system to tag (標籤) each tiny cell with a different color.
That way, they could see which cells reproduced first.
The scientists discovered that the cells were splitting their DNA quickly and unevenly (不均勻地分裂).
Now, they will continue to study it in other animals, too…
Because the more we learn about our cells, the more we learn about ourselves! ________________________________
科學新發現 內耳絨毛細胞可以長回來 Scientists Discover Gene to Regrow Lost Ear Hair Cells
If you're listening to this episode of News Bites, then your ears should be working just fine.
But how exactly do our ears hear things?
Inside our ears, there are cells called "hair cells" (絨毛細胞).
Each hair cell has tiny hairs on it, which vibrate (震動) when sound hits our ears.
There are outer hair cells (外耳絨毛細胞), which catch the sound first.
And then there are inner hair cells (內耳絨毛細胞), which communicate the sound to our brains.
But there's one problem: Hair cells can't reproduce (不能繁殖).
Usually, cells in our bodies can reproduce, so if we lose some, we can make more.
But if we lose our hair cells, we lose our hearing (失去聽覺), and they can't grow back (長不回來).
Fortunately (幸好), scientists in the United States have recently discovered a way to make new hair cells.
When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell. 新的細胞生長時，科學家可以稍微調整它們的DNA，讓它們變成外耳或是內耳絨毛細胞。
For now, the scientists are still only trying this on mice, until they say it is safe enough to try in humans.
But when scientists get better at making new hair cells, we could soon help people who have lost their hearing.
And all of this work is to help a few tiny cells in our ears, so that our brains can hear the sounds around us.
So, thank you for listening… but be sure to thank your ear hair cells for letting you listen, too! ________________________________
單腿女跑者 打破馬拉松世界紀錄 One-Legged Woman Breaks Marathon Record
Many animals can run pretty quickly on four legs.
And some people can run pretty fast on two legs, as well!
But one woman has proven (證明了) that she doesn't need that many legs to be a runner.
Her name is Jacky, and she ran 104 marathons in 104 days… with only one leg!
First of all, no matter how many legs you have (不管你有幾條腿), a marathon is already very difficult to run.
That's because one marathon is 42 kilometers long.
And Jacky ran that far every single day!
Jacky lost one of her legs to cancer, so she replaced it with a prosthetic leg. Jacky之前因為癌症而失去一條腿，之後用義肢來代替。
The prosthetic leg makes it harder to run, but she showed us it's still possible.
And she says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year!
So the next time you want to complain (抱怨) about walking somewhere… remember how many legs you have.
Or at least (至少) just be grateful it's not a marathon! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists in Taiwan used a special computer system to tag tiny fish cells with different colors.
And they noticed that some of the fish cells were splitting their DNA quickly and unevenly.
Now, scientists want to look for this new kind of cell division in other animals, too. ________________________________
And,
Scientists in the United States have recently discovered a way to make "hair cells", which are the kind of cells in our ears that help us hear things.
When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell.
And when scientists get better at this process, we could soon help people who have lost their hearing. ________________________________
And,
One woman has recently run 104 marathons in 104 days… with only one leg.
She had lost one of her legs to cancer, and replaced it with a prosthetic leg.
She says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Vegetables we love and hate, a treasure in the kitchen, and a new old song from Taylor Swift.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣人最不愛的蔬菜竟是「它」 Taiwan's Least Favorite Vegetable
You know all about how important vegetables are for your health.
Eating vegetables helps our bodies get important vitamins (維他命), minerals (礦物質), and fiber (纖維).
But which vegetables do we like the best?
The government took a survey (調查).
They asked more than 170,000 people all over Taiwan about their favorite foods.
And it turns out…
Taiwan's favorite vegetable is Taiwanese cabbage.
And other popular vegetables are yam leaves, and bok choy.
調查結果顯示，台灣民眾最喜歡吃的蔬菜前三名是高麗菜、地瓜葉、與小白菜。
Are these your favorites too?
Of course, there were also some vegetables that were not popular (不受歡迎).
The least-liked vegetable is actually in a lot of dishes we eat.
It's garlic!
And other vegetables that many people do not like, are brown-cap white mushrooms and Okinawa spinach. 而大家最不喜歡的蔬菜第一名是料理中常見的大蒜，還有美白菇和紅鳳菜。
Ok, so maybe you don't like many of these vegetables too.
What about fruit?
The survey shows that Taiwan's most popular fruits are bananas, dragon fruit, and Asian pears.
And the fruit that was the least-liked?
Durian (榴槤)!
Even though we all have foods that we like and foods we don't like, experts say it is important to eat a variety (多樣化，各式各樣) of healthy foods.
They say you should make sure to eat enough vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
專家建議要多吃蔬菜、水果、和全榖雜糧。
Choosing healthy foods to eat is a very important part of keeping our bodies strong! ________________________________
乾隆瓷瓶擺廚房角落 Emperor's Vase Found in U.K. Kitchen
We all have things in our house that are just… lying around (亂放，亂擱).
Sometimes, these things have been there for so long, we forget all about them.
But you never know… that thing might be a piece of treasure!
A man in the U.K. went to a friend's house for lunch.
He saw a vase (花瓶、瓷瓶) in his friend's kitchen.
It was sitting in a dark corner, close to the kitchen table.
The vase was a rich blue.
It had gold clouds and silver birds on it.
The man is an art expert, and he was sure that the vase was special.
He went back to the friend's house a few years later.
And he looked at the vase more closely.
The man saw a mark (標記) at the bottom of the vase.
The mark was six Chinese characters from the Qianlong period.
瓷瓶底部有乾隆皇帝的六字篆體方形印章。
The man knew the vase was "extraordinary" (非凡的).
He asked his friend about it.
His friend said his father bought it in the 1980s, for a few hundred US dollars.
The friend didn't know much about it, and kept it in the kitchen.
Now the vase will be sold at auction (拍賣) next week.
Experts think the rare (稀有的) 18th century vase could sell for over $180,000 U.S. dollars!
This isn't the first time a rare piece of art has been found in a home.
In 2014, someone in France wanted to fix a leaky roof (屋頂漏水).
And in their attic (閣樓), they found a 400-year-old painting.
The work was painted by Italian master Caravaggio (意大利文藝復興畫家卡拉瓦喬).
Experts say it's worth around $136 million U.S. dollars. ________________________________
泰勒絲重錄"1989"專輯的"This Love" Taylor Swift Re-releases Another Song
Taylor Swift has re-released another of her songs.
The singer re-recorded a song from her album "1989".
She now calls it "This Love (Taylor's Version)".
Taylor has been re-recording her first few albums.
The singer is doing this so she can own the music that she wrote.
泰勒絲因不滿音樂版權被前經紀人收購，決定重新錄製過去的6張專輯。
Taylor said on Instagram that she's "always been so proud of this song". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
The government took a survey asking people about their favorite foods.
Taiwan's favorite vegetable is Taiwanese cabbage.
And the least-liked vegetable is garlic. ________________________________
A man in the U.K. found a very special vase in his friend's kitchen.
The vase is from the Qianlong period.
Experts think the rare 18th century vase could sell for over $180,000 U.S. dollars! ________________________________
And,
Taylor Swift has re-recorded a song from her album "1989".
She now calls it "This Love (Taylor's Version)".
Taylor said on Instagram that she's "always been so proud of this song". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
What fish are eating, the problem with stinky pears, and Scrat the Ice Age squirrel gets his acorn.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
海裡的魚到底吃到了什麼？ Taiwan Study Shows THIS is What Fish are Eating
Plastic garbage (塑膠垃圾) can come in many different sizes.
Some pieces can be as big as a box, while others can be smaller, like a bag or a drinking straw.
But when plastic goes into the sea, the wind, the sun, or the water breaks it into smaller pieces.
The plastic becomes so small that fish think it is food.
Because of this, Taiwan scientists have found what they call "microplastics" (微塑膠、塑膠微粒) inside the fish that we eat.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters.
They are hard to see, even for fish.
This kind of plastic is very easy for fish to swallow.
And if fish are eating plastic, that means humans are eating plastic too.
The fish eat plastic, and the plastic stays in their body.
Then humans catch the fish, and eat the fish, along with the plastic in their body.
Many scientists are worried about this problem.
They looked at dried herring (鯡魚) and anchovy (鯷魚) from China, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand.
And they found at least two pieces of microplastic in each fish they studied.
So far, the scientists say that if a person eats something with microplastic, they can get sick.
Because of this, they say we should think about what happens if we keep polluting the environment (大自然、環境).
Scientists say there is nothing we can do about the garbage that is already in the water.
But they say we can be smart by being careful about all of our garbage, because protecting the sea means protecting ourselves, too. ________________________________
發臭的豆梨帶來麻煩 The Problem with Stinky Pears
The Bradford pear is a beautiful plant.
It is a tall, round tree, that grows lots of small white flowers.
And in the fall, the leaves turn bright red, yellow, and even pink and purple.
But the Bradford pear is also causing problems in the United States.
The tree was grown from the Callery pear, another plant which was imported (進口) a century ago (一百年前).
That imported plant helped to save pear orchards (果園) from a deadly fungus (菌類).
The Callery pear and the Bradford pear were very helpful then.
But they are not helpful now.
They grow very fast, which means they can steal nutrition (養分) from other plants near them.
They have big spikes (尖刺) that can destroy the wheels of a tractor (拖拉機).
And they smell very, very bad, which is how the Bradford pear got its nickname (綽號), stinky pear.
Even worse, they are very, very difficult to get rid of. 更糟的是，他們很難根除。
One farmer said that when he tried to take the spiky plant out of his garden, it grew back right away.
He tried to cut it down, mow it down, or even use a special plant medicine.
And it didn't matter what he did.
Farmers used to love the stinky pear tree… but they don't like the plant so much anymore.
Now, American agriculture (農業) officials are asking people to stop planting stinky pear trees, to keep them from places where they shouldn't be.
The story of the Bradford pear shows us why you cannot bring plants and animals from other countries to Taiwan.
Because once it gets here, you never really know how it will behave. ________________________________
冰原歷險記鼠奎特終於吃到橡果了 Scrat the Ice Age Squirrel Finally Gets his Acorn
If you've ever seen "Ice Age" (冰原歷險記) the movies, you would know Scrat (鼠奎特).
He's the saber-toothed squirrel (劍齒松鼠) that can never seem to eat his acorn (橡果).
But now, the studio that makes the "Ice Age" movies announced it would be closing.
And it decided to make one more short movie.
The short film, which you can watch on YouTube, shows Scrat finally enjoying the acorn he has been chasing for many, many movies.
And he finishes the acorn with just a few big bites.
牠大大幾口就把橡果啃得一乾二淨了。
Fans may be sad to hear there will be no more "Ice Age" movies.
But they're glad Scrat got his happy ending. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan scientists have found what they call "microplastics" inside the fish that we eat.
Many are worried about this problem.
So far, the scientists say that if a person eats something with microplastic, they can get sick. ________________________________
The Bradford pear is a tall round tree that grows lots of small white flowers.
But the Bradford pear is also causing problems in the United States.
They have big spikes and they smell very, very bad.
Now, American officials are asking people to stop planting Bradford pear trees. ________________________________
Scrat is the saber-toothed squirrel in the "Ice Age" movies that can never seem to eat his acorn.
The studio that makes the "Ice Age" movies announced it would be closing.
And it made one more short film, where Scrat finally gets the acorn he's been chasing. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno…
And I'm Nancy Sun. In today's news:
Puppets made of sand, the Sun affects our radios, and eating lab-grown meat is healthy for you!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
沙子做的布袋戲。 Glove Puppetry Made From Sand
What do Taiwanese glove puppetry and sand have in common?
They will both be features (特點) in the 2022 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Arts Festival in New Taipei City!
The feature for the event will be sculptures made out of sand.
A total of 36 sand sculptures (沙雕) will be displayed on weekends from May 26th to October 10th.
They are made by mixing water and sand, then piled into wooden forms to make the shape.
Then, it is pressed together to make the base so that the artist can continue making their sculpture.
The main highlight (主要亮點) will be an eight-meter-tall sand statue of Su Huan-jen, the main character of Pili.
Pili is one of Taiwan's best known glove puppetry shows (布袋戲)。
The TV series debuted in 1984, and it still continues today.
It is one of the most popular TV shows in Taiwan.
Unlike traditional puppet shows, Pili uses computers to make the action sequences (動作場景)。
There will also be sculptures of Su in different disguises (裝扮), and many other Pili characters, too.
During the event, visitors will also have a chance to meet with the actors behind these fictional characters (虛構人物) and take part in other activities.
Visitors can enjoy concerts (演唱會), eat food and buy souvenirs (伴手禮) at a market, and experience workshops (工作坊) to try their hand at making sand sculptures. ________________________________
太陽干擾了我們的無線電信號 The Sun Disrupts Our Radio Signals
A sunspot (太陽黑子) threw off a double solar flare on April 25th, causing some radios to stop working in Asia and Australia.
Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun.
They appear dark because they are cooler than other parts of the Sun's surface.
Solar flares are a sudden explosion of energy caused by magnetic field lines near sunspots. (太陽耀斑是由太陽黑子附近的磁場線引起的能量突然爆炸。
Scientists called the Sunspot AR2993.
The sunspot AR2993 erupted (爆發) with two flares very quickly.
And the magnetic wave (磁波) was strong enough to stop radios on Earth.
They say it's "medium-sized", but it is actually hundreds of millions of kilometers big.
Earth would sit in the active region as comfortably as an egg in a nest.
Solar flares not only cause disruption (中斷) on our radio signals, but they also light up the night sky in the North and South Pole, making beautiful auroras (極光) that we can see. ________________________________
吃實驗室裡種植的肉對地球和你的健康都有好處！ Eating Meat Grown in a Lab is Good for the Planet… and Your Health!
Eating meat grown in labs or ground up insects (磨碎的昆蟲) could help the environment, reduce carbon emissions, and use less water. Researchers say these kinds of foods could cut pollution (污染) on the planet by 80%. But it's not clear if people want to eat bugs or meat grown in labs. Scientists are trying to figure out another way to grow food so that it has more protein (蛋白質) while using less land and water. The researchers looked at the nutrition of some of those products and three types of environmental pressure: water use, land use, and carbon emissions (碳排放量). Alternative foods can reduce these impacts by 80-percent while providing more nutrients (營養素) than a vegan or a vegetarian diet.
New foods include ground up flies and crickets, eggs made in the lab from chicken cells(細胞), and seaweed and mushrooms.
A professor from Cambridge thinks it may be better, but changing people's diets will be hard. Many studies have shown that eating a plant-based diet (植物性飲食) is good for you and the environment. So make sure to eat more vegetables every day! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
36 sand sculptures will be made for the Fulong International Sand Sculpture Arts Festival in New Taipei City!
The main highlight will be an eight-meter-tall sand statue of Su Huan-jen, the main character of Pili.
Visitors will also have a chance to meet with the actors behind these fictional characters and take part in other activities. ________________________________
And,
A sunspot threw off a double solar flare on April 25th, causing some radios to stop working in Asia and Australia.
The sunspot AR2993 erupted with two flares very quickly,
And the magnetic wave was strong enough to stop radios on Earth. ________________________________
And,
Eating meat grown in labs or ground up insects could help the environment. Alternative foods can also provide more nutrients than a vegan or a vegetarian diet.
But it's not clear if people will switch to this kind of diet. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
A Formosan bear comes back for more, people make space junk, and toys help rescue a dog.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
貪心的台灣黑熊 The Greedy Formosan Black Bear
If you live in a big city, it is difficult to imagine having real bears in Taiwan.
But it is a different story (是另一回事) if you live in the countryside (鄉間).
Even if there are only 200 to 600 Formosan black bears left, and they are considered to be endangered (瀕臨絕種), you can probably still see them in the wild (野外).
Formosan black bears are supposed to have round bodies, round heads, short necks, small eyes, and a short tail.
They usually weigh between 60 and 150 kilograms, and they are between 130 and 180 centimeters long.
Formosan black bears also have a white V-shaped mark on their chest, which is why they are also called “moon bears”.
The bears like eating different things, like plants, insects, and other animals, making them omnivores (雜食性動物).
These bears don’t hibernate (冬眠) and they move around a lot.
They can travel as much as 202 square kilometers in one year, which means they can bump into humans sometimes. 牠們每年的活動範圍可以高達202平方公里，代表牠們有時候會撞見人類。
One Formosan black bear had to be released into the wild twice (兩度) after rescuers found him in 2020.
The bear is named “711” and he was found injured (受傷).
He was then freed (野放) after he got better.
But he decided to go to Dongshi District instead, to eat the food which farmers prepared for their animals.
711 also liked invading (入侵) chicken coops (雞舍).
He was released in a remote area (遙遠地區) in Taichung’s Dongmao Mountain (東卯山).
And he now has a device (裝置) that can warn people if he travels back to the same village where he first found food.
Everyone hopes he is happy, because once a bear likes eating one kind of food, it is difficult for him to go back to his original diet (原本的飲食習慣). ________________________________
太空垃圾是什麼？ What is Space Junk?
When we look up into the sky, and if the night is clear, we see stars.
But when astronauts (太空人) travel into space (太空), they see more than stars.
They see plenty of junk (垃圾).
Space junk is caused by many things.
Some are satellites (人造衛星) which have stopped working.
Some are rockets (火箭) which were sent into space and never came down.
Space junk can even be small parts that have fallen off a rocket.
There is even space junk on the moon!
Instead of being careful, scientists say humans are creating even more space junk.
For example, people on earth use 2,000 satellites today.
But there are also 3,000 other satellites which cannot be used anymore.
Those satellites can circle the earth for thousands of years.
And those dead satellites have become space junk. 失去作用的人造衛星就變成了太空垃圾。
Countries like the United States, China, India, and Russia make more junk when they test their missiles (飛彈) by shooting at satellites.
During one missile test, Russia blew up (引爆) a satellite and created more than one thousand pieces of space junk.
So far, more than thirty thousand (三萬) pieces of space junk have been recorded (列入紀錄)!
Scientists say countries should be more responsible about what they do with their old machines, especially those which are being sent into space.
Scientists also say countries that have space should be protected (保護) by special rules (太空規範).
Those rules would be like the ones we use on earth to protect our environment (環境). ________________________________
充氣玩具新用途 A New Way to Use Inflatable Toys
Inflatable (充氣的) toys are fun to play with when you are in the pool.
But three friends found a new way to use these toys, when they saw a dog go into a lake.
The lake was full of weeds (水草), and it was very difficult to swim in the water.
The dog became very tired.
So the friends took a big toy crocodile and a big toy slipper, and used those toys to go into the water to save the dog. 這群朋友用大型的鱷魚跟拖鞋玩具進入河中救援那隻狗。
Even the humans needed the floating (漂浮的) toys, because the weeds were very thick and very deep.
After the dog was rescued (解救) he was reunited (團圓) with his owners. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One Formosan black bear had to be released into the wild twice, after rescuers found him in 2020.
The bear is named “711”, and he was first found injured, and then freed after he got better.
He now has a device that can warn people if he travels back to the same village where he first found food. ________________________________
And,
Scientists say humans are creating more and more space junk.
Space junk can be broken satellites, pieces of rockets, or other things left in outer space.
Scientists say countries should be more responsible about what they do with their old machines. ________________________________
And,
Three friends saw a dog in trouble, in a lake.
The lake was full of weeds, and it was very difficult for the tired dog to swim.
So they used inflatable toys to rescue the dog, and bring him to safety. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
Animals save energy, the world's oldest woman passes on, and the world's richest man wants more.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
流浪狗收容所 安裝太陽能板 Solar Panels Installed at Dog Shelter
In order to do lots of things, we need to use energy (能量).
But the energy we use has to come from energy sources (能量源).
Our bodies use food and water to make energy, and lots of cars use oil (汽油).
But sometimes, when we use a lot of these resources (資源), it can be bad for the environment (環境).
And if we use too much of those resources, there might not be any left.
Fortunately, there are many other sources of energy… like the sun!
In recent years, more and more people have been using solar energy (太陽能).
That's because no matter how much sunlight we use, there will always be more!
And one place in Taiwan has been using solar energy to care for animals.
It's an animal shelter (動物收容所) in Taipei City's Zhonghe District.
The animal shelter has installed solar panels on almost 1,000 square meters of its roof. 這個動物收容所的太陽能板，裝在大約一千平方公尺的屋頂上。
The panels take solar energy and make it into electricity (發電).
The new power has helped the shelter to save money (省錢)… enough money to buy 840 kilograms of dog food!
It has also cut down the shelter's carbon emissions by the same amount as 3,000 trees. 這些太陽能板，也讓這個收容所大大減少碳排放，效果跟三千棵樹一樣多。
Not only can solar panels help the animals in our cities.
They can also help the nature around us stay cleaner, too! ________________________________
世界最老的老人過世 World's Oldest Person Passes Away
How old is the oldest person you know?
Maybe you have a family member (親戚) who is one hundred years old.
Nowadays, more and more people are living even longer than one hundred years!
It's still very rare, but medical technology and medicine are getting better and better every year. 活到一百歲的人還真少見，但是醫療科技和醫藥每年都在進步。
That means people are staying healthier as they get older, and they are living longer.
But, of course, no one lives forever…
First, the bad news: The world's oldest person has just passed away (去世).
Her name was Kane Tanaka, and she was 119 years old.
But now, the good news: She lived a long and amazing life.
Kane Tanaka (田中加子) was born in Japan in 1903, as the seventh child (第七個孩子) in a family of nine children.
She got married (結婚了) one hundred years ago, and had four children.
During her life, she ran various businesses (她做過好幾種生意), and even opened a noodle shop!
Now, after Tanaka's passing, the world's oldest person is a French nun, who is 118 years old. 田中太太去世之後，世界上年紀最大的人就是一位法國修女，現年一百一十八歲。
And French people must be doing something right, because the oldest person in history was also French…
Her name was Jeanne-Louise Calment, and she passed away at the old, old age of 122.
We'll still miss these people after they're gone, but we can still celebrate (慶祝) their long lives.
Just remember to exercise and eat healthy foods, and you might live even longer! ________________________________
伊隆·馬斯克購買推特公司 Elon Musk Buys Twitter
Since the year 2006, Twitter (推特) has been a place for people to share their thoughts online (在網路上).
It started as just a website (網站), and years later, it became one of the most popular apps in the world.
But it has gone through a lot of changes in these years.
And one person, Elon Musk (伊隆·馬斯克), thinks he can change it even more.
Mr. Musk is currently the world's richest person (世界上最有錢的人), and is planning to buy the entire Twitter company (公司).
But buying a company this big isn't as simple as buying food at the store…
It's going to cost him about $44 billion U.S. dollars (四百四十億美元)!
And on top of that (更何況), he'll need to get enough money in one place to make the purchase (購買).
Mr. Musk also owns Tesla and SpaceX, and he'll have to use pieces of these companies to pay for Twitter. 馬斯克也擁有特斯拉汽車和太空探索技術公司，他必須運用這兩個公司的資產來購買推特。
People are still wondering what he'll do with Twitter once he gets it, but for now, we'll wait and see…
Just don't worry if it all sounds complicated (複雜)… that's because it is! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An animal shelter in Taipei City has been using solar energy to care for animals.
It has installed solar panels on almost 1,000 square meters of its roof, to save money and energy.
It has already saved enough to buy dog food and cut down carbon emissions. ________________________________
And,
The world's oldest person has just passed away, at 119 years old.
Now, after her passing, the world's oldest person is 118 years old.
But the oldest person in history lived to the old, old age of 122. ________________________________
And,
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is planning to buy Twitter.
It's going to cost him about $44 billion U.S. dollars.
Mr. Musk also owns Tesla and SpaceX, and he'll have to use pieces of these companies to pay for Twitter. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Groups work together to save seabirds, the first private space crew returns to Earth, and the Queen of England celebrates 70 years on the throne.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
政府與動物保護機構一起拯救海鳥 Working Together to Save Seabirds
Do you like eating tuna fish (鮪魚)?
Well, Taiwan fishing boats catch a lot of tuna!
But unfortunately, when the fishermen are trying to catch tuna, they sometimes accidentally catch seabirds. 但不幸的是魚夫在補鮪魚時有時候會不小心抓到海鳥。
The tuna are caught with long fishing lines towed (拖) behind the boat.
On the lines are long hooks (鉤) and fishermen put bait (魚餌) on the hooks to catch the tuna.
But sometimes birds see the bait on the lines and they try to grab it.
Many of those birds will get hurt, and sometimes die.
So, the government's Fisheries Agency (漁業署) and bird conservation groups from Taiwan and England are working together to change this.
They want to find ways to save those birds.
They collected data (收集數據) from 5 fishing boats.
Two of the boats fish in the Indian Ocean (印度洋) and the other three boats fish in the Pacific Ocean (太平洋).
Researchers will look at the data and think of ways to help fishermen catch less seabirds. 研究人員將分析收集到的數據，並推薦減少捕獲海鳥數量的方法。
The three groups will also publish (出版) a handbook (手冊).
The book will help fishermen identify (辨認) different sea birds.
The groups also have some other ideas (辦法).
One idea is to add bright streamers (彩帶) to the lines.
The birds are afraid of the bright colors so they won't fly close to the fishing lines.
Another idea is to add a weight (硾) to the fishing line.
This way, the bait goes into the water, where the birds can't catch it. ________________________________
史上首批私人太空團返回地球 First Group of Private Astronauts Returns to Earth from Space Station
On April 8-th, the first group of private astronauts visited the International Space Station.
The four people were only supposed to stay at the space station for one week.
But they had to delay (延後) their return because of bad weather.
They ended up staying over two weeks at the space station.
Finally, on April 25th, the team safely returned to Earth.
Before leaving, the four people thanked the seven astronauts who hosted them. 離開前，這四個人感謝了在國際太空站招待他們的七名太空人。
They landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean (大西洋) near the US state of Florida (佛羅里達).
They came back on the same spaceship (太空船) that took them into space.
The ship, called the Crew Dragon, is owned and operated (操作) by SpaceX.
After landing on Earth, the four men were assisted (協助) out of the ship.
They were then taken onto a boat and brought back to land.
On the boat, they were given a quick health check (健康檢查).
When they arrived back on land, they were flown to NASA for a more thorough (更徹底的) health check.
The mission director (任務主任) said that all four private astronauts are in good health and they are in good spirits (情緒穩定，心情好). ________________________________
英國為女王登基70週年慶準備 The Queen of England Prepares for her 70th Anniversary on the Throne
Queen Elizabeth the Second is the Queen of England.
She became queen when she was only 25 years old after her father, King George the Sixth, died in 1952. 她年僅25歲就成為了英國女王。
This year she will celebrate her 70th anniversary as the queen.
The celebration of the English monarch's (君主) anniversary is called a jubilee(禧年).
And the 70th anniversary is known as the Platinum (白金) Jubilee.
This year's celebration will take place from June 2nd to the 5th.
Some highlights include a giant puppet (木偶) of the queen with corgis (柯基犬), her favorite dog.
There will also be a very big puppet of a dragon.
And musician Ed Sheeran will perform at a concert. Ed Sheeran將在音樂會上表演。
In total, 800 events will take place around the United Kingdom for the celebration. And people in the U.K. will get a 4-day long-weekend to celebrate! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Researchers are trying to help fishermen catch less seabirds.
They may add bright streamers to fishing lines.
Another idea is to add a weight to the fishing line.
Hopefully, this will stop birds from trying to grab the bait on fishing hooks. ________________________________
The first group of private astronauts have returned to Earth.
They went to the International Space Station on April 8th.
They came back to Earth on April 25th.
All four astronauts are in good health and good spirits. ________________________________
And,
Queen Elizabeth the Second is celebrating her 70th anniversary as the queen.
This year's celebration will take place from June 2nd to the 5th.
In total, 800 events will take place around the United Kingdom for the celebration. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Numbers worth a lot of money, meat NOT from a farm, and a Swift with hundreds of legs.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
車牌號碼也可以有特殊意義? Special License Plates Sell for Top Dollar
Sometimes, some numbers together can have a special meaning.
And sometimes, that's worth a lot of money.
Last month, some special license plate numbers (車牌號碼) sold for a lot of money.
License plates are the signs on the back of cars.
In Taiwan, license plates have three letters, and four numbers.
Usually, people cannot choose license plate numbers.
But the government lets people try to buy some special license plate numbers.
Some people think these numbers are fun, or will give them good luck.
"8888" is the most popular, because it sounds like "get rich" (發) in Mandarin.
In fact, the government says BQQ-8888 was sold for $300,000 NT last month.
Some people also like "6" because it sounds like "things going smoothly".
And "520" is popular too, because it sounds like "I love you" in Mandarin.
The license plate number BMW-0520 was sold for $110,000 NT in February.
And the three letters on the license place are important too.
"VVV" is one of the most popular combinations (組合).
In some countries around the world "V" can mean victory. 有些人也覺得前面的英文字母可以有特殊意義，像是用三個V開頭，象徵「勝利」。
Back in 2019, the license plate number "VVV-8888" sold for $881,000 NT.
But another license plate sold for even more money.
In 2011, "88-8888" sold for $3,589,000 NT! ________________________________
去外太空種肉 Growing Meat in Space
Scientists have been growing plants in space for many years.
And now, they want to try to "grow" meat!
New tests to try to grow meat in space started last month.
Astronauts flew up to the International Space Station.
They took a small box with them.
Inside the box, were animal cells (動物細胞).
The plan is to give those cells nutrients (養分) they need to grow.
Then, these cells grow and make more cells, until they become muscle (肌肉).
And this becomes meat that we can eat.
動物的細胞得到需要的養分後開始繁殖增加，形成肌肉組織，最終成為可以吃的肉。
Some people are excited about this way of "growing" meat.
They think it means we won't have to hurt animals to get meat anymore.
And they think we won't have to use so much water and electricity to raise (養) these animals.
Some scientists also think "growing" meat will help people live on other planets (星球) in the future.
But for now, they will first try to grow the meat on the International Space Station.
The scientists aren't sure if the meat will grow the same way in space.
Many things like light, air and gravity (地心引力) are different from on Earth.
And some other problems have to be worked out (解決) too.
But if these problems can be solved, "growing" meat might lead to a big change for everyone! ________________________________
名為泰勒絲的馬陸 Millipede Named After Taylor Swift
American singer Taylor Swift has won many awards.
But she's never had an honor (榮譽) like this.
A scientist has found a new species of millipede (馬陸).
And he's named it after Taylor.
The Nannaria swiftae, or Swift twisted-claw millipede was found in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
It is brown, with reddish spots on the sides.
The scientist that found this millipede says he is a Swiftie.
That's what some Taylor Swift fans call themselves.
Taylor's music helped him get through hard times.
And he wants to thank her, by naming the millipede after her.
這位科學家說泰勒絲的音樂幫助他度過了生活中的低谷，想感謝她。
The scientist says he hopes she is happy about this.
He also points out that millipedes are very important for the environment.
They eat dead plants, and help make the soil better for living plants. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Last month, some special license plate numbers sold for a lot of money.
"BQQ-8888" was sold for $300,000 NT last month.
And in 2011, the license plate number "88-8888" sold for $3,589,000 NT! ________________________________
Scientists are trying to "grow" meat in space.
They will try to grow the meat from animal cells on the International Space Station.
Some scientists think "growing" meat will help people live on other planets in the future. ________________________________
And,
A scientist found a new species of millipede, and named it after American singer Taylor Swift.
The Nannaria swiftae, or Swift twisted-claw millipede was found in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
The scientist that found this millipede says he is a Swiftie. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
New life for an old building in Keelung, work at the penguin post office, and a cafe where being lazy is not allowed.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
基隆老建築重獲新生 New Life for an Old Building in Keelung
You may not know it, but Taiwan is full of historic (歷史性的) buildings.
Some of them belong to the Qing Dynasty (清朝).
Others were built during the Japanese occupation (日治時期).
One building is the Keelung Fortress Command (基隆要塞司令部), which is located in Zhongzheng, Keelung.
The Fortress Command headquarters (司令部) was built in 1928.
The building was designed (設計) by someone in the Japanese army.
And it an important office in Northern Taiwan, because it was in charge of Keelung, New Taipei, Hsinchu, and Miaoli.
In 1957, the Keelung Fortress Command was closed (關閉) and the camp was used by soldiers (軍人) located in the area.
The government decided to call it a historical site in 2010.
The Keelung Fortress Command reopened at the end of April, and it's now a place where people can meet or hold exhibits. 四月底時，要塞司令部重新開放，現在成為了展覽場地。
But the Keelung Fortress Command is not the only Japanese building in Taiwan.
The Japanese stayed in Taiwan for fifty years, which means they had plenty of chances (機會) to build buildings the way they liked.
For example, the Presidential Office Building (總統府) has been around since 1923.
The Hayashi Department Store (林百貨) building in Tainan was built in the same year.
And it was the first building in Taiwan to have an elevator.
People who are interested in history are trying to save these old buildings, because they are a part of Taiwan's history.
In all (總計), there are about 2,800 old Japanese buildings in Taiwan.
And many people are hoping that some of these buildings are important enough to save (保存), so they can be turned into historic sites (古蹟), like the Keelung Fortress Command, too. ________________________________
在企鵝郵局工作 Work at the Penguin Post Office
There is a special post office that's looking for a new employee (員工).
To do this job, you have to be able to arrange mail (信件), sell stamps (郵票), and count penguins (企鵝).
That's right! This job involves counting the number of penguins that appear on the island.
The job might not sound like a big deal (聽起來沒什麼).
But it is important, because it helps the island decide how many people can visit it at once (同一時間).
It's called Goudier Island (高迪爾島).
And right now, about 18,000 visitors go to it regularly.
But too many visitors may scare penguins away.
The island doesn't just have a post office.
It also has a gift shop and a museum. 除了郵局，島上還有禮品店跟博物館。
The person who takes care of the post office doesn't need to manage (管理) the two other places.
Still, the job is not easy.
It can be as cold as minus 5 degrees celsius (攝氏零下5度), which is very cold.
Everyone who works there has to sleep in the same room.
And there are no modern toilets (馬桶), no running water (自來水), and no showers (淋浴設備).
Sometimes, people don't even take showers for two weeks.
There is no wifi, no internet, no cell phone reception (收訊), so they can't talk to their family or friends.
And if there is an emergency (緊急狀況), getting you to a hospital might even take seven days.
But if you are looking for some peace and quiet (平靜), and you want to hang out (閒晃) with penguins all day, this might be the job for you. ________________________________
禁止懶惰的咖啡廳 A Cafe Where Being Lazy is Not Allowed
If you don't like working hard, this coffee shop may be the place for you.
It's a cafe where the owner will tell you what to do!
The shop offers unlimited (無限量) coffee and tea.
In exchange, it wants its customers to set goals and to say when they plan to finish their assignments. 作為交換，咖啡廳希望顧客設定目標，還有完成工作的時限。
People who work in the store are happy to nag you (對著你嘮叨) if you don't work fast enough, because that is part of their job.
The shop's owner says he hopes the strict rules will allow his customers to finish their work like they planned. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites…
Taiwan has reopened the Keelung Fortress Command.
It's now a place where people can meet or hold exhibits.
The Keelung Fortress Command is just one of many buildings built by the Japanese, when they were in Taiwan. ________________________________
And…
There is a special post office that's looking for a new employee.
To do this job, you have to be able to count penguins that appear on the island.
The job is difficult, because it is in a faraway place, and it is not easy to speak with family and friends. ________________________________
And…
One coffee shop in Japan decided it would give people a chance to do their work without being bothered.
The shop offers unlimited coffee and tea.
But it also asks its customers to set goals, and to say what time they plan to finish their assignments. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
Taiwan says "no entry" to some animals, a special rock lands in the UK, and fish do math too?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
這些動物不可入境台灣 Taiwan Says "No Entry" to Some Animals
There are many kinds of animals in Taiwan.
But there are many, many more animals that can be found outside Taiwan.
The animals you see outside Taiwan might look cute or interesting.
But that's not a good reason to bring them back here to live.
Animals that don't belong in Taiwan may hurt the local environment (當地環境).
They might even hurt the animals that already live here, by stealing their food, or changing the places where the animals live.
That's why the government says it won't allow people to import (進口), or bring in, animals from overseas to live in Taiwan.
There are now more than 8,000 different kinds of animals that won't be allowed to come into Taiwan. 現在有超過八千種動物不准入境台灣.
These animals include raccoons (浣熊), and different kinds of birds like the Asian glossy starling.
Some reptiles (爬蟲類) and amphibians (兩棲類), like the green iguana (綠鬣蜥), are banned too.
Last year, the government found almost 20,000 green iguanas running around Pingtung.
The iguanas destroyed (摧毀) many farms, and many buildings.
Another problem animal is the giant snakehead fish (魚虎).
This fish is normally found in Africa and Southeast Asia.
But someone brought the snakehead fish to Sun Moon Lake.
And now they eat a lot of the local (原生) fish in Sun Moon Lake.
So if you see an animal when you are traveling outside Taiwan, remember that they are happiest at home. ________________________________
特殊隕石現身英國 A Special Meteorite Turns Up in Britain
Meteors (流星) are space rocks that fly through the universe.
They move very fast, almost 100 times faster than an airplane!
Because they fly through the sky very quickly, they become very hot.
They usually break when they get close to Earth.
Then, the big meteors become smaller pieces called meteorites (隕石).
Scientists say our planet (星球) is hit by 6,100 meteorites every year.
We don't see most of these meteorites.
Most of the time, they land in places where there are no people.
大多數的隕石墜落在沒有人的地方，所以我們通常看不到。
But even if we saw a meteorite, we might not know what it is.
Most of them look like rocks (石頭).
Others look like pieces of metal (金屬).
But just because we don't see them, doesn't mean we should ignore (忽略) them.
Sometimes meteorites can be very important, because they give us important information (資訊).
In March, a very important meteorite flew over Britain and Northern Ireland.
After it crashed, pieces from that meteorite were found and taken to a laboratory (實驗室).
Scientists were very excited about this meteorite, because it was in good condition (狀態良好).
This meteorite was also special because it could help us learn more about life.
Scientists say they can use meteorites to find out how life began.
They say finding a meteorite like this one, is a "dream come true" (夢想成真). ________________________________
魚會算數學嗎？ Can Fish Do Math Too?
We know fish can swim, and they can do it very well.
But did you know that fish can count?
Scientists that study fish say stingrays (魟魚) can add and subtract (加減法).
They gave the fish special tests.
魚類科學家透過特殊測驗，發現魟魚會算加減法。
If the stingrays gave the correct answer, they were rewarded (獎勵) and given food.
If they gave the wrong answer, they were left empty-handed (兩手空空).
And the scientists found out the fish got it right most of the time. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There are now more than 8,000 different kinds of animals that won't be allowed to come into Taiwan.
These animals include raccoons, and different kinds of birds, some reptiles, and some amphibians.
So if you see an animal when you are traveling outside Taiwan, remember they are happiest at home. ________________________________
In March, a very important meteorite landed on Earth.
Scientists were very excited about this meteorite, because it was in good condition.
Scientists say they can use meteorites to find out how life began. ________________________________
And,
Scientists that study fish say stingrays can add and subtract.
They gave the fish special tests.
And the scientists found out the stingrays got it right most of the time. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pink in the water, salt in your food, and the biggest Marvel fan.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台南七股魚塭變夢幻"粉紅湖" Tainan's "Pink Pond"
Picture a beautiful pond (池塘) in your head.
What color is the water?
Is it blue or green?
How about the color pink?
There is a pond in Tainan that is becoming famous… because it is pink!
The pond is in Tainan's Qigu District (七股).
It is actually a fish pond (魚塭).
And the water in the pond is pink, because of the photosynthetic bacteria (光合菌).
Many fish farmers grow this bacteria in their ponds.
The bacteria helps keep fish, shrimp, and other animals in the pond healthy.
And this bacteria is pink.
So a little photosynthetic bacteria makes the water light pink.
And a lot of the bacteria makes the water a bright pink.
The pond in Tainan has a lot of the special bacteria.
So it is a bright pink color.
魚塭的主人說水裡有放光合菌的菌母，菌母會繁殖，而魚塭裡的粉紅色就是光合菌的顏色。
Some people have said the pond looks like a strawberry milkshake (草莓奶昔).
But if you want to go take pictures, you have to ask the owner of the fish pond first. 不過這個夢幻粉紅池塘是私人土地，所以想去拍攝的話要先得到地主的允許喔。
There are other "pink ponds" in Taiwan.
Fish ponds near Kinmen County's Ci Lake (金門慈湖) are also pink.
And Lake Hillier, in Australia, is one of the most famous pink lakes in the world.
Lake Hillier is bright pink.
It is surrounded by green plants.
And it is right next to the ocean.
So many people enjoy the colors of the bright pink lake, bright green plants, and bright blue ocean, all together. ________________________________
健康享受重口味？用日本【減鹽筷】 Japanese Chopsticks Make Food Taste More Salty
Sometimes, a salty snack just tastes so good.
Our bodies need a little salt (鹽份) to stay healthy.
But lots of foods we eat now have too much salt.
And too much salt can be bad for you.
You might feel very thirsty, or weak (虛弱).
And too much salt can lead to high blood pressure (高血壓), and even heart disease (心臟疾病).
Now scientists in Japan may have a way for us to enjoy salty foods without hurting our bodies.
It's a pair of chopsticks (筷子).
But they aren't just normal chopsticks.
These chopsticks can make food taste 1.5 times more salty. 日本科學家發明了"減鹽筷"，可以把食物的鹹度放大1.5倍。
With these chopsticks, people can use less salt, and still enjoy the taste of their food.
How do they do this?
The chopsticks come with a mini-computer.
The eater wears the mini-computer on their wrist.
And a tiny bit of electricity goes through the chopsticks.
The electricity does not hurt the person at all.
Together, the mini-computer and electricity make the person taste saltiness in their mouth. 這雙減鹽筷子透過戴在手腕上的迷你電腦和電的刺激，將食物中的鈉離子傳到口腔，產生鹹味。
So there might be only a little salt in the dish.
But the eater will taste a lot of saltiness.
Scientists say the chopsticks may go on sale next year. ________________________________
漫威鐵粉創金氏世界紀錄 Florida Man Watches Spider-Man Movie 292 Times
Do you have a movie that you really love?
Do you love it enough to watch it many times?
How about hundreds of times?
A man in Florida watched "Spider-Man: No Way Home" 292 times!
Ramiro Alanis started watching the movie in movie theaters on December 16th, 2021.
And the last time he watched it was on March 15th, 2022.
He spent 720 hours watching the movie!
For the first few weeks, he would watch the movie five times a day.
And he spent about $100,000 NT buying tickets to watch the movie.
He watched the movie so many times that he set a new world record!
美國佛羅里達州一名男子在3個月內看【蜘蛛人：無家日】多達292次，成為史上觀看單一部電影次數最多的紀錄保持人。
Ramiro says he's watched "Spider-Man: No Way Home" so many times, that he remembers everything everyone said in the movie.
Ramiro also set a world record in 2019, after watching "Avengers: Endgame" 191 times. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A pond in Tainan's Qigu District is pink.
It is actually a fish pond.
And the water in the pond is pink, because of photosynthetic bacteria. ________________________________
Scientists in Japan have made a special pair of chopsticks.
These chopsticks can make food taste 1.5 times more salty.
With these chopsticks, people can use less salt, and still enjoy the taste of their food. ________________________________
And,
A man in Florida watched "Spider-Man: No Way Home" 292 times!
Ramiro Alanis spent 720 hours watching the new movie again and again.
He watched the movie so many times that he set a new world record! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
A boat gets burned to the ground, British people are mad at their Prime Minister, and an old painting gets a new name.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
東港迎王平安祭典 Donggang's King Boat Burning Festival
The years of the Bull, Dragon, Goat, and Dog are auspicious (吉祥) for the people of Donggang (東港).
These are the years they get to take part in a special ceremony for "Wangye" (溫王爺), also called the god of plague (瘟疫之神).
The celebration is called the Wangye Worshipping, or the Donggang Boat Burning Ceremony, and takes place over eight days.
The celebration dates back to the Qing Dynasty, or about three centuries (世紀) ago, and to the days when Donggang attracted migrants (移民) from the Fujian province.
Those migrants often prayed to Wen Wangye to make sure he protected them from getting sick from different plagues. 移民經常祈求溫王爺保佑，避免得到各種瘟疫。
The biggest part of this eight day celebration is the burning of a beautifully painted wooden boat.
The wooden boat, which is known as the "King Boat" is not a fake (不是假貨).
In fact, organizers say the boat is seaworthy (可以出海), which means it can travel across the water, and won't sink (沈船).
It takes between 80 to 90 people to build and decorate (裝飾) this boat.
They spend between four and five months from start to finish (從頭到尾).
The last boat may have cost $10 million NT.
But the boat doesn't sit around for very long.
After it is dragged around on a tour to capture (捉住) evil spirits that cause disease and disasters, it is filled with paper dolls that represent people.
It is taken to a beach, where it is then burned to the ground (燒得一乾二凈).
The burning symbolises (象徵) Wang Ye's return to heaven, and the casting out of plagues.
And remember the paper dolls? Those are burned along with the boat.
And that's supposed to help the people they symbolise get rid of the evil spirits that might be harming them. ________________________________
英國民眾對首相感到不滿 Many British People are Mad at their Prime Minister
A rule is a rule, and no one should be exempted (有豁免權), even if a rule is difficult to follow.
When the COVID-19 pandemic happened in Britain (英國) in 2020 and 2021, the British government imposed (強制施行) some very difficult rules.
One of the rules restricted social gatherings (限制社交聚會), like parties.
This meant that two or more people could not get together in an indoor space, no matter what the reason was.
This meant people couldn't visit family in hospitals.
They couldn't visit healthy relatives.
And they couldn't go to events like funerals (葬禮).
Anyone who broke the law would be fined (罰鍰).
But after the lockdowns ended, British people found out that even if they were following the law, their Prime Minister Boris Johnson wasn't doing the same thing. 當封城結束後，英國民眾發現首相強森並沒有像他們一樣遵守規定。
He, and people in his government, were throwing parties (舉辦派對).
The London Police conducted an investigation (進行調查) to be certain that the parties really happened.
As a result, several people in Johnson's office resigned (辭職下台).
Johnson himself was also found guilty (有罪) of breaking his own rules.
The police asked him and his wife to pay a fine.
Today, Boris Johnson is the first Prime Minister to have broken the law while serving in office (在職).
And because of that, many people think Johnson should resign. ________________________________
一幅油畫重新命名 An Oil Painting Gets a New Name
An art museum decided to change the name of a painting created by artist Edgar Degas (竇加).
The painting used to be called "Russian Dancers" (俄羅斯舞者).
But the dancers in the picture were performing a traditional Ukrainian (烏克蘭) dance.
They even wore ribbons with Ukraine's national colors, yellow and blue.
So the museum said it was time to change the painting's name. 美術館認為，應該要更改畫作名稱。
The painting, which is now called "Ukranian Dancers" was painted during the time Ukraine was under Russian control (遭俄國掌控).
Degas fans are now wondering if similar paintings in New York and Texas will have the same name change too. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The years of the Bull, Dragon, Goat, and Dog are auspicious ones for the people of Donggang.
These are the years they get to take part in a special ceremony for "Wangye", or the god of plague.
The celebration takes place over eight days, and dates back to the Qing Dynasty. ________________________________
And…
Many British people are unhappy with their prime minister, Boris Johnson.
Johnson imposed very strict lockdown rules to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
But he and people in his government broke those rules, by holding parties. ________________________________
And…
An art museum has changed the name of one classic painting.
Instead of being called "Russian Dancers"… the painting is now called "Ukrainian Dancers."
The dancers in the picture are wearing the national costume and colors of Ukraine. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
A woman brushes her teeth a little too far, scientists try a new way to fly rockets, and the world's oldest dog has a small celebration.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
女子誤吞牙刷 Woman Swallows a Toothbrush
In English, there is a saying (說法) that some people "bite off more than they can chew".
If you bite off (咬掉) more than you can chew (咀嚼), that means you try to do too much, and can't finish it, or can't do it right.
Well, one woman in Taiwan might have swallowed (吞下) more than she could bite…
This woman in Pingtung woke up one day recently still feeling very sleepy, and went to brush her teeth (刷牙) in the bathroom.
But she was so sleepy, that without realizing it (不知不覺的)…
She accidentally swallowed the whole toothbrush! 她把整支牙刷吞下肚了！
She quickly went to the hospital, and told a nurse (護士) what happened.
But the nurse had to ask the woman to repeat herself a few times, because she couldn't believe it had actually happened. 醫院的護士請那位女士再三解釋她的情況，因為實在難以置信。
Doctors came to give the woman an endoscopy (內視鏡檢查), which is when they send a tiny camera to look inside a person's body.
And there it was… the whole toothbrush!
The woman says she felt some chest pain (胸痛), but after they got the toothbrush out, doctors said she was completely fine.
Of course, they agreed to keep her name a secret, because she felt very embarrassed (不好意思).
So, even though you should brush your teeth every day…
Just remember not to brush your stomach! ________________________________
美國太空總署將測試衛星彈弓科技 NASA to Test Satellite Slingshot Technology
More and more rockets are flying into outer space each year.
That's great news for science!
But Earth's gravity (地心引力) is very strong, so each rocket needs a LOT of fuel (燃料) to get up there.
And burning (燃燒) lots of fuel can be very expensive.
It's also pretty bad for the environment.
So, scientists have been looking for new ways to get into space.
And one new idea (主義) might be ready soon!
A company called "SpinLaunch" has been working for years, to create a special machine (機器).
This giant machine spins a small rocket around inside of it very, very quickly, and then lets the rocket go, to launch the rocket up into space. 小型火箭裝進這個巨大的機器之後，機器會開始快速旋轉，最後把火箭彈出去，進入太空。
The machine is 50 meters tall (五十公尺高), and can spin rockets as fast as 8,000 kilometers per hour (時速八千公里).
That's more than 6 times faster than the speed of sound (比音速快六倍)!
Of course, with a machine that moves this quickly, we can't put people inside the rocket.
But scientists plan to use SpinLaunch to send things like satellites (衛星) into space.
And they hope using this technology (科技) can make launching rockets easier and better for the environment.
Let's just hope it works! ________________________________
世界上最老的狗 慶祝新紀錄 World's Oldest Dog Celebrates New Record
Have you ever met a dog who is older than you are? 你有遇到過年紀比你還大的狗嗎？
If you're 10 years old, you have probably seen dogs older than you.
But if you're 20 years old, you might never have the chance (機會).
That is, unless you meet "TobyKeith", the world's oldest dog!
TobyKeith is a 21-year-old chihuahua (吉娃娃), who lives in the U.S.
He was born in the year 2001, and has recently been recognized by Guinness World Records, as the world's oldest dog. 這隻狗在2001年出生，最近被金氏世界紀錄確認為目前世界上最年長的狗。
His family helped him celebrate with a nice bath, a fun car ride, and a cake made for dogs!
But there was once an even older dog, many years ago…
In the year 1939, a dog in Australia named "Bluey" reached the old, old age of 29 years old.
Bluey is still listed as the oldest dog in history (牠仍然是歷史上活最久的狗).
So, if you ever meet an animal older than you…
Make sure you give it your respect (尊敬)! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One woman in Pingtung was so sleepy that she accidentally swallowed a toothbrush.
When she went to the hospital, the nurse almost couldn't believe her story.
Doctors helped the woman get the toothbrush out, and now she is feeling much better. ________________________________
And,
A company called "SpinLaunch" is creating a special machine to send rockets into space.
The machine spins a small rocket around inside of it very, very quickly, and then lets go, to launch the rocket up into space.
Scientists hope using this technology can make launching rockets easier and better for the environment. ________________________________
And,
TobyKeith is a 21-year-old chihuahua, who lives in the U.S.
He was born in the year 2001, and has recently been recognized by Guinness World Records, as the world's oldest dog.
His family helped him celebrate with a nice bath, a fun car ride, and a cake made for dogs. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno….
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A snake on a train, a new multi-colored species of fish, and the largest volcanic eruption in the 21st century.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
火車上的一條蛇 A Snake Rides on a Train
What would you do if you saw a snake while riding on a train?
On April 18th, the morning train between Miaoli and Hualien was interrupted (中斷) when a snake was spotted onboard.
The conductor made an emergency announcement to inform the passengers. 列車長發布緊急通知通知乘客。
And the train made a temporary (暫時的) stop in Yilan station so that firefighters could get on the train and catch the snake.
It was found on the luggage rack (行李架) in one of the train carriages.
The animal was identified as a 90-centimeter boa constrictor (蟒蛇).
Boa constrictors are non-venomous (無毒的), meaning that they don't produce venom when they bite.
These animals are not native (本土的) to Taiwan, and they are mostly found in South America.
The investigators believe that it could be a pet that escaped (逃脫) its owner.
Many passengers took pictures and videos as the snake slithered (滑行) on the handrails and between the seats.
The police say that pet owners should not bring animals into the station or on the train without permission (允許).
People who break the rule will have to pay a fine (交罰款) between 1,500 and 7,500 NT. ________________________________
在馬爾代夫發現了一種新的五顏六色的魚 A New Species of Multi-Colored Fish in the Maldives
Scientists in the Maldives (馬爾代夫) have discovered a new kind of multi-colored fish (多色的魚).
The rose-veiled fairy wrasse is a colorful sea creature that lives up to 300 feet deep in an area of the ocean called 'the twilight zone' (海中的暮光地帶).
The rose-veiled fairy wrasse was mistaken (被誤認為) for its relative, the rosy-scales fairy wrasse, for a long time.
That's because both fish live in the same habitat (棲息地), grow to three inches long, and look alike.
But there are some small differences (區別).
Rose-veiled fairy wrasses have more rounded tail fins (尾鰭).
Because it's so dark underwater, it's hard to tell if the adults of the two species are different colors.
In the end, scientists decided there were enough differences to call it a separate species (物種).
They named it Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa, after the national flower (國花) of the Maldives.
The word finifenmaa means "rose" in the local language (語言). ________________________________
21世紀最大的火山爆發 The Biggest Volcanic Eruption in the 21st Century
Tonga's volcanic explosion in 2022 may be the biggest eruption (爆發) of the 21st century (21世紀).
The eruption pushed out 10 cubic kilometers of material, created a shock wave that went around the Earth several times, and emitted ash plumes (排放灰羽) the size of France.
By using a newly developed algorithm (算法), scientists were able to figure out the size of the eruption in Tonga.
It's called the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), and it says eruptions of this size happen every 50-100 years.
Such an algorithm could be useful in remote places (偏遠地區), where there isn't a lot of equipment to measure eruptions.
This new approach uses seismic waves to estimate (估計) eruption size.
Today, scientists have thousands of seismic monitoring stations (地震監測站) that can detect earthquakes even over long distances.
It can also estimate volcanic eruption size in as little as an hour if enough data is available, helping to estimate the size of the resulting ash cloud, and how that might impact the environment. 可以在短短一個小時內估計火山噴發的規模，產生的火山灰雲，以及可能對環境造成的影響。
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in January 2022 and destroyed 90 percent of the uninhabited island (無人島) it was on.
The volcano exploded into seawater instead of open air, so it affected (影響) the blast and tsunami that followed.
For now, the researchers say, their algorithm is easy to use and can be tweaked (調整) in many ways in the future.
However, it already makes calculations (計算) very quickly.
And as data on more eruptions are collected, the algorithm can be improved (改善). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A boa constrictor was found on a train going from Miaoli to Hualien.
Firefighters got on the train to catch it.
And they think it was a pet that ran away from its owner. ________________________________
And,
Scientists discovered a new type of multi-colored fish in the Maldives called a rose-veiled fairy wrasse.
They live 300 feet deep in the ocean.
And they are named after Maldives' national flower. ________________________________
And,
Tonga's volcanic eruption might be the biggest one in the 21st century.
Scientists used an algorithm to calculate how big it was.
The algorithm can calculate the size of volcanic eruptions from far, far away. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
No more styrofoam cups for Taiwan, things get more expensive, and Marcel makes a movie.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣禁止保麗龍杯 No More Styrofoam Cups for Taiwan If you forget your reusable (環保杯) cups at home, it may be time to change that. Starting from July 1st, Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency will not allow stores to use single-use polystyrene, or "styrofoam" (保麗龍) cups anymore. This means you'll probably need a reusable cup, when you buy drinks from coffee shops and tea shops, from places like FamilyMart or 7-11, or even at fast food (速食) stores and supermarkets. Polystyrene, or "styrofoam", is one of the most popular plastics in the world. It is formed when its molecules (分子) connect together to become a long chain (鍊子). A German inventor discovered polystyrene during the 1930s, but it wasn't "officially" invented until 1941. Companies like using it for packaging because polystyrene is very flexible (有彈性的). But polystyrene is bad for the environment, because it is very, very difficult to recycle (回收). And companies like making polystyrene, more than they like reusing or recycling it. To recycle what is known as "food-grade" (食品級) polystyrene, the food from containers has to be washed off first, before it is dried. Then it is ground into something called "fluff". Fluff is melted, and then turned into threads made with polystyrene. That means only 12 percent of polystyrene gets recycled in the end. 這代表只有百分之十二的保麗龍最終被回收。 Because polystyrene cannot pollute our air or our water, some people think polystyrene is not so bad. But the bad part is, most of the polystyrene that people make ends up in the ocean. Fish and other animals could die if they eat the polystyrene. This means, like banning (禁止) the use of plastic straws, banning polystyrene could be the only way to keep this type of plastic out of our environment. And that will protect not only Taiwan's fish, but also other animals that might live near the water, too. ________________________________ 為什麼東西越來越貴？ Why Are Things More Expensive? If you go to the market with someone from your family, like your grandparents, parents, or uncle and aunt, you might hear them complaining. You might hear them say "Why is everything so expensive?" It's because of something called inflation (通貨膨脹). That's when the price of something goes up. And that means you can buy less with the money you have. For example, when your candy bar used to cost 30 NT, and it now costs 33 NT, that's inflation. When the price of your favorite snack goes from 20 NT to 25 NT, that's inflation too. Inflation is when things become so expensive that you cannot buy as many things with the money you earn. Inflation can happen for many, many reasons. Sometimes, the materials (原料) used to make something become more expensive. And sometimes, the cost of gasoline, which is used to bring things from one place to another, becomes more expensive. And sometimes rent (租金), which is the money a shopkeeper (店主人) needs to pay someone who owns the building, can get more expensive. If rent goes up, prices go up too. The problem with inflation is that when things become more expensive, you can buy fewer things with your money. 通貨膨脹的問題是，東西變貴了，所以錢能買到的東西就更少了。 Inflation might sound like a very bad thing. But that's not always the case. Sometimes it is a sign that many people are earning money, so they can buy more things. And if everyone is working, that can be a good thing. ________________________________ 馬塞爾有自己的電影了 Marcel Makes a Movie Marcel is the name of a shell with one eye, and a pair of sneakers. He isn't real of course - he was created using a special kind of moviemaking technique (製片技術) called "stop-motion animation". Marcel has always lived on YouTube, but he's getting his own real movie for the first time this year. The movie deals with Marcel's loneliness, as he looks for a way to reunite with family and friends. 這部電影談論的是馬賽爾的寂寞，他找辦法跟親戚好友再次團圓。 "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" will be in movie theaters in time for the summer vacation. ________________________________ So in today's News Bites: If you forget your reusable cups at home, it may be time to change that. Starting from July 1st, Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency will not allow stores to use single-use polystyrene or styrofoam cups anymore. ________________________________ And… Have you heard your parents or grandparents complain that things are more expensive? That's because of inflation. Inflation means that you can now buy less with the money that you have. ________________________________ And… "Marcel the Shell with No Shoes On" is a YouTube star, who is about to make his first movie. Marcel's movie is about a shell, who is looking for his lost family and friends. The movie is coming out this summer. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
The Taipei Performing Arts Center uses food for promotion, Bangladesh celebrates New Year's, and a female baseball coach takes to the field for the first time ever.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北表演藝術中心以美食宣傳自己 Taipei Performing Arts Center Promotes Itself with Delicious Food
The Taipei Performing Arts Center is a new building, near the Shilin Night Market. 台北表演藝術中心是士林夜市附近新蓋的建築。
The building has three theaters (劇院).
It will host concerts (音樂會), plays (戲劇), and other performances.
The modern-looking building was designed (設計) by a famous architecture company (建設公司).
And many people have praised (稱讚) the design.
But about a month ago, some people on the internet noticed that the building looked like some popular Taiwanese snacks. 但大約一個月前，有一些網友注意到這座建築看起來有點像台灣小吃！
They created a funny meme (迷因).
For parts of the building, they added pictures of a meatball (貢丸), a pork blood cake (豬血糕), and tofu (百頁) .
The meme went viral (瘋傳).
Lots of people saw the picture on social media (社交媒體).
Many people thought it was especially funny (特別好笑), because the theater is so close to the famous night market.
So the performing arts center decided to use this meme.
They worked with a famous braised food restaurant to design a dish which looks just like the meme! 他們跟一家有名的滷味餐廳合作，設計了一道看起來像迷因的菜！
The restaurant is famous for their recipe (食譜) that includes caramel (焦糖).
The recipe is a family secret (祖傳秘方) and it is over 60 years old.
The caramel plus their special blend of spices (特殊混合香料) gives their food a sweet and spicy (又甜又辣) flavor.
The dish was available for three days, from April 8th to 10th.
It was only sold at the performing arts center. ________________________________
孟加拉慶祝新年 Bangladesh Celebrates New Year's for the First Time in Two Years
Thursday April 14th was a holiday in Bangladesh. 4月14日星期四是孟加拉國的國定假日。
That's because it was New Year's Day according to (根據) their country's calendar.
The Bengali calendar was invented (發明) in the 16th century (十六世紀).
It is the year 1492 according to the Bengali calendar (日壢).
To celebrate the New Year, people wore red clothing and they marched, sang and danced. 人們穿上紅色的衣服，在街上遊行、唱歌、和跳舞來慶祝新年。
The night ends with a big feast (盛宴).
It was the first time in two years that the people of Bangladesh celebrated the New Year.
The last two years of celebrations were suspended (暫停) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ________________________________
MLB新歷史！首位女教練上場 MLB Sees First Woman to Coach on the Field
Alyssa Nakken is the first female coach in Major League Baseball.
She was hired in 2020. Alyssa Nakken於2020年被聘為美國職棒大聯盟首位女教練。
Gabe Kapler, the manager (經理) of the San Francisco Giants (舊金山巨人) chose her to be one of his assistants (助理).
And on April 12th, she made history again. 4月12日，她再次創造了歷史。
She became the first woman to ever coach on a Major League Baseball field.
The Giants' regular first base coach was ejected from the game after he got into an argument. 巨人隊的一壘教練在發生爭執後被逐出比賽。
So, the manager asked Nakken to take over (接管) for him.
But first she had to find her uniform (制服)!
Then she put on her helmet (安全帽) and ran onto the field.
She received loud applause from the home team crowd. 她得到了觀眾的熱烈掌聲。
After the game was over, Alyssa said that it was a "big deal", and that it was also an "honor". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Some people noticed that the Taipei Performing Arts Center looked like some popular Taiwanese snacks.
They created a funny meme, using pictures of a meatball, a pork blood cake, and tofu.
The performing arts center then worked with a famous braised food restaurant, to design a dish which looks just like the meme! ________________________________
Thursday April 14th was New Year's Day according to the Bengali calendar.
The Bengali calendar was invented in the 16th century.
To celebrate the New Year people wore red clothing and they marched, sang, and danced. ________________________________
And,
Alyssa Nakken is the first female coach in Major League Baseball.
On April 12th, she made history again by being the first woman to coach on the field.
She said it was a "big deal" and an "honor". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Penghu lights up the skies, acupuncture works on turtles, and a rooster is a symbol of courage in Ukraine.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
澎湖花火節點亮夜空 Penghu Lights Up the Skies with its Fireworks Festival
If you love the beach, and you love fireworks, there is one place you might want to go, between April and June.
That's when the International Fireworks Festival happens in Penghu!
In many parts of the world, fireworks (煙火) are used to celebrate (慶祝) an important day.
And in Chinese culture, fireworks are often used to scare evil spirits away.
They are also used to pray for happiness and wealth.
Because of this, fireworks can often be seen and heard during important festivals, like the different New Year celebrations, and during National Day (國慶日).
But fireworks don't just happen during the New Year and Lunar New Year in Taiwan.
They are also an important part of the summer season in Penghu, too. 夏天的澎湖也少不了煙火。
This year, the Penghu County government says it is planning to have a total of 24 shows, from April through June.
It will even include light shows (燈光秀) that will be carried out by 500 remote-controlled drones (遙控無人機).
That's more than double the number of drones the festival used in 2019!
The main event of the Penghu International Fireworks Festival happens in the port city of Magong (馬公).
And the fireworks show happens with the Xiying Rainbow Bridge in the background (背景).
The fireworks festival first began (開始舉辦) in 2003, as a way of bringing visitors to the archipelago (群島).
When people travel to Penghu to attend the fireworks festival, they also get the chance to visit the islands to see how beautiful they are.
The Penghu International Fireworks Festival is very popular with both domestic tourists (國內旅客) and international tourists (國際旅客).
Today, the festival is one of the most important events on Penghu's calendar! ________________________________
針灸對烏龜也有用 Acupuncture Works on Turtles, Too Acupuncture (針灸) is an ancient Chinese way to practice medicine. It involves inserting (插入) very thin needles through the skin, at different points on the body. And while there is plenty of proof (證據) to show it works on humans, we now have proof it works on turtles too! In the United States, one aquarium (水族館) discovered "Bassoon" the turtle, with a group of 29 other turtles, in the state of Massachusetts. Bassoon and his fellow sea turtles (海龜) were very sick, and very weak, because they had been exposed to very cold temperatures for a long time. When that happens to turtles, doctors say the turtles are "cold-stunned", which happens when the water temperature hits about 10 degrees Celsius. After they were rescued, the staff named all 29 turtles after different musical instruments, like tuba, trombone, and trumpet. 當這29隻烏龜被救治後，員工們用不同的樂器幫牠們命名，像是低音號、長號，跟小號。
But of all the sick turtles, the vets (獸醫) soon realized that Bassoon was sickest of them all, because his jaw was injured (下顎受傷).
He couldn't move on his own, he was weak, and Bassoon was not able to eat or drink properly.
To help Bassoon get better, the Aquarium put Bassoon on an IV (靜脈注射).
They also gave Bassoon physical therapy (物理治療), injections, and acupuncture treatments.
The acupuncture worked so well, that Bassoon was able to use his jaw again after a few weeks!
When Bassoon is fully recovered (康復), he and his other sea turtle friends will be returned back to the ocean, where they all belong. ________________________________
公雞在烏克蘭是勇氣的象徵 This Rooster is a Symbol of Courage in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has made it dangerous to walk around Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv (烏克蘭的首都，基輔).
So people in Kyiv were surprised to see British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (英國首相強森) and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (烏克蘭總統澤倫斯基) go for a walk.
As they were walking, one woman gave them two ceramic roosters (公雞形狀的陶瓷壺) as presents.
That rooster is important to the Ukrainians, because after the Russians tried to destroy one building in a city, a photographer found a kitchen in that same building, which remained intact.
He took a picture of the kitchen, and then he saw a statue of the rooster, which was intact, too. 這隻公雞對烏克蘭意義重大，因為在某一座建築物被俄軍摧毀後，有個攝影師發現裡面的一隻公雞陶瓷壺完好無缺。
But the statue isn't just one of a random (隨隨便便的) rooster.
The design was made by a famous Ukrainian artist, who was born in 1895.
His work is so famous, that some of his art now sits in a museum. ________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Penghu is getting ready to celebrate its annual fireworks festival.
The Penghu fireworks show lasts from April until the end of June.
This year, organizers are also planning a light show with 500 drones. ________________________________
And…
We know acupuncture works on humans, but now we know it works on turtles too!
A turtle named Bassoon received acupuncture for his injured jaw, because he couldn't eat.
Once he recovers, he'll be returned to his ocean home. ________________________________
And…
A ceramic rooster has become the new symbol of courage in Ukraine.
This is because the ceramic rooster survived an attack on a building in the city.
A photographer found the rooster intact and took a picture of it, making the rooster famous. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Mud explosions, bright bacteria, and Earth Day for Snoopy.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
萬丹泥火山再次噴發 Mud Volcano Erupts in Pingtung
A volcano has erupted in Pingtung County!
But it's not exactly what you're thinking.
The volcano in Wandan Township is a mud volcano (泥火山).
Mud volcanoes do not have lava.
Mud, hot water, and gas mixes under the ground.
And they explode out when the mud volcano erupts.
地下水和氣體經過泥岩地層混合成泥漿、到達地表後噴出。
The eruption happened early in the morning, close to a temple (寺廟).
And the mud exploded up so high that it went up to the second floor of the temple.
The mud covered the temple's first floor.
There are also lots of rice fields nearby (在附近).
People did not want the hot mud to get into the rice fields.
So they used excavators (挖土機) to push the mud away from the fields.
This mud volcano erupted in October of last year too.
Experts say mud volcanoes in the area will erupt one to three times a year.
And about 90 minutes after the mud volcano erupted, there was an earthquake!
The earthquake was magnitude 5.6.
And some people wondered if the mud volcano eruption and earthquake were connected (有關聯).
But experts say they are not.
They say mud volcano eruptions and earthquakes are caused by different things.
But still, that sounds like quite a crazy day! ________________________________
細菌點亮法國小鎮 Bacteria Lights Up French Town
A town in France has a new way of keeping the lights on…
It's not electricity.
And it's not solar power, or wind power.
It's… bacteria power!
Bacteria (細菌) are tiny living things.
They are everywhere in our water, soil, and even in our bodies.
Some bacteria are good for us.
Some can make us sick.
And now one type of bacteria is helping us make light.
This is the French town of Rambouillet.
In some places in Rambouillet, the lights are a bright blue-green color.
That's because this light comes from a bacteria called Aliivibrio fischeri.
This bacteria comes from the sea.
And it glows (發光) a blue-green color.
When living things make light, it's called "bioluminescence" (生物發光).
Many things in nature are bioluminescent.
Fireflies, some fungi (菌類), and even some fish glow.
We see this in Taiwan too.
We're in the middle of firefly season right now.
And Matsu is famous for its "Blue Tears", when algae in the ocean give off a blue light.
馬祖的"藍眼淚"是指夜光蟲(渦鞭毛藻)在晚上發出淡藍色螢光的現象。
And a company in France wants to use bioluminescence to make lights for people.
Glowee is trying out this idea in the town of Rambouillet.
Right now, the bacteria lights are being used in a COVID-19 vaccination center (COVID-19疫苗接種站).
And soon, the glowing bacteria lights will be used for street lights, shops, and even the Rambouillet Town Hall (鎮公所).
Glowee says the bacteria are held in see-through tubes (透明管子).
The tubes are filled with saltwater (鹹水).
There are things in the saltwater for the bacteria to eat.
And air is pushed into the tubes to help the bacteria grow.
Some scientists think bioluminescence could help us make light without using too much electricity and making pollution. ________________________________
史努比慶祝世界地球日 Special Snoopy Show for Earth Day
Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all their friends have a special show for Earth Day.
史努比、查理布朗、和他們所有的好朋友要來慶祝世界地球日了。
The new short movie is called "It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown".
In this new story, Charlie Brown wants to win a baseball game.
But his little sister Sally finds a dandelion growing on the baseball field.
And she wants to protect the little yellow flower.
Soon, everyone starts helping to clean up the field.
The movie is one of the ways that the Peanuts characters are celebrating Earth Day.
The Peanuts company hopes the movie helps everyone remember that small things can make a difference (小事情可以造就大不同). ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A mud volcano has erupted in Pingtung County.
The eruption happened early in the morning, close to a temple.
This mud volcano erupted in October of last year, too. ________________________________
A town in France is using bacteria in lights.
When living things make light, it's called "bioluminescence".
Some scientists think bioluminescence could help us make light, without using too much electricity and making pollution. ________________________________
And,
Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all their friends have a special show for Earth Day.
The new short movie is called "It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown".
The Peanuts company hopes the movie helps everyone remember that small things can make a difference. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
What you need to know about voting, fans celebrate National Unicorn Day, and Spot, the Robot dog of Pompeii.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
投票須知大小事 What You Need to Know About Voting
The right to vote (投票權) is important in any democracy (民主社會) .
Citizens (公民) who are old enough can vote.
They decide who will be a part of the government.
In Taiwan, voters cast ballots (選票) to decide who gets to be the president, and the vice president.
They also vote for members of the Legislative Yuan, city mayors and county magistrates, and city council members.
In some countries around the world, people can vote starting from when they are 18 years old.
Right now, the voting age in Taiwan is 20 years old.
The Legislative Yuan (立法院) has voted to change that.
Lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment (憲法修正案) changing Taiwan's age of voting from 20 to 18.
Before the amendment was passed, many students went to the Legislative Yuan to show the lawmakers that they want this change.
And it passed with no opposition. 這項憲法修正案全票通過，無人反對。 When that change happens, that would make Taiwan like many other democracies around the world. But the amendment still has a long way to go. The change still has to be passed in a referendum (公投). No one has said when the referendum might be.
But many think that it will be held in November.
That's when local and regional elections (地方選舉) take place.
If that amendment is passed, that means that an 18-year-old will be able to vote.
It also means an 18-year-old can be elected (勝選) to hold public office. ________________________________
慶祝獨角獸節 Fans Celebrate National Unicorn Day
April 9th is not just any day.
It is a magical day, especially for people who like unicorns (獨角獸).
It is National Unicorn Day (獨角獸節)!
Unicorns are beautiful horses with a horn (角) coming out of their forehead (額頭).
Unicorns are mythical (神話的) animals, which means they don't exist (不存在).
Yet, millions of years ago, scientists say there was a "Siberian unicorn".
It didn't really look like the unicorns we see in movies, or on clothes, bags, and toys today.
The Siberian unicorn was about 2.5 meters tall.
Scientists think the animals are the ancestors (祖先) of today's rhinoceros (犀牛).
In fact, they look like big rhinos, with long brown fur.
And they also have a big horn on their noses.
Scientists believe the Siberian unicorn ate grass, and went extinct (絕種) a long time ago. Back to modern day, National Unicorn Day is not a real public holiday. So that means people do not get time off from school or work. 獨角獸節不是國定假日，所以4月9號這天並沒有放假。
But people that celebrate (慶祝) National Unicorn Day like to make pancakes or cupcakes.
These pancakes or cupcakes often have lots of glitter and sparkles (亮粉和亮片). They also make cookies in the shape of unicorns. They even spend time watching movies with unicorns in them.
In case you're wondering, unicorns aren't the only magical creatures that have their own special day. January 16th is "Appreciate a Dragon Day". June 24th is "International Fairy Day". And December 5th is "Krampus Night" (聖誕妖怪之夜). ________________________________
龐貝城的機器狗 Meet Spot, the Robot dog of Pompeii The ancient ruins (遺跡) of Pompeii (龐貝城) have a new dog. His name is Spot. But Spot is no ordinary dog.
Spot is a robot. Spot不是普通的狗，它是一隻機器狗。 Spot has an important job.
Tomb raiders (盜墓者) sometimes steal things from Pompeii. Spot checks tunnels built by tomb raiders, to keep them out.
The robot dog also helps find places in Pompeii that are falling apart (破裂，垮掉).
He lets officials know that these places have to be fixed.
Spot also helps collect data (資料) about Pompeii.
Experts (專家) worry that Pompeii is not well cared for. Officials hope Spot will change that. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Democracies around the world get to choose the people they want to work in government.
Taiwan gets to do that too.
Now the government is hoping the people will allow the law to be changed, so that people can begin voting when they turn 18. ________________________________
April 9th is a special day for unicorn lovers.
That's when the world gets to celebrate National Unicorn Day.
Unicorn fans mark the day by making cakes and cookies, with bright colors and sparkles. ________________________________
And
Officials in Italy are using a robot dog to help them monitor the ancient site of Pompeii.
The robot dog named Spot helps archaeologists by identifying and recording data from places that might need fixing.
Researchers have complained that the ancient volcanic site is not well cared for. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
Young bats, radio telescopes, and a new baby rhino.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台南社區大學徵求自願者 幫忙養蝙蝠 Tainan Community University Wants Volunteers to Help Bats
Have you ever seen bats flying around in Taiwan?
You might see them eating bugs that fly around lights in the park at night.
Or you might see them hanging upside-down (倒吊著) and sleeping in dark places during the day.
Either way, they are pretty common (常見的)…
Even just in Taiwan, there are 30 species of bats (三十種蝙蝠).
But that doesn't mean they don't need help!
And now, Tainan Community University is looking for volunteers to care for young bats (照顧小蝙蝠).
That's because Taiwan's bat population is going down, as cities develop. 這就是因為隨著城市發展，台灣的蝙蝠數量越來越少。
One researcher at the university says, the bats breeding season starts this month, and lasts until June or July. 台南社區大學的研究員說，蝙蝠的繁殖季節就從這個月開始，直到六，七月結束。
He says many young bats get lost (迷路) from their families, and need help before they can get back into the wild.
Of course, you should never, ever try to touch a wild bat (野生的蝙蝠).
They can carry diseases (病毒), and they will bite you!
But, from far away, we can appreciate how helpful they are.
Scientists say one bat can eat more than 1,000 mosquitoes and other insects per day!
So, if you're in Tainan, and are old enough to volunteer, this might be your chance to see them up close.
Otherwise, if you're walking around at night, just look up! ________________________________
人工智慧 控制世界最大天文望遠鏡 Artificial Brain to Control World's Largest Telescope
In English, the word "telescope" (天文望遠鏡) usually makes us think of something that helps us see into space with our eyes.
But really, a telescope can be anything that helps us take small, faraway things, and make them bigger and easier to understand… even sounds!
To hear faraway sounds, we use a "radio telescope" (無線電望遠鏡).
A radio telescope can use a dish (碟型天線) and an antenna (天線).
So, to hear things really far away, scientists are putting hundreds of dishes and antennas over a large area (面積廣大的地方).
This place is called the Square Kilometer Array (平方公里陣列), or the S.K.A., in Australia (澳洲).
Scientists will be able to take all the data from the S.K.A. and put it together, to make clearer sounds and images for us to understand space. 科學家會把這些天線接收的資訊轉成更清楚的聲音和畫面，讓我們更了解外太空。
There's one big problem, though…
That's too many radio telescopes for any group of scientists to control (控制) by themselves!
So they're creating an artificial intelligence (人工智慧) to control most of the array for them.
This "artificial brain" will help make sure that each dish, and every antenna, are all working in perfect harmony. 這個【人工腦袋】會幫忙確認每一台天線都能完美發揮作用。
The S.K.A. started construction (建築) in 2019, and should be finished around 2027.
And the first artificial brain should be ready to test in 2024.
That means scientists have a lot of time to make sure it works as perfectly as possible.
So let's hope that in five years, we'll be hearing and seeing a lot more clearly! ________________________________
罕見蘇門答臘犀牛 在印尼出生 Rare Sumatran Rhino Born in Indonesia
You've probably seen pictures of a rhinoceros (犀牛), or "rhino", before.
Most rhinos have thick (厚的), grey skin over their whole bodies, to protect them (保護) from other dangerous animals.
But one kind of rhino looks a lot more like other mammals, because it has more fur! 其中一種犀牛長得比較像其他哺乳類動物，因為牠有很多毛！
This rare (罕見的) animal is called a Sumatran rhino.
But they are so rare that animal researchers estimate there are only around 80 of them left in the whole world. 研究人員估計，這種犀牛少到全球只剩下80隻。
But recently, at an animal sanctuary (動物保護區) in Indonesia, a Sumatran rhino has finally had a baby!
The baby's mother was brought into the sanctuary in the year 2005, but has struggled (很困難) to have a baby, until now.
Workers at the sanctuary are very happy that the world can have at least one more of this special animal.
And if we take good care of the environment, there could be even more! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Tainan Community University is looking for volunteers to care for young bats.
That's because Taiwan's bat population is going down, as cities develop.
Researchers say many young bats get lost from their families, and need help before they can get back into the wild. ________________________________
And,
Scientists are putting hundreds of dishes and antennas over a large area in Australia, called the Square Kilometer Array, or the S.K.A.
They have created an artificial brain to help control it, so that they can collect more data about outer space. ________________________________
And,
Recently, at an animal sanctuary in Indonesia, a Sumatran rhino has finally had a baby.
Animal researchers estimate there are only around 80 of them left in the whole world.
Workers at the sanctuary are very happy that the world can have at least one more of this special animal. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
The post office issues leopard cat stamps, space tourists visit the International Space Station, and The Simpsons will feature a deaf character for the first time ever.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
郵局發行石虎郵票 Post Office Issues Leopard Cat Stamps to Promote Conservation
The leopard cat is the only surviving cat native to Taiwan.
石虎是臺灣僅存的野生貓科動物。
It is a little bigger than a house cat.
Its fur (毛) has brown spots.
And it has two white stripes (條紋) on its forehead (額頭).
The cats are carnivores (肉食動物), which mean they only eat other animals. They hunt mice, birds, lizards and other prey for food.
它們捕食老鼠、鳥類、蜥蜴和其他獵物。
The cat lives in the low mountains of Taiwan and they are mostly solitary animals.
They are most active (活躍) at dawn and at night.
And they are good at swimming and climbing.
There are less than 500 left on the island, which means they are endangered (瀕危).
Chunghwa Post will now have Taiwan leopard cat stamps to raise awareness (意識) about the animals.
The art on the stamps was drawn by artist Ko Hung-tu. The post office made two leopard cat stamps.
One is worth 8 NT and the other is worth 28 NT. And they can be purchased (購買) at any Chunghwa Post Office location. ________________________________
太空遊客參觀國際太空站 Space Tourists Visit the International Space Station
Have you ever wanted to take a vacation in space? 你有沒有想過去太空度假?
Well, three people did just that!
On April 8th, the three space tourists were launched into space on a rocket.
這三名太空遊客上個禮拜搭乘火箭前往國際太空站。
They docked (停靠) at the International Space Station on April 9th.
They will spend 10 days in orbit.
They will be escorted by a retired astronaut (退休太空人) for the entire trip.
Each person paid $55 million US dollars (五千五百萬美金) for the trip to space.
That's about $1.6 billion NT (16億台幣)!
The cost includes the rocket rides, all of their meals and accommodation. 費用包括乘坐火箭，和所有的餐食和住宿。
It will also give them access (使用權) to the entire space station except for the Russian area.
This is the first time that NASA, the US space agency (機構), has allowed outside visitors to the space station.
However, Russians have been allowing visitors to their area of the station for several years.
The trip to the station was organized(舉辦) by a private company.
It will organize future trips to the space station for paying customers.
And by 2024, the company plans to add rooms to the station for visitors to stay in. ________________________________
辛普森家庭 將首次出現失聰角色 The Simpsons Will Feature a Deaf Character for the First Time Ever
The Simpsons is an animated TV show.
It has been on TV in North America for over 30 years.
動畫電視節目"辛普森家庭"已經在北美洲播出30多年了。
For the first time in the history of the show it will have a deaf (失聰) character.
The character is named Monk Murphy, and he is the son of Lisa's friend who was a saxophone (薩克斯風) player.
Because Monk is deaf, some of the characters will communicate using sign language. 因為Monk失聰，一些角色會用手語交流。
But, characters on the Simpsons only have four fingers, so it was tricky (困難) to translate (翻譯) some of the words. The script writer (編劇) wanted to write the episode because her brother is deaf. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan leopard cat is the only surviving native cat on the island.
There are less than 500 left, so it is endangered.
So, Chunghwa Post has released stamps to raise awareness about the animals. ________________________________
Three space tourists were launched into space on the 8th of April.
They will stay on the International Space Station for 10 days.
Each visitor paid $55 million US dollars for the trip! ________________________________
And,
The Simpsons will have a deaf character on the show for the first time in its history.
The show has been on TV for over 30 years.
The script writer wanted to write the show because her brother is deaf. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news…
Pingtung sends pineapples to Singapore, robots learn to peel bananas in Japan, and dogs get six-star service in South Africa.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
屏東外銷鳳梨至新加坡 Pingtung Sends Pineapples to Singapore
Did you know that there are more than 90 different kinds of pineapple in Taiwan?
To most people, they may look almost identical. 對大部分人來說，不同種類的鳳梨外觀都一樣。
Pineapples first came to Taiwan from China, during the Qing Dynasty (清朝).
And different kinds of pineapple from Hawaii and Southeast Asia were also introduced, during the Japanese colonial period (日本殖民地時代).
During that time, Taiwan became the third biggest exporter of pineapples in the world. 那段時間台灣成為世界第三大鳳梨出口國。
Now, most of Taiwan's pineapples are grown in Pingtung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan.
But Pingtung's farmers like to say that the country's most famous pineapple is the "golden diamond", also called the "Tainung 17", which can be canned (裝成罐頭) or eaten fresh (新鮮地吃).
Pingtung farmers may be a little bit biased (有點偏心).
But they say their golden diamond pineapples are the best in the country, because they are sweet, not too sour, and they have a thin rind (果皮), which makes them easy to peel (剝開).
The Pingtung County government says the region harvests (收穫) more than 120 thousand tons of pineapples every year.
Most of the pineapples are harvested between February and June, and they are sent to mainland China, and Japan.
In fact, nearly all of the pineapples harvested in Pingtung at the beginning of this year went to Japan.
But farmers are now hoping that they'll find new fans outside of North Asia, and they've sent their first pineapple shipment to Singapore.
And Pingtung pineapples will now be sold at one of Singapore's largest supermarket chains (連鎖超市).
If the Singapore market picks up, Taiwan may have a new regular customer (新的固定買家) for its golden fruit. ________________________________
日本機器人學習剝香蕉皮 Robots Learn to Peel Bananas in Japan
Robots can do plenty of things.
They can clean floors… and they can deliver food.
And during the last Olympics in Beijing, robots were even used to cook meals, which looked impressive (令人印象深刻), even though we're not sure what robot cooking tastes like.
