________________________________

Good noon to you, it's News Bites o'clock!

I'm "Paz Bueno"…

And I'm "Trevor Tortomasi".

Nah, just kidding, it's the other way around!

In today's news:

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!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about words.

Most languages use words to communicate, and they can be used to talk about
all sorts of ideas. We can say them, write them, and even show them with our
hands. But, of course, some words are more useful than others!

So, what is your favorite word?

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 everyone! It's time for another episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Paz Bueno.

In today's news:

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!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about words.

Most languages use words to communicate, and they can be used to talk about
all sorts of ideas. We can say them, write them, and even show them with our
hands. But, of course, some words are more useful than others!

So, what is your favorite word?

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! It's time for another episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Hope Ngo.

In today's news:

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!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about your family.

A family might have one or two parents, one or more children, or even just
really close friends. But no matter who you call your family, the most
important thing is to find people you love.

So, what do you love most about your family?

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, it's time for another episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

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!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about trying something again.

Sometimes, we want to do something great… but maybe we can't do it right.
And later, we wish we could "re-do" it, or do it again, to see if we could
have done it better.

So, if you could redo anything in your life, what would you change?

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, 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!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we want you to have your say about your Lunar New Year holiday.

We're back from our vacation, and we want to know about yours! You probably
had lots of food with family or friends, but maybe you did other special
things, too.

So, how did you celebrate the Lunar New 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!