The Vegetarian City

Do you know anybody who doesn't eat meat? Or maybe you don't eat meat.
你認識吃素的人嗎? 還是你自己就不吃肉？

A person who doesn't eat meat is a vegetarian.

Many restaurants have vegetarian dishes. There are also some restaurants that
only serve vegetarian dishes.
很多餐廳提供蔬食，也有素菜餐廳。

But did you know there's also a whole city that's vegetarian?
但是你知道有個吃素的城市嗎？

A whole city that only serves vegetarian dishes! No meat at all! Wow!

The city is in India and it's called Varanasi.
這個城市在印度，名叫瓦拉納西。

Varanasi is a very special place. It's one of the oldest cities in the whole
world.
它是全世界最古老的城市之一。

People have lived there for thousands of years and people still live there
now!

It's also where the oldest religion in the world Hinduism started!
世界最古老的印度教，也是從這裡開始。

Many people visit Varanasi because of its history. So restaurants used to
serve dishes with meat to the visitors.
它吸引很多觀光客, 所以餐廳以前的菜單當然包含肉類。

But many of the people who live in Varanasi do not eat meat. Then a couple of
years ago they made it a rule not to serve or eat meat in their city anymore.
Now it's a vegetarian city! It's another reason why Varanasi really is a
special place!
因為當地住居民大多吃素，所以當地政府兩年前規定，餐廳不再提供肉類，現在他們真的是一個吃素的城市。
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Vocabulary
整個城市都吃素，這可就特別了。

1. Vegetarian 素食者。
I could never be a vegetarian. 我永遠做不成吃素的人。
Because you love meat too much? 因為你太喜歡吃肉嗎？
Exactly. Meat tastes so much better! 正是，肉美味得多了。

2. Meat 肉類。
So what's your favorite meat dish? 所以你最喜歡的肉類菜色是什麼？
That's a hard one. 這有點難。
Maybe sweet and sour pork and beef noodles. 也許是甜酸肉跟牛肉麵。

3. Religion 宗教。
Many people don't eat meat because of their religion.
很多人不吃肉是因為宗教信仰。
That's true. 這是真的。

4. Serve 供應食物。
This looks like a nice place. 這家看起來不錯。
I hope they serve good food. 我希望他們供應好吃的東西。

Let's read the words together.
vegetarian 素食者
meat 肉
religion 宗教
serve 供應食物
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Quiz

1. What city is the story about?
A: Varanasi
B: Mexico City
C: Beijing

2. What country is this city in?
A: Japan
B: Russia
C: India

3. What can you not eat in this city?
A: Potatoes
B: Sweetcorn
C: Chicken

Answers
1. A
2. C
3. C
 

The Ocean Cleanup's Latest Test a Success

Ah, what a beautiful day to be at the beach.

Ew! Why is there so much garbage?
海邊的垃圾怎麼這麼多？

Many beaches have a lot of garbage buried in the sand.
很多垃圾都被埋在沙裡面。

There is also a lot of garbage floating in the oceans.
海裡的垃圾也很多。

There is so much trash in the ocean that a lot of it has become a giant pile
of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. People call it The Great Pacific Garbage
Patch.
太平洋上有一堆垃圾聚集，叫做太平洋垃圾帶。

Scientists think this garbage patch is 1.6 million square kilometers in size.
That is about three times the size of France!
它的面積比法國大三倍！

Luckily, there is an organization called the Ocean Cleanup Project that is
trying to fix the problem. This organization invented a kind of net that can
scoop garbage out of the water.
還好有一個海洋清潔團體發明了打撈垃圾的網子。

They weren't sure if they could do it, but their latest experiments show the
net is working!

And the best part is, the net doesn't hurt any sea animals. The net is
designed so that sea animals don't get trapped in it.
海洋動物也不會被困在網子裡。

That's great, but do you know what the best way is to protect the oceans?
Don't put garbage in it in the first place!
最能夠保護海洋的方法，就是不要把垃圾丟進海裡！
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Vocabulary
想要用網子清除百萬平方公里的垃圾，恐怕很難。

1. Net 網子。
My poor cat is trapped in the net! 我可憐的貓被網子困住了。
This is one big net! 這個網子超大的！
Yeah, it's a mosquito net. 對，這是個蚊帳。

2. The best way 最好的方法。
The best way to get your cat out is to cut the net open.
把你的貓弄出來最好的辦法是把網子剪開。
I guess that's the only way. 我想那是唯一的辦法。