Now, Japanese scientists say they have trained a robot to do something a bit more challenging (更有挑戰性的).
They've taught a robot to peel bananas.
It doesn't take much for people like you and me to peel bananas.
But this action is much more difficult for a robot, since they need to peel the delicate fruits without squashing them. 但是對機器人來說，這個動作困難多了。他們需要把這種細緻的水果去皮，並且不能把它?爛。
Pictures from the University of Tokyo, where the banana-peeling robot can be found, showed mechanical (機械性的) hands reaching for a banana and then peeling it.
Researchers who are training the robot to peel the banana say they had to demonstrate (展現) the action hundreds of times, before they had enough data (數據) to teach the robot how to do the simple action.
In the end, it took the robot more than 13 hours of training (訓練) before it could peel a banana.
And even then, the robot was only successful 57 percent of the time. 就算機器人練習了13個鐘頭，成功率也只有57趴。
But researchers say they still hope to train robots to do other easy human tasks.
And that the robots can help alleviate (減輕) Japan's ongoing labor shortage, so they can do things like make lunch boxes or work with food processing (食品加工).
Let's hope it takes researchers less time to teach their robots new actions…
Or it could take the robots a long time, to do things that humans can do in a few seconds! ________________________________
六星級服務 給南非寵物狗 Dogs Get Six-Star Service in South Africa
Dog owners who live in the South African city of Cape Town (南非的開普敦市) have a new way to make their pets comfortable.
That's because the "Superwoof Dog Hotel and Daycare" promises to give dogs six-star service (六星級的服務).
That's even more luxurious (豪華的) than many of the five-star hotels for people!
Dogs who stay at Superwoof can take long walks in the countryside.
They can also spend time at an outdoor deck (甲板) with a swimming pool.
Superwoof even has its own champagne (香檳) for dogs, called "cham-paws", which is water with herbs, in a champagne bottle. Superwoof 旅館甚至自製香檳給狗狗喝，就是用香檳酒瓶裝水和草藥。
But the owners of the special doggie hotel aren't just interested in giving other people's pets six-star service…
Their website says Superwoof also helps homeless dogs find loving homes! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Pingtung's famous pineapples are heading to Southeast Asia.
They're now being sold in one of Singapore's biggest supermarkets.
Farmers hope they can sell more pineapples overseas. ________________________________
And…
Japanese researchers have taught a robot how to peel a banana.
The action is not easy, because bananas are very delicate.
It took them 13 hours to come up with enough data to teach the action. ________________________________
And…
Dog owners in South Africa's city of Cape Town can put their dogs in a special hotel.
The hotel is called Superwoof, and it offers six-star service.
The dogs are treated to long walks and outdoor decks with a splash pool. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Clifford Chu.
In today's news:
Bugs light up Taipei, dust costs a lot of money, and a star goes on break.
All that and more, coming up next. ____________________________________________
台北市螢火蟲季登場 Taipei Names Best Places for Watching Fireflies
The weather is getting warmer.
And we've been enjoying the beautiful sight of fireflies after dark.
And now Taipei is telling us some of the best places to see these bright (閃閃發光的) bugs.
The city government says this month and next month is the best time to see fireflies in Taipei.
Officials say firefly viewing season started Monday this week, and goes until May 1st.
台北市螢火蟲季開跑了，在台北市區公園可以看到螢火蟲的身影。
If you want to know where to go, check on the Taipei City Government website.
There, you can find a map for the best places to see fireflies.
If you're in the middle of the city, check out Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園), or Rongxing Garden Park (榮星花園).
If you're not downtown (市中心), you could try Muzha Park (木柵公園), or around Yangming River (陽明溪).
And the city will have special firefly tours.
For these tours, guides (解說員、導遊) will teach people about fireflies.
The guides will also show people how to protect fireflies
There's also going to be fun events, like concerts and arts and crafts events at Daan Forest Park.
The city is asking everyone to remember to wear their face masks and keep a safe social distance.
If you're watching fireflies, make sure not to use a flashlight, or wear things that give off light.
And if you'd like to take a photo, make sure not to use flash (閃光).
We can all help to protect fireflies while enjoying their beautiful light. ____________________________________________
月球灰塵即將拍賣 Lunar Dust Up for Auction
Dust.
Most of the time, dust is something we don't like.
It's dirty.
And it makes us sneeze.
We sweep it up (掃起來).
And we throw it away.
But now, someone thinks a little bit of dust could be worth a lot of money.
How much money?
Maybe more than a million US dollars!
Dust from the moon is going up for auction this month.
The moon dust was collected (收集) by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong (尼爾 阿姆斯壯) in 1969.
He was on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
That was the first time humans landed on the moon.
And experts (專家) think that dust could sell for up to $1.2 million US dollars.
Most things taken from outer space cannot be sold.
They belong to the government.
Usually, those things are kept for scientific research (科學研究).
But this dust is a bit different.
After Neil Armstrong brought the bag of moon dust back to Earth, NASA lent it (將它借出) to a museum.
But the bag was lost!
It ended up being sold to a woman who lives in Illinois.
She bought the moon dust for $995 US dollars.
The bag that held the dust was sold a few years ago.
It was sold for $1.8 million dollars in 2017.
被太空人阿姆斯壯帶上月球的"月球樣本袋"在2017年以$180萬美金高價賣出。
Everyone is waiting to see how much the moon dust will be sold for. ____________________________________________
珊卓 布拉克宣布暫休 Sandra Bullock Takes a Break from Acting
American actress and producer Sandra Bullock has been in a lot of Hollywood movies.
In fact, her new movie "Lost City" (失落謎城) just came out last month.
She stars as a writer who goes on an adventure.
The movie costars Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt.
But now Sandra says she wants to take a break from acting.
美國演員和製作人珊卓布拉克宣布演出工作暫修。
She says she is not sure how long the break will be.
But she says she wants to be "in the place that makes me happiest".
Sandra says she will spend lots of time with her children and her family. ___________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
Taipei is telling us some of the best places to see fireflies.
If you're in the middle of the city, check out Daan Forest Park.
If you're not downtown, you could try Muzha Park, or around Yangming River. ___________________________________________
Dust from the moon is going up for auction this month.
The moon dust was collected by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong in 1969.
And experts think that dust could sell for up to $1.2 million US dollars. ___________________________________________
And
American actress and producer Sandra Bullock says she wants to take a break from acting.
She says she is not sure how long the break will be.
Sandra says she will spend lots of time with her children and her family. _____________________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A Taiwan marmalade maker wins gold…
Brawn, not brains, helped dinosaurs survive…
And the U.S. government returns stolen artifacts.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣的果醬師傅贏得金牌 A Taiwan Marmalade Maker Wins Gold
There's no doubt about it, British people love their marmalade (果醬).
They love marmalade so much, having marmalade on toast (土司) is considered part of a traditional English breakfast.
So it might be difficult to imagine that anyone can make marmalade better than the British people.
But a lady in Taiwan has proven that she can not only make marmalade as well as a British marmalade maker can, she can do it better.
Kuo En-chi of Nantou county is the owner of Lohas Edible Rose Garden.
She wanted to see how good her marmalade was, and she sent four samples (樣品) to the World's Original Marmalade Awards and Festival, which is held in England every year. 台灣果醬師傅的柑橘玫瑰果醬在英國的"世界原創柑橘果醬大賽"得到金牌。
Not only was her marmalade good enough for the judges, it even won gold for the "artisan and small producer category" (工藝師與小量生產者).
It was not easy.
Her "orange marmalade with rose" competed against over 3,000 other marmalades.
En-chi's orange marmalade with rose was not her only winning product.
The other three samples she sent ended up winning silver medals, too.
Unfortunately, Kuo could not attend the awards.
She didn't want to travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's contest was not the first time Kuo entered her fruit preserves.
Last year, she sent six samples to the organizer.
Those preserves ended up winning her one gold and four bronze medals.
And now she can sell her fruit preserves (果醬、水果蜜餞) at Fortnum and Mason (福南梅森).
It's one of the most exclusive (高級的、豪華的) groceries in the country. ________________________________
想繼續活下去？恐龍需靠肌肉、不靠大腦 Brawn, Not Brains, Helped Dinosaurs Survive
Surviving a big disaster (大災難) is not easy.
You might think being strong is not enough.
You have to be smart, too, right?
But what if the opposite (相反) was true?
Scientists who study dinosaurs, called paleontologists (古生物學家) have found something interesting.
A big asteroid (小行星) hit Earth 66 million years ago.
And the scientists think that after that, dinosaurs with small brains ruled the world.
In fact, scientists say that while dinosaurs got bigger, their brains actually got smaller.
Scientists used special technology called CT scans (電腦斷層掃描) to study the fossils (化石) of 28 different kinds of mammals from one era (時代).
They then did the same on 96 mammals from another era.
The researchers looked at the size of these animals' brains.
Some scientists said that the mammals that lived after the asteroid were not that smart. 有些古生物學家覺得小行星撞地球以後，身體強壯的動物才能生存下去。
They think the survivors (生存者) were not that smart.
These animals' bodies got bigger very quickly.
But their brains did not develop (發展) until many millions of years later.
The scientists think that dinosaur brains only developed the parts of the brain that it needed to survive.
These include the sense of smell (嗅覺), sight (視覺), and hearing (聽覺).
They think dinosaur brains only started to develop after they had to start fighting for resources (爭奪資源).
Of course, the opposite is true today.
Mammals have the biggest brains in the animal kingdom! ________________________________
美國歸還利比亞文物 The U.S. Sends Artifacts Back to Libya
Libya (利比亞) is thanking the United States for returning nine valuable antiques (古董、文物).
The antiques include stone heads (石像), huge jars (罐子), and pottery (陶器), which were taken out of Libya illegally.
The pieces were not stolen from Libya's museums.
But they had been illegally excavated (挖掘) and then shipped to the United States.
美國歸還了在利比亞非法挖出的被盜文物。
They were identified by archaeologists (考古學家) because they have a very distinctive (獨特的) style.
All the pieces are now at the Museum of Libya in the country's capital, Tripoli. ________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A lady in Taiwan has proven that she can make amazing marmalade.
Her special marmalade won a gold medal at the World's Original Marmalade Awards and Festival.
The festival is held in England every year. ________________________________
Scientists say being big was more important than being smart for dinosaurs millions of years ago.
They scanned fossils of the animals that lived after an asteroid hit Earth.
The brains were much smaller than researchers had thought. ________________________________
And…
Libya is thanking the United States for returning important artifacts.
The antiques were not stolen from museums.
They were dug up illegally, before being sent to New York. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
New animals at the Taipei Zoo, a new home for a very old dinosaur, and a singer breaks her award.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北動物園引進新兩爬物種 Taipei Zoo Adds New Reptiles and Amphibians
Some new animals are coming to the Taipei Zoo.
The next time you visit, you might see golden mantella frogs, yellow-banded poison dart frogs, and rough knob-tailed geckos.
The amphibians (兩棲動物) and reptiles (爬行動物) came from Singapore Zoo.
臺北市立動物園從新加坡動物園引進金曼蛙、黃帶箭毒蛙、棘皮瘤尾守宮。
They arrived in Taiwan on March 16th.
The Taipei Zoo is also sending four species of poison dart frogs (箭毒蛙) to Singapore.
Keepers say this is the first time rough knob-tailed geckos are at the Taipei Zoo.
This type of gecko is endemic (特有種) to Australia.
Golden mantella frogs live up to their name.
These frogs live in the wilds of Madagascar.
They are very small, only about 2 centimeters long.
They could sit on a 1 NT coin.
And they are bright yellow, orange, or red.
These bright colors are also a warning (警告).
Golden mantella frogs are poisonous.
And finally, there's the yellow-banded poison dart frog.
They live in South America.
And they have bright yellow and black stripes and spots all over their body.
And their poison can be strong enough to kill an animal that eats them.
The Taipei Zoo says the reptiles and amphibians will be in quarantine for three months.
After that visitors to the zoo will be able to see them!
3個月檢疫期結束後，這些特別的動物就可以跟遊客見面了。 ________________________________
最完整暴龍化石有新家了 T. Rex Skeleton Gets New Home
Stan is special.
You might even say Stan is one-of-a-kind (獨一無二).
Stan… is the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Stan是全世界最完整的暴龍化石標本。
The T. rex skeleton is 67 million years old.
And it is 4 meters tall, and 11.7 meters long.
Stan is made up of 188 bones.
The first pieces of Stan were found in the US in 1987.
But at that time, scientists thought they were Triceratops (三角龍) bones.
Years later, the scientists learned that Stan was actually a T. rex.
They got to work digging up all of Stan's bones, and putting it back together.
All that work took more than 30,000 hours!
They also learned a lot about Stan's life.
They know that Stan had once broken his neck and still lived.
That's because two pieces of his vertebrae (脊椎) are stuck together.
Scientists also think Stan might have been bitten by another T. rex, because of holes in his skull and one rib (肋骨).
In 2020, Stan was sold at an auction for 31.8 million US dollars.
That's about $900 million NT (9億台幣).
That made Stan the most expensive fossil (化石) ever sold at auction.
But scientists worried that Stan would be put in someone's home.
That means the public would never see the amazing T. rex skeleton again.
Now, the mystery of Stan's new home has been solved.
Stan will soon be the star attraction (明星、最引人注目的) at a new museum in Abu Dhabi.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will open in 2025. ________________________________
Olivia Rodrigo 葛萊美獎剛到手就摔壞 Olivia Rodrigo Breaks her Grammy
Olivia Rodrigo had a very exciting night.
The 19-year-old singer is famous for songs like "Good for U" and "Driver's License".
And this past Sunday, she went to the Grammy Awards ceremony (葛萊美獎頒獎典禮), and won three awards!
Olivia won for best new artist, best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album.
Olivia憑個人首張專輯抱回了3項獎座: 年度新人、最佳流行個人演出、和最佳流行歌手專輯。
She got three gold trophies, one for each award.
But maybe those trophies were very heavy?
Because after the award show, when Olivia was posing for photos (拍照), she dropped one!
One of the Grammys fell onto the floor, and it broke.
An assistant (助理) quickly put the Grammy back together.
And Olivia finished taking photos with no other surprises. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Zoo has some new animals.
The next time you visit, you might see golden mantella frogs, yellow-banded poison dart frogs, and rough knob-tailed geckos. ________________________________
Stan is the world's most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.
And Stan will soon be the star attraction at a new museum in Abu Dhabi. ________________________________
And,
19-year-old singer Olivia Rodrigo won three awards at the Grammy Awards.
But after the award show, she dropped one and it broke! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun.
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
A last ride on a classic train, cherry blossoms bring spring to Washington D.C., and a special shop for instant noodles.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
告別台灣經典火車復興號 Fans Say Farewell to Taiwan's Classic Train
Fans are saying goodbye to an important part of Taiwan history.
A Fu-hsing train (復興號) took its last trip ever on March 29th.
The Fu-hsing trains were the first trains ever built in Taiwan.
They first entered service in 1981.
As you know, summers in Taiwan get very hot.
And the Fu-hsing trains were the first trains in Taiwan to have air conditioning!
復興號1981年開台北－花蓮及台北－高雄段，而且是台灣第一個有冷氣的火車型號。
Now, after 41 years, they are being decommissioned (退役) from Taiwan's railroads.
Fans of the classic (經典) Taiwan train went to train stations in Hualien and New Taipei City to see it.
They took photos and some people bought tickets to ride the train one last time. The train had special decorations on the outside for the event.
On March 29th, it left Hualien Station at 6:05am for its final trip to Shulin Station.
復興號最後一班列車3月29日清晨6點5分從花蓮站開出，9時56分抵達樹林站。 The TRA sold 300 special tickets for this ride.
The tickets cost 150 NT each. The TRA is trying to make its trains more modern (現代), so the Fu-Hsing trains will be replaced by newer trains made in Japan and Korea. Sadly, most of the Fu-Hsing trains will be scrapped (拆除). But some cars will be used on different lines. ________________________________
華盛頓櫻花季就是春天的開始 Cherry Blossoms Mark Start of Spring in Washington D.C.
Cherry blossom trees are blooming in many parts of the world!
Around this time of the year, these beautiful trees turn all white and pink with flowers.
And Washington D.C. in the US hosts a Cherry Blossom Festival every year in late March.
美國首都華盛頓特區每年三月舉辦櫻花節。
Every year more than 1.5 million people come from all over the world to see the beautiful flowers.
When these flowers bloom, people know it's the start of spring in the US capital.
March 21st was the peak (高峰) of cherry blossom season this year.
This was 10 days earlier than most years.
For the festival this year, there was a parade, live music, kite flying (放風箏), and fireworks (煙火).
The cherry blossom trees were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo to the wife of the US president in 1912.
這些櫻花樹是1912年當時的東京市長送給美國第一夫人的禮物。
That year 3,800 cherry blossom trees from Japan were planted (種) in the city.
Watching the cherry blossoms bloom is also popular in Japan, Taiwan, and many other countries around the world. ________________________________
泡麵店很受泰國年輕人歡迎 Instant Noodle Store is Popular with Young Thais
Do you enjoy eating instant noodles?
If you do, then you might want to visit a new special store in Bangkok.
如果你喜歡吃泡麵的話，可以去看看這家在曼谷新開幕的泡麵專賣店。
The name of the store is 'Good Noodle' and it opened last October.
And it sells more than 70 kinds of instant noodles.
The noodles come from countries across Asia including Indonesia, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and even Taiwan.
Shoppers can cook and eat the noodles in the shop.
The shop is very popular (受歡迎) with young Thai people.
There are so many choices in the shop, and it's not too expensive.
But health experts warn that people shouldn't eat instant noodles too often.
They say instant noodles do not have nutrients that your body needs.
但健康專家建議不要太常吃泡麵，因為它缺乏我們身體需要的營養成分。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Fu Hsing series of trains started service in Taiwan over 40 years ago.
In late March, the last one was decommissioned.
Fans of the train came out to say goodbye, take pictures, and ride it for the last time. ________________________________
Cherry blossom trees are blooming in Washington D.C.
Every year, Washington D.C. in the U.S. hosts a cherry blossom festival in late March.
March 21st was the peak of cherry blossom season this year. ________________________________
And,
A new store opened in Bangkok called 'Good Noodle'
It features 70 types of instant noodles from all over Asia.
The store is very popular with young Thai people.
There are so many choices in the shop, and it's not too expensive. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan bakers win big in France, a zoo escapee finds a faraway home, and would you eat poop ice cream?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣首獲「世界麵包大賽」團體冠軍 Taiwan Bakers Win Big in France
The Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie or the "World Cup of Baking" (世界盃麵包大賽) is one of the world's top baking competitions.
It began in 1992.
At that time, an important chef named Christian Vabret decided to hold a competition.
He wanted to encourage (鼓勵) people to make better breads.
He also wanted the contest to bring the best bakers in the world together.
This year, 11 teams from all over the world went to France to take part in this competition.
Each team was made up of three chefs (廚師、麵包師傅) and a coach.
Taiwan sent a team too, and together, the three chefs competed in different categories, including "Breads of the World" (世界各地的麵包), "Sweet Viennese Pastries" (維也納糕點), "Artistic Piece" (藝術麵包), and "Gourmet Baking" (精緻烘培).
It was very exciting to see Taiwan win first place at the competition, especially since it beat the winner from the last World Cup, South Korea.
台灣的代表隊在法國巴黎舉行的第11屆「世界麵包大賽」奪下團體冠軍。
During the last World Cup of Baking in 2020, Taiwan came in second place.
Other countries in this year's competition were Denmark, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and South Korea.
This year, South Korea didn't make it to the podium, because the Netherlands took second place, and Norway placed third.
After the team received their trophy (獎盃), Team Taiwan's supporters sang the national anthem.
Coach Wu Wu-hsien said he was very happy to help Taiwan win, because it let the world know that Taiwan was number one.
President Tsai Ing-wen must have been excited about it too, because she sent a message congratulating members of the team. ________________________________
落跑紅鶴找到新家 A Zoo Escapee Finds a New Home
What would you do if you saw a flamingo (紅鶴) in the wild (野外) and outside a zoo?
That's a question one fishing guide named David Foreman had to ask himself when he saw a flamingo in south Texas.
He says his customers often tell him they see flamingos, but they are usually wrong.
What they see instead, are pink spoonbills (玫瑰琵鷺) that are everywhere in the area.
But Foreman says he really saw a flamingo, standing on one leg. 一位德州漁夫釣魚時意外的發現一隻從動物園跑出來的紅鶴。
If you saw a flamingo on television or in real life, you would know that flamingoes are very interesting birds.
They are large birds, usually colored bright pink.
We see pictures of them standing on one leg in the water all the time.
They like sleeping.
And they like preening (用嘴整理), or cleaning their feathers with their beak (鳥嘴).
What we don't normally see in zoos or in pictures, is that flamingos can fly.
They like flying at night.
This helps them avoid other animals that might want to eat them.
They can also fly at speeds of about 70 kilometers an hour.
And they can fly as far as 640 kilometers in just one night!
That's probably how this crafty (狡猾的、機靈的) African flamingo got to Texas.
He escaped (逃出) from a zoo in Kansas that is nearly a thousand kilometers away.
Doing this by driving in a car would take more than 10 hours!
But the flamingo had plenty of time to make the trip.
Zoo officials say he escaped back in 2005 with another flamingo.
While his friend was never seen again, the Texas flamingo probably survived because he found a suitable (適合的) environment to live in. ________________________________
你會吃Poop表情符號冰淇淋嗎? Would You Eat "Poop" Ice Cream?
Would you eat ice cream that looks like the Poop Emoji (表情符號)?
Burger King in Brazil is hoping you will.
The company is using the Poop Emoji to promote (推銷) its latest ice cream.
They say this new ice cream uses only natural (自然的) ingredients (配料).
The ad for this special new ice cream shows the Poop Emoji, along with its eyes and mouth, sitting on top of an ice cream cone.
巴西漢堡王最新的 冰淇淋利用"Poop"表情符號做廣告。
The ice cream will only be around for a short while… and it will only be sold from a special ice cream truck.
We don't know if the ice cream will make it to Taiwan.
But we can think of a few people that will be excited to see it here… can't you? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's top baking chefs took part in an international baking competition.
To do this, they had to travel to France.
They beat 10 other countries to win gold. ________________________________
A fishing instructor says he saw a flamingo in South Texas.
That flamingo escaped from a Kansas zoo in 2005.
Flamingos can travel great distances, so it's no surprise that he survived the trip. ________________________________
And….
Burger King in Brazil is selling a new kind of ice cream.
This one has no artificial ingredients.
And it's using the image of a Poop Emoji on an ice cream cone to sell it. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
Reusable cups, bitterns back in Britain, and a piano in the sky.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
環保杯進入台灣市場 Company Introduced Reusable Cups to Taiwan
Mmm… bubble tea is delicious.
There's something about the sweet milky tea and chewy tapioca balls (珍珠) that I can't get enough of!
And tea shops are all over Taiwan… so if you're ever thirsty, or craving (嘴饞) bubble tea, you will only have to walk a short while before you can buy one!
But even though these stores are convenient, they present a big problem.
It's the cups!
When you buy a tea drink at a tea shop it comes in a clear plastic cup.
It's a single-use cup. That means you use it once, and then you have to throw it away.
This, of course, creates a lot of trash… and it is not good for the environment.
茶店通常用透明一次用性的塑膠杯，用好就要丟掉，造成嚴重垃圾的問題。
Luckily, a company is trying to help solve this problem.
GoodtoGo has introduced reusable cups (環保杯) to some shopping areas in Taipei and Taichung.
You can use a GoodtoGo kiosk (自動服務機) to borrow a cup.
You can even borrow them from some stores.
And you can take this to a tea store for the workers to make your drink.
Once you are finished, you can return the cup at a kiosk.
GoodtoGo then takes the used cups to be professionally cleaned. And then they are ready for another person to use.
當你用完杯子，可以拿去自動服務機歸還，公司就會送去專業清潔服務，徹底洗好之後給別人借用。
I hope more people start using reusable cups! ________________________________
本以為已滅的鳥類返回英國 Bitterns Back in Britain
Can you hear that?
It sounds like a tuba (低音號).
I think it sounds like someone blowing over a glass bottle… but a little bit lower.
It's actually the sound of a kind of bird called the bittern (麻鷺).
Bitterns are noisy birds with speckled brown feathers.
They live all around the world but it can be hard to see them because their feathers act as a camouflage. 麻鷺是有著點斑棕色羽毛的鳥類，生活在世界各地，不過不容易看到。
It was thought that they were extinct (滅絕) in the U.K.
But British people have been seeing… and hearing… more and more over the past few years.
It's hard to miss such a unique call! 這麼獨一無二的鳥叫聲很難錯過！
Wetlands (濕地) are a bittern's natural habitat (棲息地).
The UK began draining its wetlands in the 1800s.
And lots of people hunted the bittern around that time.
By the 1870s people in the UK hadn't seen bitterns anymore… they were labelled as extinct in the country. 1870年英國的麻鷺就消失了，造成牠被誤以為已滅絕了。
But their numbers have started to climb (上漲) again.
11 males were counted in 1997… and then in 2019, there were at least 209 male bitterns in Britain!
And this climbed again to a record-breaking (破紀錄) 228 in 2021.
It's the male birds that make the strange sound… that's why they are counted.
Birds are such interesting creatures! ________________________________
YT網紅天空中彈鋼琴 YouTuber Plays Piano in the Sky
A YouTuber believes he may be the first person ever to play an acoustic piano (鋼琴) from a hot air balloon (熱氣球) in the sky.
Joe Jenkins has become popular on the video-sharing platform for playing his piano in unconventional locations.
Joe Jenkins 在影音分享平台 YouTube 竄紅，影片內容通常是他在特殊的地方彈鋼琴。
And he often plays songs that match the settings.
He's played the Thomas the Tank Engine Theme at a train station.
And for one video, he dressed as Super Mario, and played the theme from the Mario Kart track Coconut Mall, while friends pushed him and his piano through a shopping mall! 在他一個影片中，他扮著超級瑪利歐去百貨公司彈鋼琴。
Despite doing it for his job, Joe says he's still afraid to play piano in public! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
GoodtoGo has introduced reusable cups to some shopping areas in Taipei and Taichung.
You can use a GoodtoGo kiosk to borrow a cup.
You can even borrow them from some stores.
Once you are finished, you can return the cup at a kiosk. ________________________________
And,
Bitterns are noisy birds with speckled brown feathers.
By the 1870s people in the U.K. hadn't seen bitterns anymore… they were labelled as extinct in the country.
But their numbers have started to climb again. ________________________________
And,
A YouTuber believes he may be the first person ever to play an acoustic piano from a hot air balloon in the sky.
Joe Jenkins has become popular on YouTube for playing his piano in unconventional locations. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan's famous orchid show makes a comeback, a possum is fished out of the sea, and a comic books sells for a lot of money.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣國際蘭展回來了 Taiwan's Famous Orchid Show Makes a Comeback
Orchid fans in Taiwan are celebrating, because after two years, the Taiwan International Orchid Show is back!
The orchid show used to happen annually (每年一次).
But it was cancelled (被取消) for two years in a row, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the show will be open for eleven days.
And there will be 200,000 plants, and 800 different kinds of flowers!
Orchids are a very popular house plant (室內植物), because they are beautiful and easy to take care of. 蘭花很美麗，而且照顧它們並不困難。
There are at least 25,000 different kinds of orchid species around the world.
And together, there are more orchids than there are mammals (哺乳動物) and birds.
The smallest orchid is probably no bigger than a 5 NT coin.
The largest can weigh at least a hundred kilograms.
Orchid flowers are so heavy they have to grow upside down (上下翻轉), because their branches cannot support them.
Orchids need up to seven years to bloom (盛開).
So, the orchids that you see in stores and in other people's houses could be at least a decade old (十歲以上). ________________________________
澳洲海裡撈出負鼠 Australian Diver Finds an Unusual Animal in the Sea
The possum (負鼠) is a marsupial (有袋動物) that can be found in parts of Australia and Indonesia.
The marsupial family includes animals that can only be found in Australia.
They are animals like kangaroos (代鼠), wallabies (小袋鼠), and quokkas (短尾矮袋鼠).
The most common possum in Australia is the brushtail possum.
It has a long, thick tail, that helps it hang onto tree branches.
But possums are a bit different from other marsupials.
Possums don't mind (不介意) living near humans.
They can even be found in Australia's big cities, like Sydney.
Possums sleep during the day, and stay awake all night.
They eat many different things.
They are omnivores (雜食動物), and eat insects and eggs.
Possums can even eat plants that might be poisonous (有毒) for other animals.
They like living in trees.
So a scuba diver (潛水員) in Australia was quite surprised when he was asked to rescue a very, very scared possum in the middle of an Australian harbor. 一位澳洲潛水員接受了一個很特別的任務：游入港口，救一隻嚇壞的負鼠。
The possum was holding on tightly to a mooring buoy (浮標) in the water.
The diver went in to rescue the possum, but the animal got scared and jumped into the water.
Two rangers (護林員) had to use a fishing net, to help bring the possum to safety.
They then took the possum to an animal hospital.
A vet (獸醫) checked him, and said he looked fit and healthy.
The possum was then released back into the wild (放生到野外).
The diver said this wasn't the first time he'd rescued an unusual (奇怪) animal.
He once had to rescue stranded (擱淺) penguins in the past.
He thinks the possum might have been trying to build a nest (巢) on a boat, and when the boat went out to sea, the possum got scared and jumped into the water. ________________________________
第一本漫威漫畫高價賣出 Marvel Comic Sells for a Mint
Do you like comic books?
Some people collect them.
And some comic books can be very expensive.
In fact, there is now a new most expensive comic book in the world.
That honor (榮譽) goes to Marvel Comics Number 1, which was released in November 1939.
Collectors say the book is important, because this is the comic book that started it all.
Without it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn't exist (存在).
這本「漫威漫畫第一號付費版本」的漫畫書，開啟了漫威王國，從漫畫書延伸到電影、電視節目，還有電玩遊戲。
The expensive comic book is called a pay copy.
That means it is the same one publishers use to write down how much artists and writers will get paid for their work.
Marvel Comics Number 1 sold for an eye-watering (令人心痛的、難以想像的) $2.4 million U.S. dollars. ________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan International Orchid Show is back!
The show was cancelled for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the show will be open for eleven days. ________________________________
Possums might be land animals.
But an Australian scuba diver had to rescue a very scared possum from the middle of the sea.
After the possum was checked by a vet, he was released into the wild. ________________________________
And…
The most expensive comic book ever is worth 2.4 million U.S. dollars.
This Marvel Comics Number 1 is special, because it's a pay copy.
That's the book publishers use to decide how much to pay artists and writers. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
The world's biggest face mask, baby goats bring peace, an actress names her dog after a politician.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣公司製造全球最大的口罩 Taiwan Company Makes World's Biggest Face Mask
Phew… wearing a face mask isn't fun. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe (呼吸).
Yeah, I know, it's not very comfortable, but it's something we have to do.
Face masks help protect us from the coronavirus.
And not only that, they help protect other people if we are sick.
So it's best that we keep wearing them for now in public (公共場所).
Well… at least my mask is just a regular size… and not eight meters long.
What are you talking about?
A company in Taiwan called Motex Healthcare recently made a face mask that is 8.3 meters long, and 4.79 meters tall.
Of course, no one is big enough to wear it, except maybe a giant…
But the company said it wanted to "show off" Taiwan's strength in manufacturing. 華新醫材公司說他們製造這麼大的口罩，是為了炫耀台灣的生產能力。
The mask will stay at the Motex factory… the company hopes it will attract visitors (吸引觀光客).
It's different shades of purple and blue… my favorite colors!
The mask is so big that it has been recognized as the largest in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records! 它被金氏世界紀錄大全認可是全球最大的口罩。
Motex said it has actually been planning to build the mask since 2020, when the pandemic first started. ________________________________
美國醫院 設立小山羊公園 Baby Goats Bring Peace to Hospital
Working in a hospital sure looks stressful (壓力大).
It's so busy… everyone is rushing around trying to make all the patients (病人) better.
I think being at a hospital is stressful for patients, too!
Sometimes you are sick and you're not sure what is wrong… but you have to wait a long time to see a doctor because there are so many people.
I wish there was something at hospitals to help me stay calm (保持平靜).
Well… a hospital in the U.S. is trying something to relieve the stress on its staff and patients. 這所美國的醫院，採用新方法來紓解病人和工作人員的壓力。
It has introduced gardens… that have baby goats!
It's happening at a place called the Legacy Hospital Group in the US state of Oregon.
A director for the hospital said it makes sense that feeling closer to nature would help reduce people's stress. 醫院的一位董事說，親近大自然有助於減輕壓力。
That's why they built the gardens.
But they wanted scientific evidence (科學憑據).
So one group of nurses took breaks in a hospital garden… and another took breaks in a comfortable room.
But the nurses that used the garden had less stress, anger and fatigue (疲倦).
And, of course, getting to play with cute animals in these gardens is even better!
So for a few weeks each year, baby goats are brought into the gardens!
Wow… if I got to play with baby goats… it might even make me excited to visit the hospital! ________________________________
蜜桃貓朵佳 不再表演了嗎? Is Doja Cat Quitting Music?
Pop artist Doja Cat took to Twitter to say she is quitting music.
Doja Cat in March was on a tour (巡迴演唱) of South America.
She shared Tweets with her fans celebrating that she was performing in Argentina (阿根廷) and Brazil (巴西).
Doja was scheduled to perform at the Ascuncionico Festival in Paraguay (巴拉圭) but her performance was cancelled due to bad weather. 她原本要在巴拉圭表演，但是後來因為天氣太壞而取消。
One fan Tweeted her to scold her for not posting any Instagram stories, Tweets, or photos about Paraguay.
Doja then Tweeted an angry response saying that she is quitting the music industry. 一名粉絲發推文，罵她沒有發布有關巴拉圭的照片，推文或者IG。這惹火了蜜桃貓，宣布退出音樂界。
She suggested that being an artist comes with a lot of pressure.
It's not confirmed if she means she will no longer make music… or if she was just angry at the time. 現在還無法證實她真的不玩音樂了，還是只是一時生氣。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Company in Taiwan called Motex Healthcare recently made a face mask that is 8.3 meters long, and 4.79 meters tall.
The company said it wanted to "show off" Taiwan's strength in manufacturing.
It has been recognized as the largest in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records! ________________________________
And,
A hospital in the U.S. is trying something to relieve the stress on its staff and patients.
It has introduced gardens… that have baby goats!
For a few weeks each year, baby goats are brought into the gardens. ________________________________
And,
Pop artist Doja Cat took to Twitter to say she is quitting music.
Doja was scheduled to perform in Paraguay but her performance was cancelled due to bad weather.
It's not confirmed if she means she will no longer make music… or if she was just angry at the time. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan waits longer, NASA rolls out the rocket, and the Ever Forward stops.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣今年可能會維持檢疫規則 Taiwan Might Be Keeping Quarantine This Year
It has been difficult to travel in the past two years, because of the pandemic (疫情).
But it's been especially difficult because of quarantine (居家檢疫)!
That means new visitors (旅客) to each country have to stay inside alone, for up to 14 days.
And that makes traveling harder, because it can make each trip (旅程) 14 days longer.
Now that many people have gotten vaccines (疫苗) and gone back to work, most countries don't use quarantine as much anymore…
But a few countries still have strict rules (嚴格的規則) for quarantine… including Taiwan!
Many people in Taiwan don't want to leave, because they know they will have to stay inside when they come back.
And many are asking when we can spend less time in quarantine, or when we can stop completely.
Taiwan's Health Minister (衛生福利部部長) Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) says Taiwan might have to keep quarantine rules for this year.
He also says it's difficult to predict (預測).
Of course, many people agree that Taiwan needs to open up eventually (遲早)…
But before it does, we also have to make sure hospitals are ready to help everyone who gets sick. 台灣開放讓觀光客進來之前，我們要先確認醫院能夠準備好照顧所有可能會生病的人。
So until we can travel without worrying about quarantine, just remember that there are still lots of places to go in Taiwan.
And until then, remember to stay safe and healthy! ________________________________
美國太空總署巨大的新火箭搬到發射台 NASA's Giant Moon Rocket Moves to Launchpad
It's already been almost 50 years since humans traveled to the moon.
But NASA (美國太空總署) wants to change that.
For years, they have been building a huge rocket (火箭), to take people back to the moon.
It's called the "Space Launch System" (太空發射系統), or "SLS", and it's about 100 meters tall.
That's almost one-fourth (四分之一) the height of the Taipei 101!
The SLS rocket is so big that NASA had to use a giant car, called the "Crawler Transporter", just to move it. SLS火箭大到NASA需要用一台巨大的【太空梭運輸車】，來搬運火箭。
The car is like a big, flat house with wheels (車輪), which drives the SLS rocket to the launchpad (發射台).
And it moves at a speed of only 1 kilometer per hour (時速1公里), so it took all night to drive the rocket just 7 kilometers!
Now, NASA scientists are getting ready for a rehearsal (排練), on this Sunday, April 3rd.
If everything goes well on that day, then scientists will plan the SLS's first launch for May, June, or July.
The first launch will send a test capsule to orbit the moon, so NASA can learn how to prepare for their next launch. SLS火箭第一次發射會發送一台不載人的測試性太空船去環繞月球，好讓NASA研究要怎麼準備下一次的發射。
Then, in two or three years, they will launch a ship with real astronauts (太空員).
It won't be long until there are people living on the moon again! ________________________________
長榮集團又發生貨輪問題 Another Evergreen Ship has Big Problems
Hey, remember the "Ever Given"?
It's a giant cargo ship (貨輪), run by the Taiwan-based company Evergreen Group (長榮集團).
Last year, it got stuck (卡住) in a river in Egypt for six days.
And during that time, no other ships could move past it!
Well, the Evergreen Group has had another ship-related problem… 長榮集團又發生了一個跟船有關的問題…
Another one of its cargo ships, the "Ever Forward", got stuck for a while, too.
It was traveling through a deep river (很深的河) in the U.S., to deliver (運送) some cargo.
But then, it moved into water that was too shallow, and couldn't move any further. 它開到河水太淺的地方後就無法移動了。
Luckily, this time it didn't block (擋住) any other ships from moving past it.
It also didn't lose any cargo, and no one was hurt.
But we can still learn a lot from the irony (諷刺).
A ship called the Ever Forward… well, it stopped moving forward!
So be careful what you name your ships…
It might become the punchline of a joke (笑話的笑點)! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says Taiwan might have to keep quarantine rules for this year.
He also says it's difficult to predict.
Many people agree that Taiwan needs to open up, but we also have to make sure hospitals are ready to help everyone who gets sick. ________________________________
And,
NASA has been building a huge rocket, to take people back to the moon.
Its first launch will send a test capsule to orbit the moon, so scientists can learn how to prepare for their next launch.
Then, in two or three years, they will launch a ship with real astronauts. ________________________________
And,
The Evergreen Group has had another ship-related problem.
One of its cargo ships, the "Ever Forward", was traveling through a deep river, to deliver some cargo.
But it moved into water that was too shallow, and couldn't move any further. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Good reasons to save your coffee grounds, crossing animals get help, and an actor gets caught pretending to use The Force in real life.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
留下咖啡渣的好理由 Good Reasons to Save Your Coffee Grounds
If your parents like to grind (磨) and brew (泡) their own coffee, there is something they can do with their leftover coffee grounds (咖啡渣).
Don't throw the coffee grounds away.
A recent study by the National Taiwan University shows that coffee grounds can help make vegetables grow faster.
And they are extra helpful if they are added to compost (堆肥) or fertilizer (肥料).
Experiments show coffee grounds are good for growing up to 30 to 40 different kinds of popular green and leafy vegetables.
That's because coffee grounds have different important minerals (礦物) that can help your plants grow.
This includes potassium (鉀), iron (鐵), and magnesium (鎂).
They can even help absorb (吸收) elements that can contaminate (污染) the soil!
And that's not all.
Researchers say used coffee grounds can even be used as an insect repellent, which protects citrus fruits (柑橘) like oranges, limes, and lemons. 研究人員說，咖啡渣也能當驅蟲劑， 保護橘子、萊姆、檸檬等水果。
All you need to do is to mix coffee grounds with water, and then leave it alone for three days.
You can then use that liquid to spray (噴) citrus trees.
Here's one more thing you can do with coffee grounds… you can put a few tablespoons in a bowl, to keep your room smelling fresh.
You can keep your refrigerator smelling good by doing this too! ________________________________
加州建造世界最大的動物陸橋 California Builds World's Largest Animal Crossing
Crossing the road can be a dangerous thing to do.
And it's especially dangerous if you don't know traffic rules (交通規則).
That's the reason why so many animals are killed in car accidents every year.
In the United States alone, over one million different animals die every day.
They are hit by cars, buses or trucks.
These road accidents are particularly bad when the animals that get hurt are endangered (瀕危).
This is one of the reasons why the U.S. state of California is building a special road that will help animals cross one of the biggest highways in the country.
The road is called a "wildlife crossing" (野生動物專用陸橋), and it will give big cats like cougars (美洲獅) , coyotes (郊狼), deer (鹿), lizards (蜥蜴), and other animals a way to cross a huge freeway (高速公路).
There is a similar wildlife crossing in Canada, and it is used by bears (熊), moose (駝鹿), and elk (麋鹿).
在加拿大也有一座類似的專門給動物們使用的陸橋。
While there are animal crossings in different parts of the world, the one in California is different, because it is being built over one of the busiest highways in the world.
The new animal crossing will be 61 meters above 10 highway lanes.
The company building the animal crossing says most of the work will be done at night, so the highway doesn't have to be closed down.
The crossing is expected to be finished by 2025.
It will cost 90 million US dollars.
60 percent of that will be paid for by private donations (私人捐款).
40 percent will come from public money for conservation (保育).
The crossing is being built at the right time.
Scientists say many animals have been trapped in smaller living spaces because of the highway.
After it has been built, it is hoped that the crossing will change that. ________________________________
歐比王上身 演員現實生活也用絕地秘技 An Actor Pretends to Use the Force
He played Obi-Wan Kenobi (歐比王．肯諾比) in Star Wars (星際大戰) more than 17 years ago.
But actor Ewan McGregor still likes to imagine he can open doors using The Force (原力).
McGregor says he uses the same hand movement that he used in the movies to open the automatic doors at supermarkets.
He says sometimes people even catch him doing it. 伊旺麥奎格透露，他有時候會用電影裡的那個手勢【打開】超市電動門，而且有時還會被旁人逮個正著。
McGregor says pretending to use The Force makes him laugh.
But his children don't think it's funny.
He says his children are immune (不受影響) to the Jedi mind trick and they don't care.
Still, because it makes him feel good, McGregor isn't going to stop pretending anytime soon. ________________________________
So in today's News Bites:
A new study shows that coffee grounds can help make vegetables grow faster.
Experiments show coffee grounds are good for growing up to 30 to 40 different kinds of popular green and leafy vegetables.
That's because coffee grounds have different important minerals that can help your plants grow. ________________________________ The U.S. state of California is building a special road that will help animals cross one of the biggest highways in the country.
The new animal crossing will be 61 meters above 10 highway lanes.
The crossing is expected to be finished by 2025. ________________________________
And…
Actor Ewan McGregor says he uses a special way to open doors at supermarkets.
The Star Wars actor pretends to use The Force.
And while the trick makes him laugh, he says his children don't think it is funny. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Wild birds enjoy Kaohsiung, elephants enjoy goat's milk, and we're invited to "Harry's House".
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
茄萣濕地迎接獨眼「小麥」 Migrating Birds Enjoy Kaohsiung Wetlands
Does it feel like we've had a lot of rain recently?
Are you enjoying it?
Or do you think rainy days are a pain?
Well, some birds are definitely enjoying all the wet weather.
Kaohsiung officials say a lot of birds have landed in Kaohsiung's Cieding Wetlands (茄萣濕地).
The city says all the rain we've had these two weeks have left a lot of water there.
This means there are lots of ponds, lakes and other places for birds to rest and find food to eat.
These birds fly from far away places to spend winter in Taiwan.
Some of them come from South Korea, China, and even as far away as Siberia.
Officials have seen white-fronted geese, black-faced spoonbills, and lots of bean geese.
茄萣濕地已經陸續出現許多鳥種，包括白額雁、黑面琵鷺、還有寒林豆雁。
And one bean goose is getting some extra attention.
This goose only has one eye.
Birdwatchers are calling it Hsiao Mai (小麥).
They say Hsiao Mai came to the wetlands earlier this month.
And it seems very relaxed.
The birdwatchers saw Hsiao Mai exploring the wetlands and resting with the other bean geese.
They say Hsiao Mai is very brave.
They hope it can enjoy winter in Kaohsiung, and fly safely back to Siberia when the weather warms up.
鳥友覺得「小麥」很勇敢很堅強，希望到時候它能順利飛回西伯利亞棲息地。 ________________________________
孤兒小象喝羊奶長得頭好壯壯 Orphaned Elephants Saved by Goat Milk
Baby elephants that have lost their families are being saved…by goats.
These orphaned (孤兒) elephants live on the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya.
The sanctuary (庇護所) helps elephant calves (小象) that lost their families.
When the calves are old enough, the sanctuary lets them go back to live in the wild.
The sanctuary first opened in 2016.
Since they opened, they had been feeding the calves with powdered milk for human babies.
But the COVID-19 pandemic made powdered milk very expensive.
The sanctuary decided to try something new.
They are now trying out goats' milk.
Veterinarians (獸醫) at the sanctuary say goat milk is better for the calves.
They say goat milk has a lot of protein (蛋白質).
And it is easier for the calves to digest (消化).
Goats' milk is also cheaper than powdered milk.
The sanctuary says it used to spend a lot of money on powdered milk.
Now, they pay that money to "milk mamas".
"Milk mamas" are women who keep herds of goats (羊群).
They sell the goats' milk to the sanctuary.
And this helps the women to earn money.
They can use the money to send their children to school, or see a doctor.
The sanctuary buys 300 liters of milk from hundreds of goats every day.
Then, they make sure the milk is clean and safe for the elephants.
And they feed the milk to the calves on the same day the goats are milked.
The sanctuary says the calves they take care of have been through a lot.
Some of the baby elephants may have just lost their mother.
Others have been separated (被迫分開) from their family.
All this means the baby elephants are very stressed (很焦慮害怕), and may get sick more easily.
The sanctuary says the goats' milk has helped make the calves stronger and healthier. ________________________________
「一世代」哈利預告新專輯 Harry Styles Announces New Album
Harry Styles wants you to check out "Harry's House"!
That's actually the name of the UK singer's new album.
It's Harry's third studio album.
哈利斯泰爾斯要推出新專輯了。
Harry says there will be 13 songs on "Harry's House".
And the album will be released on May 20th this year.
Harry, who used to be a member of the boy band One Direction, says his new music is about the idea of "home".
哈利說他的新專輯探討"家"這個主題。
He posted a short video about the album online.
In the video, Harry steps onto a stage (舞台) and smiles.
A piece of wood in the shape of a house is raised up (立起來) behind him.
Harry has been nominated (提名) for Grammy Awards three times.
In 2021, he won "Best Pop Solo Performance" for "Watermelon Sugar". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kaohsiung officials say a lot of birds have landed in Kaohsiung's Cieding Wetlands.
Birdwatchers have spotted a one-eyed bean goose.
They named it Hsiao Mai.
They hope Hsiao Mai can enjoy winter in Kaohsiung, and fly safely back to Siberia when the weather warms up. ________________________________
Baby elephants that have lost their families are getting healthy again, by drinking goats milk.
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya used to give orphaned elephants powdered milk for human babies.
But the COVID-19 pandemic made powdered milk very expensive.
So they are now trying out goats' milk.
The sanctuary says goat's milk is better for the calves.
And it's also cheaper than powdered milk. ________________________________
And,
Harry Styles has a new album coming out.
The UK singer's new album is called "Harry's House".
"Harry's House" will be released on May 20th this year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
The last "English Schweitzer" teacher leaves Taiwan, a potato isn't a potato, and Ukrainian circus performers find home in Hungary.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
最後一個 「英語史懷哲」老師離開金門 Last "English Schweitzer" Teacher Leaves Kinmen
Andrew Steward was 23 when he and his younger brother Lucas moved to Kinmen to teach English.
The two of them were recruited by the English Schweitzer social welfare program in 2004. 他們兩人在2004年應徵「英語史懷哲」社會福利計劃。
Now, he is moving back to the U.S. after 18 years. Although the English Schweitzer program ended in 2013, Andrew continued to teach in Kinmen. 雖然「英語史懷哲」計畫2013 年結束，但 史安竹 繼續留在金門教書。 While in Taiwan he met his wife who is also from America and they had a daughter. They will move back to their home state of Ohio in the Midwest (中西部). Originally, they planned to stay in Taiwan for at least four more years. But they changed their mind last summer, when they visited their hometown (家鄉). They saw their daughter adapt (適應) to life in the U.S. very well. The principal (校長) of Andrew's school said everyone was sad to see him leave. Andrew said he appreciated (感謝) being accepted by the people of Kinmen. And he loved the island's natural beauty. After the pandemic is over he plans to bring his wife and daughter back to visit Kinmen. 他打算在疫情結束後，帶著太太和女兒回來金門拜訪。 ________________________________
破紀錄的馬鈴薯 不是馬鈴薯 Record-Breaking Potato Isn't a Potato
A husband and wife in New Zealand found an eight-kilogram potato in their garden last year. 去年紐西蘭有一對夫妻在他們的菜園裡，發現一顆重達八公斤的馬鈴薯。
They gave the potato the name "Doug" and he became famous.
The couple thought the giant potato broke the world record, so they contacted the Guinness Book of World Records. 這對夫妻以為那顆巨大的馬鈴薯，打破了世界紀錄，於是打電話給金氏世界紀錄。
They sent some of the potato to Guinness, to confirm (確認) their record.
But after several months they got some bad news…
Doug was not a potato, after all!
Guinness said they had found the tuber (塊莖) of a gourd (葫蘆).
They used a DNA test to confirm Doug's species (種類).
Unfortunately, Guinness disqualified (取消資格) Doug because it isn't a potato.
So, the record for the biggest potato hasn't been broken yet.
The current record holder is still a potato that was found in Britain in 2011.
That potato weighed over 5 kilograms.
The couple are disappointed (失望), but they will try to break the record again next year.
And this time, it will definitely be a potato! ________________________________
烏克蘭馬戲團成員 在匈牙利找到家 Ukrainian Circus Performers Find Home in Hungary
There is still a lot of danger (危險) in Ukraine right now.
Most people in Ukraine are staying in their country, but there are also many people fleeing (逃離) to other countries nearby.
And now, two Hungarian circus schools have opened their doors to Ukrainian students. 兩所匈牙利馬戲學校歡迎烏克蘭學生就讀。
There was a group of around 100 students, who left their homes in Ukraine, to find safety (安全). They are between the ages of 5 and 20 years old, and they are from the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv.
The city of Budapest and one of the schools arranged for students to come to the country of Hungary. 布達佩斯市安排學生來匈牙利。
That group of Ukrainian students will be provided with food and housing.
And they will be able to continue their training (訓練) at the schools in safety.
We can be grateful that there are so many people ready to help those people in need! ________________________________
So in today's news bites:
The last English teacher from a social welfare program has left Kinmen.
Andrew Steward and his family moved back to their home state of Ohio.
He lived in Taiwan for 18 years and he appreciated being accepted by the people of Kinmen. ________________________________
A couple in New Zealand found a giant potato, which they named Doug.
It weighed 8 kilograms, so they thought it broke the world record.
But after Guinness did a DNA test on Doug, they found out it was not a potato, so it was disqualified! ________________________________
Two Hungarian circus schools have opened their doors to Ukrainian students.
Around 100 students had to leave their homes in Ukraine, because of the war in their country.
They will be given food and housing, and will continue their training. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
A puppy stuck in a pipe, a monkey making faces, and a Star Wars poster up for auction.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
小狗卡水管 志工救出送醫 Puppy Rescued from Plastic Pipe
Can you hear that sound? What is it?
It sounds like an animal! It sounds like a dog… maybe even a puppy!
If you have a dog you may recognize (認出來) the different sounds it makes when it needs different things.
Like if it wants to play… or it wants food… or if it's in danger (危險).
Some people in Kaohsiung recently heard what they thought was the sound of a puppy in distress (遇險).
They followed the sound and found that a puppy had become stuck in a plastic pipe.
It had really become stuck and couldn't get out, because the pipe only measures 10 centimeters across.
他們發現有一隻小狗在塑膠水管裡卡住無法出來，因為水管口徑只有10公分寬。
The people told Animal Rescue Team Taiwan what had happened.
They were worried the puppy might not come out again, and that it could have starved to death (餓死).
The team immediately sent volunteers (志工) to the location in Kaohsiung.
They tried to lift the pipe up and let the puppy fall out. But it couldn't. The pipe was too small.
So they had no choice but to use a saw and cut through the pipe. 首先，他們舉起水管希望讓小狗掉下來，但是水管太小了，最後不得不鋸開。
Luckily, they managed to cut through it in under 40 minutes. The puppy was not hurt.
But they did say it was suffering from dehydration (脫水) and malnourishment (營養不良).
Poor dog!
The Animal Rescue Team said they will help the puppy find a new home once it recovers.
That's great news! ________________________________
猴子互相玩耍替代爭鬥 Monkeys Play to Avoid Conflict
And speaking of animals… have you ever heard of a howler monkey (吼猴)?
It sounds a little like this…
That's right, they're howling (吼叫)! Howling is usually what we say to describe the sound of a wolf… but these monkeys definitely howl.
They live in South and Central America in countries like Mexico (墨西哥) and Costa Rica (哥斯大黎加).
Scientists have done a new study on howler monkeys.
They've found that howler monkeys use play to avoid conflict (鬥爭).
That means when they're angry… they try to play instead of fighting. Isn't that nice?
The scientists looked at seven groups of monkeys. They found that adult monkeys actually play more than children.
And they found that the monkeys play more when they are foraging for fruit.
研究者發現成年吼猴玩耍比童年吼猴多，吼猴覓食的時候玩得特別多。
Foraging for fruit is something that usually causes conflict… because there isn't always enough fruit for everybody.
But why do they play together?
Playing uses up a lot of energy (精力)… energy that would otherwise be used for fighting.
And how do they play?
They hang from trees with their tails and make silly faces at each other.
牠們用尾巴從樹枝懸掛下來，互相扮鬼臉。
That's right, they make funny faces!
Maybe next time you are angry with a friend… you can make silly faces at each other… and see if it helps avoid conflict for people, too! ________________________________
稀有星際大戰海報拍賣了 Rare Star Wars Poster Up for Auction
Are you a fan of Star Wars?
A super-rare poster that was used to promote the first Star Wars movie is going up for auction (拍賣) for charity.
稀有的第一部星際大戰電影海報將要義賣了。
It shows all the main characters, including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Princess Leia.
Only a small number of these posters were made.
That makes it super rare.
It's being sold in the UK alongside around 500 other special pieces from TV and films.
The starting bid (最低出價) for the auction will be 10 pounds.
But experts think it will sell for much more than that.
The money the seller makes will be donated towards helping people that are fleeing Ukraine because of war.
賣家準備把海報收益捐給逃離烏克蘭大戰的人。
The poster was made by brothers Greg and Tim Hildebrandt who did lots of designs for sci-fi shows. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Some people in Kaohsiung found that a puppy had become stuck in a plastic pipe.
The people told Animal Rescue Team Taiwan what had happened.
Luckily, they managed to cut through the pipe in under 40 minutes, and got the puppy out. ________________________________
And,
Scientists found that howler monkeys use play to avoid conflict.
That means when they're angry… they try to play instead of fighting.
And they found that the monkeys play more when they are foraging for fruit. ________________________________
And,
A super-rare poster that was used to promote the first Star Wars movie is going up for auction.
The money the seller makes will be donated towards helping people that are fleeing Ukraine because of war. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Butterflies cross the road, galaxies get in the picture, and the U.S. celebrates St. Paddy's Day.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國3部分封道迎接紫斑蝶 Freeway Closes in Part for Butterflies
Every year the purple crow butterfly does something very special.
They migrate (遷移) from their winter home in Kaohsiung to their summer homes in Yunlin.
And this year, the butterflies started arriving in Yunlin early!
To protect the butterflies, the right lane of Taiwan's National Freeway Number 3 was closed through Yunlin. 為了保護蝴蝶，台灣的國道三號右車道一部分封閉了。
Over 300 butterflies a minute crossed the freeway. 每分鐘有超過 300 隻蝴蝶飛過高速公路。
When the butterflies cross the road, motorists (駕駛) shouldn't speed (超速).
If they do, they might hurt the butterflies!
The butterflies didn't leave their winter home in Kaohsiung until February 28th this year.
So it was a bit of a surprise when they started appearing so soon.
Most years, the highway doesn't need to be closed until March 20th.
To protect the beautiful insects, the Freeway Bureau will also set up a net near the freeway to prevent the butterflies from getting too close to the cars.
Lovers of the purple crow butterfly also come to see their migration every year.
They can be seen in the weeks before or just after Tomb Sweeping Day.
And the best time of day to see them is between the hours of 9 and 11 AM. ________________________________
星系亂入恆星照片 Star Gets Photobombed by Galaxies
NASA launched (發射) the James Webb Telescope in December.
And now it's taking photos deep into space!
They tested the telescope by taking a picture of a star more than 9,000,000,000,000 kilometers away! 為了測試望遠鏡，NASA拍攝一顆9兆公里外的恆星！
When scientists looked at the photo, they saw thousands of galaxies in the background (背景、後景).
The galaxies 'photobombed' the picture of the star! 星系亂入恆星的照片！
The galaxies in the picture are several billion years old.
The beautiful picture can be seen online.
It has a reddish color because the telescope has special filters (濾色鏡).
Engineers (工程師) at NASA said they were 'giddy'(很興奮) when they saw the photo for the first time.
The star is 100 times fainter (隱約) than the human eye can see.
The James Webb Telescope is the replacement for the 32 year old Hubble Telescope. 詹姆斯韋伯望遠鏡代替了有 32 年歷史的哈勃望遠鏡。
It uses 18 mirrors that work together to create the images.
Once the testing of the telescope is completed, we will see the first real images from the telescope in late June or early July. ________________________________
美國聖派翠克節遊行回歸 U.S. Celebrates Return of St. Patrick's Day Parades
March 17th is St. Patrick's Day! On this day Catholics (天主教徒) and people who are from Irish families celebrate the life of St. Patrick.
And in the U.S., a popular tradition is to hold a parade on the holiday! 在美國，舉辦遊行慶祝特別節日是一個很受歡迎的傳統！
The past two years, all the parades were canceled (取消) because of COVID-19.
But this year, the parades returned!
The St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City is the world's largest and oldest. 紐約市的聖派翠克節遊行是世界上規模最大、歷史最悠久的遊行。
It is 35 blocks long, and it started in 1762.
The city of Chicago dyed (染色) its river green over the weekend.
Many other cities in the US also brought back their St. Patrick's Day celebrations, including Boston.
The city has many large Irish communities (社區) and it hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the U.S. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Purple crow butterflies are migrating from Kaohsiung to Yunlin.
Over 300 butterflies a minute cross Taiwan's Freeway Number 3.
To protect the butterflies, part of the freeway was closed, and motorists shouldn't speed. ________________________________
The James Webb Telescope is taking photos of deep space.
To test the telescope, scientists took a picture of a star 9,000,000,000,000 kilometers away.
But the picture of the star was photobombed by thousands of galaxies.
The galaxies in the picture are several billion years old.
The beautiful picture can be seen online. ________________________________
And,
St. Patrick's Day is a big holiday for Catholics and people who are from Irish families.
But the U.S. had to cancel all the parades and celebrations over the last two years because of COVID-19.
This year many cities brought back their celebrations including New York, Chicago, and Boston.
The St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City is the world's largest and oldest.
The city of Chicago dyed its river green over the weekend. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Starry skies, a growing tower, and relaxing Minnie-style.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
南投打造星空山城 Stargazing in Nantou County
There's something magical about a sky full of stars…
But this magical sight is getting harder and harder to find.
Some of us live in the city.
The city is full of lights and noise, even at nighttime.
That makes it hard to see stars in the sky.
And even outside the city, there are still many lights on at night.
But soon, there will be a special place for watching the stars.
"Starry Mountain City" will be built in Nantou County.
The stargazing area will be in the Cing-jing (清境) area and on Hehuan Mountain (合歡山).
Some of that area has already been named as Taiwan's first international dark-sky park.
合歡山是國內第一座國際認證暗空公園。
The Hehuan Mountain Dark Sky Park has very little light pollution.
Keeping the night dark is better for seeing the stars of course.
But it's also better for wild animals, saves electricity, and may help us rest and sleep better.
So the government is hoping that the Starry Mountain City project will help protect the environment, and become a new place to enjoy the night sky.
Three villages and six indigenous communities around Cing-jing and Lu-shan will help with the project.
They will help make sure that there aren't too many lights in the area.
There will be a shopping area at Cing-jing that is 1,700 meters high.
Or visitors can enjoy a stargazing tour in Cuei-fong (翠峰) even higher up in the mountains at 2,300 meters.
And a planetarium will be built on Yuan-fong (鳶峰) at an altitude of 2,800 meters.
南投縣政府準備在位於海拔2,800公尺的鳶峰，建立一個星空天文館。 ________________________________
巴黎鐵塔長高了! Eiffel Tower Grows Taller
Have you heard of the Eiffel Tower? It's a famous tower in Paris, France.
The tower opened in 1889.
It's the tallest building in Paris.
It was also the tallest building in the world for 41 years.
And even though the Eiffel Tower is 133 years old, it is still growing!
法國巴黎的知名地標艾菲爾鐵塔長高了！
Well, that's not exactly what happened.
Last week, the Eiffel Tower got a little bit taller.
A 6-meter-high antenna (天線) was added to the top of the tower.
A helicopter lifted the antenna to the top of the tower.
Now, the Eiffel Tower is about 330 meters tall.
That's about the height of a building with 81 floors.
The antenna will help make the sound of digital radio clearer in the area. 這座新天線會向首都地區傳遞數位廣播。
Right now, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
According to the Guinness World Records, the Burj Khalifa is almost 828 meters tall.
Even so, the Eiffel Tower is still one of the most famous buildings in the world.
In fact, before the COVID-19 pandemic, around 7,000,000 people visited the tower each year. ________________________________
跟米妮一起放空聽Lo-Fi Minnie Mouse "Curates" Lo-Fi Album
Disney's Minnie Mouse has released an album, sort of.
The album is called "Lofi Minnie: Focus".
And it's 10 famous Disney songs, but reimagined (重新構想).
All the songs now have a lo-fi style.
Lo-fi is "low-fidelity" music (低傳真音樂).
It's supposed to sound not very professional, almost like someone recorded it at home.
Lo-fi music can include sounds like raindrops or footsteps.
Lo-fi 是指製作中故意用不完美的音質錄製的音樂作品，有時候會出現一些錄製環境中的雜音。
And many people say lo-fi sounds "dreamy" and relaxing.
Some people also say it helps them concentrate and study.
Now, Disney says Minnie Mouse and lo-fi are a perfect fit.
The company says Minnie is interested in creativity, music and wellness (生理和心理的健康).
And Disney says the album lets listeners relax with Minnie as they go through their day.
Some of the songs on the album include Aladdin's "A Whole New World" and Frozen 2's "Into the Unknown". ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A stargazing area called "Starry Mountain City" will be built in Nantou County.
It will include the Hehuan Mountain Dark Sky Park.
There will be a shopping area, stargazing tours, and even a planetarium. ________________________________
Last week, the Eiffel Tower got a little bit taller.
A 6-meter-high antenna was added to the top of the tower.
Now, the Eiffel Tower is about 330 meters tall. ________________________________
And,
Disney has put out a new album called "Lofi Minnie: Focus".
It's 10 famous Disney songs, but reimagined in lo-fi style.
The songs on the album include Aladdin's "A Whole New World" and Frozen 2's "Into the Unknown". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Fireflies say hello, cups say goodbye, and a hit song performed live.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄那瑪夏螢火蟲季開跑 Firefly Season Begins in Kaohsiung
You aren't likely to forget fireflies (螢火蟲) if you've seen them before.
These special insects light up the skies at dusk (黃昏), just before nighttime.
National Geographic says there are about 2,000 different kinds of fireflies.
They live in parts of Asia and the Americas which are very humid (潮濕).
Fireflies use their lights to communicate (溝通) with each other, and to find a mate.
Each firefly uses a special pattern to communicate with other fireflies.
If he sees a female he likes, he flashes his light every six seconds.
Fireflies aren't an endangered species (瀕危物種), but the scientists who study them are getting very worried.
They say fewer fireflies are coming out during the summer
They are difficult to keep track of (追蹤、確保瞭解), since they are very small.
Another problem is that a firefly's lifespan (壽命) is very short.
They only live between one to three weeks.
If you live in an area where there are plenty of electric lights, it will be very difficult to spot fireflies.
Scientists say our lights are a problem for fireflies, because the lights make it difficult for the insects to see each other.
If you haven't seen these beautiful insects before, you might want to go to Kaohsiung's Namasia District, where fireflies appear every year.
台灣有許多地方可以看到螢火蟲，其中之一就是高雄的那瑪夏區。
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai says firefly season happens in March every year, and 15 different species of firefly that can be found there.
To make it easy to travel to the area, the city government plans to use shuttle buses that will take visitors to a trail in Namasia District for 30 minutes of firefly viewing.
But you'll need to tickets to join the tour.
不過想去那瑪夏觀看螢火蟲必須購買賞螢券喔。
Firefly viewing season will end on April 30th. ________________________________
星巴克將淘汰一次性杯子 A Big Change Comes to Starbucks
Starbucks wants to reduce (減少) waste from its shops by 50 percent.
Each year, the coffee chain uses up to 7 billion disposable cups (一次性飲料杯)!
It's no wonder then, that whether or not you drink coffee, you'll recognize a Starbucks cup when you see it.
But Starbucks hopes that by the end of next year, those paper and plastic cups will become a thing of the past.
星巴克希望明年年底前，這些紙杯就要走入歷史了.
The company says it won't be using these disposable cups anymore.
The company says that by the end of next year, customers in the United States and Canada will be able to use their own cups for every Starbucks visit.
星巴克說 美國跟加拿大的顧客可以帶著自己的杯子到店裡喝咖啡和消費.
But what if someone forgets to bring their own cup?
Starbucks has an answer for that too.
The store will ask you to pay a deposit (押金).
Then you can borrow a cup, and bring it back next time.
This program is also being tested in Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
The company hopes to make reusable (可重複使用的) cups widely used by 2025.
As a result, we may not be seeing too many paper or plastic Starbucks cups in a few years. ________________________________
魔法滿屋歌曲在奧斯卡首次現場表演 Oscars to Feature First Live Performance of Encanto Hit Song
This year's Oscars has a special treat for "Encanto" fans. Have you heard the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno?" If you haven't - the 94th Academy Awards, also known as Oscars (奧斯卡獎), will show "We Don't Talk About Bruno" performed live (現場表演) for the very first time. The movie Encanto is up for an Oscar for Best Animated Film (最佳動畫片). 動畫電影「魔法滿屋」被提名第94屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳動畫片，典禮現場也會表演電影中的歌曲 But the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" wasn't nominated for Best Song. That's because Disney decided it wanted to choose another song from the same movie instead. They chose a Spanish song: "Dos Oroguitas" or "Two Little Caterpillars" instead. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Firefly season has started in Kaohsiung's Namasia District.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai says 15 different species of firefly that can be found there.
Shuttle buses will take visitors to a trail in Namasia District for 30 minutes of firefly viewing.
But you'll need tickets to join the tour. ________________________________
Starbucks wants to reduce waste from its shops by 50 percent.
The company says it won't be using disposable cups anymore.
By the end of next year, Starbucks says customers in the United States and Canada will be able to use their own cups for every Starbucks visit. ________________________________
And,
This year's Oscars has a special treat for "Encanto" fans. The 94th Academy Awards, also known as Oscars, will show "We Don't Talk About Bruno", performed live for the very first time. The movie "Encanto" is up for an Oscar for Best Animated Film. ________________________________
And that does it for today's News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
The Lion King comes to Taiwan, a lost ship is finally found, and a very special lamb is born.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
獅子王音樂劇 六月抵台 Lion King Musical Coming to Taiwan
In 1994, Disney made a movie about a family of lions in Africa.
It was called "The Lion King" (獅子王), and it became very famous.
It's so famous, in fact, that people have been performing the story on stage (這齣戲劇多次搬上舞台), since the year 1997.
And this summer (夏天), it's coming back to Taiwan!
In this version (版本) of The Lion King, there is lots of dancing and singing.
This kind of performance is called a "musical" (音樂劇).
The actors will move around the stage in costume, singing new songs, as well as old songs from the original movie. 演員穿著戲服在台上移動，演唱新歌曲，也唱原本電影裡的主題曲。
The last time The Lion King musical was performed in Taiwan was in the year 2019.
The show was also shown across the world, in at least 21 different countries.
And it was seen by more than 100 million people worldwide!
Then, because of the pandemic (疫情), there weren't many stage productions (舞台劇) for a couple years.
That's because people couldn't gather in large groups, so it was very difficult to plan a show for a live audience. 因為疫情的關係，人們不能群聚，所以很難安排表演給現場觀眾看。
But now, with big shows like The Lion King returning to Taiwan, it may be the beginning of our recovery (恢復)!
The Lion King musical will run for 25 shows in Taiwan, from June through July.
It will show in the Taipei Arena (小巨蛋), and then later at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (衛武營國家藝術文化中心).
Don't miss this opportunity to see one of the world's most famous stories on stage! ________________________________
百年沈船 終被尋獲 Ship Lost for 100 Years Finally Found
Our planet Earth has a surface (表面) of around 70% water, and 30% land (陸地).
And for thousands of years, humans were able to explore (探險) much of the land.
But until about one hundred years ago, there was one giant continent (有一塊大陸) that was still unexplored.
It's called Antarctica (南極洲), and on most maps, it's at the bottom of the world!
So, after the first person in history stepped onto Antarctica in the year 1821, many people started planning expeditions (遠征) to see more of it.
Finally, in the year 1915, one expedition ran into trouble.
A group of explorers sailed a ship named "Endurance" (耐力) to Antarctica, but the ship became trapped (困住) in the ice.
The explorers were afraid they would die, but the ship's captain led them all on a long walk to safety. 船上的探險人員都害怕會死在當地，但是【耐力】的船長帶領大家越過冰雪抵達安全的地方。
And every single person survived (每一個人都活了下來)!
The Endurance sank into the ocean, and for 107 years, people thought it was lost forever. 耐力號沉到海底，之後整整107年，大家都以為再也找不到它了。
But this month, we've found it again!
It was found over three kilometers under the water's surface (水面).
Scientists say the ship was beautifully preserved (保存), and gives them a lot to study.
Plus, it's proof (證明) of an amazing story of human exploration.
And as long as we have stories, nothing is lost forever! ________________________________
小羊出生 多了一條腿 Lamb Born with Five Legs
Most people have two legs each…
Many animals have four legs, and most bugs (昆蟲) have six or eight…
These are all even numbers, and keep animals balanced. 這些都是雙數，這樣動物才能維持平衡。
Well, one exception (例外) to this balance is a baby sheep, also called a lamb, that was born in England last month.
This lamb was born with five legs!
It has four normal legs, just like most sheep, but it also has one coming out its side. 牠有正常的四條腿，但還有一條額外的腿從身體側面長出來。
Farmers aren't sure why it happened, but they say they haven't seen something like this in at least 25 years.
They also say the fifth leg might have to be removed (截肢) in the future, but that the lamb will be fine.
Does it sound scary or weird?
Well the lamb seems to be running around and playing just like normal (這隻小羊蹦蹦跳跳，一切正常)…
So if the sheep don't think it's scary, why should we? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
"The Lion King" musical is returning to Taiwan this summer.
A musical is a performance where the actors sing and dance many parts of the story.
The show will run for 25 shows in Taiwan, from June through July. ________________________________
And,
In 1915, the ship "Endurance" sailed to Antarctica, but the ship became trapped in ice, and sank into the ocean.
For 107 years, people thought it was lost forever.
But this month, explorers have found it again, three kilometers under the surface! ________________________________
And,
A lamb with five legs was born in England last month.
It has four normal legs, just like most sheep, but it also has one coming out its side.
Farmers say the fifth leg might have to be removed in the future, but that the lamb will be fine. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
A person donates a lot of money, a world first for skateparks, and a singer does a TikTok concert.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
病人捐贈5百萬元給台灣醫療體系 Patient Donates 5 Million NT to Taiwan Healthcare System
What do we do when we get sick?
We go to see a doctor… or go to a hospital… right?
But have you ever thought… hmm… it's too expensive… maybe I don't need to see a doctor this time.
Fortunately (幸好的), we don't have to do this in Taiwan. Not only is healthcare here very good, it's also very affordable.
台灣的醫療體系不僅品質好而且對民眾來說是負擔得起的。
That's why an online magazine (線上雜誌), called CEO Magazine, said Taiwan has the best healthcare in the world.
And it's why some people donate money (捐款) to help make Taiwan's healthcare even better.
Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration (健康保險署) - that's the government group that organizes healthcare - has a charity account (捐款帳號) where people can donate money.
It's used to help underprivileged people (貧困的、弱勢群體).
Recently, when one patient (病人) passed away - or died - he donated 5 million NT to the charity account.
The family of the patient said he suffered from a chronic disease.
That meant he was in and out of hospital a lot, and got a lot of treatment.
So he wanted to show his thanks to the service that made his life better.
病人的家人說他罹患慢性病導致多次住院，一直接受治療，所以他想感謝醫療人員改善了他的生命。
He hoped that his money can be used to help others.
What a kind man! ________________________________
全球第一個多層滑板場 World's First Multi-Story Skate Park
Do you skate?
你會玩滑板嗎?
Yeah, I do! Cowabunga dude!
Isn't that what surfers say?
這不是衝浪者會講的話嗎?
Oops… yeah, you got me. But I do think skateboarding is cool.
Then you might be interested in a cool, new place that's just opened in the U.K.
It's the world's first multi-story skate park (全球第一個多層滑板場).
Multi-story means it has more than one floor, and a skate park is where people skateboard.
I heard about this… It's called F51 and it's located (位於) in a town called Folkstone.
The F51 skate park took more than four years to build and cost over 17 million pounds (英鎊).
But it's no surprise it cost so much, it looks very modern, like a skate park from the future.
It also has the world's first suspended concrete bowls (懸掛式水泥碗池).
People skate up and down concrete bowls and do tricks. These ones are suspended… which means you can see the bottom of them from below.
There are also lots of obstacles people can use for tricks (招式).
F51 isn't just for skaters though.
It was built so BMX riders could use it, too.
F51滑板場也適合小輪車運動者使用。
And there's also a climbing wall (攀岩?) inside the building.
Wow, let's go and check it out some time… Maybe I'll even learn to skate! ________________________________
卡蜜拉·卡貝羅要在TikTok上辦演唱會 Camila Cabello to Perform Concert on TikTok
Pop star Camila Cabello is performing a special concert live on TikTok.
She's going to share some new songs she has been working on.
It will be her first-ever live performance of them.
卡蜜拉·卡貝羅要在TikTok上分享新歌。
TikTok said it will use special technology (特殊的技術) to put visual effects (視覺效果) into the performance.
It's going to happen on April 7th.
Camila is not the first artist to do an online concert with special visual effects.
Ed Sheeran did one on Pokemon Go! Last year.
And Lil Nas X performed on Roblox.
The way we watch our favorite artists is definitely changing!
觀看演唱會的方式越來越多元化。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
When a hospital patient recently passed away, he donated 5 million NT to the National Health Insurance Administration.
He wanted to show his thanks to the service that made his life better.
He hoped that his money can be used to help others. ________________________________
And,
A cool, new place has just opened in the U.K.
It's the world's first multi-story skate park!
There's also a climbing wall inside the building. ________________________________
And,
Pop star Camila Cabello is performing a special concert live on TikTok.
She's going to share some new songs she has been working on.
It will be her first-ever live performance of them. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
New ways to have fun at amusement parks, new ways to save money on your wedding, and a rabbit loses a contest.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
遊樂園轉型吸引銀髮族 Amusement Parks Make Changes for Seniors
The weather is getting warmer.
We are all spending more time outside.
Many people like to go to the park, go hiking, or go to the beach.
Another great place to have fun, is amusement parks (遊樂園).
An amusement park is a big outdoor park.
In this type of park, there are lots of rides (遊樂設施).
Some of them are fun and relaxing.
And some are thrilling (令人興奮、刺激)!
There are also lots of shows and delicious foods to try out at the amusement park.
Most of the time, when we think of people at the amusement park, we think of children and young adults.
But as Taiwan becomes an aged society (高齡化社會), amusement parks are now trying to think more about older visitors.
Government data shows that almost 12 million people visited amusement parks last year.
25 percent of those people went with their families.
And 10 percent were older people.
The data also shows that amusement parks with things for people of all ages to enjoy got more and more visitors.
So many amusement parks are now adding things to make sure that seniors (長者) enjoy visiting too.
台灣漸漸邁向高齡化社會，所以許多遊樂園推出長者會喜歡的活動和設施。
Some parks are adding outlet stores (購物中心，直銷中心).
Others are adding flower gardens, so elderly visitors can come to the park for flower-viewing (賞花).
And one park is adding a place for seniors to enjoy hot springs.
And parks are also making it easier for seniors to get around.
Some are making sure they have enough wheelchairs for everyone to use.
And others are adding ramps (坡道), so people who can't use the stairs can still enjoy the park.
This sounds like a great way for people of all ages to visit amusement parks and have fun! ________________________________
去義大利辦浪漫婚禮 這區政府買單 Italian Destination Pays for Your Wedding
Weddings can be expensive (費用浩大).
You may need to pay for a place to hold the wedding.
Then there's the dresses, the flowers, the food, gifts, and so much more.
And then there's the honeymoon!
Some people choose to take a trip to celebrate getting married, and that can cost a lot of money too.
Now, a part of Italy is offering to pay for your wedding!
Lazio is a region of Italy.
The famous city of Rome is in Lazio.
And the government of Lazio will give up to $2,200 US dollars to couples that get married there.
That's more than $60,000 NT!
That money can be used to pay for wedding rings, photographers, and even your honeymoon.
這個政府補貼可以用在戒指、婚紗婚攝、甚至蜜月旅行行程都適用這項補助。
But, there's a catch.
When we say "there's a catch", that means there's more.
It means something is not a simple as it looks.
"There's a catch" 代表一件事情可能有某種隱藏的「機關」、有什麼蹊蹺。
In this case, the catch is that you must spend the money on businesses in Lazio.
The Lazio government has prepared about $11,000,000 US dollars for this idea.
They are calling it "Nel Lazio Con Amore", or, "In Lazio with Love".
The government is hoping it can help businesses in Lazio recover (復原、恢復) from the COVID-19 pandemic. ________________________________
人類巨兔吃沙拉比賽 Rabbit Loses Salad Eating Competition
If someone challenges (挑戰) you to a salad-eating contest with a rabbit, don't say no, because you just might win.
That's what happened to Raina Huang, when she went up against lettuce-loving Honey Bunny, also known as "Mega".
Huang ate 1.5 kilos of chopped salad in Glendale, California…
But Honey froze (沒有動) and didn't eat any salad at all.
Team Bunny was allowed to replace (代替) Honey with another rabbit named Precious, to see if the second bunny could do better.
But Precious didn't.
The rabbits' owner says rabbits can eat a lot, but they eat slowly.
And maybe the rabbits just weren't very hungry.
兔子的飼主解釋，兔子可以吃大量的食物，不過通常要花很長的時間慢慢吃。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is becoming an aged society, so amusement parks are now trying to think more about older visitors.
They are adding things to make sure that seniors enjoy visiting too.
This sounds like a great way for people of all ages to visit amusement parks and have fun! ________________________________
A part of Italy is offering to pay for your wedding.
The government of Lazio will give up to $2,200 US dollars to couples that get married there.
But you must spend the money on businesses in Lazio. ________________________________
And,
Raina Huang and a rabbit had a salad-eating contest.
Huang ate 1.5 kilos of chopped salad, but Honey the rabbit didn't eat any salad at all.
Honey's owner says rabbits can eat a lot, but they eat slowly. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
Classes start later, classes in video games, and an actress shares a secret.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高中生晚一點上課 New School Start Time for High School Students
Do you hear that? It's the school bell! Come on… we're going to be late. And our teacher said he's giving us a test this morning.
I think you've remembered that wrong (你記錯了), we don't have to be at school before 10 past 8 anymore!
That's right! Senior high school students (高中生) no longer have to arrive at school before 10 past 8, which is when their first class starts.
It's a new rule that the Ministry of Education announced on March 3rd.
這是教育部3月3日宣布的改變。
As you probably know, many senior high schools would ask students to arrive in class at 7.30 a.m.
This was for homeroom study time (自學)… or to prepare for general assembly (大會).
And sometimes… teachers would give tests (考試) during this time.
A lot of students felt this was too much pressure (壓力), because they had just woken up, and having a test at around 7:30 was too early.
The Ministry of Education now says schools cannot give students tests before their first class at 10 past 8.
Schools can only ask students to come in at 7:30 one time per week to prepare for general assembly.
It comes after there was a lot of "heated discussion" online last year, when people said students don't have enough free time.
去年網路上引發很激烈的論辯，有些人覺得學生休閒時間不夠。
The Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy (社團法人臺灣青年民主協會) said the new rules give students more rest and free time… which allows them to be healthier (身體更健康).
Well, I'm happy I can spend an extra few minutes in bed! ________________________________
電動也許有教育的用途 Video Games Now Used as Educational Platforms
Pew pew pew! I love playing video games.
Sometimes it's nice to relax (放鬆) at the end of a long school or work day, and live in a virtual world (虛擬世界) for a bit.
Video games are definitely a popular hobby, and they have long been thought of something we do for leisure (休閒).
But did you know video games can be educational, too?
電動也有教育的用途。
And some schools and universities are even using video games as part of their classes!
One of the most popular video games in the world right now is Minecraft.
And Minecraft was used to host an opening ceremony (開幕) for a university in South Korea (韓國).
It's been difficult for students to attend classes in some places because of the pandemic.
So Yeungnam University decided to open a lecture hall (演講廳) in Minecraft, and the block characters of the teachers welcomed the block characters of the students to the university entirely online!
韓國的一所大學決定利用Minecraft開演講廳歡迎新生。
Minecraft actually has a special educational platform (教育平台) to help with learning.
The game has been used to give students a virtual tour of a school in Manchester, England.
The makers of Minecraft even gave free lessons that kids could use during lockdowns.
Minecraft的製作者曾經辦免費的課程給封城中的學生參加。
Fortnite and Pokemon Go are some other games that offer platforms to help kids learn.
So playing video games can be fun… and educational! ________________________________
Courteney Cox shares a secret about "Friends" (Courteney Cox分享有關六人行的秘密)
Do you know how many episodes of the hit American show "Friends" there are?
If you don't, you don't have to worry because one of its stars, Courteney Cox, who played Monica, doesn't remember how many she filmed (拍攝) either.
During a recent interview (面試) Cox admitted (承認) when she sees all of the episodes on TV, she says she stops, and then says "I don't remember this at all."
當她看到電視上播出，她說完全不記得有演到這些。
Cox says she should have watched all 10 seasons of the show because before doing a reunion (團圓), and she was asked questions, she could only say: "I don't remember being there."
She also confessed (承認) that when she watched the show on television… she watches things she doesn't remember and then says "but it's so funny!"
Just so you know, entertainment magazine Variety says there were 236 episodes all in all. _______________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Senior high school students no longer have to arrive at school before 10 past 8.
The new rule comes after there was a lot of "heated discussion" online last year, when people said students don't have enough free time. ________________________________
And,
Some schools and universities are even using video games as part of their classes!
Minecraft actually has a special educational platform to help with learning.
The makers of Minecraft even gave free lessons that kids could use during lockdowns. ________________________________
And,
Courteney Cox, who played Monica in Friends, doesn't remember how many episodes she filmed.
She also confessed that when she watched the show on television… she watches things she doesn't remember and says "but it's so funny!"
Just so you know, entertainment magazine Variety says there were 236 episodes all in all. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
The longest bike path, the highest high tea, and a delicious change from music.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
騎全台最長自行車道 體驗台灣之美 Taiwan's Longest Bike Path Opens
Many people enjoy bike riding in Taiwan.
It's a great way to spend time outdoors.
And it's good exercise too.
Now, there's a new place for everyone to enjoy riding their bikes.
It's the longest bike path in Taiwan!
The path opened just this month.
It connects (連結) Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Tainan. The bike path starts in Yunlin's Linnei Township (林內)
It goes through by the Chianan Irrigation Canal (嘉南大圳) and parts of the Chianan Plain (嘉南平原).
And it ends close to the Wusanto Reservoir (烏山頭水庫) in Tainan's Guantian District .
The lane is 87.5 kilometers long!
The government plans to plant 100,000 trees along the path.
This way, people can enjoy a beautiful view while they ride along the trail.
And the trees will help cut carbon emissions.
水圳綠道旁邊會栽種10萬棵台灣原生樹種，製造綠蔭美景，也為地球減碳。
People riding along the path can also learn more about agriculture.
They can see irrigation systems (灌溉系統).
And they can also see things built a long time ago during the Japanese colonial era.
民眾可已沿著水圳綠道，從台南經嘉義騎車到雲林，多多了解農田水利建設，還可以欣賞農村和天然景觀。 ________________________________
史上海拔最高的下午茶 World's Highest Tea Party
Have you heard of high tea (英式下午茶)? It's a British tradition.
It usually happens around 6 PM.
Everyone sits at a table or in the kitchen after a day of work.
And they eat things like meat pies, baked beans, or potato cakes.
That's a traditional high tea.
But now one person has done it in an all new way.
