________________________________

The Famous Baby Hippo

A baby hippo is famous. People love her cute face and playful moves.
有一隻活潑可愛的小河馬，廣受大家歡迎。

Moo Deng is a pygmy hippo. Pygmy hippos are a small kind of hippo. They live
in forests. But Moo Deng lives in a zoo.
Moo Deng是侏儒河馬，這種小型河馬都在森林中生活，Moo Deng 則是住在動物園裡。

Moo Deng's zoo is in Thailand. Her zoo made videos of her. People saw the
videos online. Everyone loved her. She became a star!
Moo
Deng的動物園在泰國，園方幫牠拍了影片放在網路上，每個人看了都喜歡，小河馬成了明星!

Like many babies, Moo Deng bounces around. Her name means "bouncy pig" in
Thai. That's a great name for this little hippo!
Moo Deng泰國語的意思是彈跳豬，因為牠喜歡蹦蹦跳跳。

People share funny pictures and stories about her online. And people from all
over Thailand go to her zoo. They want to see her!
很多人喜歡分享Moo Deng 的照片和故事，遊客從全泰國各地跑來看這隻著名的小河馬。

The zoo sells Moo Deng t-shirts and other Moo Deng things. The money helps
save pygmy hippos. Saving pygmy hippos is important. There are only about
3,000 of them in the world. Oh no!
動物園有賣跟Moo
Deng相關的商品，例如T恤和別的紀念品，而這些錢是用來保護侏儒河馬，這種河馬全球只剩下三千隻。

What? You can't go to the zoo? That's okay! You can see Moo Deng live online!
蛤?你沒辦法去動物園?沒關係，你可以在網路上看Moo Deng。

Moo Deng is cute and bouncy. This baby pygmy hippo is making people all over
the world smile!
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Vocabulary
泰國可愛的侏儒河馬，是大家喜歡的網紅。

1. love 喜愛。
I haven't been to Taipei Zoo for a long time. 我好久沒去台北動物園了。
Would you like to go with me this weekend? 你這周末想跟我一起去嗎?
Sure, I love zoos! 當然，我喜歡動物園。

2. playful 活潑的。
Do you want to see any specific animals? 有什麼動物你特別想看?
I prefer playful and cute ones. 我比較想看活潑可愛的。
Not elephants or turtles.不要大象或是烏龜。

3. cute 可愛的。
Hey, I think turtles are cute! 我覺得烏龜很可愛!
Anyway, you may like penguins. 你可能會喜歡企鵝。
Or pygmy hippos! 或是侏儒河馬!

4. small 小的。
Hippos are scary. 河馬很可怕。
No, not the big ones. 不是那種大的。
Pygmy hippos are small. 侏儒河馬小小的。

Do you like visiting the zoo? 來複習一下單字
love喜愛 playful活潑的 cute可愛的 small 小的
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiz

1. What is a pygmy hippo?
a. A baby hippo
b. A small kind of hippo
c. A big kind of pig

2. What does Moo Deng's name mean in Thai?
a. Baby Hippo
b. Happy Hippo
c. Bouncy Pig

3. How many pygmy hippos are there in the world?
a. About 1,000
b. About 3,000
c. About 10,000

Answers
1. b
2. c
3. b
 

________________________________

Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Allie Highsmith.

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!

Stay tuned for those stories.
________________________________

前少將因偷竊 洗衣機而被判刑
Former Major General Sentenced for Stealing Washing Machine

Have you ever tried to steal a washing machine?
你曾經嘗試過偷竊洗衣機嗎？

I dunno…washing machines are super big and heavy.

Normally you'd need at least two people to carry one.

Exactly.

I wouldn't try to steal one.

...Nor would I try and steal anything else for that matter, just so you know!

But someone did steal a washing machine.

Who?

A former major general: Lin Cheng-chia (林承家).

He has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.
他被判處六年又八個月監禁。

So here's the story.

Between July 2017 and October 2019, Lin was a major general in Kinmen
(金門少將).

In December 2017, he suggested buying a new washing machine for a deputy
chief of staff (副參謀長).

But the deputy didn't need it.

So Lin sent the washing machine to his own home in Tainan (台南).

He planned to keep it for himself.

People found out what Lin did.

Lin tried to cover it up (嘗試掩飾).

How?

Lin gave 8,000 NT to a subordinate (下屬) to buy another washing machine and
replace the original one.

Lin also sent the original washing machine back to Kinmen, and stored it at a
friend's house.

He asked his friend to lie and say that the washing machine had been there
for over a year.

In 2023, a district court (地方法院) found Lin guilty of misusing public
property.

It gave Lin a heavy sentence (判決他很重的刑罰).

The court said Lin showed no remorse (沒有悔意) and tried to hide (隱瞞) what
he did.

Lin appealed (上訴) the sentence.

Then in 2024, the High Court (高等法院) reduced it slightly.

Finally, the Supreme Court (最高法院) confirmed the six-year, eight-month
sentence.
________________________________

以色列電視記者重獲與人工智慧對話的能力
Israeli TV Reporter Regains Ability to Speak With AI

The next story is about a famous Israeli TV journalist: Moshe Nussbaum.

Fans call him "Nussi".

For over 40 years, Nussi reported (廣播) on big news in Israel.

But two years ago, Nussi was diagnosed (確診) with a disease that makes it
hard for him to speak.

At first, Nussi continued working by interviewing (訪問) injured soldiers
from hospitals.

But Nussi's speech became too difficult to understand.

So he stopped appearing on TV.

But now, thanks to AI (人工智能), Nussi is returning to TV!

How?

Well, AI software (軟體) learned what Nussi's voice sounds like from lots of
recordings (錄音).

Nussi writes his own reports, but the AI software reads them aloud (朗讀).

The program matches his voice perfectly, keeping the same intonation (語調)
and emotion he's known for.

Nussi is filmed as if he were presenting.

His lips are then "adjusted" to match the words.

錄影帶裡面他在演講，而他的嘴唇「調整」成吻合演講內容。

In a preview, viewers heard the re-created voice.

They thought it sounded just like the Nussi they remembered.

Nussi is excited about the technology, but he's also aware of the risks
(風險).

AI can be misused (濫用) for spreading fake news (假新聞) or scams (詐騙).

Still, he hopes his story will inspire people to keep following their dreams.
________________________________

So in today's News Bites:

A former major general in Taiwan stole a washing machine.

He tried to cover it up by buying a replacement and asking a friend to lie.

The Supreme Court confirmed the six-year, eight-month sentence.
________________________________

And...

A famous Israeli journalist was diagnosed with a disease that makes speaking
difficult.

This meant he stopped appearing on TV.

But thanks to AI technology recreating his voice, he was able to return to TV.

Nussi hopes his story will inspire others to keep following their dreams.
_______________________________
趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit

And in today's Tasty Tidbit:

The first washing machines were very different from the ones we use today!

In the early 1800s, they were often hand-cranked (手搖的) and made of wood.

People would put their clothes in a tub (盆子) and turn the crank to move the
clothes around.

This helped clean off the dirt.

Over time, washing machines got better and easier to use.

Electric motors (電動機) replaced the cranks.

And other features (功能) like automatic timers (自動計時器) were added.

This made doing laundry faster and less tiring.
________________________________

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!