3. Protect 保護。
We need to protect the ocean from pollution. 我們需要保護海洋不受汙染。
It's already polluted. 它已經被汙染了。
That means we must protect it more. 這表示我們必須更保護它。

4. Problem 問題。
Garbage is a big problem. 垃圾是個大問題。
It sure is. 確實是。

Let's read the words together.
net 網子
the best way 最好的方法
protect 保護
problem 問題
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Quiz

1. What is the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean called?
a. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
b. The Great Atlantic Garbage Patch
c. Garbage Mountain

2. How big is it?
a. Three times the size of Taiwan
b. Three times the size of the U.S.
c. Three times the size of France

3. What is the organization mentioned in this story called?
a. The Ocean Cleanup Project
b. The Ocean Avengers
c. Aquaman's Super Cleanup Crew

Answers
1. A
2. C
3. A
 

Shoes Made Out of Coffee Grounds

I love a good cup of coffee.
我好喜歡喝咖啡。

It smells delicious, tastes delicious, and it helps me wake up in the
morning.

But every time I make a pot of coffee, I have a bunch of coffee grounds that
I have to throw away afterward.
但每次煮咖啡後都留很多咖啡渣。

Well, guess what? There is a Taiwanese company that has come up with a great
way to reuse coffee grounds, so they don't go to waste.

This company turns coffee grounds into shoes!
有一家公司把咖啡渣變成鞋子！

Experts at this company studied for many, many years to come up with a way to
reuse the waste that comes from making coffee.
專家花了很多年研究再利用咖啡渣的方法。

And they realized coffee waste is a good material to put into different kinds
of shoes!

Five cups of coffee grounds can be put into a pair of sneakers.
五杯的咖啡渣可以做一雙球鞋。

Two cups of coffee grounds can be used to make slippers.
兩杯可以做拖鞋。

And waste from fifteen cups of coffee can make a pair of rain boots!
煮十五杯咖啡剩下的咖啡渣可以做雨鞋！

That's so cool. It would be so great if all the grounds that come from the
coffee I drink could be turned into something useful.
不浪費咖啡渣，真的很棒。

I wonder if these shoes smell like coffee, too.
這種鞋子會不會有咖啡香味呢？

Would you like a pair?
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Vocabulary
廢物再利用，是最環保的辦法。

1. Come up with 想出來。
I've got to come up with a plan. 我一定要想出辦法。
For what? 要做甚麼呢？
For winning the race. 贏得賽跑勝利。
Just get up and practice every day. 你就每天早起練習啊。

2. Useful 有用的。
Old newspapers can be useful. 舊報紙可以很有用。
Yeah, I often use them to clean my oven. 對啊，我經常用它們來清理烤箱。

3. Shoes 鞋子。
Would you wear shoes that are made of waste? 你會穿用廢物做的鞋子嗎？
Probably not. Would you? 大概不會。你會嗎？
I'm already wearing eco-friendly shoes. 我已經在穿環保鞋。

4. Reuse 再利用。
I think it's great to reuse things. 我覺得把東西重複利用很棒。
I agree. 我同意。
I'm using your water bottle as my vase. 我正在用你的水瓶當花瓶。

Please read the words with me.
come up with 想出來
useful 有用的
shoes 鞋子
reuse 再利用
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Quiz

1. What kind of waste is mentioned in this story?
a. Coffee grounds
b. Disposable cups
c. Plastic straws

2. What is made out of the waste in this story?
a. Shoes
b. Shirts
c. Pants

3. Where is the company mentioned in this story based?
a. Taiwan
b. Japan
c. South Korea

Answers
1. A
2. A
3. A
 

Airplane Uses Plants to Fly

When people take trips, they often go on airplanes. Planes are very fast and
convenient.
搭飛機旅行很快而且很方便。

But there is a big problem with them. They make a lot of pollution. This is
because of jet fuel. Jet fuel creates a lot of pollution.
但是飛機使用的燃料會製造很多污染。

But there is some good news! Companies are making a special jet fuel from
plants.
有公司用植物來做噴射機的燃料。

Last December, a plane used this special type of jet fuel. This jet fuel is
made from corn. Yes, corn... the yellow vegetable a lot of people like to
eat.
這些燃料是用玉米做的。

The plane flew from one city to another in America using this special jet
fuel. It was the first time a plane used jet fuel made from a plant.
這是第一次有飛機使用植物做的燃料。