It's high tea, but really, really high.
Andrew Hughes is an athlete from Seattle, Washington.
He likes climbing mountains.
When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, Andrew couldn't climb mountains for a long time.
And he realized (發現) what he missed the most, was being with people while climbing.
So he came up with a plan.
On May 5th, 2021, Andrew and a team of climbers climbed up Mount Everest in Nepal…
And they held a high tea party!
Andrew和他的登山夥伴竟在聖母峰上舉辦了一場英式下午茶!
The group set up their tea at Mount Everest's Camp 2.
The camp is about 6,500 kilometers high.
And having a tea party that high is much harder than it looks.
Andrew said just carrying all the things they needed up Mount Everest was a huge challenge (挑戰).
They had to fly all those cups, cookies, plates, and other things from the U.S. to Nepal.
Then, the tea supplies were carried by a yak (犛牛) up part of the mountain.
Then the team had to carry the supplies in their backpacks for the rest of the climb.
They passed through steep cliffs (陡峭的懸崖) and frozen waterfalls, all with the supplies on their backs.
And there was also a big snow storm on the day of the party.
What an incredible (不可思議的) challenge!
But in the end, the team says it was worth it (值得).
They set a new Guinness World Record, for the highest tea party ever held.
Andrew says "the greatest things in life are often those shared".
He hopes the high tea party helps other people chase their own dreams. ________________________________
鋼琴家找到了新方法表現自己 A pianist finds a new way to express herself
Navah Perlman Frost has always played the piano.
She is the daughter of violinist Itzhak Perlman, and she began playing the piano when she was just six years old.
She played for 35 years but had to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情).
No public performances could be played in New York where she lives.
她住的紐約不能做公開表演。
To pass the time, Perlman Frost started making cakes for friends and family.
Her icing flowers (糖花) look like fresh flowers or mimic (模仿) works of art.
Her hobby (興趣) has turned into a business.
And she says she probably won't go back to playing the piano professionally again. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The longest bike path in Taiwan opened this month.
It connects Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Tainan. The lane is 87.5 kilometers long! ________________________________
Andrew Hughes and a team of climbers climbed up Mount Everest in Nepal and held a high tea party.
Andrew said just carrying all the things they needed up Mount Everest was a huge challenge.
They set a new Guinness World Record, for the highest tea party ever held. ________________________________
And,
Navah Perlman Frost has played the piano since she was just six years old.
But she had to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now she has started a business making cakes. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Pingtung goes green, a new animal is discovered, and a new movie returns to the world of Harry Potter.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
越來越多屏東房屋 轉向綠色能源 More Pingtung Homes Switching to Green Power
It can be difficult to see some kinds of energy (能源) with our eyes.
So how do we know if it's green?
Well, "green energy" means it is produced (產生) from natural resources (自然資源).
We can get green energy from the sun, by using solar panels (太陽能板) that give us electricity (電).
We can also get it from wind, by using windmills (風車) that make electricity when they turn.
And we can even get green energy from water, by using rivers that flow very quickly (流得很快) to make more energy.
It's very important that we use as much green energy as we can.
And one city is doing its best to help!
Homes in Pingtung are getting ready to get almost all of their electricity from green energy. 幾乎所有屏東房屋即將由綠色能源產生供應電力。
Pingtung County (屏東縣) already gets most of its energy from solar panels, which can support 75 percent (75趴) of its homes.
And they're still building more!
The county started this project in the year 2019, and they plan to finish by the end of 2022.
When we get our energy from things like coal-fired power plants, we create a lot of heat, which goes into our atmosphere. 當我們使用火力發電廠的電力，也會同時製造大量熱氣進入大氣層。
That heat makes our planet a little bit hotter every year.
This is called "global warming" (全球暖化), and it causes a lot of problems.
So the more we use green energy, the healthier our planet will be, and the healthier we will be, too.
And we can thank the people of Pingtung for helping to be a part of that change! ________________________________
科學家發現新種巨龜 New Species of Giant Tortoise Discovered
Some people might think we have already found all the different types of animals that we can.
But in reality (事實上), there are almost always more kinds of animals to discover.
In fact, scientists are discovering new species (新物種) of animals almost every day!
They may not always be as different as dogs are from cats, or birds are from fish.
But there are still many important differences to find, which can help us understand more about how they evolve over time. 科學家想找出這些不同動物之間的差別，讓我們更了解牠們是如何演化的。
And recently, animal researchers have found a new species of giant tortoise (巨龜).
It lives on the Galapagos Islands (加拉巴哥群島).
When researchers were studying the DNA of these gigantic tortoises, they found that some of them were from one family, and some of them were from a much different family. 研究人員分析這些巨龜DNA，發現其中幾隻屬於某個生物家族，其他的卻屬於另外一個很不一樣的家族。
And because tortoises can live to be very old, this means the different families must have lived separately (分開的) for a very long time.
This kind of information helps scientists study how the animals live, and why some other kinds of tortoises have gone extinct (絕種了).
So who knows what we'll find next? ________________________________
新的【怪獸與牠們的產地】電影 四月上映 New "Fantastic Beasts" Movie in Theaters in April
Have you ever read a book about Harry Potter (哈利波特)?
The first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was published (出版) in the year 1997.
The book was written by J.K. Rowling, and it was made into a movie in the year 2001.
Many years later, J.K. Rowling also wrote more books, called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
These newer books didn't have the character Harry Potter in them, but they were still set in the same world! 之後的這幾本書雖然沒有哈利波特，但是仍然發生在同一個奇妙的世界。
And now, Harry Potter fans (粉絲) can look forward to a new movie about the Harry Potter world.
It's called "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore".
It tells the story of Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, before he was put in charge of the wizarding school.
In a trailer for the movie, we can see Dumbledore and his friends try to stop a powerful dark wizard. 在這部電影的預告片裡面，我們看到鄧不利多校長和他的朋友對抗法力強大的巫師。
Dumbledore leads a team made up of other wizards (男巫), witches (女巫), and a "muggle" (普通人).
The entire movie will be released in April.
Maybe you can catch up (趕上) on some Harry Potter story history before then! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Homes in Pingtung are getting ready to get almost all of their electricity from green energy.
Pingtung County already gets most of its energy from solar panels, which can support 75 percent of its homes. ________________________________
And,
Recently, animal researchers have found a new species of giant tortoise on the Galapagos Islands.
This kind of information helps scientists study how the animals live, and why some other kinds of tortoises have gone extinct. ________________________________
And,
Harry Potter fans can now look forward to a new movie about the Harry Potter world.
It tells the story of Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, before he was put in charge of the wizarding school. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Dinosaur skin, sleeping with the birds, and maybe not cake.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
恐龍羽毛琥珀標本 全台首次曝光 Rare Fossil Shows Dinosaur Skin and Feathers
Want to know what dinosaur skin and feathers look like?
You'll get the chance to see some soon!
A very rare fossil (化石) will be on show at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung.
It's actually a piece of amber (琥珀).
Amber is made from resin (樹脂).
Resin is very thick, like honey, and comes out of trees.
The resin becomes hard, and a long time later, becomes amber.
Sometimes, small bits of plants, bugs, or even animals get stuck in the resin, and become part of the amber.
The piece of amber that will show at the museum in Taichung is around 99 million years old!
The amber was found in Myanmar.
Scientists say inside that amber, are small pieces of skin and feathers.
They believe the skin and feathers come from dinosaurs!
How do they know this?
In bird feathers we see nowadays, the middle part is solid (實心的).
But for the feathers in the amber, the middle part is hollow (空心的), like feathers from dinosaurs.
這塊有約9900萬年歷史的琥珀中，可以清楚看到恐龍羽毛與部分皮膚。
The museum will also show two other pieces of amber that were found in Taiwan.
They are about the size of a $1 NT coin.
Scientists say these pieces of amber come from a tree that grew in Taiwan a long time ago.
還有兩塊臺灣東部發現的化石樹脂，是現在在台灣已經不存在的「龍腦香科」植物樹脂。
All these amazing fossils will be on show at the museum in April. ________________________________
入住瑞典旅館 跟鳥兒一起睡樹上 Rooming with the Birds
Many people like the sound of birds.
It's very nice to wake up to sunshine, blue skies, and birds singing.
And now one hotel in Sweden is taking that feeling to the next level.
Treehotel is a hotel in the province of Lapland (拉普蘭).
All of the rooms at the hotel are up in the trees.
"樹屋旅館"在瑞典北部一個靠近北極圈的小村莊，旅館的房間都掛在有百年樹齡的松樹上。
And each of them look very different.
One looks like a birds nest, and is covered with tree branches.
Another is covered in mirrors (鏡子).
And one even looks like a UFO (不明飛行物，飛碟)!
Now, the hotel has a new room that lets people enjoy birds up close.
The room is called "Biosphere".
The room is 34 square meters large.
Biosphere is a sphere (球形) up in the trees.
And all around Biosphere, there are 350 birdhouses!
All the birdhouses are different sizes.
They fit many different types of birds.
There are also houses for bees and bats.
Biosphere also has big windows.
So the person staying in the room can watch birds and other animals from close by (近距離).
The people who designed (設計) Biosphere say they want to bring the environment into the room.
Biosphere also has a deck (陽台) on the roof.
So people who stay there can see a beautiful view.
But spending a night in Biosphere isn't cheap.
Staying in the special room for a night, for two people, will cost about $34,000 NT.
想在這個特別的旅館住一晚嗎？兩人入住一晚的價錢是 $34,000 NT. ________________________________
這個是蛋糕嗎？ Is it cake?
If you're on social media (社交媒體), you might have seen some very creative bakers making cakes which look like the real thing.
There are cakes that look like real shoes…
And cakes that look like fruits and vegetables.
Even cakes that look like bowling balls.
Netflix有新的節目帶著觀眾欣賞很特別的蛋糕。
Now Netflix is showing a new competition series called "Is it Cake?"
Competitors will make cakes that look like everyday things.
But they have to be realistic enough to deceive a panel of celebrity judges (名人評審).
The best bakers will compete for a prize of $50,000 US dollars.
We're sure that the new competition won't be a cakewalk (不會那麼簡單)! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A very rare fossil will be on show at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung.
It's a piece of amber with small pieces of skin and feathers from dinosaurs.
The amber is around 99 million years old! ________________________________
Treehotel in Sweden has a special new room called "Biosphere".
It's a sphere up in the trees.
And all around Biosphere, there are 350 birdhouses!
So the person staying in the room can watch birds and other animals up close. ________________________________
And,
Netflix is showing a new competition series called "Is it Cake?"
Competitors will make cakes that look like everyday things.
Judges have to guess if it's cake.
The bakers could win $50,000 US dollars. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Clifford Chu…
In today's news:
Scooter helmet art, a pancake race, and and actress helps out a country in need.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
安全帽變成藝術品 Man Turns Scooter Helmets into Art
It's always important to remember that safety comes first when you're out on the road.
Lots of people in Taiwan drive scooters (機車) to get to places.
You may have ridden one with your parents or grandparents.
But what's one thing you should always remember when riding a scooter?
That's right! You need to wear a helmet (安全帽).
Helmets are important because they can protect your head if you have an accident. 安全帽十分重要，如果遇到車禍，可以保護頭部。
They have an important purpose (目的), but… I think they can look pretty cool, too!
You can buy helmets in lots of different colors and designs (款式).
But have you ever thought of them as art?
Well, one man called Lee An in Taichung does.
He makes custom helmets for people using his skills as an artist. 他運用自己身為藝術家的本領，替顧客量身打造安全帽。
Lee An has his own studio (工作室) where he does lots of custom painting work.
If something is custom-made, it means it is made especially for one person, and they chose how they wanted it to be made.
Lee An paints both motorcycles and helmets.
But neither come cheap!
He painted a picture of Harley Quinn (哈莉·奎茵) from the DC Comic world on a helmet for one customer… and that customer paid 30 thousand NT!
But having Lee paint your motorbike might cost 100 thousand dollars, or even more.
Hmm… maybe in the future… when I have more money… and I can drive. ________________________________
美國女生 贏得英國鬆餅賽跑冠軍 American Woman wins British Pancake Race
Ready… set… go!
I love a good race.
Competition (比賽) is exciting!
But what are these competitors (參賽者) holding?
Well, they're frying pans (煎鍋). And do you know what's in the frying pans?
Bacon?
Close! It's… pancakes (鬆餅)!
But why?
March 1 this year was a special Christian holiday known as Shrove Tuesday.
It's the day before many Christians sacrifice (犧牲) something in the six weeks before Easter. Usually this means giving up eating something they enjoy…like chocolate. 今年的三月一號是特殊的基督教節日，叫做懺悔星期二。從這天開始到復活節，很多基督徒會放棄他們喜歡吃的東西，比如說巧克力。
And on Shrove Tuesday, it's tradition (傳統) to eat pancakes.
But one town in the UK called Olney has a slightly different tradition… they race with the pancakes first!
People must carry pancakes in a frying pan in a 380 meter race - the fastest person wins!
But the contestants must also flip (翻) their pancake in the air at the beginning and end of the race.
This year, the winner was actually a woman from the US.
She won with a time of one minute and seven seconds.
The Olney pancake race has been happening for over 600 years, but it became an international competition in 1950. 有600年歷史的鬆餅賽跑，1950年變成國際比賽。
Both kids and adults join it!
Hmm… maybe if I'm in England next Shrove Tuesday, I can try, too! ________________________________
美國女星蜜拉·庫妮絲 為祖國出力 American Actress Mila Kunis Helps Her Home Country
Did you know that American actress Mila Kunis was born in Ukraine?
It should be no surprise then, that she is helping her home country by raising money (募款) to help Ukraine's refugees (難民).
Kunis and her husband Aston Kutcher are trying to raise (募集) $30 million dollars.
美國女演員蜜拉·庫妮絲跟她的先生想替烏克蘭的難民募款。
They donated (捐獻) 3 million dollars out of their own pocket (自己掏腰包), which is about 10 percent of the total.
When she announced the campaign (活動) to raise money, Kunis said she sees herself as American.
But she said she has never felt more proud to be Ukrainian.
After three days, Kunis raised more than $16 million dollars. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Lee An in Taichung makes custom helmets for people using his skills as an artist.
Lee An paints both motorcycles and helmets.
He painted a picture of Harley Quinn on a helmet for one customer… and that customer paid 30 thousand NT! ________________________________
And,
On the Christian holiday of Shrove Tuesday, it's tradition to eat pancakes.
But one town in the UK called Olney has a slightly different tradition… they race with the pancakes first!
This year, the winner was actually a woman from the US. ________________________________
And,
Actress Mila Kunis is helping her home country by raising money to help Ukraine's refugees.
Kunis and her husband Aston Kutcher are trying to raise $30 million dollars.
She said she has never felt more proud to be Ukrainian. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A new home for Sanpei, a "flower" on Mars, and a new ride at Epcot.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
日本大食蟻獸到台北動物園報到 Giant Anteater Arrives at Taipei Zoo
A furry (毛茸茸的) visitor from Japan is making a new home at the Taipei Zoo.
Keepers says the giant anteater (大食蟻獸), named "Sanpei" is now resting at the zoo.
Sanpei is a seven-year old male (雄性).
The zoo has another giant anteater, a female named "Cortesa".
The zoo is hoping that Sanpei and Cortesa will like each other, and produce offspring (生育).
台北動物園希望三平和Cortesa可以慢慢培養感情，成功繁衍下一代。
Giant anteaters have long noses, and a long tail with lots of fur.
They live in grasslands and rainforests.
And just like their name says, they like to eat ants!
These animals dig in the dirt with their long claws to find ants.
Then they use their long sticky tongue to pick up and eat the ants that come out.
The giant anteater is the biggest type of anteater.
Their bodies can grow up to 180cm long.
And they can weigh up to 40 kg.
They can't see very well, but their sense of smell (嗅覺) is more than 40 times better than ours!
The Taipei Zoo says Sanpei will rest and live by himself for 30 days.
Then after that, he might move in to live with Cortesa.
The number of giant anteaters in the wild are falling.
And the zoo hopes that Sanpei and Cortesa can help their species.
If everything goes well, visitors to the zoo might be able to see Sanpei by the middle of next month.
檢疫期滿後，三平會入住熱帶雨林區適應他的新家，最快4月中和大家見面。 ________________________________
火星探索新發現 像珊瑚又像花 Tiny "Flower" Formation Spotted on Mars
Have you ever seen a Martian "flower"?
Okay, it's not exactly a flower.
But it kind of looks like it.
A while ago, we talked about NASA's Curiosity rover, which is on the planet of Mars right now.
And just a few days ago, the robot was in the Gale Crater.
Scientists think the Gale Crater is about 3.5 billion years old.
And they believe it may have been a lake a long time ago.
The Curiosity rover was taking pictures of the crater.
And one of the pictures had a small surprise.
It's a rock that looks like a flower, or a piece of coral (珊瑚)
火星探測車發現一個看上去像「珊瑚」又像一朵「花」的東西。
In the picture, it looks big.
But actually it's quite small, smaller than a coin (錢幣).
NASA says the flower-like rock was probably made a long time ago.
Scientists say minerals (礦物質) in the rock may have been washed away by water.
Or, it might be made of bits of minerals stuck together.
Rocks like these have been found before.
Another rover called Opportunity was on Mars from 2004 to 2018.
It took pictures of something scientists nicknamed Martian "blueberries".
They are little spheres (球體), also made of minerals and rock.
These "flowers" and "blueberries" all help to show that a long time ago, there was probably water on Mars.
By August this year, Curiosity would have been on Mars for 10 years.
And it will stay there for many more years, to help us learn more about the Red Planet. ________________________________
迪士尼透露星際異攻隊雲霄飛車內部樣貌 Disney Teases New MCU Ride
Florida's Walt Disney World will be getting a new MCU-themed ride that's sure to get fans excited.
The new ride is inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy (星際異攻隊) movie, and it will open at EPCOT this summer.
新的星際異攻隊雲霄飛車將在迪士尼Epcot未來世界開幕。
The name of the ride is "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind."
It uses Disney's special technology to create what its inventors call an "omni-coaster," which uses the park's special roller coaster system.
The ride doesn't actually use any stories from the original movie or its sequel (續集).
Instead, it comes from the idea that the planet of Xandar has come to Earth to set up a special exhibit (展示).
That exhibit allows the aliens to reach out to people from Earth so both sides can learn about each other. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A male giant anteater from Japan named "Sanpei" is now living at the Taipei Zoo.
The zoo has another giant anteater, a female named "Cortesa".
The zoo is hoping that Sanpei and Cortesa will like each other, and produce offspring. ________________________________
NASA's Curiosity rover is on Mars.
And just a few days ago, the robot took a picture of a rock that looks like a flower, or a piece of coral.
Scientists say minerals in the rock may have been washed away by water.
Or, it might be made of bits of minerals stuck together. ________________________________
And,
Florida's Walt Disney World will be getting a new MCU-themed ride.
The new ride is inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and it will open at EPCOT this summer.
The name of the ride is "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind." ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Sweet drinks become a problem, scientists think about real lightsabers, and a Ukrainian show becomes popular again.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
多糖飲料造成台灣小孩常蛀牙 Kids in Taiwan Get More Cavities From Sugary Drinks
How many times do you brush your teeth (刷牙) each day?
Many dentists (牙醫) say you should brush your teeth at least twice a day.
And if you don't keep your teeth clean, you might get a cavity (蛀牙).
But there are other ways you can get cavities, too.
Researchers say, on average, children in Taiwan have more cavities than children of other countries in East Asia. 研究者說，台灣學童平均蛀牙的次數，比東亞各國家的小孩都多。
At the end of the year 2020, research shows that the average (平均) number of cavities per kid in Japan was 0.2.
And for kids in Hong Kong and Singapore, it was 0.3.
Meanwhile, for kids in Taiwan, the average number of cavities was a little more than 2!
That's better than the average of 2.5 cavities per kid, in the year 2012.
But it's still pretty scary!
And dentists blame (怪) many of the sweet drinks that are so popular in Taiwan.
Selling sweet drinks at school may be illegal (違法), but these days, many schools have very convenient sweet drink shops nearby.
Over time, the sugar in these drinks starts to make a thin film on your teeth. 過了一段時間，這些飲料裡面的糖分會開始形成牙齒上的薄膜。
And even though you can brush it off, it's still a good idea to see a dentist at least once every six months.
When you go to a dentist, they can clean your teeth much more than you do at home!
You can still enjoy delicious drinks and candy sometimes, but if you get a cavity, you'll probably regret it (後悔).
Take good care of your teeth, so Taiwan can show the world its shiny smiles! ________________________________
我們能夠製作真的光劍嗎？ Could We Ever Make a Real Lightsaber?
The "Star Wars" (星際大戰) series is famous for a lot of reasons.
But one of the most popular things to come out of those movies was the "lightsaber" (光劍).
A lightsaber is a futuristic sword (未來的劍), made of a strong laser (雷射) that can cut through almost anything.
And ever since the Star Wars movies came out, many people have been thinking…
Could we make a lightsaber in real life?
More scientists have recently researched and written reports about this topic (題目), and there is some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is that lasers in real life are much different than in Star Wars.
Some lasers can get so hot that they can cut through metal (金屬)…
But it happens a lot more slowly, and not like a sharp laser knife.
And because each lightsaber's super hot plasma needs a lot of fuel, they are much bigger and more difficult to hold. 每一把光劍裡面超級熱的電漿需要很多燃料，而且真正的光劍應該會比電影裡的更大又更難握著。
The good news is, many people have already made their own versions (自己的版本) of lightsabers!
Many engineers (工程師) have made laser swords in their own way, and shown them to the world on the internet.
Either way, though, we're going to need to discover a lot more science, and invent (發明) a lot more technology, before we can make a real Star Wars lightsaber.
Until then, we've still got the movies! ________________________________
烏克蘭喜劇電視節目變紅 Ukrainian Comedy Series Gains Popularity
A lot more people are paying attention to Ukraine (烏克蘭) and its leader right now.
Ukraine's president is Volodymyr Zelensky (烏克蘭總統澤倫斯基).
Before he became Ukraine's president in real life, he played Ukraine's president in a TV show! 澤倫斯基成為烏克蘭總統之前，已經在電視節目裡演過烏克蘭總統！
It was called "Servant of the People".
Zelensky's character is a high school teacher who becomes president, after a student's video of him denouncing corruption goes viral. 澤倫斯基的角色是一位高中老師，被學生錄影譴責腐敗之後變紅，成為烏克蘭總統。
The show was very famous in Ukraine, where it ran for three seasons (三季), and even had a movie!
And now, other countries want to buy the rights to the show (買版權), so they can show it to more people.
That's because Zelensky is no longer playing a TV show character.
He is a strong leader, who cares about his country's people.
So maybe he deserves the extra attention! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Researchers say, on average, children in Taiwan have more cavities than children of other countries in East Asia.
At the end of the year 2020, research shows that the average number of cavities per kid in Taiwan was a little more than 2!
And dentists blame many of the sweet drinks that are so popular in Taiwan. ________________________________
And,
More scientists have recently researched and written reports about how difficult it is to make a lightsaber in real life.
The lasers use a lot more fuel in real life, and cut more slowly than in the movies.
But many people have already made their own versions of lightsabers, using different technology. ________________________________
And,
Before Volodymyr Zelensky became Ukraine's president in real life, he played Ukraine's president in a TV show.
The show was very famous in Ukraine, where it ran for three seasons, and even had a movie.
Now, other countries want to buy the rights to the show, so they can show it to more people. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
Taiwan Helps Ukraine, a rock sells for a lot of money, and a prince does chores!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣團結幫助烏克蘭 How Taiwan is Helping Ukraine
There is a war (戰爭) happening right now in the European country of Ukraine.
Lots of Ukrainian people have lost their homes, because they were attacked (被攻擊) with bombs (炸彈).
Many have had to go to other nearby countries, like Poland (波瀾).
People around the world are coming together to try to help.
Here in Taiwan, people have held protests (抗議) on the street.
They want to show the Russian Office in Taiwan that they are against Russia attacking Ukraine.
在台灣有些人上街抗議，就是為了讓俄羅斯在台辦事處了解他們反對俄羅斯攻擊烏克蘭。
In Taipei, Taipei 101 has lit up with the colors of the Ukraine flag.
And the Taiwan government has sent aid to Ukraine.
"Aid" is another word for help, and it usually means things that are given to another country to help people there, like medical supplies (醫療物資).
That is what Taiwan has sent to Ukraine.
On February 28th, Taiwan sent 27 tons of medical supplies.
台灣2月28日把27公噸醫療物資送到烏克蘭。
But people here are also donating money (捐款).
On March 1st, the government announced that a group of companies said they will donate 10 million dollars to help Ukrainian people who have had to leave their country.
Many politicians (政治人物), including President Tsai Ing-wen, have said they will donate one month of their salary (薪水) to help people in Ukraine.
And there is now a special bank account (銀行帳號) if anyone in Taiwan wants to donate money.
I hope Taiwan's efforts can help! ________________________________
墜到英格蘭的隕石塊已3萬多美元高價賣出 Meteorite Fragment Sells for Over 30 Thousand Dollars
In February 2021, something unusual (奇怪) happened in a small town in England.
A big ball of rock fell from the sky and landed in the town of Winchcombe.
Luckily, nobody was hurt.
And the British government (英國政府) called on people in the town to bring pieces of the rock in so scientists could examine (檢驗) them.
Some people did, and the scientists found that the rock was actually a 4.6 billion-year-old meteoroid.
那個小鎮的一些居民把隕石塊交給英國政府，科學家發現那個隕石原來來自於一顆有46億年歷史的流星體。
It came from a bunch of rocks orbiting (繞行) the sun between the planets Jupiter (木星) and Mars (火星).
That bunch of rocks is known as the asteroid belt.
A piece of the asteroid belt meteorite went on sale this month at a London auction (拍賣).
The piece weighed just 15 grams… but experts thought it could sell for over 30 thousand U.S. dollars!
Despite its small size it will be one of largest pieces of meteorite owned by a member of the public.
這塊隕石雖然體積不大，不過還是私人擁有的隕石塊中最大之一。
And it's not the only strange thing that was sold at that auction.
A dog kennel - that's a dog house - was sold there for 44,100 dollars.
But that dog kennel was hit by another meteorite back in 2019.
It belonged to a family in Costa Rica (哥斯大黎加).
Luckily, they said that the dog is fine!
Wow… I do love space… but I think I'd rather spend thousands of dollars on something more useful! ________________________________
王子也需要做家務 Princes Have Chores to Do Too!
Prince George may become King of Great Britain one day… but his mom Catherine says he still needs to do chores (家務).
During a visit to a goat farm, George's parents saw a machine (機器) used to move hay (乾草) in one of the barns.
When Catherine was told what the machine did, she said, "That was George's job at half term (半年假期)… moving feed."
英國王室喬治王子的母親凱特王妃說喬治在家裡也負責完成整理乾草這份工作。
Prince William says he and his wife Catherine get their children involved in farming around their home.
The Royal Family spent one week "lambing"… that's when farmers help female sheep give birth to baby lambs.
William said "Charlotte wasn't sure at first, but George was straight in there. Louis loves the tractors."
He also said the children love seeing the lambs and feeding them. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There is a war happening right now in the European country of Ukraine.
The Taiwan government has sent aid to Ukraine.
And there is now a special bank account if anyone in Taiwan wants to donate money. ________________________________
And,
A piece of the asteroid belt meteorite went on sale this month at a London auction.
The piece weighed just 15 grams… but experts thought it could sell for over 30 thousand U.S. dollars!
Despite its small size it will be one of the largest pieces of meteorite owned by a member of the public. ________________________________
And,
Prince George may become King of Great Britain one day, but his mom Catherine says he still needs to do chores.
He has helped his family with "lambing"… that's when farmers help female sheep give birth to baby lambs. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Spring in the air, garbage into art, and life is like the movies.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北杜鵑花季朵朵盛開 Spring Arrives for the Taipei Azalea Festival
Spring has arrived!
The weather is getting warmer.
We are getting more sunshine.
And the flowers are blooming!
So Taipei is celebrating with the 2022 Taipei Azalea Festival.
Azaleas are shrubs (灌木).
And each spring, they grow beautiful flowers.
The flowers come in many different colors, including pink, white, and red.
Azalea flowers bloom for many weeks.
And they are Taipei's "city flower". 杜鵑花是台北市的市花。
Many places around Taiwan have an official flower. Taoyuan's city flower is the peach blossom (桃花).
Yunlin's city flower is the moth orchid (蝴蝶蘭).
And Hualien County's flower is the lotus (蓮花).
All through this month, Taipei is holding Azalea events for people to enjoy.
Next weekend, there will be an Azalea Concert at Da-An Forest Park.
Many singers and bands will perform there.
There will also be a market at the park, with lots of arts and crafts to look through.
And of course, there will be lots of azaleas in bloom!
You can also see other flowers at the park, like hydrangeas, lilies, lavender, and many others. 大安森林公園裡，除了杜鵑花，還可以看到繡球花、百合、還有薰衣草。
Many places around the world hold flower festivals.
Brussels is the capital city of Belgium.
Every two years, almost a million flowers are laid on the ground in front of Brussel City Hall to make a "flower carpet". 兩年一度的比利時花毯節會在大廣場中鋪上數十萬朵鮮花組成的巨大花地毯，而每一次的主題都是不同國家文化。
What a fun way to enjoy beautiful flowers! ________________________________
海洋垃圾搖身變藝術品 U.K. Beach Cleaners Turn Trash into Art
Garbage and plastic in the ocean is a big problem.
All that trash is bad for the environment, bad for animals, and bad for us too.
Some people try to help by cleaning up beaches.
Usually, a group of people will bring lots of big garbage bags.
They will also use things like gloves (手套), and tongs (夾鉗).
And they will go to a beach, and pick up as much garbage as they can.
It's a great way to help protect the environment.
Now a group in the U.K. is taking that idea one step further.
They're turning that garbage into art!
The group is called Norfolk Beach Cleans.
Their goal is to keep the beaches in the area clean.
The woman who started the group is Emma Sturman.
Emma says she loves the sea and likes to scuba dive (潛水).
But she sees fish stuck in old nets, or seals with toys stuck around their necks.
And she wanted to help.
Emma says cleaning teams go out three or four times a month.
And they collect up to 750 kilograms of garbage every time they clean.
That's about as heavy as 80 watermelons!
Then, after they pick up all that garbage, they choose pieces of plastic, metal, and other materials (材料).
The colorful pieces are especially (特別) useful.
色彩鮮艷的塑膠塊、鐵片、和其他材料很適合當藝術品的素材。
Emma says the group takes these things and puts them together to make fun pictures.
They've made pictures of hearts, stars, and even seahorses.
Then they sell these pictures.
Some sell for around $10 U.S. dollars.
And the most expensive one sold for almost $54 U.S. dollars.
The group uses this money to buy more equipment to clean the beach.
Sounds like a great way to recycle (回收) and help the environment! ________________________________
莫利 林沃德的生活模仿藝術 Life Imitates the Movies for Molly Ringwald
In the 1980s hit movie "Sixteen Candles," actress Molly Ringwald plays a teenager whose family forgot that it was her birthday.
Just recently, Ringwald used social media (社交媒體) to talk about the time her mom forgot about her birthday, but in real life.
美國知名女演員莫利 林沃德的媽媽真的忘了她的生日了！
The actress shared a bunch of (一堆) text messages (簡訊) between herself and her mom, where she said "That's it? You don't have anything else to say to me today?"
Ringwald's mother then replied: "I didn't realize it was the 18th today. Happy birthday! I haven't got your present in the mail. Will do very soon."
The actress then said "Life imitates art." (生活模仿藝術).
The comment was a reference to Ringwald's popular 1980s movie.
We hope Ringwald's mom made up for lost time and did something special to mark the actress' special day. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei is celebrating spring with the 2022 Taipei Azalea Festival.
Azaleas are Taipei's "city flower".
Next weekend, there will be an Azalea Concert at Da-An Forest Park. ________________________________
A U.K. group called Norfolk Beach Cleans is turning beach garbage into art
They collect up to 750 kilograms of garbage every time they clean.
Then they choose colorful pieces, and use them to make fun pictures.
They sell these pictures and use the money to buy more beach cleaning equipment. ________________________________
And,
In the 1980s hit movie "Sixteen Candles," actress Molly Ringwald plays a teenager whose family forgot that it was her birthday.
Just recently, Ringwald's mom really forgot her birthday, in real life!
The actress said "Life imitates art". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Chinese classes for foreigners, Minecraft classes for the world, and Arthur finishes 26 years on TV.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
桃園提供中文課幫移工學習中文 Taoyuan Offers Foreign Workers Mandarin Classes
Have you ever tried to learn a new language?
If you're listening to News Bites, then you probably have!
But many people in Taiwan have spent more time learning English…
So maybe you don't realize (沒發現) how difficult it is to learn to speak and read Chinese.
Of course, radio, TV, and books can help a lot with learning a new language, but there's nothing better than having a good teacher!
And right now, there are many people who need to work in Taiwan, but don't speak Chinese as their first language, and might not have enough money for classes. 現在有很多人要在台灣工作，但是他們也許還不會講中文，而上中文課的費用也是一個沉重的負擔。
So the city of Taoyuan is starting to offer free (免費的) Chinese classes to migrant workers (移工).
The free classes are to help people who have moved to Taiwan from other countries, like Indonesia (印尼), Vietnam (越南), the Philippines (菲律賓), and Thailand (泰國).
The classes will focus (集中在、專注於) on Chinese that people can use in the workplace, and to have a comfortable life in the city.
And the more Chinese they learn, the easier it will be for them to be a part of Taiwanese society. 來台灣的外國人多學習中文，也可以越容易地融入台灣社會。
The classes start from March 6th, and will go until April 24th.
Remember, if you are learning a second or a third language other than Chinese, you are already very lucky (幸運).
It's not easy now, but it will definitely make your life easier in the future (未來).
Just remember to thank your teachers! ________________________________
老師說【麥塊】是個好的學習工具 Teachers Say Minecraft Can Be A Good Learning Tool
Almost 13 years ago, in 2009, one man made a video game (電動遊戲) by himself.
He used his programming skills (寫電腦程序的技能) to make an entire world in his computer.
And two years later, with help from more people, the game quickly became very famous (有名).
It's called Minecraft (當個創世神，也被稱為麥塊), and now millions of people are playing it!
But many teachers are saying that it's not just a game… it could also be a good learning tool (教學工具)!
There are many ways to make learning more interesting, but one of the best ways is to make a lesson into a game. 讓學習的過程更有趣有很多方法，不過最好的方式之一就是把教學變成遊戲。
This is called "gamification" (遊戲化).
Gamification makes it easier for people, especially kids, to stay engaged (互動、參與) in learning new things.
And because of this, some teachers are starting to see how Minecraft could be helpful in classes about science (科學), technology (科技), engineering (工程), and math (數學).
The company Microsoft (微軟) has even made an educational version (教學版本) of the game, for use in schools.
Teachers say it's not just a class about the game… and it's not just a gamification of reality. 老師說，這不只是關於遊戲的課程，也不只是現實的遊戲化。
It's a balance (平衡) between both, and can teach kids about the connections between them.
We play games to have fun, but they can also teach us a lot about our world.
And the more we learn about our world, the more we're ready to create our own! ________________________________
電視卡通【亞瑟小子】將要結束了 TV Cartoon 'Arthur' Ends
The TV show "Arthur" (亞瑟小子) is finally ending, after 26 years.
That makes it the longest-running (播出、持續最久的) cartoon on U.S. television!
It's a show about a young aardvark (土豚) named Arthur, and his family and friends.
And it first aired in the year 1996! 亞瑟這個卡通第一次播出是1996年！
Many people say he taught a generation of children about kindness, empathy, and inclusion. 很多人說，這個卡通教了一代的孩子們關於友善，同情，和包容。
The final episode looks at the future, and predicts (預測) what life will be like for Arthur and his friends in 20 years.
The show won many awards (獎項), like four Daytime Emmys (艾美獎), and a BAFTA Children's Award (英國電影金像獎).
But Arthur isn't disappearing for good!
Social media promise Arthur will be back in reruns, a new podcast (播客), and short videos.
Which cartoon do you think will take Arthur's place, for the next generation of children? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The city of Taoyuan is starting to offer free Chinese classes to migrant workers.
The free classes are to help people who have moved to Taiwan from countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.
The classes will focus on Chinese that people can use in the workplace, and to have a comfortable life in the city. ________________________________
And,
There are many ways to make learning more interesting, but one of the best ways is to make a lesson into a game.
Gamification makes it easier for people, especially kids, to stay engaged in learning new things.
And because of this, some teachers are starting to see how the game Minecraft could be helpful in classes about science, technology, engineering, and math. ________________________________
And,
The TV show "Arthur" is finally ending.
The cartoon ran for 26 years, which makes it the longest-running cartoon on U.S. television!
Many people say he taught a generation of children about kindness, empathy, and inclusion. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
Diving for diplomas, very savvy birds, and Paddington Bear is a politician?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國小學生潛水拿畢業證書 Student's Dive for School Diplomas
Splish! Splash!
I love playing in the water, but I wish I was better at swimming.
I think I'm pretty good at swimming but I wish I could dive under the water like a deep sea explorer (像深海探險家潛水)!
It's not just deep sea explorers that can dive… did you know some kids in Taiwan do it… when they graduate (畢業) elementary school?!
There's a school in New Taipei City called Hemei Elementary School.
It's actually located right next to a diving school.
And it's also beside a place called Dragon Cove.
Which is where lots of people go diving and snorkeling (浮潛) in the summer time.
The kids at the elementary school have to dive in order to get their diplomas, which the school puts in the ocean.
和美國小的學生要潛入水裡拿到自己的畢業證書。
How cool is that?
Of course, these kids already learn to dive before they graduate.
Hemei Elementary School is home to a special center called the Marine Education Resource Center, which teaches children about not only about diving, but everything to do with the ocean.
Taiwan has 22 marine education centers around the country.
The government uses the centers to promote conservation and the sustainable use of marine resources.
政府透過海洋教育中心推動海洋保育以及永續利用海洋資源。
And the center in New Taipei holds a competition each year so students can show how much they have learned about protecting the ocean.
Let's do our best to protect it so we can continue swimming and diving there! ________________________________
科學家進行實驗，喜鵲棋高一著 Magpies Outsmart Scientists
Magpies are black and white birds that can be found in many places across the world.
They are thought to be very intelligent - that's another word for smart or clever.
After a recent science experiment (實驗) in Australia, scientists found that magpies are much smarter than they thought.
In fact… they managed to 'outsmart' the scientists!
The scientists put GPS trackers (GPS追蹤器) on five magpies.
The trackers were attached like little backpacks (背包).
And they would help the scientists learn about magpies' movements… as well as test the tracking technology.
科學家希望追蹤器可以讓它們更了解喜鵲的習性，也可以測試新的追蹤科技。
What the scientists didn't expect (出乎意料) was that the magpies would work together to remove (移除) the GPS trackers!
Like a backpack, each tracker was attached to a magpie by a strap (帶子).
The straps were supposed to only come off when they touched a magnet at a feeding station.
追蹤器有一個特殊的開關，喜鵲必須觸碰到特定的餵食器，開關才會解開。
This plan would have meant the scientists didn't have to run around to catch the magpies and take the trackers away themselves.
But during the experiment… one magpie started to peck (啄) at the strap of its tracker…
And others joined in to help the magpie…
And before long, the magpie was free of its tracker!
The experiment didn't go how the scientists wanted it to.
But that doesn't mean they didn't learn anything.
One scientist said it was the first time they had seen magpies show altruistic behavior.
And that means the magpies helped each other… without getting a reward (獎品).
What clever birds! ________________________________
從演員到總統 烏克蘭總統的上一份工作 Ukraine President's Peculiar Previous Job
Before Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy became known around the world for his bravery, he was known in his country for another reason.
He was the Ukrainian voice of Paddington Bear (帕丁頓熊).
Zelenskyy can be seen in a special video promoting (推廣) the movie.
He introduces himself saying "Hello to my darling friends. I, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will lend my voice to the wonderful, charismatic, friendly bear Paddington." 烏克蘭總統曾為帕丁頓熊配音。
Even British actor Hugh Bonneville, who was in both Paddington and Paddington 2 said he didn't know that Zelenskyy was the voice of Paddington in Ukraine.
Bonneville used social media to say: "Speaking for myself, thank you, President Zelenskyy."
Before he ran for President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy was in the entertainment industry. 澤倫斯基當烏克蘭總統之前在娛樂業界工作。
He was a comedian, but no one is laughing at him now. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The kids at a New Taipei elementary school have to dive in order to get their diplomas.
These kids already learn to dive before they graduate.
They learn about the ocean at the Marine Education Resource Center. ________________________________
And,
Scientists found that magpies are much smarter than they thought.
The scientists put GPS trackers on five magpies.
The magpies worked together to remove the GPS trackers! ________________________________
And,
Ukraine's President Voldymyr Zelenskyy used to work in the entertainment industry.
He was the Ukrainian voice of Paddington Bear.
Zelenskyy can be seen in a special video promoting the movie. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Understanding our feelings, keeping away seagulls, and voting at the Oscars.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
調查:社群媒體造成兒少社群恐慌症 Survey Finds Social Media Stirs FOMO
Do you ever get a major case of FOMO?
You know that feeling?
Like all your friends or your family are doing something exciting, or having fun without you.
And you're sad and all alone.
If you're on social media, you definitely know what we're talking about.
Sometimes you'll look through a friend's feed and see that they're at a party, or out with other friends.
Or from their posts, it looks like their life is so amazing and they have many things that you want.
THAT feeling.
There's a word for that.
It's "FOMO".
It's actually an abbreviation (縮寫) for "Fear Of Missing Out" (錯失恐懼症、社群媒體焦慮症).
It's feeling sad or nervous that things are happening without you
And it's becoming a big problem, especially when so many people use social media.
The Child Welfare League Foundation took a survey.
They asked more than 1,800 students in junior high and high schools about social media.
That includes things like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Facebook, Douyin and others.
And almost 87 percent of those students said they felt FOMO from social media.
23 percent of the students said this made them feel lonely, or led to low self-esteem (缺乏自信).
兒盟針對兒少進行調查，發現有近8成7的學生曾出現「社群恐慌」狀況，感到焦慮、比較等心態。
The foundation says everyone, including social media companies, schools and parents, must work together to solve this problem. ________________________________
防海鷗空襲 雪梨歌劇院聘請狗狗巡邏隊 Dogs on Seagull Patrol at Sydney Opera House
Special security dogs are on duty (執勤、上班) around Sydney Opera House (雪梨歌劇院).
But these dogs are not police dogs.
They are not searching for criminals (罪犯).
They are on the watch for seagulls!
The Sydney Opera House is right next to Sydney Harbor, where a lot of seagulls live.
And there are many restaurants around the opera house.
Some of those restaurants have seats and tables outside.
And all that delicious food outside…is irresistible (無法抗拒) to the seagulls!
Many customers (顧客) sitting outside say the birds fly in and steal their food.
Some even say the birds attack them.
The restaurant owners say they often have to chase the birds away.
Or they have to give the customers new food.
And they have to clean up broken plates and cups, and buy new ones.
So the restaurants started working with a company called Mad Dogs and Englishmen.
The company sends out dogs and workers to the restaurants.
And they will patrol (巡邏) around the restaurants, chasing away seagulls.
The dogs do not try to catch or bite the seagulls.
And most of the time, the birds will stay far away from the dogs.
The company has around 12 dogs that take turns to do this work.
They use dogs that naturally want to chase seagulls, like Australian kelpies (澳洲卡爾比犬 ) and border collies (邊境牧羊犬).
One worker says at first, customers do not understand what the dogs are doing.
Then when the dogs go on a short break, all the seagulls come back to steal food.
And the customers quickly understand the dogs' jobs.
With the dogs on the job, the seagulls don't get hurt, and people can enjoy their food in peace. ________________________________
奧斯卡開放網友推特投票 Twitter Gets a Say in the Oscars
If you've always dreamed of being a part of the Oscars (奧斯卡獎) - or know someone who does, now is your chance!
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose members vote (投票) on Oscar nominations (提名), is opening voting to Twitter users.
The Academy is inviting Twitter users to vote on their favorite films from 2021, using the hashtag (井號) #OscarsFanFavorite.
奧斯卡主辦單位今年增設了兩大獎項，讓大家用推特給自己喜歡的影片投票。
And that's not all.
Twitter users will also get the chance to tweet about their favorite movie scene from 2021 using the hashtag #OscarCheerMoment.
Five winners will get a prize pack including a year of free movie tickets to a theatre of their choice, and exclusive (獨家的) gifts.
The winner of the Twitter vote will be announced on March 27th, which is when this year's Oscars takes place. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Child Welfare League Foundation survey finds that almost 87 percent students said they felt FOMO from social media.
23 percent of the students said this made them feel lonely, or led to low self-esteem.
The foundation says everyone, including social media companies, schools and parents, must work together to solve this problem. ________________________________
Special security dogs patrol around Sydney Opera House to keep seagulls away.
The birds often try to steal food from people eating outside at restaurants there.
With the dogs on the job, the seagulls don't get hurt, and people can enjoy their food in peace. ________________________________
And,
The Oscars is opening voting to Twitter users.
People can vote for movies using special hashtags.
The winner of the Twitter vote will be announced on March 27th, which is when this year's Oscars takes place. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Taiwanese satellite, mysterious bee thieves, and another fat bear.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣合作製造的衛星 開始環繞地球 INSPIRESat-1 Microsatellite Enters Orbit
Taiwan has helped put another satellite into space!
It's called the INSPIRESat-1.
To "inspire" means to 【啟發】, and the people working on this project hope to inspire young scientists.
The satellite was launched (發射) from a station in India.
And it is now flying in circles around the Earth, more than 500 kilometers above the ground.
Its mission is to collect data from our planet's upper atmosphere. 它的任務是，在大氣層上層收集資訊。
It will use X-rays (X光) to watch Earth's skies and weather.
The satellite will work for about a year, before we have all the information we need.
Of course, learning more about science, outer space, and electrical engineering (電機工程) is really important.
But this satellite was developed by scientists from the U.S., India, and Taiwan, all working together! 這顆衛星是美國，印度，和台灣三方科學家一起合作製造的！
That means it's also very important for closer international cooperation (更緊密的國際合作).
The more Taiwan works with other countries on big projects like this, the more we can accomplish (完成)! ________________________________
加州養蜂人 追蹤蜜蜂小偷 California Beekeepers Chase Bee Thieves
For a lot of people, bees (蜜蜂) can be pretty scary.
But for some people, the more we learn about them, the more we appreciate them (欣賞牠們).
They make honey (蜂蜜), they help pollinate flowers (授粉), and they have helped us learn a lot about how bugs work together.
For many years, there have even been people who raise their own beehives (蜂窩).
These people are called "beekeepers" (養蜂人), and some can have many beehives at once!
Their honey can be very valuable (珍貴), and bees can help farmers to pollinate their crops (農作物).
In this way, many people use bees to make their living (維生).
And that's why we're seeing a very strange problem happening in the U.S….
In the state of California, more than a thousand beehives have been stolen! 在美國加州，最近有一千多個蜂窩被偷走！
People say it's because California has so many almond farms (杏仁農場), and bees help to pollinate almond trees (杏仁樹).
And farmers all over the state say that in the month of February, many people have seen their bees stolen from them in the middle of the night.
Many of the farmers have started to put special tracking devices in their beehives, so they can find the thieves more quickly. 很多農夫開始在蜂窩裡面放追蹤器，好更快找到蜂窩小偷。
And other farmers have started to use stronger locks (更堅固的鎖) to keep their bees safe.
It's very sad that there are so many thieves (小偷) out there…
But at least we can be less afraid of the bees themselves! ________________________________
肥胖黑熊 造成小鎮困擾 Fat Bear Trouble in Small Towns
In the U.S., there is a 225-kilogram black bear now wandering (流浪) around the states of California (加州) and Nevada (內華達州).
People have named him Hank the Tank, and he's not afraid of people anymore.
And because he's so brave, he's been breaking into houses to look for food. 漢克很勇敢，牠會闖進人類的屋子找東西吃。
Except now, there's one more surprise…
People have realized that Hank is actually three different bears!
It's just very hard to tell them apart (很難分清楚).
And on top of that, their love of food has made each bear double the size of an average black bear. 更麻煩的是，這些黑熊因為很貪吃，現在各隻的身材是一般黑熊的兩倍。
The police have stressed (強調) that no one wants to hurt the bears.
Most residents think they are friendly, even if they have broken into more than 30 homes.
Maybe they need the exercise! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has helped put a satellite called the INSPIRESat-1 into space.
It is now flying in circles around the Earth, collecting data from our planet's upper atmosphere.
This satellite was developed by scientists from the U.S., India, and Taiwan, all working together. ________________________________
And,
In the state of California, more than a thousand beehives have been stolen!
People say it's because California has so many almond farms, and bees help to pollinate almond trees.
Many of the farmers have started to put special tracking devices in their beehives, so they can find the thieves more quickly. ________________________________
And,
There is a 225-kilogram black bear now wandering around in the U.S., breaking into houses for food.
Except now, people have realized it is actually three different bears!
Most residents think they are friendly, even if they have broken into more than 30 homes. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Old lighthouses, mammoth strawberries, and famous adventurers.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
百年燈塔將升格國定古蹟 Taiwan Lighthouse Becomes National Heritage
A lighthouse more than 100 years old is now officially part of Taiwan's history.
A lighthouse (燈塔) is a high building with a very powerful light at the top.
Lighthouses are mostly built close to the sea.
The strong light helps ships know where land is.
Or they help ships stay away from danger like sharp rocks and reefs (礁石).
The lighthouse on Pengjia Islet has been doing this for 113 years!
And it will be declared a part of Taiwan's national cultural heritage.
彭佳嶼燈塔通過文化部的審議，將升格為國定古蹟。
The lighthouse was built in 1909.
It is a white tower that's about 26 meters tall.
The lighthouse is on Pengjia Islet, which is a small piece of land north of Keelung.
It has been a part of important times in Taiwan's history.
If you look closely, you can see marks on the lighthouse made when it was bombed by airplanes in World War II.
彭佳嶼燈塔經歷超過百年的歷史，在第二次世界大戰時曾遭盟軍轟炸，塔頂還看得到當時掃射的痕跡。
Four people take turns to stay at the lighthouse a month at a time through the year.
To get there, they have to take a boat for three hours.
And they must bring with them all the things they need for a month.
But the lighthouse is not open for outside visitors. ________________________________
以色列巨無霸草莓 破金氏紀錄 Giant Strawberry Sets World Record
Strawberries are a popular (受歡迎的) fruit.
Some people like to eat fresh strawberries.
And we often see them on birthday cakes.
But one strawberry is so heavy, that it might break the cake!
The giant strawberry was grown by a farmer in Israel.
It was 18 centimeters long.
And it weighed 289 grams.
That means this one strawberry was as heavy as three apples…
Or more than 40 grapes!
The strawberry covered a person's hand.
Many news reports are calling the strawberry a "mammoth" (龐大的、巨無霸).
The farmer, Chahi Ariel, says he grew the strawberry last year.
He says at that time, Israel was unusually cold.
The cold weather made the strawberry ripen more slowly.
And that gave it more time to grow heavier.
Chahi Ariel說去年有一段異常寒冷的天氣，造成草莓成熟的速度放慢，讓它持續增重，才成為了這顆巨無霸草莓。
When the strawberry was ready, Chahi Ariel picked it and put it in the freezer.
He wanted to keep the strawberry and wait for the Guinness World Records to see if it could make a new record.
And it did!
The Guinness World Records announced it was officially the world's heaviest strawberry.
The last heaviest strawberry was one grown in 2015 by a man in Japan.
That berry weighed 250 grams.
以色列這顆289克重的草莓獲得金氏世界紀錄認證為世界上最重的草莓。 ________________________________
湯姆荷蘭德新電影衝上美國票房冠軍 Tom Holland's "Uncharted" Tops US Box Office
Tom Holland isn't playing his most famous character (角色) in his latest movie.
But the film still opened strong at the US box office (票房).
Holland's latest movie, "Uncharted," is an action-adventure which was inspired by a video game of the same name.
The movie sees Tom Holland playing a character named Nathan Drake, who works with Victor Sullivan, played by Mark Wahlberg.
湯姆霍蘭德在"秘境探險"中飾演年輕版的冒險家，展開全新的尋寶冒險故事。
Both Drake and Sullivan are trying to find a fortune which had been amassed (積聚、藏) by the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Movie critics didn't seem too impressed with "Uncharted", but movie goers don't appear to feel the same way.
It is expected to earn $51 million over the long President's Day Weekend holiday in the U.S. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The lighthouse on Pengjia Islet will be declared a part of Taiwan's national cultural heritage.
The lighthouse was built in 1909.
It has been a part of important times in Taiwan's history.
If you look closely, you can see marks on the lighthouse made when it was bombed by airplanes in World War II.
But the lighthouse is not open for outside visitors. ________________________________
A giant strawberry grown by a farmer in Israel has set a world record.
It was 18 centimeters long.
And it weighed 289 grams.
It was so big that it covered a person's hand.
Many news reports are calling the strawberry a "mammoth".
The giant strawberry was grown by a farmer in Israel.
The Guinness World Records announced it was officially the world's heaviest strawberry. ________________________________
And,
Tom Holland's latest movie opened strong at the U.S. box office.
"Uncharted," is an action-adventure which was inspired by a video game of the same name.
The movie sees Tom Holland playing a character named Nathan Drake, who is trying to find a fortune amassed by Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
"Uncharted" is expected to earn $51 million over the long President's Day Weekend holiday in the U.S. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
New types of fish, a solar eruption, and a singer's kindness.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣科學家在往返各國的隔離中，研究魚的新種發現 Taiwanese Scientist Discovers New Types Of Fish While in Quarantine
You've heard of Batman…
But have you heard of a batfish (擬棘茄魚)?
You probably haven't… because some of them are still being discovered!
The batfish, also called "Halieutopsis", is a very rare kind of flat fish with a long tail that can live as deep as 4,000 meters under the sea.
That's four kilometers under the surface (水面)！
And one Taiwanese scientist has recently discovered five new kinds of these strange fish.
But the most amazing part is that he made the discoveries while he was in quarantine (檢疫)!
Because batfish are so rare, most people will never see one with their own eyes (親眼看).
So the Taiwanese scientist had to travel to some faraway places, to see the fish in museums and aquariums. 為了能實際觀看這些擬棘茄魚，這位科學家必須去到一些比較遠的國家，造訪當地的博物館和水族館。
And since many countries have pandemic restrictions…
The researcher ended up doing most of his research in quarantine hotels.
He looked at photos of batfish, read descriptions of batfish, and took lots and lots of notes. 他檢視擬棘茄魚的照片，閱讀關於牠們的文字敘述，並且作了很多很多的筆記。
And in the end, he was able to classify (分類) five new types of the rare fish!
It may be just a small part of all our information on the animal world, but it's still important work.
Of course, if we have to be honest… none of them really look like bats.
But then… neither does Batman! ________________________________
太陽的巨大閃焰噴射進太空 Sun Shoots Giant Solar Flare Into Space
The sun may look like a simple circle from far away, but because it's a giant ball of gas (氣體) and plasma (等離子體), its surface is always changing.
And sometimes, it even shoots flares (閃焰) out into space!
A solar flare (太陽閃焰) happens when heat from inside the sun erupts like a volcano out into space.
Now, before you feel scared, these flares aren't going to hurt our planet…
But they CAN hurt our technology (科技)!
Solar flares shoot out a magnetic field (磁層), which usually takes a few days to reach Earth.
And when it does, it can disrupt the signals of machines all over the world. 太陽閃焰射出的磁層到達地球時，就會擾亂全球機器的訊號。
These effects can be called a "geomagnetic storm" (磁暴).
Luckily, space is very big, and most of these flares fly out in a different direction.
But one flare on February 15th was so powerful that it caused many satellites (衛星) to fall out of the sky!
This flare was called an "X-class flare", and it was one of the biggest that scientists have seen in recent years.
So why does the sun do this?
These flares come from changes in the sun's magnetic fields, which are always shifting (轉移) and reconnecting (重新連接).
That shifting even causes the sun's north pole and south pole to switch places once every 11 years! 這些磁層的轉移會造成太陽磁極每11年交換一次！
It's no wonder this crazy ball of fire can keep us so warm…
Let's just be glad it's that far away! ________________________________
Billie Eilish為了粉絲而暫停演唱會 Singer Billie Eilish Stops a Concert for a Fan
Billie Eilish might have won a few Grammies (葛萊美獎), but she probably won more fans for her act of kindness during a concert (演唱會) in Atlanta, Georgia.
During her "Happier than Ever" world tour, Eilish paused (暫停了) her concert to help someone in the audience (觀眾).
There was a young woman in the audience, who was having trouble breathing. 觀眾中有一個少女覺得呼吸困難。
Eilish stopped singing for a moment, to ask the woman if she needed an inhaler. Billie Eilish停下來問她是否需要給一個吸入器。
She then turned to security and asked them to help find one for her.
Eilish told the audience to give the sick woman some time, and to not crowd her (不要擠到她).
The entire moment was captured (被錄影) by concert-goers on video, and they shared it on social media (社交媒體).
The woman eventually recovered (恢復了), and stayed in the audience.
Now she has a story to tell her family and friends, about how Billie Eilish helped her out! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Taiwanese scientist has recently discovered five new kinds of batfish.
Because they are so rare, he had to travel to some faraway places, and did most of his research in quarantine hotels.
In the end, he was able to classify five new types of the rare fish! ________________________________
And,
One solar flare on February 15th was so powerful that it caused many satellites to fall out of the sky!
A solar flare happens when heat from inside the sun erupts like a volcano out into space.
These flares come from changes in the sun's magnetic fields, which are always shifting and reconnecting. ________________________________
And,
During her concert, Billie Eilish stopped singing, to help a woman who was having trouble breathing.
Eilish told the audience to give the sick woman some time, and to not crowd her.
The woman eventually recovered, and stayed in the audience. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
A Filipino celebration in Taipei, can your dog recognize your voice? And Baby Shark gets a movie!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
聖嬰和平節在台北上街 Taipei's First Santo Nino Beats for Peace Festival
Can you hear that happy music?
Yes! And look, there's a parade (遊行) of people coming.
Wow, they're all wearing, beautiful, colorful costumes.
I wonder what for?
It's the Santo Nino Beats for Peace Festival!
This year, the Filipino community in Taiwan (在台灣的菲律賓僑胞) took to the street to celebrate Santo Nino de Cebu.
Who is Santo Nino de Cebu?
Santo Nino de Cebu is the Roman Catholic name for baby Jesus. Jesus is the most important figure in the Roman Catholic religion. Santo Nino de Cebu是羅馬天主教給耶穌童年時的名字。耶穌是天主教的要角。
And lots of people in the Philippines are Roman Catholic.
Oh, right. Hundreds of years ago Spain colonized the Philippines. Back then, most of Spain was Roman Catholic. 幾百年前菲律賓曾經是西班牙的殖民地，當時大部分西班牙人信奉天主教。
Spanish colonizers left behind a statue of the baby Jesus. This was later found by Portuguese explorers and given to a queen of the Philippines.
Now, people in the Philippines hold a celebration (慶祝) of when they first accepted (接受) the Catholic religion.
And they hold one in Taipei, too!
This year there were dance groups, cheerful music, and a competition with an award (獎賞) for the best dancers.
It all happened in central Taipei.
The group than won the dance competition got 30 thousand Taiwanese dollars!
It sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe we can go and watch next year! ________________________________
狗狗認得出主人的聲音 Dogs Can Recognize Their Owner's Voices
A new study has found that dogs may be able to recognize (認出) the voices of their owners.
Well, this might not be a surprise to those of you that have dogs.
You probably think, "of course my dog recognizes me!"
But before, it was thought that dogs used other things like sight (視覺) and smell (嗅覺) to recognize their owners.
Recently, scientists in Hungary (匈牙利) invited 28 dogs and owners to play a game of hide and seek (躲貓貓).
In the experiment (實驗), owners hid (躲藏) in one hiding place. Strangers (陌生人) hid in another.
For each dog, the scientists played the sound of its owner from their hiding place. And they played the sound of the stranger from the other.
They wanted to see if the dogs could recognize their owner's voice from a distance. 研究員想觀察狗狗能不能從遠大老遠就認出主人的叫聲。
Well, they found that in 82 percent of games, the dogs could tell which their owner's voice was!
But even from a distance… a dog's sense of smell is very good.
In fact, it's 40 times better than a human's sense of smell.
So the scientists had to think about this.
To make the experiment fair, sometimes they played each dog's owner's voice from the place the stranger was hiding. 為了公平起見，研究員偶爾從陌生人躲避的地方播出主人的聲音。
And…most of the dogs ran to the stranger!
Dogs may be smarter than we think… good boy! ________________________________
Baby Shark gets a movie 鯊魚寶寶有電影了！
Who DOESN'T remember the song "Baby Shark"?
The preschool (幼稚園) song which went viral six years ago is about to become a full-length movie (一部完整的電影).
It's also going to be made into a TV show called "Baby Shark's Big Show."
The movie is being produced by American children's entertainment (娛樂) company Nickelodeon and Korea's Pinkfong. 美國的尼克兒童電視頻道跟韓國一家公司合作，準備推出這部電影。
Other than that (除此之外), no details about the film, or the TV show have been released.
This is not the first time Baby Shark is starring in its own film.
An hour-long show called "Pinkfong and Baby Shark's Space Adventure" was released, but you can only catch the show on Netflix.
You can also watch the original two-minute YouTube video which has been downloaded (下載) more than 10 billion times. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year, the Filipino community in Taiwan took to the street to celebrate Santo Nino de Cebu.
There were dance groups, cheerful music, and a competition with an award for the best dancers.
It all happened in central Taipei. ________________________________
And,
A new study has found that dogs may be able to recognize the voices of their owners.
Scientists in Hungary invited 28 dogs and owners to play a game of hide and seek.
They found that in 82 percent of games, dogs could recognize their owner's voice. ________________________________
And,
Baby Shark went viral six years ago.
It is about to become a full-length movie!
The movie is being produced by American children's entertainment company Nickelodeon and Korea's Pinkfong. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Going green on the islands, up in the air with reptiles, and the latest from Marvel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
綠島蘭嶼借杯 減塑好方便 Green and Orchid Island Offer Reusable Cup Rentals
If you're visiting Green Island or Orchid Island, now there's no need to bring a cup!
Now the islands have a cup rental system (租借系統).
There are 1,200 reusable cups for people to rent.
If you are on the islands, and need a cup, head to one of the automatic machines.
Scan the QR code, and enter your cup number.
And you can take the cup!
綠島、蘭嶼都有借環站，可以自助借環保杯，掃瞄QRcode 登記杯子編號，就能借用了。
When you are done with it, you can return the cup at many stores, hotels, and other places.
The cups are then professionally cleaned and disinfected.
每個杯子使用後都會做專門清洗消毒。
Then people can rent them again.
This system started at the end of last year.
But most people stopped visiting the islands because of COVID-19.
So the cups didn't get much use.
But over the Lunar New Year holiday, more people started using the system.
It's a good way to cut waste and help the environment.
目前「綠島杯」和「蘭嶼杯」在綠島、蘭嶼各有5個、4個借環站，多多使用能幫助減輕環境負擔。 ________________________________
飛機上真的有蛇！ Snakes on a Plane in Malaysia
In 2006, there was a Hollywood action movie called "Snakes on a Plane" ("飛機上有蛇").
In the film, people on a plane flying in the air try to stay safe from hundreds of venomous snakes (毒蛇).
The movie became very famous, because it was such a crazy story.
Some people thought the movie was funny, because it could never really happen…
Or could it?
A flight in Malaysia had to make an emergency landing, after a snake was found on the plane.
The plane was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau.
Some of the passengers (乘客) noticed the snake first.
They saw the shadow of the snake, moving through lights on the plane.
飛機起飛沒多久，有一些乘客發現機艙內的燈罩裡有一隻蛇在爬行。
Some people were scared.
And some passengers posted photos and videos of it online.
The plane changed course (改變航向) and made an emergency landing in the city of Kuching.
All the passengers got off the plane safely.
And the snake was taken off the plane too.
The airline did not say what kind of snake it was.
They also did not explain how the snake got on the plane.
But they say this is "very rare", and can happen on "any aircraft from time to time".
The airline says there was no danger for the passengers and the crew (機組員).
And this is not the first time something like this has happened.
In 2016, a Scottish woman went to Australia for a vacation.
She was on a flight to go home, when she noticed her shoe felt strange.
When she took off the shoe, she found a python (蟒蛇)!
Luckily the snake was not venomous.
The plane landed, and people came to take the snake away to a safe place.
So… maybe that Hollywood movie was not as crazy as people thought! ________________________________
漫威有新的預告片 Marvel Releases its Latest Trailer
The Super Bowl is one of America's biggest sporting events.
It's also an opportunity (機會) for movie companies like Marvel (漫威) to release trailers and teasers (預告片) for upcoming films.
During this year's Super Bowl, we got the chance to watch the trailer for this summer's Marvel release - "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
漫威新電影 "奇異博士2：失控多重宇宙" 的預告片搭配超級盃曝光。
The movie is set after the latest Spider Man movie - "Spider Man: No Way Home" and "Avengers: Endgame."
It's the story of what happens when Doctor Stephen Strange continues his research (研究) on the Time Stone.
The trailer features many familiar faces including Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch.
The movie is expected to be released (上映) in the summer… which gives us one more thing to look forward to! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Green Island and Orchid Island now have a cup rental system.
There are 1,200 reusable cups for people to rent.
If you are on the islands, and need a cup, just head to one of the automatic machines. ________________________________
A flight in Malaysia had to make an emergency landing, after a snake was found on the plane.
Some of the passengers saw the shadow of the snake, moving through lights on the plane.
The plane changed course and made an emergency landing in the city of Kuching.
All the passengers got off the plane safely. ________________________________
And,
During this year's Super Bowl, we got the chance to watch the trailer for this summer's Marvel release - "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
It's the story of what happens when Doctor Stephen Strange continues his research on the Time Stone.
The movie is expected to be released this summer. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Treasure in trash, trash in space, and space for a new character in an upcoming movie.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
影片部落格 垃圾中發現古物 Vloggers Accidentally Find Relics in Trash
Have you ever seen a vlog?
"Vlog" is a shorter word for "video blog", which is like a blog (部落格) or journal (日記) made with videos.
And a "vlogger" is someone who makes vlogs!
Two of these vloggers in Taiwan have a YouTube channel, where they like to share videos of their outdoor activities.
Recently, they were making a video about cleaning up trash in Taiwan's mountains and forests.
And they cleaned up around 130 kilograms of trash!
But when they released the video, many people discovered a strange detail. 她們發布影片的時候，很多人發現一件奇怪的事。
In their trash, there were some old bottles of wine (有幾瓶紅酒).
And because they were picked up in the ruins of the Ma'an Police Station (新竹馬鞍派出所), some people realized they must be very, VERY old. 那些酒瓶是在馬鞍派出所的廢墟中找到的，所以應該是很久很久以前的東西。
In fact… the bottles of wine were from the Japanese Colonial Era (台灣日治時期)!
People say this makes them relics (遺跡), and that they should be put in a museum, or somewhere safe.
In the end, the two vloggers apologized (道歉), and returned the bottles to their original place.
It's lucky that they have so much to share with their audience (觀眾), but it's also lucky that their audience pays so much attention to the details! ________________________________
太空船碎片 會撞上月球 Space Debris to Collide with Moon
Humans have been traveling to space for many decades now (好幾十年).
We've put some truly amazing rockets (火箭) and satellites (衛星) way up there…
But unfortunately, we can't always bring everything back down to Earth so easily.
And that means our old machines (機器) have left a lot of trash in the space around our planet.
Scientists pay close attention to this space trash, so that we don't accidentally hit it when we travel off of Earth.
And recently, they noticed a very large object moving very quickly toward the moon.
Scientists say it's a giant piece of the Chang'e rocket, that China sent to the moon in 2014. 科學家說，這塊巨大的太空垃圾是中國2014年送去月球的【嫦娥】火箭的一部分。
It was already used in the mission (任務), and was left to float in space.
But now, scientists say it's going to hit the moon!
According to some complicated math, the rocket part should crash into the moon's surface on March 4th, at around 8:00 PM. 根據很複雜的數學計算，這塊太空垃圾將要在3月4日晚上8點左右撞到月球表面。
Of course we know the moon is big, but space is even bigger, so this is a rare event (很罕見).
And the moon crash might be pretty cool to see, but scientists are still reminding people to stop putting so much trash in space…
We don't want people to get hit out there, too! ________________________________
第三部音速小子電影 開始拍攝 Third Sonic Movie in the Works
American movie studio Paramount is developing a third "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie.
The movie will focus on the character "Knuckles", a red echidna who starts off as one of Sonic's enemies, but later becomes Sonic's best friend. 這部電影的主角是【納克魯斯】，一隻紅色的針鼴，最開始是音速小子的敵人之一。
It's not yet sure if Knuckles will go from being Sonic's enemy to his friend in the movies too. 我們不確定納克魯斯在這部電影裡，是否也會跟音速小子做朋友。
The first Sonic movie earned 320 million U.S. dollars worldwide.
The second movie will be released this April, and will feature actors including Jim Carrey and James Marsden. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two Taiwanese vloggers were making a video about cleaning up trash, and found some old bottles of wine.
People noticed that the bottles of wine were from the Japanese Colonial Era, and said they were relics.
The two vloggers apologized, and returned the bottles to their original place. ________________________________
And,
Scientists recently noticed a very large piece of space trash floating toward the moon.
They say it's an old part of China's Chang'e rocket, and should crash into the moon's surface on March 4th, at around 8:00 PM.
The moon is big, but space is even bigger, so this is a rare event. ________________________________
And,
A U.S. studio is making a third "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie.
The movie will focus on the character "Knuckles", a red echidna who starts off as one of Sonic's enemies.
The first Sonic movie earned 320 million U.S. dollars worldwide, and the second movie will be released this April. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pets at a temple, potatoes in a perfume, and a career starter for a famous soccer player's son.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
寺廟開放為寵物祈福 Temple Welcomes Pets at Lantern Festival
Lantern Festival (元宵節) was so much fun this year!
I went to Kaohsiung and saw a huge light display (燈會各式各樣的作品).
Everyone there was wearing tiger tails… pretty funny, right?
The organizers of the festival were selling fake tiger tails (假的老虎尾巴), and they became pretty popular.
What did you do for Lantern Festival this year?
I went to Pingxi and set off a paper sky lantern.
I made wishes for happiness and good fortune (幸福) in the New Year.
Lots of people go to temples during Lantern Festival to receive blessings from the gods (祈福).
But one temple in New Taipei City did something a little different this year…
It welcomed in pets to be blessed and adopted (收養).
Jieyun Temple in New Taipei's Banqiao District held a pet adoption event to try to find some animals a nice new home.
It was organized by the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, which helps stray animals and helps pets get vaccinations.
這個寵物領養活動活動是由新北動物保護防疫區舉辦，這個組織不但幫助流浪動物，也鼓勵寵物接種疫苗。
People brought their cats, dogs and rabbits to Jieyun Temple to get chips (微晶片), so they can know where their pet is if it gets lost.
Also, four dogs and three cats were adopted at the event. Hooray!
New Taipei City government has been thinking of innovative ways to make life better for animals.
新北市政府一直在找有創意的方法讓動物過得更好。
I'm happy that some found a new home during this year's Lantern Festival. ________________________________
馬鈴薯香水上市了 Company Makes Potato Perfume
Fruit… flowers… wood and spices.
These are smells that you usually think of when you think of perfume (香水).
But how about potatoes?
A company in the U.S. state of Idaho has made a perfume using potatoes.
And the perfume is called Frites by Idaho.
Frites is the French word for fries.
And get this… the perfume actually smells like French fries!
And it's made with potatoes, too.
Would you like to walk around smelling like French fries all day?
Well apparently, a lot of people would, because the Idaho Potato Commission put the product on its website…
…and it sold out very quickly!
美國公司Idaho Potato Commission做出薯條味的香水，產品一上市就賣光了!
It's a limited edition product (限量版) - that means the company will only sell it for a small amount of time.
But it is very cheap. The price on the website was one dollar 89 cents… about the price of a large order of French fries!
People who want it can still win a bottle through competitions on social media (社交媒體).
According to the Idaho Potato Commission, it decided to make the perfume after workers there saw a poll (調查) that found 90 percent of Americans "find the smell of French fries irresistible".
公司的研究員發現一項調查結果說九成的美國人無法抵抗薯條的香味。
The Idaho Potato Commission president said their smell is "too good to resist".
I do think French fries are irresistible… but I wouldn't want to smell like them all day! ________________________________
羅納度的兒子被曼徹斯特聯足球俱樂部招募 Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. Signs for Manchester United Youth
Like father, like son.
That's a famous phrase.
And it has proved true for the son of world-famous soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.
His son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. has just been signed by the British soccer club Manchester United.
足球運動員羅納度的兒子和英國的曼聯清訓簽下合約。
He is only 11 years old, so he will play for the club's junior team (少年隊).
But he will be wearing their number 7 shirt.
That's the same number his dad wears when he plays for Manchester United.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played over 210 games and scored over 90 goals for Manchester United in England's top soccer league, the Premier League, since he started there in 2003.
C羅2003年加入曼徹斯特聯足球俱樂部，從此在英格蘭超級足球聯賽參加了超過210場比賽， 90多次進網。
So Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. has some big football boots to fill! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A temple in New Taipei City welcomed in pets to be blessed and adopted during Lantern Festival.
Four dogs and three cats were adopted at the event. ________________________________
And,
A company in the U,S, state of Idaho has made a perfume using potatoes.
And the perfume is called Frites by Idaho.
It sold out very quickly. ________________________________
And,
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. has just been signed by the British soccer club Manchester United.
He is only 11 years old, so he will play for the club's junior team.
He will be wearing their number 7 shirt, the same as his dad! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
A Grand Hike in Taipei, a bug for a wound, and Adele at the Brits.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北市政府鼓勵 大縱走健行活動 Special Prizes for Grand Trail Hikers
Living in the city can be very convenient… with all the shops and restaurants… and good public transportation (公共交通), like frequent (頻繁) buses and MRT trains.
But it can be nice to escape the bustle of the city…
And go into the countryside sometimes.
有時候逃離大城市的喧鬧，到鄉下去也很好。
That's why lots of people go hiking (健行).
And lucky for people who like hiking, Taiwan has some amazing trails (很棒的步道).
The Taipei City government is encouraging people to get out and take on these trails.
It is promoting (推廣) an event called the 'Grand Hike'.
And the Grand Hike has 12 different trails…
…at a total of 92 kilometers!
But, don't worry, you don't have to walk the entire 92 kilometers in one go.
You have a whole year to do it!
The Taipei City Government is giving a special prize to those that take a photo of themselves at a location (地點) on each of the 12 trails from now up until December 31st.
And you get additional prizes if you use an app called Walk Notes to track your journey.
要是你使用名叫走路筆記的app來記錄你的旅程，就有機會得到額外獎賞。
Some of the locations include Qixing Mountain, the highest peak (峰) in Taipei.
There's also the Camphor Tree Walkway on the Zhangshu Trail in Taipei's Wenshan District.
The government said it wants to help people improve their fitness.
I sure could do with more exercise! ________________________________
黑猩猩用昆蟲當OK繃 Chimps Use Insects as Band Aids
Ouch! I fell over and I've cut myself.
Oh great… now it's bleeding (流血).
What should I do?
Here, I have a band aid (OK繃), put this over your cut to stop it from bleeding.
Oh, thank you! Band aids are definitely a useful invention (發明) to help people when they are injured (受傷).
Not just people…
What do you mean?
Chimpanzees have invented band aids, too!
Chimpanzees? How?
By using insects. Chimpanzees (黑猩猩) in Gabon, a country in Africa, have been spotted catching insects and directly applying them to wounds.
And they don't just do it to themselves, they do it to other chimps, too!
在非洲的加彭，科學家發現黑猩猩會抓住昆蟲直接貼在傷口上，不管是自己還是其他的黑猩猩。
Scientists there first saw it happen in 2019, when they caught a mother looking at her son's injured foot.
The mother caught an insect, squeezed it in her mouth, and then put it on her son's foot!
The scientists have recorded similar incidents (相同的情況) many times since.
They're not sure what kind of insects chimps prefer to use, but they think it's probably a flying one.
Other animals heal themselves when they are hurt by eating plants and things like that.
But it's rare to see one animal tending to the wounds of another.
有別種動物會吃植物之類的方式來治療 ，不過動物醫治另一個動物的情況很罕見。
I guess insects are less disgusting…and more useful than I thought! ________________________________
愛黛兒在英國全英音樂獎大獲全勝 Adele Wins Big at Brit Awards
Singer Adele has swept the U.K.'s biggest music awards.
On February 8 she attended the Brit Awards ceremony at London's O2 Arena.
She won three of the competition's biggest awards: best artist, best song, and best album of the year.
愛黛兒榮獲今年全英音樂獎的最佳歌手、最佳歌曲及最佳專輯，是三個最重要的獎項。
Pick up one of her awards, Adele joked "I can't believe a piano ballad won up against that many bangers."
The singer's album 30 was one of the biggest selling albums of last year.
愛黛兒的"30"，是去年最暢銷的專輯。
Other winners at this year's Brit Awards included rap artists Dave and Little Simz.
Dua Lipa won the award for best pop/R&B act after gaining the most votes on TikTok. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei City government is encouraging people to get out and take on some hiking trails.
It is promoting an event called the 'Grand Hike'.
And the Grand Hike has 12 different trails. ________________________________
And,
Chimpanzees have invented band aids.
Chimpanzees in Gabon have been spotted catching insects and directly applying them to wounds. ________________________________
And,
Singer Adele swept the U.K.'s biggest music awards.
On February 8 she attended the Brit Awards ceremony at London's O2 Arena.
She won three of the competition's biggest awards: best artist, best song, and best album of the year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
An Olympic first for Taiwan, freedom for a crocodile, and a royal bedtime story.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
李玟儀順利完賽 創台灣女將紀錄 Taiwan's First Female Olympic Alpine Skier
Many Taiwan athletes (運動員) are giving it their all right now.
To "give it your all" (全力以赴) is to try your very best, to do the best that you can.
And that's what many athletes from Taiwan are doing at the Beijing Olympics right now.
One of those athletes is Lee Wen-yi (李玟儀).
In fact, she is the first woman from Taiwan to compete in the Olympics Alpine Skiing -- Women's Slalom event.
In slalom, the athlete has to ski down a hill as fast as they can.
But there are many gates (旗門) on the way.
Skiers have to make many tight and fast turns.
And they do this at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
That's almost as fast as a car on the highway!
The skiers go down the hill twice.
Then the times for each run are added together.
The person with the shortest time wins!
Lee Wen-yi faced 87 other slalom skiers that day.
The 19-year-old started her first run.
But after a few seconds of skiing, she fell and missed one of the gates!
But Wen-yi didn't give up.
She climbed back up, went through the gate she missed, and finished her first run.
It added an extra 20 seconds to her run time.
But she was determined (有決心).
On her second run, she did much better.
Wen-yi was one of the 50 athletes who finished both runs.
She has now made history as the first Taiwan woman skier to compete in the Alpine Skiing Women's Slalom event at the Winter Olympics.
李玟儀代表台灣出戰2022北京冬奧，也成為台灣首位在冬奧高山滑雪曲道完賽的女子選手。 ________________________________
被「輪胎項鍊」困6年 印尼鱷魚終於自由了 "Tire Necklace" Crocodile Finally Freed
Crocodiles are very powerful animals.
They eat mostly meat, and have sharp teeth, and very strong muscles.
But one of these tough (堅強的) animals needed some help．
It had a big "pain in the neck" (令人討厭的事物或人).
The wild crocodile in Indonesia had a motorcycle tire stuck around its neck.
People first noticed this crocodile in 2016.
The animal is about 4 meters long.
That's about as long as a car!
They were worried that as the crocodile grew bigger, it would choke to death.
這一尾鱷魚6年前遭摩托車輪胎套住頸部，當地人擔心它會被輪胎勒死。
Some people tried to catch the reptile (爬蟲類) and cut the tire off.
But it got away every time.
Many people called it "buaya kalung ban", which means "the crocodile with a tire necklace".
One man named Tili decided he had to help.
He made a trap (陷阱) for the crocodile.
And after many tries over three weeks, he finally caught it!
Videos online show Tili using a small saw to cut off the tire.
And the crocodile was freed from its "tire necklace".
Tili 設了陷阱成功捕捉到鱷魚之後，用鋸子把輪胎鋸開，幫助它擺脫這個「輪胎項鍊」。
The crocodile quickly went back into the river.
It was finally free! ________________________________
英國凱特王妃唸睡前故事 Duchess of Cambridge Reads a Bedtime Story
Do you like bedtime stories?
It's one of the best ways to hear a story.
You put on your pajamas (睡衣).
Turn the lights down low.
Get nice and cozy (舒適) in your bed.
And someone reads you a story.
Sometimes that someone is your mom or dad.
Or maybe it's your older brother or sister.
Well, how about a Duchess(公爵夫人)?
The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton read a bedtime story on television for children around the world.
英國王室的劍橋公爵夫人凱薩琳日前上BBC兒童節目，為小朋友唸睡前故事
She sat on a blanket, in front of some trees, with a cup of hot chocolate, and two soft toy owls.
The duchess read the story "The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark", by Jill Tomlinson.
It's about a young owl who is scared of the dark.
Slowly through the story, the owl learns many new things about the dark.
And at the end, its feelings about the dark are very different.
The story was chosen for Children's Mental Health Week in the United Kingdom.
Over this week, everyone, especially children, are encouraged to talk about how they feel, and understand their feelings.
At the end of her story, Duchess Kate says everyone feels scared sometimes.
But she encourages everyone to learn about the thing that scares them, before making up their minds. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Lee Wen-yi is the first woman from Taiwan to compete in the Olympics Alpine Skiing -- Women's Slalom event.
Wen-yi was one of the 50 athletes who finished both runs. ________________________________
A wild crocodile in Indonesia has been freed from a motorcycle tire stuck around its neck.
The tire had been around its neck for at least 6 years!
A man named Tili caught the crocodile and cut the tire off. ________________________________
And,
The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton read a bedtime story on television for children around the world.
The story is about a young owl who is scared of the dark.
At the end of her story, Duchess Kate encouraged everyone to learn about the thing that scares them, before making up their minds. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
Taiwan starts a refugee knitting program in Turkey, fake poo helps owls move house, and a girl group member gets a solo career.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣在土耳其成立敘利亞難民針織課 Knitting in Turkey with Help from Taiwan
Syria is a country in the Middle East (中東).
Syria has been torn by civil war for over 10 years, since around March 2011.
Civil war (內戰) is when people in the country are fighting and killing each other.
The war has meant lots of people have had to leave their homes behind.
Many have gone to other countries, like Turkey.
But when they get to these new countries, the people often find it difficult to make enough money to make ends meet (賺的錢不夠).
That means they cannot make enough to buy food and support their families.
難民遷移到其他國家之後，收入常常不夠養家。
Taiwan is trying to help these people.
It has built centers (中心) in Turkey to help people from Syria to integrate into (融入) Turkish society.
One of these is the Taiwan-Renhanli Center for World Citizens in Southern Turkey.
Recently, it started a knitting program.
Knitting (編織) is where people use yarn (毛線) to make clothes and fabric (布料), usually to keep people warm.
The knitting program is helping women make enough money to support their families.
The women knit scarves (圍巾) and other things people can wear.
One woman said that before, her family was struggling to put food on the table.
一名婦女說這個計畫開始之前，她的家庭連吃飽肚子都成問題。
Now, with her salary (薪水), and her husband's salary, she can save around 200 lira each month, around 400 NT.
And with this, she can buy presents for her family. ________________________________
假的排泄物讓貓頭鷹適應新家 Fake Poo Helps Owls Move House
Have you ever moved house?
If you have, did it take a long time for you to get used to (習慣) your new home?
It takes animals a long time to get used to new places, too.
Especially owls (貓頭鷹).
Some owls in America recently had to move house.
They lived on large grassy plains (大草原).
But people decided to build houses in these areas.
The owls had to be moved in order to protect them.
The owls were moved to four different locations in the state of California.
But biologists knew in order to get the owls to adapt to these new locations, they would already have to feel like home.
貓頭鷹被送到加州四個不同的地區，生物學家必須想辦法讓牠們適應。
So guess what they did?
They sprinkled (噴灑) owl poo all over the place!
Well, it wasn't real owl poo, it was just white paint, but it needed to look like owl poo.
That's because owls are social creatures; they like to live near other owls and know there are other owls around. 假的鳥糞讓貓頭鷹以為，附近還有同伴。
The biologists did other things to help the owls adapt.
They played fake owl calls before and after they arrived.
貓頭鷹到達新家的前後，生物學家播放貓頭鷹的叫聲。
And now the owls feel totally at home…
What a relief! ________________________________
混合甜心的成員Leigh-Anne簽了單飛唱片約 Little Mix Star Gets Solo Record Deal
Former member of the band Little Mix Leigh-anne Pinnock has been offered a solo record deal.
She is now signed to Warner Records.
We could hear new music from her soon.
華納唱片公屋簽下新歌手，就是混合甜心的Leigh-Anne.
Little Mix announced they would take a hiatus last year.
That means they won't release any new music as a group any time soon.
The band members said they wanted to work on solo projects.
Member Jesy Nelson was the first to release solo music.
She put out the single Boyz in October.
Warner Records said it is "delighted" to have Leigh-Anne join their "family".
華納唱片說他們很榮幸歡迎Leigh-Anne加入他們的大家庭。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has built centers to help people from Syria to integrate into Turkish society.
One in southern Turkey recently started a knitting program.
It is helping women make ends meet and put food on the table. ________________________________
And,
Some owls in America recently had to move house.
Biologists sprinkled owl poo all over the place to make these new locations feel like home.
They also played fake owl calls before and after they arrived. ________________________________
And,
Former member of the band Little Mix Leigh-Anne Pinnock has been offered a solo record deal.
She is now signed to Warner Records.
We could hear new music from her soon. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A new home for wild birds, life upside down in Colombia, and a different kind of origin story.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄打造野鳥棲息地 Kaohsiung Makes New Home for Wild Birds
Wild birds will soon have a new place to live in southern Taiwan.
Kaohsiung is using a special pond to make a comfortable home for wildlife.
The flood retention pond (滯洪池) is in Gangshan District, close to the Dianbao River.
Ponds like this are made by people.
They help stop flooding, and make the water cleaner.
And now Kaohsiung officials want to grow lots of plants at the Area B Retention Pond.
The pond is very big.
It covers 42 hectares, and is quiet, without a lot of people close by.
This makes it a good place for wild birds to rest.
And the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society says 59 types of birds have been seen there from 2019 to 2020.
Many of them, like the black-winged kites and the black-naped orioles, are conservation species in Taiwan.
高雄野鳥學會2019到2020年的調查記錄到59種鳥類出現在附近，還有許多是保育類鳥類。
Officials started planting water plants there last year.
And they say so far, plants like water snowflakes and water chestnuts are growing well.
They have also seen insects like spiders and damselflies (豆娘) around the plants.
These insects could also be food for the birds.
Officials say if the plan works well, they may do the same at other flood retention ponds in the city. ________________________________
哥倫比亞的顛倒屋 Colombia House Turns Life Upside Down
A man in Colombia built a house.
The bright yellow house has a red roof.
Inside, there is a kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.
It sounds pretty normal right?
Except this house… is upside down!
An Austrian man named Fritz Schall built the house.
He calls it "La Casa Loca", or "The Crazy House".
And it seems like a good name for the house.
The roof of the house is at the bottom (下面).
And at the top of the house, high up in the air, there's a driveway (私人車道), with an upside down car on it.
Then, Fritz says when you walk into La Casa Loca, you should stop for a minute… because you will feel… strange.
Everything inside the house is upside down too.
The floor is above your head, and you're standing on the ceiling.
All the furniture, the beds, chairs, even the toilet, they're all above your head too.
在這一棟「顛倒屋」裡，天花板與地板上下顛倒，還有床鋪、椅子、就連馬桶也都上下顛倒。
Lots of people visit La Casa Loca to take funny pictures.
Some people look like they're flying off the bed.
Some look like they're hanging from a chair.
And some look like they're diving into the toilet!
Visitors say the house is a lot of fun, and helps them relax.
這棟「顛倒屋」像是違反地心引力，其實一切都是上下顛倒，讓大家發揮想像力拍出各式各樣的好玩紀念照。 ________________________________
美國隊長Chris Evans 獻聲"巴斯光年" Chris Evans to Star in Buzz Lightyear Movie
Remember Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story movies?
He's the lovable Space Ranger with a great catchphrase (口號).
And now Buzz is getting his own movie…and a new voice!
"玩具總動員"的巴斯光年要成為新電影的主角了。
Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in many Marvel Studios movies, will be Buzz Lightyear the Space Ranger.
The new Pixar movie will be called "Lightyear".
為這位"太空騎警"配音的，是「美國隊長」克里斯伊凡。
But it isn't about toy Buzz.
"Lightyear" is all about the "real" human Buzz.
In the new movie, he is stuck on a planet and trying to get home.
There are lots of other Space Rangers, aliens, and a robot cat named Sox.
The movie comes out this summer. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kaohsiung is making the Area B Retention Pond into a new home for wildlife.
The pond is very big, without a lot of people close by.
This makes it a good place for wild birds to rest.
Officials are planting lots of plants there. ________________________________
A man in Colombia has built an upside down house.
Everything outside and inside the house is upside down.
Lots of people visit La Casa Loca to take funny pictures. ________________________________
And,
Chris Evans will be the voice of Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar movie.
"Lightyear" is all about the "real" human Buzz.
The movie comes out this summer. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pokemon on the MRT, mysteries from space, and sweet treats for bees.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
北捷板南線 寶可夢列車亮相 Pokemon MRT Train Running in Taipei
A part of the Taipei MRT is now looking a little different.
One train that runs along the blue line is now covered with Pokemon.
The MRT train is a special train that's being called a "Smart Display Metro" (數位列車).
Inside the train, there are lots of screens (螢幕).
The screens can show pictures, videos, and all kinds of different ads (廣告).
And a screen shows what stop the train is at.
數位列車內的傳統平面海報換成彩色電子紙，還有液晶顯示器提供動態運行路線圖、還有預估到站時間等資訊。
Both the inside and outside of the train are covered in pictures of Pokemon.
Some of the MRT train doors are covered with a picture of a giant Poke Ball.
In some of the cars, the walls, floors, and even the ceilings are full of different pokemon.
You can spot Eevee, Snorlax, Charmander, Jigglypuff, and many others.
And the very front of the train shows a big picture of Pikachu's face.
Officials say people who want to ride the Pokemon MRT can check where the train is, on the Metro Taipei app (台北捷運Go).
Using the app, you can see exactly which station the train is stopped at.
And the officials say there are already more ideas for other themes (主題) on MRT trains. ________________________________
世界最大 555克拉黑鑽石拍賣 Huge Black Diamond Up for Sale
We know that diamonds cost a lot of money.
How about a huge black diamond… maybe from outer space?
The large black diamond has been named the "Enigma".
The word "enigma" (謎) means something that is a mystery, or is hard to understand.
And that sounds like a good name for a black diamond.
The Enigma weighs 555.55 carats.
It also has 55 facets.
這顆黑鑽石達到555.55克拉，還擁有55個切面。
It is the largest cut black diamond in the world.
And it is up for auction.
The auction house (拍賣行) thinks it will sell for around $7 million U.S. dollars.
The auction house also thinks the diamond is from space.
They believe the Enigma came from an asteroid (小行星), or was made when a meteor (流星) hit Earth.
But some scientists say this might not be true.
They say there are black diamonds right here on Earth too.
The diamonds have that dark color because there are lots of minerals in the stone.
The experts say black diamonds have been found in Brazil and the Central African Republic.
Some of those black diamonds did come from outer space.
But some were also formed (形成) in the ground on Earth, billions of years ago.
拍賣行說這顆黑鑽石可能來自外太空，也許是隕石撞擊地球後產生的，或者本來就是隕石的一部分，不過有些專家說地球上也有天然的黑鑽石。
The scientists say no one knows for sure exactly where such black diamonds come from.
It seems like such gems really are an enigma. ________________________________
迪士尼世界薑餅屋成蜜蜂大餐 Disney World Gingerbread Houses Become Bee Food
What plan does Walt Disney World have for its giant Christmas gingerbread houses?
聖誕節結束以後、美國佛羅里達州的迪士尼世界會怎麼處理裝飾用的聖誕薑餅屋呢？
Every Christmas, Florida's Walt Disney World decorates (裝飾) the park by building many beautiful gingerbread houses.
But now that Christmas is over, what does the park do with all of the sweet houses?
The houses aren't thrown away.
Instead, the houses become bee food (蜜蜂的食物)!
The park used social media to explain that after it takes down the houses, park staff bring the cookies and candies to a tree farm.
Then, bees living around the farm get to feast (盡情享用) until every piece is gone.
Disney says this helps the bees during winter, when food is harder to find. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An MRT train that runs along the blue line in Taipei is now covered with Pokemon.
The MRT train is a special train that's being called a "Smart Display Metro".
Both the inside and outside of the train are covered in pictures of Pokemon. ________________________________
The world's largest cut black diamond is up for auction.
The Enigma weighs 555.55 carats.
It also has 55 facets.
The auction house thinks it will sell for around $7 million U.S. dollars. ________________________________
And,
Walt Disney World turns its Christmas decorations into bee food.
After the holidays, the park takes down its gingerbread houses, and brings the cookies and candies to a tree farm.
Bees living around the farm get to feast until every piece is gone. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Gender equality in Taiwan, a volcano in the Pacific Ocean, and thoughts on the internet.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
立院女性出頭天 42.5%立法委員是女性 Taiwan's 42.5% Female Legislature Sets Record
For a lot of human history, the leaders (領袖) of many countries have been men.
But nowadays, many countries around the world are seeing a lot more gender equality (男女平等)…
Especially Taiwan! 尤其是台灣！
Last month, a woman named Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) won an election to join Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (立法院).
With her joining, the Legislative Yuan is now 42.5% women.
That means Taiwan has broken its own record for gender equality in its legislature! 這代表台灣破了它自己的男女平等紀錄。
We call people working in the Legislative Yuan "lawmakers", because they make laws (法律) for everyone in the country.
And if all the people making laws are the same, it can make life harder for people who are different.
So the proportion of men to women is very important in government! 所以，政府裡面的男女比例的確很重要！
Of course, there is still a lot of inequality (不平等) around the world.
We need to work together on making sure all kinds of people are represented (代表) in governments and society.
The good news is, starting with Taiwan's Legislative Yuan is a great first step! ________________________________
東加火山爆發 Tonga Volcano Erupts
Last month, our planet Earth saw its biggest volcanic eruption (火山爆發) in more than 30 years.
The volcano is on a small island in the country of Tonga (東加), which is an archipelago (群島).
Okay… here's the bad news first.
Because the volcano is surrounded (被包圍) by water, it caused a lot more problems than just a loud noise.
The eruption caused an earthquake so big that it caused a giant tidal wave to move out in all directions. 火山爆發造成地震，大到海嘯往四面八方推進。
The tidal wave moved for thousands of kilometers across the Pacific Ocean (海嘯掃過太平洋).
And it hit the beaches of countries all around the Pacific, like Japan, New Zealand, and Peru.
But most importantly, it hit the islands of Tonga, and destroyed (摧毀) many people's houses.
It even washed mud (泥土) into Tonga's clean water, so many people didn't have enough to drink.
After the tidal wave's waters were gone, the volcano's smoke came back down and filled the air with ash (火山灰).
On top of all these problems… the volcanic earthquake broke a very important internet cable (網路海底電纜), deep under the ocean.
That cable was one of the only things letting many people in Tonga connect to the rest of the world! 那條電纜是讓東加跟外面世界聯繫的唯一方式！
Okay, finally… here's some good news!
Many countries moved quickly to help Tonga recover (恢復).
Planes flew and ships sailed to Tonga from all around the world, bringing clean water, food, and medical supplies (醫療設備) to help as many people as possible.
And this month, even more people are going to Tonga, to fix the cable and connect its islands to the world again!
If we can learn anything from this story, it's that we can't control how dangerous Earth can be…
But we can control how many people we help! ________________________________
癱瘓男子動動腦 推特留言傳心聲 Paralyzed Man Makes Post With His Thoughts
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone using only your mind?
It might be possible sooner than you think!
One man from Australia has recently made a "tweet" (推特網站上留言), using only his brain!
This man is paralyzed (癱瘓), so he can't move very much of his body.
That's why scientists wanted to create something for people like him, to help them communicate (溝通) more easily.
Thanks to science, this man can now use a "brain chip" to send signals to a computer, and write words on the internet. 這個人現在可以經由裝在腦袋裡面的晶片，傳訊號給電腦來寫字。
The brain chip is only about the size of a paperclip (迴紋針), but took four hours to carefully put into the man's head.
And we may see even more tests with brain chips later this year!
It may sound weird or scary, but this man can now communicate more easily with his family, and even play some simple games. 這種作法聽起來也許有點恐怖，但是他現在能夠跟家人溝通，還能玩一些簡單的遊戲。
Let's be happy for him, and hope this is a step in the right direction for the rest of us, too! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Legislative Yuan is now 42.5% women.
That means Taiwan has broken its own record for gender equality in its legislature!
If all the people making laws are the same, it can make life harder for people who are different, so the proportion of men to women is very important in government! ________________________________
And,
Last month, an island in Tonga had Earth's biggest volcanic eruption in more than 30 years.
The eruption created an earthquake, a giant tidal wave, and clouds of ash, and even cut Tonga off from the internet.
Thankfully, countries all around the world have already started to help Tonga recover. ________________________________
And,
One paralyzed man in Australia can now use a brain chip to send signals to a computer, and write words on the internet.
The brain chip is only about the size of a paperclip, but took four hours to carefully put into the man's head.
Scientists wanted to create something for people like him, to help them communicate more easily. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
Cherry blossoms in Taiwan, an old tortoise on an island, and a rat passes away in Cambodia.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
櫻花季到了 Taiwan's Cherry Blossom Season
Wow… is that pink snow slowly drifting down (飄下) from the sky?
No, of course not!
It's the petals (花瓣) of the cherry blossom tree (櫻花樹).
Every year in Taiwan, from around January to April, the flowers of the cherry blossom tree bloom (開花).
People all over the country travel to different scenic spots (景點) to get the best view of their beautiful pink flowers.
And take pictures among them.
News reports say currently around 80 percent of cherry blossom trees in Kaohsiung's Taoyuan district are in full bloom.
據新聞報告，目前在高雄桃園區8成的櫻花樹全開花了。
There's around 2,000 cherry blossom trees there.
And the Kaohsiung City Government is holding a special event at Baoshan Cherry Blossom Park there, where there are stalls, and performances at the weekend.
It will last for a month.
But there are many other great places to see cherry blossom trees.
One of those places is the Alishan Forest Recreation Area.
There are more than 19,000 cherry blossoms in the area.
The best places to see them are near the Alishan Police Station and the Cherry Blossom Trail.
Oh… and don't forget Tianyuan Temple (無極天元宮) in Taipei's Tamsui District.
There are lots of cherry blossom trees there, and also a beautiful pagoda (塔).
We're sure you know more great places to view the trees… why don't you send in a voice note and let us know?
你一定知道更多觀看櫻花的好景點，歡迎留一個voice note告訴我們？ ________________________________
世界最老的陸生動物 The World's Oldest Land Animal
The world's oldest person is Kane Tanaka.
She is 119 years old and lives in Japan.
But the world's oldest land animal is much older.
Researchers think the oldest animal on the land is Jonathan the tortoise (烏龜).
And they don't know exactly how old he is, but they think he is 190 years old this year!
Jonathan lives on an island called St. Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
It's believed he was taken there from Seychelles in 1882.
這隻名叫Jonathan的烏龜住在南大西洋的小島聖赫蕾拿，研究員認為他是在1882年被人類從塞席爾搬到那裏去。
Researchers found a black and white photograph of Jonathan from 1882, and in the photograph, he is already a fully grown adult.
This means he was already around 50-years-old at that time.
Jonathan has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records (金氏世界紀錄) for being the oldest land animal.
But what about animals that live in the ocean?
A kind of whale called the bowhead whale can live for longer than 200 years.
One caught in recent years was estimated (估計) to be 211 years old.
And then there's a Greenland shark people think is over 400 years old.
And there's a jellyfish people think is almost immortal - that means it never dies.
When it gets hurt it can turn back into a baby, attach to a rock, and then go back into a jellyfish later.
Phew… these things are really hard to imagine.
有一種水母受傷時可以回到水母幼蟲的樣子黏在石頭上，然後再變回成年水母的樣子回到大海裡…真是不可思議。 ________________________________
柬埔寨哀悼英雄老鼠 Cambodia mourns the death of Hero Rat Magawa
Cambodia is mourning (哀悼) the death of a "hero rat" (英雄老鼠) that saved thousands of lives for its efforts to clear landmines (地雷). The rat, named "Magawa," died recently. Magawa was important in efforts to get rid of more than 225 thousand square meters of landmines in Cambodia. Magawa是一隻會找地雷的英雄老鼠
Magawa's efforts won him a gold medal from a British animal charity. The organization that trains rats to find landmines said he spent most of his last week playing with lots of enthusiasm.
But then he slowed down and took lots of naps. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Every year in Taiwan, from around January to April, the flowers of the cherry blossom tree bloom.
People all over the country travel to different scenic spots.
The Kaohsiung City Government is holding a special event at Baoshan Cherry Blossom Park, where there are stalls, and performances at the weekend. ________________________________
And,
Researchers think the oldest animal on the land is Jonathan the tortoise.
And they don't know exactly how old he is, but they think he is 190 years old this year!
Jonathan lives on an island called St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. ________________________________
And,
Cambodia is mourning the death of a "hero rat" that saved thousands of lives for its efforts to clear landmines. The rat, named "Magawa," died recently. Magawa was important in efforts to get rid of more than 225 thousand square meters of landmines. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Opening a new center for art, closing the gates of hell, and breaking records for comic books.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
臺北表演藝術中心 3月試營運 Taipei Performing Arts Center to Open for Trial Run
Soon, there will be a new place to see amazing shows in Taipei.
The Taipei Performing Arts Center is opening for a trial run in March.
臺北表演藝術中心將在3月開始一段試營運時期。
During this time, the center will have 58 shows from 15 different performance groups.
The center is in Shilin District.
It is 59,000 square meters large, and cost $6.75 billion NT to build.
The center looks very different from other buildings.
In fact, it looks like a building from the future.
It has many parts that have different shapes (形狀).
One part is the Globe Playhouse.
It's a sphere (圓形、球狀).
800 people can sit inside.
There's also the Grand Theater that has 1,500 seats.
And the Blue Box theater has 800 seats.
Taipei officials say all the theaters can be used for different shows.
And they can also be used together for very big shows.
Officials say the trial run will last from March to May.
And they will use this time to test the 3 theaters, to make sure everything works well.
During this time, there will be many different types of shows there.
People can see dance, musicals, children's shows, puppet shows, and many other types of performances.
試營運時期的表演，包括現代舞、音樂劇、兒童劇、偶戲等不同類型。
The city government says the center will fully open (正式開幕) in July.
It hopes the center can give all artists and performers a chance to grow.
And officials say people who come to see the shows can also enjoy Shilin Night Market, which is close by. ________________________________
燃燒半世紀 土庫曼"地獄之門"將關閉 Turkmenistan to Put Out "Gates of Hell"
The "Gates of Hell" doesn't sound like a place we'd want to visit.
But the "Gates of Hell" in Turkmenistan is actually a tourist hotspot.
The site is officially called the "Darvaza Crater ".
It's a big hole in the ground.
The hole is 69 meters wide.
That's almost as wide as National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.
The hole was made in the early 1970s.
People were digging in the ground for natural gas (天然氣).
But the hole they made collapsed (塌陷)。
The government was worried that the natural gas coming out would make people sick.
So they lit the giant hole on fire to burn away the gas.
And it has been burning since then.
That's a giant hole… on fire… for around 50 years!
土庫曼知名景點「地獄之門」是一座天然氣坑，在沙漠中燃燒50年。
Many people visit to see the "Gates of Hell".
But Turkmenistan's government now wants to put out the fire.
Officials say the fire is bad for the health of people living close by.
And burning all that natural gas is a waste.
They believe the natural gas can be saved and used for other things.
And a big fire burning for so long is also bad for the environment.
The government says it will talk with scientists and experts to see if the fire can be put out safely.
政府希望可以找出撲滅「地獄之門」大火的方法，因為燃燒天然氣對人民與環境都有害，也會使國家重要天然資源流失。 ________________________________
蜘蛛人單頁漫畫9250萬天價成交 Page of Spider-Man Comic Sells for $3 Million USD
How much money would you pay for a piece of paper?
Well, someone paid $3 million U.S. dollars!
That's because it's a very important part of Spider-Man history.
The piece of paper is a page from a Spider-Man comic book.
The page shows Spider-Man putting on his all-black Spider-Man suit.
畫中的蜘蛛人第一次穿著黑色戰服亮相。
Spider-Man's suit is blue and red.
But one time, in his story, he put on a special black suit that made him different.
Eventually, Spider-Man went back to his red and blue suit.
But that page, showing Spider-Man in the black suit for the very first time is now very valuable.
The page was sold at auction earlier this month.
It sold for $3.36 million U.S. dollars.
That makes it the most expensive page from a comic book ever sold at auction.
最近拍賣只有一頁的蜘蛛人漫畫，以一頁336萬美金，大約9250萬台幣，天價賣出。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Performing Arts Center is opening for a trial run in March.
During this time, the center will have 58 shows from 15 different performance groups.
This will help make sure everything works well. ________________________________
The government of Turkmenistan wants to put out the natural gas fire burning in the Darvaza Crater, also called the "Gates of Hell".
Officials say the fire is bad for the health of people living close by.
And they believe the natural gas can be saved and used for other things. ________________________________
And,
A page from a Spider-Man comic book has sold for $3.36 million U.S. dollars.
It shows Spider-Man putting on his all-black Spider-Man suit for the first time.
That makes it the most expensive page from a comic book ever sold at auction. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Taiwan's national treasures, a new type of life at sea, and a song you can't get out of your head.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣新增4名"人間國寶" Four Artists Named National Living Treasures
Four artists have been named "national living treasures" ("人間國寶") .
If someone or something is a national treasure, it means they are very important to the country.
And Taiwan has its own special list of "national living treasures".
People or groups on this list help preserve (保存) Taiwan's culture.
Last week, four new artists have been put on the list.
文化部新增4名「人間國寶」，這四位藝術家是重要傳統工藝保存者。
Yu Li-hai (游禮海) makes art with wood.
He is famous for using both traditional and western styles in his woodworking.
Yu Li-hai's skills make a type of Taiwanese craftsmanship (工藝) that is new and unique.
Chuang Wu-nan (莊武男) has been painting traditional buildings for over 60 years.
He is a master of painting traditional Taoist temples.
Chiang Shi-mei (江賜美) is a puppeteer.
She has been performing with glove puppets in Taiwan for 70 years.
Chiang Shi-mei has her own special style, and can use many different voices for different characters.
She also started Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Company (真快樂掌中劇團).
And Cheng Rom-shing (鄭榮興) is a Hakka bayin (客家八音) master.
The name bayin, or "eight notes", is for eight things used to make music instruments.
They are metal, stone, string, bamboo, fruit shells, earthenware, animal hide (動物皮毛) and wood.
Cheng Rom-shing learned all about Hakka bayin from his grandfather.
He also started the Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe.
The government says these four artists have all helped Taiwan's traditional arts and crafts. ________________________________
豪華郵輪就是家 Buy a Home… on a Cruise Ship
How would you like to buy a home… on a cruise ship?
A company plans to build a giant cruise ship.
And it will let people pay to make the cruise ship their home.
The homes come in different sizes.
Some homes have one to four bedrooms.
And some even have two floors.
And they cost from about $10,000,000 NT to $220,000,000 NT.
You can buy the home for 12 years, 24 years, or forever.
豪華郵輪上的房屋舒適方便，還能享受濱海景觀。
The company says people who buy homes can also enjoy other parts of the ship.
It says there will be 20 restaurants and places to drink and eat.
There will also be three swimming pools, a library with over 10,000 books, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a garden and farm.
But after people buy a home on the ship, they also have to pay a "living fee".
The fee can go up to $5,500,000 NT.
That's for food and other things you use on the ship.
The cruise ship will start its first trip around the world in 2024.
The trip will be 1,000 days long.
The ship will stop in many different countries on all six continents.
And the people who live on the ship can sometimes help choose where the ship stops.
For families with children living on the ship, there will be an education program, so they can keep learning.
And there will be doctors, nurses, a pharmacy, and even a post office.
It's a whole new way to live life at sea. ________________________________
"Baby Shark Dance"成為YouTube首支破百億觀看影片 "Baby Shark Dance" Hits 10 Billion Views
Uh oh…..
Now this song will be stuck in your head all day.
Many people say "Baby Shark Dance" is an earworm.
It's a bit of music that plays in your head over and over again, and it's very hard to stop!
And it looks like "Baby Shark Dance" is unstoppable on YouTube too.
The song has become the only YouTube video to get 10 billion views!
洗腦神曲 "Baby Shark Dance"上個禮拜成為 YouTube 史上第一支點擊破百億的影片。
"Baby Shark Dance" was made by South Korean company Pinkfong in 2016.
And now it's known all over the world.
"Baby Shark Dance" has been made into TV shows, all kinds of toys, a cereal (早餐穀片), and it might have helped a U.S. professional baseball team win games.
Is it still playing in your head? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Four artists have been named Taiwan's "national living treasures".
People or groups on this list help preserve (保存) Taiwan's culture.
The government says Yu Li-hai, Chuang Wu-nan, Chiang Shi-mei, and Cheng Rom-shing have all helped Taiwan's traditional arts and crafts. ________________________________
A company plans to build a giant cruise ship, and let people buy a home on the ship.
You can buy the home for 12 years, 24 years, or forever.
The cruise ship will start its first trip around the world in 2024. ________________________________
And,
"Baby Shark Dance" has become the only YouTube video to get 10 billion views!
It was made by South Korean company Pinkfong in 2016.
And now it's known all over the world. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Students sing to vegetables, one man gets a new heart, and fish can drive!
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
學生對高麗菜唱歌 好讓它長高長大 Students Sing to Make Cabbage Grow
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can be really good for your health (健康).
But recently, some students have found a new way to make their plants stronger, as well.
And it's not just with water and soil (土壤)…
They used music to help their vegetables grow!
A group of students at Kaohsiung First Community University (高雄市第一社區大學) have tried something new with their fruits and vegetables.
These students were growing crops (農作物) for a special event.
The crops included tomatoes, pumpkins, green peppers, and cabbages. 他們種的農作物包括番茄，南瓜，青椒，還有高麗菜。
They planted the crops on a small piece of land, about 20 ping (坪), or 66 square meters (六十六平方公尺).
The students had been taking classes to learn how to grow these crops for a while already, but they were all still very new to farming (這些學生對於農耕仍然很生疏).
So they tried some silly things, like playing music and singing their favorite songs to the crops.
But everyone was surprised when one of their cabbages grew to be 14.7 kilograms! 大家驚訝地發現，其中一顆高麗菜重達十四點七公斤！
Farmers say most cabbages can take as long as five months to fully grow.
The students say this one grew in four, and probably could have kept growing!
So was it the power of music that made their vegetable giant (巨大)?
Maybe you should try singing to your plants every day and see for yourself! ________________________________
男子接受豬的心臟移植 Man Receives a Heart From a Pig
One of the of the strongest organs (器官) in the human body is the heart (心臟).
It needs to be strong, because its job is to pump blood to all parts of your body (把血液送到全身各處), all day, every day, for your whole life.
But sometimes, a person's heart is too weak (脆弱), and doesn't work very well.
Doctors can find a way to make it stronger, or help it heal (復原), but if they can't…
A person might need to get a heart transplant (心臟移植).
This means they take out the weak heart, and replace it (代替) with a stronger heart from somewhere else.
Usually, it comes from another person…
But for the first time in history, a human has replaced his heart with a heart from a pig! 有史以來第一次，人類的心臟被換成豬的心臟！
Of course, a pig's heart is very different from a person's, so the human body would usually not work with one.
But after many years of hard work, scientists were able to genetically change (基因改造) a pig's heart to fit in a person.
And doctors are incredibly happy to see that the man is alive and healthy, even after getting his new heart!
Every year, many people with weak organs, like hearts, kidneys, and livers, have to wait for other people who are willing to give their stronger ones. 每一年都有很多人的器官過於脆弱，無法繼續使用，只好等待別人捐贈器官。
But it's very difficult to find people who are willing to donate (但是很少有人願意捐贈).
Scientists and doctors hope that using an animal heart may be a new beginning, to helping people live longer and healthier lives! ________________________________
金魚能開車 Goldfish Can Drive
If you have a pet goldfish (金魚), it may be time to treat it with more respect.
Researchers in Israel discovered that goldfish are so smart they can be taught to drive. 以色列研究員說他們能教金魚開車。
The fish have their own "F.O.V.", which stands for "fish-operated vehicle".
It has equipment (設備) like computers, cameras, and monitors (監視器) that allow the fish to control what the FOV does.
The fish make use of special equipment to help them drive their cars. 金魚用這些特別的設備來開車。
Scientists say the fish were confused at first, but it didn't take them long to work out (想出來) what is happening.
And just like humans, researchers say some fish are better at driving than others. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Some students in Kaohsiung have found a new way to make their plants grow stronger.
They tried some silly things, like playing music and singing their favorite songs to the crops.
Everyone was surprised when one of their cabbages grew to be 14.7 kilograms! ________________________________
And,
For the first time in history, a human has replaced his heart with a heart from a pig!
After many years of hard work, scientists were able to change a pig's heart to fit in a person.
And doctors are incredibly happy to see that the man is alive and healthy, even after getting his new heart! ________________________________
And,
Researchers in Israel discovered that goldfish are so smart they can be taught to drive.
The fish have their own "F.O.V.", which stands for "fish-operated vehicle".
It has equipment like computers, cameras, and monitors that allow the fish to control what the F.O.V. does. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
Taiwan's population falls, a dog saves a man after a fall, and are dogs bilingual?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣人口連續兩年下降 Taiwan Population Falls Again
Every year, a branch of Taiwan's government called the Ministry of the Interior publishes statistics about Taiwan's population.
內政部每年發布台灣人口的新統計。
The statistics (統計) include the size of Taiwan's population (人口).
This year, the statistics showed Taiwan's population got smaller again.
At the end of 2021, Taiwan's population was 23,375,314.
That's 185,222 people smaller than last year.
And it's the second year in a row the population fell.
One reason for this is that less babies are being born.
The number of babies being born has been falling for six years.
Over 210 thousand babies were born in 2015.
But just over 150 thousand were born last year.
Another reason is that more people are leaving Taiwan and less people are coming in.
Almost 180 thousand people emigrated, or left Taiwan, in 2021, and just under 17 thousand immigrated, or entered Taiwan.
This could be because of the pandemic, or it could be a phenomenon (現象) that is happening for other reasons.
The government did not make this clear.
Sometimes it does feel like there are too many people around… but the government is worried if the populations continues to fall, it could cause problems.
There may not be enough people of working age to support all the old people that will live here.
政府擔心人口下降過多可能造成工作年齡人口無法負擔已退休人口的生活費。 ________________________________
雪橇狗助受困主人保溫成英雄 Dog Saves Climber in Croatia Mountains
Dogs are said to be man's best friend.
And one dog recently proved this by keeping his owner warm until they could be rescued (援救).
A man was hiking in a mountain range in Croatia (克羅地亞的山脈) along with some other people and his 8-month-old best friend, North, who is an Alaskan malamute - a very fluffy gray and white dog.
But while the man was walking, he slipped and injured his leg.
狗狗的主人健行時滑倒，無法站起來。
He couldn't get back up.
And his friends couldn't reach him either.
The man was in danger because it was very cold.
Luckily, his dog was there to save the day.
While the man's other friends called for help, North lay on top of him, and he did this for 13 hours until the hikers could finally be rescued.
North used his body heat to keep his owner warm.
當主人的朋友去求救時，North趴在主人的身上幫他保暖，就這樣趴了13個鐘頭。
Finally the hikers were found by first responders - those are the people that go to rescue people from the mountains.
They said North saved his owners life.
And his owner called North "a real miracle" (真正的奇蹟).
Wouldn't it be great to have this good of a friend! ________________________________
狗能聽得懂不一樣的語言 Dogs can understand different languages
Do you speak to your dog in more than language?
If you do, and you're afraid he or she may not understand, you have nothing to worry about.
Researchers in the United States have recently found that dogs are in fact, "bilingual" (雙語) and can tell different languages apart (分辨).
They even found that the older the dog is, the more adept the dog's brain was at distinguishing between the familiar (熟悉的), and unfamiliar language. Researchers (研究員) have also found that whales, songbirds, bats, and dolphins can "communicate" in different accents… and the accent depends on where they come from.
Dogs can understand different languages. Older dogs are more adept at telling languages apart. 狗能聽得懂不一樣的語言，而年長的狗語言能力比較好. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year, Taiwan's population got smaller again.
And it's the second year in a row the population fell.
The government is worried if the populations continues to fall, it could cause problems. ________________________________
And,
A man was hiking in a mountain range in Croatia, but he fell and injured his leg.
His dog lay on him and kept him warm for 13 hours until they were rescued.
He called his dog "a real miracle". ________________________________
And,
Researchers in the United States have recently found that dogs are "bilingual".
Dogs can understand different languages.
Older dogs are more adept at telling languages apart. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A goddess takes the train, a badger takes on a new job, and an actor takes home an award.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
媽祖搭火車 遶境平溪 Mazu Statues Ride Vintage Train for Festival
Dozens of Mazu statues took a special trip to New Taipei.
Mazu is a sea goddess.
Many people believe she protects (保護) fishermen and others who need her help.
There are many Mazu temples (媽祖廟) in Taiwan.
And many will hold a pilgrimage (遶境、朝聖) for Mazu.
But this past weekend, 25 Mazu statues went on a very different pilgrimage.
They took a train!
It's all part of the "2021 Northern Taiwan Mazu Cultural Festival".
The festival was delayed (延後) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was held this past weekend.
The 25 Mazu statues came from different temples around northern Taiwan.
And the statues were taken on a special train.
The train was pulled by a steam locomotive, built by Japanese engineers in the 1930s. 台鐵局CK124蒸汽火車載北台灣25間媽祖廟的媽祖和信徒在平溪線遶境。
The train stopped at each station along the Pingxi line.
Then it arrived at Shifen station, and the statues were placed in Cheng An Temple.
They will stay there until January 16th.
And visitors can go there to pray and ask for blessings (祈福).
A special giant sky lantern was also made for the festival.
The lantern has a picture of Mazu on it, and it's over 6 meters tall.
That's more than 2 floors high!
這個媽祖天燈超過兩層樓高。
The 25 Mazu statues and the giant Mazu sky lantern will be on display until this Sunday. ________________________________
野獾覓食變考古學家 意外挖出羅馬硬幣 Hungry Badger Finds Roman Treasure
Finding treasure is usually something archeologists (考古學家) or treasure hunters do.
But in Spain, a hungry badger (獾) has taken on the job!
More than 200 ancient Roman coins were found near a wild badger's den.
考古團隊在西班牙山上的野獾巢口發現埋在地底多年的羅馬時期硬幣。
Experts think the badger was looking for food around its den.
Badgers have short wide bodies, and very strong claws.
They eat many different things, including worms, eggs, fruit, birds, and even rabbits.
And archeologists think the badger was probably digging in dirt for worms and bugs when it found the coins.
But it was not interested in the coins, and left the pieces in front of its den.
Experts think the coins were used between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD.
研究人員說這些是西元3至5世紀的羅馬時期硬幣。
They believe some of these coins were made in Turkey and Greece.
The experts say it's probably the most Roman coins ever found in northern Spain.
研究人員認為這隻野獾努力覓食，希望能發現蟲子，沒想到卻挖到一堆銅板。 ________________________________
魷魚遊戲 001爺爺奪金球獎最佳男配角 "Squid Game" Actor O Yeong Su Wins Golden Globe
A "Squid Game" actor has become the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe.
O Yeong-su won the gold statue for his supporting role as "Player 001" in the hit (非常受歡迎的) Netflix show.
It's also the first time a Korean TV show or actor has been nominated (被提名) and won a Golden Globe.
在"魷魚遊戲"飾演001號的，韓國資深演員吳永秀，拿下金球獎電視類最佳男配角，也是史上第一位獲獎的韓國演員。
"Squid Game" is about a group of people who really need money.
They play many children's games to win money and prizes.
But the games are dangerous and often deadly (致命的)。
The show was a huge hit for Netflix.
But all this fame (名氣) is not easy for the 77-year-old South Korean star.
O said in a TV interview, that his life has changed a lot since "Squid Game".
He says now when he goes to cafes and other places, he is self-conscious (不自在).
He says he tries to calm down, and being a famous actor can be hard too. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
25 Mazu statues from different temples in northern Taiwan took a special trip on a train.
The train was pulled by a steam locomotive, built by Japanese engineers in the 1930s.
The train stopped at each station along the Pingxi line. ________________________________
More than 200 ancient Roman coins were found near a wild badger's den.
Experts think the badger was probably digging in dirt for worms and bugs when it found the coins.
They think the coins were used between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD. ________________________________ And,
O Yeong-su who plays "Player 001" in the hit Netflix show "Squid Game" has won a Golden Globe.
It's also the first time a Korean TV show or actor has been nominated and won.
O said in a TV interview, that his life has changed a lot since "Squid Game". ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
A snowy mountain in Taiwan, a snowboarding baby in China, and a tennis player in a difficult situation.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣玉山下雪 Snow Falls on Jade Mountain
What's that white, fluffy stuff falling from the sky?
Oh, it's snow!
If you live in a big city like Taipei, Kaohsiung or Taichung you might have never seen snow before.
It doesn't really snow in Taiwan's cities, because it's too hot!
But it does on Taiwan's mountains.
The tops of mountains are high in the sky.
The higher you get, the thinner the air is.
空氣越高越稀薄。
And when the air is thinner, it cannot absorb (吸收) heat as well, so there is less evaporation (蒸發).
The water in the air turns into snow and it falls on the mountaintop.
Taiwan's tallest mountain, Jade Mountain (玉山), saw its first snow of 2022 on January 7th.
Some people took videos, and in the videos you can see the whole place covered (整地覆蓋) in a blanket of white, fluffy snow.
Jade Mountain is exactly 3,952 meters above sea level, which is why it gets so cold. 玉山3952公尺高於海平面，因此會很冷。
But snow fell on another mountain recently that is not as high.
Hehuanshan in Central Taiwan also saw its first snow of 2022 on January 7th.
But there, snow fell for just a few minutes in the morning.
It didn't quite leave a white blanket like on Jade Mountain.
In fact, it melted (融化) very quickly!
If you decide to go to see the snow, you need to remember to wear very warm clothes, it's much colder than it is in the city!
去看雪要記得帶溫暖的衣服喔，山上比城市裡冷很多。 ________________________________
滑雪嬰兒變成網紅 Baby Snowboarder Impresses Fans
Speaking of snow…
Have you ever done any snow sports? Like skiing (雙版滑雪)… or snowboarding (單板滑雪)?
One snowboarder has broken the internet recently… that means she has become very popular and her videos have been shared a lot online.
What's so special about this snowboarder? She might be the youngest one ever!
Wang Yuji is just 11 months old.
She lives in China.
And she is impressing everybody (令人刮目相看) with her snowboarding skills!
Wang Yuji can't even walk yet. But she can balance (保持平衡) on a snowboard extremely well.
Videos show her spinning around as she boards down snowy mountains.
She first learned to snowboard while she was on vacation.
Her mother said, "At the beginning, we thought we'd just let her try…"
"Once she was on the board she would squat, pat her legs, and start giggling, so we could tell she's not afraid at all."
Wang Yuji的媽媽說當初想讓她女兒試試看，當她上滑雪板會蹲下來、拍拍腿再笑起來，明明她完全不怕。
Yuji cannot control the speed (控制速度) she goes at or the direction (方向) she goes in; she's still too young.
Her mom and dad always stand close by to make sure she is safe.
Yuji has been snowboarding at the place the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place.
People online have joked that she should compete in them.
Her parents think it would be great for Yuji to snowboard professionally in the future… if she still wants to.
網友開玩笑地說Yuji應該參加奧運比賽，她的父母說只要她還喜歡，未來可以成為專業滑雪選手。 ________________________________
網球冠軍Novak Djokovic可能無法參加澳洲網球公開賽 Novak Djokovic May Not Compete in Australian Open
World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic has been fighting deportation from Australia.
He went to the country to compete in the Australian Open, which is the country's biggest tennis competition.
But he may not compete because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic said he has a medical exemption from being vaccinated.
But the Australian government said the visa he was on does not allow medical exemptions.
Novak Djokovic去澳洲參加澳網，但是因為沒有接種疫苗有可能會被遣送出境。Djokovic說自己有醫療豁免，不過澳洲政府說他的入境簽證不允許醫療豁免。
The Australian public was not happy Djokovic was going to compete.
Lots of people thought he should get the COVID vaccine first.
Djokovic said he was "opposed to vaccines" in 2020, before they were available.
But later he said he was "not an expert" and would keep "an open mind".
Djokovic去年說自己反對疫苗，但後來說自己不是專家，願意聽取別人的想法。
The Australian Open begins Monday, January 17th. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's tallest mountain, Jade Mountain, saw its first snow of 2022 on January 7th. ________________________________
And,
Wang Yuji may be the youngest snowboarder ever. ________________________________
And,
The world number one tennis player has been fighting deportation from Australia. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
New animals on Green Island, words English speakers can't say, and a hero visits a Marvel superhero.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
綠島生態調查發現數百種新生物 Hundreds of New Species Found on Green Island
You may have visited many parts of Taiwan.
But, there is actually a lot more still to discover.
In fact, scientists have just found hundreds of new species (物種) on Green Island.
Starting from 2020, they started looking for and counting wildlife on the island.
They searched for plants, mammals, insects and crustaceans.
這個綠島的生態調查，記錄了植物、哺乳類、昆蟲、陸蟹與陸寄居蟹。
They found more than 400 species on the island.
And what's even more amazing, is that over half are new species never seen before on Green Island.
The scientists counted 229 species of insects, and 115 were new discoveries (發現) for the island.
One of the new insects, is Tsada's giant stick insect.
陸域昆蟲發現229種，其中新紀錄115種，包括稀有保育類的津田氏大頭竹節蟲。
Scientists also found Formosan flying foxes (臺灣狐蝠).
These bats are the biggest bats found in Taiwan.
Their wings are about 1 meter wide when spread out.
They have brown fur, and eat mostly fruit.
The bats are very important for the environment, because they help fruit seeds get to new places and grow.
Scientists hope learning more about these amazing creatures will encourage everyone to help protect them. ________________________________
2021最常被念錯的英文字 The Most Mispronounced Words of 2021
Sometimes, you see a new English word…
And it just make you want to scratch your head!
Well, this happens to people who speak English all the time!
In fact, a U.S. company has put out a list of the most mispronounced words of 2021.
美國字幕公司公布今年美國人和英國人最常唸錯的字詞清單。
The company says many people, even news anchors (新聞主播), have a hard time saying these words.
There are 13 words on the list.
Here are some of the trickiest ones.
Cheugy ("CHOO-gee") is a new word, for things that used to be cool, but aren't anymore.
It's most often used by Gen Z (Z世代).
Next, here's one that everyone around the world has been saying, even here in Taiwan: Omicron ("AH-muh-kraan", "OH-mee-kraan").
It's the COVID-19 variant that was first found in November last year.
It is actually the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
Then, some of the words on the list aren't actually English.
Dalgona ("tal-goh-NAH") is a candy from South Korea.
It became more famous around the world, after it was in an episode of the Netflix hit show, "Squid Game".
Famous people's names were on the list too.
Singer Billie Eilish ("EYE-lish"), and tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas ("STEH-fuh-nohs TSEE-tsee-pas") were both challenging (有挑戰性) for many people.
And the names of cryptocurrencies (加密貨幣) left people puzzled too.
Dogecoin ("DOHJ-coin") and ethereum ("ih-THEE-ree-umm") were hard for some.
Do you know how to say all of these?
這些連說英文的人都不太會念的英文字，趕快學起來吧。 ________________________________
湯姆霍蘭德帶英勇男童訪蜘蛛人片場 Hero Boy Tries Out "Web-swinging" with Spider-Man
A young boy who is already a hero, got to spend a day with a Marvel superhero.
Last year, 7-year-old Bridger Walker saved his younger sister in a dog attack.
The boy was bitten many times on his face and head, and he was badly hurt.
But he kept his 4-year-old sister safe.
7歲男童Bridger Walker去年為了救4歲的妹妹，被狗攻擊縫了90多針，左臉嚴重受損。
Then this year, the stars of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" invited Bridger to visit the set (片場) of the movie!
Bridger's dad says Tom Holland, Zendaya, and everyone made their family feel like stars.
Bridger got his own Spider-Man mask.
And he got to try out "web-swinging" with Spider-Man.
He held on to Tom, in the full Spider-Man costume (戲服), and the two flew high up into the air.
Bridger's dad says the trip was a "dream-come-true adventure".
Bridger的爸爸說，這一天成為孩子們畢生難忘的回憶。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Scientists have just found more than 400 species of animals on Green Island.
And over half are new species never seen before on Green Island.
Scientists hope learning more about these amazing creatures will encourage everyone to help protect them. ________________________________
A U.S. company has put out a list of the most mispronounced words of 2021.
The company says many people, even news anchors, have a hard time saying these words.
They include Cheugy, Omicron, and the Korean word Dalgona. ________________________________
And,
7-year-old Bridger Walker, who saved his younger sister from a dog attack, was invited to visit the "Spider-Man: No Way Home" movie set!
Bridger's dad says Tom Holland, Zendaya, and everyone made their family feel like stars.
Bridger got his own Spider-Man mask, and he got to try out "web-swinging" with Spider-Man. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
A-mei tickets sell out, France stops selling fruit in plastic, and David Bowie's songs are sold to Warner Chappell Music.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
張惠妹演唱會門票9分鐘就秒殺 A-Mei Tickets Sell Out in 9 Minutes
Do you know the singer A-mei?
She's often called the Queen of Mandopop - which means she might be the most famous woman in Chinese pop music.
A-mei has sold over 50 million records (專輯) - that's more than twice the population of Taiwan (多於台灣人口的兩倍).
And just recently, she began selling tickets for some concerts coming up at the Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋).
How long do you think it takes a singer to sell out of concert tickets?
"Sell out" means all the tickets are sold.
Well, for A-mei, it just takes nine minutes.
And that's for 12 separate concerts!
A-mei's record label EMI Records said all 130 thousand tickets sold out in just nine minutes.
Despite her popularity, EMI Records said no further dates will be added to A-Mei's schedule.
儘管張惠妹的人氣超高，EMI Records說不會再加開場次。
However, if you weren't able to get tickets within those nine minutes, there may still be a chance (機會) to get your hands on some.
Because some of the people that "bought" those tickets did not complete their payments (沒有完成付款). So the ticket website has put them back on sale again.
But they're likely to sell out again pretty fast!
Nine minutes is not actually a new record for concert ticket sales.
演唱會門票9分鐘被秒殺其實沒有破紀錄。
K-Pop band EXO sold over 67 thousand tickets in just 0.2 seconds, for their 2017 tour. ________________________________
法國禁止使用塑膠來包裝蔬果 France Bans Plastic Packaging for Fruit and Veg
Fruit and vegetables are always a delicious and healthy choice.
At least, for us.
Have you ever bought fruit or veg… and it comes in a plastic tray (保鮮盒)… or a plastic bag (塑膠袋)… or plastic wrapping (保鮮膜).
Sometimes it might even just be one piece of fruit, or one vegetable, and it's covered in plastic!
It's not just annoying (煩人)… it's obviously bad for the environment, too.
That's why France has banned (禁止) plastic packaging for most fruit and veg.
The French government has said it wants to "phase out" single-use plastics by 2040.
That means stop making plastic that can only be used once.
And as part of this, 30 kinds of fruit and veg can no longer be wrapped in plastic.
So cucumbers, lemons and oranges must be sold in other kinds of packaging… or in no packaging at all.
Chopped fruit or processed fruit does not have to follow this new rule.
水果切片跟加工蔬果產品仍可用塑膠保鮮盒或塑膠袋包裝。
More than a third of fruit and veg sold in France is currently sold in plastic.
Later this year, restaurants in France will no longer be allowed to offer kids plastic toys.
Plastic cups, straws and cutlery are already banned there.
法國將在今年底禁止餐廳提供塑膠玩具給孩童，而塑膠杯子、吸管跟刀叉已經禁止了。
Let's hope Taiwan will take similar measures to stop plastic pollution soon! ________________________________
大衛鮑伊音樂版權天價出售 Bowie Estate Sells Publishing Rights to Warner Chappell Music
David Bowie's estate has sold all of his music to the record label Warner Chappell Music.
That means Warner Chappell Music chooses when and where it is played.
華納查普爾收購了大衛鮑伊所有的作品版權，表示華納查普爾會控制他音樂的播放。
It includes hundreds songs like Let's Dance, Life on Mars, and Heroes.
And 29 albums (專輯).
One magazine said the deal could have been worth more than 250 million dollars.
David Bowie died of cancer in 2016.
He is thought to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
Warner Chappell Music said they were "proud" to be "chosen as caretakers" for Bowie's music.
During his career, Bowie released 111 singles and 51 music videos.
大衛鮑伊2016年死於癌症，他被視為是20世紀最有影響力的音樂家之一。鮑伊在生涯中發布了111首歌還有51支MV，華納查普爾說他們很榮幸被選為鮑伊音樂的"守護者"。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
130 thousand A-mei concert tickets sold out in just nine minutes.
A-mei will perform 12 concerts at the Taipei arena.
EMI Records said no further dates will be added to A-Mei's schedule. ________________________________
And,
France has banned plastic packaging for most fruit and veg.
The French government has said it wants to "phase out" single-use plastics by 2040.
That means stop making plastic that can only be used once. ________________________________
And,
David Bowie's estate has sold all of his music.
Warner Chappell Music now chooses when and where it is played.
It is thought the record label bought it for over 250 million dollars. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
An earthquake rocks Taiwan, elephants get ID cards, and scientists find a real millipede.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣東北發生6.0地震 Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Shakes Northeastern Taiwan
Whoah! Did you feel that?
Why is everything shaking (震動)?
Oh no… it's an earthquake! 有地震！
Well, that's what many people in Taiwan said on January 3rd, at 5:46 PM.
It's when an earthquake began to shake Taiwan, for almost a full minute!
The earthquake's epicenter (震央) was about 57 kilometers east of the island.
But even in northern Taiwan, scientists say the earthquake was a level 6.0.
Luckily (幸好), officials say no one was hurt.
However, it caused a lot of inconvenience (造成了麻煩) for many people.
As the earth shook, some parts of Taiwan had a power outage (停電).
As a result, some people got stuck in elevators, and some trains had to stop, to make sure everyone was safe. 結果，有些人卡在電梯裡面，另外有幾班火車要停下，先確認所有的乘客都安全。
Earthquakes happen when parts of Earth shift (轉移), or move around.
These shifting parts are called "tectonic plates" (構造板塊), and they are very, VERY big.
In fact, most of Asia (亞洲) is all on one tectonic plate!
And because the edge of that plate is very close to Taiwan's east coast, earthquakes are very common in Taiwan. 因為亞洲主要構造板塊的邊緣剛好很靠近台灣的東岸，地震在台灣算是很常見的事。
Of course, we can't know when an earthquake is going to happen…
So we just have to make sure we are prepared (做好準備) for when it does! ________________________________
斯里蘭卡大象將要拿到自己的身份證 Sri Lankan Elephants Will Get Their Own Identity Cards
Each person has something called an "identity" (身份).
And in most countries, people need to get an identity card (身份證卡), also called an "ID card".
An identity card can prove (證明) that you are who you are, when other people need to know.
But can only humans (人類) use them?
Well, in the country of Sri Lanka (斯里蘭卡), elephants are getting their own identity cards, too!
In Sri Lanka, elephants are very sacred (神聖的).
And they are also very popular with tourists (觀光客)!
But even though it looks fun to ride an elephant, not all of their owners are taking good care of them… 雖然騎著大象看起來很好玩，很多大象的主人並沒有很照顧牠們…
So animal rights activists (動物權益保護者) are giving each of these pet elephants an ID card.
Each card will have a photo of the elephant on it, with a DNA stamp (DNA 印章).
This will also help doctors tell the elephants apart, and give each one a medical checkup once every six months. 這樣也會幫醫生把大象分清楚，並且每六個月提共一次身體檢查。
And the elephants will also be signed up for a two-and-a-half hour bath each day.
There are around 7,500 elephants still living in the wild (野生的) in Sri Lanka today…
Let's hope giving them an identity can help them get some respect! ________________________________
【真正的】千足蟲被發現在地下深處 'True' Millipede Discovered Deep Underground
Have you ever seen a centipede (蜈蚣)?
"Centi" comes from an old word for "one hundred", and "pede" comes from an old word for "foot".
So a centipede got its name because a long time ago, people thought it had one hundred feet!
Now, what about millipedes (馬陸，千足蟲)?
If you know that the word root "mil" is an old word for "one thousand", then you would know that a millipede has one thousand feet… right? 如果你知道【mil】就是【一千】的意思，那你也就會知道【millipede】是有一千隻腳的… 對吧？
Well… wrong!
Most millipedes can have as few as 24 legs, or as many as 750.
But that still wasn't enough… until recently.
Scientists have found a new species of millipede, that lives very deep underground in Australia. 科學家最近找到了新種類的馬陸，在澳洲地下深處。
And it has 1,306 legs!
Scientists are calling it the "Eumillipes persephone", in which the first word means "true thousand foot".
It's about 10 centimeters long… that's a very tiny body for all those legs.
But we've finally found a millipede that lives up to its name! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
An earthquake shook Taiwan on January 3rd, at 5:46 PM, for almost a full minute.
The earthquake's epicenter was about 57 kilometers east of the island.
Officials say no one was hurt, but it caused a lot of inconvenience for many people. ________________________________
And,
Some elephants in Sri Lanka are getting their own identity cards!
Each card will have a photo of the elephant on it, and a DNA stamp.
This will help doctors tell the elephants apart, and give each one a medical checkup once every six months. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have found a new species of millipede, that lives very deep underground in Australia.
Most millipedes can have as few as 24 legs, or as many as 750.
But this one has 1,306 legs! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Keeping a beach clean, tasting TV, and a singer, not a variant.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
墾丁美麗沙灘炸滿垃圾 Kenting Beach Covered with Fireworks and Garbage
A beach party on New Year's Eve…
That sounds like so much fun!
But some people did not take good care of the beach they enjoyed.
A person posted pictures online of Nanwan beach in Kenting National Park the day after New Year's Eve.
In the pictures, the beautiful beach in southern Taiwan is covered with garbage and used fireworks (煙火).
There were rows and rows of (一排排的) empty fireworks boxes.
There was a dirty red patch on the sand, where people lit the fireworks.
And some of the garbage may have already been swept into the ocean by waves.
That could hurt the ocean environment.
跨年的民眾到墾丁南灣狂歡，竟留下滿地垃圾，而且部分垃圾可能已經被海浪捲進大海，造成汙染。
It took workers a long time to clean up all the garbage, and make the beach beautiful again.
Police say it is illegal to set off firecrackers and fireworks on Nanwan beach.
Anyone that does may be fined $1,500 NT the first time, and $3,000 NT if they do it again.
The police say they will patrol the beach more often to make sure it doesn't happen again.
警察未來在連續假期會加強巡邏，希望美麗的沙灘不要再被汙染。 ________________________________
日本教授發明可嚐味道的電視 Japanese Scientist Invents Tasty TV
Have you ever seen something delicious on TV…
And thought, "I wish I could taste it!"
Well, now you can!
A scientist in Japan has invented a television that you can "taste" (品嚐、嚐味道).
Professor Homei Miyashita calls it "Taste the TV" or TTTV.
It's bigger than a normal TV.
And at the top, there are 10 cans of spray.
The sprays all have different tastes (味道).
When the person watching the TV wants to taste something,
The sprays are mixed together to get the taste of that food.
And the spray is put on a film, and rolled out for the person to taste.
TTTV內部有10種口味的罐子，可以調出特定食物的味道，高壓噴嘴會把特調液體噴在衛生薄膜上，再送到平板電視螢幕上讓用者品嚐。
Professor Miyashita says the TV would cost about $24,000 NT to make.
What would we use TTTV for?
The professor says it could be fun and helpful in a lot of ways, especially with everyone staying home because of COVID-19.
He says it could help people taste food from a restaurant on the other side of the world.
Or, someone who wants to be a chef could take classes and learn from another country.
Professor Miyashita says Taste the TV could even be used for tasting games and quizzes.
Miyashita教授說TTTV也許可以用在廚師的遠距教學，還可以讓用者玩品嚐食物的猜謎遊戲。
He says he also wants to set up a place online, where people can download tastes from around the world.
It would be a lot like how people download music now. ________________________________
美國歌手跟Omicron撞名 Singer Omarion Says He Is Not a Variant
A singer in the U.S. wants everyone to know he is not a COVID-19 variant.
Omarion has been making music for more than 20 years.
He is also a songwriter and is known for being a good dancer.
But now, he is getting more famous for something else.
He says lots of people are telling jokes about him being the Omicron variant (Omicron變種病毒).
Omarion thinks it's funny too.
He posted a TikTok video, reminding everyone that he is not a variant.
Omarion上傳了TikTok影片，開玩笑的聲明自己不是變種病毒。
The singer says if you see him on the street, you do not have to go into isolation (隔離).
And he says you don't have to have a negative test result to dance to his music.
He also wished everyone a happy new year. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Nanwan beach in Kenting National Park was covered with garbage and used fireworks the day after New Year's Eve.
It took workers a long time to clean up all the garbage, and make the beach beautiful again.
Police say it is illegal to set off firecrackers and fireworks on Nanwan beach. ________________________________
A scientist in Japan has invented a television that you can "taste".
"Taste the TV" has cans of spray that mix together to get the taste of different foods.
The spray is put on a film, and rolled out for the person to taste. ________________________________
And,
American singer Omarion wants everyone to know he is not the Omicron variant.
He posted a TikTok video, reminding everyone that he is not a variant.
Omarion also jokes that you don't have to have a negative test result to dance to his music. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun…
In today's news:
A basketball fan strikes a lucky shot, kids take legal action over climate change, an actress names her dog after a politician.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
籃球粉絲投籃贏得60萬台幣 Basketball Fan Sinks Shot and Wins 600 Thousand NT
He shoots…
He scores!
And he wins 600,000 NT?
Are you a big basketball fan (粉絲)?
A man in Kaohsiung who goes by the name Hung is, and he recently got his chance to show off his skills (展現技能) and win a huge prize.
On Sunday December 26, the Kaohsiung Steelers basketball team played the Taoyuan Pilots at the Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium (高雄市立鳳山體育場).
The Steelers lost 70 to 88 to the Pilots. But there was still a victory (勝利) for Kaohsiung that day.
At half time - that's when half the game is over and the teams take a break - the Steelers held a competition.
They invited three members of the audience to the court.
They called out three ticket numbers, and the people holding those tickets made their way to the court.
高雄港鐵人籃球隊唸出3個票號，邀請這三個人進入球場參與小遊戲。
Hung was one of those people.
The contestants had to throw the basketball into the net (網) from the half-way line.
Hung bounced the ball (運球) a few times… he ran up to the half-way line… and took his shot…
And the ball went into the net!
籃球進入籃球網了!
Hung jumped for joy and the crowd cheered!
It was an impressive shot.
太厲害了!
But what's more, Hung won 600,000 NT!
He said he would use the money to take his family and girlfriend out for a nice meal and then save the rest of it (把剩下的存起來).
Do you think you could make the shot? ________________________________
葡萄牙孩童採取法律行動防治氣候變遷 Kids in Portugal Take Legal Action to Prevent Climate Change
We should all take action to prevent (防治) climate change.
But some kids in Europe are taking legal action.
They're getting lawyers involved (請了律師) and going to the European Court of Human Rights (歐洲人權法院).
They think a clean and safe environment should be a human right (人權) - that means no one should be able to take it away.
It's the first time an environment-related case (案子) has been filed at the European Court of Human Rights.
And the case argues that the governments in 33 European countries have not done enough to prevent climate change.
It was started by two siblings from Portugal called Andre and Sofia.
Portugal has seen many wildfires (野火) over the past few years.
Wildfires have always happened there, but in recent years they have become bigger and caused more damage than before.
And experts think it is due to climate change.
野火以前也會發生，但是近年發生的野火越來越大，損失越來越多。專家認為是氣候變遷的影響。
This inspired (激發) Andre and Sofia to do something.
They want to make sure that the leaders of European governments who have pledged, or agreed, to reduce emissions, actually keep their promises.
They want to use the law to force them to take more action.
他們想使用法律來讓保證減碳的歐洲領導人採取行動。
Andre and Sofia are not sure their case will win, but they hope it can at least set an example (樹立榜樣) for other young people in the future. ________________________________
美國演員Amber Heard以澳洲政府人員命名狗 Amber Heard Names New Dog Barnaby Joyce
Actress Amber Heard has named her dog after the Australian minister Barnaby Joyce.
Joyce is actually the deputy prime minister of Australia.
Barnaby Joyce是澳洲的副總理。
But why did Heard, who is the star of Aquaman and Drive Angry, do this?
She had an argument with the minister in 2015.
At the time, she was with actor Johnny Depp.
He was in Australia filming a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
And he brought his two dogs. But he failed to tell the government, which is the law.
Barnaby Joyce rudely said the two dogs should go back to the U.S.
Amber Heard的前男朋友Johnny Depp違法帶著他們的兩隻狗進入澳洲，Barnaby Joyce當時用不禮貌的方式說他們應該回美國。
This of course, made Heard angry.
And now, to get back at him, she has her own big, fluffy Barnaby Joyce at home. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man in Kaohsiung recently won 600,000 NT.
He joined a half-time competition at a basketball game.
He threw the ball into the net from the half-way line. ________________________________
And,
Some kids in Europe are taking legal action against climate change.
Seeing wildfires in their home country of Portugal inspired Andre and Sofia.
They want to make sure that the leaders of European governments keep their promises. ________________________________
And,
Actress Amber Heard has named her dog after the Australian minister Barnaby Joyce.
Barnaby Joyce rudely said the two dogs should go back to the U.S.
Now, to get back at him, Heard has her own big, fluffy Barnaby Joyce at home. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan loves pearl milk tea, zoo animals love Christmas trees, and the magic of Hogwarts returns.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
奶茶登外送排行榜第一名 Most Popular Foods for Delivery
Many people in Taiwan have used food delivery services.
And now some of these services are telling us which foods were most popular last year.
Foodpanda says the food ordered the most often in 2021… was actually a drink.
The service says pearl milk tea was the most popular order last year.
The platform says if you add up all the pearl milk tea ordered across Taiwan last year, you could fill 1000 Taipei 101s.
That's a lot of bubble tea!
全臺很多縣市的熱門餐飲冠軍都是奶茶，成為今年臺灣消費者最愛的外送美食。
The second most popular order was Taiwanese tempura (甜不辣).
The fishy treat (美食、點心) was the most popular in 2020.
And the third most popular order was fried dumplings (鍋貼).
Are any of these your favorites?
這裡有你最愛的美食嗎？
And the service says people were trying to be healthier this year.
It says orders at health food restaurants doubled (翻倍) this year.
They think maybe with the COVID-19 pandemic, people were trying to eat healthier food, with less oil and less salt. ________________________________
柏林動物園大象享用聖誕樹大餐 Berlin Zoo Animals Snack on Unused Christmas Trees
It's the start of a new year.
And the holidays are now behind us.
Are you excited about what's next?
Or are you already missing Christmas?
Well, some zoo animals in Germany got another taste of Christmas after the holiday passed.
The Berlin Zoo gave some of its animals a special treat.
The animals got to eat some Christmas trees!
德國柏林動物園將多餘的聖誕樹變成動物們的聖誕大餐。
These are extra Christmas trees from tree farms (聖誕樹農場).
The farms grow lots of trees and sell them as Christmas trees for the holidays.
But sometimes they have trees leftover (剩下、多餘).
So, instead of throwing the extra trees away, some farms donate the trees to the Berlin Zoo.
You might think Christmas trees wouldn't taste very good.
Most Christmas trees stay green through the winter.
They have long thin leaves like needles (針).
And the leaves have strong-smelling oils inside.
That doesn't sound very tasty.
But the Berlin Zoo says for some animals, Christmas trees are like candy!
Keepers say their elephants loved the trees.
They say the taste is new and exciting, and the spiky (尖尖的) needles tickle the elephants' tongue.
Bison, goats and reindeer also enjoyed their feast (盛宴、大餐) of Christmas trees.
And the trees also made good toys for the animals.
The elephants picked up pieces of the trees and threw them up into the air.
The reindeer pushed their head and antlers (鹿角) into the trees to get a good scratch.
Keepers say this helps the zoo save money.
And the unused Christmas trees do not go to waste, which is also better for the environment!
"聖誕樹大餐"是柏林動物園的聖誕節傳統，可以幫助受疫情衝擊的動物園，也用環保的方式解決過多聖誕樹的問題。 ________________________________
哈利波特20周年 童星重返霍格華茲 Harry Potter Stars Return for Reunion
It has been 20 years since the first Harry Potter movie came out.
And now, some of the stars have come back together for a special show.
為了慶祝哈利波特第一步電影上映20周年，華納推出全新節目。
The special show is called "Return to Hogwarts".
And the actors that played best friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all come back to talk about the movies.
They talk about how the movies and the fame (名氣) changed their lives.
飾演哈利、榮恩、和妙麗的演員透露了許多當年有趣又溫馨的回憶。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Foodpanda says the food ordered the most often in 2021 was pearl milk tea.
The platform says if you add up all the pearl milk tea ordered across Taiwan last year, you could fill 1000 Taipei 101s.
That's a lot of bubble tea! ________________________________
The Berlin Zoo gave some of its animals Christmas trees as a special treat.
These are extra Christmas trees from tree farms.
Keepers say their elephants loved the trees, and bison, goats and reindeer also enjoyed their feast.
And the trees also made good toys for the animals. ________________________________
And,
The stars of the Harry Potter movies have come back together for a special show.
The special show is called "Return to Hogwarts".
And the actors that played best friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all come back to talk about how the movies and the fame changed their lives. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
Dali comes to Taipei, snowstorms hit the U.S., and Meghan and Harry share a photo of their daughter.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
中正紀念堂 主辦達利展 Salvador Dali Comes to Taipei
Have you heard of Salvador Dali?
Salvador Dali is thought to be one of the masters (師傅) of surrealism.
You might know some of his paintings… like the one with melting clocks (融化的時鐘).
Do you know what surrealism is?
你知道超現實主義是甚麼嗎?
No problem. It's a kind of art.
It's a kind of art that emphasizes (強調) thoughts we might have in our heads, or dreams.
It can be strange, spooky (恐怖), or surprising.
Surrealist art doesn't look real… because that's the point… it's surreal!
薩爾瓦多·達利是一個超現實主義的大師。超現實主義的藝術表達我們的思想或夢境，內容跟現實脫節，這就是超現實主義的重點!
Salvador Dali has come to Taiwan.
Not the artist, he died in the 80s, but his art!
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) in Taipei is hosting an exhibition (展覽) featuring over 100 of Dali's works of art.
Most of them are watercolor paintings that he created between 1959 and 1963.
They were inspired by an Italian poem.
But there are some oil paintings (油畫), too.
In fact the painting with the melting clocks, "In Search of the Fourth Dimension", will be there, too!
And an animated film (動畫) Dali made with Disney will be shown there.
That's right, Dali made a film with Disney!
The exhibition will run until April 13th, so you have plenty of time to go and check it out yourself! ________________________________
美國遭受暴風雪侵襲 U.S. Hit by Severe Snowstorms
Brrrrrr… close the window, it's cold!
It can feel very cold in Taiwan in the winter.
But not as cold as a lot of countries… including the U.S.
In fact, it was so cold on the west coast (西岸) of the U.S. recently that several states were hit by severe snowstorms (暴風雪).
By December 28, Almost 76 centimeters of snow had fallen in California (加州).
For some of you… that would mean snow up to your waist!
對有的人來說，積雪達到腰部。
There were power cuts (停電) in the states of Oregon and Washington… so people had no electricity for a while.
And in the states of Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and California there were warnings (警報) there could be avalanches.
Avalanches (雪崩) are when snow falls down a mountain in a big wave.
They can be very dangerous. They can bury trees, houses and buildings under deep snow.
But avalanches weren't the only danger Americans faced.
The country's National Weather Service, or N.W.S., warned that extremely low temperatures could cause severe wind chills (很強的風寒效應).
"Wind chill" happens when wind blows away the warmer layer (層) of air we usually have above our skin. It makes the air feel much colder.
The N.W.S. said this could make it feel like minus 48 degrees.
And this could cause frostbite!
我們皮膚上面本來有一層暖氣 ，當寒風把它吹走就叫做Wind chill。美國國家氣象局說實際體感溫度可掉到攝氏零下48度 ，很可能造成凍傷。
I don't want my fingers to fall off… I'm glad I live in Taiwan! ________________________________
Meghan跟Harry的女兒Lilibet首次露臉 Lilibet Appears in First Public Photo
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released a photo of their newborn daughter, Lilibet.
They shared the photo on a Christmas card.
Lilibet was born in June.
But she had not been seen by the public until now.
Meghan跟Harry的女兒Lilibet出生於6月，他們印發的聖誕卡，裡面就有Lilibet首次露臉的照片。
The picture shows Meghan holding Lilibet in the air, while Harry holds their son Archie.
The photo was taken by British photographer Alexi Lubomirski at their home in California.
The card it's on contains a message that says "Archie made us a 'Mama' and a 'Papa', and Lili made us a family."
聖誕卡裡面有文字說Lilibet讓他們變成一個完整的家庭。
The Duke and Duchess wished everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Salvador Dali is thought to be one of the masters of surrealism.
Dali's art has come to Taiwan.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is display more than 100 of his works. ________________________________
And,
Several states in the US were hit by severe snowstorms.
By December 28th, Almost 76 centimeters of snow had fallen in California.
The National Weather Service warned about avalanches and frostbite. ________________________________
And,
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released a photo of their newborn daughter.
Lilibet was born in June.
They shared a photo of her on a Christmas card. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
The Taipei 101 gets ready for a fireworks show, scientists look into the past with a space telescope, and a baby dinosaur is found in China.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北101元旦將施放一萬六千枚煙火彈 Taipei 101 to Fire Off 16,000 Fireworks for New Year's
It's the end of 2021!
Has it been a good year for you?
It has definitely been an interesting year for the world…
And in Taiwan, 2021 is going out with a "BANG"!
On December 31st, the Taipei 101 is planning to fire off 16,000 fireworks, over 360 seconds. 台北101準備在今年12月31號晚上360秒以內施放一萬六千枚煙火彈。
That's about 6 minutes of fireworks!
The fireworks will go off (被放) after the New Year's Countdown, when everyone counts backwards (倒數) from ten.
When it reaches zero, we'll be in the year 2022, and the fireworks show will begin!
The theme of this year's show is "Towards a Better Future", and hopes to help people move forward, away from the very difficult past two years. 今年活動的題目是【迎向美好未來】，希望能夠鼓勵大家往前邁進，擺脫近兩年的困難。
Taipei officials say the show took about 6 months to prepare (準備), and will be one of the biggest fireworks shows the Taipei 101 has ever had.
Either way, time moves forward…
Let's hope next year is better for everyone! ________________________________
韋伯太空望遠鏡 成功發射升空 James Webb Space Telescope Launches Safely
Scientists have finally put something very amazing into outer space.
It's called the James Webb Space Telescope (韋伯太空望遠鏡), or JWST, and might be the greatest camera the world has ever made.
First of all, a telescope (望遠鏡) is something that takes light from very far away, so our eyes can see it better…
Meanwhile, a camera works by taking in lots of light from the world, and making that light into a picture we can see later.
And the JWST is the best of both worlds!
It has a giant, golden mirror, to reflect light into a tiny point and save pictures of things that are very far away. 它有一個巨大的金色鏡子，為了把很遠的光線聚集到很小一個點，好儲存照片。
But not just very far away… further away than anyone has ever seen before.
The JWST is designed to look at a very special kind of light, that is still hitting us from 13.5 billion light years away (離我們一百三十億光年那麼遠).
And because that light has been traveling for 13.5 billion years… that means when we see it, we'll be looking at things that are almost as old as the universe. 因為那些光線要一百三十億光年才能達到我們的眼睛… 那就代表當我們看到那些星星時，就是在看著跟宇宙一樣老的東西。
Of course, with all of this amazing technology, it was extremely difficult to make this telescope.
It took many, many scientists more than 25 years and 10 billion U.S. dollars (等於兩千七百六十億台幣) to build it.
And finally, on Christmas Day of 2021, the JWST was sent into outer space on a giant rocket, to fly far away from Earth and begin looking into the universe's history. 終於，在2021年的聖誕節，韋伯太空望遠鏡由巨大的火箭送上太空，遠離地球，尋找宇宙最早的歷史。
We'll still have to wait another six months, before it is ready to take in its first light and make pictures.
But we've waited 13.5 billion years for this light to hit us already…
I guess we can wait a little longer! ________________________________
保存完美的恐龍胚胎在中國出現 Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Found In China
Have you ever seen a dinosaur?
Well, you have definitely seen birds… and that's the closest we can get!
We have always known that birds evolved from dinosaurs, over millions of years… 我們很早就知道鳥類是由好幾百萬年前的恐龍而演化出來的…
But now, we can see even more similarities (相似之處) between them.
That's because scientists have recently found a dinosaur egg, in southern China.
They say the egg is about 66 million years old (那枚恐龍蛋有六千六百萬年歷史).
Inside the egg, there was a perfectly-preserved (保存得很完美) dinosaur embryo!
An embryo (胚胎) is what we call a tiny, baby animal before it is born.
The dinosaur embryo was about 27 centimeters long from head to tail, inside an egg that was only about 17 centimeters long.
And it was curled up, in the same way that baby birds are curled up inside their eggs before they hatch. 這個胚胎捲曲在蛋裡面，跟大部分還沒生出來的鳥類胚胎一樣。
Scientists will have to analyze it (分析) very slowly, because it is so old…
But we still have a lot more to learn from it! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
On December 31st, the Taipei 101 is planning to fire off 16,000 fireworks, over 360 seconds.
The theme of this year's show is "Towards a Better Future".
It hopes to help people move forward, away from the very difficult past two years. ________________________________
And,
The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, has been launched into outer space.
It is designed to look at a very special kind of light, that is still hitting us from 13.5 billion light years away. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have recently found a dinosaur egg in southern China.
They say the egg is about 66 million years old.
And inside the egg, there was a perfectly-preserved dinosaur embryo! ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Greeting the sun in the New Year, unwrapping a mummified king, and Spider-Man beating records.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
2022第一道曙光在蘭嶼 Catch 2022 First Sunrise on Orchid Island
Are you ready for the New Year?
If you want to see the first ray of sunlight of 2022 (2022第一道曙光), you should head to Orchid Island.
The Central Weather Bureau says that light will appear on Orchid Island at 6:32 AM on New Year's Day.
And if you are staying on Taiwan proper (台灣本島), you should head to Kenting.
The CWB says the first light to reach Taiwan proper will be in Kenting's Long Keng Ecological Reserve at 6:35 AM.
In some countries around the world, people believe watching the first sunrise of the new year can bring you good luck.
But many find it hard to get up that early.
So, if you would rather say goodbye to 2021, you might want to watch the last sunset of the year (跨年日沒).
The CWB says you can see the last sunset visible in Taiwan proper in southern Taiwan.
Just make sure you're along the Qi-gu seawall in Tainan City on December 31st, before 5:25 PM.
But the weather bureau says New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be cold.
They say during those two days, northeasterly winds (東北季風) are very strong.
So anyone planning to be outside those two days, should make sure to dress warmly.
It would be hard to enjoy the beautiful views if you're freezing!
中央氣象局說本島平地最晚日沒出現在台南市七股海堤一帶，而元旦第一道曙光則出現在台東蘭嶼。 ________________________________
木乃伊 "數位開箱" 揭法老王真面目 Egyptian King Mummy Digitally "Unwrapped"
Scientists have used technology to "unwrap" a famous Egyptian mummy.
The mummy is a Egyptian pharaoh (法老，古埃及國王的稱號).
The mummy of Amenhotep I was found in 1881.
He has a wooden mask.
And he is covered with flower garlands (花環).
The mummy is around 3,500 years old.
Egyptian scientists never unwrapped him for study.
The mummy was too fragile (脆弱).
And they didn't want to damage his mask and flower garlands.
為保存面具和外層的花環，考古學家一直沒有解開木乃伊的繃帶。
So, scientists used a special software to scan the mummy.
This gave scientists a 3D picture of the mummy on a computer.
Then they "unwrapped" the 3D picture, to see the inside of the mummy.
And this way, they didn't even have to touch the fragile mummy.
This has helped them learn a lot about Amenhotep I.
They believe he was about 35 years old, and 169 centimeters tall when he died.
The pharaoh had curly hair (捲髮), and healthy teeth.
In fact, scientists say Amenhotep I looked like his father.
But they are still not sure why he died.
這次研究揭露Amenhotep I的面貌、年齡、健康狀況，還有很多木乃伊製作的獨特技術。 ________________________________
"蜘蛛人：無家日"登頂全球年度票房 "Spider-Man: No Way Home" First Pandemic-era Movie to Gross $1 Billion Dollars
The latest Spider-Man movie is breaking records (破紀錄).
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is the first movie since the COVID-19 pandemic to make more than $1 billion U.S. dollars at the box office.
"蜘蛛人：無家日"15日陸續在全球上映後，短短11天就登頂全球年度票房冠軍。
The film hit the $1 billion dollar mark less than two weeks after opening in theaters.
The Marvel movie is also the movie that made the most money in 2021.
The last movie to make more than $1 billion dollars was "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019.
No other Hollywood movie has come close to $1 billion dollars since COVID-19 began to spread around the world.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" sees Tom Holland back as Peter Parker, along with Zendaya as MJ, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Master of the Mystic Arts Doctor Strange. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
If you want to see the first ray of sunlight of 2022, you should head to Orchid Island.
The Central Weather Bureau says that light will appear on Orchid Island at 6:32 AM on New Year's Day.
And the CWB says the first light to reach Taiwan proper will be in Kenting's Long Keng Ecological Reserve at 6:35 AM. ________________________________
Scientists have used technology to "unwrap" the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I.
The mummy is too fragile to really unwrap.
So, scientists made a 3D picture of it, to see inside.
This has helped them learn a lot about the pharaoh. ________________________________
And,
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is the first movie since the COVID-19 pandemic to make more than $1 billion U.S. dollars at the box office.
The film hit the $1 billion dollar mark less than two weeks after opening in theaters.
No other Hollywood movie has come close to $1 billion dollars since COVID-19 began to spread around the world. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Snow on Taiwan mountains, a house for a hairpin, and BTS contracts COVID-19.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣高山降雪 Snow Comes to Taiwan
Brr… have you been feeling the chill?
It's a little warmer now.
But, we did have a few days of wintery (冬天的、寒冷的) weather.
In fact, it was so cold, that we got snow on high mountains!
It started over the weekend on Jade Mountain.
Jade Mountain is the tallest mountain in Taiwan.
And its peak (峰) became white on Christmas morning.
The 3,952-meter tall mountain saw snowfall starting early Saturday morning.
It didn't last very long, but many people enjoyed the little bit of a "white Christmas".
Then on Monday this week, a lot of snow fell on Hehuanshan.
Everything there was covered in white powder (粉狀的雪).
高山降下大雪，變成銀白世界，許多人都上山追雪。
There was so much snow, that snow removal trucks (鏟雪車) were used to clear the roads.
Many people drove their cars up the mountain to see the snow.
And they had to put snow chains on their car tires.
山上有些路段，必須要在輪胎上掛好雪鍊才可以通行。
The Central Weather Bureau says a strong continental cold air mass (大陸冷氣團) moved over Taiwan starting Saturday.
The cold front was also carrying a lot of moisture (濕氣).
So parts of Taiwan not high up in the mountains saw some rain too. ________________________________
美國網紅一根髮夾換出一棟房 Woman Trades from Hairpin to House
Buying a house costs a lot of money.
But what if you could trade (交換) for one?
A woman in the US wanted to see if she could get a house by trading things.
Demi Skipper started trading two years ago.
First, she set out some rules (規則).
She can't spend any money, except for shipping (運輸).
And she can't trade with anyone she knows.
She showed all of her trades on TikTok.
Demi started with a hairpin (髮夾).
And over the next 19 months, she traded with other people 28 times.
One time, she traded a snowboard (滑雪板) for an Apple TV.
Another time, she traded an SUV for three tractors (拖拉機).
But it wasn't all smooth sailing (一帆風順).
Demi says she made some bad trades too.
She once traded a Mini Cooper for a diamond necklace.
Demi says she thought the diamond necklace was worth around $20,000 U.S. dollars.
But the necklace was actually worth about $2,500.
For her last trade, Demi had a solar-powered trailer (太陽能露營拖車).
And she traded the trailer for a house in the state of Tennessee (田納西州).
The house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a backyard.
She says it's a "fixer-upper" (需要整修的房子).
Demi plans to move into it next month, with her husband and their dog.
美國上班族Demi Skipper從一隻黑色髮夾陸續換成了耳環、吸塵器、汽車、等物品，最後成功地在28次交易後換到了一棟房子。 ________________________________
韓國天團BTS三成員確診新冠病毒 BTS Members Contract COVID-19
Members of BTS have tested positive for COVID-19.
The band just got back to South Korea from the U.S.
BIGHIT Music says Suga tested positive first.
He went into quarantine right away, and did not come into contact with other BTS members.
RM also tested positive, but is not showing any symptoms.
And Jin was the last to test positive and BIGHIT Music says he has a light fever.
All three have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and are resting at home.
Big Hit Music表示，三人都在8月接種第二劑新冠疫苗。
The K-pop supergroup is on a long vacation.
At the American Music Awards in November, BTS was named artist of the year and favorite pop duo or group.
The band also won the favorite pop song award for "Butter".
The BTS and Coldplay song "My Universe," hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October.
It was BTS' sixth Hot 100 No. 1. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan got snow on high mountains!
It started over the weekend on Jade Mountain.
Then on Monday this week, a lot of snow fell on Hehuanshan.
Everything there was covered in white powder. ________________________________
A woman in the U.S. wanted to see if she could get a house by trading things.
Demi Skipper started with a hairpin.
She traded with other people 28 times.
And she ended up with a two-bedroom house in Tennessee. ________________________________
And…
Three members of BTS have tested positive for COVID-19.
The band just got back to South Korea from the U.S.
Suga tested positive first, then RM and Jin.
All three have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and are resting at home. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Food gets expensive, a robot touches the sun, and a family gets a Christmas surprise.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
餐廳漲價 政府要查 Taiwan Government Investigates Rising Restaurant Prices
How much do you pay for hot pot?
And how much for a hamburger?
Well, it might be a different amount of money than it was a few years ago.
That's because the prices (價錢) of many foods in Taiwan have been getting higher…
The higher prices are mostly at hot pot restaurants (火鍋) and places that sell fast food (速食).
For example, people are having to pay more money for dumplings from Bafang (八方雲集).
Prices are also rising (漲價) at famous locations like Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐).
Their steamed buns (包子) and xiaolongbao (小籠包) have gotten more expensive.
But why?
Well, that's what Taiwan's government has put together a team to find out!
Taiwan's Ministry of Justice (法務部) has started to look into the changing prices.
They will make inspections (檢查), to ask the restaurants why prices are getting higher.
The restaurants will have to give proof of where they are getting their food, and how much money they are paying. 餐廳必須告訴法務部食物的來源，以及原料的成本。
The Ministry of Justice says the main food suppliers (食材供應者) of these restaurants have not seen big price changes in meat, vegetables, or fruit.
So the government will continue to investigate suppliers, to find any inconsistencies. 所以政府會繼續調查，看看為什麼原料沒怎麼漲，售價卻上揚。
We'll see what they find, and maybe the prices can go back down…
Until then, eating less fast food and hot pot is healthier anyway! ________________________________
美國太空總署探測器 首座【接觸】太陽的太空船 NASA Probe Becomes First Spacecraft To 'Touch' The Sun
Every day, we can feel the sun (太陽).
It makes things brighter, it keeps us warm, and it can even give us a sunburn (曬傷).
But can we actually touch it?
Well, first of all, the sun is about 150 million kilometers (一億五千萬公里) away from our planet Earth.
And we don't really have a good reason to send a real person all the way there.
But one machine, called the Parker Solar Probe (派克太陽探測器), has been studying the sun for years already…
And this month, it got closer to the sun than we've ever been before!
The Parker Solar Probe, also called the P.S.P., is a spacecraft that was sent into space in the year 2018.
It was made to fly very close to the sun, to help us learn more about the stars of our universe. 這枚探測器會盡量接近太陽，好讓我們更了解宇宙中的恆星。
And for three years, it has been flying around the sun's corona (日冕).
"Corona" means "crown", so the sun's corona is a hot area of light that stretches far out from the sun… about 13 million kilometers above its surface! 【Corona】也有【王冠】的意思，所以太陽的日冕就是它周圍的光環，它的範圍是從太陽表面往外延伸一千三百萬公里。
And the corona can get up to around 1 million degrees Celsius (攝氏一百萬度).
That's even hotter than the sun's surface (日冕比太陽表面溫度還要高)!
We don't think the P.S.P. could touch the sun's surface, but this month, it finally flew inside the corona for the first time.
It's a lot like if a ship from outer space touched our sky, and breathed our air, but didn't touch our ground.
So, do you think the P.S.P. touched the sun?
Either way, we're probably more comfortable just feeling the sun from over here! ________________________________
有人發現 毒蛇躲在聖誕樹裡! Venomous Snake Found In Family's Christmas Tree
We hope you've had a Merry Christmas this year!
Maybe you decorated (裝飾) your house, saw family and friends, and got some presents…
Well, usually Christmas presents are under a tree, but this year, one family in South Africa (南非) got a bigger surprise INSIDE their tree…
It was a tree snake!
One day this month, the family noticed their cats staring up into the tree's branches… 有一天，這個家的主人注意到，他們的貓咪一直瞪著聖誕樹。
When they looked closer, they found a snake!
And after finding its picture on the internet, they realized it was a kind of snake called a "boomslang", which is one of the most venomous snakes in Africa. 他們上網查詢這條蛇的照片，發現牠是一種叫做【boomslang】的非洲樹蛇，而且是非洲最毒的蛇之一！
The family quickly called a snake catcher, who came to rescue the snake.
He said it was probably looking for food and water, then got scared and hid (躲起來了) in the tree.
Luckily (幸好), everyone was safe in the end, but still…
Watch out for presents that you might not expect! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Ministry of Justice has started to look into higher prices at restaurants.
They will investigate the restaurants, to find any inconsistencies.