So, the plane made history. If something "makes history," it is the first
time it is ever done.
這架飛機創造了歷史。

Jet fuel made from plants is very clean. This means it doesn't hurt the
environment.
植物做的噴射機燃料乾淨又環保。

Let's hope that more planes can use this special jet fuel. If more planes can
fly with this type of jet fuel, the world will be a cleaner place. That would
be great!
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Vocabulary
用玉米作為飛機的燃料，這可是聞所未聞。

1. Plane 飛機。
I'm going to Taitung by plane tonight. 我今天晚上搭飛機去台東。
By plane? Most people are taking trains now. 搭飛機？大部分人現在都坐火車了。

2. Fuel 燃料。
Is natural gas a clean fuel? 天然瓦斯是乾淨的燃料嗎？
Well, it's cleaner than gasoline. 這個嘛，它比汽油乾淨。

3. Plant 植物。
Fuels made from plants are even better. 用植物做的燃料更好。
What kind of plants? 哪種植物呢？
Like corn, sunflower and soybean. 例如玉米，向日葵和大豆。

4. Clean 乾淨的。
Clean fuels produce less greenhouse gases. 乾淨燃料產生的溫室氣體比較少。
Electricity is also a clean fuel, right? 電力也是乾淨燃料，對嗎？
Right! 對的。

我們一起來讀單字。
plane 飛機
fuel 燃料
plant 植物
clean 乾淨的
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Quiz

1. What was the special jet fuel made from?
A: A drink
B: A meat
C: A vegetable

2. What country did the plane fly in?
A: The United States
B: Canada
C: Mexico

3. What does "make history" mean?
A: Study the past
B: Do something for the first time
C: Help the environment

Answers
1. C
2. A
3. B
 

Meet the BusTrain

Is that a bus? Um… yes… But it's also a train! It's a bus and a train…
it's a BusTrain!
這台車是一輛巴士，同時也是一輛火車！

A bus and a train… no way… that's crazy!

Some places in Japan, like Tokyo, are super busy, and many, many people live
there.

But very few people live in some places in the countryside of Japan... some
towns only have around 100 people… but they need a way to travel.
在日本，有一些鄉下地方人口很少，但是他們一樣需要到處去。

That's why the bus-train is a good idea.

It has 4 wheels with tires… like a bus, but when it drives on the railway
tracks… 2 metal wheels come down… these two metal wheels are train wheels…
so the bus can turn into a train!
這輛巴士有四個輪胎，但是開上鐵軌的時候，會有兩個金屬輪子從巴士底部降下來，巴士就變成火車了！

These new bus-trains can pick people up in very small towns, drive to a
railway, and then go into a big city as a train.
小鎮的居民可以先搭這一台巴士到了有軌道的地方，然後巴士變成了火車，把他們送到大城市。

It's a pretty cool idea, yeah? Driving in a bus all the way from the
countryside to the big city would take too long, but building a train line to
a very small town is too expensive.
如果只坐巴士，從鄉下到大城市會太久，但是蓋鐵路又太貴了！

The answer is the bus-train... a vehicle that can be a bus or a train!

What an interesting idea!
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Vocabulary
巴士火車這個嶄新的主意，造福許多鄉下居民。

1. Railway 鐵軌。
Trains travel on railways, while cars travel on roads.
火車在軌道上走，汽車在路上走。
Yes, and trains run on wheels, but cars run on tires.
而火車用輪子跑，但是汽車用輪胎。

2. Wheel 輪子。
Who invented wheels? 誰發明輪子的？
That I don't know. 這我不知道。
But I know wheels appeared 2 thousand years ago. 但我知道輪子兩千年前出現。

3. Countryside 鄉下地方。
I enjoy living in the countryside. 我喜歡住在鄉下。
Not me. 我可不。

4. City 城市。
I prefer living in the city. 我比較愛住在城市。
There are movies to watch and stores to go to. 有電影可看，商店可以去。

Do you live in the countryside or city? 一起來讀單字。
railway 鐵路
wheel 輪子
countryside 鄉下地方
city 城市
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Quiz

1. Where can you find a bus-train?
A: In America
B: In Japan
C: In India

2. Why did they make the bus-train?
A: To help people in the countryside
B: To help people living in Tokyo
C: To help animals get into town faster

3. How many wheels does a bus-train have?
A: 11 wheels and 5 wings
B: 4 bus wheels, and 4 train wheels
C: None! The bus-train doesn't need wheels!

Answers
1: B
2: A
3: B