The restaurants will have to give proof of how much money they are paying for food. ________________________________
And,
The Parker Solar Probe is a spacecraft that flies very close to the sun, to help us learn more about stars.
For three years, it has been flying around the sun's corona.
And this month, it finally flew inside the corona for the first time. ________________________________
And,
One family in South Africa found a snake in their Christmas tree!
They looked it up, and realized it was a very venomous kind of snake.
The family quickly called a snake catcher, who came to rescue it. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A crane flies to Taiwan, a man flies into a volcano, and Thee Stallion graduates from college.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
守護珍貴白鶴 宜蘭市盼保持安靜 Yilan Asks Silence for Siberan Crane
"Shh…"
Yilan is asking for quiet in one part of the city.
It's trying not to scare a Siberian crane.
Siberian cranes are tall snow-white birds, with some black feathers, and a red face.
The Siberian crane is listed as critically endangered.
西伯利亞「白鶴」國際上列為瀕臨滅絕的鳥類。
They live in parts of Russia.
And the cranes fly to China and Iran for the winter.
They usually do not pass through Taiwan.
But one of these cranes landed in Yilan last month!
The bird has been living in a rice paddy (稻田) there.
Now the city is working with temples close to the rice paddy.
It has asked the temples to keep as quiet as possible.
The temples will try not to ring bells or light firecrackers for ceremonies.
And the city is also asking people who live around there to help too.
Everyone should try not to set off fireworks for holidays like New Year's Eve, and the Lunar New Year.
The city has also set up big signs around the rice paddy.
The signs ask people to keep quiet.
And farmers there are also asked not to use pesticides (農藥), which might hurt the crane.
Yilan city officials say they have a team of people closely watching the crane to try to keep it safe.
宜蘭市公所請民眾保持安靜不喧嘩，讓白鶴好好休息，等南風吹起，再平安飛回北方的家。 ________________________________
飛鼠裝滑翔高手 穿梭活火山 Wingsuit Pilot Flies In and Out of Volcano
Jumping out of a helicopter seems like a scary thing to do, right?
How about jumping without a parachute?
And into a volcano?
That doesn't just sound scary.
It sounds almost crazy!
不用降落傘，從高空中的直升機跳入火山口，這聽起來很瘋狂吧?
But that's just what Sebastian Alvarez did.
Sebastian was a pilot (飛行員) in Chile's Air Force.
He learned how to skydive (跳傘) in the Air Force, and loved it.
Then he started wingsuit flying (飛鼠裝滑翔).
He jumps from a high place wearing a special suit.
When he spreads out his arms and legs, the suit helps him to glide (飛行、滑行) through the air.
Sebastian wanted to try something with a wingsuit that no one has tried before.
And earlier this month, Sebastian did it.
Wearing just a wingsuit, he jumped out of a helicopter at 3,500 meters up in the sky.
Then he flew through the air, going as fast as 280 kilometers per hour.
And on his way down, he flew into, then out of a volcano!
The volcano in Chile is called "Villarrica".
The name means "the Devil's House".
It's one of Chile's most active (活躍) and dangerous volcanoes.
Sebastian says he asked the volcano if it would be okay to fly into and out of its crater (火山口).
And after going through, he said "thank you".
You must be wondering if Sebastian was scared.
He says he was! But he says he always tries to turn being scared into something positive.
But Sebastian is an expert (專家), and all this takes a lot of hard work and practice.
You should never try out something dangerous without an expert to keep you safe.
Sebastian says he already has ideas for his next jump.
Sebastian成功的成為第一位飛進又飛出活火山的人。 ________________________________
嘻哈女歌手Megan Thee Stallion成功畢業了 Megan Thee Stallion Graduates from College
Megan Thee Stallion has graduated from college.
The 26-year-old rapper got a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Southern University in the U.S.
Her degree is for health administration.
嘻哈女歌手Megan Thee Stallion成功畢業了! 她完成了學士學位，專業是衛生管理。
The star says she did it for her mother and grandmother.
So what's next for the musician?
She says she wants to open an assisted-living facility (無障礙特殊照顧型住宅).
It's a place to live for people who cannot or do not want to live by themselves.
Megan Thee Stallion says she will use the money she makes from her music to open the home. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Yilan is asking for quiet, trying not to scare a Siberian crane.
Siberian cranes are critically endangered, and one landed in Yilan last month!
Now the city is asking temples and people to keep as quiet as possible, so the crane can stay safe. ________________________________
Sebastian Alvarez wanted to try something with a wingsuit that no one has tried before.
Wearing just a wingsuit, he jumped out of a helicopter, and flew into, then out of a volcano!
Sebastian says he already has ideas for his next jump. ________________________________
And,
Megan Thee Stallion has graduated from college.
The 26-year-old rapper got a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Southern University in the U.S.
Her degree is for health administration. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
In today's news:
Kids from Taiwan smash a science competition, the history of a common Christmas decoration, and the White House gets a new puppy.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣團隊拿到國際國中科學奧賽冠軍 Taiwan Wins Junior Science Olympiad
Are you a science buff?
Does the thought of doing experiments in chemistry, physics and biology get you excited?
你熱愛科學嗎？
想到做化學 、物理和生物的實驗會讓你興奮嗎？
Then you could be a future contestant in the International Junior Science Olympiad!
The International Junior Science Olympiad (國際國中科學奧賽) is a competition where students from all over the world use science to tackle challenges (對付挑戰) and overcome problems (解決問題).
Taiwan's team this year had six members.
And the team was very successful (成功的).
In fact, each member won a gold medal!
And Taiwan came first out of all countries. Hooray!
The Olympiad consists of several exams, which ask students about questions on topics like the periodic table, electromagnetism, and chemical bonding.
奧賽包含了很多考試，可能會有關於週期表、電磁學、化學鍵之類的問題。
Of course, the students have to answer questions on many more topics - so many that we can't talk about all of them…
And although for many of the questions you can use calculations (計算) to answer, some of the questions are conceptual (概念性的).
That means you have to truly understand what you are learning to answer correctly.
This year's event was held in the United Arab Emirates.
But teams joined in online because of the pandemic.
Would you like to represent Taiwan in the International Science Olympiad?
今年的活動是阿拉伯聯合大公國主辦的，因為疫情，大家都用線上方式參與 ，你未來想在國際國中科學奧賽代表台灣嗎？ ________________________________
聖誕彩條的故事 The History of Tinsel
Ho ho ho!
It's Christmas!
Are you hanging up your stockings (聖誕襪) on the wall?
Do you think Santa is going to come and visit your house?
Celebrating Christmas is becoming more and more popular in Taiwan.
It's a European holiday, but it's still exciting to see trees, lights and decorations (裝飾) go up around the country at winter time.
Maybe you have a Christmas tree at home.
And maybe you know about one of the most popular Christmas tree decorations… it's called tinsel!
Tinsel (彩條) is like a long, shiny rope, covered with thin strips of shiny, metallic material.
「彩條」就像是繩子，上面有很多條金屬般的閃亮細絲。
But I bet you don't know where it originally comes from (原產地)!
The idea of tinsel goes back to 1610, in a place called Nuremberg in Germany (德國).
People used to put candles (蠟燭) in trees, and they used thin strips of real silver to reflect the candles, making the tree look brighter. 之前的人會用蠟燭裝飾聖誕樹，再放一根一根的銀絲，讓樹看起來更亮。
But silver was very expensive, and it quickly stopped being shiny.
People switched it for things like copper (銅) and tin (錫).
But when World War One started in 1914 (世界大戰), the army needed these metals.
So some people switched to lead (鉛), but that was poisonous (有毒), and some switched to aluminium (鋁)… but this easily catches fire.
Eventually, people started making tinsel out of PVC.
It's a kind of plastic… but it is shiny!
And that is what we still use today!
I hope you enjoyed this history lesson…
Merry Christmas to you all! ________________________________
美國總統領養新小狗 U.S. President Joe Biden Gets a New Puppy
U.S. President Joe Biden loves dogs.
It seems he especially loves German Shepherds (德國牧羊犬).
So it's no surprise that six months after his dog Champ died, his family got a new puppy.
美國拜登總統領養了一隻新狗。
The new puppy is named Challenger.
Biden shared photos and videos of his new dog on social media (社群媒體).
Challenger will be spending his first Christmas with the Bidens. Challenger會跟拜登家過聖誕節。
And he will join his big brother, Major!
Everyone is hoping Challenger will have an easy time adapting to life at the White House. ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan came first out of all countries in this year's Junior Science Olympiad.
Each of Taiwan's six team members won a gold medal.
The students had to answer questions on many topics. ________________________________
And,
The idea of tinsel goes back to 1610, in a place called Nuremberg in Germany.
People put thin strips of real silver in Christmas trees to reflect candles.
Now we use PVC… it's a kind of plastic. ________________________________
And,
U.S. President Joe Biden has adopted a new dog.
His name is Challenger.
Everyone is hoping Challenger will have an easy time adapting to life at the White House. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Ethiopia smashes the Taipei Marathon, young people snap award-winning pics, and an award show scraps gendered categories. .
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
衣索比亞運動員 榮獲台北馬拉松冠軍 Ethiopian Runners Top Taiwan Marathon Table
Ready… set… go!
That's the sound you will hear at the start of a marathon (馬拉松)…
…or maybe something like that.
Anyway, the Taipei Marathon took place on Sunday, December 19th.
Over 8,000 people joined the race.
A marathon is a very long race… 42.195 kilometers long to be precise.
Most people will finish a marathon in about four or five hours.
Could you imagine running non-stop (一直不停) for that long?
Any time under four hours is considered fast.
花四個鐘頭以下的時間跑馬拉松算是很快。
But some athletes (運動員), who are considered elite runners (傑出的跑者), can finish a marathon in under three hours, or even in under two!
Twelve elite runners joined the Taipei marathon this year.
There are usually more, but not too many elite runners joined the race because of the pandemic.
The champions (冠軍) of both the male and female divisions of the race were from Ethiopia.
2021台北馬拉松的男子組和女子組冠軍都來自衣索比亞。
Demeke Kasaw Biksegn won the men's race in a time of two hours, 11 minutes, 42 seconds.
In the women's division (女子組), Alemtsehay Asefa Kasegn crossed the finish line after two hours, 30 minutes and 44 seconds.
That's super fast!
Taiwan's top runner in the marathon, Chou Ting-yin, crossed the finish line after two hours 23 minutes and 33 seconds.
There was also a half-marathon that day for people that just wanted to run around 21 kilometers.
Still, that's very far, do you think you could do it?
那天也舉辦了長21公里的半馬拉松，你覺得你能跑完全程嗎? ________________________________
英國動物福利組織 頒發青少年攝影獎 The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards
Hey! Stop taking pictures of me!
There's so much beautiful nature you could be taking pictures of instead.
A lot of kids these days have phones, or at least something they can use to take pictures.
And people love taking pictures.
So a charity (慈善組織) in the U.K. created a photography competition for young people.
The charity is called the Royal Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, or the RSPCA.
The RSPCA created the Young Photographer Awards to not only encourage kids to take more pictures, but also encourage them to appreciate (享受) the nature around them.
The Young Photographer Awards has different categories (類別), such as "small world" for tiny creatures, and "Picture Perfect Pets" for well… pets.
It also has categories for different ages.
The winning pictures from the 2021 awards are now online.
The top prize went to a boy called Ben Hancock-Smith for a creepy close-up of a wasp spider hanging out in a web.
獲得首獎的作品，是一幅掛在蜘蛛網中的橫紋金蛛近距離照片。
A 16-year-old boy won the "Portfolio" category for his pictures of rats hiding (躲避) in different places.
Another young person submitted a close-up picture of a stingray (魟魚) showing its "face".
The winners got 100 pounds (英鎊) to spend on the website Amazon.
There are so many cool and interesting creatures here in Taiwan.
So why don't you take your camera out into nature next time and snap a few pictures?
台灣有好多又酷又有趣的小生物，下次何不帶著你的照相機投入大自然拍幾張呢? ________________________________
全英音樂獎不再分性別獎品 Brit Awards Scraps Gendered Prizes
A music award show in the U.K. has scrapped male and female categories in favor of gender-neutral awards.
If an award is gender-neutral it means both men and women can win it.
Some women were concerned mostly male artists would be nominated for Brit Awards.
But more female artists have been nominated than in any year over the past 10 years.
有些女生擔心大多選手為男生，不過今年是１０年以來女生選手最多的一年。
Adele, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo could all win multiple prizes.
The Brit Awards said it wanted to be more inclusive.
Some people, like the singer Sam Smith, say they are not male or female.
Now such artists don't need to worry about which category they fit in.
全英音樂獎希望更具有包容性。有些音樂人，例如山姆史密斯，就表明既不是男生也不是女生。 現在這樣的歌手可以不必擔心他們屬於哪個類別。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Marathon took place on Sunday, December 19th.
Over 8,000 people joined the race.
The champions of both the male and female divisions of the race were from Ethiopia. ________________________________
And,
A charity in the U.K. created a photography competition for young people.
The Young Photographer Awards has different categories, such as "small world" for tiny creatures.
The winning pictures from the 2021 awards are now online. ________________________________
And,
A music award show in the U.K. has scrapped male and female categories in favor of gender-neutral awards.
The Brit Awards said it wanted to be more inclusive. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Environmentally-friendly farming, the European Tree of the Year, and a soccer star retires.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣鼓勵農夫採取環保農業行動 Taiwan Encourages Environment-Friendly Farming
Climate change (氣候變遷) is a big issue that has become a problem for countries all around the world.
It's changing weather patterns; a lot of places are getting hotter.
It's changing how people and animals have to live.
Climate change affects (影響) farmers badly.
Sometimes, they lose their crops (農作物) because the weather isn't how it's supposed to be, and their crops can't grow, or they die easily.
This means they lose a lot of money.
The Taiwan government is trying to help farmers.
It is giving farmers better insurance (保險).
Insurance is when you pay a company (公司) a small amount of money, usually each month, then if there is a disaster (天然災害) or accident (意外), the company pays to fix the problem.
The government is helping farmers pay the insurance.
And now, they can ask their insurance company to pay them when their crops are damaged by disease or pests (害蟲).
政府協助農夫每個月付一筆錢給保險公司，如果農作物遭受天災或是害蟲，保險公司會出錢來處理問題。 The government is also helping farmers do their work in a way that is friendlier to the environment.
Farmers use pesticides (農藥) to kill pests, and these contain chemicals (化學品) which can damage the environment.
But they can use more natural ways (更自然的方式)!
Plants like sage (鼠尾草) and mint (薄荷) can help keep pests away.
We should all do our best to work in ways that are friendlier to our environment. ________________________________
一株蘇格蘭的樹 將參加歐洲最佳樹木比賽 Scottish Tree to Compete in European Tree Contest
Have you ever looked at a tree and thought… that tree is so beautiful and cool, it should win an award (贏得獎項)!
Well, apparently many people in Europe think like this.
Because there is a European Tree of the Year contest (比賽).
Countries in Europe must nominate, or choose, a tree to participate (參與).
The UK has just chosen its tree.
It's a hawthorn tree (山楂) in Scotland.
It lives near a beach on the west coast of Scotland and it doesn't have many neighbors that are people.
它長在蘇格蘭西岸人煙稀少的地方。
Hawthorn trees live in places that are not super hot or super cold.
They are quite small trees and their branches have thorns.
它的樹枝有刺。
Its fruit, the haw, can actually be eaten by people.
In fact, hawthorn candy (山楂片) is quite a popular treat in Taiwan!
The hawthorn tree in Scotland actually just won Tree of the Year in the UK.
It was nominated by a tree surgeon (樹木外科?生).
He said: "It is a superb hawthorn and it's incredible it has survived this well having been climbed on, battered by the winds and even bumped into by cars turning."
他說那株山楂存活這麼久真了不起，不但人們在它的樹幹上爬上爬下，它也遭到狂風吹襲，甚至被車子撞到。
We asked the tree how it felt about possibly becoming the 2022 European Tree of the Year… but it didn't have much to say… ________________________________
Sergio Aguero Retires from Soccer 阿根廷的足球名將Sergio Aguero退休
A famous soccer player has called it quits.
Sergio Aguero used to play for the British team Manchester City and the Spanish team Barcelona.
But at 33 years old, he is retiring.
He said it is to protect his health.
33歲的Sergio Aguero要退休了，他說是為了保護自己的身體健康。
Aguero was just 18 years old when he was first signed by a major Spanish soccer team.
When he joined Manchester City, he was bought for 38 million pounds.
And he scored two goals in his first ever game for the club!
He was part of Argentina's 2021 team when they won the Copa America, the top men's football tournament played by South America's national teams
Aguero said he is very proud of his career.
英國足球隊Manchester City付了３千８百萬英鎊跟Aguero簽約，他第一次下場就進了兩個球。他是阿根廷 2021 年足球代表隊的一員，那年他們贏得了美洲盃。Aguero對自己的職業生涯非常驕傲。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan government is trying to help farmers in the face of climate change.
It is giving farmers better insurance.
And it is helping farmers do their work in a way that is friendlier to the environment. ________________________________
And,
There is a European Tree of the Year contest.
The UK has just chosen its tree.
It's a hawthorn tree in Scotland. ________________________________
And,
A famous soccer player has called it quits.
Sergio Aguero, at 33 years old, is retiring.
He said it is to protect his health. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A teen pilot lands in Taiwan, birdsongs land on a music chart, and a star is good with Marvel again.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
19歲環球獨駕飛行員抵台 Teen Aviator Flying Around the World Makes Stop in Taiwan
A 19-year-old pilot is flying around the world alone.
And she made a stop in Taiwan!
Zara Rutherford is a British-Belgian teenager.
She wants to fly to 52 countries and five continents around the world.
The trip will be 51,000 kilometers long!
19歲英國、比利時雙國籍飛行員Zara Rutherford挑戰成為獨自駕機環繞全球最年輕女性的紀錄。
She started her journey on August 18th this year, flying out of Belgium.
And since then, she has flown to Iceland, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Russia, and many other countries.
Just last week, she landed (降落) in Taiwan.
Zara landed her plane at Taipei Songshan Airport, after flying for 4.5 hours from Seoul, South Korea.
After she landed, workers at the airport gave her a bubble milk tea (珍珠奶茶) as a gift.
Zara says Taiwan "is gorgeous (極其美麗的), especially the mountains".
While she was in Taiwan, Zara stayed at a quarantine hotel.
Then from Taiwan, she flew to the Philippines.
If everything goes well with her trip, Zara will be back in Belgium mid-January.
And Zara will break many records (紀錄).
If she finishes her journey, Zara will be the youngest woman to fly solo (單獨) around the world.
She says she hopes her trip will encourage girls and young women to go for jobs in aviation (飛行) and STEM if that's what they want.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (科學、技術、工程及數學).
Her message for everyone is that you are capable of much more than you think.
Zara 想對大家說，"你遠比自己想像中的更有能力"。
Zara is starting university next year.
Her dream is to become an astronaut. ________________________________
澳洲鳥叫聲專輯 攻進音樂排行榜前5名 Bird Songs Beat Out Stars on Australia Music Chart
Most of the time, music charts (音樂排行榜) show which are the most popular songs right now.
They are usually full of songs from famous singers.
But one album (專輯) on a music chart in Australia sounds a little different.
"Songs of Disappearance" is all sounds from endangered Australian birds.
The album was made by a group called BirdLife Australia.
這張"消失之歌"專輯由澳洲鳥類保育協會製作，收錄53種澳洲瀕危鳥類叫聲。
It made it into the top five of Australia's Aria music charts.
It was more popular (受歡迎) than songs from The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Bieber.
The album is full of bird songs from 53 of Australia's most threatened (受威脅) birds.
Some of the sounds took hours of waiting in the woods to record (錄音).
BirdLife Australia says some of the birds you hear on the album may not survive (存活) if they are not protected.
Some scientists says one in six Australian bird species are now in danger of disappearing.
They say part of the problem is climate change.
Now BirdLife Australia says all the money made from sales of the album will be used to help save birds.
They are also happy that so many people like the album, and care about birds.
澳洲鳥類保育協會表示，如果人類不團結起來保育，這些罕見鳥類可能無法生存。 ________________________________
黑寡婦主角又跟漫威合作 Scarlett Johansson Working With Marvel Again
A star and a studio appear to have reconciled.
Scarlett Johansson played Black Window in several Marvel movies.
However, she sued the studio for breach of contract over the release of her standalone film.
That lawsuit has since been settled (和解).
黑寡婦主角史嘉蕾·喬韓森和漫威和解了，將再次合作。
Both sides are now moving on, with Marvel saying they are working with Scarlett again on a secret (機密) project.
This project is not related to her previous Black Widow character.
Scarlett will serve as a producer on this unnamed project.
No other information about this top-secret project has been revealed yet.
史嘉蕾將參與一個機密的漫威案子，跟黑寡婦角色無關。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A 19-year-old pilot flying around the world alone landed in Taiwan.
Zara Rutherford is flying to 52 countries and five continents around the world.
If she finishes her journey, Zara will be the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. ________________________________
An album full of sounds from endangered Australian birds is on a music chart in Australia.
"Songs of Disappearance" made it into the top five of Australia's Aria music charts.
It was more popular than songs from The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Bieber. ________________________________
And
Marvel says it is working with Scarlett Johansson again.
This project is not related to her previous Black Widow character.
Scarlett will serve as a producer on this unnamed project.
No other information about this top-secret project has been revealed yet. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites! ________________________________
主播每周一問 Have Your Say
This week, we want you to have your say about the greatest gift.
There are many different holidays, all over the world, where people like to give gifts to each other. Of course, we should be happy to give things to others, and not just happy to get new stuff. But it's still a nice feeling to receive something from our family or friends!
So, what is the greatest gift you have ever received?
Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and age, and if you like, the name of your school.
Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message on our show on Friday!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A dancing ox lantern, a phantom jellyfish, and an actor directs again.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北燈會主燈 跳舞的公牛 A Dancing Ox Lantern in Taipei
Taipei Lantern Festival is lighting up the city again.
It started on Friday 17th of December, and will finish on December 26th, the day after Christmas day!
It is taking place in Taipei's historic (有歷史的) Wanhua District.
And this year a giant ox (公牛) is taking center stage.
That's right, a giant ox!
It is six meters tall and weighs 100 kilograms.
It's made up of rods (燈管) that light up in different colors.
And it's not just a regular lantern… it's a dancing lantern!
It is attached to wires (燈管連著線) that pull its arms, legs and head that help it dance around.
這個公牛燈不是一般的燈，它會跳舞。它是彩色燈管組成的，有線可以拉起來讓它擺動。
How cool!
The lantern was made with the help of many people, including artists, engineers…and even a choreographer!
A choreographer is someone that makes dances. 編舞家是設計舞步的人。
The choreographer that helped with the ox has worked with Taiwan's famous Cloud Gate Dance Theater group (雲門舞集).
The lantern festival was supposed to start in February this year.
It was postponed (延期) because of the pandemic.
It attracts millions of people each year. One year, four million people went to see the Taipei Lantern Festival!
I wonder if that many will go this year?
台北燈節每年吸引數百萬人參加，今年會有這麼多人去嗎? ________________________________
加州外海深處 極罕見的冥河水母現身 Giant Phantom Jellyfish Seen near California
Ahhhhhhhhh! Did you see that?
Was that… was that a ghost?
Oh… it was a… jellyfish?
Yes, it's a rare kind of jellyfish (水母). People don't see it very often.
It does look a lot like a ghost. That's why it's called the giant phantom jellyfish.
"Phantom" is another word for ghost.
The giant phantom jellyfish has long, flat "arms" that look like strips of bedsheets.
And it's "head" has a dim pink glow.
冥河水母又寬又長的觸手，看起來很像幾條撕破的床單。它的頭部會發出黯淡的粉紅螢光。
It lives in the deepest (最深的) parts of the ocean.
That's probably why it's only been spotted around 100 times since it was first discovered in 1899.
But it was recently spotted off the coast of California (加州) in the U.S.
You can see it slowly floating (漂浮) through the water in a new video.
People don't know much about this jellyfish, except that it is one of the biggest species (種類).
It's "arms" can grow up to 10 meters long.
Scientists think it uses its long, floaty arms to catch prey (捕捉獵物) and feed them into its mouth.
Swimming in the sea is fun… but I hope that I never see a giant phantom jellyfish while I'm in the water!
去海邊游泳超好玩，不過我希望不要碰到冥河水母! ________________________________
梅爾·吉勃遜再次當導演 Mel Gibson Taking on Director Role Again
A famous actor is doing double duty (兼任) in a new film.
Mel Gibson has always starred in the Lethal Weapon series of movies.
For the upcoming fifth film, he will direct at the same time.
He takes over (接班) for former director Richard Donner, who recently passed away.
梅爾·吉勃遜不但是第五部致命武器的主角，同時也要導演這部電影。
Donner had directed all four previous Lethal Weapon films.
Mel will reprise his role as police officer Martin Riggs.
They hope that Danny Glover will come back to play his character, Roger Murtaugh.
Production on the new movie is expected to start in 2022.
第五部2022年開始拍片，希望丹尼·葛洛佛也會回來。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei Lantern Festival is lighting up the city again.
And this year a giant ox is taking center stage.
It's made up of rods that light up in different colors.
And it's not just a regular lantern… it's a dancing lantern! ________________________________
And,
A giant phantom jellyfish was recently spotted near California.
It's only been spotted around 100 times since it was first discovered in 1899.
It lives in the deepest parts of the ocean. ________________________________
And,
A famous actor is directing and acting in a new movie.
Mel Gibson will be back on screens in the new Lethal Weapon movie.
Production on the new movie is expected to start in 2022. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets more YouBikes, Malaysia reaches new heights, and Idris Elba could be a Bond villain.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北市準備增設微笑單車2.0站到一千兩百個 Taipei Plans to Expand YouBike 2.0 to 1,200 Stations
There are lots of ways to get around a city like Taipei.
You can take a train, you can hop on a bus, you can call a taxi, or you can even just walk.
And sometimes, it's more fun to ride a bicycle…
But what if you don't have your own bike?
Well, that's what YouBike is for!
YouBike is a public bicycle rental system (公共自行車租賃系統).
It was started in the year 2009, by Taipei's Department of Transportation and the company called Giant Bicycles. YouBike是2009年由台北市交通局和自行車製造大廠捷安特，共同推出的服務。
And recently, the system has started to provide (提供) even better bikes, called YouBike 2.0.
The newer bikes have little screens (螢幕) on them, to help people use them more easily.
And YouBike 2.0 stations can hold more bikes, and use less electricity than the original stations. 新的YouBike 2.0站比以前能放更多輛車，而且用更少的電。
That's good news for everyone, because the system is so popular (流行) that sometimes there aren't any bikes left to rent.
Taipei City now has more than 800 YouBike 2.0 stations around the city…
And it plans to expand (擴展) the Taipei YouBike system to 1,200 stations by the end of next year.
Currently (目前), you can find YouBikes in Taipei, New Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua, and Miaoli…
But no matter where you are in Taiwan, you can expect to see more bike rental stations soon! ________________________________
世界第二高大樓 即將在馬來西亞落成 World's Second Tallest Building Tops Out In Malaysia
Have you ever been to the top of the Taipei 101?
At 508 meters tall, it used to be the tallest building in the world, for five whole years!
Now, the tallest building is the 829-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, in a country called the United Arab Emirates (阿拉伯聯合大公國)。
It's gonna be hard to beat that…
But that doesn't mean other countries won't try to stay close!
And right there in second place is a new building in the city of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. 馬來西亞首都吉隆坡正在興建世界第二高大樓。
It's called the Merdeka 118 (默迪卡118), and it has just topped out at 678 meters tall.
To "top out" means that it has been built as high as it will go.
But there is still lots of work to do before it's completed!
The Merdeka 118 is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.
The word "Merdeka" means "independent", or "free", in Malay, the language spoken by many people in Malaysia. "Merdeka"這個字在馬來語裡的意思就是【獨立】或【自由】。
The building's shape partly represents (代表) the shape of someone holding their hand up to declare Malaysia's freedom.
The Merdeka 118 was also designed with a mix of diamond-shaped glass, which the designers say represents the diversity of the Malaysian people. 默迪卡118外牆由許多菱形的玻璃組成，設計師說這代表馬來西亞人口的多樣性。
And just like its name, the giant building has 118 floors.
Taller and taller buildings are being built all around the world…
Which country do you think will build one next? ________________________________
伊卓瑞斯·艾巴可能加入007電影 Idris Elba Offered Role in Bond Film
A big name actor could be joining a major movie project.
Sources claim that Idris Elba is in talks with the James Bond filmmakers.
They say that he will not be offered the role of Bond himself.
Instead, Idris could be asked to play the villain (反派).
據說伊卓瑞斯·艾巴可能演下一部007電影的反派。
Daniel Craig recently ended his five-movie run as 007.
His last appearance was in No Time to Die, which came out in September.
There has been a fan campaign (運動) to have Idris take over the starring role.
Filmmakers have said they won't decide on the next Bond until next year.
很多粉絲希望伊卓瑞斯當下一位007主角，但明年初才會正式宣布。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei City now has more than 800 YouBike 2.0 stations around the city.
And it plans to expand the Taipei YouBike system to 1,200 stations by the end of next year.
YouBike 2.0 stations can hold more bikes, and use less electricity than the original stations. ________________________________
And,
The Merdeka 118 is now the world's second-tallest building.
It's a new building in the city of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia.
It has just topped out at 678 meters tall, and is expected to be finished by the end of 2022. ________________________________
And,
Idris Elba is in talks with James Bond filmmakers.
They say that he will not be offered the role of Bond himself.
Instead, Idris could be asked to play the villain. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan loses an ally, a camel competition faces a crackdown, and Snoop Dogg wants to buy a record label.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣與尼加拉瓜結束外交關係 Taiwan and Nicaragua Cut Diplomatic Ties
Taiwan has cut ties with Nicaragua.
They are no longer diplomatic allies.
What does that mean?
Most countries recognize (承認) China as a country, and a few recognize Taiwan as a country.
Nicaragua used to be one of those, but not anymore. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, decided to recognize China instead on December 9.
So what happened after that?
Taiwan used to send aid (資助) to Nicaragua to help build things the country needs, like hospitals. But not anymore.
And Taiwan has told all its representatives in Nicaragua (駐尼加拉瓜的代表) to come back.
Taiwan gave lots of Nicaraguan students scholarships (獎學金) to study here.
They were probably worried they would have to return home.
But the government in Taiwan said it will still help and support them.
Taiwan's government has blamed (責怪) China's government.
It thinks China convinced (說服) Nicaragua to cut ties with Taiwan.
China said it was the "right choice" and "in line with the global trend".
台灣認為中國說服尼加拉瓜與台灣結束外交關係。而中國說尼加拉瓜的決定是正確的，並且說全球的趨勢就是這樣。 ________________________________
打擊駱駝選美比賽的違法行為 Crackdown on Beautiful Camel Competition
If I asked you to name a beautiful animal, what animal would you think of?
Maybe a peacock (孔雀)?
Or a tiger (老虎)?
Or perhaps an owl (貓頭鷹)?
Would you ever think of a camel?
Well, in Saudi Arabia, there is a competition to decide the most beautiful camel in the world. 沙國有駱駝選美比賽。
Winners can take away 66 million dollars.
But what makes a beautiful camel?
Apparently, it is long lips, a big nose, and beautiful humps (駝峰).
That's what the competition says.
But not everyone can own a "beautiful" camel.
And unfortunately, this means some people have been doing things to change what their camel looks like.
These things include making their ears smaller, removing their claws, and even injecting the camels to make their lips bigger. 為了美化駱駝，有些人會把牠們的耳朵弄小，把爪子剪掉，甚至在他們的嘴唇裡注射物體來"豐唇"。
Luckily this year, the competition is starting to take action (採取行動) against these things.
More than 40 camels were disqualified from the competition.
But animal rights group Peta Asia still said the competition is "cruel."
And that Saudi Arabia needs to "crack down" more on people changing how their camels look.
善待動物組織亞洲分局說駱駝選美比賽很殘酷，勸沙國阻止這種行為。
Do you think they should stop the competition? ________________________________
史努比狗狗想買前唱片公司 Snoop Dog Wants to Buy Old Label
An old-school rapper wants to take over a company.
Snoop Dogg released his first two albums with the Death Row record label (唱片公司) in the mid-90s。
He then switched to No Limit Records in 1998.
Now, Snoop Dogg says he would be interested in buying Death Row.
史努比狗狗說他有興趣買他的第一家唱片公司，他前兩張專輯是那家公司發行的。
The record label is currently owned by a private (私募) group.
However, Snoop says he has heard rumors that the group might be willing to sell the label.
He says he should be in charge of Death Row, since he helped to create it.
Snoop recently began serving as a top creative consultant for Def Jam Recordings this past June.
唱片公司目前在私募股權公司手上，但史努比狗狗說公司可能願意賣掉。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has cut ties with Nicaragua.
They are no longer diplomatic allies.
President Tsai Ing-wen thinks China forced Nicaragua to no longer recognize Taiwan. ________________________________
And,
Saudi Arabia has a beautiful camel competition.
But owners change how their camels look.
And Peta Asia thinks Saudi Arabia should do more to crack down on cruel behavior. ________________________________
And,
Rapper Snoop Dogg says he would be interested in buying record label Death Row.
He released his first two albums with them in the mid-90s.
He says he should be in charge of Death Row, since he helped to create it. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan is an open civic space, a billionaire goes to space, and a veteran rock star releases a new album.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣被列為亞洲唯一"開放"的國家 Taiwan Named Asia's Only Open Civic Space
What do you know about civil rights?
Civil rights (民權) are a set of ideas that say people should have help from the government in order to protect their freedom (保護個人自由).
But their freedom to do what?
Voting in elections (投票) - that is one civil right.
Being able to go to school - that is another civil right.
Most people think we should have civil rights because without them, many wouldn't be able to live a free and fulfilling life (圓滿的生活).
When people feel like their civil rights are under attack, they sometimes protest.
當人民覺得他們的民權被侵犯，他們有可能會上街抗議。
Actually, being able to protest is also a civil right.
But there are many countries where people are not allowed to protest.
They might go to jail.
Even news reporters (記者) talking about protests might go to jail.
When this happens we can say a country has a "closed civic space."
If you can show you don't like something the government does without getting in trouble, we call this an "open civic space."
Do you think Taiwan is an "open civic space"?
According to a new survey (調查), it is. In fact it's the only open civic space in the whole of Asia.
But the organization that made the survey, Civicus, thinks Taiwan can still improve (改善).
Laws say people can only protest in some places. But Civicus thinks people should be able to protest anywhere.
The organization is also worried Taiwan might ban the Chinese flag.
人權組織Civicus的新報告指出Taiwan還是有進步的空間，報告認為應該修正限制抗議活動地點的法律，也說台灣政府試著讓展示中國國旗成為犯罪行為，這些令人感到擔憂。 ________________________________
日本億萬富翁上太空 Japanese Billionaire Goes to Space
A Japanese billionaire has blasted off to space.
A billionaire is someone that has over a billion dollars (十億元) - a very rich person.
Yusaku Maezawa has left Earth and gone to visit the International Space Station (國際太空站) in a rocket.
Maezawa said while he is there, he wants to do 100 different things that the public (公民) suggested he do.
One of those is play golf.
Before Maezawa went, he had to do a lot of difficult training (訓練).
He had to sleep in a bed that goes up and down.
And he had to spin around in a chair really fast.
He'll spend 12 days in space in total.
Maezawa said the trip is "a dream come true".
And he said people may think space travel is weird now.
But it will become common (普遍的) in the future.
Yusaku Maezawa isn't the first billionaire to go to space.
The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has also been to space, and Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, has, too.
Yusaku Maezawa並不是首位上太空的億萬富翁，維珍集團的創辦人Richard Branson還有亞馬遜公司創辦人Jeff Bezos都去過。
Lots of people are criticizing (批評) billionaires for going to space.
Because trips to space can cost millions or even billions of dollars.
Some people think the money should be spent on Earth to help people that don't even have enough to live their regular lives.
What do you think? ________________________________
奧茲·奧斯本將發行新專輯 Ozzy Osbourne Releasing New Album
A veteran rocker is getting ready to drop a new project.
Ozzy Osbourne says his new album will come out early in 2022.
He says he has recorded 15 songs for the album.
However, he says some of them are still a work in progress (半成品).
奧茲·奧斯本明年初將發行新專輯，會有15首歌。
Ozzy says the new album will sound similar to his 2020 release, called Ordinary Man.
He says this is because it was done by the same production team.
It will also feature guest appearances by several prominent (傑出) guitarists, including Eric Clapton.
Aside from the album, Ozzy is also preparing to finish his last ever tour, which had been delayed by the pandemic.
除了新專輯之外，奧茲也準備恢復他的告別巡演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A new survey says Taiwan is the only open civic space in the whole of Asia.
That means people's civil rights are not under attack.
But some think Taiwan can still improve. ________________________________
And,
A Japanese billionaire has blasted off to space.
Yusaku Maezawa will spend 12 days there.
And he wants to do 100 different things in space. ________________________________
And,
A veteran rocker is getting ready to drop a new project.
Ozzy Osbourne says his new album will come out early in 2022.
He says he has recorded 15 songs for the album. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Floating volcano rocks, fast-flying comets, and a short film from Taylor Swift.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
日本「火山浮石」漂流台灣東海岸 Volcanic Rocks from Japan Float to Taiwan
Boats in the ocean off eastern Taiwan need to watch out!
The Coast Guard has sent a warning to ships that sail in waters off eastern Taiwan.
They say many people have seen pumices (火山浮石) floating in the water.
The rocks have been spotted in the ocean between Shi-ti-ping and Qi-xing-tan Beach.
Officials say the largest are the size of a tennis ball.
Pumice is made when a rock inside a volcano gets very hot and is under a lot of pressure.
The rock then gets shot out of an erupting volcano.
When the rock is heated and cooled so quickly, it becomes pumice.
Pumice is mostly light colored (淺色).
And it is also very light (輕).
But why are these rocks a danger for ships?
Pumices have lots of holes on them, and they are very light.
They float (漂浮) on the water.
And they easily get sucked into (被吸入) the engines of ships.
This could break the engine and other parts of the ship.
Officials believe the pumices seen off Hualien came from an undersea volcano near Japanese islands.
They say the volcano near the Ogasawaras Islands erupted in August this year.
The islands are about 2,000 kilometers east-northeast of Taipei.
And officials in Taiwan started to see the volcanic rocks around the end of November.
日本小笠原群島一座海底火山8月噴發，火山浮石11月底開始出現在台灣東部和南部。
The pumices showed up at 16 places near the ocean in Pingtung, Taitung, Green Island, and Orchid Island, and even Kenting.
They say so far, it looks like the rocks are not bad for the environment.
But boats and ships should take extra care when in the water there.
雖然沒有影響生態的紀錄出現，但火山浮石輕，如果吸入船的引擎，可能導致機械故障。 ________________________________
今年最亮彗星現身 Brightest Comet of 2021 to Disappear Forever
The brightest comet (彗星) of the year is here.
And this is your only chance to see it…before it disappears forever!
Comet Leonard was discovered by astronomer Greg Leonard on January 3rd this year.
Scientists believe it's been flying towards the sun for the last 35,000 years.
The comet is passing our planet Earth now.
Experts say Comet Leonard was closest to Earth on December 12th.
On that day, it was 34 million kilometers from Earth.
And this Saturday, it will pass by Venus.
But we should be able to spot the comet all the way until January 3rd next year.
Scientists say they're not sure how easy it will be to see the comet just looking with our eyes.
They say it might be easier to spot if you use binoculars (望遠鏡).
The Taipei Astronomical Museum says at 6pm each night, you can try looking westward, low in the sky.
台北天文館建議，在傍晚6時左右，在光害較少的地方往西方低空，用望遠鏡搜尋觀賞。
And some suggest (建議) looking for something that looks like a fuzzy (毛毛的、模糊的) star.
Comet Leonard is also easier to see now, because it gets brighter as it gets closer to the sun.
And scientists say it is an ultra (極端的) fast comet.
It flies through space at 71 kilometers per second!
But because it is far from Earth, it still looks like it's moving slowly to us.
Leonard彗星有驚人的速度，約一秒移動70公里！ 所以它在天空中的位置每天都會改變。 ________________________________
泰勒絲發行新短片 Taylor Swift Releases Short Film
A big-name singer has a surprise for her fans.
Taylor Swift recently released her own version of her album, Red.
Alongside the album, she also released a short film.
Called "All Too Well", the film is ten minutes long.
除了新版本的專輯，泰勒絲也發行了一個短片。
The film is based off a track from her album of the same name.
The video was released on YouTube so everyone could watch it.
The video for the short film had over 135 thousand likes before it officially came out.
All Too Well was the first song Taylor wrote for her Red album.
短片十分鐘長，在YouTube上可以看，還沒上映前就已經有十三多萬人按讚。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Coast Guard has sent a warning to ships that sail in waters off eastern Taiwan.
Pumices floating in the water could easily get sucked into ship engines and break something.
The pumices may have come from an undersea volcano eruption near Japan. ________________________________
Comet Leonard, the brightest comet of the year is passing Earth now.
The Taipei Astronomical Museum says at 6pm each night, you can try looking westward, low in the sky.
Scientists say it might be easier to spot if you use binoculars. ________________________________
And…
Taylor Swift recently released her own version of her album, Red.
Alongside the album, she also released a short film.
Called "All Too Well", the film is ten minutes long. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Will Taiwan boycott the Winter Olympics? Scientists make a big discovery, and Salma Hayak may continue to be a Marvel star.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣考慮抵制冬奧 Taiwan Mulls Boycotting Winter Olympics
Taiwan has a tough decision to make.
The 2022 Winter Olympics (冬季奧運) are coming up and they are taking place in Beijing.
They start on February 4th.
Taiwan is currently deciding whether it wants to send government representatives (政府官員) or not.
The United States announced on December 6th that it would boycott (杯葛) the Winter Olympics
To "boycott" means to not do something or not go somewhere for a political reason (政治理由).
The U.S. said it is because of how China has treated Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
美國說因為中國虐待新疆維吾兒族人，所以用外交方式抵制冬奧。
But U.S. athletes are still allowed to go and join in.
Other countries are thinking about boycotting the Winter Olympics, too.
This includes Australia and New Zealand.
The government of Taiwan said it needs to think about the situation.
But it will not affect the ability of Taiwanese athletes to go and join in.
Taiwan already has a difficult time joining international sports competitions (比賽).
In most competitions, it has to use the name "Chinese Taipei".
This is because China will not allow these competitions to recognize (承認) Taiwan as a country.
But Taiwan still participates (參與), because otherwise, our athletes would not be able to do their jobs.
但是台灣仍然利用中華台北的名份參加國際體育賽事，否則運動員都沒有發揮的機會。
What do you think? Should Taiwan boycott the Winter Olympics too? ________________________________
科學家檢驗古老足跡發現大突破 Scientists Become Shocked by Footprints
Scientists have made a very exciting discovery.
Some scientists recently took two pairs of footprints (足跡) found in the country Tanzania (坦尚尼亞) 50 years ago, and re-examined them, or looked at them again.
What they have found could show how humans evolved (演變) to walk on two legs.
Scientists originally (原本) thought one pair of footprints belonged to (屬於) a bear.
And the other belonged to a human ancestor, called hominin.
Now, they are pretty sure both pairs belong to the human ancestor hominin.
Hominins are our ancestors (祖先), and that means we evolved from them. People think hominins were the first of our ancestors to go from walking with four legs to walking with two legs.
Hominin是人類的祖先，也就是說我們是由Hominin演變而來的。有人認為他們是人類最早的，由四條腿走路進化到用兩條腿走路的祖先。
The footprints were made just days, or even hours apart.
But the feet that made them were pretty different.
And the two creatures that made them walked very differently. 這兩對足跡顯示走路的方式大不相同。
One hominin walked by crossing its left foot over its right foot, then its right foot over its left. 有一個是把左腳放在右腳前，然後右腳放在左腳前面走路。
The other walked more like we do. 另外一人跟我們的走路法比較接近。
Scientists say this could mean at that time, hominins learned to walk in different ways.
Or it could mean different species (種類) lived at the same time.
Human evolution is fascinating.
But discoveries like this show that it is not as simply as we originally thought. 人類演變真了不起，但它不是我們原先所想的那麼簡單! ________________________________
莎瑪·海耶克簽了多個漫威約 Salma Hayek Signs More Marvel Deals
A new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be back in the future.
Salma Hayek recently made her Marvel debut in The Eternals.
In that movie, she plays Ajak, the leader (領導者) of the team.
Salma has since revealed that she has signed on to appear in future Marvel movies.
莎瑪·海耶克的第一部漫威電影永恆族十一月初上映了。
However, Salma stresses that just because she has signed the deals doesn't mean she will absolutely appear.
She says there is no guarantee that Marvel will want her back for later projects.
Salma also says she was intimidated (生畏) by joining the MCU.
She says the fans are so passionate, and she was afraid of disappointing them.
莎瑪說她和漫威簽了幾個未來電影的約，但她說這不代表她的角色一定會再出現。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is currently deciding whether it wants to send government representatives to the Winter Olympics.
Many countries are boycotting it because of how China treats Uyghurs in Xinjiang. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have made a very exciting discovery.
Two pairs of footprints found 50 years ago both belonged hominins - human ancestors.
It could help us understand how humans learned to walk. ________________________________
And,
Salma Hayak has signed on to appear in future Marvel movies.
She plays Ajak in The Eternals. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A big award for a famous director, big bucks for these international cities, and a big twist for a rock band.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣導演獲總統文化獎 Ang Lee Receives Presidential Culture Award
A famous director has won the Presidential Culture Award.
Taiwan-American director Ang Lee was given the award by President Tsai Ing-wen.
國際大導演李安獲得總統文化獎的「文化耕耘獎」，由總統蔡英文親自頒獎。
The Presidential Culture Awards are given to people or groups of people who have helped Taiwan's culture.
Each prize winner gets $1 million NT.
Lee's award was for the arts and culture category (類別).
Ang Lee was born in Pingtung County.
He moved to the US to go to university, and made lots of movies starting in the 1990s.
He went through many struggles.
Ang liked acting, but he had a hard time speaking English.
He also liked making movies and writing scripts (寫劇本).
But he couldn't find a job for many years.
Finally when he started making movies, he won many awards (得獎).
And Ang says he is very thankful for his Presidential Culture Award.
The director says he is a mix of different cultures.
But he says Taiwan is an important part of his roots.
Ang says he is proud to be made from Taiwan's culture.
And the director says he will do his best to help Taiwan become stronger, more resilient, multifaceted and free.
每兩年舉辦一次的總統文化獎，今年已經是第11屆了，得獎人或團體代表台灣價值。 ________________________________
2021全球最貴城市 World's Most Expensive Cities in 2021
They are some of the most famous cities in the world.
But if you want to live there, you will have to PAY.
The 2021 Worldwide Cost of Living index is a list (名單、清單) that is made every year.
It looks at how much it costs to live in cities around the world.
「全球生活成本指數」每年會列出全世界生活成本最高的城市。
The Economist Intelligence Unit makes the list.
They say they looked at 173 cities this year.
And they compared (比較) the price of 200 things people often buy.
And many big changes, some because of COVID-19, have pushed up the cost of living in these cities.
Overall (整體來說), the experts say the cost of things went up by 3.5 percent.
And this year, the city of Tel Aviv (特拉維夫) in Israel was ranked as the most expensive city in the world, for the first time.
There were two cities tied for second most expensive.
One was Paris.
The famous city in France was ranked as the most expensive last year.
And the other second most expensive was Singapore.
Fouth place went to Zurich (蘇黎世) in Switzerland.
Fifth place went to Hong Kong.
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic caused big changes.
Things weren't being made because workers were isolating at home.
That meant many stores couldn't get the things they sell.
And many people were buying things online.
But there weren't enough ships and planes to bring all these things to the buyers.
And because there weren't enough, people had to pay more money to get what they wanted.
Experts say they think the cost of living will keep going up next year.
But they believe it won't be as bad as this year.
專家說今年全球供應鏈阻塞和不斷變化，再加上消費者需求推高了許多大城市的生活成本。 ________________________________
幽浮一族樂團拍了鬼片 Foo Fighters Make Own Horror Movie
A rock band has done a surprising new project.
The Foo Fighters have secretly (偷偷的) filmed a horror movie.
The movie is set in a haunted mansion, where a band is trying to write an album.
The spirits in the mansion try to be a part of the album-writing process.
幽浮一族樂團說他們在一個鬼屋裡偷偷拍了一個喜劇鬼片。
The band says the story is based off their own experience.
They did rent a mansion in California to write an album, and they are pretty sure the place was haunted (有鬼).
The movie is called Studio 666, and it will be screened internationally.
However, no release date has been announced yet.
鬼片會國際上映，但還不知道什麼時候。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan-American director Ang Lee has won the Presidential Culture Award.
The Presidential Culture Awards are given to people or groups of people who have helped Taiwan's culture.
Each prize winner also gets $1 million NT. ________________________________
The 2021 Worldwide Cost of Living index looks at how much it costs to live in cities around the world.
This year, the city of Tel Aviv in Israel was the most expensive city in the world.
Paris and Singapore tied for second most expensive. ________________________________
And,
The Foo Fighters have filmed a horror movie.
The movie is set in a haunted mansion, where a band is trying to write an album.
The movie is called Studio 666, and it will be screened internationally. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan's top YouTube video, a very old piece of art, and a Squid Game sequel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣YouTube觀看次數最高的影片 Taiwan's Top YouTube Video
What do you like to watch on YouTube?
Do you watch videos about toys, sports or video games? Perhaps you watch videos of cute animals… or maybe the news?
What do you think other people like to watch?
YouTube publishes a list (名單) every year of the most-watched (觀看次數最高) videos in each country.
And the results are in for Taiwan.
The most watched video in Taiwan this year is… a video with toy car guinea pigs.
That's right, toy cars… that are also guinea pigs (天竺鼠).
It's a stop-motion animation video.
Stop-motion animation (定格動畫) is when someone takes lots of pictures of objects, but moves them slightly each time.
All the pictures are put together to make a video.
定格動畫是一種製作動畫的方式，一連拍很多張照片，每一次都稍微調整拍攝目標的位置，然後把所有的照片組成影片。
The video is about a toy car guinea pig character called Pui Pui.
Pui Pui gets stuck in traffic.
When an ambulance (救護車) gets stuck behind Pui Pui, the guinea pig has to think of an inventive (有創意的) way to get past all the other cars.
The video currently has over 10 million views.
It was uploaded (上傳) by a channel (頻道) called Muse Taiwan on January 5.
And it's just over two and a half minutes long.
影片裡有一台天竺鼠車子叫PuiPui，它要想辦法幫助救護車超過長長的車隊。影片長度是兩分半，目前觀看次數上千萬。 ________________________________
男子發現三十塊美金的畫作 其實價值五千萬元 Man Finds 50 Million Dollar Drawing
Have you ever bought something and then found out it's worth (價值) much more than you paid for it?
A man in the US state of Massachusetts got a big surprise recently.
Four years ago he went to an estate sale.
In the US, when someone dies and their family doesn't need to keep (留著) all the things they left behind, they sell them.
That's what an estate sale is. 這就是遺產拍賣。
At the estate sale, the man bought a drawing for 30 dollars.
It's a picture of a woman and a child.
When he saw the drawing, he spotted (注意到) the letters "AD" in the corner.
He recognized (認出來) these as the initials of an extremely famous German artist who lived 500 years ago. 他知道兩個字母，是五百年前一個非常有名的德國畫家姓名縮寫。
The man didn't think the picture could be a real drawing by "AD" - Albrecht Durer - but he liked it, so he still bought it.
但是他認為這幅畫不可能是畫家的真跡，而他又喜歡這幅畫，所以還是買了。
Over the next few years, he tried to sell it to a few different people. He suspected (懷疑) that it could be a real Albrecht Durer drawing.
But nobody would buy it.
He finally took it to a famous Albrecht Durer collector (收藏家). He told the man he thought it was real.
They sent it to a museum (博物館) in Austria. The museum confirmed (確認) that it was a real drawing from around 1503.
And the collector thinks it could be worth 50 million dollars.
一位著名的收藏家認為那幅畫是真的，還送去奧地利博物館給專家鑑定。專家確認是Albrecht Durer 在1503年前後畫的，大約值五千萬美元。
Could you imagine accidentally finding this much money? I'm going to look for some old art… ________________________________
魷魚遊戲會有第二季 Squid Game Getting Second Season
A hit series will have a follow-up.
Squid Game has been renewed for a second season.
The director has confirmed this news personally (親自).
He says there has been huge demand for another season of his show.
魷魚遊戲電視節目非常受歡迎，導演確認未來會有第二季。
Squid Game was the most-watched show on Netflix when it debuted in September.
Despite the confirmation, the director says he doesn't know when the second season will be released.
He says he's still planning what happens.
The director does promise (承諾) that the main character will return for season 2.
導演說不知道第二季什麼時候才會上映，但他保證主角會再演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The most watched video in Taiwan this year is… a video with toy car guinea pigs.
It's a stop-motion animation video.
The video currently has over 10 million views. ________________________________
And,
A man in the U.S. state of Massachusetts got a big surprise recently.
He bought a drawing for 30 dollars.
It could be worth 50 million dollars. ________________________________
And,
Squid Game has been renewed for a second season.
The director promises that the main character will return for season 2. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Faster boats to Matsu, living robots, and new music on the radio.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣到馬祖的新渡輪 New Ferry between Taiwan and Matsu
Have you ever been to Taiwan's Matsu Islands?
Because they're islands, you can only get there by flying in a plane, or riding on a boat.
Unfortunately, there is only one airline (航空公司) that flies to Matsu.
And it often has problems with very thick fog (濃霧).
And since the Matsu islands are actually closer to Mainland China than they are to Taiwan, taking a boat can be a very long journey! 因為馬祖很接近中國大陸，坐船去馬祖真是很長的旅程！
Right now, taking a boat from Taiwan to Matsu can take as long as ten hours.
But a boat company is getting ready to make the trip to Matsu shorter, with a faster ferry (更快的渡輪)!
The company says the faster ferries will cut the journey down to just three hours. 公司表示，這艘快船能夠把旅程減短到三個小時左右。
The boats were built in Singapore, and cost about 500 million NT (五億台幣).
They're about 50 meters long (長五十公尺), and can travel at around 75 kilometers per hour (時速七十五公里).
And each ferry will be able to carry almost 300 passengers (乘客)!
The boats will travel between Taipei Harbor (台北港) to Matsu's Nangan (馬祖的南竿).
One ride will cost around 1,700 NT (一千七百台幣).
And the company says the shorter trips to Matsu are planned to start in April of 2022.
Taking a ferry to the Matsu islands sounds like a great opportunity (機會) to go somewhere new, while you feel the fresh ocean air.
It's important to remember, though, that there will only be about three or four rides per week…
So make sure you don't miss your boat! ________________________________
世界第一個機器生物 現在能夠繁殖 World's First Living Robots Can Now Reproduce
Last year, scientists created the world's first "living robots" (活的機器生物).
They're called "xenobots", and they're less than 1 millimeter wide (寬度一毫米)!
The xenobots are made from the stem cells from one kind of African frog. 這些機器生物是用一種非洲青蛙的幹細胞做成的。
When scientists get about 3,000 of these cells together, they turn into little round organisms (圓球狀的有機體).
Scientists can then use a supercomputer to organize (集合) these little round xenobots, and tell them what to do.
Then the bots can move, work together, and even heal themselves (可以治療自己)!
But that's not all…
Scientists say the little xenobots can now reproduce (繁殖)!
We have only seen this reproducing happen with tiny things like molecules… but never in something as big as these xenobots! 這是我們第一次看到機器生物這麼大的東西繁殖！
The whole project uses both molecular biology (分子生物學) and artificial intelligence (人工智慧).
But are they really robots?
One scientist in the project says, it doesn't matter what something is made from, that makes it a robot or not.
He says, as long as the thing we create can move by itself and do things for us, we can call it a robot.
Whether or not you agree (不管你同不同意), this technology is still very new, and scientists say they don't know what to use it for yet.
But the future may be filled with tiny robots that we can't even see! ________________________________
美國廣播電台挺泰勒絲 Iheartradio Backing Taylor Swift
A huge radio station is throwing its full support behind a singer.
IHeartRadio is the biggest radio network (廣播網) in the U.S.
They say that they will only play Taylor Swift's version of her music in the future.
Taylor has been remaking her old albums, in order to keep full control of them.
美國最大的網路電台IHeartRadio說它會支持泰勒絲的新音樂。
Taylor has already re-released her own version of two albums, Fearless and Red.
Taylor is re-recording her music after the original masters (母帶) were sold off without her permission.
IHeartRadio says that from now on, whenever Taylor releases a new version of an old track, the network will immediately replace the old version in their system.
IHeartRadio說以後泰勒絲一發行新版本的舊歌，它會馬上把舊版本換掉。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One boat company is getting ready to offer faster ferry trips to the Matsu islands.
The company says the faster ferries will cut the journey down to just three hours.
The shorter trips to Matsu are planned to start in April of 2022. ________________________________
And,
Last year, scientists created the world's first "living robots".
And they say these little xenobots can now reproduce!
We have only seen this reproducing happen with tiny things like molecules… but never in something as big as these xenobots! ________________________________
And,
The radio station IHeartRadio is throwing its full support behind Taylor Swift.
IHeartRadio is one of the biggest radio stations in the U.S.
They say that they will only play Taylor Swift's version of her music in the future. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Fried chicken NFTs, a newly-republican country, and the UK's richest young celebrity
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
炸雞店製作非同質化代幣 Fried Chicken Store Creates NFTs
Mmm… don't you love the taste of fried chicken?
It's crispy, it's juicy… and it smells delicious!
Even looking at pictures of fried chicken makes me hungry.
Hungry enough to buy a digital image (數據圖片) of one?
Hmm… I'm not sure about that. But some people have been buying digital images made by a fried chicken store in Taiwan.
The digital images are called NFTs (非同質化代幣).
We've talked about them on the show before.
When you buy an NFT, it's like you buy the original version (正本、原作) of the digital image… a code (代碼) to that image that no one else can own.
It means you own that image… and even if someone copies it, it's still yours. 如果你買一個NFT，就算有人複製它，它還是屬於你。
You can buy NFTs online using cryptocurrency (加密貨幣).
Taiwan's Shiyun Chicken Store has made NFTs that include images of chicken, broccoli and mushrooms.
It released them in an auction (拍賣), with prices starting at one U.S. dollar.
But the bids (出價) started coming fast, some of them reaching thousands of dollars.
The broccoli NFT reached a bid of 50 thousand U.S. dollars.
People who own the NFTs can show proof (證據) to a Shiyun Chicken Store, and they can get free food.
I do love fried chicken… but I don't think I would pay 50 thousand dollars for a picture of it!
不管我有多愛炸雞，還是不會花五萬美元買炸雞的圖片! ________________________________
巴貝多變成共和國 Barbados Becomes a Republic
November 30 will forever be a special day for the country of Barbados (巴貝多).
It is the day the country became independent (獨立) from the UK in 1996.
Barbados was colonized (殖民) by people from England hundreds of years ago, and later, it became an official colony (殖民地) of the U.K.
Like many other countries ruled by the U.K., Barbados became a Commonwealth nation (聯邦國家) after its independence.
The British Commonwealth doesn't mean the U.K. has power over countries that are members.
And the Queen of England does not have power in the government of any countries that are members.
But, officially, the Queen is still the "head of state" (元首), which means the ruler of those countries.
大英國協是一個國際組織，英國並沒有資格影響成員國政府，不過英國女王在法律上是國協德政府元首。
But not any more for Barbados.
On this November 30th, Barbados became a republic (共和國).
It now has a new president, called Sandra Mason.
Barbados held a special event in its capital city to celebrate becoming a republic.
Famous singer Rihanna, who is from Barbados, was there to celebrate.
And Prince Charles of England was there, too.
From now on, November 30th will be an extra-special day for Barbados!
It is a fully independent country.
對巴貝多來說，11月30日從此以後更是特別的日子了。 ________________________________
紅髮艾德是英國最有錢的年輕明星 Ed Sheeran U.K.'s Richest Young Celebrity
A famous singer has been named among Britain's wealthiest people.
Heat Magazine has published its annual list of the richest celebrities.
For the under-30 age category (類別), Ed Sheeran had the most money.
It was the third year in a row he topped the list.
英國雜誌排行榜把紅髮艾德列為英國最有錢的未滿三十歲的明星。
Ed has an estimated (估計) total worth of 236 million British pounds.
Second place this year was Harry Styles, who has about 80 million to his name.
The girl group Little Mix was collectively in third place, with 66 million.
Several of Harry's One Direction bandmates also made the list.
據說艾德累積了兩億三千多萬英鎊，是第二名哈利·斯泰爾斯的四倍。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
People have been buying digital images made by a fried chicken store in Taiwan.
The digital images are called NFTs.
One sold for 50 thousand U.S. dollars! ________________________________
And,
Barbados became a republic.
The country held a special celebration in its capital.
Rihanna and Prince Charles of England attended. ________________________________
And,
Heat Magazine has published its annual list of the richest celebrities.
For the under-30 age category (類別), Ed Sheeran had the most money.
It was the third year in a row he topped the list. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Fireworks over a river, poetry from a robot, and no Elf movies for this actor.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
新北舉辦跨河煙火秀 New Taipei New Year's Fireworks on River
More New Year's fireworks shows are coming!
New Taipei City will have a fireworks show on a river.
The city government says the show will happen on December 31st, starting at 8:22 PM.
They say it will be 13 minutes and 14 seconds long.
They chose to make the show this long, because 1, 3, 1, 4 sounds like "for a lifetime" in Chinese.
And the theme (主題) of the show is "love you for a lifetime".
In total, the show will use more than 10,000 fireworks!
跨河煙火秀會在12月31日晚間8點22分登場，今年煙火施放時間會長達13分14秒。
The fireworks will be over Dan-jiang Bridge, between Danshui District and Ba-li District.
The bridge is being built right now, and will be finished in the year 2024.
The show will have nine parts, and the fireworks will be 1 kilometer wide in the sky.
The city government says because the fireworks will be very wide, people can see it both in Danshui and in Bali.
Officials say everyone who wants to watch the show near the river should wear face masks.
They should also avoid walking and eating at the same time.
And the show will be livestreamed online.
So if you plan on staying home that night, you can still enjoy the beautiful fireworks!
新北市政府說施放煙火的範圍很大，所以淡水和八里河岸都可以觀賞，到時候也會有直播，可以在家輕鬆觀賞煙火秀。 ________________________________
機器詩人分享作品 Robot Artist Shares Poetry
We often think of robots as machines that help us.
Robots can do jobs that are too hard, or too dangerous for people.
And sometimes in movies, they are shown as super strong, and sometimes even scary.
But did you know robots can make art too?
Ai-Da is a robot artist.
She was made by British inventor (發明者) Aidan Meller.
Ai-Da has skin made of silicone, and real-looking hair.
Her teeth are 3D-printed.
She also has eyes with cameras inside.
Ai-Da has legs, but she can't walk.
And her head, arms, and upper body move.
And last month, Ai-Da read a poem she wrote at Oxford University.
To write the poem, Ai-Da first read Dante's "Divine Comedy" (意大利詩人但丁的長詩"神曲").
Then she used algorithms (計算程式) to find patterns (句型).
Ai-Da then used the patterns and the words she knows, to make a new poem.
Here is a little bit of Ai-Da's poem.
Is that what you thought it would sound like?
Ai-Da's inventor Aidan says very soon, poems and sentences made by robots will sound the same as ones made by people.
Aidan says we won't be able to tell the difference.
He says he finds it a little "unsettling" (令人不安).
But Aidan says Ai-Da also helps us learn a lot about ourselves, and how we think.
機器詩人Ai-Da用人工智慧寫詩，她的發明者說Ai-Da的作品可以讓我們更了解自己。 ________________________________
威爾·法洛回絕電影續集 Will Ferrel Turns Down Movie Sequel
A comedian has said no to playing an old character.
Will Ferrell starred in the Christmas movie Elf back in 2003.
He was recently approached about doing a sequel, but Will turned it down (回絕).
He says the script for the second movie wasn't good enough.
威爾·法洛決定不參與精靈總動員續集電影，因為劇本不夠好。
Will felt the script was too similar (相近) to the original movie.
He was offered 29 million dollars for the role, but he still refused.
He said he wouldn't be able to honestly promote the movie because he didn't think it would be good.
The original Elf movie made 220 million dollars worldwide.
雖然他可以賺兩千九百萬美金，威爾說他無法老實的宣導一部他覺得不夠好的電影。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
New Taipei City will have a New Year's fireworks show on a river.
The show will be 13 minutes and 14 seconds long.
In total, the show will use more than 10,000 fireworks! ________________________________
Ai-Da is a robot artist.
Last month, Ai-Da read a poem she wrote at Oxford University.
Ai-Da then used patterns from a famous poem and the words she knows, to make a new poem. ________________________________
And,
Will Ferrell starred in the Christmas movie Elf back in 2003.
He was recently approached about doing a sequel, but Will turned it down.
He was offered $29 million dollars to do it, but says the script for the second movie wasn't good enough. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Taiwan hosts the Golden Horse Awards, South Korea builds a floating city, and Harry Potter actors get ready for a reunion.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣金馬獎頒獎典禮 Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards
Taiwan has just held a big awards ceremony (頒獎典禮)!
It's called the Golden Horse Awards (金馬獎).
This annual event gives awards to some of the best people making movies in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and a few other places. 這項每年舉辦的典禮，是把金馬獎座頒給台灣，香港，還有其他地區最優秀的電影人士。
And there are many different categories (類別) for each ceremony…
For instance, this year's award for best director (最佳導演) was given to Clara Law (羅卓瑤), for her movie "Drifting Petals" (花果飄零).
Chang Chen (張震) won the award for "best leading actor" (最佳男演員) for his performance in the movie "The Soul" (緝魂).
Alyssa Chia (賈靜雯) won the award for "best leading actress" (最佳女演員), for her acting in "The Falls" (瀑布).
And that movie "The Falls" also won the award for best film of the year!
The Golden Horse Awards Ceremony is also the longest-running awards show in the Chinese-speaking world. 金馬獎是華語世界中，歷史最悠久的頒獎典禮。
It has been running since the year 1962, and has introduced (介紹) people to lots of amazing movies in Chinese.
But remember, a movie doesn't need an award to be great…
So, Golden Horse or not, it's up to you to decide (由你來決定) which movies are the best! ________________________________
南韓打算蓋世界第一個漂浮城市 South Korea Plans World's First Floating City
Your lifestyle (生活方式) can change a lot, when you live in different places.
You can have a busy life in a city, or a peaceful life on a mountain, or by the ocean.
But what about living… ON the ocean?
Well, South Korea is currently planning to build the world's first "floating city" (漂浮城市).
The city is being built on the ocean, near the South Korean city of Busan. 這個漂浮城市要蓋在海面上，靠近南韓的釜山。
All the buildings in the city will be built to float (漂浮) on the water.
They'll also be tied together, so people can easily move between them.
And it may have room for up to 10,000 people!
The project is being supported by the United Nations, as a way to prepare for Earth's rising sea levels. 這個計畫有聯合國的支持，目標是對海平面的上升有所準備。
Scientists say the Earth's sea levels (海平面) could rise by more than a meter, before the year 2100.
And because Busan is home to millions of people, South Korea wants to be ready for climate change (氣候變化).
The city will produce its own food and fresh water, get its electricity from solar panels (太陽能板), and be resistant to floods (能夠抵禦水災).
And all parts of the city will be anchored to the ocean floor (這個漂浮城市的下面都有錨固定在海底) so the wind won't push the city away.
Building the city will cost about 5.5 billion NT (五十五億台幣), and it won't be ready until the year 2025…
But we may see many more projects like it very soon! ________________________________
哈利波特電影二十周年特別節目 Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special
Potterheads have something big to look forward to.
HBO Max is getting ready to release a 20th anniversary special for the Harry Potter movie franchise.
The Return to Hogwarts special will bring together the three stars from the movies, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
They will talk about their experiences (經驗) making the movie series, and visit the original sets.
三位哈利波特電影主角將參與一個二十周年特別節目，會在HBO MAX串流平台上映。
Other actors from the series, like Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and Gary Oldman, will also appear.
The show will feature interviews (專訪) and behind-the-scenes footage.
However, series author J.K. Rowling will not be taking part.
The special will air on New Year's Day.
很多別的哈利波特演員也會參與，但小說作家不會。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has just held its 58th annual Golden Horse Awards.
This event gives awards to some of the best people making movies in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and a few other places.
The Golden Horse Awards Ceremony is also the longest-running awards show in the Chinese-speaking world. ________________________________
And,
South Korea is currently planning to build the world's first floating city.
The city is being built on the ocean, near the South Korean city of Busan.
The project is being supported by the United Nations, as a way to prepare for Earth's rising sea levels. ________________________________
And,
HBO Max is getting ready to release a 20th anniversary special for the Harry Potter movie franchise.
The Return to Hogwarts special will bring together the three stars from the movies, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
They will talk about their experiences making the movie series, and visit the original sets. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Toads invade Taiwan, a new COVID variant emerges, and Big Bird gets a big jab.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
入侵種蟾蜍在台灣南投出現 Invasive Toads Found In Nantou
There's a new kind of toad (蟾蜍) in Taiwan.
It's called a cane toad (甘蔗蟾蜍), and there are more and more of them every year.
But they're a big problem, for a few reasons.
The first reason is that they're poisonous (有毒的).
They can't kill a person, but they can be very harmful to dogs or cats. 牠們不會對人類造成生命危險，但牠們對貓狗和其它寵物還是有傷害性的。
And another problem is that they seem to eat everything!
This means that there is much less food available for other animals.
One professor of zoology (動物學的教授) says they have found the poisonous toads at a farm in the Nantou area.
Workers in the area quickly started to remove them (把牠們移除掉).
Scientists from the nearby university are planning to study the toads, and hope to learn more about how to keep them under control. 附近大學的科學家要研究這些蟾蜍，找辦法控制牠們的數量。
Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (農業委員會), or C.O.A., had also tried to control the toads a few years ago.
The C.O.A. made some rules to control their populations (生物數量).
That's because they are one of the most invasive (侵入性的) animals in the world.
This means that when they get to a new place, their populations grow very big, very quickly.
The C.O.A. is asking people to be careful of the toads, and to tell animal experts (動物學專家) if they see any in the wild.
Most importantly, just make sure to watch your dogs and cats outside! ________________________________
新冠狀病毒變種令科學家擔心 New COVID-19 Variant Worries Scientists
We all know that Earth has had a really difficult year with the coronavirus (冠狀病毒).
But unfortunately (不幸), we also know that it's not going to stop there.
That's because there have been a few new variants of the virus over the past year. 近一年有出現一些冠狀病毒的變種。
Each new variant (變種) is a little different from the virus before it.
For example, earlier this year, scientists discovered that the "Delta variant" could spread faster (傳染性更高).
And scientists have had to work very hard to keep up (趕上) with these new developments (演變).
Now, a new variant of the coronavirus is spreading across certain parts of the world.
It's called the Omicron variant, and doctors have found it in Europe (歐洲), Africa (非洲), and even Hong Kong (香港).
Doctors say the Omicron variant has a lot of mutations in its DNA, which make it stronger when it attacks people's cells. 醫生說，Omicron變種的DNA裡面有很多突變，會讓病毒更能侵入人類的細胞。
Many countries have now closed their borders (國界、邊境) to protect against countries that have the Omicron variant.
However, scientists are reminding everyone that we still don't know exactly how it will affect (影響) people.
They say we shouldn't make assumptions (假設) until we have more information.
Until then, they say, the best plan is to make sure everyone can get vaccines (疫苗).
We may have to get used to (習慣) living with this virus from now on, so be safe! ________________________________
芝麻街大鳥接種了 Big Bird Gets COVID-19 Jab
A very special individual has received a coronavirus vaccine.
Big Bird from Sesame Street says he has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Big Bird made the announcement in his first-ever tweet.
His official Twitter account (帳戶) was first set up in March.
芝麻街的大鳥在推特宣布他已經接種了。
Big Bird said that this was just one of many vaccines he has received since he was little.
The tweet was part of the United States' efforts to improve vaccination rates (接種率).
It specifically targeted children, who recently became eligible to get one brand of COVID-19 vaccine.
Other Sesame Street characters appeared on CNN to also encourage parents to vaccinate their kids.
芝麻街在幫美國宣導小朋友可以開始打疫苗了。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Cane toads are an invasive species of toads in Taiwan.
They're invasive because they spread quickly and take food from other animals.
They're also poisonous, and can be dangerous to animals like dogs and cats. ________________________________
And,
The new Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading across certain parts of the world.
Doctors say the Omicron variant has a lot of mutations in its DNA, which make it stronger when it attacks people's cells.
Many countries have now closed their borders, to protect against countries that have the Omicron variant. ________________________________
And,
Big Bird from Sesame Street says he has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Big Bird says he has received many vaccines since he was little.
His message about vaccinations was part of the United States' efforts to improve vaccination rates. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Taiwan's vaccine abroad, orangutan art, and Elton John glasses.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高端疫苗 澳洲初步過關 Medigen Passes First Step in Australia
Over the past year, Taiwan has been helping a lot of countries deal with (對付) the effects of the pandemic.
At the start of the pandemic, Taiwan donated (捐獻) millions of face masks to Canada, Brazil, Slovakia (斯洛伐克), and many other places around the world.
It has donated medical equipment (醫療設備) to Japan and Palau.
過去一年，台灣幫助很多國家對付疫情。台灣把數百萬個口罩捐給加拿大、巴西、斯洛伐克等國家，還把醫療設備捐給日本、帛琉等等。
Taiwan may soon be helping out another country in a different way.
In August, Taiwan started giving people here its home-made COVID-19 vaccine, called Medigen (高端).
Now, the vaccine may soon be given to people in Australia.
In different countries, vaccines have to pass different steps (階段) to show they are safe and effective (有效) for people to use.
Australia has five steps.
But it will agree to receive (接受) a vaccine for two years after it passes three steps.
The Medigen vaccine has just passed the first one.
Medigen will now give clinical data (臨床實驗資料) to the Australian government to show the vaccine works.
The company says it is now bringing together (收集) all the documents (文件) it needs to give the Australian government.
Let's hope that Medigen is successful (成功的) in the next step.
And Taiwan can continue helping people fight the pandemic around the world!
高端公司正在收集必要文件交給澳洲政府，希望疫苗可以成功過下一關，讓台灣繼續幫助所有的國家抵抗疫情。 ________________________________
環境變化 會影響紅毛猩猩畫畫 Environment Inspires Orangutan Art
I think I'm going to draw a picture… but what to draw?
My family, friends, robots, monsters… or sunny skies and rainbows?
I like to get inspiration (靈感) from the things around me, or how I'm feeling.
But apparently, it's not just people that look to their thoughts or their environment (環境) to get inspiration when they draw.
Orangutans do it, too!
Orangutans (紅毛猩猩) are great apes (人猿) from Indonesia (印尼) and Malaysia (馬來西亞), with orange fur.
Did you know they could draw?
A zoo in Japan gave some orangutans crayons to draw with.
And their drawings were not random (隨便的).
Different orangutans had different styles (畫法). And they changed with the orangutan's mood.
Researchers at the zoo looked at 790 drawings from orangutans.
The researchers think different things in the orangutans' environment could have influenced (影響) how they draw.
One orangutan at the Zoo, called Molly, really likes drawing.
The researchers said she would often take an hour to finish one picture.
They said in the summer, she would draw more colorful loops (圈), and this could mean she was happy because of nicer weather or more visitors to the zoo.
Her drawings in winter were different.
日本動物園有一隻喜歡畫畫的紅毛猩猩，名叫Molly，牠常常花一個小時來作畫。Molly夏天會畫彩色圈圈，也許是因為天氣好或是訪客比較多，讓牠開心。在冬天牠畫的可就不一樣了。
I guess apes are smarter than we think.
And they like to do things for fun, just like us! ________________________________
艾爾頓·強開始賣眼鏡 Elton John Launching Eyewear Collection
A famous singer is selling some new merchandise.
Elton John is well-known for his crazy eyewear.
He's worn many different outlandish (奇異) glasses as part of his stage costumes over the years.
Now, he is starting to sell glasses to fans.
艾爾頓·強常常戴很瘋狂的眼鏡表演，他現在開始賣自己設計的眼鏡。
His eyewear collection will include glasses, sunglasses, and reading glasses, both prescription (度數) and non-prescription.
Elton says his glasses will help people express themselves and give them confidence.
The glasses will be sold through the U.S. retail chain Walmart.
Walmart will also contribute to Elton's AIDS foundation as part of their partnership.
艾爾頓賣的眼鏡包括一般的眼鏡，墨鏡，還有老花鏡，有度數的沒有度數的都有。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's Medigen vaccine may soon be given to people in Australia. ________________________________
And,
A zoo in Japan found out that orangutans like to draw. ________________________________
And,
Elton John is starting to sell glasses to fans.
His eyewear collection will include glasses, sunglasses, and reading glasses, both prescription and non-prescription. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Eric Gau.
In today's news:
Taipei 101 celebrates the New Year, a Hong Kong restaurant sends workers home, and a red-haired singer keeps tradition alive.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
2022台北101煙火可望突破300秒 Taipei 101 Fireworks Show Over 300 Seconds Long
Are you ready for the New Year?
One thing many people do on New Year's Eve, is watch the Taipei 101 fireworks show.
And the show this year will be more than 300 seconds long.
The show will also use the T-Pad.
It's a big screen (螢幕) of LED lights that can show pictures and words.
The fireworks will explode all around the Taipei 101 building.
Officials say the show will use 16,000 fireworks.
And it will cost $30,000,000 NT.
台北101說總共會發射1萬6,000發煙火，還有全球首創「360度輪狀煙火」。
Taipei 101 says they will celebrate through Christmas, New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year, and the Lantern Festival, all the way through February 2022.
They say there will be lots of concerts, lights, art, and fun events.
台北101宣布今年跨年確定會施放煙火，煙火秀會至少300秒長，去年沒有用的T-Pad螢幕，今年也確定回歸。 ________________________________
香港餐廳集團 扛費用讓員工回家見家人 Hong Kong Restaurant Company Flies Staff Home
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it hard for many people to go home and see their families.
Many people work in another country, and fly home to visit their loved ones over holidays.
But COVID-19 is still going around.
So people flying home have to get tested, and sometimes pay to stay in a quarantine hotel (防疫旅館).
For many people, all this costs too much money, and they just can't go home.
But one company in Hong Kong is helping their workers see their families.
Black Sheep Restaurants is buying plane tickets for its workers to fly home.
They'll also pay for any COVID-19 tests their workers need to get.
When the workers come back to Hong Kong, they need to quarantine (隔離) at a hotel for two or three weeks.
The company will pay for that too.
What's more, the company will give its workers extra time off, so they can finish quarantine.
But the company asks that when the worker comes back, they have to work for the restaurant for at least one year.
香港黑羊餐廳集團準備讓員工乘飛機去看望家人，還會支付所有的費用，包括飛機票和新冠肺炎病毒檢測，還會給員工額外的無薪假期。
Black Sheep Restaurants says around 250 employees will fly from Hong Kong to their homes in Argentina, Nigeria, France, South Africa, Australia, and many other countries.
One employee from India says he hasn't seen his wife, son and parents since March 2020.
Another worker says she hopes to go home to Nepal, to see her mom, dad, and dog for the first time in two years.
One worker says her mom cried when she heard the amazing news.
The company says it will spend more than $18,000,000 NT to do this.
The owners of the company say they know the plan is "slightly crazy" (有點瘋狂).
But they say "it felt like the right thing to do".
集團的創始人說餐飲業一直是一個利潤微薄的行業，尤其是現在，但他們覺得這樣做是對的。 ________________________________
紅髮艾德繼續用符號取專輯名字 Ed Sheeran To Continue Symbol Titles
A musician is planning to continue his trend in naming albums.
Ed Sheeran has named his first four albums with math symbols (符號).
They are plus, multiply, divide, and equals.
He now says he will continue naming the next five albums with other symbols.
紅髮艾德已經出了四張數學符號命名的專輯，他說未來會繼續這樣做，但不會用數學符號。
However, he says they will not be symbols from mathematics (數學).
Ed plans to do a total of 10 albums with symbols as titles.
Before he does a new studio album, he will release a collaborations album.
That one will be his seventh collaboration project.
艾德說他打算用符號命名十張專輯。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei 101 fireworks show this year will be more than 300 seconds long.
The show will also use the T-Pad.
Officials say the show will use 16,000 fireworks.
And it will cost $30 million NT. ________________________________
A Hong Kong company is buying plane tickets for its workers to fly home and see their families.
They'll also pay for any COVID-19 tests their workers need to get and give workers extra time off to quarantine.
The owners of the company say "it felt like the right thing to do". ________________________________
And,
Ed Sheeran says he will continue naming his next five albums with symbols.
However, he says they will not be symbols from mathematics.
Ed plans to do a total of 10 albums with symbols as titles. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A butterfly goes the distance, a shark comes home, and an old-school rock band calls it quits.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
日本青斑蝶飛來澎湖 High-flying Butterfly Lands in Penghu
What do you picture when you think of butterflies?
Many of us might think of them flying around in the garden.
They seem beautiful and delicate (柔弱).
But did you know, some butterflies will fly thousands of kilometers to other parts of world?
A Blue Tiger Butterfly found in Taiwan made just such a long trip.
This big butterfly with black and blue wings came from Toyama Prefecture (富山縣) in Japan.
A scientist there caught it, and marked (標記) its wings, to find out where it would go.
Next, people found the butterfly in Penghu.
This means this blue tiger butterfly flew for 46 days, 2,277 kilometers across land and ocean!
That's like going back and forth between Taipei and Tainan more than 8 times!
These butterflies migrate (遷移) as the weather changes.
專家說 青斑蝶有隨著氣溫變化長途飛行的習性。
And the butterflies have been landing in Taiwan for almost 10 years now.
But this is the first time a blue tiger butterfly from Toyama Prefecture was found in another country.
And there are actually many butterfly species (種類) that migrate.
Some monarch butterflies (帝王斑蝶) fly from North America and Mexico every year.
The black and orange butterflies fly over 4,000 kilometers.
But even that is not the longest trip made by butterflies.
The Painted Lady, which is orange and black with white spots, can be found all over the world.
And they migrate every year, flying up to 14,000 kilometers!
These butterflies will fly across oceans, and even cross the Sahara Desert (撒哈拉沙漠).
Scientists believe these strong butterflies can fly for up to 40 hours non-stop!
It seems we will never stop being amazed by the wonders of nature. ________________________________
有毒鯊魚出現在英國泰晤士河 Venomous Shark in the Thames
The Thames is a famous river in the U.K.
It runs through parts of London, and is the second-longest river in the U.K.
Hundreds of years ago, many things the city needed came by boats on the river.
And around that time, people used to throw their garbage and bathroom waste into the river.
The Thames got very polluted (嚴重汙染).
In the summer of 1858, the river was so smelly, that people named that time the "Great Stink of 1858".
Scientists believe the dirty water made many people sick.
And in 1957, experts said the river was "biologically dead".
科學家在1957年宣布泰晤士河已「生物性死亡」。
This meant it was so dirty that animals could not live in it.
But now, scientists say hundreds of animals have returned to the River Thames.
The UK has been working hard to clean up the Thames.
And scientists say the river waters are now home to birds, fish, and even sharks!
And they say one of those sharks is venomous (有毒).
The spurdog (角鯊) grows to about 60 centimeters long.
They live deep in the water.
And they have pointy spines (尖刺) on some of their fins.
The spines make venom (毒液) that can cause a lot of pain for a human.
Scientists say finding so many wild animals in the River Thames is very good news.
But they still warn that pollution and climate change are big threats (危險、構成威脅的事物).
They say more must be done to protect the Thames and the animals living in it.
最新的泰晤士河狀況報告指出，河裡的生物數量增加，河流中有上百種魚類鳥類、包括角鯊。 ________________________________
KISS樂團告別之旅即將結束 KISS Farewell Tour Ending Soon
A famous rock band is getting ready to call it quits.
KISS had launched their "End of the Road" tour in January of 2019.
However, they had to stop partway through because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The band had to pause (暫停) again when two of them contracted COVID-19.
KISS樂團主唱說告別之旅結束之後，樂團大概會解散。
Now, singer Paul Stanley says the tour will not be extended, and the band will wrap things up.
He says it's because they are getting older, and can't perform the way they used to.
The current final show is set for late 2022 in New York.
Paul says they will likely officially (正式) be done by the beginning of 2023.
主唱說團員都老了，沒辦法繼續表演，很可能2023年初就分手。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Blue Tiger Butterfly flew from Japan's Toyama Prefecture to Taiwan's Penghu.
This means it flew for 46 days, and 2,277 kilometers across land and ocean!
That's like going back and forth between Taipei and Tainan more than 8 times! ________________________________
Scientists say hundreds of animals have returned to the River Thames in the U.K.
One of those animals is the spurdog, a venomous shark.
Scientists say this is good news, but more needs to be done to protect the river and animals living there. ________________________________
And,
Famous rock band KISS is ready for their final show, set for late 2022 in New York.
Singer Paul Stanley says they are getting older, and can't perform the way they used to.
Paul says they will likely officially be done by the beginning of 2023. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Taiwanese movie wins an award, NASA gets ready to hit an asteroid, and lots of new Marvel shows are coming soon.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣動畫 美國芝加哥電影節獲獎 Taiwan Animation Wins Award At Chicago Film Fest
A Taiwanese movie has just won an award!
The movie is called "City of Lost Things", and won first place for animated films at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. 這部電影，叫做【廢棄之城】，在美國芝加哥的國際兒童電影節，贏得動畫電影第一名！
The movie's director (導演) was Yee Chih-yen (易智言), and the main characters were voiced by Joseph Chang (張孝全), Kwai Lun-Mei (桂綸鎂) and River Huang (黃河).
The movie tells the story of a young boy named Leaf, who doesn't have much confidence (自信) in himself.
Leaf finds his way to a place called the City of Lost Things, which is filled with things that people don't want anymore.
And he soon finds some new friends and goes on a journey with them, while learning about self-worth. 男孩找到一些新朋友，開始跟他們一起旅行，同時認識自己的價值。
The movie's achievement (成就) at the film festival was the first time in 22 years that a Taiwanese film won the prize.
That's after the movie "Grandma and Her Ghosts" (魔法阿媽) won the prize, in the year 1999.
And City of Lost Things had already won the award for Best Animation Feature (最佳動畫長片獎) at the Golden Horse Awards last year.
It was a tough project (計畫) to complete…
Director Yee says it took about 10 years to finish making the movie, and it cost around 100 million NT (一億台幣).
But he refused to give up, and says he is ready to move forward (往前走) with confidence.
So while you go on your own journey of self-worth, remember that it's not about the awards that you win…
It's about finishing the journey (完成旅程). ________________________________
美國太空總署 展開首次防衛地球任務 NASA To Launch World's First Planetary Defense Mission
You probably know why there aren't any real dinosaurs (恐龍) still living today…
It's because 65 million years ago, Earth was hit by an asteroid. 那是因為六千萬五千年前，地球被小行星撞到。
This killed all of the biggest dinosaurs, and most of life on Earth.
Of course, nobody wants this to happen again!
So, scientists all over the world are doing their best to think of ways to protect Earth from any asteroids that might hit us in the future. 所以科學家現在絞盡腦汁，尋找辦法來保護地球以後不會被小行星撞上。
Because they're so small, and because outer space (外太空) is so big, it's a tough job just to find any asteroids.
But it's a tougher job to stop them, or even just to push them away!
Right now, scientists have found one specific asteroid, and are planning a mission (任務) to hit it.
The mission uses a small rocket called D.A.R.T., or "DART", which stands for "Double Asteroid Redirection Test".
The DART rocket is planning to slam into an asteroid called "Dimorphos", which is about 170 meters long. 這艘小太空船會去撞一顆直徑170公尺的小行星，看看是否能改變它的方向。
Scientists will use this test to learn as much as they can about redirecting asteroids.
The DART mission was launched this month by NASA, in the United States.
And it's expected to hit the asteroid in October of 2022.
The DART mission is part of an even bigger mission, which will get help from the European Space Agency (歐洲太空總署), or E.S.A.
Scientists say our planet should be safe from large asteroids for the next 100 years…
But even then, they say they can't see every single one.
So until then… this is the best we can do! ________________________________
許多新的漫威電視節目 More Marvel Shows Coming
Fans of Marvel content have a lot to look forward to.
Disney recently celebrated its Disney Plus Day, and announced several new shows for the streaming platform.
A total of 12 Marvel projects were revealed then.
This includes both animations and live-action (實景) projects.
迪士尼宣布許多新的漫威電視節目將會在DISNEY PLUS串流平台發行。
There will be live action shows for both new characters as well as spin-offs from existing (現有) content.
The animated shows include continuations of previous projects, prequels, and entirely new franchises.
Some of these shows will start streaming in 2022 or 2023, while others do not have a release date yet.
Disney Plus recently became available here in Taiwan.
新的節目動畫和實景都有，2022年開始陸續上映。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwanese movie "City of Lost Things" has won an award in a film festival in the U.S.
The movie tells the story of a young boy named Leaf, who doesn't have much confidence in himself. ________________________________
And,
NASA scientists have launched a small rocket called DART, which is planning to slam into an asteroid that is about 170 meters big.
The DART mission was launched this month, and is expected to hit the asteroid in October of 2022. ________________________________
And,
A total of 12 Marvel projects, both animations and live-action, have been revealed. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Students break records, human communication evolves, and a big star is leaving an action series.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
成大學生製造破紀錄的電動車 NCKU Students Set Records With Electric Car
More and more people around the world are starting to use electric vehicles (電動車).
That's because most electric vehicles don't have to use oil (石油), which means they are quieter, and make less pollution (汙染).
And one group of students has shown their support (支持) for cleaner technology!
Every year, there is a competition for students to design their own cars, and then race them against each other. 每年都舉辦比賽，讓學生自己設計製造電動車參賽。
Teams have between eight months and one year to build and prepare their vehicles for the competition.
Because of the pandemic, most universities in Taiwan didn't have enough time or resources (資源) to be part of it.
But a group of students at National Cheng Kung University (國立成功大學), also called NCKU, were the first to develop a car powered by electricity!
The car they made this year was much lighter than last year's, and they also made it more aerodynamic (更符合空氣動力學).
Now, the car can go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just three seconds! 目前這台車能在三秒鐘之內，從時速零飆到一百公里！
Their team's captain (隊長) got to drive the car, and she even set some new records (創了新紀錄)!
If the pandemic situation improves, they hope to be able to compete (參加比賽) in Japan next year.
Of course, making a project like this can be pretty expensive…
They said it was also much more difficult to get computer chips (晶片) and electric motor parts (電動引擎零件), because of the pandemic.
And so the NCKU team had to spend about 2 million NT (兩百萬台幣) to build this car.
But if it's for a healthier future, with more electric cars… then at least they're making it for the right reasons! ________________________________
研究顯示 人類辨認表情符號的能力超強 Research Shows Humans Understand Emojis More Than We Thought
Sometimes when we type (打字) to people, we might not know which words to use.
But that's why more and more computers and phones can type something called an "emoji" (表情符號).
An emoji is a small face or picture that we can type onto our screens (螢幕).
The first one was created in Japan in the 1990s, to help people communicate (溝通) in a more interesting way…
And now, more than 20 years later, they're all over the place!
Recently, researchers in Germany set up an experimental test (實驗).
Test subjects (參與實驗的人) had to read new sentences, one word at a time.
But then, the researchers started to replace words in each sentence with emojis. 然後，研究人員開始用表情符號來代替句子裡的字。
For example, instead of the word "happy", they would use a happy face emoji.
And there was almost no change in how fast people could understand the sentences!
Then, for a second test, researchers used emojis that sounded like other, different meanings.
For example, to talk about a computer mouse (滑鼠), they used an emoji of a real mouse (老鼠).
And the second test had slower reactions (第二項實驗的反應時間比較久).
Researchers are using these two tests to study the connection between people seeing some emojis literally, and seeing other ones to have a second meaning. 科學家透過這兩個實驗，研究看到表情符號的反應，以及看到那些符號第二層意義的反應，兩者之間的關聯。
They hope they can use this research to help people with learning disabilities (學習障礙).
There is still a lot more to learn about the human brain…
But now, there may be more to learn about the brain emoji, too! ________________________________
浴血任務主角將退出電影系列 The Expendables Star Leaving Franchise
A key actor is leaving an action series.
Sylvester Stallone has starred in the Expendables franchise since it launched 12 years ago.
Filming has just wrapped up (結束) on the fourth film.
Stallone is now passing the lead actor title to co-star, Jason Statham.
第四部浴血任務電影拍完了，席維斯·史特龍以後不再演主角了。
Statham is expected to lead the franchise going forward.
Several of the recurring (重演) cast members will be back for the fourth movie.
A few big-name actors will join the cast for the first time as well.
The fourth Expendables movie will hit theaters sometime next year.
下一部電影開始，傑森·史塔森會當浴血任務的主角。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A group of students at National Cheng Kung University were the first team in one competition to develop a car powered by electricity.
Their team's captain got to drive the car, and she even set some new records!
If the pandemic situation improves, they hope to be able to compete in Japan next year. ________________________________
And,
Researchers in Germany have set up some tests that use emojis instead of words.
Researchers are using these tests to study the connection between people seeing some emojis literally, and seeing other ones to have a second meaning.
They hope they can use this research to help people with learning disabilities. ________________________________
And,
Sylvester Stallone is leaving The Expendables action movie series.
Stallone is now passing the lead actor title to co-star, Jason Statham.
The fourth Expendables movie will hit theaters sometime next year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Kaohsiung hosts WorldPride, honeybees scream, and California sues Kanye.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄將主辦2025年世界同志遊行 Kaohsiung Hosts WorldPride 2025
Kaohsiung is going to host WorldPride in 2025!
That's a big deal!
Pride is an event that happens every year to celebrate freedom for LGBT people.
同志遊行是每年都舉辦的活動，慶祝同志的自由。
Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung all have Pride events.
Over 200 thousand people attended Taipei Pride in 2019.
But that's still not as big as people think WorldPride 2025 will be.
The people that organize Kaohsiung Pride think the event will attract (吸引) millions of tourists!
Instead of just one day, the event will last 10 days.
It will have parades (遊行), concerts (音樂會), and many more activities.
But an even bigger reason to celebrate it that Taiwan will be the first country in East Asia to host WorldPride.
And LGBT people in many countries of this region do not have equal rights.
在東亞，很多同志缺乏平等的權利。
The president of the WorldPride organization said it will bring "awareness" (提升注意) to the human rights (人權) situation in East Asia.
And people can attend from countries close to Taiwan, like Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and China.
There was some controversy (爭議) about how the WorldPride organization wrote about Taiwan.
It called Taiwan a "region" (區域) and not a "country".
Many people said this was unfair. The organization said it was trying to follow rules by the United Nations.
But it has changed its website now, and does not call Taiwan a "region".
世界同志遊行原本按照聯合國的規則，稱呼台灣為"一個區域"而不是國家。但是很多人抱怨這不公平。這個活動後來就不再稱呼台灣為區域。 ________________________________
亞洲蜜蜂尖叫 Asian Honeybees Scream
Hey!
Stop screaming!
You're hurting my ears!
It's not you? It's the bees?!
Scientists recently found out that Asian honeybees (亞洲蜜蜂) "scream" when they are under attack (遭遇攻擊時會尖叫).
But they don't scream like people do.
They make a "screaming" sound by rubbing their wings against their bodies. 跟人類不一樣的是，蜜蜂用磨擦翅膀來發出尖銳的聲音。
Honeybees are likely to use it when they are attacked by the Giant Asian Hornet (大虎頭蜂).
Giant Asian Hornets can destroy a honeybee hive in just a few hours.
And they kill honeybees with their sharp jaws, and feed them to their young.
亞洲蜜蜂被大虎頭蜂攻擊時，就會[尖叫]，想要嚇阻敵人。大虎頭蜂不用幾個小時就能毀掉蜜蜂窩，用強壯的下顎咬死蜜蜂，然後餵食牠自己的幼蟲。
Bees use their "scream" as a warning (警告).
It helps let other honeybees know that a hornet is attacking.
One scientist said that the noise almost sounds human!
She recorded (錄音) the bee sounds by placing recorders inside and around hives (蜂窩).
She recorded a total of 30 hours of honeybee sounds.
When she listened back, she was confident (確定) the bees made much louder, higher and faster sounds when they thought hornets were attacking.
Honeybees are important creatures.
They help make more and more plants through pollination.
The pollination of wild honeybees is also helpful to farmers growing crops
Trees need bees - and we need them, too!
蜜蜂是很重要的昆蟲，不但能傳播花粉，增加植物的數量，也可以幫助農夫培育農作物。 ________________________________
加州政府告肯伊 Kanye Sued by California
A US state has filed a lawsuit against a famous singer.
California has sued Kanye because of his business practices.
The state government alleges (辯稱) that Kanye's website is not delivering products to customers fast enough.
This goes against California's business rules.
肯伊·威斯特被美國加州州政府告，辯稱他的網站違反線上商務規定。
California's laws require online stores to send items to customers within 30 days of the order being placed.
Kanye's site has a bad track record when it comes to making deliveries on time.
California lawyers want the site to improve its operations.
It also wants penalties for previous violations, and compensation (賠償) for affected customers.
檢方要求肯伊改善網站，罰款，賠償。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kaohsiung is going to host WorldPride in 2025!
That's a big deal!
Pride is an event that happens every year to celebrate freedom for LGBT people.
It will have parades, concerts, and many more activities. ________________________________
And,
Scientists recently found out that Asian honeybees "scream" when they are under attack.
They make a "screaming" sound by rubbing their wings against their bodies. ________________________________
And,
California has sued Kanye because of his business practices.
The state government alleges that Kanye's website is not delivering products to customers fast enough.
This goes against California's business rules. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
The best movie in Asia, a new update for YouTube, and more movies are delayed.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
[悲情城市] 名列亞洲最佳影片 A City of Sadness Named Best Asian Movie
Taiwan's first presidential election was in 1996. It only became a democratic country in 1991.
台灣第一次全民投票選總統是1996年，1991年才成為民主國家。
Before this, up until 1987, Taiwan was under martial law (軍法).
That means the army ran the country, and it was not separate from the government.
A famous movie director called Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) made a movie about this time.
It's called "A City of Sadness" (悲情城市).
It has won many awards.
And now, it is considered the best movie in Asia.
That's according to a ranking (排名) from the Busan International Film Festival (南韓釜山國際電影節).
The Busan International Film Festival, or BIFF, makes a new list of the best films in Asia every five years.
A City of Sadness moved up five places to number one since the last list.
A City of Sadness is about a family in the late 1940s that lived during Taiwan's "White Terror" period (白色恐怖時代).
"White terror" is when the government purposely makes people feel scared and unsafe a lot.
Taiwan's White Terror period began with the February 28 Incident.
A City of Sadness shows some things that happened at this time..
白色恐怖的目的是讓人害怕。台灣的白色恐怖時代開始於二二八事件。
Two other Taiwanese movies are in the BIFF's top 10 movies from Asia list.
They are "A Brighter Summer Day" (牯嶺街少年殺人事件) and "Yi Yi" (一一), both by Edward Yang, also known as Yang De-chang (楊德昌)。 ________________________________
YouTube不再顯示倒讚按鈕 YouTube Removes "Dislike" Counter
What kind of videos do you watch on YouTube?
Do you use the "like" and "dislike" buttons?
你會使用"按讚"和"倒讚"的按鈕嗎?
People use these buttons to show if they like what's in a video or not.
Someone may be talking about something people agree or disagree with, and they can use these buttons to express how they feel.
You can see how many "likes" and "dislikes" a video has.
But not for long.
YouTube will no longer show how many "dislikes" a video has.
But why have they done this?
YouTube said it is to stop "dislike attacks" on people.
This is where people encourage others to increase (增加) the "dislikes" of a video.
YouTube說這是因為倒讚按鈕會引發"倒讚攻擊"，很多人會鼓勵別人一起來倒讚。
Some people see it as a kind of bullying (霸凌)..
And YouTube thinks its new idea will help stop "dislike attacks".
But some people think the move is a bad thing.
Some say they use "likes" and "dislikes" to decide whether videos are trustworthy (可靠的).
And others said it limits personal expression.
Some people think YouTube is trying to protect big companies from receiving dislikes on their videos.
What do you think?
有些人覺得隱藏倒讚不對，它限制了個人表達自由。也有人說也許YouTube是在保護大公司免於倒讚攻擊。你覺得呢？ ________________________________
許多電影都被延後 Many Movies Being Delayed
Several big films have been postponed.
One movie in particular (尤其是) is being pushed back almost a full year.
The fifth Indiana Jones movie was supposed to come out in late July of 2022.
It will now hit theaters in June of 2023.
第五部印第安納·瓊斯被延後將近一整年，2023年六月才上映。
Several Marvel films are also having their release dates changed.
The next Doctor Strange, Thor, and Black Panther movies are being bumped (延緩) by several months.
This is also the case for the Captain Marvel and Ant-man flicks.
These delays are all because of production problems.
五部漫威電影也都被延後幾個月。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A City of Sadness is considered the best movie in Asia.
That's according to a ranking from the Busan International Film Festival. ________________________________
And,
YouTube will no longer show how many "dislikes" a video has.
YouTube thinks its new idea will help stop "dislike attacks".
But some people think the move is a bad thing. ________________________________
And,
Several big films have been postponed.
The fifth Indiana Jones movie was supposed to come out in late July of 2022.
It will now hit theaters in June of 2023.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan gets ready for a marathon, Japan gets ready for flying cars, and a director gets ready for a secret project.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
太魯閣峽谷馬拉松 Taroko Gorge Marathon Opens Online Registration
As people get older, they usually have less time and energy (精神) to go running.
But still, some people seem to never stop!
And for those kinds of people, there is a race called a marathon (馬拉松).
A marathon is about 42 kilometers long (四十二公里).
That's because, in an old legend from Greece, there was a man who ran 42 kilometers, from the city of Marathon all the way to the capital city of Athens. 根據古希臘的傳說，有一個人從【馬拉松】這座城市一直跑到希臘的首都雅典，而這段路全長42公里。
The story says the man ran so fast that he died.
So, in memory of this amazing runner, people today still run that same distance (距離).
And Taiwan is getting ready for a huge marathon in Taroko Gorge next year! 台灣明年也要在花蓮太魯閣峽谷舉辦大型的馬拉松比賽！
This time, the race has been rescheduled (重訂日期) to March 5th, 2022, because of the pandemic.
Registration (上網登記) is set to open on December 6th!
Up to 12,000 people can register to run in the event, and can choose whether they want to run the whole marathon, or just part of it.
For some, it is a race to see who runs the fastest, and for others, it's an exercise to challenge themselves (挑戰自己).
Which would it be for you? ________________________________
飛天汽車通過日本安全測試 Flying Car Passes Safety Test In Japan
Years ago, many people thought the future would be full of flying cars (飛天汽車).
And maybe it's happening more slowly than we thought it would…
But it's still happening!
Recently, a new kind of flying car has been approved (認證) for safety by Japan.
The car is made by a company called "SkyDrive", and it is powered by electricity, not oil. 這部飛天汽車由SkyDrive製造，它的動力來自電而不是汽油。
The car itself looks a lot like a remote-controlled drone (遙控無人機), but is much bigger.
However, it still only has room for the pilot (駕駛).
And because it's the first one to get a safety certificate (安全測試證明) from Japan, it had to pass a lot of tests!
Right now, the company is still working mostly to deliver (運送) things with drones.
But after passing these tests, they want to work with the Japanese government to develop (發展) more flying cars.
They hope to start making these cars into a flying taxi service. 這家公司希望把這些飛天汽車用來做計程車服務。
And they might even be able to make them bigger, so they can carry more people!
If everything goes well, they could start making the cars for public use (提供大眾使用), as early as the year 2025.
So, we might not all have our own flying cars just yet…
But it seems like the future definitely still does! ________________________________
超級英雄電影導演有機密的案子 James Gunn Has Secret DC Project
A superhero movie director has another film coming.
James Gunn has done movies for both Marvel and DC.
He has directed Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad.
Gunn has now confirmed (確認) that he has a secret project coming up.
詹姆斯·岡恩已經導演兩部星際異攻隊電影和自殺突擊隊：集結。
He has confirmed that the secret project will be for DC.
It is not the Peacemaker spin-off television series, it will be something else.
Gunn has not revealed (透漏) any other details about the upcoming project.
He is currently working on the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
他說他在DC有另外一個機密案子，不是和平使者電視節目。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is getting ready for a huge marathon in Taroko Gorge next year.
Registration will open on December 6th, and the race is set for March 5th of next year.
Up to 12,000 people can register to run in the event, and can choose whether they want to run the whole marathon, or just part of it. ________________________________
And,
A new kind of flying car has been approved for safety by Japan.
The car is made by a company called "SkyDrive", and it is powered by electricity.
The company hopes to start making these cars into a flying taxi service. ________________________________
And,
The superhero movie director James Gunn has another film coming.
He has now confirmed that his new secret project will be for DC.
Meanwhile, he is currently still working on the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A cleaning co-op, energy from dancing, and Taylor Swift's special ring.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
新北市首創「淨灘合作社」 讓民眾動手清海灘 New Taipei Beach Cleanup Club
Many people enjoying going to the beach.
And in most parts of Taiwan, it is a short trip to the beach, and you can go all year-round (一年四季).
But there is one thing all over the beach that should not be there…
Garbage (垃圾)!
Environment group Greenpeace (綠色和平) says 153,400 bags of trash were found on Taiwan's beaches in one year.
All this garbage weighs more than 586,000 kilograms.
That's about as heavy as five and a half blue whales (藍鯨), the largest living mammal!
And now New Taipei wants to do something about all this garbage on the beach.
New Taipei is starting a beach cleaning co-op.
This idea will help anyone clean the beach at any time.
If you want to clean the beach, look for a shop with a special sign hanging outside.
You can get gloves and special trash bags from the shop.
如果你想要清理海灘，可以找門口有掛「淨灘合作社」浮球的店家，他們會給你手套與專屬垃圾袋。
And you can start picking up all that garbage.
Then when you're done, you can bring the bag of garbage back to the store.
And they will throw it away for you.
This makes it easy for all of us to help keep the beach clean.
新北市創立「淨灘合作社」，和在海邊的店家合作，民眾可以借用打掃工具，掃完的垃圾可以直接交給店家處理， 讓大家可以一起守護海岸環境。 ________________________________
夜店用舞池地板收集跳舞熱氣變能量 Nightclub Uses Dancers for Energy
The world is trying out many new ways to make energy (產生能量).
We get energy from sunlight, wind, and moving water.
We've even made electricity riding our bikes.
But how about making energy…by dancing?
A nightclub (夜店) in Glasgow, Scotland will get energy from people who dance there.
People dancing there make a lot of heat (熱氣).
Machines on the ceiling (屋頂) suck up the heat.
Then the heat is put into 17 holes in the ground on the dance floor (舞池).
The holes are up to 200 meters deep!
The heat makes all the rocks around the holes very hot.
That heat can be used to make the building warmer when it is cold.
This means the club doesn't need to use extra electricity to warm the building.
Or the heat can be kept for months until it is needed.
Using this idea, the club thinks it can cut 70 tons of carbon emissions each year.
利用跳舞產生的熱氣來控制室內的溫度，也許可以讓這家蘇格蘭夜店每年減少70噸的碳排放。 ________________________________
泰勒絲客製化戒指上市 Taylor Swift Offering Special Ring
A special piece of jewelry is going up for sale.
Taylor Swift is selling replicas (複製品) of a custom ring.
She wears the ring on the cover of her new album, called Red (Taylor's Version).
The ring says LOVE on it.
泰勒絲在新專輯封面上戴了一個客製化戒指，粉絲可以買戒指複製品。
The original ring was a gift from the mother of one of Taylor's friends, who designs jewelry (首飾).
Along with the word Love, the ring contains several tiny thorns (小刺).
This is because there are always thorns in love and life.
Taylor's new album came out in mid-November.
戒指上寫LOVE，也有小小的刺，因為愛情中終會有刺。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
New Taipei is starting a beach cleaning co-op.
You can get gloves and special trash bags from special shops, and pick up garbage on the beach.
Then bring the bag of garbage back to the store, and they will throw it away for you. ________________________________
A nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland will get energy from people who dance there.
People dancing make a lot of heat, and that heat is saved in special holes in the ground.
The heat can be used to make the building warmer when it's cold. ________________________________
And,
Taylor Swift is selling replicas of a ring she wears on the cover of her new album.
The ring says LOVE on it.
The original ring was a gift from the mother of one of Taylor's friends, who designs jewelry. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Shooting for the stars, speaking from the sea, and Super Bowl to put on a show.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
米其林將到台南高雄評鑑 Michelin Guide Coming to Tainan and Kaohsiung
Tainan and Kaohsiung are getting ready for the Michelin Guide (米其林指南).
The Michelin Guide is made by French company Michelin.
Every year, the company sends out people to taste food at restaurants around the world.
And they do not tell the restaurant about this.
Then Michelin will give out stars to the restaurants they thought were very good.
One star is for a good restaurant.
Two stars is for an excellent restaurant.
And three stars is for an exceptional restaurant.
Michelin says if a restaurant has three stars, it is so amazing, that a person could take a trip just to eat there.
三顆星星的評價代表餐廳的料理是拔尖的、值得專程造訪。
And next year, Michelin will send its food tasters to Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Both southern cities will be in Michelin Guides for 2022, along with Taipei and Taichung.
《米其林指南》今年宣布2022年將高雄和台南納入評鑑。
Tainan officials say they are helping restaurants get ready.
They are teaching the restaurants what the food tasters look for, but also helping the restaurants keep their own style.
餐廳要學習如何符合米其林的評鑑標準，卻維持自己的風味特色。
Michelin says it hopes the 2022 Michelin Guides will help the world learn more about the charms ( 魅力) of Taiwan food. ________________________________
圖瓦盧外交部長站在海水中演講 Tuvalu Minister Makes COP26 Speech Standing in the Ocean
Officials (官員 ) make important speeches all the time.
Most of the time they are dressed formally (穿著正式), and standing in a big room.
And there are many other officials listening in the room.
But one official from Tuvalu (圖瓦盧) made a speech that was very different.
Tuvalu is an island country in the Pacific Ocean.
It is between Hawaii and Australia.
And the country's foreign minister (外交部長), Simon Kofe, did something to show that climate change would have a big effect (影響) on Tuvalu.
Kofe was representing his country at the COP26 conference in Scotland.
It's a big meeting where countries around the world talk about climate change.
Kofe could not actually go to Scotland, so he made a video of his speech.
In the video, Kofe is wearing a suit and tie.
He speaks into a microphone while standing behind a podium (講台).
And… he is standing knee-deep in the ocean!
Kofe says he did this to show "real-life".
The minister says low islands in the ocean like Tuvalu are in great danger because of rising sea levels.
Kofe says "We are sinking, but so is everyone else."
He says the world must take action today if it is to have a tomorrow.
If climate change keeps getting worse, the sea water gets higher and higher, Tuvalu and other low island countries might one day be completely underwater.
The pictures of Kofe standing in a suit and tie in the sea have gone viral on social media.
南太平洋島國圖瓦盧的外交部長Simon Kofe站在海水中發表演說，希望提醒世界各國要重視氣候變遷帶來的危機。 ________________________________
超級盃中場秀歌手名單出爐 Super Bowl Halftime Show Performers Revealed
Five artists will take the stage at the 2022 Super Bowl.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blidge, and Kendrick Lamar will give a joint performance (合演).
These five have never taken the stage together before.
五位歌手將在明年美式足球超級盃中場秀表演。
The halftime show sponsor (贊助商) Pepsi says this performance will be amazing.
They say it will be an unforgettable celebration of hip-hop.
Other organizers say the show will be history in the making.
The 56th Super Bowl will take place next February in California.
贊助商說這場表演一定會超精彩。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Michelin will send its food tasters to Tainan and Kaohsiung next year.
Both southern cities will be in Michelin Guides for 2022, along with Taipei and Taichung.
Tainan officials say they are helping restaurants get ready. ________________________________
Tuvalu's foreign minister Simon Kofe made a speech about how climate change would affect his country.
And he did it while standing knee-deep in the ocean!
Kofe says he did this to show "real-life".
He says the world must take action today if it is to have a tomorrow. ________________________________
And,
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar will perform together at the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
These five have never taken the stage together before.
The 56th Super Bowl will take place next February in California. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Net-zero 2050 for Taiwan, diapers for astronauts, and the last album for Abba
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣承諾2050年前達到淨零排放 Taiwan Pledges Net-Zero Emissions by 2050
Taiwan is ready to work towards an important goal.
That's what President Tsai Ing-wen says.
But what is that goal?
It's to reach net-zero emissions (淨零排放) by the year 2050.
Things like cars and factories produce greenhouse gas emissions (溫室氣體排放).
Greenhouse gases keep heat in the atmosphere, and this is causing global temperatures to rise.
If global temperatures rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times (前工業時代), climate activists say life on earth cannot continue.
溫室氣體讓熱氣困於大氣中導致世界溫度提升、若世界溫度從前工業時代提升1.5度，地球上所有生物都無法生存。
Global temperatures have already increased by over one degree Celsius since pre-industrial times.
Most countries have said they will reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and some, like Uruguay, Finland and Germany, have said they will reach it sooner.
Leaders of many countries joined an important meeting in Scotland recently, to talk about climate change (氣候變遷).
Taiwan could not join, but President Tsai Ing-wen said the country is working hard to reach net-zero by 2050.
She said the government will make a more "aggressive" (更積極) plan to stop producing electricity (發電) in ways that increase emissions.
And she said the government will think about changing the law so make the 2050 goal part of it.
One way of producing electricity that makes a lot of emissions is burning coal (燃燒煤炭).
Right now, 44.95 percent of the electricity Taiwan makes comes from burning coal.
So a lot will need to change for Taiwan to reach its 2050 goal.
Come on Taiwan, you can do it!
目前台灣用的電百分之44.95產生於燃燒煤炭，若要達成2050淨零排放的目標，發電方式需要相當大的改變，台灣加油! ________________________________
廁所壞掉，太空人穿尿布 Astronauts Wear Diapers after Toilet Breaks
Only babies wear diapers, right?
Wrong.
Astronauts wear them, too!
太空人也會穿尿布!
Well, astronauts on the SpaceX flight back to earth on November 7 had to wear diapers.
Because the toilet on the space craft broke!
Engineers (工程師) found out that there was a problem with the toilet in October.
Toilets on space crafts are special.
There is no gravity (地心引力) in space, so engineers have to think of clever ways to stop everything floating around (到處漂浮).
When astronauts need to pee, they have to do it into a tube, and a vacuum sucks it into a storage tank.
太空人如廁時，需要使用真空管，真空管會把排泄物吸入蓄水箱。
But engineers at SpaceX found that the tube on their toilet broke, and it meant pee was leaking out (漏出來) onto the floor.
So, for a while, the astronauts had to wear diapers.
Space diapers are actually quite similar to baby diapers.
But they are extra-absorbent (吸收力強).
They are actually used regularly in space missions.
Astronauts often have to go on long space walks.
They cannot remove their spacesuits, so they have to "go to the toilet" in their space diapers.
SpaceX engineers have ensured (保證) the toilets are working properly on all their other space craft. ________________________________
阿巴樂團不再出新專輯 ABBA's New Album Is Their Last
A classic music group is not producing any more albums.
ABBA released their latest (最新的) album in early November.
Called Voyage, it was their first album in 40 years.
It will also be their last one ever.
阿巴樂團的新專輯十一月初上市，是他們的最後一張專輯。
Even before Voyage was released, the group announced that they would not make any more music.
The band member say they're all quite old now, and all have health issues (健康問題).
Even some unfinished songs that they started writing won't be produced or released.
The band will star in a virtual concert in London starting next May.
團員說他們都老了，各有各的健康問題，所以以後不會再出新音樂。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan is ready to reach net-zero emission by the year 2050.
44.95 percent of Taiwan's electricity comes from burning coal.
So a lot will need to change ________________________________
And,
SpaceX astronauts had to wear diapers.
It's because their toilet broke.
Engineers are ensuring toilets work properly for next time. ________________________________
And,
Abba has released their latest album, Voyage.
It will be their last. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
The Taipei Zoo reopens a special area, camels hit the big city, and a Batman movie is back on track.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北動物園穿山甲館重新開放 Taipei Zoo's Pangolin Dome Reopens
When we see animals at a zoo, they are usually far away, or behind glass (離我們很遠，或是在玻璃的另一邊).
Of course, this is because many animals are dangerous (危險), so zoos try to keep everyone as safe as possible.
And it's also because many animals are scared of people, and need privacy (隱私).
But at the Taipei Zoo, there's one place you can get up close with animals, and it's completely safe!
It's called "The Pangolin Dome", and it's a place where you can see all kinds of animals, without any glass or walls between you. 這個地方叫做【穿山甲館】，就是要讓人沒有之間的玻璃或牆壁直接看動物。
The dome (圓頂建築) itself is very large, at about 24 meters tall in the middle.
And it has trees, rocks, and water inside, to create an environment just like the Amazon Rainforest in South America. 這座圓頂建築裡有樹，有石頭，還有水，來模仿南美洲亞馬遜熱帶雨林的環境。
The dome has little homes for sloths (樹懶), and lots of water for fish.
You can see cotton-top tamarins (棉頭絹猴) climbing around the trees and rocks.
And there are all kinds of birds flying around the treetops (樹頂).
This year, the Pangolin Dome was closed from May 15th, because of Taiwan's epidemic (疫情).
That's because earlier this year, eight gorillas (大猩猩) at a zoo in the U.S. became sick with COVID-19.
So the Taipei Zoo wanted to protect its tiny Tamarins (絹猴) from getting sick, too.
But now, Taiwan is much more safe from the pandemic, and the Pangolin Dome was reopened to all visitors on November 6th.
Of course, we still have to wear masks, and respect the animals…
But if you have time to get back to the zoo, then it's the perfect way to see some very special animals up close! ________________________________
駱駝逃脫西班牙的馬戲團 Camels Escape from a Circus in Spain
Have you ever ridden a camel (駱駝)?
If you haven't, it's probably because they usually live only in very hot places, like deserts (沙漠).
And that's because they can survive (存活) for a long time without any water.
But, of course, you can see them in zoos, or in a circus (馬戲團)…
Or, if they escape (逃跑) from one of those places, you might even see them in a big city!
And this month, Spain's capital city of Madrid saw eight camels walking through its streets. 西班牙首都馬德里這個月有八隻駱駝在街上流浪。
The police (警察) in Madrid got a lot of very strange phone calls that night, and went out to see what was wrong.
And at 5 o'clock in the morning, they finally found the group of camels wandering (流浪) around the city.
They had escaped from a circus in Madrid called the "Gran Circo Quiros", and there was even a llama wandering with them! 這一群駱駝是從馬德里的馬戲團"Gran Circo Quiros"逃脫的，而且另有一隻美洲駝跟他們一起走！
Police guided (引導) the animals back to the circus, before they shared pictures of the very strange night.
Of course, the camels were safe and healthy, but we already know camels are resilient (適應性強).
If you have any pets (寵物), remember not to let them wander the streets…
They may be brave (勇敢) enough to go outside, but they're not as strong as camels! ________________________________
新蝙蝠俠電影會有續集 New Batman Movie Getting Sequel
An unreleased superhero film will get a follow-up.
The new Batman movie was originally supposed to hit theaters (上映) this past June.
However, it was delayed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is currently scheduled for release next March.
新蝙蝠俠電影因為疫情被延後兩次，目前明年三月才會上映。
Reports say that a sequel for the film has already been approved.
Those reports claim that the entire cast and crew have been asked to return.
The Batman is also going to get at least (至少) two spin-off television series.
Both of those will air on the HBO Max streaming platform.
據說這部電影會有續集，主要演員應該都會重演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Zoo's Pangolin Dome was reopened to all visitors on November 6th.
It had been closed from May 15th, because of Taiwan's epidemic.
After some gorillas in the U.S. got COVID-19, the Taipei Zoo wanted to protect its tiny Tamarins from getting sick, too. ________________________________
And,
This month, Spain's capital city of Madrid saw eight camels walking through its streets.
They had escaped from a circus in Madrid called the "Gran Circo Quiros", and there was even a llama wandering with them!
Police guided the animals back to the circus, before they shared pictures of the very strange night. ________________________________
And,
The new Batman movie was originally supposed to hit theaters this past June.
However, it was delayed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is currently scheduled for release next March. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A boy donates a coin to Taiwan, astronauts grow chilies in space, and Henry Cavill wants to play a Bond villain.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
敘利亞小難民 捐歐元硬幣給台灣 Boy in Turkey Donates Euro to Taiwan
Taiwan has donated COVID-19 vaccines to lots of different places around the world.
One of those countries is Turkey.
Turkey is in Eastern Europe and it shares a border (邊境) with Syria (敘利亞).
If you don't already know, a war has been happening in Syria for over 10 years.
It has made a lot of people flee (逃離) their homes.
When people leave their homes and go to another country because of war, they are called refugees (難民).
Turkey has around 3.6 million refugees from Syria.
And many of them are children.
Of course, these children still need to learn..
The Tzu Chi Foundation, a Taiwanese charity, set up a school in Turkey especially for Syrian refugee children to learn there.
And recently, these children and their teachers decided to thank Taiwan for helping get vaccines to Turkey.
They decided to donate (捐款) coins to Taiwan to help the country buy more vaccines.
The Menahil School collected around 21 thousand NT in Turkish lira.
But among those coins they found something special.
It was a one Euro coin!
Euros cannot be used in Turkey so they were wondering how it got there.
The coin was wrapped in a note.
The note said it was from a second-grade boy who found the coin, but kept hold of it, because he could not use it.
His parents said it was very special to him, but because of Taiwan's help, he wanted to give it away.
What a nice gesture!
這個小學二年級的敘利亞男孩，一直保留著他找到的歐元硬幣，因為在土耳其無法使用。由於台灣的幫助，這個男孩決定把它捐給台灣。好貼心的心意! ________________________________
太空人 在太空種植辣椒 Astronauts Grow Chilis in Space
Do you like to eat Mexican food?
Astronauts at the International Space Station do!
你喜歡吃墨西哥料理嗎?
居住在國際太空站的太空人喜歡!
American astronaut Meghan McArthur recently posted on Twitter that she had just eaten tacos for lunch.
But why is this important?
Well, it marked the first time chili peppers (辣椒) had been grown in space.
Other vegetables like lettuce (生菜), kale (羽衣甘藍) and Chinese cabbage (大白菜) have been grown in space before.
But never chili peppers.
It's part of an experiment (實驗) that will help NASA learn more about growing fresh food on long journeys into space.
Astronauts don't usually eat fresh food in space.
They take dried food up there.
Food is usually stored in vacuum-seal bags (真空袋).
This is because it weighs less, and because they have to keep it for a long time, so it doesn't go bad.
But astronauts can't eat all kinds of food.
They chose to grow chili peppers because they contain a lot of vitamin C (維他命C).
Also, it is said astronauts lose their taste in space, so they wanted to eat something spicy to bring it back!
They researched for two years before they found the perfect chili to grow in space.
That's a lot of work for a spicy treat!
太空人在太空久了會失去味覺，所以想吃一點辣的食物來刺激食慾。美國太空總署研究了兩年才找到最適合的辣椒品種。真不容易呢! ________________________________
亨利·卡維爾想演007壞人 Henry Cavill Wants to Play Bond Villain A big-name actor wants to be a bad guy.
Henry Cavill says he would like be in a future James Bond movie, but not necessarily as Bond.
He would be quite willing to play a villain (反派).
He says he would love to speak with Bond producers about the idea.
亨利·卡維爾說他有興趣演007反派角色。
Cavill was actually considered to play Bond at once point.
He auditioned (試演) for the role, which eventually went to Daniel Craig.
Henry says if they want him to play Bond in the future, he would be willing to do that too.
Craig just wrapped up his time as Bond with the release of No Time to Die.
卡維爾曾經有試演007角色，主角或反派他都願意演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A Syrian boy in Turkey donated a one Euro coin to Taiwan.
It was to thank Taiwan for its help getting vaccines. ________________________________
And,
Astronauts grew chilis in space.
It's the first time they have done it.
It was an experiment to see which vegetables can grow in space. ________________________________
And,
Henry Cavill wants to play a Bond villain
He says he would love to speak with Bond producers about the idea. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Kaohsiung gets ready for more music, scientists make a new way to give vaccines, and Squid Game might get a second season.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄流行音樂中心開幕了 Kaohsiung Music Center Now Open
A new music center has opened in the city of Kaohsiung!
It's called the Kaohsiung Music Center (高雄流行音樂中心).
It opened on October 31st, after about 10 years of planning (計畫).
The center will host (舉辦) big music performances, with enough space for up to five thousand people!
Its first event was the Golden Indie Music Awards (金音創作獎) on November 6th.
And it will hold its next big event next year.
The music center was designed by a team of architects from Spain. 這個音樂中心是由一個西班牙的建築團隊設計的。
The building is gigantic and white-colored, and a big part of it looks like a honeycomb (蜂巢).
The architects say the honeycomb represents the balance between the city of Kaohsiung and the nature around it. 建築師說，這個蜂巢代表高雄市跟周圍自然環境的平衡。
President Tsai Ing-wen spoke to everyone at the launch ceremony (開幕典禮) to talk about this year's plans for the music center.
She says the center can help more young local artists (當地藝人) to have bigger performances.
She adds that Taiwan's democracy (民主) helps keep it open to creativity (創意).
And she hopes that can bring more success to Taiwan's entertainment industry (娛樂產業).
Music in Taiwan may be getting a brighter future… keep your ears open! ________________________________
科學家發明 不用打針的疫苗 Scientists Developing Needle-Free Vaccine Patches
Are you afraid of going to the doctor to get a shot (打針)?
Many people are afraid of needles (針)…
But we may have a way around that problem soon.
Scientists are developing a new way to give people vaccines (給人打疫苗).
They want to make a patch, that people can put on their skin, to get the vaccine into their body. 他們想要製作貼布，直接貼在皮膚上，慢慢釋放疫苗進入人體。 The patch is only one square centimeter (一平方公分) in size, and has thousands of tiny bits of vaccine that can go through your skin.
Scientists say it feels like a flick on the skin, but it doesn't hurt. 感覺就像輕輕彈一下皮膚，也不會痛。
Right now, they are still testing (測試) the patches on mice, before they get ready to try it on humans.
And there are also other advantages (好處)!
Usually, most vaccines are liquids that have to be stored in a cold place, so they don't expire. 正常來說，大部分的疫苗是液體，必須存放在冰箱裡，免得它們很快過期。
But patches don't have to be stored in cold places, so they can be ready to go whenever and wherever doctors need them.
Scientists hope this will help hospitals to be more prepared (準備) as the pandemic continues.
And they hope this will help people who are too scared of needles, to get the medicine they need. 科學家希望怕痛的人有貼布可以選，一樣能完成疫苗接種。
Either way, don't worry… science is still here to help you! ________________________________
魷魚遊戲可能會有第二季 Squid Game May Get Second Season
A popular television show could be getting more content.
Squid Game was a surprise success for Netflix.
It broke records when it first came out on the streaming platform.
With the show's popularity, the creator of the show is now considering (考慮) a second season.
魷魚遊戲電視節目非常受歡迎，創作者說他願意做第二季。
The director and writer of Squid Game had originally said he was not interested in doing a season 2.
Now he is considering it, with a story about issues with police officers (警察).
It could also be a prequel, with the events leading up to what happened in the first season.
However, the director has other projects to work on, and probably won't be available for a second season for a long time.
第二季可能是前傳，但創作者很忙，不知道什麼時候才有時間去拍。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Kaohsiung Music Center is now open.
The center will host big music performances, with enough space for up to five thousand people.
Taiwan's government hopes the center can help more young local artists to have bigger performances. ________________________________
And,
Scientists are developing a new way to give people vaccines.
They are making a patch that people can put on their skin, to get the vaccine into their body. And these patches don't have to be stored in cold places, so they can be ready to go whenever doctors need them. ________________________________
And,
Netflix's new show "Squid Game" could be getting a second season.
The director and writer of Squid Game is considering a story about issues with police officers.
It could also be a prequel, with the events leading up to what happened in the first season. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pui Pui, pekapeka, and Ed's hot sauce.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
Pui Pui天竺鼠車車造型一卡通萌登場 Pui Pui iPass to Go On Sale
Are you a fan of Pui Pui?
Pui Pui Molcar is a Japanese show about guinea pig cars.
Lots of children like the cute characters and sounds.
And many adults like them too.
And now iPass users can take a guinea pig car with them onto public transportation (公共交通工具).
The iPass Corporation has made special iPasses that look like two characters from the Pui Pui Molcar show.
One is Potato, a molcar with brown patches (塊、色塊), who likes to eat carrots.
The other is Shiromo, a white molcar with a lot of bad luck.
Pui Pui 天竺鼠車車 iPass 有兩款，是人氣角色馬鈴薯 和 西羅摩 的造型。
The soft furry (毛茸茸的) iPasses can be used like a normal iPass when you get on or off the MRT or bus.
When you swipe (刷卡、嗶卡) them, the guinea pig car will vibrate and play the Pui Pui Molcar theme song.
一卡通公司說這兩款iPass除了可愛的絨毛造型以外，嗶卡時還有「音樂＋震動」的功能。
This is not the first time electronic tickets have come in fun new shapes (形狀、樣式).
Last year, the EasyCard Corporation came out with EasyCards shaped like a poke ball.
Poke balls are used to catch and hold creatures (生物、動物) in the Pokemon cartoon and game.
The Poke ball EasyCards light up when used to pay for a ride. ________________________________
紐西蘭「年度最佳鳥類」票選比賽 竟是蝙蝠奪冠 New Zealand Bat Flies Away with Bird of the Year Award
Every year, New Zealand holds a contest (比賽).
People vote online and by mail to choose a "Bird of the Year".
The contest helps people learn more about birds found in New Zealand.
But this year, the winner of the contest was a surprise.
This year's New Zealand "Bird of the Year"… is a bat!
Say hello to the pekapeka-tou-roa (長尾蝙蝠).
It is also called the "long tailed bat".
The pekapeka-tou-roa is one of the rarest mammals (哺乳類動物) in the world.
It is the size of a thumb (大拇指).
It weighs about as much as a tablespoon of sugar.
And when the pekapeka is born, it is just the size of a bee.
The pekapkea-tou-roa won the Bird of the Year contest, after around 58,000 people voted online from around the world.
Officials say they put the bat in the contest, because the bats are very important to the environment.
They eat flying bugs, like flies, moths, and beetles.
And they face a lot of the same dangers that birds face.
The population of the pekapeka-tou-roa is falling by about 5 percent every year.
Many of these bats get killed or eaten by rats, possums, and cats.
And they like to live in big, old trees.
Many trees that could be a home for the pekapeka-tou-roa and other birds are cut down each year in New Zealand.
長尾蝙蝠是紐西蘭特有的蝙蝠，只有人類拇指大小，因為棲息地遭到人類破壞，每年數量下降程度達到5%之多。
Officials say they hope the contest can help people learn more about the pekapeka-tou-roa and other New Zealand birds.
紐西蘭保育團體每年會舉辦鳥類比賽，不過今年投票中選的竟然不是鳥類，而是屬於哺乳動物的紐西蘭長尾蝙蝠。 ________________________________
紅髮艾德坦承有偷東西 Ed Sheeran Admits to Theft
A musical star has a slightly dirty past.
Ed Sheeran has admitted (坦承) to have committed a crime before.
Specifically, he stole something.
Even more specifically, he stole a bottle of restaurant hot sauce.
紅髮艾德坦承他剛開始表演的時候，他有偷一家餐廳的一瓶辣椒醬。
Ed says this happened when he was first starting out as a musician.
He stole the bottle from a popular restaurant chain, and immediately felt guilty.
However, karma (果報) soon caught up with him, and the bottle broke over his equipment.
Ed says his gear smelled like the sauce for a full year.
這瓶辣椒醬很快就打碎，醬都淋到他的裝備上，一年都是辣椒的氣味。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The iPass Corporation has made special iPasses that look like characters from the Pui Pui Molcar show.
The soft furry iPasses can be used like a normal iPass when you get on or off the MRT or bus.
When you swipe them, the guinea pig car will vibrate and play the Pui Pui Molcar theme song. ________________________________
This year's New Zealand "Bird of the Year" is the pekapeka-tou-roa, also called the "long-tailed bat".
Officials say they put the bat in the contest, because the bats are very important to the environment.
And they face a lot of the same dangers that birds face. ________________________________
And,
Ed Sheeran admitted to stealing a bottle of hot sauce when he was first starting out as a musician.
He said he immediately felt guilty, and the bottle broke over his equipment.
Ed says his gear smelled like the sauce for a full year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Pingtung burns a boat, bacteria make silk, and the movie Dune is getting a sequel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
屏東燒王船儀式 Pingtung Festival Burns King Boat
How do YOU like to party?
Do you hang out with friends, play games, or eat cake?
Well, people in Pingtung had a big festival (節日) recently, but it wasn't for cake…
For this festival, they celebrated by burning a big wooden boat (把木頭做的大船燒掉)!
It was called the King Boat, and it cost about 10 million NT (一千萬台幣) to build it.
The King Boat was covered with colorful paintings of dragons (龍), phoenixes (鳳凰), and characters from traditional stories.
And burning it was part of the Wang Ye Worshipping Ceremony, a festival that happens in Pingtung once every three years. 燒王船是迎王平安祭典的一部份，屏東每三年舉辦一次這個重要的祭典。
The festival lasts for eight days.
And the boat was burned on the final day, in order to help the deity (神) Wang Ye return to heaven.
For many years, people have prayed to this deity for protection from plagues. 自古以來民眾就祈求這位王爺保護他們，不要受瘟疫的侵襲。
Of course, if we have to be honest… the whole world has already been living through a plague.
But that's why it was so good of everyone to wear face masks, and to practice social distancing (社交距離)…
Especially (尤其是) because around 10,000 people at the festival came from outside of Pingtung.
So, any way you want to party is great, as long as you're careful.
But if you want to burn a 10 million NT boat… you should probably ask your parents first! ________________________________
細菌製作絲線 比鋼絲還要堅韌 Bacteria Make 'Spider Silk' Stronger Than Steel
We already know that spiders use webs (蜘蛛網) to catch their food.
And when we look at their silk (蜘蛛絲) up close, they may look tiny and weak…
But because we are so much bigger, we may forget (忘記) how strong their webs are.
If we were to make a rope from spider silk, it would be as strong as steel, and still be even lighter! 如果我們用蜘蛛絲來做繩子，這條繩子不但跟鋼絲一樣強，而且更輕！
There is one problem, though.
Even though silk is easy for spiders to make, it is much more difficult for people to make.
Usually, each spider's body uses proteins (蛋白質) from its food to create the silk.
These strings of silk have lots of "nanocrystals" (奈米晶體) inside them, which is what makes them so strong.
So, scientists are making a new kind of spider silk, but it's not coming directly (直接) from the spiders…
It's coming from bacteria (細菌)!
First, scientists put some special spider DNA into the bacteria, which lets them make lots of the spider protein with nanocrystals. 首先，科學家把蜘蛛的DNA放進細菌裡，讓細菌製造很多蜘蛛蛋白質。
Then, people can take that and make it into a very powerful fiber (纖維).
Scientists say it's faster and easier to make the fiber this way… and it's even stronger than many spiders can make it!
In the future, we can use this fiber for special clothes and medical procedures (醫療手術).
And in the meantime… more spiders can keep their silk to themselves! ________________________________
沙丘續集獲批 Dune Sequel Approved
A recently-released movie is getting a follow-up.
The first Dune (沙丘) movie hit theaters in October.
It was the box office leader in the United States for the weekend of its release.
It made 41 million U.S. dollars in its debut weekend.
第一部沙丘電影十月上映，票房成績很好。
Following the success of the first film, the studio has given the green light (批準) to the second one.
The sequel film should hit theaters in October of 2023.
The main (主要) cast members and director from Dune are all expected to return for the sequel.
The Dune movies are based off a book first published in 1965.
第二部沙丘現在獲批了，應該2023年十月上映。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
People in Pingtung recently burned an expensive boat, for the Wang Ye Worshipping Ceremony.
They burned the boat to help the deity Wang Ye return to heaven.
For many years, people have prayed to this deity for protection from plagues. ________________________________
And,
Scientists are using bacteria to make a new kind of spider silk.
First, they put some special spider DNA into the bacteria, which lets them make protein with nanocrystals.
Then, people can take that and make it into a very powerful fiber. ________________________________
And,
After the success of the first "Dune" movie, its film studio is planning to make a second one.
The main cast members and director from Dune are all expected to return for the sequel.
The sequel film should hit theaters in October of 2023. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pangolins for Prague, Pikmin for your phone, and Gaga in Vegas.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北動物園 準備運送穿山甲到歐洲 Pangolins Ready to Travel to Prague
Taipei Zoo is getting ready to help send pangolins to Prague (布拉格).
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic (捷克的首都), a country in Europe.
Two Taiwan pangolins will travel there to live in Prague Zoo.
It's part of a breeding program (繁殖計畫), to help create more pangolins.
Because many kinds of pangolin are in danger around the world.
Pangolins are mammals (哺乳動物), but they have scales (鱗片) like an alligator.
They curl up into a ball when they feel threatened (被威脅).
They are known as "the world's most trafficked animal."
That means people hunt (獵捕), steal and sell them to other countries.
They are worth a lot of money, because people use their scales in traditional Chinese medicine (中醫).
Luckily, Taiwan has been so good at pangolin conservation, the number of pangolins in Taiwan is increasing. 台灣因為穿山甲保育行動做得很好，這種動物的數量一直在增加。
Although nobody knows exactly how many pangolins exist; they are mysterious (神秘).
But it's the only place in the world people think this is happening.
So Taiwan wants to share its success with other countries.
Last year, the Czech Republic's Senate president (參院議長) visited Taiwan.
It was a sign that relations between the two countries are getting even better.
China likes to lend pandas to countries it is friends with.
So perhaps by lending the Czech Republic two pangolins, Taiwan considers that country a good friend.
中國喜歡把大熊貓借給友善國家，所以台灣送穿山甲到捷克，也是表示兩國關係友好。 ________________________________
最新的皮克敏電玩將登場 New AR Pikmin Game Coming Soon
A new Nintendo AR game is hitting phones around the world.
AR stands for augmented reality (擴增實境).
And augmented reality is when a game uses the real world, but also uses some fantasy (奇幻) elements, too.
Pokemon Go was an extremely popular Nintendo AR game.
But Nintendo's new AR game features Pikmin (皮克敏)!
Pikmin are colored characters with leaves and flowers sprouting from their heads.
皮克敏是彩色小玩偶，頭上會長出來花朵或是葉子。
There have been several Pikmin games across different Nintendo consoles.
The new game Pikmin Bloom is free to play.
But like Pokemon Go, you can spend money on game items (項目), if you want to.
And also like Pokemon Go, Pikmin Bloom encourages people to go on daily walks outside.
You can walk around and collect seeds (種子).
These can be planted, and then they bloom (開花) into Pikmin!
You can team up with other players and play together.
The AR feature makes it look like the Pikmin are in the real world.
One of the creators said it is about "transforming the mundane into a more beautiful world."
That means taking something every day and boring and making it into something fun.
Pikmin Bloom is currently available in Australia and Singapore.
It will be released worldwide soon!
皮克敏開花遊戲把平淡無奇的生活變成美麗新世界，目前只有澳洲跟新加坡才能下載，全球其他地方很快也可以玩得到。 ________________________________
女神卡卡回到拉斯維加斯 Lady Gaga Returns to Vegas
A popular singer has headed back to Sin City.
Lady Gaga played a series of shows in Las Vegas in October.
She did nine performances of her Jazz & Piano show.
Lady Gaga had already done several of those shows in August.
女神卡卡十月回到拉斯維加斯，舉辦九場演唱會。
Reports say that Lady Gaga got paid over 1 million dollars per show.
She also got a significant (重大) cut from the profits from merchandise (商品) sales.
For the show, she had a wardrobe that cost over 10 million dollars put together.
Analysts say that while Lady Gaga's shows are expensive, they are well worth it (值得), and the casino makes a lot of money.
據說卡卡每場賺一百萬美金，但賭場覺得非常值得。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei Zoo is getting ready to help send pangolins to Prague.
It's part of a breeding program to help create more pangolins.
Because many kinds of pangolin are in danger around the world. ________________________________
And,
A new Nintendo AR game is hitting phones around the world.
Pikmin Bloom encourages people to go on daily walks outside.
It will be released worldwide soon! ________________________________
And,
Lady Gaga played a series of shows in Las Vegas in October.
She did nine performances of her Jazz & Piano show. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan's government makes a special suit, animals sing in special rhythms, and Netflix watches people watching it.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國軍研發外骨骼系統 打造鋼鐵人 Taiwan Military Unveils New Exoskeleton Suit
Taiwan's military (軍方) is working on a new kind of technology.
It's a kind of machine that a person wears around their body, like a suit (服裝).
Scientists call it a "powered exoskeleton" (動力外骨骼), from the word "exo", meaning "outside", and "skeleton" (骨骼).
And it's "powered" (電動的) because it uses electricity to move!
The military is working on the exoskeleton suit with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, and experts in robotics and medical technology. 中山科學研究院最近跟機器人和醫療科技的專家合作，發展外骨骼系統。
And this special suit is made to help the wearer (穿上這套系統的人) feel stronger and move further.
When it is worn on a person's legs, it helps the person's knees (膝蓋) move more easily.
This makes it easier for the person to walk or run for long distances, while not feeling as tired or hurting their joints (身體的關節).
The suit can help people move at about 6 kilometers per hour (時速六公里), and it only weighs about 10 kilograms (十公斤).
They hope the suit can be used in rescue missions (救援任務), for helping people who are hurt or lost in the mountains.
Many countries around the world are working on exoskeleton suits, too, but this kind of technology is all very secret, so Taiwan might still need to work alone. 很多其他國家也在研究外骨骼系統，但是多半保持機密，所以台灣也只能自行發展。
It might not be that fast or powerful yet, but it's the beginning of some pretty cool new projects.
Humans could soon be moving in much more interesting ways! ________________________________
大狐猴歌唱節奏 跟人類很像 Indri Lemurs Sing In Similar Rhythm To Humans
When you listen to music, can you feel the rhythm (節奏)?
We can feel the rhythm in a song or dance because our human brains are good at finding patterns (模式).
But not many animals can feel rhythm the way we do.
Usually, only animals that speak to each other can really feel rhythm, like dolphins, birds, and bats.
But in the jungles of Madagascar, there is another animal, called the Indri Lemur… 在馬達加斯加的叢林裡，有一種動物叫做大狐猴…
We knew these lemurs could sing, but animal scientists have just discovered that they can make music in special rhythms, too!
Lemurs are furry (身上有很多毛) animals with big eyes, and live in trees with their families.
They sing to each other from far away, to find their friends or to let other lemurs know where they are.
Recently, some animal researchers (動物研究者) spent a long time in the jungle, watching and listening to these animals.
They found that these lemurs can sometimes sing in duets (二重唱) or choruses (合唱).
And some of them mix their longer notes with the shorter sounds of others, to make rhythm patterns that we usually only hear in human music. 有的大狐猴會自己唱長音符，跟別的狐猴的短音符唱和，這樣的節奏通常只有在人類的音樂中出現。
It's a little like some famous songs you might have heard before…
The animal researchers say, waiting in the cold, rainy jungle was worth it (很值得) to hear the lemurs' music.
The Indri lemurs of Madagascar might not be releasing an album (專輯) anytime soon…
But there's still so much we can learn from the world around us! ________________________________
Netflix改變觀看次數算法 Netflix Changing Show Success Standard
A streaming platform is changing how it measures a show's popularity.
Netflix used to count how many views a show or a movie got.
As long as someone watched a program for at least two minutes, it counted as a view.
However, Netflix now feels that this metric (算法) isn't straightforward enough.
Netflix以前說觀眾看節目至少兩分鐘就算觀看一次，但算法現在改了。
Netflix has changed to counting how many hours a show has been watched.
It will also publish (公布) these figures more often.
The company says this will let people have a better understanding of the streaming industry.
Netflix's Squid Game recently set a new record with 111 million views in its first four weeks.
Netflix現在會算各各節目被觀看幾小時，也會比較常公布這些數字。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's military is working on a new powered exoskeleton suit.
It's a kind of machine that a person wears around their body, that makes it easier for the person to walk or run for long distances. ________________________________
And,
Animal scientists have discovered that Indri lemurs can make music in special rhythms!
They found that these lemurs can sometimes sing in duets or choruses. ________________________________
And,
Netflix is changing how it sees what people are interested in.
Netflix has changed to counting how many hours a show has been watched.
The company says this will let people have a better understanding of the streaming industry. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A seal spotted in Taiwan, a puppet travelling through Europe, and a big pop star retiring?
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
小海豹出現在鼻頭漁港 Seal Pup Spotted in Taiwan
What's that strange sound?
It's the sound of a seal pup.
A pup is what we call a baby seal.
Seals can be found in oceans around the world, but it's rare (稀有) that we see them in Taiwan.
However, a seal was spotted on October 24th, resting at a harbor (港口) in New Taipei City.
People from a diving club (潛水俱樂部) took videos of the seal and posted them to Facebook.
After this, experts determined (斷定) that it was an earless seal.
Earless seals are not endemic to Taiwan.
That means Taiwan is not their natural habitat (自然棲息地).
Earless seals prefer colder climates, like those in the polar regions of the earth.
海豹不是本地的動物，牠們比較喜歡很冷的氣候，像是南極或是北極。
Nobody can really explain why it was there.
But luckily, the experts said it was old enough to look for food and survive on its own, and it did not seem like it had been accidentally separated (分開) from its mother.
News reports said the seal was easily frightened (嚇到) by people.
Divers went to approach (靠近) the seal, to try and encourage it to swim back to sea, but the seal dove into the water and swam back on its own.
It's nice to see animals it the wild that you don't usually see with your own eyes, but it's even better that they can return to their natural habitat.
看到平常看不到的野生動物很棒，更棒的是讓牠們回到原來的棲息地。 ________________________________
難民木偶過歐洲 Refugee Puppet Travels Europe
A little girl has walked 8000 kilometers across Europe to raise awareness about refugees (提高人們對難民的認識).
Well, she's not actually a little girl, but a puppet (木偶).
Little Amal is a 3.5-meter-tall puppet made of wood, fabric (布料) and other materials.
"Amal" means hope (希望) in Arabic, and that's what is hoped she has brought to people along her journey.
Amal has a person inside that controls (操作) her face, and some other people that help her walk.
She traveled through Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, and France, and finished her journey in the U.K.
And she met some famous people along the way.
She even met the Pope (教宗) in Italy.
She was created to represent (代表) the story of refugees that are fleeing (逃離) from countries where there is war, like Syria.
Many refugees go to countries in Europe where they can have a safer life.
The makers of Little Amal want to show the difficulties refugees face when traveling.
創作小木偶的人想要呈現難民在逃難途中常常遇到的難關。
When Amal reached London, she "celebrated" her tenth birthday.
A famous chef called Yotam Ottolenghi even made her a cake, and lots of children were invited to a party to celebrate with her.
The makers of Little Amal created a campaign (行動) to raise money to help refugees, and lots of people have donated (捐款).
So far, they have raised over 20,000 British pounds.
That's almost 800,000 Taiwanese dollars.
The money will provide education and job training to refugees, as well as food, shelter and medical services to those making the difficult journey to Europe.
Amal募款活動已經募到了兩萬多英鎊，這些錢將捐助難民食物、教育、工作訓練及緊急和醫療服務。 ________________________________
小甜甜布蘭妮有可能不再表演 Britney May Retire From Music
A huge pop star could be done with performing.
Sources claim that Britney Spears has no desire (意願) to continue making music right now.
This information comes from people who have worked with Britney for a long time.
They say that Britney actually wanted to stop performing a long time ago.
據說小甜甜布蘭妮未來不想再表演了。
Britney recently said in court that she did not want to do several performances in recent years.
This includes her residency in Las Vegas, as well as a Europe tour in 2018.
Now that her conservatorship may be coming to an end, she is free to make her own decision (決定).
If she wants to step away from music forever, she can do so.
布蘭妮說前幾年的表演都不是她想辦的，是她被強迫的。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A seal was spotted resting at a harbor in New Taipei City.
Divers went to approach the seal.
But it dove into the water and swam back on its own. ________________________________
And,
A puppet of a little girl has walked 8000 km across Europe.
It was to raise awareness about refugees.
The campaign has raised over 20,000 British pounds to help refugees out. ________________________________
And,
Britney Spears may be retiring.
People who have worked with her say she doesn't want to make music anymore. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Venus in the night sky, meat from thin air, and a singer delays her Vegas shows.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
抬頭望金星 年底前天天可見 Watch for Venus in the Night Sky
If you are out after dark sometime in the next few weeks, look toward the night sky.
Do you see it?
Look southwest, up at about a 30-degree angle…
Look for something that looks like an extra (特別) bright star.
It's actually the planet Venus!
台北市立天文館說，在日落時朝西南方仰角約30度高的天空觀看，就可以輕易看到金星明亮的光點
The Taipei Astronomical Museum says Venus has now moved to its greatest eastern elongation (東大距).
This means it now looks as far away from the Sun as it gets.
And this means it is much easier to see than usual (比平常更…).
The museum says if the sky is dark enough, you can see a circle of light around Venus.
And if you look through a telescope, you can see Venus as a half-moon shape of light.
天文館說天空夠黑的話可以看到金星的星芒，透過望遠鏡觀察還可以看到它呈現半圓形的弦月狀。
In fact, at this time, Venus is the third brightest thing in the sky after the Sun and the Moon.
And the museum says Venus will get even brighter in early December.
It says by that time, you may even be able to spot Venus during the day.
金星在12月初時將達到最大亮度，天文館說這段時間如果氣象狀況適合的話，連白天都有機會用肉眼觀看到金星。 ________________________________
空氣也能做人造「肉」 Meat Made from Thin Air
You've heard a lot about how the way we farm animals now can be bad for the environment.
A lot of water, energy, and land is used for the cows, pigs and other animals we eat.
Some people try to help fix this problem by becoming vegetarian (素食主義者).
Some think we should try eating more bugs.
And now, one company in the US is making meat out of thin air!
The company says they got the idea from the 1960s.
Back then people were trying to think of ways to make sure astronauts (太空人) had enough food to eat when they were in space for a long time.
The idea was that astronauts would eat food, and breathe out carbon dioxide.
Tiny little microbes (微生物) would take the carbon dioxide, and makes it into food.
And that's kind of like what the company is doing.
First, they take parts of air, like carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen.
Then they add water, minerals and a special microbe.
And in the end, they get a powder that is full of protein.
That powder can be used to make all kinds of "Air Meats".
這個美國公司用一種單細胞微生物讓它消耗二氧化碳、水和礦物質營養素，就可以產生含有80%蛋白質的蛋白粉，再將這個蛋白粉做成類似肉類的產品。
The company says air meats actually take greenhouse gases (溫室氣體) out of the air, because parts of these gases are used to make the meat.
Many companies around the world are trying out different ways to make food in ways that are better for the environment.
We may soon have a lot more choices for what we want to eat!
不知道這種使用「空氣」製造出來的肉吃起來是什麼味道呢！ ________________________________
席琳·狄翁延期駐唱 Celine Dion Delays Vegas Residency
A big-name singer has been forced to push back several shows.
Celine Dion was originally supposed to perform several times in Las Vegas.
Those shows were set for November and for next January.
However, she now has health issues that prevent (住址) her from performing.
席琳·狄翁原本十一月和明年一月在拉斯維加斯舉辦駐唱，但現在沒辦法。
Celine has started experiencing very painful muscle spasms (抽搐).
The spasms are so bad that she can't even rehearse for the shows.
Celine says she will focus now on recovering from this condition.
She wants to get back on stage for her fans as soon as possible.
席琳希望她可以儘快康復，可以再替粉絲表演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Astronomical Museum says Venus is now at its greatest eastern elongation.
It is much easier to see than usual.
And the museum says Venus will get even brighter in early December.
It says by that time, you may even be able to spot Venus during the day. ________________________________
One company in the US is making meat out of thin air!
First, they take parts of air, like carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen.
Then they add water, minerals and a special microbe.
And in the end, they get a powder that is full of protein.
That powder can be used to make all kinds of "air meats".
________________________________
And,
Celine Dion has pushed back several of her Las Vegas shows.
She has health issues that prevent her from performing.
Celine says she wants to get back on stage for her fans as soon as possible. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A festival celebrates street performers, cow poop makes sea water drinkable, and Billie Eilish will headline a major music festival.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北首場街頭藝人節 Taipei's First Buskers Festival
Taipei held its first ever buskers festival on Saturday, October 23rd.
What is a busker?
A busker is a street performer (街頭藝人) - someone who does something entertaining at the side of the road.
Buskers can be musicians or artists, or do things like circus tricks (像馬戲團的表演).
There were over 90 performers and performance groups at the festival.
And they all put on shows at five different locations across Taipei's Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.
One of the festival's organizers is a yo-yo performer (表演溜溜球的人), who does lots of impressive (很不簡單的) tricks with just a yo-yo.
But there were also clowns, violinists, acrobats, and handicraft makers.
其他還有小丑、小提琴手、雜技演員，以及手工藝師傅。
A lot of buskers have had a difficult time this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New rules meant people could not gather (聚集) in crowds to see shows, and lots of people chose to stay indoors, meaning it was difficult for buskers to make money.
A Japanese kendama (日本劍玉) performer told news reporters that the festival was the first time he had performed in four months.
A kendama is like a wooden hammer with a ball attached by a string.
Buskers had a reason to celebrate (慶祝) at this year's festival.
The government recently changed the law (修法) to make it easier for them to perform.
Buskers used to have to pass an exam so they could perform on the street, but now they only have to fill in some paperwork (填寫一些資料).
And the organizers said they think this will allow performances to be more creative (更有創意).
Being a street performer requires a lot of skill, hard-work and dedication.
Do you think you have any skills you could show off to people on the street?
當街頭藝人要很認真，願意投入，還要很有本領。你有什麼技巧想要表演給別人看的嗎? ________________________________
科學家用牛屎製作飲用水 Scientists Make Drinkable Water Using Cow Poop
How do you feel when you're swimming in the ocean and you accidentally (意外的) swallow a big gulp of sea water?
Yuck… sea water is so salty.
Actually, humans cannot drink it, because our bodies cannot get rid of all the salt quickly enough.
That's a shame (很可惜), because a lot of people around the world find it difficult to get clean water to drink.
Global aid provider UNICEF (提供全球援助的聯合國兒童基金會) says 1.42 billion people live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.
And there is so much sea water! 世界上有14億人居住在水源稀少的地方，但是海水卻有那麼多。
But what if there was a way we could make sea water drinkable (可以喝)?
Well, what if I told you there is… using cow poop!
Researchers at Northeastern University in the U.S. have developed a way to make sea water drinkable by using cow poop as a filter (過濾).
Cow poop is rich in nutrients (營養); it contains digested grass and grains, and lots of farmers use it as a fertilizer (肥料).
First, people heat the poop to 1,700 degrees Celsius to kill any bacteria (細菌).
This also turns the poop into a carbon powder (碳粉).
The carbon powder is then made into a foam.
The foam floats on the surface (平面) of the seawater, and when sunlight hits it, the water turns into steam. Once it passes through the carbon powder foam, it becomes drinkable water!
利用牛糞製作飲用水，需要先把它加熱到攝氏1700度，變成碳粉。再把這些碳粉泡沫鋪在海面，陽光照射下，海水會變成蒸氣，蒸氣通過碳粉之後凝結的水就可以喝了!
Experts say not only is using cow poop to make water low-cost, but it is environmentally friendly.
And it could one day help reduce water vulnerability in people that live in poorer places.
用這個方法來造水，不但價錢便宜而且對環境友善，有一天也可以對貧窮國家的居民幫上忙。 ________________________________
怪奇比莉將當藝術節主秀 Billie Eilish to Headline Music Fest
One of the hottest young singers will lead a major music event.
Billie Eilish will be the headliner (主秀) of next year's Glastonbury Festival.
She will be the youngest-ever solo artist to headline the show.
Billie already performed at the show once, in 2019.
怪奇比莉將當明年的格拉斯頓柏立當代表演藝術節的主秀。
Back then, Billie did not know how important the festival was.
She says she was an uncultured (蒙昧無知) baby then, and only realized later what an honor it was.
The Glastonbury Festival was canceled this year and last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Next year's event will take place in late June.
怪奇比莉2019年已經在藝術節表演過，但這兩年的都因為疫情被取消。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei held its first ever buskers festival on Saturday, October 23rd. ________________________________
And,
Researchers in the U.S. have developed a way to make sea water drinkable, by using cow poop as a filter. ________________________________
And,
Billie Eilish will be the headliner of next year's Glastonbury Festival. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
An owl couple becomes famous, bus riders catch some Zs, and Adele hopes to go on tour.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
南投集集貓頭鷹爆紅 Nantou Owls Become Celebrities
A pair of new celebrities are living in Nantou.
Every day, people with big cameras stand outside where they live.
Everyone wants to get a photo.
But this famous couple (夫婦、一對) is a little bit different from stars on TV.
They are a pair of collared scops owls (領角鴞).
Collared scops owls live in many parts of Asia.
They are mostly grey or brown, and have big orange or brown eyes.
They hunt at night, and eat mostly bugs.
Two of these owls are now living in Nantou County's Ji-ji Township.
In September, they made a nest in a hole on a tree that's more than 700 years old.
And some people say the hole is shaped like Taiwan.
貓頭鷹夫妻在樹洞築巢，兩隻窩在樹洞裡的模樣很可愛，加上有人說樹洞的形狀像台灣，所以吸引了很多人來賞鳥。
Many people came to see the owls.
Lots of people brought big cameras to take photos.
And officials say the owls have laid eggs, and baby owls have hatched (孵化)!
No one is quite sure how many owlets (貓頭鷹的幼鳥) there are yet.
But officials are reminding everyone to keep their voices low, so they do not scare the owl family.
And anyone who comes to see them must follow the rules, wear face masks, and not get too close.
鎮長提醒來看貓頭鷹的朋友，一定要遵守秩序，保持安靜、戴好口罩，才不會打擾貓頭鷹一家的生活。 ________________________________
香港旅行業者推巴士睡覺團 Hong Kong Bus Tours Put People to Sleep
Getting babies to go to sleep can be hard.
Sometimes, if a baby really can't sleep, their mom or dad will take them for a drive in the car.
Scientists think the feeling or the sounds of being in a car may help babies fall asleep.
And now, one company in Hong Kong, is trying this for adults (大人).
The company has a "Sleeping Bus Tour".
People can take a ride on a double-decker bus (雙層巴士).
Tickets for the lower level are around $360NT.
Tickets for the upper level are about $1400NT.
And riders get a gift bag with things like an eye-mask (眼罩) and ear plugs (耳塞).
The bus will drive around Hong Kong for 5 hours.
And everyone goes to sleep!
一家香港旅行社推出長達5小時的「巴士睡覺團」。
The company says they got the idea after hearing about how many people can't sleep at night.
But these people fall asleep on the bus and the subway on the way to work every day.
So the company thought the "Sleeping Bus Tour" might be able to help them.
The first trip was full.
Many riders came with pillows, blankets, and slippers (拖鞋).
One Hong Kong scientist says people there don't have enough time to sleep.
The scientist says these people have to find other times to sleep, and many sleep on the way to work.
業者說通勤上班族經常在公車上打瞌睡，回家卻失眠，希望這個巴士睡覺團可以讓他們睡好睡滿，也為公司帶來新商機。 ________________________________
愛黛兒希望再辦巡迴演出 Adele Hoping to Tour for New Album
A big star hopes to hit the road again soon.
Adele is releasing her new album in mid-November.
Called 30, it will be her first new release in six years.
To support the album, Adele hopes to go on tour.
愛黛兒將發行新的專輯，她也希望可以到各國表演。
However, she is not sure that is possible, given ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
She says it is hard to plan a concert tour now, because every country has different rules.
And she does not want to disappoint (辜負) fans if she has to cancel shows.
She says if all else fails, she will go be a busker (街頭藝人) in the London Underground.
如果沒辦法辦巡迴演出，愛黛兒說她會到倫敦地鐵當街頭藝人。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A pair of collared scops owls made a nest in an old tree in Nantou County's Ji-ji Township.
Officials say the owls have laid eggs and baby owls have hatched.
Many people are going to see the owls and take pictures.
But officials are reminding everyone to keep their voices low and follow the rules, so they do not scare the owl family. ________________________________
A company in Hong Kong is offering a "Sleeping Bus Tour".
People can take a 5-hour ride on a double-decker bus, and everyone goes to sleep!
The company says they got the idea after hearing about how many people can't sleep at night, but they fall asleep on the bus on the way to work every day.
So the company thought the "Sleeping Bus Tour" might be able to help them. ________________________________
And,
Adele hopes she can go on tour for her new album, to be released in mid-November.
But she says it is hard to plan a concert tour now, because every country has different COVID-19 restrictions.
She says if all else fails, she will go be a busker in the London Underground. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Noise cameras catch loud drivers, a wizard loses his job, and a new show sets a new record.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
噪音監視系統將擴大 'Noise Camera' System To Be Expanded
You've probably heard this sound before…
Vehicles (車輛) are everywhere.
Many people need vehicles to get to work, to buy food, and to do almost anything outside of big cities.
But some vehicles are so loud (大聲) that they are causing problems for people who live nearby!
This is called "noise pollution" (噪音汙染).
So, earlier this year, Taiwan's government started to install some new technology around busy roads. 今年初，政府開始在交通繁忙的道路旁邊安裝新的科技產品。
They are cameras that can detect (偵測) which vehicles are too loud!
When a vehicle's noise (噪音) goes up to a certain level, the camera will take a picture of it.
Then, that vehicle's driver will get a fine (被開罰單).
And so far (到目前為止), around 700 people have gotten fines for their vehicles being too loud.
The fines (罰款) can be up to 3,600 NT.
And they can be 30,000 NT more, if the vehicles are found to be modified (改裝過).
Now, most people support the new noise camera system, and are happy to see Taiwan fighting noise pollution. 大部分人都支持這個噪音偵測系統，並且很高興看到社會反抗噪音汙染。
People hope this system can help keep Taiwan peaceful, and let people sleep more easily at night.
Until then… we might just have to cover our ears! ________________________________
紐西蘭魔法師 丟掉飯碗 New Zealand Wizard Loses His Job
We hear about wizards (魔法師) all the time in movies, books, and other stories.
And not many people have seen a wizard in real life…
Except for some people in New Zealand (紐西蘭), where one man has been a wizard for more than 20 years!
But something recently happened to this wizard…
He was fired (被開除了)!
It's already very unusual for someone to work as a wizard for their career (職業).
Every year, this man was paid around 10,000 New Zealand dollars (相當於二十萬台幣的酬勞) for his magical work.
He would cast spells to bring rainy weather to dry places, and he would bless sports teams to help them win games. 他會運用魔法，給乾旱的地方來帶雨水，也會給運動團隊祝福，幫他們贏得比賽。
So, why was he fired from his job?
Well, it turns out he wasn't a very nice person.
After the "Lord of the Rings" movies (魔戒電影) made wizards very popular, he would speak to lots of people who wanted to meet a real one.
But a lot of the things he said were very mean (尖酸刻薄)!
People asked him to stop, but he was too stubborn. 很多人請他不要那樣講話，但是他很頑固，還是照講不誤。
So, finally, New Zealand's government (政府) decided to stop paying him.
People aren't sure what he'll do now, but we can still learn something important from this story.
It doesn't matter if people think you're magical, or special…
You still have to be a good person! ________________________________
魷魚遊戲創Netflix紀錄 Squid Game Makes Netflix History
A recent television show has broken a streaming record.
Squid Game debuted on Netflix in mid-September.
The South Korean show quickly became one of the most popular programs on the platform.
It set the record for the biggest launch (開創) ever on Netflix.
魷魚遊戲九月在Netflix開始串流，很快就創觀看次數紀錄。
Netflix says Squid Game was watched 111 million times in less than a month.
That smashes (打碎) the previous record, held by the show Bridgerton.
That show had 82 million views in its first 28 days.
There is now talk of doing a second season for Squid Game.
魷魚遊戲上映後前二十八天就被觀看一億一千一百萬次。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year, Taiwan's government started to install some new technology around busy roads.
They are cameras that can detect which vehicles are too loud!
And so far, around 700 people have gotten fines for their vehicles being too loud. ________________________________
And,
A wizard has been fired from his job in New Zealand.
He used to cast spells to bring rainy weather to dry places, and he would bless sports teams to help them win games.
But he said a lot of mean things to people, and the government decided to stop paying him. ________________________________
And,
The new show "Squid Game" has set the record for the biggest launch ever on Netflix.
The South Korean show has become one of the most popular programs on the platform.
Netflix says the show was watched 111 million times in less than a month. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Hearing Taiwan's sound in a symphony, smelling a whale's health in poop, and a new spinoff for WandaVision.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國家交響樂團表演1分鐘交響曲 NSO Performs Second '1-Minute' Piece Many of the pop songs (流行歌曲) we hear are 3 or 4 minutes long.
But symphonies (交響曲) are different.
Some of the most famous symphonies are much longer.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is about 30 minutes long.
And Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2 is just over 1 hour long!
Can you imagine listening to one piece of music for such a long time?
But Taiwan's National Symphony Orchestra is trying out something a little different.
It performed a symphony that is just 1 minute long.
The symphony was composed by Cheng Ya-tzu.
It's called "Falling".
NSO國家交響樂團舉辦了音樂會，表演作曲家鄭雅慈的作品「墜落之時」。
Cheng says her symphony shows the feeling of falling, and how there's no real beginning or end.
"Falling" is the second 1-minute symphony performed by the NSO.
The first was "Trauma", composed by Chou Jun-ying.
The orchestra says it came up with the idea of 1-minute symphonies to find talented (有才華) young people who can write music showing Taiwan's sound.
NSO說希望透過簡短的交響樂創作，找出有潛力又可以展現台灣獨特的聲音的作曲人才。 ________________________________
流浪犬靠鼻子成為野生虎鯨的守護神 Poop-sniffing Dog Helps Save Whales
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell (嗅覺).
They help us find people, drugs (毒品), and even bombs.
But one dog's sense of smell is being used to help us find…poop!
Eba was a puppy, just a few weeks old, when someone left her outside an animal shelter in California.
After months of care from vets and workers at the shelter, Eba was adopted by Dr. Deborah Giles.
Dr. Giles is a scientist who studies killer whales (虎鯨).
She noticed that Eba has lots and lots of energy, and loves playing with toys.
This makes Eba the perfect type of dog to be part of Conservation Canine.
Conservation Canine saves dogs from animal shelters.
It trains (訓練) them to find wild animal poop, or scat.
Scientists need the scat (糞便), because they can test it and find out lots about the wild animal it came from.
From scat, they can learn what the animal is eating, what's happening in its environment, or even if the animal is pregnant (懷孕).
And Eba was a natural (天生好手).
She and Dr. Giles head out into the ocean on a boat.
Eba smells the air.
When she smells killer whale scat, she will whine, or lick her lips, and turn her head to the right direction (方向).
And when they find the scat, Dr. Giles will put it in jar.
Then Eba gets her reward…playtime with a toy!
Dr. Giles says Eba and other dogs like her are doing amazing work, helping to save killer whales and other wild animals.
Dr. Giles說Eba的工作非常重要，可以幫助科學家在不打擾野生虎鯨的狀況下，更深入了解它們的身體狀況和環境改變。 ________________________________
汪達與幻視外傳 WandaVision Spinoff Coming
A Marvel television show could be getting a follow-up.
WandaVision was the first Marvel show on the Disney Plus streaming platform.
It had nine episodes, and was very popular.
There is now talk that the show will have a spin-off.
汪達與幻視是漫威宇宙第一個串流電視節目，據說可能會拍外傳。
Reports say that the spin-off would focus on the character of Agatha.
In the show, she was Wanda's and Vision's friendly neighbor (鄰居).
She also turned out to be the villain of the show.
The rumored project could be an origin story (原創故事) for the character.
外傳主角可能是汪達與幻視的鄰居，阿嘉莎·哈克尼斯。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's National Symphony Orchestra performed a symphony that is just 1 minute long.
The symphony called "Falling" was composed by Cheng Ya-tzu.
Cheng says her symphony shows the feeling of falling, and how there's no real beginning or end. ________________________________
Eba the dog is a conservation canine.
She uses her sense of smell to help scientists find wild animal scat.
Scientists can use the scat to learn what the animal is eating, what's happening in its environment, or even if the animal is pregnant. ________________________________
And,
Reports say WandaVision will have a spin-off.
The spin-off could focus on the character of Agatha, Wanda and Vision's friendly neighbor.
The rumored project could be an origin story for the character. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Kaohsiung will have a new MRT line, an Indian couple float to their wedding and Daniel Craig heads to Broadway.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
高雄迎接新的捷運線 Kaohsiung to Open New MRT Line
Did you hear? Kaohsiung's MRT is getting a new line.
But it probably won't be ready to ride until 2030.
However, development (發展) of the line will start next year.
The total investment (投資、資金) in the new project is expected to be 53.3 billion NT.
The line will run from the terminal station (終點站) of the Kaohsiung MRT red line to the Linyuan Industrial Park.
It will have seven stops in total.
And it will also run through two other important industrial parks (工業園區): the the New Material Circular Industrial Park and the Linhai Industrial Park.
These are all places that develop technologies (技術) that Taiwan sells around the world.
In fact, the three parks produce semiconductors (半導體). These are electronic components (零件) used everywhere in everyday life, from trains and cars, to TVs and ATMs.
這三個工業園區製作半導體。半導體用途很多，會出現在車子，電視及提款機裡。
And Taiwan is the world's number one producer of semiconductors.
So making sure workers can get to the industrial parks easily is important.
Kaohsiung's deputy mayor is hoping the new MRT line will help reduce traffic accidents (車禍), too.
It will be built along a road that is very busy.
The deputy mayor said on average, 27 people die on this road each year because of traffic accidents.
It's probably down to the amount of trucks that use it, driving to and from the industrial parks.
The government said special tickets will be available with a discounted price (特價) once the line opens.
So people will be able to get along the road cheaply and safely.
That's great!
新的捷運線旁邊的道路車流量很大，高雄希望捷運可以減少車禍發生率，常坐捷運的乘客也可以購買特價票，安全又省錢。 ________________________________
印度情侶用鐵鍋漂浮到婚禮場所 Indian Couple Float to Wedding amid Floods
There have been very serious floods in southern India in recent weeks.
印度最近幾個禮拜發生了很嚴重的水災。
The floods have caused landslides (土石流), and at least 25 people have died in the state of Kerala.
Thousands of people have been evacuated (撤離) to special places where they will live until they can find new homes.
After natural disasters (災情) happen, people have to find ways to carry on with their daily lives.
One couple in Kerala decided the floods weren't going to ruin their special day.
Akash and Aishwarya were set to get married on October 18th.
Their wedding was scheduled (安排) to take place at a small temple (寺廟) in their village of Thalavady.
The temple was flooded, but not enough to shut it down.
And the couple decided they wanted their wedding to go ahead!
But the road from their home to the temple was covered in water.
So they couldn't go on foot or by car.
They had to come up with an inventive (創新的) way to get there.
And they decided to go by boat!
Well, it wasn't a real boat.
It was a giant aluminium cooking pot (鐵鍋子) that could fit two people in it.
Another temple close to the couple's house lent it to them.
And some men helped pull them along.
Pictures have been posted to the internet of the couple happily drifting (漂浮) along the water.
The bride said their special day had turned into a wedding she never could have imagined. ________________________________
007主角將去百老匯 Daniel Craig Heading to Broadway
An actor is taking the stage once again.
Daniel Craig has just concluded (結束) his time as James Bond.
He has already announced that he will take on a Broadway role next.
Craig will play the title character in Macbeth.
丹尼爾·克雷格剛演完007，很快就要去百老匯演戲。
Craig's run on Broadway will begin next April.
His time as Macbeth will last for 15 weeks.
He will work with the same director (導演) that he did in 2016.
Back then, the two of them did Othello, also by Shakespeare.
克雷格將當馬克白主角，明年四月底在紐約開始演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Kaohsiung will open a new MRT line.
It will help reduce traffic on a road between industrial parks.
But it won't be open until 2030. ________________________________
And,
An Indian couple couldn't walk or drive to their wedding because of floods.
So they floated in an aluminium pot! ________________________________
And,
Daniel Craig will take on a broadway role.
He will play MacBeth from next April.
Craig has just finished playing James Bond. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Taiwanese player wins a tournament, a new machine gets ready to go to space, and a new superhero joins the Galaxy.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
日本將棋台灣玩家 榮獲國際大賽冠軍 Taiwanese Shogi Player Wins International Title
Have you ever played the game "Shogi" (日本將棋)?
Shogi is a Japanese board game (桌遊) for two players.
It's a lot like the game of chess, where both players move pieces to defeat their opponent's army. 這個遊戲類似象棋，兩個玩家要移動棋子來打敗對方的軍隊。
And this year's International Shogi Tournament (日本國際將棋大賽) has been won by a 16-year-old Taiwanese boy!
His name is Chang Ching-ting (張京鼎), and he won first place, in the tournament of 38 players from 35 different countries.
And after he won, he was able to play one more match (再比一場) against one of Japan's best players.
Chang (張) did not win that match, but he said it was an honor (光榮) to have that chance.
And that's not all…
Chang says he was inspired to learn the game Shogi after he saw it in Japanese comic books. 張說他是因為看了日本漫畫裡的將棋比賽，而想要學習怎麼下將棋。
And he taught himself to play it just by watching YouTube videos!
Then, he and his friends started a club (社團) to play Shogi together in a cafe every Saturday.
Chang says he tries to learn from the playstyle (風格) of his favorite Japanese player.
And he hopes he can one day be good enough to play a match against that player.
So, whether you like board games or not, remember that this Taiwanese Shogi champion learned to play all on his own. 這個台灣冠軍完全靠自己學會了下棋。
If you can't learn something in school, there are always other places to look! ________________________________
詹姆斯·韋伯太空望遠鏡 準備上太空 James Webb Space Telescope Prepares For Launch
Scientists all over the world use telescopes (天文望遠鏡) in very dark places, where they can see all the stars in the sky.
Most telescopes are on Earth, but there are also some in space.
And one of the most famous space telescopes is called the Hubble Space Telescope (哈伯太空望遠鏡).
This space telescope has been orbiting Earth for 31 years, helping us to see the furthest stars in the sky. 哈伯太空望遠鏡已經環繞地球三十年，觀察天空中離我們最遠的星星。
But it's about time for an improvement (進步)…
And scientists are getting ready to send up the next one!
It's called the James Webb Space Telescope (詹姆斯·韋伯太空望遠鏡).
It will be able to see even further into space, with a lens (鏡頭) almost three times bigger than the last one!
Scientists say it will let us see the light of the first stars of the universe, from around 13.5 billion years ago. 科學家說，這個望遠鏡能讓我們觀察到一百三十五億年前，宇宙最早出現星星的光芒。
And it hasn't been an easy project (計畫).
Engineers have been developing (發展) this telescope for more than 30 years.
And it has cost almost 10 billion U.S. dollars (將近一百億美元，相當於兩千八百億台幣).
Scientists plan to launch it into space (發射進入太空) on December 18th of this year.
And soon after, we will have even better pictures of the world outside of Earth.
So, where should we look next? ________________________________
新超級英雄加入漫威電影宇宙 New Hero Joining MCU
A new actor is playing a new superhero.
The Guardians of the Galaxy director has confirmed that Adam Warlock will appear in the third film.
He will be played by actor Will Poulter.
Adam's existence (存在) was hinted at in the second Guardians film at the end.
導演宣布亞當術士會加入第三部星際異攻隊電影。
In the comics, Adam Warlock first appeared way back in 1967.
He is an artificial (人為) being, created by scientists.
Production on the third Guardians film begins in November.
It is scheduled to hit theaters in May of 2023.
第三部電影十一月開始拍片，2023年五月才上映。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
This year's International Shogi Tournament has been won by a 16-year-old Taiwanese boy.
He says he was inspired to learn the game after he saw it in Japanese comic books.
And he taught himself to play it just by watching YouTube videos! ________________________________
And,
Scientists are getting ready to send the James Webb Space Telescope into space.
They say it will let us see the light of the first stars of the universe, from around 13.5 billion years ago.
It is getting ready to launch on December 18th of this year. ________________________________
And,
The Guardians of the Galaxy director has confirmed that Adam Warlock will appear in the third film.
In the comics, Adam Warlock first appeared way back in 1967.
Production on the third Guardians film begins in November. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy.
In today's news:
Farmers feed fish yoghurt, Harry Potter sells a Harry Potter book, and Amazon links up with Prince Charles.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
養魚業者給魚吃優格 Farmers Feed Fish Yoghurt
What do fish eat?
An organization in Taiwan has found they can make fish even healthier by feeding them something unexpected (難以想像的).
It's yoghurt (優格)!
A special type of yoghurt was made by the Fisheries Research Institute, or FRI.
It's because fish farmers were complaining that their fish were becoming infected (感染) with a kind of bacteria (細菌).
It was killing the fish, and costing them lots of money.
養魚業者發現魚一直因為吸入壞細菌而患病死亡，這樣又可惜又浪費錢。
The fish needed something to help them fight the bacteria.
So the FRI decided they could try to introduce (輸入) good bacteria into the fishes' diets.
We all have good bacteria in our bodies, it helps us digest (消化) food.
The FRI thought giving the fish more, different kinds of good bacteria could help fight the bad bacteria that was causing them to die.
The organization has tested mixing their special yoghurt into fish food for over a year.
They found it helps certain types of fish grow, and increase their defense (抵抗力) against bad bacteria.
The cost of adding the yoghurt to the fish food is much lower than what it costs each time a farmer's fish die and they have to be replaced.
So it's good for the fish and the farmers.
And eating healthy fish is no doubt good for us, too!
養魚業者發現給魚吃這種特製的優格可以讓它們更健康，減少業者的損失，而且吃這種比較健康的魚，也許也對我們比較健康喔！ ________________________________
哈利波特賣哈利波特的書 Harry Potter sells Harry Potter Book
Harry Potter has just sold his Harry Potter book and made a lot of money!
Well, it's not the Harry Potter from the book itself, but a man from the U.K. named Harry Potter.
Many years ago when he was 8, his dad bought him a copy (影本) of the first Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Because he thought it was cute that his son shared the same name as the main character m(主角).
But that copy is special.
It's a hardback first edition (初版硬殼精裝). And only 500 hardback copies were made the first time around.
Harry Potter小時候收到爸爸送的書，而這本書很特別，就是初版硬殼精裝的哈利波特－神秘的魔法石，全世界只有500本。
People who collect (收藏) books always like to buy first editions.
So they are pretty valuable (價值高).
And Harry Potter from the UK just sold his copy at an auction (拍賣) for 27,500 pounds.
That's over a million Taiwanese dollars.
The first edition hardback has some special things about it that collectors like to look out for.
For example, "philosopher's" is misspelled (拼錯) on the back cover.
And the word "wand" is accidentally printed twice on page 53.
這個初版硬殼精裝的書有些特質，標題在書本的後蓋上拼錯，而且'魔杖'在地53頁意外重印。
As for Harry Potter himself (the real one), he said he has spent his whole life trying to convince (說服) people it's his real name. ________________________________
查爾斯王子和亞馬遜合作 Prince Charles Teaming Up with Amazon
A British royal is partnering with an Internet giant.
Prince Charles has announced that he is cooperating with Amazon Prime Video.
Under the deal, Amazon will help the prince raise awareness (認知) about the environment.
Charles hopes the partnership will allow him to get the message out to a much wider audience.
英國的查爾斯王子和亞馬遜簽了合約，將推廣環保節目。
Prince Charles had already set up his own online television channel last year.
It has shows and movies exclusively (專門) about green issues.
The channel highlights projects helping the environment and businesses making eco-friendly innovations (創新).
These programs will now be shared across Amazon's Prime Video platform.
查爾斯王子去年已經設了自己的平台，內容都跟環保議題有關。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Bad bacteria was killing fish so farmers fed them yoghurt.
It helped increase the fishes' defense against the bad bacteria.
And it helped save the farmers a lot of money. ________________________________
And,
Harry Potter sold the first edition of a Harry Potter book.
But he wasn't the one from the story… there is a man in the U.K. called Harry Potter!
He sold the book for a huge 27,500 pounds. ________________________________
And,
Prince Charles has announced that he is cooperating with Amazon Prime Video.
Amazon will help the prince raise awareness about the environment.
Amazon Prime Video will share Charles' videos across its platform. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Eric Gau.
In today's news:
Food delivery from a gibbon, white gold from a camel, and a Marvel star settles a deal.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
長臂猿暖心兼外送 動物園傷腦筋 Kind Gibbon Causes Headache for Zookeepers
We all know that being kind (有愛心) is a good thing, right?
But for a white-handed gibbon at the Taipei Zoo…
His kindness is giving zookeepers a headache!
The Taipei Zoo says the gibbon, named Peter Pan, is a bit too helpful.
Zookeepers want to get Peter Pan and his family into their inside enclosure (室內欄舍).
Their outside enclosure was dirty, and needed to be cleaned.
So keepers put some food in the inside enclosure.
They hoped the gibbons would go inside to get the food, and they could close the door to keep them inside.
This way, keepers could clean the outside safely.
But Peter Pan's brothers did not want to go inside.
They ignored (不理) the food.
And Peter Pan, being very helpful and kind, started going inside to get the food.
He would pick up all the delicious fruits and vegetables…
And bring them outside for his brothers.
Then they would all share and eat the food together.
比德潘看到哥哥和弟弟不願意到室內吃東西，就當「外送員」，把室內的食物，一個一個運到室外給牠們享用。
Zookeepers say it is very nice that the white-handed gibbon family is so loving and close.
But now they don't know how they will clean the gibbons' outside enclosure!
The keepers say they were supposed to clean the enclosure in May.
But now with Peter Pan bringing all the food outside, the keepers have had to wait for months.
原訂今年5月初就要展開的清淤工作，卻因部分的長臂猿家庭拒絕配合，這項工程一直都還無法動工
The keepers are asking the public to help think of ideas to get the gibbons inside. ________________________________
想喝咖啡？來杯駱布奇諾！ Try a Taste of a Camel-ccino
Lots of people drink coffee.
Many adults like to have a cup of coffee in the morning to start their day.
For some types of coffee, people add cow's milk.
But one cafe in Kenya is making their coffee with something very different…
Camel milk!
CJ's Restaurant is in downtown Nairobi.
The manager, Omar Shariff says more and more people are ordering their special lattes (拿鐵) and cappuccinos (卡布奇諾).
At CJ's, those drinks are "camelattes" and "camel-ccinos".
That's like a latte or cappuccino, but with camel milk added instead of cow's milk.
這個餐廳推出新飲料，駱布奇諾和駱拿鐵，就是普通的卡布奇諾和拿鐵，但加的是駱駝奶。
Why would people want to use camel milk for their coffee?
Kenya has lots of camels, 4 million actually.
Some people there drink camel milk already, but there aren't lots of stores that sell it.
Camels can go a long time without drinking water.
They live more easily than sheep and cows in Africa.
駱駝可以長時間不喝水、適應力又比較強，在乾旱中是個比較穩定的乳品來源。
And some think camel milk is healthier than other types of milk.
The United Nations says camel milk has more vitamin C than cow's milk.
Some people call camel's milk "white gold".
Back at CJ's Restaurant, Omar says he plans to put other camel foods on the menu.
Omar says he wants to try out a camel burger next. ________________________________
迪士尼，黑寡婦主角和解 Disney, Johansson Settle Dispute
An actress has resolved a lawsuit with a huge media company.
Scarlett Johansson had sued (告) Disney over the release of her movie, Black Widow.
She says her contract (合約) said the movie could only come out in theaters.
However, Disney also streamed it on its Disney Plus platform.
史嘉蕾·喬韓森今年夏天告迪士尼毀約。
Scarlett sued because this affected how much she would be paid.
However, the two sides have agreed to settle out of court.
The terms of the settlement deal have not been made public (公布).
Scarlett says she looks forward to working with Disney again in the future.
史嘉蕾和迪士尼現在和解了，以後應該還會合作。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A white-handed gibbon named Peter Pan is giving keepers at the Taipei Zoo a headache.
Peter Pan helps his family by bringing food outside to give to his brothers.
But the keepers want them to all go inside, so they can clean the gibbons' enclosure.
The keepers are asking the public to help think of ideas to get the gibbons inside. ________________________________
A cafe in Kenya is making their coffee with camel milk.
Camels can go a long time without drinking water, and some think camel milk is healthier than other types of milk.
The cafe wants to put other camel foods on the menu too. ________________________________
And,
Scarlett Johansson had sued Disney over the release of her movie, Black Widow.
But the two sides have now agreed to settle out of court.
Scarlett says she looks forward to working with Disney again in the future. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A teacher adopts a squirrel, Lego adopts a hard stance against stereotypes, and a classic music group returns.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國小老師領養一隻松鼠 School Teacher Adopts Squirrel
If you have a pet, what kind of animal is it?
Is it a cat or a dog? Maybe a mouse or a bird?
We're sure it probably isn't a squirrel (松鼠).
But a teacher at an elementary school in Kaohsiung decided to adopt (領養) a squirrel after it fell into her life.
Literally, the squirrel fell from a tree on to a student's shoe.
The teacher didn't intend (有意) to adopt the squirrel.
Squirrels are wild animals (野生動物) so people shouldn't take them in as pets.
But the teacher said staff at the school tried to return the squirrel to its mother.
However, it became clear the mother had abandoned the squirrel.
國小員工試著把松鼠送回給牠媽媽，但是發現牠被遺棄了
The teacher called the squirrel Rui Bao Bao (瑞寶寶) and feeds it milk using a syringe (針筒).
She said squirrels become adults at 10 months old, but Rui Bao Bao is only 2 months old, which means he still needs to be fed by someone else.
A lot of people expressed concern (擔心) about the school raising a wild animal.
They think that if the squirrel gets used to being around people, it may not survive in the wild.
The school said they were trying to raise the squirrel with as little human interaction (與人類接觸) as possible.
And they will release it back into the wild when it is old enough to take care of itself.
But the school wants to take this opportunity to teach the students more about squirrels.
Ruifang Elementary school posts updates about the squirrel's progress on its Facebook page.
松鼠長大之後，老師會把牠放回大自然。校方想趁著這個機會讓學生更了解松鼠。 ________________________________
Lego將會挑戰有害的性別刻板印象 Lego to Combat "Harmful Gender Stereotypes"
Blue is for boys and pink is for girls.
Cars are for boys and dolls are for girls.
These are things people will often say, and it's an idea we might be faced with when we visit toy stores.
Because many toy stores have sections (部門) for boys and others for girls.
But do you think this is right?
Lego doesn't think so.
In fact, the plastic block-making company has called these ideas "harmful" (有害).
The ideas are known as "gender stereotypes" (性別刻板印象).
And Lego said it will be removing "harmful gender stereotypes" from all its toys.
That means no toys made by Lego will be marketed (推銷) just towards boys or girls.
A researcher says that boys who don't play with stereotypical "girls'" toys, like dolls, may miss out on learning skills, like nurturing.
研究者說沒有玩刻板印象中「女生玩具」的男生，可能會缺乏養育之類的生活技能。
And girls will miss out on skills if they don't play with "boys'" toys like bricks.
But encouraging (鼓勵) boys to play with "girls'" toys is not easy.
A survey (調查) found that 71 percent of boys across the world thought they might be bullied (霸凌) if people see them playing with "girls'" toys.
Because of this, Lego said it is working hard to make sure it markets all its toys to everyone.
And it isn't just Lego fighting against gender stereotypes in toys.
The state of California in the U.S. has said all large toy stores must now have gender-neutral (中性的) sections.
That means sections without toys that are just marketed to boys or girls.
Do you think gender stereotypes are a problem with toys?
你覺得玩具的性別刻板印象是個大問題嗎? ________________________________
流亡者三人組合體巡演 The Fugees Launch Reunion Tour
A classic music group is back together.
The Fugees have already launched a reunion tour (合體巡演) across the United States.
The US tour started in late September, and will run through November.
The group will then go to Europe and Africa in December.
流亡者三人組合體巡演在美國已經開始了，十二月會去歐洲和非洲。
The Fugees formed in 1990, but split up (解散) in 1997.
They did get back together for a two-year period in 2004.
They are reuniting now to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their second album, called The Score.
The group has three members: Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel, and Wyclef Jean.
本次合體是為了慶祝流亡者三人組第二張專輯的二十五周年。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A teacher at an elementary school in Kaohsiung decided to adopt a squirrel after it fell into her life. ________________________________
And,
Lego said it will be removing "harmful gender stereotypes" from all its toys. ________________________________
And,
A classic music group is back together. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei warns against phubbing, a man makes tiny art, and an actor gets a special honor.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北捷運提醒乘客不要邊走邊看手機 Taipei MRT Reminds People To Look Up From Phones
Have you ever heard the word "phubbing"?
It's actually two different words put together!
The "phu-" sound comes from the word "phone", and "-ubbing" comes from "snubbing", which means to ignore someone (忽略，不管).
So, if you are phubbing someone, that means you are looking at your phone, and not listening to them… and that's not very nice!
But this is an even bigger problem when people are phubbing everyone around them, and walking at the same time!
Recently, the Taipei MRT has started to remind people to carefully watch their surroundings while they are walking. 台北捷運最近開始提醒乘客，在走路的時候要好好注意周圍的環境。
MRT workers say at least 73 people have been hurt this year, from falling down in MRT stations while checking their phones. 捷運公司說，今年至少73個人因為邊看手機邊走路撞到別人而受傷。
And, unfortunately (不幸的), some of them have even bumped into other people, too!
The MRT has put up special signs and posters (海報) reminding people not to phub, in stations and on trains.
It may not sound like a very big problem, but it can happen to anyone, if they aren't careful.
You can listen to music or a podcast, but make sure to keep your eyes on the people around you.
Don't be a phubber! ________________________________
微小藝術品90,000英鎊高價賣出 Micro Art Masterpiece Sells For 90,000 Pounds
One artist in the U.K. is making art in a new way.
He's a painter, but there's something much different about his paintings…
They're so small, they can fit inside the eye of a needle! 他們小到可以穿過針孔！
The man's name is Mr. Lindon, and he's a micro artist.
The paintings he makes are only about half a millimeter wide (半個毫米的寬度).
And to make his works of art, he has to use special tools, including a magnifying lens! 為了劃出這麼小的一幅畫，他需要用專門的工具，包括一個放大鏡！
He says he has to be very careful when he's making them, though.
If there are any sneezes, or coughs, or soft wind, his whole work of art could be blown away (被吹走了).
And if he's not watching closely, the tiny paintings can even be pulled away by static electricity (靜電)!
He says he has lost a painting on the floor before, and had to look for it with a flashlight (手電筒).
So he has to keep his body very still, and concentrate on very small movements (專心做微小的動作).
And each painting can take as long as a month to make!
But it's all worth it (都值得), because he has made enough money to support his tiny art.
His most recent painting sold for around 90,000 pounds, or about 3,460,000 NT. 他最新的一幅畫以九萬英鎊高價賣出，等於是三百四十六萬台幣。
And Mr. Lindon says he was inspired (被啟發) by another micro-artist in the U.K., who has been famous for many years.
That's right, there are more of them!
So if you ever want to buy a tiny piece of art, hopefully you can find one for cheaper than 90,000 pounds.
Or, you can start with a really tiny pencil… ________________________________
007主角獲得榮譽稱號 Bond Star Gets Navy Rank
An actor has received the same military rank as the character he plays.
Daniel Craig plays super-spy James Bond.
Craig has been named an honorary (榮譽) Commander of the British Royal Navy.
That is the same rank (軍階) that Bond holds in the fiction.
007主角丹尼爾·克雷格獲得英國海軍中校榮譽稱號。
Craig says he is truly honored to get the title.
The Royal Navy worked closely (合作) with Craig and the movie crew on his latest James Bond film.
It will be the last time Craig plays 007 on the big screen.
No Time to Die has already started screening, after being delayed by the pandemic.
英國海軍有和克雷格合作拍最新的007電影。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
If you are phubbing someone, that means you are looking at your phone, and not listening to them.
Recently, the Taipei MRT has started to remind people to carefully watch their surroundings while they are walking.
The MRT has put up special signs and posters reminding people not to phub, in stations and on trains. ________________________________
And,
One painter in the U.K. is a micro artist, and makes paintings about half a millimeter wide.
To make his works of art, he has to use special tools, including a magnifying lens.
His most recent painting sold for around 90,000 pounds… that's more than 3 million NT! ________________________________
And,
The actor Daniel Craig has received the same military rank as his character, James Bond.
Craig has been named an honorary Commander of the British Royal Navy.
That is the same rank that Bond holds in the fiction. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A different kind of volcano, a very different turtle, and a change of plans for a pop group.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
萬丹泥火山爆發 Pingtung Mud Volcano Erupts
A volcano has erupted in southern Taiwan.
It's actually a mud volcano (泥火山).
A mud volcano is not the same as a volcano.
Mud volcanos are made by liquid and gases from the earth.
泥火山是地下液體或氣體噴發後留下來的物質，堆疊成一個圓錐形的泥尖頂。
Mud volcanos do not have lava (岩漿).
And mud volcanos do not get as hot as a volcano.
When mud volcanos erupt, lots of mud and gas come out.
And that's what happened in Pingtung's Wan-dan Township.
The mud volcano there started erupting at around 9 PM at night.
And the mud and gas that came out reached up to 5 meters high (5公尺高).
The eruption finally ended at around 7am the next morning.
Experts made sure that the hot mud flowed to safe places, and did not flow onto crops (農作物) growing close by.
And they also made sure that people did not get too close.
屏東政府把泥漿疏導到排水溝，避免造成附近農田受到損害，也拉起封鎖線，避免民眾走得太近。 ________________________________
罕見雙頭烏龜在美國誕生 Two-headed Turtle Found in U.S.
A very special turtle has been found in the state of Massachusetts in the U.S.
It has two heads!
The two-headed turtle is a diamondback terrapin (鑽紋龜).
Scientists say they found a nest of turtle eggs that were in a dangerous place in the wild.
So they took the eggs to a wildlife center (野生動物收容中心).
This way the baby turtles could hatch (孵化) in a safe place.
But when the turtles hatched, the scientists noticed that one of the babies had two heads and six legs!
They say the two-headed turtle is doing well.
It is eating worms and food pellets (飼料).
The scientists say the two heads are independent, and they will come out of the water for air at different times.
研究員說這隻烏龜的兩顆頭都是獨立的，會在不同的時間浮出水面呼吸。
They also say inside its shell, the turtle has two gastrointestinal systems (腸胃系統).
This means both sides of its body are getting energy from food.
They named the turtle Mary-Kate and Ashley, after twin stars in the U.S.
研究員將這隻烏龜的兩顆頭命名為 Mary-Kate 和 Ashley，和美國雙胞胎設計師歐森姐妹同名。
The scientists plan to study the turtle to learn more about how its body works. ________________________________
新好男孩駐唱被延後 Backstreet Boys Postpone Residency
A huge pop group is delaying their performance plans.
The Backstreet Boys were originally going to have a residency (駐唱) in Las Vegas in December.
They were also going to release a new Christmas album at the same time.
However, the group has decided to push back both plans by a year.
新好男孩原來打算12月在拉斯維加斯駐唱，但應為疫情被延後到明年。
The Boys say the delay is because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of travel restrictions (限制), fans from outside the US would not be able to attend the show.
And because the album was tied to the performances, both have to be delayed.
The say they can't wait to share the show and album with fans when the time is right.
新好男孩希望明年疫情會好轉，國外的粉絲可以去看表演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A mud volcano has erupted in southern Taiwan.
Mud volcanos do not have lava.
And mud volcanos do not get as hot as a volcano.
When mud volcanos erupt, lots of mud and gas come out.
The mud and gas that came out reached up to 5 meters high.
Experts made sure that the mud flowed to safe places, and did not flow onto crops growing close by. ________________________________
A two-headed turtle has been found in the state of Massachusetts in the U.S.
The two-headed turtle is a diamondback terrapin.
The turtle also has six legs.
The two-headed turtle is doing well and is eating worms and food pellets.
The scientists say the two heads are independent, and they will come out of the water for air at different times.
They named the turtle Mary-Kate and Ashley, after twin stars in the U.S. ________________________________
And,
The Backstreet Boys were originally going to have a residency in Las Vegas in December.
They were also going to release a new Christmas album at the same time.
However, the group has decided to push back both plans by a year.
The Boys say the delay is because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The say they can't wait to share the show and album with fans when the time is right. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Ice-cream puppies in Pingtung, a travelling dog in Turkey, and Drake makes music history.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
屏東開賣小狗冰淇淋 Ice-Cream Puppies Land in Pingtung
To most of us, dogs are cute, fluffy pets. We could never imagine eating one.
Well, would you eat one if it was made of ice-cream?
There is a small business in Taiwan that makes ice-cream desserts that look like puppies.
They are very realistic.
它們看起來很像真的小狗。
J.C.co. makes desserts that look like other animals, including a koi carp (鯉魚), but their puppy ice-cream made them famous.
Pictures of it made the news around the world in 2018.
2018年，J.C.co的小狗冰淇淋登上了全球新聞。
J.C.co started with a restaurant in Kaohsiung.
Because of their popularity (大流行), they then opened a branch in Cambodia (柬埔寨).
Now the business' three members have headed back to where they came from.
They opened a store in Pingtung County.
J.C.co Art Kitchen opened this year during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
One of the business owners said they wanted to give back to their home county, Pingtung, and increase its visibility (提升能見度).
Their specialty ice-cream puppies come in three flavors: an Earl Grey Labrador, an Italian Chocolate Pug, and a Peanut Shar Pei.
Woof! Woof! I mean… yum! Yum!
J.C.co.說他們想回饋屏東鄉親，並且提升屏東的能見度。 他們小狗冰淇淋有三種口味: 伯爵奶茶拉不拉多犬、義大利巧克力巴哥犬、還有花生沙皮狗。 ________________________________
土耳其愛旅遊的小狗狗 Boji the Travelling Turkish Dog
Speaking of dogs… one has become a bit of an internet celebrity in Turkey.
His name is Boji, and he is a street dog. That means he doesn't have an owner and lives on the street. 波基是一隻流浪犬，沒有主人，到處為家。
Although we're sure lots of people take care of him.
He lives in Turkey's capital Istanbul and likes to travel around a lot.
And people take pictures of his travels and post them on the internet.
There is even an Instagram account dedicated to Boji which has over 50 thousand followers!
Boji is a big dog with floppy brown ears and golden fur.
He has been spotted on buses, ferries and trains all around the city. 這隻有棕色耳朵金色毛皮的大狗，搭過伊斯坦堡的公車，渡輪和火車。
And he loves to get pets from people when they say hello.
Local authorities have fitted Boji with a microchip so that as he moves around Istanbul they can keep an eye on him.
That means they can "watch" him and know where he goes.
官員為了追蹤Boji的足跡，在牠身上安裝了晶片，好知道牠的下落。
They have found that Boji loves to take the city's metro (捷運) and passes through over 29 metro stations each day.
He will often travel over 30 kilometers per day!
A public transport worker called Aylin said it is like Boji knows where to go and always has a purpose (目的).
He waits for passengers to get off a train before he gets on, and sits on a seat while he's travelling, just like a person.
Aylin said Boji reminds people in Istanbul they can still enjoy the city, even while they rush about during their busy days.
Boji提醒大家儘管生活繁忙，仍然可以享受大城市的環境。 ________________________________
德雷克又破告示牌紀錄 Drake Makes Billboard History
A big name singer has broken yet another musical record.
Drake had nine new tracks at once (同時) in the top ten of the Billboard chart.
He is the first artist ever to have that many songs in the first ten spots.
Those tracks were all from his new album, Certified Lover Boy.
德雷克又破了告示牌紀錄，他在十大單曲排行榜同時占住其中九個名次。
Drake did manage to take over the entire top ten on the Rolling Stone chart.
With his new album release, Drake has also tied a record (平紀錄) set by Ariana Grande.
They both have five new songs go to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
He is also now one of just four acts who had number ones appear in both the album and singles charts at the same time.
德雷克也跟亞莉安娜·格蘭德平紀錄，兩位都有五首新歌佔住排行榜第一名。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A small business in Taiwan makes ice-cream desserts that look like puppies.
They opened a store in Pingtung County.
They said they wanted to give back to their home town. ________________________________
And,
A dog has become a bit of an internet celebrity in Turkey.
His name is Boji, and he is a street dog.
He will often travel over 30 kilometers per day! ________________________________
And,
A big name singer has broken yet another musical record.
Drake had nine new tracks at once in the top ten of the Billboard chart.
He is the first artist ever to have that many songs in the first ten spots. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
An old school gets a new life, NASA gets ready for an asteroid, and Britney's ring gets a lot of attention.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
廢棄國小變身夢幻海邊露營地 Abandoned Penghu School Turned into Campground
A school that closed years ago is starting a new life.
Yuan Bei Elementary School in Penghu County closed in 1995.
It was on a beautiful part of Penghu, with green hills, and right next to the blue ocean.
But the school did not have enough students to stay open.
So now the school is becoming a campground.
The government spent 26 million NT, to set up Yuan Bei Campground.
Old school buildings have been changed into restaurants, and places to relax.
And the campground also has cabins, a place to barbecue, showers, a viewing deck, and a pathway along the beach.
園區內有小木屋、露營平台、新式度假屋、淋浴間、觀景平台、海濱步道，也提供海島特色餐食和野炊烤肉。
People can walk out to the ocean, right outside their cabin.
And at night, they will be able to see lots of stars.
The government hopes Yuan Bei Campground will become a tourist hotspot that lets people enjoy natural beauty in a way that's good for the environment.
政府希望這個新的露營區除了住宿和餐飲服務外，也可以提供文化導覽、休閒漁業體驗還有水上活動體驗等。 ________________________________
太空船練習撞擊行星拯救地球 Crashing a Spaceship to Save Earth
We've taken big steps in exploring space in the past few years.
We've flown to Mars.
We've landed on the dark side of the moon.
We've flown around Saturn.
And we've even grown lettuce in space.
But usually, when flying out into space, we try NOT to crash (碰撞、撞擊) our spaceship into something… right?
To crash here means to hit something hard.
This word is often used for cars, airplanes, and here, for spaceships.
Next month, NASA's DART mission will fly out into space.
And its job, will be to crash!
There are lots of things in space, like asteroids (小行星) and comets (彗星), that come close to Earth.
If those things come too close, they could be dangerous, and might even hit Earth.
This may never happen, but the U.S. space agency wants to get ready, just in case.
So on November 23rd, NASA will send a spacecraft out into space.
Then, in September 2022, NASA will make the spacecraft crash into a small moon going around an asteroid.
The small moon is about 160 meters wide, and is named Dimorphos.
And in September 2022, Dimorphos will be about 11 million kilometers from Earth.
That's pretty close for things in space.
NASA will make its spacecraft crash into Dimorphos, and then see what happens.
They want to see if they can change the path (路徑) of Dimorphos, and send it further away from Earth.
And all this information will help them know what they would need to do to stop something from hitting our planet.
美國太空總署準備發射一艘太空船撞擊一顆小行星，來看是否可改變小行星的軌道，未來可以預防行星彗星撞上地球。 ________________________________
小甜甜布蘭妮訂婚戒指受歡迎 Britney's Engagement Ring Hugely Popular
A pop star's new piece of jewelry is getting a lot of attention.
Britney Spears recently got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari.
When he popped the question (求婚), he gave Britney a custom-made ring.
The ring includes a 4-carat (克拉) diamond, set in platinum (白金), and cost 70 thousand U.S. dollars.
小甜甜布蘭妮和男朋友訂婚了，訂製的訂婚戒指價值七萬美元。
The company that designed the ring says they have received many calls from people who want a similar piece.
They say hundreds of people have inquired (詢問) about getting their own version of Britney's ring.
The company says they will sell ones that are close to, but not exactly the same as Britney's.
Britney and Sam's wedding probably won't be for quite a while, they haven't begun making plans for the ceremony.
戒指設計師說幾百個人有訊問可不可以買類似的戒指。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Yuan Bei Elementary School in Penghu County closed in 1995.
And now the school is becoming a campground.
Old school buildings have been changed into restaurants, and places to relax.
And the campground also has cabins, a place to barbecue, showers, a viewing deck, and a pathway along the beach. ________________________________
NASA is sending a spacecraft out into space to crash into a small moon.
They want to see if they can change the path of Dimorphos, and send it further away from Earth.
And all this information will help them know what they would need to do to stop something from hitting our planet. ________________________________
And,
Britney Spears engagement ring has been getting a lot of attention.
The ring includes a 4-carat diamond and cost 70 thousand U.S. dollars.
The company that designed the ring says they have received many calls from people who want a similar piece. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
International dancers, Nobel Prize winners, and the future of James Bond.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣雲門舞集將參加世界芭蕾舞節日 Taiwan's Cloud Gate Theater to Join World Ballet Day
Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theater is home to some of the most talented (有才華) dancers in the country.
Its dances and productions have been performed in many different countries.
And now it's getting ready to participate in one of the biggest dance events in the world!
On October 19th, Cloud Gate Dance Theater will be the first group from Taiwan to participate in World Ballet Day. 雲門舞集是台灣第一個獲邀參與世界芭雷日的舞蹈團隊。
Cloud Gate's dance team will be shown together with some of the world's most famous dance teams.
Around 47 different teams will be performing in total.
The events will be online (網路上) because of the pandemic, but this is still a huge step forward.
It means that the hard work of Taiwanese dancers will be on stage for the world to see.
And now that Cloud Gate is involved with an event this big, they hope it will bring more chances to work with dance teams around the world in the future. 雲門希望參加這種大型的活動可以帶來更多與世界各國舞團合作的機會。
Cloud Gate's director Cheng Tsung-lung says this shows the importance of the world's artists coming together, especially during these tough times.
If you have time to watch, then you can go and support Taiwan's performers! ________________________________
諾貝爾獎宣布2021年得獎者 2021 Nobel Prize Winners Announced
In recent weeks, we talked about the "Ig Nobel Prize" (搞笑諾貝爾獎), an award for fun science discoveries.
Well, its name actually comes from the "Nobel Prize" (諾貝爾獎), one of the most famous awards in the world.
Each year, there are Nobel Prizes in physics (物理學), chemistry (化學), physiology or medicine (生理學或醫學), literature (文學), economics (經濟學), and peace (和平).
They are awarded (頒發) to people and groups who do the world's most important work in each of these subjects.
This year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists for work that has helped us understand more about climate change (氣候變化).
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to two scientists who have created a new tool to build molecules (分子), which can help us make better medicine.
And the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to two scientists who researched how our bodies feel heat, which could help us understand why people feel pain (疼痛), and how to stop it.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is a writer whose books tell stories of the lives of immigrants (移民), and the problems they face in new countries.
The Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to three men who have spent their lives studying labor economics (勞動經濟學) and relationships.
And finally, the Nobel Peace Prize will go to two people who have been fighting for people's rights to freedom of expression in Russia and the Philippines. 最後，諾貝爾和平獎頒給兩個人，這兩位一直在爭取人民的言論自由。
But even outside of these special winners, there are hundreds of other people who have done amazing work for the world, and did not receive an award.
Of course, the awards are meaningful (有意義的)… but we have to remember that many people are changing the world every day, without us knowing.
So let's give thanks to them, too… because someday, you could be next! ________________________________
007接班人現在不考慮 No Discussion of New Bond Now
The next 007 will have to wait.
Movie studio executives say they are not thinking right now about who will play James Bond next.
Daniel Craig's last movie as the superspy (超級間諜) hit theaters in late September.
He played the role in four films.
丹尼爾·克雷格不再演007，電影公司說目前沒有在找他的接班人。
Officials say they will not start thinking about Craig's replacement until next year.
They want to give him time to enjoy the success (成就) of his final outing as Bond.
The London premiere of No Time to Die had several members of the British royal family attend.
Craig himself attended the event, as did Billie Eilish, who sang the theme song.
電影公司想讓克雷格好好享受新電影的成就，明年再去想新人。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Cloud Gate Dance Theater will be the first group from Taiwan to participate in World Ballet Day.
Cloud Gate's dance team will be shown together with some of the world's most famous dance teams.
This is a huge event, and the hard work of Taiwanese dancers will be on stage for the world to see. ________________________________
And,
The Nobel Prize is one of the most famous awards in the world.
Each year, there are Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, economics, and peace.
They are awarded to people and groups who do the world's most important work in each of these subjects. ________________________________
And,
Movie studio executives say they are not thinking right now about who will play James Bond next.
Daniel Craig's last movie as the superspy hit theaters in late September.
Officials say they will not start thinking about Craig's replacement until next year. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Batteries get better, bears get bigger, and a famous cartoon is still going strong.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
工程師發明用水來發電的行動電源 Engineers Invent Power Bank Energized By Water
Does your phone often run out of batteries? 你的手機會常常沒電嗎？
Sometimes your phone's battery can die at a really bad time… right when you need it!
Of course, the battery is not really dead… you just need to charge it (充電).
And if you're not at home, then you'll have to bring a charger (充電器) with you.
Luckily, power banks (行動電源) are getting better and better every year.
And this year, Taiwanese engineers have created a new kind of power bank that can make energy from drops of water! 台灣的工程師今年發明了新的行動電源，能夠用一滴一滴的水來發電。
A team from Taiwan's National University of Science and Technology (國立台灣科技大學) made the power bank with a very special kind of technology.
The engineers say it works a little like the circulatory system (循環系統) of trees.
As drops of water inside the power bank vaporize, it uses their particles to create electricity. 當行動電源裡的水滴蒸發，它會用水中的粒子來發電。
Right now, the battery is only strong enough to charge a calculator (計算機) or small lights, so it can't charge your phone yet.
But engineers want to use these batteries to power small lights and machines for people in hospitals.
They say it could also be used to power filters (過濾器) and other small things that can help protect against disease.
With technology like this, we can use less power from each city's energy grid (能源網), and will be more environmentally friendly (環保).
It will keep us going when we need it… and the environment will thank us for it! ________________________________
【胖熊週】大比賽宣布今年的冠軍 Fat Bear Week Winner Announced
One place in the U.S.A. has started a new tradition (傳統) in recent years.
It's called "Fat Bear Week" (胖熊週)!
Fat Bear Week is a week-long competition between all of the fattest bears in Katmai National Park, in the U.S. state of Alaska. 胖熊週是每年一週的比賽，參賽者是美國阿拉斯加州其中一個國家公園裡所有的大熊。
And, of course, the bears don't even know they're competing!
The park is 19,000 square kilometers big (一萬九千平方公尺), and is home to around 2,200 bears.
And every year, as the weather gets colder and colder, bears start to eat more and more food, so they can save up energy to sleep through the long winter (冬季).
Some of these bears can catch and eat up to 30 fish in a day.
And by the end of fall (秋季), some bears can weigh more than 450 kilograms (四百五十公斤)!
As the bears got fatter, people working in the park started to take pictures of the fattest ones.
And a few years ago, park workers made a website (網站) to let people see the pictures.
Now, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come to watch the bears, and vote for their favorites! 現在，來自全球各地的好幾萬人都會上網來看胖胖的熊，投票給最棒的。
This year, a bear named "Otis" was chosen as the winner of Fat Bear Week.
Park workers say Otis caught more fish than the other bears, and used less energy, to quickly become a huge, round ball of fur (圓圓的大毛球).
And people say that in a world of stressful news (令人感到壓力的新聞), talking about fat bears gives them something simple and fun to think about.
So until we see them again next year, let's think positive thoughts (樂觀一點).
And let's hope the bears have a nice, long sleep! ________________________________
新南方四賤客大合約 South Park Creators Sign Big Deal
A famous television show is expanding.
The creators of South Park have signed a big deal with media company (媒體公司) ViacomCBS.
The deal is valued at 900 million US dollars.
The deal includes several more seasons of the show, as well as a second South Park movie.
南方四賤客的創造人簽了新的九億美元的合約，包括電視節目和電影。
The creators have been working on a second film for quite a while (一陣子), and it should come out soon.
Sources say the movie could hit the Paramount+ streaming service before the end of the year.
Aside from the sequel film, other movies are also planned.
The creators also want to produce a new South Park video game.
新電影可能年底前就開始串流，也可能會有南方四賤客的電玩。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwanese engineers have created a new kind of power bank that can make energy from drops of water!
As drops of water inside the power bank vaporize, it uses their particles to create electricity.
Right now, the battery is only strong enough to charge a calculator, but engineers want to use it to power small machines for people in hospitals. ________________________________
And,
Fat Bear Week is a competition between all of the fattest bears in a National Park.
Park workers have made a website, to let people watch bears in the park get fat for the winter.
And now, people from all over the world come to vote for their favorites! ________________________________
And,
The creators of South Park have signed a big deal, for about 900 million U.S. dollars.
The deal includes several more seasons of the show, as well as a second South Park movie.
The creators have been working on a second film for quite a while, and it should come out soon. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A bear returns to the wild, a boy finds a tooth, and a singer gets new shoes.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣黑熊Mulas返抵山林 Mulas Returns to the Wild
A young black bear is taking us on a journey through the wild.
Mulas is a Formosan black bear.
Formosan black bears are black all over, except for a white "V" shape on their chest.
Taiwan is the only place in the world where you can find a Formosan black bear in the wild.
Mulas was found alone in the forests of Taitung when she was just a few months old.
The people who found her waited 10 days to see if her mother would come.
But Mulas' mother never came, and Mulas was all alone.
當時大家發現幼熊落單，花了10天等待看母熊會不會回來，可是到最後熊媽媽並沒有回來帶走Mulas.
So people took care of her.
They gave her the name "Mulas", which means "strong and hardworking" in the indigenous Bunun language (布農語).
And they taught her how to look for food and how to live in the wild.
Then in May last year, they put a GPS tracking collar (衛星追蹤頸圈) on Mulas, and then released (野放) her back into the wild.
It has now been almost a year and a half.
Many people asked what Mulas has been doing. Is she okay?
Now the Forestry Bureau (林務局) has an answer.
They say Mulas' GPS collar has helped them see what she has been doing.
Mulas had the collar on for 405 days.
They say Mulas has traveled more than 314 kilometers.
And she climbed what's equal to (等於) 100 flights of stairs every day!
When she first went back to the wild, Mulas walked around and explored a lot, to get to know her new home.
By wintertime, she found a warm cliff (懸崖) facing south, with water to drink close by.
Then in late June, officials opened her collar, and took it back to look at all the data.
The Forestry Bureau says this is the first time ever that a Formosa black bear has been tracked in the wild for such a long time.
They made a short movie about Mulas and what happened to her.
Officials hope all this information will help people better understand Formosan black bears.
台東林區管理處希望Mulas回家的故事，可以讓大家更了解台灣黑熊。 ________________________________
小男孩散步撿到乳齒象牙齒化石 Boy Finds Rare Fossil on Family Walk
When you go out walking, do you ever pick things up off the ground?
Things like shiny rocks, funny-looking leaves, or sticks?
One young boy in the US found something really special.
6-year-old Julian was taking a walk with his family in Michigan.
Suddenly he felt something on his foot.
He picked it up, and thought it kind of looked like a tooth.
His parents let him take it home.
After they got home, Julian's parents started thinking the rock looked like a tooth too.
They asked paleontologists (古生物學家) to take a closer look.
And the experts say it really is a fossil of a tooth!
The fossil is the tooth of a young mastodon (乳齒象).
Mastodons are like mammoths (長毛象), but a little smaller.
They lived about 12,000 years ago.
Mastodons lived in groups, like elephants do now.
They lived in the forest and ate plants.
Experts say finding a fossil like this is rare (稀有).
Julian and his family are donating the tooth to a museum.
And the museum says it will give Julian and his family a special tour to thank them.
六歲的Julian跟家人散步時意外撿起一顆一萬兩千多年老的乳齒象臼齒化石，讓他開始考慮長大後也許可以當古生物學家。 ________________________________
怪奇比莉開始賣球鞋 Billie Eilish Reveals New Shoes
A singer has teamed up with one of the biggest names in footwear.
Billie Eilish is working together with Nike to produce custom Air Jordan sneakers (球鞋).
She has revealed two designs.
One is in her signature lime green, the other in a neutral beige color.
怪奇比莉和耐吉合作，她設計了兩款球鞋。
The shoes are 100 percent vegan (全素), meaning they do not contain any animal products.
They are also made with 20 percent recycled material.
The shoes have already been released.
Fans can buy them from Billie's own website, or from Nike's SNKRS app.
比莉的球鞋完全沒有來自動物的材料，也用了一些回收材料。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Mulas the Formosan black bear was found alone as a young cub.
People took care of her and helped her learn how to live in the wild.
She is now living happily in the mountains of Taitung. ________________________________
6-year-old Julian was taking a walk with his family in Michigan, when he picked up something that looked like a tooth.
And it turned out to be a fossil of a mastodon tooth.
Mastodons lived about 12,000 years ago. ________________________________
And,
Billie Eilish is working together with Nike to produce custom Air Jordan sneakers.
The two designs do not contain any animal products.
They are also made with 20 percent recycled material. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan builds an underwater mailbox, birds have a special sense, and a video game movie is in the works.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
綠島設置海底郵筒 Taiwan's Green Island Installs Underwater Mailboxes
Even though we use computers and phones to send most of our messages now, we can still see red and green mailboxes all around Taiwan.
Mail carriers come to pick up the letters inside these mailboxes each day, and make sure they're all delivered (寄送) to the right people.
Well, the work of one mail carrier (郵差) might be more difficult now…
And that's because Taiwan's newest mailbox is deep in the ocean!
The mailbox is shaped like a "Teira Batfish", and is 6.4 meters underwater on the coast of Taiwan's Green Island. 這個郵筒是尖翅燕魚的形狀，位置在綠島北岸六點四公尺深的海水裡。
The designer (設計師) chose the Teira Batfish because it is especially friendly to people in the water.
There is also a similar mailbox on the shore (海灘上), so people who don't want to dive underwater will still be able to send letters from the beach.
And this is actually Green Island's second underwater mailbox!
Its first one was built in 2018, and is shaped like a seahorse (海馬).
And at 12 meters underwater, it was the deepest underwater mailbox in the world when it was built! 海馬形狀的信箱在海裡12公尺的深度，設置的時候是全世界最深的海底郵筒。
It took the people of Green Island over a year of planning to make these mailboxes, because of strong winds and ocean currents (洋流).
But they finally got it done, and now divers can put waterproof postcards (防水明信片) into the Batfish mailbox, and wait for diving mail carriers to deliver them.
So… where should we build a mailbox next? ________________________________
科學家觀察到鳥類神奇的磁感應 Scientists Observe Birds' Mysterious Magnetic Sense
Look around you… what can you sense (感受)?
If you're listening to News Bites, then you can hear sounds… and you can probably see everything around you, too.
But can you feel which way is north (北方)?
Well, some animals can!
In the winter, many birds fly south to find warm weather… and they can feel which direction is south (南方).
For a long time, scientists couldn't understand why.
But this year, scientists have discovered a lot more about animal cells (動物細胞).
Many cells have tiny things called cryptochromes (隱花色素), which can sense light.
Cryptochromes help many animals feel the change from daytime to nighttime, and help their bodies know when to sleep. 隱花色素讓很多動物感覺到白天轉變成黑夜，這樣身體就會知道什麼時候該去睡覺。
Even humans have these cryptochromes in their cells!
But now, scientists are understanding more about how cryptochromes can also sense magnetism (磁力).
Using a special microscrope to look at the cells, they found that some of them would react to changes in a magnetic field, too! 科學家用特別的顯微鏡觀看細胞，發現隱花色素對磁場變化也會有所反應！
It might be hard to understand, but it means that some animals can feel which way is north, by feeling the Earth's magnetic north pole (地球的磁北極).
Scientists say it's even possible that humans are affected by magnetism (人類也受到磁場影響) in ways we don't understand…
Maybe someday we'll be able to use it! ________________________________
新瑪利歐兄弟電影 New Super Mario Brothers Movie Coming
Another video game movie adaptation is in the works.
A second Super Mario Brothers film is in production.
It will be an animation (動畫), with a cast of famous stars.
Chris Pratt will play the title character, Mario, while Charlie Day will play his brother, Luigi.
新瑪利歐兄弟動畫電影明年第上映，克里斯·普瑞特當主配音。
Princess Peach will be played by Anya Taylor-Joy, and Bowser will be played by Jack Black.
This new movie is supposed to come out next December.
There was a live-action (真人版) Super Mario movie back in 1993.
It was not very well received.
第一部利歐兄弟電影1993年上映，評價不好。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's newest mailbox is deep in the ocean!
The mailbox is shaped like a "Teira Batfish", and is 6.4 meters underwater on the coast of Taiwan's Green Island.
It took the people of Green Island over a year of planning to make these mailboxes, because of strong winds and ocean currents. ________________________________
And,
Many cells have tiny things called cryptochromes, which can sense light.
But now, scientists are learning more about how cryptochromes can also sense magnetism.
They can react to changes in a magnetic field, to help animals know which way is north. ________________________________
And,
A second Super Mario Brothers film is in production.
It will be an animation, with a cast of famous stars.
This new movie is supposed to come out next December. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Mask-free running in the Taipei Marathon, an oil spill of the U.S. coast, and a big star postpones a tour.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
跑台北馬拉松不用戴口罩 Taipei Marathon Runners to Go Mask Free
Ready, set, go!
That's the sound of the start of the Taipei marathon.
A marathon (馬拉松) is a running event which is 42.195 kilometers long.
Taipei has hosted a marathon every year since 2001.
This year, many runners were worried the marathon might not happen because of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan.
But luckily, domestic infections (本土案例) have stayed low, so the event is going to take place on December 19th.
And what's better news for runners is they don't have to wear masks.
Taipei's Department of Sports announced (宣布) on October 4th, that people can run the marathon mask-free.
However, there are some rules to make sure everyone stays safe.
Racers need proof they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, or they need proof that they recently tested negative for the disease.
They can also show proof they have recovered from it.
選手需要提供疫苗接種卡、或檢驗陰性證明、或者是曾經罹患COVID-19但已經痊癒的證明，才可以參加馬拉松。
Racers will also need to wear a mask before the race starts, and after they cross the finish line (終點線).
Some research does say running with a mask can improve your performance because it makes you use less oxygen.
一些研究指出，戴口罩跑步會讓人表現更好，因為它訓練跑者用更少的氧氣來跑。
But some research also says it could make you slower. 不過也有研究說，口罩會讓跑者速度變慢。
One thing is for sure - it takes most people over four hours to finish a marathon, and running for that long with a mask is bound to be uncomfortable (一定很不舒服)!
People can register (登記) to take part in the Taipei Marathon until October 27th.
Do you think you could ever run a marathon? ________________________________
加州海岸 漏油汙染災難 Major Oil Spill off U.S. Coast
There has been a major oil spill off the coast of California and experts are worried it could threaten wildlife (損害生態).
An oil spill is how it sounds; a ship has accidentally (意外的) let oil go into the ocean.
Experts think the anchor from the ship hit an underwater pipe which carries oil to the land.
專家認為那艘船的錨，撞破了海床上鋪設的運油的油管，造成漏油。
573 thousand litres of oil have been spilled (漏) into the ocean in total.
And pictures taken in California show some of it has washed up onto beaches.
In some places, people have seen dead birds and dead fish wash up (被沖上岸).
But why does oil kill animals?
Mammals that live in the water, like sea otters (海獺), have a special kind of fur that keeps them warm.
But oil stops this ability (能力) once the fur gets covered. 要是海獺的皮毛被油汙覆蓋，牠就沒辦法保暖了。
And many birds' feathers are water-resistant (能夠防水).
But this also stops if the feathers get covered in oil.
Once these animals are covered in oil, they can become cold and die from hypothermia (失溫).
Fish may inhale (吸引) the oil, too, and this can poison them.
The California oil spill seems to have reached a place called Talbert Marsh.
A marsh is an area of land that is covered with water, where special kinds of plants grow and animals live.
Talbert Marsh is home to many kinds of birds.
A person that works for the local government there said the oil has done "irreversible" (不可逆轉) damage.
But people are trying to help.
The local government has put barriers in the ocean to stop the oil spreading.
And divers are trying to find out why it happened.
地方官員說漏油造成難以回復的損害，不過他們儘量做能做的，在海面上放置攔油索，防止油汙持續擴散。另外潛水員也在幫忙尋找事故的原因。 ________________________________
艾爾頓·強告別巡演又被延後 Elton John Farewell Tour Postponed
A big-name star has postponed his final tour.
Elton John was supposed to launch (開始) his farewell tour this year.
It had already been delayed one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it is now being pushed back by another year.
艾爾頓·強的告別巡演已經應為疫情被延後一年，現在又要被延後一年。
This new delay is because Elton recently hurt himself.
He fell and injured his hip, causing a lot of pain.
Elton says therapy (醫療) has not helped, and he will require surgery (開刀).
This means his tour will have to wait until 2022.
艾爾頓傷到胯部，需要開刀治療。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Marathon will take place on December 19th.
Racers don't have to wear masks while they are running.
But they must put them on once they cross the finish line. ________________________________
And,
There was a major oil spill off the coast of California.
It's causing major damage to the environment.
But people are trying to help. ________________________________
And,
Elton John has postponed his final tour.
He fell and injured his hip, causing a lot of pain.
This means his tour will have to wait until 2022. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Batik Day in Taiwan, a clown shortage in Northern Ireland, and record-breaking music sales in the UK.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
印尼在台的蠟防染布日 Batik Day Celebrated in Taiwan
Colorful costumes, happy music, dancing, and art… it must be Batik Day!
Well, Batik Day was on October 2nd, and it was celebrated (慶祝) in Taipei on October 3rd.
If you are Indonesian (印尼人), you will know what Batik is.
If not, don't worry, we'll tell you!
Batik (蠟染) is a special technique (技術) used to dye cloth.
People put hot wax on cloth in lines, dots and patterns. The wax dries and it covers parts of the cloth to make a pattern.
The cloth is then dyed - or colored with ink - and made into clothing, art, or other things.
蠟防印花是印尼傳統染布的技術。 先把熱蠟滴到布上，再放入彩色水墨。
Batik is a very important, traditional technique in Indonesia, and people believe it has been used for hundreds of years.
And there are many Indonesian people living in Taiwan.
The Batik Day celebrations in Taipei featured a runway (伸展台), where models (模特兒) walked up and down to show off shirts, dresses, and other pieces of clothing with Batik designs.
And as well as Batik clothing, dancers wore gold jewelry and head pieces to put on a show to traditional Indonesian music.
And there were choirs!
Choirs are groups of people singing together.
A manager of the event said she thinks it is important to raise awareness (提高意識) about Indonesian Batik, and share the culture with everyone.
And an Indonesian representative encouraged people everywhere to wear Batik clothing.
Perhaps you can find some and try it on!
印尼在台灣的代表鼓勵大家試穿傳統蠟防染布的衣服，也許你可以找幾件來試試看! ________________________________
北愛爾蘭缺乏小丑 Irish Circus Holds Online Auditions among Clown Shortage
There's a clown shortage (短缺) in Northern Ireland.
That's no joke!
A circus (馬戲團) owner in the UK territory said his circus does not have enough clowns.
That's because many were from foreign countries and went home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, Duffy's Circus needs more people to fill their big shoes.
Duffy's Circus has been closed for over 500 days because of the pandemic.
But rules in Northern Ireland are changing. And the circus will be able to open again.
However, many of its clowns and other performers (表演者) went to other countries.
They were able to get work in other countries because the COVID situation has been less serious.
Duffy's Circus原本的表演者因為疫情的關係去別的國家找工作機會。
So now Duffy's Circus is trying to recruit (招募) people at home who think they might make a good clown!
But what does make a good clown?
Of course, you have to wear white face paint, colorful clothes, and a big red nose.
But more importantly you have to laugh… at yourself!
One clown said in an interview (採訪) that being a clown isn't about making jokes about other people.
It's about making fun of - or laughing at - yourself.
So you can't be embarrassed (不好意思) about people laughing at you.
And the owner of Duffy's Circus said you have to be ready to give a great show, no matter what mood you are in.
Plus, you have to think on your feet - that means things might happen by surprise, and you have to think in the moment about how you will respond (反應).
Duffy's Circus is holding auditions (面試、試鏡) for new clowns online.
Do you think you might have what it takes?
要當個好的小丑需要能夠笑自己，而且需要思維靈敏、反應快速。Duffy's Circus已經開始透過網路招募新的小丑，你覺得你能勝任嗎？ ________________________________
ABBA樂團新專輯破英國預購紀錄 ABBA Breaks UK Preorder Record
A classic pop group is coming back with a bang.
ABBA is getting ready to release their first new album in nearly four decades.
Called Voyage, it will come out in early November.
The album has already broken preorder (預購) records in the United Kingdom.
過了將近四十年，ABBA樂團將發行新的轉機。
Over 80 thousand British customers pre-ordered Voyage in the first three days it was available.
That's the highest number ever for their record label (唱片公司) in the country.
Aside from the new album, ABBA is also working on a new concert.
They will perform virtually in London next May.
新專輯在英國三天內被預購八萬次，破了紀錄。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
There were celebrations for Batik Day in Taiwan.
Batik is a special Indonesian technique used to dye cloth.
The event featured colorful costumes, happy music, dancing and art. ________________________________
And,
There's a clown shortage in Northern Ireland.
Duffy's Circus is trying to recruit people at home who think they might make a good clown!
A good clown has to think on their feet. ________________________________
And,
A classic pop group is coming back with a bang.
ABBA is getting ready to release their first new album in nearly four decades.
The album has already broken preorder records in the United Kingdom. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Macro photography, microchips, and a superhero television show…
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
昆蟲生活影片 贏得生態環境影展獎 Film About Bugs Wins Award In Ecological Film Festival
Are you afraid of bugs?
Could you watch them for a whole hour?
It seems like many people could, because one film about bugs has won an award in Taiwan!
The film is called "Insect Life: Micro-Kenting" (蟲生 微觀墾丁).
It was made by the director Zhan Jialong (詹家龍), together with Kenting National Park, in the year 2018.
And this year, it won the award for "Best Photography" (最佳攝影) at the "Taiwan Ecological and Environmental Film Festival".
In the film, Director Zhan used special kinds of photography, called "macro-photography" (微距攝影).
"Macro" means "big", and this kind of photography makes small things look much bigger and closer.
He also used high-speed cameras (高速攝影機), to catch every movement of the superfast bugs.
The high-speed cameras slowed down the movements of insects by more than 20 times. 高速攝影機讓昆蟲的速度慢二十倍。
In this way, he was able to adjust (調整) the bugs' movements to a speed that humans can experience more comfortably.
Director Zhan says he became interested in bugs when he visited Kenting in his childhood (童年).
And now he hopes this can help people experience and understand the tiny world of insects, just like he did. 他希望這部紀錄片，能讓其他人跟自己一樣享受昆蟲微小的世界。
So if you're really interested in something, see if you can make a movie about it.
Maybe you can get other people interested, too! ________________________________
科學家創造出 世界最小的飛行微晶片 Scientists Create The Smallest Ever Flying Microchip
Have you ever looked inside a computer?
You might not understand everything that is happening inside computers, from the outside.
But if you open one up, you might find lots of "microchips" (微晶片).
"Micro" means "small", and these chips are made to be tiny, so the computers can be smaller, too.
Of course, these aren't the kind of chips you can eat…
These are tiny processors, that work together to process all the numbers each computer needs to "think" about. 微晶片是一種處理器，很多微晶片可以集合起來，處理電腦所要思考的數字。
Now, scientists have created one of the smallest microchips yet… and it can fly!
They're calling it the "microflier".
But it has no engines… rather, it has tiny helicopter blades that can let it float on the wind. 這些微晶片沒有引擎，而是用非常小的直升機葉片讓它們飄在空中。
Researchers can let many of these microfliers go with the wind, and then they can send data back, after they land on the ground. 科學家讓這些小飛行晶片隨風飛行，降落地面之後就可以回傳資料。
They are made to collect (收集) data about the environment, such as animal populations, and even the spread of diseases.
They'll help us understand our world in many different ways, but we aren't stopping here.
How much smaller do you think we can get? ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A film is called "Insect Life: Micro-Kenting" has won an award in Taiwan.
It was made by the director Zhan Jialong, together with Kenting National Park, in the year 2018.
Director Zhan used macro-photography and high-speed cameras to catch every movement of the tiny bugs' lives. ________________________________
And,
Scientists have created one of the smallest microchips yet… and it can fly!
This microflier has tiny helicopter blades that can let it float on the wind.
Researchers can let many of these microfliers go with the wind, and then they can send data back after they land on the ground. ________________________________
And,
Rumors say a superhero movie is getting a television show.
Reports claim a program about the Penguin is in the works at HBO Max.
Colin Farrell plays the Penguin in an upcoming Batman movie, and would reprise the role in the show. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Recycling after you eat, investing by a hamster, and a lead actress leaves a new show.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
內用紙餐具要開始做回收囉 Time to Start Recycling Paper Tableware
Everyone in Taiwan has worked hard to stop COVID-19.
And we are slowly starting to get back to normal.
Of course, we still have to be careful, wear masks sometimes, and wash our hands often.
But now, one thing we can do again is eat in restaurants.
But remember, if you are eating at a restaurant, there's something new you need to do.
Starting this month, restaurants that use paper tableware (紙餐具) will need recycle them.
The restaurant must have a place for recycling paper tableware.
It should have a clear sign.
環保署說用紙餐具的自助餐店或便當店，只要有提共內用，都需要設置紙餐具回收設施，還要有清楚的標示，讓消費者餐後可以做垃圾分類。
And people who eat in the restaurant should put their used paper plates, bowls, or boxes there.
And the restaurant has to remind (提醒) people to do this.
The government says about 7,600 places that sell food will have to make this change.
Anyone who doesn't follow these new rules could be fined (被罰款) $300,000NT.
環保局提醒大家，吃飽以後記得把食物殘渣投入「廚餘回收桶」，再將紙杯、紙碗、紙盤、紙餐盒「清理、分類、堆疊」，最後投入「廢紙餐具回收設施」。 ________________________________
倉鼠界股神 投資表現優於巴菲特及美股大盤 Hamster Shows Investors How It's Done
Lots of people put money into the stock market (股市).
They choose a company, and buy its stock (股份).
If you have a company's stock, it's like you own a little part of that company.
If the company's stock goes up, your little part is worth more money.
有些人會買股票，擁有一個公司的股票就像擁有這個公司的一小部分，公司的股票漲價，你持有的部分就變得更值錢。
Many people put a lot of work into choosing stocks to make money.
Some go to school for years to learn about it.
But someone…or…something is making money on the stock market without any practice!
Meet Mr. Goxx.
He is a hamster (倉鼠).
Since June this year, Mr. Goxx has been buying and selling cryptocurrencies (加密貨幣).
Mr. Goxx has a very high-tech (高科技) office.
In his office, the little gray hamster has a special wheel.
When he runs on the wheel, it goes through the names of different cryptocurrencies.
When he stops, one cryptocurrency is chosen.
There are also two tunnels (隧道) in his cage.
One is the "buy" tunnel.
The other is the "sell" tunnel.
If Mr. Goxx runs through the buy tunnel, a computer will buy some of the cryptocurrency he chose on the wheel.
If the hamster runs through the sell tunnel, the computer will sell what Mr. Goxx chose on the wheel.
This all sounds like a crazy game…and it sounds like a way to lose lots of money.
But, Mr. Goxx has actually made money!
When he first started buying and selling cryptocurrencies, Mr. Goxx had $12,270 NT.
Now, he has about $16,080 NT.
That means he's doing better than famous investor Warren Buffett.
這一隻小倉鼠Mr. Goxx選擇的加密貨幣投資組合報酬率居然更勝股神沃倫巴菲特及標普 500！
But Mr. Goxx's owner asks everyone to remember that this is all just for fun. ________________________________
女主角退出電視節目 Actress Leaves Upcoming TV Series
The lead actress of a new show has stepped down (離職).
Phoebe Waller-Bridge was supposed to be one of the stars for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith television series.
It was based on the 2005 movie of the same name.
The original film starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
菲比·沃勒-布里奇決定退出新的史密斯任務電視節目。
Phoebe reportedly left because of creative differences (創作理念不同) with Donald Glover, the show's creator.
They are now looking for a new actress to take over the role.
The new show is still scheduled to start airing in 2022.
It will be on the Amazon Prime streaming service.
劇組正在找新的女主角，希望明年按時上映。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Starting this month, restaurants that use paper tableware will need recycle them.
The restaurant must have a place for recycling paper tableware with a clear sign.
And people who eat in the restaurant should put their used paper plates, bowls, or boxes there. ________________________________
Mr. Goxx is a hamster who buys and sells cryptocurrencies.
He has a very high-tech office that helps him to buy and sell.
Mr. Goxx has actually made money, and is doing better than famous investor Warren Buffett. ________________________________
And,
Phoebe Waller-Bridge was supposed to be one of the stars for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith television series.
But she reportedly left because of creative differences with Donald Glover, the show's creator.
They are now looking for a new actress to take over the role. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A man makes broken things into art, NASA plans a moon rover mission, and The Expendables makes a comeback.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
陶瓷碎片化為藝術 Man Turns Broken Ceramics Into Art
Some of the most beautiful things we see, can be very fragile (脆弱的).
And when they break, we might feel like they aren't beautiful anymore.
But even when something breaks, there are many ways we can try to put it back together.
And one man in Tainan has been using broken ceramics (陶瓷) to create new works of art!
His name is Mr. Chen, and he has just won a national award for his art here in Taiwan.
Many years ago, he started with a job repairing a temple (寺廟) with his father.
As they worked, Mr. Chen decided to use broken pieces of glass to make ornaments for the roof. 當年他跟爸爸並肩工作時，開始用玻璃碎片來做寺廟屋頂上的裝飾。
People loved the ornaments, and started to call him "The Artist on the Roof".
Then, as more and more people started to hire him (雇用了他) for this kind of work, he decided he wanted to make more art.
Finally in 2002, he made his first art sculpture, using pieces of a broken vase to make a statue of a "Bodhidharma". 2002年，他完成第一個雕塑作品，用花瓶的碎片做成菩提達摩的雕像。
Since then, he has found a new passion in using old and broken ceramics to make things whole again.
And after 60 years of building, repairing, and creating, he has won Taiwan's highest award for crafts.
Maybe the real lesson here, though, is to remember that something is only broken if people think it is.
And we can always try to use the pieces to make something new! 所以囉，破碎的東西不見得是廢物，如果能夠善加利用，它們就有了新生命！ ________________________________
美國太空總署選定 月球探測器登月地點 NASA Selects Landing Site For Moon Rover
Humans are still working hard on the next era (時代) of exploring space.
That includes how to travel through space, and also… how to live there.
And besides living on Mars, one of the biggest projects (項目) will be to live on the Moon.
That means we have to find the right place to start building a new base (基地) there!
NASA has recently decided on a very specific area on the Moon's icy south pole, where they can send the next moon rover. 美國太空總署最近決定，新的月球探測器將在冰冷的月球南極地區著陸。
The moon rover is called VIPER, and its job will be to look for frozen water (冰凍的水), so that we can plan to build our first base (月球基地) nearby.
Scientists say we can break the ice into its two main parts, hydrogen (氫氣) and oxygen (氧氣).
Astronauts can later use these to make rocket fuel (火箭燃料) for more space travel.
Rocket fuel is heavy, and it's very difficult to lift a lot of it off of Earth… but it's much easier to lift off of the Moon! 火箭燃料很重，把沉重的火箭從地球推進太空，其實非常困難，但是從月球出發可就簡單多了。
It takes a lot of work to build a base away from our home planet, but once we get started, it should be easier for us to travel to Mars. 在地球以外的地方建立太空基地需要花很多力氣，但是一旦它落成，我們去火星旅行就容易了。
And we can thank this rover for helping us take the next step! ________________________________
新浴血任務電影 New Expendables Movie In Production
A big action movie franchise is getting a new installment.
A fourth film in the Expendables series has been confirmed.
The new movie's cast (卡司) will feature many returning members, like Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
New characters will be played by 50 Cent, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa.
第四部浴血任務電影將上映，主要演員都會回來。
Reports say in the new movie, the focus will switch (切換) from Stallone's character to Statham's.
Production of the fourth film should start this fall.
The first Expendables movie came out over a decade ago, in 2010.
The three movies in the franchise so far have made a combined 800 million U.S. dollars worldwide.
前三部浴血任務電影總共賺了8億美元。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One man in Tainan has been using broken ceramics to create new works of art!
Many years ago, he decided to use broken pieces of glass to make ornaments for the roof.
Since then, he has found a new passion in using old and broken ceramics to make things whole again. ________________________________
And,
NASA is planning to send a rover to the moon, to look for frozen water.
Scientists say we can break the ice into its two main parts, hydrogen and oxygen.
Astronauts can later use these to make rocket fuel for more space travel. ________________________________
And,
A fourth film in the Expendables series has been confirmed.
The new movie's cast will feature many returning members, like Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
New characters will be played by 50 Cent, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Breakdancers get ready for a big performance, humans continue to change, and a new actor plays an old character.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
著名街舞團隊 國慶日亮相 Famous Dance Crew to Breakdance on Taiwan's National Day
Breakdancing (街舞) is a kind of dance that is becoming more and more popular with young people.
It usually goes together with hip-hop music (嘻哈音樂), and has lots of big, powerful moves.
Some breakdancers can even do flips, or spin on their head! 有的街舞舞者也會在跳舞的時候翻筋斗，或者頭頂在地上轉圈圈！
And one of Taiwan's most famous breakdancing teams, called "The Best Crew", is going to have a big performance (表演) soon.
The Best Crew, also called "TBC", is the first dance group in Taiwan to both perform street dance and teach it, too.
Its dancers are from all over Taiwan, and it has won many competitions (競爭) and awards in both Taiwan and around the world.
They'll also be performing with some younger students who are learning to dance.
The whole performance will include people as young as 6 years old, and as old as 60.
And The Best Crew has even bigger performances planned for the future.
In the year 2024, they're planning to compete at the Olympics (奧運會) in Paris!
That will be the first time breakdancing is shown as an Olympic Sport. 2024年的巴黎奧運，街舞將首度成為競賽項目。
If you want to learn breakdancing, there are lots of places in Taiwan where you can look for teachers.
But don't worry about spinning on your head… just have fun! ________________________________
多餘的動脈 可能表示人類持續在演化 Extra Artery Could Be a Sign of Continued Human Evolution
Are you familiar with evolution (演化)？
Evolution happens when animals "evolve" over time, to adapt (適應) to the place they live in.
For the past 3.5 billion years (三十五億年), life on Earth has been evolving almost nonstop.
And humans might still be evolving, too!
But how can our bodies adapt to the world even more? 我們的身體要如何進一步適應這個世界?
Well, it may seem small, but scientists say they have found more and more people with a special artery in their arms. 這可能是很小的一步，不過科學家發現，越來越多人的手臂裡面多了一條動脈。
An artery is a type of blood vessel (血管) that carries your blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
Scientists say most people have three of these arteries in each arm when they are born, but as they get older, each arm only keeps two arteries.
But after studying the bodies of many people throughout history, they found that in the last one hundred years (近一百年來), more people's bodies have kept all three!
And they predict (預測) that even more adults will have this third artery in the year 2100.
Scientists say it can help to send more blood to the hand, but that if you don't have it, there's still nothing to worry about. 科學家說這條動脈可以多輸送一點血液給手掌，但就算沒有它，也沒什麼好擔心的。
The most important point (重點) is to understand that everything keeps changing, even if we don't notice it.
Just think of what we'll find next! ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A breakdancing team called "The Best Crew" is going to have a big performance soon.
Also called "TBC", they are the first dance group in Taiwan to both perform and teach street dance.
Its dancers are from all over Taiwan, and it has won many competitions around the world. ________________________________
And,
Scientists say they have found more and more people with a special artery in their arms.
An artery is a type of blood vessel that carries your blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
They say it can help to send more blood to the hand, but if you don't have it, there's still nothing to worry about. ________________________________
And,
Jabari Banks will star in the new version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
He will play the part of Will Smith.
In the original show, Will Smith played the character, who was named after him. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Animals cross the road, bugs turn into gummies, and a pig gets the last laugh.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
可愛路標讓野生動物安全過街 Animal Crossing Made Safer
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"To get to the other side!"
Have you heard this joke before?
Well, a sign in Nantou County is making it safer for animals to cross the road.
Road signs (路標) are usually on or next to the road.
They give information, or tell drivers what to do.
But the road sign on Hehuanshan looks a little different.
The sign on the mountain road shows a cute picture of a squirrel.
It's a Perny's long-nosed squirrel (珀氏長吻松鼠).
And the little squirrel is shown holding an acorn.
The sign was made by the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute and Puli Township officials.
They say the long-nosed squirrels often cross the road there.
They want drivers to watch out for the squirrels and other animals when they are driving in the mountains.
And the Perny's long-nosed squirrel is not the only animal with a special sign.
Officials say there is another sign for sheep, and a few others too.
They say the animals on the signs were chosen because they are often found nearby.
They hope this will keep the animals safe.
野生動物過馬路常常是搏命一場，政府希望可愛的路標可以提醒駕駛人要多多注意路況，給這些動物一條生路。 ________________________________
蝗蟲軟糖即將上架? Would You Eat Insect Gummies?
Would you like some fruit-flavored gummy?
How about if they were made from bugs?
要不要來一顆用昆蟲做的水果軟糖?
It takes a lot of food to feed all the people living on Earth.
Some people don't get enough to eat.
And all the animals we keep and the food we grow can be hard on the environment.
Some people say there's an answer to this problem.
They think we should eat insects.
Insects like grasshoppers or mealworms have a lot of protein.
某些昆蟲，像是蚱蜢和粉蟲，有很多蛋白質。
And growing lots of these bugs doesn't use as much water and energy as other animals like cows and pigs.
One man in Israel is now trying out this idea with candy.
Dror Tamir started a company that makes gummies from locusts (蝗蟲).
He says locusts taste like mushrooms, coffee and chocolate.
But he adds different flavors (調味品), and the locust gummies he makes taste like orange and strawberry.
Dror says he also wants to use bugs to make energy bars, and even burgers.
There are about 7.7 billion people living in the world right now.
Some scientists say by the year 2050, there will be 9.8 billion people living in the world.
And they think it will be hard to have enough food for everyone, if we keep eating the same things we do now.
Dror says his locusts take just 29 days to become fully grown, and his company can grow 400 million locusts each year.
He says farming locusts makes less air pollution, and uses less land, water and electricity.
But some scientists think we need to know more about what happens to our bodies when we eat bugs.
What do you think? Would you be okay with eating insects?
全球人口持續增加，讓地球吃不消，「吃蟲」是不是會成為未來人們飲食的新趨勢之一呢? ________________________________
電視節目專輯評價比肯伊好 TV Show Album Reviews Better than Kanye
An unlikely new album has gotten a decent review.
The Peppa Pig TV show's second album is called Peppa's Adventures: The Album.
It contains 10 songs taken from the children's television show, sung by the lead character's voice actor (配音員).
Pitchfork Magazine gave the album a rating of 6.5 out of 10.
Pitchfork 音樂雜詩給粉紅豬小妹新專輯一個6.5評分。
The thing is, that is a better score than Pitchfork gave Kanye West's new album.
Called Donda, Pitchfork gave that album a 6.
The Peppa Pig Twitter account made fun of (取笑) Kanye for the better review they got.
That tweet has since been deleted though.
Pitchfork 給肯伊新專輯的評分才6.0，比卡通節目的還差。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A sign on a road on Hehuanshan shows a cute picture of a squirrel.
Officials want drivers to watch out for the squirrels and other animals when they are driving in the mountains.
They hope this will keep the animals safe. ________________________________
And,
A man in Israel started a company that makes candy from locusts.
Dror says he also wants to use bugs to make energy bars, and even burgers.
He says farming locusts makes less air pollution, and uses less land, water and electricity. ________________________________
And,
An album for the Peppa Pig TV show got a better score than Kanye West's new album.
Pitchfork Magazine gave the Peppa Pig album a rating of 6.5 out of 10.
Kanye's new album, called Donda, got 6 out of 10. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A snake with two heads, cows learning to use the bathroom, and a very pricey video game.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國小生遇上雙頭蛇 Two-Headed Snake Spotted in Chiayi
Have you ever seen a snake in the wild?
你有看過野生的蛇嗎？
Are you scared of snakes? How about a snake with two heads?!
That's what students in one elementary school discovered recently when they were cleaning their school.
They found the creature at 7 AM, near the place where they raise the flag (升旗).
It must have been a big surprise.
The snake was found at Dayou Elementary School in Chiayi County's Zhongpu Township.
News reports say the school's principal took out a broom (掃把) and used it to push the snake into a bucket (桶子).
The principal said he was not scared of snakes, but he called the fire department anyway, so experts (專家) could come and take it away safely.
The snake was only around 10 centimeters long.
Experts discovered it was a Formosan wolf snake. They knew this because of the black and white stripes (黑白條紋) all over its body.
The head of the rescue team decided to donate it to a university for research.
救援團隊決定把雙頭蛇捐給大學研究部門。
But why did the snake have two heads?
It is likely two twin snakes (雙胞胎) were supposed to be born. Twins usually start as one, but they separate (分開) as they grow, before they are born.
But this set of snakes did not separate.
Although the snake has two heads, both of its heads probably share organs (器官).
Unfortunately, this kind of animal does not usually survive for long in the wild, so it is best that the university takes care of it.
雙頭蛇在野外不會存活很久，所以由大學來照顧它是最理想的。 ________________________________
小牛練習上廁所 Cows Learn to Use MooLoo
As people, we have to go to the toilet in certain places.
If we didn't have bathrooms… the earth would be very dirty.
Even some animals go to the toilet in certain places; cats use a bathroom we call a "litterbox" (貓沙盆) and dogs usually go outside in people's gardens.
But do cows go to the toilet in a certain place?
Not usually, but some farmers in Germany are trying to make cows use a bathroom.
They have to go to the toilet in a special area of their barn. 牛廁所就在穀倉的一個角落。
And the farmers are calling it the 'MooLoo'.
They say it will be better for the environment.
The farmers recently did a research experiment and found that 11 out of 16 calves were able to go to the toilet in a MooLoo after just 15 training sessions. 農夫最近做了一項實驗，他們發現經過15次的訓練課程之後，16頭小牛裡面，有11頭學會了去上廁所。
Cows make around 30 kilograms of waste (大便) per day.
That's the same weight as a nine-year-old child!
But leaving it around a field (田野之中) can be bad for the environment.
It can increase greenhouse gas emissions.
因為牛糞會增加溫室氣體的排放。
It can also turn soil (土壤) bad so that plants cannot grow there, and it can make rivers polluted (污染的).
But what happens to all the waste once it goes into the MooLoo?
Once it is treated - meaning the bad parts are taken out - it can be used to actually help plants grow.
And gas (氣體) from the waste can even be used as fuel for cars, or turned into energy to power homes!
What an a-moo-zing idea!
牛糞散發的沼氣還可以集合起來發電，推動汽車，提供家庭用電。看起來讓牛上廁所，真是好主意! ________________________________
稀有的遊戲片賣大錢 Rare Video Game Sells for Big Bucks
A classic video game has been sold for a lot of money.
A copy of the original Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo was donated to a U.S. charity organization.
The game was in its original packaging (原包裝), and had never been opened.
The charity auctioned it off for 411,000 U.S. dollars.
原版薩爾達傳說遊戲片在美國賣四十一萬美金。
That amount was a record for any item sold by the charity organization online.
The money will be used to help create a job training center (就業培訓中心) in the U.S. state of Connecticut.
The Legend of Zelda first came out in 1986.
Dozens of games in that series have since been released.
薩爾達傳說遊戲系列1986年開始，現在有二十多個遊戲。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Students in Chiayi found a snake with two heads.
The principal called the fire department to rescue it.
Now, a university has taken it for research. ________________________________
And,
Cows are learning to use a special bathroom.
It's called a MooLoo.
This is better for the environment, and their waste can be turned into energy! ________________________________
And,
A classic video game has been sold for a lot of money.
An original copy of The Legend of Zelda was auctioned off for 411,000 U.S. dollars. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Seeds come back to earth, a bird goes on a long journey, and Taylor Swift joins TikTok.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣學生研究 去太空旅行的植物種子 Students Study Space Seeds
One small step for a man, and one giant leap for… plantkind?
Plant seeds that Taiwan sent into space have just returned to Earth.
And students are now going to study them in an experiment (實驗).
Some organizations (組織) are working together on a program called "Asia Herb in Space."
The National Applied Research Laboratories, National Chung Hsing University, and Taiwan's Council of Agriculture wanted to see what would happen to seeds after they went to space.
國家實驗研究院，國立中興大學，以及農委會都想知道，去過太空的種子，回來之後會不會有什麼不一樣。
On December 7th, they put their seeds on a spaceship along with 10 different kinds of seeds from seven other countries.
The seeds then headed into space for a seven-month stay at the international space station (國際太空站).
The seeds Taiwan contributed to the project included sunflower, bell pepper, red quinoa, and moth orchid.
台灣提供實驗的種子包括向日葵、青椒、紅藜麥和小蝴蝶蘭。
The idea is to find out how different levels of gravity (重力) and radiation (輻射) in space affect plant growth.
They arrived back on earth July 9th, and Taiwan's seeds were mailed back home on September 9th.
Now, students from universities, high schools and junior high schools will study the seeds.
They are going to plant them.
To help them get prepared, National Chung Hsing University held online classes about how to properly take care of the plants they will produce.
10 high school teams will grow the moth orchids, and 30 junior high school teams will look after the bell pepper and red quinoa.
高中生種蝴蝶蘭，國中生照顧青椒和紅藜麥。
But do you know that every experiment needs a control?
A "control" is usually something that has not been changed from how it would normally be.
Scientists compare (比較) the control with other subjects in an experiment to see if it worked!
And the control in this experiment is seeds that did not go to space.
They are being given to elementary school students to grow.
I can't wait to find out what they discover!
每個實驗都要有對照組來做比較，因此有些國小學生會培植沒有去過太空的種子。 ________________________________
信天翁了不起的旅程 An Albatross' Amazing Journey
36 thousand kilometers is a long distance to travel.
Especially in just a few months.
That's almost as far as flying all around the world.
But it's nothing to some birds!
A professor in Southern Australia recently found that an albatross (信天翁) that landed there had flown all the way from South Georgia (南喬治亞).
That's an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, and its closest country is Argentina (阿根廷).
The professor also found the bird had visited the coasts (海岸) of South America and Africa on its journey.
He knew this because a British researcher had put a tracking device on the bird. 他都知道這隻信天翁去了哪裡，是因為研究員在鳥身上裝設了追蹤儀器。
A tracking device is an electronic item that lets us know where something is.
And it was put on the bird for conservation reasons; the researcher wants to help protect albatrosses from dying out.
研究人員希望保護這種鳥類不要滅絕。
Travelling 36 thousand kilometers is actually a rare thing, even for an albatross.
Albatrosses are large sea birds and most fly between places in the southern part of the world.
When they are at sea, they spend most of their time flying. They land to catch food.
信天翁白天一直飛，要吃東西時才會降落陸地。
At night they spend more time on the water, probably because is it harder to find food in the dark.
But the Australian professor said less than five percent of those that live in South Georgia fly all the way to Australia.
The bird's journey will help scientists learn more about how albatrosses move across the world for the future. 這隻鳥的足跡可以幫助科學家了解，信天翁如何在全世界各地長途旅行。 ________________________________
泰勒絲加入抖音 Taylor Swift Joins TikTok
One of the biggest musical stars in the world has joined a new social media platform.
Taylor Swift has opened an account on TikTok.
She joined the video-sharing site to promote (推銷) her latest re-release album.
Her new version of Red is set to come out in mid-November.
為了推銷她的最新重錄的專輯，泰勒絲加入了抖音平台。
Taylor is re-recording her first six albums.
This is because she does not actually own the master recordings (錄音母帶) of those albums, despite offering to buy them.
To keep control over her own work, she is doing new, but nearly-identical, versions.
The new version of Red will have almost double the number of tracks on it.
新版紅色專輯會有三十首歌，將近原版的兩倍。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Seeds were sent to space.
And now they're back in Taiwan!
Students will study them to see how they grow. ________________________________
And,
One bird made a big journey.
An albatross flew 36 thousand kilometers, from South Georgia to Australia.
A professor found out because the bird had a tracking device. ________________________________
And,
Taylor Swift has joined TikTok.
She is promoting her latest re-release album.
She is re-recording all six of her first albums. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Kids help the police, a monkey starts a craze, and JB sets another record.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
小朋友用2年零用錢 買防疫工具送警 Kids Use Allowance to Buy Medical Equipment for Police
It has been many months since the COVID-19 outbreak started in Taiwan.
Most of us try to stay home, or stay away from crowds of people (人群).
But there are some brave people who can't do that.
Police have to go to many places, and face all kinds of people and danger every day.
And four children in Hsinchu want to help keep them safe.
One is a grade 3 student, two are in grade 1, and the youngest is a preschool student.
They put together two years of their allowance and Lunar New Year money.
And, with the help of their parents, they bought face shields and protective glasses for police.
四個小朋友拿出存了2年的零用錢或壓歲錢，買防疫面罩與護目鏡送警察。
The children hope police officers can use these things to stay safe while they are working.
Their parents are happy that the children can do something so meaningful (有意義).
And they say this will be a happy memory for them.
And the police are very happy too.
They invited the children to a police station to learn about what officers do.
And the police say they are very thankful that the children are so caring.
警察說「很感謝孩子們的用心」，還安排4名孩子去警察局認識警察的工作。 ________________________________
捲尾猴使矽膠玩具大紅 Monkey Starts Pop-it Craze
Do you know what this is?
It's the sound of a Pop-it.
Pop-its are a toy.
They have lots of small bumps (凸塊、隆起).
You can push down a bump, and it makes a "pop" sound.
Some people like to do that just for fun.
Some people also use Pop-its to play games.
And some people say Pop-its help them relax.
But did you know the toy was invented (發明) more than 40 years ago?
其實Pop-it是40多年前發明的玩具。
It was made by two game-makers from Israel.
Together, they made more than 190 games for kids and adults!
They made the very first Pop-it in 1975.
But not many people bought (買) the game.
Then, a monkey made Pop-its go viral.
Gaitlyn Rae is a 7-year-old capuchin monkey (卷尾猴) that lives in the US.
She is a star on TikTok, Youtube and Instagram.
One day, a follower sent Gaitlyn Rae a Pop-it as a gift.
The monkey's owner then posted a video of Gaitlyn Rae playing with the toy.
Lots of people liked and shared the video.
And that's when the toy became famous.
解壓玩具Pop-it，有鮮豔的顏色和戳下去的清脆聲響，有點像擠破泡泡紙，原本是設計給兒童的小玩具，不過有些大人也喜歡。 ________________________________
小賈斯汀創Spotify紀錄 Justin Bieber Sets Spotify Record
A top artist has broken another record.
Spotify says Justin Bieber has claimed (獲得) the title of the artist with the most monthly listeners.
He had 83.3 million people listen to his music during the course of a single month.
That breaks the record previously held by Ariana Grande, who had 82 million listeners.
小賈斯汀在Spotify平台上創單月聽者紀錄，光一個月就有八千兩百萬人聽他的音樂。
Justin has a big lead over other artists right now.
In that same month, The Weeknd had the second-most monthly listeners at 74.5 million.
Ed Sheeran was in third with 72.4 million listeners.
Justin claimed the record on Spotify thanks to the success (成功) of his latest album, called Justice.
同一個月的第二名是威肯，他有七千四百五十萬聽者。
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Four children in Hsinchu put together two years of their allowance and Lunar New Year money.
With the help of their parents, they bought face shields and protective glasses for police.
The police invited the children to a police station to learn about what officers do.
And the police say they are very thankful that the children are so caring. ________________________________
Pop-its are a toy with lots of small bumps.
The toy was invented more than 40 years ago, but a monkey made Pop-its go viral.
Gaitlyn Rae, the 7-year-old capuchin monkey is a star on TikTok, Youtube and Instagram.
A video of Gaitlyn Rae playing with a Pop-it went viral, and made the toy more popular. ________________________________
And,
Spotify says Justin Bieber has claimed the title of the artist with the most monthly listeners.
He had 83.3 million people listen to his music during the course of a single month.
That breaks the record previously held by Ariana Grande, who had 82 million listeners. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A man makes his bicycle faster, scientists make some crazy discoveries, and the Mandalorian plans its final season.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台南男子 騎噴射引擎腳踏車 Man in Tainan Rides Jet-Powered Bicycle How fast can you ride a bicycle? If you're riding around with your friends, maybe you move at 20 kilometers per hour (時速20公里). If an adult rides to work, they might move up to 50 kilometers per hour. Well, one man in Tainan wanted to go a little faster… So he put a rocket engine (火箭引擎) on the back of his bicycle! The 37-year-old man, named Mr. Wang, used an engine from a remote-controlled jet. 這名37歲的男子姓王，他用的是從遙控噴射機拆下來的引擎。 He then asked some people for help to make a frame (框架) to hold the engine on the back of his bicycle. And then… He zoomed down a long, straight road. And in less than 30 seconds, he was going as fast as 130 kilometers per hour! That's faster than a cheetah (獵豹), the fastest animal on Earth! He said he was surprised he could move that quickly on a bicycle. But… we don't have to tell you this is very dangerous, right? Soon, some police officers came to ask the man to stop, so the roads could stay safer. 警察很快現身，要求王先生停車，以保障道路安全。 And Mr. Wang quickly agreed to take the jet engine off of the bike, so that the police wouldn't take his bike away. So even though it's a cool story, it's probably a good idea to ride your bike with just the power of your legs! ________________________________
2021年搞笑諾貝爾獎 2021 Ig Nobel Prize Winners Announced The Ig Nobel Prizes are back! Every year, there is something called the "Nobel Prize" (諾貝爾獎), which is given to scientists who make some of the greatest discoveries in the world. Well, the Ig Nobel Prize is similar (類似)… But this award is given for discoveries that, first, make people laugh… and then make them think. 這個獎專門頒發給那些讓人哈哈一笑，接著開始思考的新發現。
Last year, we told you about scientists giving helium (氦氣) to alligators… And in years before that, scientists had measured the amount of friction (摩擦力) between a shoe and a banana peel. Well, this year, like every year, the prizes introduced people to even more crazy ideas. Some people won awards for studying the types of bacteria (細菌) that live in different kinds of chewing gum around the world. Other scientists discovered that when a rhinoceros (犀牛) needs to be moved from one place to another, it is safer for them to be upside-down (顛倒的). And one study even found that male humans might have evolved beards to protect them from getting punched in the face! 還有一項研究也發現，男人留鬍子，也許是要減少毆打對臉部的傷害而來的。 Most of these discoveries might not help us save people's lives, or move further into space. But these scientists are still putting in more work to understand the tiny details (細節) of how our world works. And after we're done laughing at the ridiculous stories… we'll certainly have a lot more to think about! ________________________________
曼達洛人第四季後可能結束 Mandalorian To End After Season 4
A popular TV show may wrap up soon.
The Mandalorian series has already released two seasons on the Disney Plus streaming service.
A third season is already being developed.
However, rumors are hinting (提示) that a 4th season may be its last.
謠言說曼達洛人電視節目可能第四季後就結束。
After the 4th season, the show would change its name (改名) and have a new focus.
The rumors say that the characters and setting would stay the same, however.
The Mandalorian already has a few spin-offs planned.
The third season of the show does not have a release date yet.
第三季目前還沒開始串流，不知道什麼時候會上映。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
One man in Tainan put a rocket engine on the back of his bicycle! He used an engine from a remote-controlled jet.
And in less than 30 seconds, he was going as fast as 130 kilometers per hour! ________________________________
And,
The winners of the 2021 Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced.
This award is given for discoveries that, first, make people laugh… and then make them think.
Most of these discoveries might not help us save people's lives, but they can help us understand the tiny details of how our world works. ________________________________
And,
The Mandalorian series has already released two seasons on Disney Plus.
And a third season is already being developed.
However, rumors are hinting that a 4th season may be its last. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A full moon during Moon Festival, urban gardens on taxi roofs, and a new album breaks Apple Music records.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
中秋節的滿月 Taiwan Sees Full Moon during Mid-Autumn Festival
Every month, a bright, white, round button appears in the sky.
It's the full moon!
A full moon is when we can see the entire round surface of the moon…
And not just a crescent (月牙型) or half-moon.
滿月的意思是我們能夠看到整個圓圓的月亮，而不只是月牙或是半月。
We are able to see the moon because it reflects (反射) light from the sun back to Earth.
For the first time in eight years, people in Taiwan were able to see a full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday.
But if a full moon happens every month, why don't we see it every Mid-Autumn Festival?
It's because of how long it takes the moon to orbit, or go around, the Earth.
People say it takes the moon a month to orbit the Earth, but that's not exactly true.
It takes roughly 29.53 days.
And because there are a different number of days each month, we see a full moon on a different day each month, too.
But a full moon usually appears between the 14th and 17th of each month.
Of course, clouds can also block (阻擋) our vision of the moon.
But on Tuesday, September 21st, people in Taiwan were able to see the full moon bright and high in the night sky.
Did you manage to see it?
If not, there's always next month!
Don't forget to check if the weather conditions are good or not for your best chance to see the full moon.
不要忘記先查查天氣預報，才能把握最好的機會看到滿月。 ________________________________
泰國計程車頂種蔬菜 People Plant Vegetables on Thailand's Taxi Roofs
Have you ever seen plants growing from the roof of a car?
No? Then you probably haven't been to Thailand during the coronavirus pandemic.
People in Bangkok, Thailand's capital city, have started farming vegetables on car roofs.
泰國曼谷有些人開始在汽車頂上種蔬菜。
They do this by stretching black trash bags over the roofs.
And then they fill them with soil.
And then, as you would usually do to make plants grow, they sprinkle the soil with seeds and water.
他們會把黑色垃圾袋鋪在車頂上，填一層土壤，然後播種，再灑水。
But why are they doing it on top of taxis?
Well, places have formed in Bangkok, called "taxi graveyards" (計程車墓園).
The taxis have been parked there for a long time.
They aren't being used because tourists aren't going to Thailand due to the pandemic.
A lot of taxi drivers are finding it difficult to survive because they have lost their source of income (收入來源).
So they have decided to grow vegetables to eat.
And since they don't have land to do it in the city, they are doing it on top of the cars.
The drivers say the black trash bags stop the soil from damaging (損害) the cars.
People are growing spring onions, basil, chilies and even eggplants.
有人種青蔥、九層塔、辣椒，甚至還有茄子。
It might sound cool, but it's a difficult situation for a lot of people whose lives have been badly affected by the pandemic (因為疫情而遭受損失).
People who work in the tourism industry (旅遊業) have been especially affected.
A lot of taxi drivers even had to leave Bangkok and return to their villages in the countryside.
Hopefully, the pandemic will be over soon, and the taxi drivers can get back to earning money. ________________________________
肯伊新專輯破紀錄 Kanye's New Album Breaks Apple Records
A new musical project has made history.
Kanye West released his newest album in late August.
Called Donda, it had been delayed (耽誤, 延遲) multiple times, starting in July.
When it finally came out, it jumped straight to the top of the charts.
肯伊·威斯特八月發行的專輯破蘋果音樂平台紀錄。
Donda became number one on Apple Music in 130 countries.
That makes Donda the biggest debut ever on the Apple Music platform.
Kanye was a bit unhappy (不滿) when it first came out, because it was missing one track that Kanye wanted to include.
The missing song was added soon after the release.
Donda 專輯馬上衝到蘋果音樂130個國家排行榜的第一名。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan saw a full moon during the Mid-Autum Festival Holiday.
It was the first time in eight years.
A full moon happens every 29.53 days. ________________________________
And,
People are growing vegetables on taxi roofs in Thailand.
Taxi drivers aren't earning money because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So they need to grow vegetables in order to survive. ________________________________
And,
A new album has broken Apple Music records.
Kanye West's Donda became number one on Apple Music in 130 countries.
That makes Donda the biggest debut ever on the Apple Music platform. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A Tainan museum gets new skeletons, an Australian boy is lost and found, and one of the Beatles is publishing a book.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
人類骷髏 搬到台南博物館 Human Skeletons Moved To Tainan Museum
Skeletons (骷髏) can be scary, or strange, if you see them in the wrong place.
But when archaeologists (考古學家) find a skeleton, they'll probably be very excited!
That's because skeletons of animals, including people, can show how they lived and help tell the story of the place around them. 因為骷髏能夠顯示原本動物是如何生活，而且能幫研究人員了解當地的情況。
And in February of this year, archaeologists found two human (人類) skeletons in Chiayi (嘉義).
They were found near a place called Taidoukeng (台斗坑), and researchers think they are about 2,500 years old!
When archaeologists found the skeletons, they were facing each other (面對面).
They say this could mean the two people were part of the same family when they were alive.
Researchers say the Taidoukeng area was probably a burial ground, next to a village where people lived thousands of years ago. 研究人員說，台斗坑當時可能是個墓園，位置在兩千五百年前的一個小鎮旁邊。
Now, scientists are moving the skeletons to the Museum of Archaeology in Tainan (台灣史前文化博物館), where they can study them more.
This discovery is great news for Chiayi, and shows how important the city is, in the history of Taiwan.
It also allows archeologists and other scientists to explore a little deeper into the history of Chiayi's people.
So even though skeletons can be scary, remember how much you can learn from them! ________________________________
澳洲男孩 迷路三天後獲救 Australian Boy Rescued After Being Lost For Three Days
Do you get lost easily? 你很容易迷路嗎？
It's easy to get lost in a big city, and easy to find your way again, because there are usually people around to help.
But getting lost in the forest (森林) is much more dangerous.
And a mom and dad in Australia were very scared when their little boy was lost in the forest for three days.
But there's a happy ending!
The 3-year-old boy, named Anthony, was at home on a Friday… and then, suddenly, he wasn't.
At first, his parents were afraid that someone had taken him. Anthony的父母親最開始以為，有人把他們的兒子帶走了。
They called the police, and more than one hundred officers spent the whole weekend looking for Anthony.
Finally, on Monday, a police officer found him next to a river, about half a kilometer away from his parents' house. 警察星期一終於找到了Anthony，離他爸媽的家才五百公尺遠，在一條河的旁邊。
Anthony had scrapes (割傷) on his legs, and his clothes were wet, but he was still okay!
He had survived (存活了) in the forest for three days, by drinking water from the river.
Anthony was taken to a hospital for a checkup, but doctors said he was in good health.
His parents were extremely happy to have him back home.
You probably won't get lost like this in Taiwan, right?
Either way, make sure you bring some extra water, just in case! ________________________________
保羅·麥卡尼將發行披頭四歌詞書 Paul McCartney Publishing Beatles Lyric Book
One of the Beatles is publishing a book about their songs.
Sir Paul McCartney is releasing the book, simply called The Lyrics (歌詞).
It will contain the lyrics to 154 Beatles songs.
This includes lyrics to one song that was never recorded.
保羅·麥卡尼的新書包和154首披頭四的歌的歌詞，十一月初將發行。
Aside from the lyrics, the book will also include some photographs, drawings, and rough drafts.
Sir Paul will also give readers a look into his creative (創意) process.
The book will be released in early November.
Around the same time, a related exhibition will be held at the British Library, which will run through next March.
英國的大英圖書館十一月也會有披頭四的展覽。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
In February of this year, archaeologists found two human skeletons in Chiayi.
Now, scientists are moving the skeletons to the Museum of Archaeology in Tainan, where they can study them more.
This allows archeologists and other scientists to explore a little deeper into the history of Chiayi's people. ________________________________
And,
A mom and dad in Australia were very scared when they couldn't find their young son.
They called the police, and more than one hundred officers spent the whole weekend looking for him.
Finally, a police officer found him next to a river, about half a kilometer away from his parents' house. ________________________________
And,
One of the Beatles is publishing a book about their songs.
Sir Paul McCartney hopes it will give readers a look into his creative process.
Sir Paul McCartney's book, simply called "The Lyrics", will include lyrics, photographs, drawings, and rough drafts. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hi everyone, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Korean food, a lucky cat, and a Black Canary movie.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
韓國美食在台灣越來越受歡迎 Taiwan Loving Korean Food
Taiwan is home to lots of delicious (美味的) food.
People who visit Taiwan should try pearl milk tea, stinky tofu, beef noodles, pineapple cake, mango shaved ice, and so much more!
But people in Taiwan also like foods from other countries.
And some people also say more and more Taiwanese love Korean food.
One Taiwan company took a survey (調查) of restaurants here.
They found that last year, the number of people who bought food from Korean-style restaurants went up 24%.
Have you ever tried Korean food? Some of these dishes can be very spicy (辣).
If a food is spicy, it can make your mouth, tongue and throat feel like it's on fire!
Sometimes in English, we will also use the word "hot".
One famous spicy Korean food is kimchi. It's also sour, and made from cabbage and other vegetables.
Or try bibimbap, which is rice with vegetables, beef, and egg on top.
Or have some tteokbokki. It's rice cakes with a sweet and spicy chili sauce.
你有試過韓國料理嗎? 韓式泡菜、韓式拌飯、辣炒年糕都是常見的必吃美食。
Even though we can't go to South Korea, we can still taste some famous Korean dishes here in Taiwan.
Just make sure to do it in a safe way, and follow all COVID-19 safety rules.
台灣有來自世界各地、各式各樣的美食 ，不過新的台灣餐飲調查也發現，韓式餐飲近幾年越來越受歡迎。 ________________________________
貓咪懸掛球場看台 球迷拉國旗神救援 Falling Cat Saved by U.S. Flag
We've heard about cats falling from high places.
They fall from a high window.
And many times, they land on their feet, and are just fine.
But one cat in the US did it a different way.
Thousands of people were watching a football game at a stadium (體育場) in Miami.
About 10 minutes after the game started, fans started screaming (尖叫) and yelling.
When someone screams, they make a high, loud sound.
Most of the time, someone who screams is scared or angry.
Or someone who screams at a football game may be really excited.
But the people screaming at the Miami stadium weren't watching the game.
A black and white cat was about to fall from a high upper deck (上層看台).
It's back legs were hanging in the air.
The deck was about 10 meters high. That's like falling from the 3rd floor of a building!
黑白貓用爪子緊緊鉤住電線，掛在三層樓高處掙扎。
The cat held on to a wire with its two front paws…
It was struggling.
Then it held on with only one paw…
Then the cat fell!
Everyone screamed.
Luckily for the cat, some people on the 1st floor below had an American flag (美國國旗).
They say they bring the flag to every football game they watch.
When they saw the cat hanging above them, they quickly opened the flag, and got ready to use it to catch the cat.
The lucky cat fell onto the flag.
And some students helped pick up the cat, and held it up, to show everyone it was okay.
Everyone cheered!
一隻黑白貓誤闖一場橄欖球賽，差點墜落上層看台，幸好被下方球迷高舉國旗接住，全場大聲歡呼，真是一段驚險的插曲! ________________________________
黑金絲雀將有個人電影 Black Canary Getting Solo Movie
Another DC superhero is getting their own film.
The Black Canary film is in production for the HBO Max streaming platform.
Black Canary first appeared in 2020's Birds of Prey movie.
The character was played by actress Jurnee Smollett, and she will reprise (重演) the role in the standalone movie.
HBO Max 串流平台準備拍黑金絲雀個人電影。
The movie probably will not be ready for quite a while.
Jurnee has several other projects (案子、計畫) to do first, as does the screenwriter.
HBO Max already has other DC movies it is working on.
These include films for Supergirl and Blue Beetle.
還不知道新電影什麼時候上映，主演和編劇目前有很多別的計畫。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A survey finds that the number of people who bought food from Korean-style restaurants went up 24% last year.
Some Korean dishes can be very spicy.
If a food is spicy, it can make your mouth, tongue and throat feel like it's on fire! ________________________________
A black and white cat fell from a high upper deck of a stadium in the U.S.
Luckily for the cat, some people below caught it with an American flag.
The cat was okay! ________________________________
And,
Another DC superhero is getting their own film.
The Black Canary film is in production for the HBO Max streaming platform.
Black Canary first appeared in 2020's Birds of Prey movie. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan's working population shrinks, octopuses are throwing things, and a rock band hits an online milestone.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台灣的青壯年人口首次下降 Taiwan's Working Age Population Shrinks for the First Time
Taiwan's working population has shrunk for the first time.
As the number of people living in our country gets bigger each year, the number of people who are the right age to work usually also grows.
But this year, the number of people who are able to work has gone down.
Why has this happened?
It's because Taiwan has an aging population.
台灣有人口老化的問題。
That means slowly but surely, the number of old people in Taiwan is becoming higher than the number of young people.
And that's because there are less babies being born.
This could be a big problem for Taiwan in the future.
Because old people need a lot of support (支援) from the government, and once they retire (退休), they do not earn money themselves.
And if there are not enough young people to work, there may not be enough money to support these old people.
People are choosing to have less children for different reasons.
Perhaps some just want more freedom (自由).
Others say that the living expenses (生活費) in Taiwan are now too high, and even if they wanted children, they could not earn enough money to support them.
The government has been thinking of different ways to solve this problem.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je last year suggested (建議) the government gives people money for getting married, and this would encourage them (鼓勵他們) to have children.
But many think this would not be enough to cover the cost of raising children.
Can you think of any ways Taiwan could solve its aging population problem?
台北市長柯文哲去年提議說，政府可以提供結婚補助金，好鼓勵人們結婚生子，不過很多人覺得這不夠彌補生養小孩的花費。
你認為台灣要如何解決人口老化的問題呢？ ________________________________
章魚會互相扔東西嗎？ Can octopuses throw things at each other?
Octopuses are very smart creatures.
Scientists have found they can solve mazes (解開迷宮) and complete difficult tasks to get food.
And researchers (研究者) at the University of Sydney in Australia have discovered that octopuses can "throw" things by pushing them with water.
澳洲雪梨大學研究者發現，章魚會用推水的方式來扔東西。
But these researchers made another surprising discovery.
Naughty octopuses were throwing things at each other!
This is something we do as humans, but we do not often see it in animals.
The researchers said the way octopuses throw things at each other is complicated (複雜).
They use all their arms together and make a force (力量) to push water, and they also take water in then spit it out (吐出來) at objects to "throw" them at other octopuses.
But why do they throw stuff?
It could be for the same reasons humans do.
Some of the scientists thought the octopuses were throwing things at stuff they found annoying.
有些科學家認為，章魚會對牠討厭的東西推水。
This included a female octopus that was getting annoyed at a male one!
And when the scientists put a camera underwater to watch the octopuses, they threw things at that, too!
But other scientists thought they could just be cleaning their homes.
And if they hit another octopus, it is probably a mistake (意外，錯誤).
But as we said before, octopuses are very smart, and we still have a lot to learn about them.
章魚確實是非常聰明的動物，科學家還需要多多觀察，才會更了解這種生物。 ________________________________
金屬製品MV超越十億點擊率 Metallica Music Video Hits 1 Billion Views
Another classic rock band has hit an online milestone.
The music video for Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" has now been watched one billion (十億) times on YouTube.
The video reached that number as the album it came out on marks its 30th anniversary.
The Black Album was released in August of 1991.
過了三十年，金屬製品樂團的Nothing Else Matters MV在YouTube上達到十億點擊率。
To celebrate the big anniversary, Metallica came out with an updated (升級) version of the album.
It includes other celebrities singing covers of the songs.
Nothing Else Matters is only the 6th music video from the 90s to reach one billion views.
The other bands that hit that mark are Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, The Cranberries, Whitney Houston, and 4 Non Blondes.
Nothing Else Matters是第六部1990年代的MV達到這個里程碑。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's working population has shrunk for the first time. . It's because Taiwan has an aging population.
People are choosing to have less children for different reasons, and some think raising a child is too expensive. ________________________________
And,
Octopuses can "throw" things by pushing water.
Some scientists think they throw things at each other.
But others think they could just be cleaning their homes. ________________________________
And,
A classic rock band has hit an online milestone.
The music video for Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" has now been watched one billion times on YouTube.
Nothing Else Matters is only the 6th music video from the 90s to reach one billion views. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan Plus shows the island to the world, Perseverance tries again, and a zombie movie is getting a prequel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國際影音串流平台 向世界介紹台灣 Taiwan Plus Shows Taiwan To The World
Taiwan is showing a new face to the world!
It's called "Taiwan Plus", and it's a new app for smartphones (智慧型手機), supported by Taiwan's government.
The app is Taiwan's first video-streaming platform (影音串流平台) for English speakers.
This is because Taiwan has been looking for ways to share its news, achievements, and culture with the world, as well as its values of freedom and democracy. 台灣一直在尋找一種方式，好跟全球分享新聞，成就，文化，以及民主自由價值觀。
The app released on August 30th, and there are now lots of different stories to read, and videos to watch.
You can even watch a TV series called Seqalu (斯卡羅), which shows a very special part of Taiwan's history, between indigenous people (原住民) and new visitors to the island.
Taiwan's government says they hope the app can be like a window, for the world to look through and see Taiwan.
President Tsai Ing-wen also shared some encouraging words for the app's release.
Taiwan's Central News Agency is overseeing the Taiwan Plus app's development. 中央社負責管理Taiwan Plus應用程式。
We can expect to see more cool stuff on the Taiwan Plus app soon…
So if you're interested in learning more about Taiwan while you practice your English, go check it out! ____________________________________________
火星探測器【毅力號】鑽出完美的石頭樣本 Perseverance Mars Lander Drills Perfect Rock Sample
NASA's new Mars Lander, named "Perseverance", has completed a new mission on Mars! 美國太空總署的火星探測器，叫做【毅力號】，最近完成了一項新任務！
It must be important, right?
Yes! NASA says it… made a… hole… in a rock?
Well, it may not seem like a big event, but this is actually a big reason why Perseverance traveled to Mars!
Perseverance, also called "Percy", has rolled about 2 kilometers in 6 months, since it landed on our neighboring planet.
That may not sound like a lot either, but big teams of scientists need to make lots of careful plans before Percy can make each move.
A few weeks ago, Percy drilled into a different rock to look closely inside it, but the rock was too soft, and fell apart. 幾個星期之前，毅力號鑽了一顆石頭來分析它裡面的成分，但是石頭太軟，一下子就裂成碎片。
Now, Percy has gotten a second sample (樣本), and this time, the rock's insides came out in one beautiful piece!
The sample is only about as big as a pencil, but Percy is going to continue getting more samples from all over its area of Mars.
It will then keep the samples safe, until a future Mars lander can pick them up and send them back to Earth. 毅力號會保存樣本，等到下一個火星探測器抵達，就可以拿到這些樣本送回地球。
It's a long and slow process, but we are getting closer and closer to seeing people travel to Mars someday soon.
Until then, Perseverance still has a long way to drive! ____________________________________________
活屍大軍前傳將上映 Army of the Dead Prequel Coming Soon
A recent Netflix film is already getting a new installment.
"Army of the Dead" first debuted (首次演出) on the streaming platform this past May.
Netflix now says a prequel film will be released soon.
"Army of Thieves" will start streaming in late October.
新的活屍大軍前傳十月底將在Netflix開始串流。
The prequel will focus on the character of Ludwig Dieter.
He was recruited in the first movie to help open the casino vault (保險庫).
A similar thing is happening in the prequel film.
However, because it is a prequel, there will be no zombies in it.
因為是前傳，新電影不會有殭屍。 ____________________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has released its first video-streaming platform for English speakers.
This is because Taiwan has been looking for ways to share its news, achievements, and culture with the world, as well as its values of freedom and democracy.
Taiwan's government says they hope the app can be like a window, for the world to look through and see Taiwan. ________________________________
And,
A few weeks ago, NASA's Mars Lander Perseverance drilled into a rock to look closely inside it, but the rock was too soft, and fell apart.
Now, Percy has gotten a second sample, and this time, the rock's insides came out in one beautiful piece!
Perseverance will keep the sample safe, until a future Mars lander can send them back to Earth. ________________________________
And,
Netflix says a prequel film to "Army of the Dead" will be released soon.
"Army of Thieves" will start streaming in late October.
However, because it is a prequel, there will be no zombies in it. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei plans for a new academy, Tesla designs a new robot, and Justin Bieber is getting another documentary.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
珍古德將在台北建立 實驗教育機構 Jane Goodall Helps To Set Up An Academy In Taipei
Taipei is getting a special academy (特殊學校) to help teach young people about nature.
And the planning of the academy will be helped by a very special animal researcher, named Jane Goodall!
Ms. Goodall is famous for researching and working with chimpanzees (黑猩猩), for most of her life.
Many people say she is the world's best expert on these primates (靈長目), who are so closely related to humans.
Ms. Goodall's academy plans to teach elementary school students more about nature, and to raise environmental awareness. 珍古德實驗學校的目標，就是提供小學生更多關於大自然的知識，並且提升他們的環境意識。
Ms. Goodall is helping the academy get started with the 10 million NT (一千萬台幣) she got from winning a "Tang Prize".
The Tang Prize is for people who do amazing work in subjects like science, history, and law.
And there are also awards for work in "sustainable development", which is what Ms. Goodall won!
Ms. Goodall also plans to use this money for projects (計畫) in Malaysia and India.
In Malaysia, she will focus on teaching more people about primates.
And the project in India will focus on connecting young people with the natural world.
The Tang Foundation says the projects will continue working over the next four years.
This could be the start of many more nature projects to come! ________________________________
特斯拉汽車公司 製造新型機器人來取代人工 Tesla Making New Robots To Replace Human Work
Humans have made some amazing robots in the past few years, and many of them are getting smarter and smarter.
But how would you feel about working with one?
The company Tesla might be releasing a "Tesla Bot" next year.
"Bot" is short for "robot" (機器人), and the new robot would be used for work that is difficult for people to do.
That includes work that is dangerous, repetitive, or even boring.
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk (執行長 伊隆·馬斯克) says the robots will be able to do things like putting together cars, or moving heavy things around.
He says they will be about 173 centimeters tall, and they won't be too expensive to make!
Since the economy is still having trouble from COVID-19, Mr. Musk says these robots would help in some of the places where real people can't. 馬斯克說由於疫情的影響，這些機器人能幫助大家做一些人類辦不到的事。
The Tesla Bots will need to have cameras, so they can see their surroundings (周圍的環境) and learn how to move around people and things.
But some workers are scared of what this could mean, for real people working around the robots.
Since the robots' cameras will record everything they see, many workers feel like they won't have any more privacy. 機器人會錄下它的攝影機所看到的人與周圍環境，很多員工因此覺得隱私受到侵犯。
Other people are afraid the robots will be better workers, and take away jobs from real people.
Still, some people say the robots aren't the problem.
They say we should worry more about the people controlling (控制) the robots.
Having better technology is great… but these are questions we will have to think about more and more in the future. ________________________________
新小賈斯汀紀錄片將上映 New Justin Bieber Documentary Online Soon
A new movie about a big pop star is coming out.
The documentary (紀錄片) is about Justin Bieber.
It is called "Our World".
The movie will give viewers a look at the preparations that went into Justin Bieber's 2020 New Year's Eve live concert.
新小賈斯汀紀錄片將讓觀眾看他準備2020跨年演唱會。
That show was Justin's first live performance in three years.
Millions of fans watched that livestream around the world.
The documentary will be on the Amazon Prime streaming service in early October.
It was made by the same production team (劇組) as a previous YouTube series about Justin.
紀錄片十月初開始在亞馬遜Prime平台上串流。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei is getting a special academy.
The planning of the academy will be helped by a very special animal researcher, named Jane Goodall!
Ms. Goodall's academy plans to teach elementary school students more about nature, and to raise environmental awareness. ________________________________
And,
The company Tesla might be releasing a "Tesla Bot" next year.
The new robot would be used for dangerous, repetitive, or boring work, that is difficult for people to do.
Since the economy is still having trouble from COVID-19, Tesla's CEO says these robots would help in some of the places where real people can't. ________________________________
And,
Justin Bieber is getting a new documentary, called "Our World".
The movie will give viewers a look at the preparations that went into Justin Bieber's 2020 New Year's Eve live concert.
That show was Justin's first live performance in three years. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei Zoo welcomes new baby animals, a boy in the U.K. makes a fortune online, and a popular musical gets a sequel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北動物園歡迎新出生的馬來貘 Baby Tapir Born at Taipei Zoo
Summer has brought new life to Taipei Zoo.
On August 10th, a baby tapir was born there.
A tapir (貘) is a small mammal with a 'trunk' - or a long nose it uses to grab things - that is related to the horse and the rhino.
But it kind of looks like a pig!
馬來貘是有長鼻子的小型哺乳動物,，它跟馬和犀牛有遺傳關聯，但是外表比較像豬。
Tapirs can come from central and South American, but the ones at Taipei Zoo are Malayan tapirs, so they are from Southeast Asia.
And the new birth is exciting news, because Malayan tapirs are endangered (瀕危的).
In fact, it's so exciting that the zoo held an online vote so people could decide its name.
And the winning name was… Mo Hua Dou (貘花豆).
Why this name? It was chosen because the tapir's brother was named Mo Dou (貘豆) when he was born last year.
Both names were given to them by a Taiwanese cartoon artist called Cherng who draws pictures of tapirs.
Also… Mo Hua Dou sounds like a Taiwanese phrase which means "literally can't" in English.
Mo Hua Dou was not the only new life Taipei Zoo welcomed this summer.
The staff working there were very excited to discover some flamingos (紅鶴) had laid eggs.
They were not expecting it this year.
The heavy rains over the summer made it difficult for the flamingos to make nests (做窩).
For now, staff at the zoo have switched the eggs with fake ones!
This is so the mother flamingos can still look after what they think are their children, while the real eggs are kept in a place where they can stay warm enough.
動物園工作人員把紅鶴的蛋拿走，用假蛋取代， 真蛋帶去保暖。 ________________________________
英國小孩賣代幣 賺大錢 British Student Makes Fortune Selling NFTs
A 12-year-old boy in the United Kingdom recently made 290 thousand pounds selling non-fungible tokens online.
That's over 11 million NT dollars! 那是一千一百萬台幣！
You're probably wondering what non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are.
They are a kind of digital artwork that people buy and sell using cryptocurrency.
代幣是一種虛擬藝術品，人們會用加密貨幣在網路上買賣。
Once you buy an NFT, you own a special piece of code (程式碼) on the internet that says it's yours, no matter how many times people copy or reproduce it (複製它).
During school holidays in the UK, Benyamin decided to create his own NFTs called Weird Whales.
They are pictures are whales made up of pixels (畫素), and they are different colors, and often wearing funny hats.
And they are Benyamin's second artwork collection; his first was inspired by Minecraft.
Benyamin第一套作品的靈感來自於電腦遊戲[當個創世神，他的第二套作品叫做[奇怪鯨魚。
He also plans to make another inspired by superheroes.
Benyamin created 3,350 Weird Whales by coding them (寫程式) through a program.
Coding is like a language we use to tell computers what to do.
Benyamin started learning to code with his brother Yousef when he was five years old.
He started doing it for fun, but then took it more seriously, and now he practices for 20 to 30 minutes every day.
And his practice paid off when he sold his Weird Whales for a lot of money.
The money Benyamin made isn't in a physical (實體的) bank account, it's in a virtual one in the form of cryptocurrency.
He hasn't decided to tell his classmates about it yet. ________________________________
皇后樂團電影將有續集 Bohemian Rhapsody Sequel Coming
A popular musical movie is getting a follow-up.
Bohemian Rhapsody, about the band Queen, came out in 2018.
It starred Rami Malek as lead singer (主唱) Freddie Mercury.
Band member Brian May has now confirmed that a sequel is coming.
2018年上映的波希米亞狂想曲電影獎會有第二部。
The band members were not always in favor of a second movie.
Just last year, they were still saying that a second film was not likely to happen.
However, they have since changed their minds (改變主意), and are now working on ideas for a sequel.
The original film won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor.
皇后樂團團員原本不想出續集，但最近改變主意了。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A baby tapir was born at Taipei Zoo.
It has been named Hua Dou Mo.
And the zoo will soon welcome some baby flamingos, too! ________________________________
And,
A 12-year-old boy made 290 thousand pounds selling non-fungible tokens online.
His NFTs are called Weird Whales, and he made 3,350 of them.
The boy has been learning to code since he was five. ________________________________
And,
Bohemian Rhapsody is getting a sequel.
The movie was about the band "Queen".
It starred Rami Malek as lead singer Freddie Mercury. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A train-shaped card, a hailed-out fashion show, and actors making a fortune.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台鐵立體造型一卡通 四十六秒完售 Train-shaped iPass Sells Out Fast
Most people swipe (刷、掃描) a card when they go into an MRT or train station.
How about swiping a "train"?
Lots of people use an iPass.
It's a small flat card that you can use to get into the Kaohsiung Metro, Taipei Metro, buses and TRA.
But the Taiwan Railways Administration made an iPass that looks a little different.
It looks like a train!
This new iPass is actually shaped like an EMU900.
臺鐵與一卡通公司特別合作推出「EMU900型立體造型一卡通」。
The EMU900 is a type of train.
It's been called the "Most Beautiful Local Train" by some people.
And the iPass looks just like it, with a silver body, and a green line down the side.
But the train-shaped iPass is very small.
It's about as long as a finger.
And when you swipe it to get into a station, the LED lights at the front of the "train" light up!
這個iPass是立體車型，嗶卡時或儲值時車頭還會亮燈。
The TRA says the first batch (第一批) that went on sale were sold out in 46 seconds.
And once the second batch sells out, they are not making any more.
臺鐵局與一卡通公司說這款最美區間車iPass限量售完為止，絕版不再製作。 ________________________________
冰雹襲威尼斯時裝秀 Fashion Show Pelted by Hailstorm
A famous designer once said, "Fashion never stops".
But it looks like fashion does stop for Mother Nature!
A very big fashion show happened in the Italian city of Venice.
It was for the fashion house Dolce and Gabbana.
Lots of famous people went to the outdoor show at St. Mark's Square.
Doja Cat, J.Lo, Vin Diesel, and Megan Thee Stallion were all there.
The models walked up and down the catwalk (伸展台).
And everyone clapped and talked about the beautiful clothes.
But when the show got to its big ending…
It suddenly started hailing (下冰雹)!
Hail is when balls of ice fall from the sky.
It happens when raindrops are carried very high by winds, and become frozen.
Then they fall down to earth as balls of ice.
The balls can be small, like the size of a pea.
But they can be much bigger.
The biggest piece of hail people know fell in South Dakota, in the U.S.
It was the size of a soccer ball!
Good thing no one was hurt when that happened.
The hail that fell on the Dolce and Gabbana show in Venice were not that big.
But they were big enough to hurt.
Many people started running to get inside, and many shouted "OW!" as the hail hit them.
But the models were very professional, and kept walking on the catwalk!
And when the designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana came out at the end of the show, they had to use their hands to protect their head from the falling ice.
This is one fashion show that people will remember for a long time.
義大利品牌 Dolce & Gabbana在維尼斯舉辦戶外時尚大秀，沒想到突然下起冰雹，台下明星和時尚人士倉皇而逃， 伸展台上的模特兒努力保持專業繼續走下去，真是一場難忘的fashion show. ________________________________
2021最賺演員名單出爐 List of Highest-Earning Actors Released
Variety Magazine has revealed the highest-paid actors of the year.
According to its estimates, Daniel Craig earned (賺了) the most out of any actor in 2021.
He made 100 million US dollars during this time.
That was for his work in the upcoming second and third movies in the Knives Out franchise.
綜藝雜誌估測丹尼爾·克雷格是今年最賺的演員，他大概賺了一億美元。
Number 2 this year was Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
He got 50 million dollars for his holiday movie, Red One.
Will Smith and Denzel Washington were tied (平分) this year, making 40 million each.
Jennifer Lawrence was the highest paid actress on the list, earning 25 million dollars to place sixth.
珍妮佛·勞倫斯是今年最賺的女演員，賺了兩千五百萬美元，排第六名。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taiwan Railways Administration has made a new iPass shaped like an EMU900.
And when you swipe it to get into a station, the LED lights at the front of the "train" light up!
The TRA says the first batch that went on sale were sold out in 46 seconds. ________________________________
Hail fell on an outdoor Dolce and Gabbana fashion show in Venice.
Many people started running to get inside, and many shouted "OW!" as the hail hit them.
But the models were very professional, and kept walking on the catwalk! ________________________________
And,
Variety Magazine has revealed the highest-paid actors of the year.
According to its estimates, Daniel Craig earned the most out of any actor in 2021.
He made 100 million U.S. dollars during this time. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Hermit crabs enjoy the beach, young gamers get cut off, and Drax is leaving Marvel.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
寄居蟹放鬆脫殼 漫步找新家 Hermit Crabs Enjoy Empty Beaches
Picture a hermit crab (寄居蟹).
Do you think of a little crab-like animal with a shell (貝殼) on its back?
But what does a hermit crab look like without a shell?
Hermit crabs live close to water.
They keep most of their body in a shell, to stay safe.
If they do not have a shell, it would be very easy for a bird or a bigger animal to eat them.
And when hermit crabs grow bigger, their old shell gets to be too small for them.
They will leave their old shell and find a bigger new shell to live in.
This can be a very dangerous time for hermit crabs.
Usually, the hermit crab will make the switch (替換) very quickly, or they might get hurt when they are outside of their shell.
Lots of hermit crabs live on the beaches of Xiaoyeliu (小野柳) in Taitung.
Because of COVID-19, there were almost no people on the beaches there over the summer.
And this has made the hermit crabs very relaxed!
A video was posted online, showing a hermit crab walking around without a shell.
The hermit crab slowly looks for a new shell, and feels many different shells with its front legs.
It goes back and forth a few times before choosing its perfect shell.
Then finally, it gets in and makes the shell its new home.
通常寄居蟹換殼會快速幾秒鐘完成，因為全身暴露在外有很大的風險，不過疫情讓小野柳遊客變少，讓當地的寄居蟹放鬆脫殼，悠閒地挑選新螺殼。 ________________________________
大陸防未成年者沉迷電玩 平日禁打、假日只能玩1小時 China Bans Kids Videogames on Weekdays
Playing video games too much can be bad for you.
Staring at a screen for a long time is bad for your eyes, and you won't get much exercise (運動).
Now in China, the government is taking a big step to control how long people play video games.
China's government says children under 18 years old may not play any video games Mondays to Thursdays.
And they may only play one hour, from 8pm to 9pm on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
And this is for games on cell phones, tablets, and computers.
中國大陸為了預防青少年沈迷電玩，公佈了新規定，未成年人在週末和假日時只能玩一小時遊戲，非假日都不可以玩。
Do you think this is a good idea?
Actually, China already had limits on game time.
In 2019, the government said children could only play 90 minutes on weekdays, and three hours on weekends.
Officials say this is to make sure young people don't get addicted (上癮) to gaming.
But how do they know how long you have played?
The government says people who play games online must use their real name to open an account.
And gaming companies can only let young people play from 8pm to 9pm on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
Players under 18 years old will not be able use their account on school nights.
大陸政府規定使用者必須用實名註冊與登錄遊戲，未成年的玩家只有禮拜五、周末、還有國定假日的晚上8點到9點才可以玩。 ________________________________
德克斯演員將退出漫威宇宙 Drax Actor Leaving MCU
A Guardian of the Galaxy is stepping down.
Dave Bautista plays Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He says that once the third movie in the Guardians series is done, he will leave the role (角色).
Dave says that will be the end of his Drax journey.
德克斯演員巴帝斯塔說拍完第三部星際異攻隊電影之後，他會退出漫威電影宇宙。
Dave has already finished filming his part in the fourth Thor movie.
Production on the third Guardians movie is expected to begin in October.
Dave hopes that in his last outing, Drax will be able to show off (表現) his physical abilities more.
In the previous movies, Drax played a more comedic role.
巴帝斯塔希望第三部電影可以發揮德克斯的戰鬥能力。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Hermit crabs are enjoying the beaches of Xiaoyeliu in Taitung.
Because of COVID-19, there were almost no people on the beaches there over the summer.
A video was posted online, showing a hermit crab walking around without a shell. ________________________________
China's government says children under 18 years old may not play any video games Mondays to Thursdays.
And they may only play one hour, from 8pm to 9pm on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
And this is for games on cell phones, tablets, and computers. ________________________________
And,
Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer, says he is leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He says that once the third movie in the Guardians series is done, he will leave the role.
Dave says that will be the end of his Drax journey. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taiwan wins medals in science, we watch the tiniest animals walk, and an actor might return to the Potter universe.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
國際地球科學奧林匹克賽 台灣奪金 Taiwan Wins Gold Medals At The International Earth Science Olympiad
Did you pay attention in science class?
Well, even if science isn't your favorite subject in school, it's very important to learn at least a little bit.
Of course, "science" is just one word, for many different kinds of subjects (科目)!
And this year, some students from Taiwan were in a competition (比賽) for those different subjects.
The competition was called "The International Earth Science Olympiad" (國際地球科學奧林匹克), also called the I.E.S.O.
It was held (舉辦) online, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this was the event's 14th year.
The competition tests students in subjects like geology (地質學), meteorology (氣象學), environmental science (環境科學), and astronomy (天文學).
And Taiwan's team of high school students got first place!
Well, they tied (打成了平手) with the Australian team, but that's still pretty excellent.
Taiwan's team won four gold medals (金牌), and one silver medal (銀牌).
The winning students made science projects about subjects like "fundamental sciences" (基礎科學), "ancient creatures" (古代的生物), and "the mysteries of nature" (大自然的神秘).
And many of the students say they want to continue to do more science projects in the future. 很多參加比賽的學生說，他們未來還想要繼續研究科學。
Even if science isn't your favorite subject, it's important we encourage (鼓勵) young people to learn more about it.
Congratulations to Taiwan's science team! ________________________________
緩步動物門的小東西 如何走路 Scientists Learn How Tardigrades Walk
There are lots of different animals, of all shapes (形狀) and sizes (大小), all over the world.
But there is one amazing animal so tiny that you almost can't see it!
It's called a Tardigrade (緩步動物門).
Even the biggest tardigrades are only one millimeter long (一毫米長)!
So scientists have had to use many different microscopes (顯微鏡) to take pictures of these tiny animals.
The word "tardi" means "slow", and the word "grade" means "a step", so the whole name in English means the same thing as in Chinese!
But even though they are named for their slow steps, scientists have only just learned how these tiny animals walk, since each Tardigrade has eight legs!
Scientists recently watched tardigrades walk across different surfaces, and found that their way of walking is very similar to insects. 科學家仔細觀察這些細小的動物，在不同的平面上走路，發現牠們走路的方式跟昆蟲很像。
They say it's a little strange, because tardigrades and many insects are very different sizes, and made of completely different stuff.
Scientists have also learned that their walk isn't the only interesting thing about them.
Tardigrades live in wet places, especially places with lots of moss (苔癬), so some people also call them "water bears".
But they can live almost anywhere!
They can live very close to the heat of a volcano, or in the snow in Antarctica (南極洲).
And they can even survive in outer space, with no air! 牠們連在沒有空氣的外太空，都能夠存活！
Now, you can find videos online of tardigrades moving their tiny little feet.
If you think they look weird, or scary, don't worry… they don't hurt people.
There is still so much to learn, from the little things we can't even see! ________________________________
哈利波特主角想演新角色 Daniel Radcliffe Interested in Other Potter Character
The star of Harry Potter is willing to return to the franchise.
Daniel Radcliffe played the title role (劇名角色) in all 8 Harry Potter movies.
He now says he would be interested in returning for a possible reboot of the franchise.
Obviously, he would not be able to play Harry again.
哈利波特主角丹尼爾·雷德克里夫說他願意參與重新詮釋的電影系列。
Instead, Daniel says he would be interested in playing Sirius Black or Remus Lupin.
Those roles were played by Gary Oldman and David Thewlis in the original franchise, respectively.
Daniel says his choices are influenced (被影響) by the great experience he had with those actors.
He says those are some of his favorite memories.
There are currently no plans to reboot the Harry Potter movies.
It has been discussed recently though, because it is the 20th anniversary of the first film's release.
丹尼爾當然沒辦法再演哈利，但他說他對別的角色有興趣。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Some students from Taiwan were in a competition called "The International Earth Science Olympiad".
The competition tests students in subjects like geology, meteorology, environmental science, and astronomy. ________________________________
And,
The tardigrade is a tiny animal, only about 1 millimeter long.
Scientists recently watched tardigrades walk across different surfaces, and found that their way of walking is very similar to insects. ________________________________
And,
The star of Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, says he is willing to return to the franchise.
He says he would be interested in playing Sirius Black or Remus Lupin. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A man loses his finger to a wild boar, a girl finds 20 thousand dollars in a bag of chips, and a different actor will star in the new Captain America.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
山豬咬掉老先生的手指 Man Loses Finger in Fight with Wild Boar
There are some animals you have to be careful of in the wild in Taiwan.
Bears, for example, can be very dangerous.
So can monkeys.
But pigs? Yes, pigs can be dangerous, too.
We're talking about a specific kind of pig called the wild boar (山豬).
You probably know about this animal because it's widely eaten in Taiwan, especially among Indigenous cultures.
You can buy wild boar sausages all over the country.
我們所講到的豬就是山豬，山豬在台灣料理中十分普遍，尤其是原住民的料理。而且台灣到處都吃得到山豬香腸。
A man from Pingtung County recently found out how dangerous wild boars can be.
The 72-year-old went to Huayu Mountain to check and put down animal traps (陷阱).
Suddenly, a wild boar charged towards him and began to attack.
山豬突然衝過去攻擊他。
During the attack, the boar bit and scratched the man, causing injuries to his arms, legs, head and body.
He even bit off the man's pinky finger on his left hand! 甚至咬掉了他左手的小指。
Luckily, the man was able to fight back at the boar, and eventually it ran away.
But the man was deep in the mountains, and he couldn't call anyone for help, because his phone had no signal (收不到訊號).
He had to walk around for a while to find a place he could use his phone.
After several hours, the man got in touch with his friend, who called emergency services (緊急救難服務).
The man was eventually saved and taken to hospital.
But they never found his finger.
山豬的攻擊讓老先生全身都受傷，幸好後來豬跑掉，但是因為手機收不到訊號，他沒辦法求救。過了好幾個鐘頭才終於聯絡上朋友，把他送到醫院。但是他們終究沒有找到他的小指頭。 ________________________________
價值兩萬澳幣的多利多滋玉米片 The 20 Thousand Dollar Dorito
How much do you pay for a packet of Doritos corn chips?
It's not much, and it's certainly not 20 thousand dollars.
But a customer recently discovered that's how much her bag of chips was worth.
In fact, it wasn't the whole bag of chips, but just one chip inside!
13-year-old Rylee Stuart from Australia posted a video to TikTok of a chip she found in a bag of Doritos.
This chip was unusual, because it wasn't flat, it was puffy, and filled with air.
這片玉米片很特別，不是扁的，而是蓬起來，裡面都是空氣．
Rylee asked if she should keep it or eat it.
Lots of her followers said she should try to sell it.
So Riley listed it on eBay, an online auction website (拍賣網站)..
She only asked for 99 Australian dollars for the chip, plus 6 dollars 20 for the postage.
But to her surprise, the auction went viral.
That means it was passed around the internet so that lots of people saw it.
她的玉米片拍賣影片在網路爆紅，很多人看到。
Eventually, the winner of the auction paid her 20 thousand Australian dollars.
And the winner wasn't just anyone.
It was Doritos Australia.
They said they wanted to reward Rylee for her "ingenuity" and "entrepreneurship."
Rylee said her dad bought the bag of chips, so he told her the money was his, but she said she was the one who found the chip and ate the bag, so the money should definitely be hers!
What do you think?
澳洲多利多滋公司出錢買下那片玉米片，以鼓勵Rylee的創新想法與企業精神。Rylee的爸爸說錢應該歸他所有，因為是他買的玉米片。但是Rylee的看法可不一樣。你覺得呢？ ________________________________
獵鷹將主演美國隊長電影 Anthony Mackie to Star in Next Captain America Movie
A different actor will headline one of Marvel's core movie franchises.
Anthony Mackie has officially signed on to be the star of the 4th Captain America film.
He takes on the mantle (繼承衣缽) from Chris Evans, who played Cap until the events of Endgame.
Chris' character gave his iconic shield to Anthony's character at the end of that film.
獵鷹演員安東尼·麥基會當第四部美國隊長電影的主演。
Anthony's character, the Falcon, did not fully accept the role at first.
He decided to officially become (成為) Captain America in this past summer's TV series.
In that show, he co-starred with Sebastian Stan, who played the Winter Soldier.
We don't know yet if the Winter Soldier will appear in the next movie too.
目前不知道酷寒戰士會不會在第四部電影出現。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man from Pingtung County recently found out how dangerous wild boars can be.
A boar bit off his finger!
Luckily, he was saved, but his finger wasn't. ________________________________
And,
A 13-year-old girl found a special Dorito chip.
Doritos paid 20 thousand Australian dollars to buy it back from the girl!
They said they wanted to reward her "ingenuity" and "entrepreneurship". ________________________________
And,
A different actor will headline one of Marvel's core movie franchises.
Anthony Mackie has officially signed on to be the star of the 4th Captain America film.
He takes on the mantle from Chris Evans. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Changing climate, a cat's point of view, and a scary spinoff in the works.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
暖化加劇 台灣面臨消失的冬天 A Future with Long Summers and No Winter?
Does an extra long summer sound like a good thing?
How about having no winter?
The Ministry of Science and Technology (科技部) says this could really happen.
The ministry published a new report about climate change in Taiwan.
The report says from 1911 to 2020, the average temperature in Taiwan rose 1.6 degrees Celsius.
And the ministry says the temperature is rising more and more quickly.
The report says if Taiwan takes steps to fight climate change, these rising temperatures may slow down a bit.
But if nothing is done, temperatures could rise by up to 3.4 degrees Celsius by the end of century (世紀)!
And summer could be as long as 7 months!
A few degrees hotter, or a longer summer may not seem so bad.
We can just turn up the air conditioning, right?
But think about how hot it has been this summer.
Many cities saw high temperatures up to 37 or 38 degrees.
And last year in July, Taipei was up to 39.7 degrees!
When it is that hot, it's very easy for people to get heatstroke (中暑), or get sick.
And the super hot weather also affects all animals and plants, including the things we grow to eat.
這種高溫度的天氣不只影響我們人類，也會影響到所有動物和植物。
And that's not all.
The government report also shows that there are now more years where we get less rain.
Do you remember earlier this year, when most parts of Taiwan did not have enough water?
Did you have days when you got no water service at home?
If climate change continues, we might see more of that in the coming years.
The report says Taiwan must take steps to fight global warming if we do not want to see this happen.
專家說台灣也需要同步強化應對氣候變遷的能力，才能緩解地球暖化的衝擊。 ________________________________
美國貓咪帶頭示範戴眼鏡樂趣 Truffles the Kitty Makes Glasses Fun
Many of us spend a lot of time looking at computer and cell phone screens each day.
This means more and more people have eye problems.
But for younger children, going to see the eye doctor can be scary.
And if they have to wear glasses (眼鏡) or something else special on their eyes, they might get even more scared.
So one cat in the U.S. is putting on glasses to help!
Truffles was found as a stray cat in 2016.
Her human mom Danielle is an optician (配鏡師), a person who helps people who need glasses.
One day, Danielle brought Truffles to work with her.
And she found that the black and white cat with big green eyes really helped kids relax.
So Danielle started having Truffles wear glasses.
Danielle says sometimes, a young child comes to the shop to get glasses, but is very scared.
Truffles will come out, and Danielle will help the cat put on glasses.
And Danielle says children always start to smile and laugh when they see Truffles wearing glasses.
當警張的小朋友看到貓咪淡定的戴上眼鏡，他們都會笑開懷，漸漸覺得眼鏡沒有那麼可怕。
Truffles also has an eye patch (眼罩).
Some kids need to wear an eye patch to help make their eyes stronger.
But wearing the eye patch might make them feel nervous (緊張、不安).
When they see Truffles wearing an eye patch too, it makes them happy and more comfortable.
Danielle says Truffles likes to wear the glasses, and sometimes won't let Danielle take them off.
Danielle says she is glad that Truffles has helped so many kids feel happy and confident.
She hopes more people who want pets will choose to adopt (領養), because she says adopted animals are special! ________________________________
新的大法師恐怖片外傳 Exorcist Spin-off In Production
A classic horror movie is getting a follow-up.
A spin-off movie to The Exorcist is currently in the works (正在進行).
The original movie came out in 1973.
One of the actors from the original will co-star in the new project.
一位1973年大法師電影演員將加入新的外傳。
Ellen Burstyn got an Oscar nomination (提名) for her role in The Exorcist.
In this new film, her character will help another parent whose child is possessed.
The movie will be directed by horror movie veteran David Gordon Green.
This film will start off a new trilogy, and should hit theaters in 2023.
新電影2023年上映，是新三部曲的第一部電影。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A government report says Taiwan could see long summers and no winters in the future.
The Ministry of Science and Technology report says this could happen if we do nothing to fight global warming.
Summers could last as long as 7 months, and winters may disappear. ________________________________
A cat in the U.S. wears glasses to help kids.
Truffles works at a shop that sells glasses.
And she often puts on glasses to help kids feel less nervous, and to make them smile. ________________________________
And,
A spin-off movie to The Exorcist is currently in the works.
One of the actors from the original will co-star in the new project.
In this new film, Ellen Burstyn's character will help another parent whose child is possessed. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei hosts the Golden Melody Awards, fruit flies may be more like humans than we think, and Jodie Whittaker leaves Doctor Who.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
台北流行音樂中心 主辦第32屆金曲獎 Golden Melody Awards Ceremony Takes Place in Taipei
This year's Golden Melody Awards ceremony was held on Saturday, August 21st.
The Golden Melody Awards is the most important event for pop music artists in Taiwan.
Artists who have been successful during the year get awards in categories (項目) like Best Male Singer, Best Female Singer and Album of the Year (最佳專輯獎).
The artist that won Album of the Year this time around was Sangpuy, with his album Pulu'em (得力量).
Sangpuy is an Indigenous Taiwanese from the Puyuma ethnic group. He sings in the Puyuma language.
The jury, or the group of people that decide which artists win awards, said his music "transcends the boundaries of language."
That means, even if you don't understand what he is singing, his music is still very enjoyable.
桑布伊是用卑南語歌唱的卑南族作曲家。金曲獎評審委員會說他的音樂超越語言界線，意思就是不需要懂得卑南語，也能聆聽享受。
Hebe Tien won the Best Mandarin Female Singer Award.
That's an award for female artists that sing in Mandarin Chinese.
Hebe used to be a part of the girl group S.H.E.
But the jury said her new album showed she has become a sophisticated (風格成熟) artist on her own.
The winner of the Best Mandarin Male Singer award was rapper Soft Lipa.
And there were many more award categories that celebrated artists that sing in different languages including Taiwanese (台語), Hakka (客家語) and Indigenous languages.
The Golden Melody Awards is one of the three major awards ceremonies in Taiwan, alongside The Golden Bell Awards for TV (廣播電視金鐘獎), and The Golden Horse Awards for film (金馬獎). ________________________________
人類與果蠅的共同點 Fruit Flies Show Human Behaviors
Humans might be more similar to flies than we think.
Especially the common fruit fly.
A fruit fly is a very small insect that gets its name because it likes to eat and lay eggs in fruit.
You might see them in your house if you leave food garbage around for too long!
And you usually find them in groups.
It's because they reproduce (繁殖) very quickly.
But also because they are social creatures.
That means they like to be around other fruit flies a lot.
果蠅與人類一樣是喜歡群居的動物，而且能夠快速繁殖。
Humans are social creatures, too.
We usually like to be around friends and family, otherwise we might get lonely.
But did you know fruit flies also get lonely?
And when they feel lonely they eat more and sleep less, just like many humans do!
Scientists recently decided to put fruit flies in "lockdown" (封城) to see what would happen.
People around the world are in lockdown right now because of COVID-19.
And many have said it is making them sad and lonely.
The scientists found the fruit flies in lockdown started to show changes in their brains.
And they began over-eating and under-sleeping (牠們開始吃得多睡得少).
But the experiment wasn't just for fun.
The scientists hope it can help us understand the connection between loneliness and insomnia (失眠症), which is the name for when people cannot sleep well for many days.
The research might help some of us get a better night's rest.
這項果蠅實驗並非只是好玩，而是為了更深入了解孤單寂寞跟失眠症之間的關係。也許有助於人類睡個好覺呢。 ________________________________
神秘博士將退出主演 Jodie Whittaker Leaving Doctor Who
The lead actor in a major TV show is stepping away.
Jodie Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who next year.
She has played The Doctor since 2017.
Jodie will finish out the current series this year, and then appear in three special programs (特別節目) in 2022.
第十三位神秘博士主演朱迪·惠特克明年會退出這個電視節目。
Jodie is leaving at the same time as the show's executive producer, Chris Chibnall.
The two of them made a pact (條約) that they would do three series of the show, and then exit.
They will now hand over the roles to new people.
No announcement has been made about who will be the 14th Doctor.
惠特克和神秘博士監製會同時離開，目前不知道誰會接辦。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Golden Melody Awards happened in Taipei.
It's an important ceremony for pop music artists.
Sangpuy won Album of the Year. ___________________________________________________________________
And,
Are fruit flies more like humans than we think?
They eat more and sleep less when they are lonely.
They could help us understand the link between loneliness and insomnia. ________________________________
And,
Jodie Whittaker is leaving Doctor Who next year.
She has played The Doctor since 2017.
Jodie will finish out the current series this year, and then appear in three special programs. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
A man spots a wild black bear, London welcomes back the Changing of the Guard, and Beyonce's Formation named Best Music Video.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
罕見的台灣黑熊現身 Man Spots Formosan Black Bear in the Wild
Do you know what the national animal of Taiwan is?
A national animal is a creature chosen by the government to represent its country.
國家動物就是政府選定的動物，用來代表國家，幾乎每一個國家都有。
You probably know that China's national animal is the panda.
And the national animal of the U.S. is the bald eagle.
Taiwan's national animal is the Formosan black bear.
It's a kind of bear that can only be found in Taiwan.
It is quite a small bear, with shiny black fur, a white V-shape near its neck, and a long nose.
Some experts think there are between 200 and 300 Formosan black bears in the wild, but no one really knows, because they live in the mountains and people rarely see them (很少見到牠們).
So one man got a big surprise when he saw one recently in Yushan National Park.
The man, who used to work at the park, was driving along a road towards Jade Mountain (玉山) when he saw a bear cross in front of his car.
He stopped and quickly called park officials (公園管理員) to let them know.
It was a rare sight indeed!
黑熊的確很少見!
Although they tend to stay away from humans, they can be dangerous if you get too close.
And they mainly move around during the day, but can come out at night, too.
That's why the national park says it's important to take garbage and waste food with you, and not dump it on the ground.
And if you spot a Formosan black bear, you should make noise to scare it away.
You should always visit the park in groups, not alone.
造訪國家公園的時候不要亂丟垃圾，假如你看到野生黑熊，可以大喊大叫來嚇跑牠。跟同伴一起遊玩國家公園，比獨自一人去安全喔。 ________________________________
倫敦恢復舉行 換衛兵儀式 Changing of the Guard Ceremony Returns in London
What's the first thing you think of when you imagine London?
It might be the Queen of England and her home Buckingham Palace (白金漢宮).
And if you know about Buckingham Palace, you probably know about the people that protect it (捍衛它).
These people are called guardsmen.
And the Queen's guardsmen are famous around the world because of the clothes they wear.
They have red jackets with buttons (鈕扣), and tall, black, furry hats.
One thing tourists like to do in London is watch the Changing of the Guard (換衛兵).
It's a ceremony (儀式) that happens when one group of guardsmen finishes their job and they are replaced by a new group.
白金漢宮的換衛兵，是一群衛兵站崗一段時間之後，換另外一批人上來接替的儀式。
The ceremony features music, and lasts around 45 minutes each time.
The Changing of the Guard ceremony hadn't happened for around 18 months, since the COVID-19 pandemic first struck the UK.
But that changed recently!
The ceremony returned on August 23rd, with the Guard band welcoming it back.
The Guard band played a special show, including covers of songs by famous artists like Spandeau Ballet and Whitney Houston.
The Queen, however, was not at Buckingham Palace at the time.
She was at her summer home in Scotland (蘇格蘭).
But there was a big crowd watching the band play.
If you go to watch the Changing of the Guard, remember to not get in their way!
If you stand somewhere you are not supposed to, and you are in the path of a guard, he will yell at you.
If you don't move, he might even push you away!
如果你要去看白金漢宮換衛兵的儀式，請不要擋住衛兵。要是你站錯了地方，衛兵會對你叫喊，假如你還是不動，他們甚至可能把你推開。 ________________________________
碧昂絲MV選為史上最棒的 Beyonce Music Video Named Best Ever
The best music video of all time has been chosen.
Officials of Rolling Stone magazine voted on which MV they considered the best.
They chose Beyonce's Formation video as the champion (冠軍).
Two other Beyonce music videos made the list of 100.
The other two were Single Ladies, and Telephone, which she did with Lady Gaga.
滾石雜誌選出一百部最棒的MV，碧昂絲的女力來襲MV是冠軍。
Number two on the list (名單，排名) was Johnny Cash's Hurt.
Madonna's "Vogue" and Childish Gambino's "This is America" were third and fourth, respectively.
Rounding out the top five was The Perfect Kiss, performed by New Order.
Rolling Stone last put out a best MV list in 1993.
這是第二次滾石雜誌列出MV排名，第一次是1993年。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
A man saw a Formosan black bear in Yushan National Park
He quickly called park officials to let them know.
It's important not to dump trash on the ground because it attracts bears. ________________________________
And,
The Changing of the Guard ceremony returned to Buckingham Palace in London.
It's very popular for tourists.
But if you go, remember not to get in their way! ________________________________
The best music video of all time has been chosen.
Officials of Rolling Stone magazine voted on which MV they considered the best.
They chose Beyonce's Formation video as the champion. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
A man gets a surprise birthday celebration, wildfires take over some European countries, and kids show Arthur is coming to an end.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
市民幫無家可歸的阿公慶祝生日 Citizens Help Celebrate Man without Home's Birthday
How do you usually celebrate your birthday?
你通常如何慶祝生日？
Some people have a party and others get a cake.
Most like to spend time with friends or family.
But unfortunately (很不幸) some people don't have the opportunity to do this.
Mr. Chiu, an 82-year-old man in Taichung is one of these people.
Mr. Chiu doesn't have a house.
And instead, he lives in his truck in the street.
And he has to park his truck under bridges or in parking lots.
He never married and does not have children, so he has no family to take care of him.
Mr. Chiu usually washes in public bathrooms.
In August, a group of people that help the elderly called the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation decided to help out Mr. Chiu.
His birthday is the day before Father's Day, August 7th.
So the group decided to help him celebrate both.
The foundation brought him pig knuckle and rice noodles to eat, and a birthday cake to celebrate.
Local elementary school children wrote Mr. Chiu Father's Day cards, which the foundation took to him.
Mr Chiu was very touched (很感動) by what happened.
He said he hadn't eaten cake or pig knuckle with rice noodles for over 20 years.
And he said he had never celebrated Father's Day.
He thanked the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation for bringing him happiness during hard times.
It shows that small actions can bring happiness to others around you.
82歲的阿公邱先生以卡車為家，租不到房子也沒有存錢。他沒有結婚也沒有小孩，所以沒有家人可照顧他。華山基金會送給他豬腳麵線跟蛋糕，慶祝他的生日跟父親節，他又開心又感動。這個故事代表小動作可以給別人帶來大幸福。 ________________________________
野火侵襲部分歐洲國家 European Countries Consumed by Wildfires
It's been a very hot summer around the world.
今年夏天，全球都非常熱。
And this May was the hottest May every in Turkey (土耳其).
The hot weather has caused fires in many places.
And Turkey and its neighbor Greece (希臘) have seen some of the biggest wild fires (野火) ever recorded in the two countries.
Wildfires happen every year in forests that have high temperatures.
They can be caused by lightning (閃電) or by people setting them off by accident.
But hot, dry weather helps them spread (蔓延) quickly and dangerously.
And climate change (氣候變化) is causing temperatures to get higher in many places every year.
Greece's prime minister described the country's wildfires as "nightmarish" (跟惡夢一樣) in August.
In the first 10 days of that month, wildfires burnt 140 thousand acres of land in Greece.
That's almost the size of 80 thousand soccer fields.
Thousands of people had to leave their homes, and over a thousand firefighters were sent to try and stop the fires.
People on one island called Evia had to leave by boat and watch their homes burn down.
Turkey's president also said his country is experiencing the worst wildfires ever.
Fires there burned over 1,500 square kilometers in July.
And wildfires have been bad this year in the U.S. too.
We need to slow down climate change if we have any hope of stopping these fires causing so much damage.
希臘跟土耳其今年夏天遭受野火侵襲，很多希臘人坐船逃離燒毀的家鄉. 想要預防野火災難，就必須減緩氣候變遷造成的地球暖化。 ________________________________
亞瑟小子卡通明年結束 Arthur Cartoon Ending Soon
A long-running children's television show is coming to an end.
The cartoon Arthur will stop airing in 2022.
The US Public Broadcasting Service has decided (決定) to stop producing the show after the current season.
The 25th season will be its last.
過了25年，美國公視播的亞瑟小子卡通明年要結束。
Producers of the show say they don't know why the show is being canceled.
They say they could have continued making the cartoon series for many years to come.
At 25 seasons, Arthur is the longest-running children's animated (動畫) series in U.S. history.
It is also the second-longest animation, behind only The Simpsons.
亞瑟小子是美國最長壽的兒童卡通節目。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Most like to spend time with friends or family for their birthday.
Mr. Chiu doesn't have a house or family to celebrate with.
So the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation brought him pig knuckle and rice noodles to eat, and a birthday cake to celebrate.
Mr Chiu was very touched by what happened. ________________________________
And,
Turkey and Greece have seen some of the biggest wild fires ever recorded in the two countries.
People on one island called Evia had to leave by boat and watch their homes burn down.
We need to slow down climate change if we have any hope of stopping these fires causing so much damage. ________________________________
And,
A long-running children's television show is coming to an end.
The cartoon Arthur will stop airing in 2022. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Pop goes the cat, rattle goes the snake, and Rihanna is a billionaire.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
PopCat掀起全球網友點擊大賽 Taiwan Pops Popcat… A Lot
Taiwan athletes did very well in the Tokyo Olympics.
Many won gold, silver, and bronze medals.
But Taiwan has taken a gold medal for something else too.
The Popcat clicker game!
Popcat is a very simple (簡單) online game.
The webpage has a picture of a cat.
You tap the screen, or press a button.
The cat's mouth opens and you hear a "pop" sound.
It's cute, and easy, and it's gone viral.
The game counts how many times you have "popped".
And it also shows how many pops each country around the world has.
The game was extra popular (特別受歡迎) during the Tokyo Olympics, when everyone was cheering for their country's athletes.
And Taiwan has taken 1st place in the Popcat game a few times!
Popcat這個奇妙的小遊戲變成了世界點擊大賽，台灣網民也多次勇奪全球第一名。
Other countries and regions in the top spots are Thailand, Hong Kong, and Finland.
Popcat is actually a real cat, named Oatmeal.
Oatmeal's owner posted photos of him online.
Many people used the photos to make videos and memes (迷因、梗圖), and Oatmeal went viral.
Popcat 網頁中的這隻貓叫Oatmeal（燕麥片），Oatmeal的飼主上傳牠的影片到網路上後，嘴吧一張一閉的好玩迷因成了全球賽事。 ________________________________
響尾蛇尾巴搖動的聲音可以判斷它的距離? Rattlesnakes Rattle Show How Close They Are?
Have you ever heard this sound?
If you're out in nature, this tells you there might be a rattlesnake (響尾蛇) nearby.
Rattlesnakes eat small animals like mice.
And when they think they are in danger, they will shake their tail to make this sound.
This sound is a warning (警告), telling other animals to stay away!
But now, scientists think the speed of the rattling sound could tell us how close the snake is.
An Austrian scientist found that the rattling was slower when he was far away.
And as he moved closer to the rattlesnake, the rattling became faster.
The scientist says it's like when a car backs up, and makes a beeping sound to tell you if you are getting close to something.
The closer you get, the faster the beeping gets.
Rattlesnakes use this sound to protect (保護) themselves.
But scientists think they might also use their rattling to trick other animals too.
They say sometimes, even though other animals are not that close, the rattlesnake will shake its tail very fast.
This makes the animal think it is very close, and move away.
The scientists say even though rattlesnakes have venom (毒液), getting into fights is still dangerous for them.
They could get hurt, or break a fang (尖齒).
So rattlesnakes will mostly hide, and will only fight if they have to.
奧地利的科學家發現響尾蛇搖尾巴的速度會隨著敵人的距離而改變，聰明的蛇還會用這個聲音故意誤導敵人，藉此避免戰鬥。 ________________________________
蕾哈娜成為億萬富翁 Rihanna Officially Becomes Billionaire
A singer has become one of the wealthiest people in the business.
Forbes says Rihanna is now officially a billionaire.
They say her net worth is estimated at 1.7 billion U.S. dollars.
That makes her the second-richest woman in the entertainment (娛樂) industry, behind Oprah Winfrey.
福布斯估計蕾哈娜的財產高達十七億美元。
Much of Rihanna's wealth comes from her merchandise, not from her music.
She started her Fenty line of cosmetics (化妝品) in 2017.
It became hugely popular, and was used by some other big-name celebrities.
She has since expanded her offerings to include skin care and clothing items.
Rihanna is expected to start selling perfumes soon too.
蕾哈娜的財產大部分不是來自她的音樂，是來自她賣的化妝品和衣服。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has taken 1st place in the Popcat game a few times!
The game was extra popular during the Tokyo Olympics, when everyone was cheering for their country's athletes.
Other countries and regions in the top spots are Thailand, Hong Kong, and Finland. ________________________________
Scientists think the speed of a rattlesnake's tail rattling could tell us how close the snake is.
An Austrian scientist found that the rattling was slower when he was far away.
And as he moved closer to the rattlesnake, the rattling became faster.
Rattlesnakes use this sound to protect themselves, but scientists think they also use it to trick other animals to avoid fights. ________________________________
And,
Forbes says Rihanna is now officially a billionaire.
They say her net worth is estimated at 1.7 billion U.S. dollars.
That makes her the second-richest woman in the entertainment (娛樂) industry, behind Oprah Winfrey. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
A top-20 night market, a golden act of kindess, and a legend retires from the stage.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
基隆廟口夜市入選國際雜誌「世界20大名市集」 Keelung Ｍiaokou Night Market Makes Tatler List
Night markets are a part of life in Taiwan.
And now, one night market has been listed (列為) as one of the world's most famous food markets.
Online magazine Tatler Asia made a list called "20 Of the World's Most Famous Food Markets".
And it chose Keelung's Miaokou Night Market (基隆廟口夜市) as one of them!
國際時尚雜誌Tatler Asia選出「世界20大名市集」，而基隆廟口夜市就是其中入選之一。
The magazine says Miaokou Night Market has both traditional (傳統) and new street food.
Tatler also says the market is open late into the night, and many people like to go there for a late-night snack.
Many other famous food markets were on the list too.
The Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan, the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, and Thailand's Amphawa Floating Market all made it onto Tatler's list.
And even though these places sound amazing, we have to think about safety too right?
Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang says there are rules people must follow if they visit Miaokou Night Market.
You can only go in through three safety gates (出入口，防疫門).
Everyone must wear face and eye masks and gloves.
And you must leave your name, phone number and other information, to help officials find you if they need to.
It's all part of making sure everyone stays safe while enjoying the market.
Tatler Asia說基隆廟口夜市充滿活力，而且聚集了台灣傳統美食和創新小吃，不過要去的話記得遵守防疫規定喔。 ________________________________
東澳志工「神救援」牙買加跨欄選手摘金 Olympic Gold Medalist Thanks Volunteer Who Paid for Cab
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Have you heard this saying?
It comes from the story, The Lion and the Mouse.
獅子與老鼠 這個故事說 "沒有一個仁愛的行為，不管多麼微小，會是白費的。"
And one person at the Olympics showed this is true, in a big way.
Hansle Parchment is an athlete (運動員) from Jamaica.
He is a hurdler (跨欄選手).
He was in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
But on the day of a big race, Hansle got lost (迷路了)!
He got on the wrong bus, and went to the wrong place.
Hansle wanted to take another bus to go to his race, but there wasn't enough time.
He was going to miss his big race at the Tokyo Olympics!
Luckily, an Olympics volunteer gave him some money, about $2,500NT, and he took a taxi.
He got to his race in time to warm up and compete (參加比賽).
And in the end, he won a gold medal!
After the games, Hansle went to find the volunteer.
Her name is Trijana Stojkovic, and she is half-Japanese, half-Serbian.
Hansle thanked her, and showed her his gold medal.
He also gave her the money back, and gave her a Jamaican Olympic shirt as a gift.
They were both very happy.
And that's not the end of the story.
The government of Jamaica heard about what happened.
It invited Trijana to visit Jamaica for a week for free!
Trijana thanked everyone and said she was just doing what she should do.
跨欄選手Hansle Parchment說, Trijana的善心義舉幫助他在東京奧運奪下金牌，Trijana說她只是做自己該做的事情。 ________________________________
托尼·班奈特不再表演 Tony Bennett Retires from Performing
A music legend is not going to take the stage any more.
Tony Bennet has officially retired (退休) from live performances.
He has already canceled the rest of his scheduled shows for the year.
Tony will still be making music, but won't do any live shows.
托尼·班奈取消了今年的演唱會，以後不會再做現場表演。
Tony's family says he is retiring on doctor's orders.
He is already 95 years old, and he has Alzheimer's disease (老年癡呆).
Traveling to shows and back is simply too tiring for him now.
His last live performances were in early August, with Lady Gaga.
They have a joint album called Love for Sale coming out in October.
托尼已經95歲，又老年癡呆，沒體力再巡回表演。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Tatler Asia has chosen Keelung's Miaokou Night Market as one of "20 Of the World's Most Famous Food Markets".
The magazine says Miaokou Night Market has both traditional and new street food.
But make sure to follow COVID-19 safety rules if you go. ________________________________
Jamaican hurdler Hansle Parchment was in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
But on the day of a big race, Hansle got lost and went to the wrong place!
An Olympics volunteer helped him take a taxi.
Hansle got to his race in time, and later won a gold medal! ________________________________
And,
Legendary singer Tony Bennet will not do any more live performances.
He is 95 years old.
Tony's family says doing shows is too tiring for him now.
Tony will still make music, but won't do any live shows. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Ryan Drillsma…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Lake Jiaming is full again, wandering elephants return home, and Pokemon heads to Netflix.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
嘉明湖終於滿水位了 Lake Jiaming Full of Water Again
It's been a rainy summer for Taiwan.
This has caused floods (水災) for many places in the south.
Which has damaged (損害) people's homes and meant they have had to evacuate (撤離).
But it hasn't all been bad news.
The heavy rain has brought many benefits (好處) to Taiwan.
And one place that has seen these benefits is Lake Jiaming, high up in the mountains in Taitung County.
Lake Jiaming is Taiwan's second highest lake.
It is a popular destination (目的地) for people visiting Taiwan.
Lake Jiaming hasn't been full for two years.
But after recent heavy rains, that has changed!
The Taitung Forest District Office said the lake began to experience drought (旱災) about a year ago.
And at times when rain was the heaviest, it would still only reach 70 percent of the total amount of water it could hold.
In May, the lake was only half full.
But now it has returned to being full of beautiful, sparkling water.
嘉明湖一年前開始受旱，雨最大的時候，它仍然只達到總水量的百分之七十，現在終於回到滿水位了。 ________________________________
大陸流浪大象終於要回家了 Wandering Elephants in China Homebound
An elephant never forgets.
That's a famous phrase.
And it seems to be true for a group of elephants travelling China.
A group of 14 elephants is currently walking around the country.
They were living in a nature reserve (保護區) in China's Yunnan Province.
But they left the nature reserve about 17 months ago.
And since then, they've been on a journey that's been over 700 kilometers long.
A baby elephant was even born along the way.
But now, they're only 200 kilometers away from the place they started.
The Chinese government has sent over 410 people and 374 cars to help the elephants in case there is an emergency (緊急狀況).
They've also used drones to observe (觀測) the elephants.
中國大陸政府派出410多人、374台車、還有幾台無人機協助大象。
The elephants might be cute, but not everyone welcomed the travelers happily.
Farmers in Yunnan have complained that the elephants have eaten entire fields of corn and pineapples.
Lots of people wanted to protect their homes and land when the elephants arrived at villages.
But they had to be evacuated (撤離) and move away so there was no conflict (衝突).
The Asian elephant is endangered.
That means there are not many left in the wild, outside zoos and nature reserves.
There are less than 250 wild Asian elephants in China.
And that's why it is important these elephants get all the protection they need.
亞洲象是瀕危動物，在中國大陸只剩下不到250隻生活在野外，它們是需要受到保護的動物。 ________________________________
新的Netflix寶可夢電視節目 Live Action Pokemon Show for Netflix
A new Pokemon show is heading to a major streaming platform.
Reports say that Netflix is in the early stages of developing the project.
Unlike previous Pokemon shows, this new one will be live-action (真人版).
It should have a similar feel to 2019's Pokemon Detective Pikachu movie.
據說Netflix在製作一個新的真人版的寶可夢電視節目。
The new Pokemon show is not expected to be connected to any other existing Pokemon content.
Netflix already has several different Pokemon shows and movies available.
This includes (包括) the Detective Pikachu film, as well as several cartoon series.
We'll have to wait for more information about what this new show will be like.
Netflix 平台上已經有好幾個寶可夢電視節目和電影。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
It's been a rainy summer for Taiwan.
Lake Jiaming hasn't been full for two years.
But now it has returned to being full of beautiful, sparkling water. ________________________________
And,
A group of 14 elephants is walking around China.
They've been on a journey that's been over 700 kilometers long.
But now, they're only 200 kilometers away from the place they started. ________________________________
And,
A new Pokemon show is heading to Netflix.
Unlike previous Pokemon shows, this new one will be live-action.
But we'll have to wait for more information. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Ryan Drillsma.
In today's news:
Hippos get bitter, Venice for everyone, and someone's Home Alone again.
All that and more, coming up next. ________________________________
動物園河馬受訓練「吃苦」 Taipei Zoo Trains Hippos with Bitter Melon
Do you have a hard time taking medicine?
A lot of times, medicine is bitter (苦), or may have a strange taste.
But if the doctor gives you medicine, you need to take it to get better.
Even though in Chinese, we say "吃藥", we do not say "eat medicine" in English.
To "eat" something usually means you chew and taste the food.
"Eat"這個單字有咀嚼和品嘗的意思，可是吃藥不是這樣的，所以吃藥的英文要用 "take"這個動詞。
And usually, we don't chew and enjoy the taste of medicine!
This is also true for animals.
The Taipei Zoo is also facing this problem.
They are trying to find a way to get their hippos (河馬) to take medicine.
The hippopotamuses at the zoo really do not like anything bitter.
Hippos can weigh up to 1,500 kilograms, and they have very strong teeth.
So it's very, very hard to make a hippo take medicine!
Keepers have tried hiding the medicine in food that the hippos like.
But the big animals easily smell the medicine, and won't eat the food.
So the zoo is now trying a new idea.
They give the hippos bitter melon (苦瓜).
Bitter melon has lots of vitamin C and vitamin A.
But some people don't like to eat it, because it is bitter.
The zookeepers hope that eating some bitter melon will help the hippos get used to a bitter taste.
What an interesting idea!
How do you usually take your medicine?
我們生病的時候，可以打針或吃藥，可是要治療像河馬這種大型草食動物，真是一個相當艱難的任務! ________________________________
意大利威尼斯建越過運河的坡道 Venice Plans Wheelchair Accessible Route
Have you seen the city of Venice?
The city in Italy is famous for its canals (運河) and beautiful bridges.
But for a person in a wheelchair, it's very hard to get anywhere.
There are actually 403 bridges in the city.
Most of them have steps (台階) to get on and off the bridge.
So someone in a wheelchair would not be able to get around the city.
But that's all going to change.
The city government says it will build 6 ramps (坡道) on bridges in the city.
A ramp is a way to get up or down a higher place.
Ramps are usually smooth, making it easy for something with wheels to go up or down.
And Venice officials say the 6 ramps will go to some of the most famous places in the city, like St. Mark's Square (聖馬可廣場).
The work will cost around $1.6 million U.S. dollars.
When all the work is done, it will be the first time that someone in a wheelchair can easily see parts of Venice.
And the city says the ramps will be made wide (寬敞) too.
So a blind person (盲人) can also use the ramp easily.
This is all good for people visiting the beautiful city.
And it's also good for people who live in Venice too.
威尼斯雖有"水上都市"的美名，但對身障朋友卻困難重重，地方政府希望過河的坡道建起以後，來玩的遊客和當地居民都可以更輕鬆的欣賞這個古老又美麗的城市。 ___________________________________________________________________
新版小鬼當家將上映 New Home Alone Movie Coming
A classic Hollywood film is getting a new version.
The new Home Alone movie will premiere in November.
It will be released on the Disney Plus streaming service.
The movie will star Max Mercer as the kid left behind (遺落) by his parents.
The new film will be called Home Sweet Home Alone.
新的小鬼當家電影今年十一月在DISNEY PLUS平台開始串流。
The original Home Alone movie came out in 1990.
It starred Macaulay Culkin, who returned for both the second and fourth movies in the franchise (系列).
There were two other movies in the series that had different stars.
The first movie had two Oscar nominations, both for its music.
第一部小鬼當家電影1990年上映，新電影是這系列的第六部。 ________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
The Taipei Zoo is trying out bitter melon for their hippos.
The zookeepers hope that eating some bitter melon will help the hippos get use to a bitter taste.
And this will make it easier to give the hippos medicine when they are sick. ________________________________
Venice is building 6 ramps on bridges in the city.
The 6 ramps will go to some of the most famous places in the city, like St. Mark's Square.
When all the work is done, it will be the first time that someone in a wheelchair can easily see parts of Venice. ________________________________
And,
A new Home Alone movie will premiere in November.
The movie will star Max Mercer as the kid left behind by his parents.
The new film will be called Home Sweet Home Alone. ________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!