How Planets Support Life

We live on the planet Earth. And Earth goes around the sun with other
planets. This is our solar system. 太陽系中的行星都繞著太陽轉。

Earth can support life because the conditions are just right.
地球上有生命，因為各種條件都剛剛好。

But why don't the other planets have life?

Some are too close to the sun, making them too hot. Some are too far from the
sun, making them too cold. Things need to be just right.

Earth also has water which is really important for life. 水也很重要！

We haven't found any other places in our solar system that have life.
我們目前在太陽系其他地方還沒找到生物。

But, there are other solar systems really, really far away, where different
planets go around different suns.
但是距離我們很遠很遠的地方，還有別的太陽系，也有行星圍繞著那些太陽。

Some of them could have conditions a bit like Earth. They could be not too
cold, and not too hot, they could also have water!
有的行星可能跟地球很像，既不會太冷也不會太熱，也許還有水呢！

We don't know if they have life or not. But, they might! And that's pretty
exciting!
__________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary

地球人常常想要知道，別的星球會不會也有生物。

1) Earth 地球。
When we say Earth has water, what does it mean?
當我們說地球上有水，是什麼意思？
It means there are seas and rivers on Earth. 意思是說地球上有大海，有河流。

2) planet 行星。
Planets go around the sun行星繞著太陽轉，and moons go around the planet.
月亮則繞著行星轉。
It's too bad that planet earth only has one moon!
真可惜地球這個行星只有一個月亮。

3) solar 太陽的。
I'm using a solar watch. 我在用太陽能手錶。
So it can't run when there's no sun? 所以沒有太陽時它就動不了？
No, it keeps going at night. 不會，它晚上還是會走。

4) solar system 太陽系。
Our earth is a planet of the solar system. 我們的地球是太陽系的一顆行星。

Let's read them out loud.
Earth 地球
planet 行星
solar 太陽的
solar system 太陽系
__________________________________________________________

Quiz

1. What is our planet called?
a. Mars
b. The Sun
c. Earth

2. Why does our planet have life?
a. Because it's big
b. Because the conditions are just right
c. Because it's hot

3. What else is really important for life?
a. Water
b. Bicycles
c. Cheese

Answers
1: C
2: B
3: A
 

Wash Your Eggs Before You Eat Them

I love eggs. I love eggs no matter how they are cooked. I like eggs fried,
scrambled, hard boiled, and soft boiled.
我喜歡吃雞蛋，不論怎樣的做法都喜歡。Do you like eggs as much as I do?

I eat a lot of eggs, that's why I make sure I prepare them correctly. Because
if you don't prepare eggs correctly, you can get very sick.
蛋沒有好好保存或是煮熟的話，吃了會生病。

You should wash eggs only right before you cook them. 雞蛋應該在煮之前清洗喔!
Don't wash eggs before you put them in the refrigerator!
放在冰箱前不要先洗。Only before you are about to cook them.

This is because eggs have a natural protection on their shells. If you wash
them too early, you wash the protection away, and germs can get into the egg.
太早洗乾淨，細菌反而會跑進去。

But if you wash eggs right before you cook them, germs don't have time to get
into the egg. This means you won't accidentally get sick.

Some people like raw eggs, but experts say that is probably not a good idea.
最好不要吃生的雞蛋，怕有細菌。 And you should always make sure eggs are
completely cooked before you eat them.

Oh well, at least I can still eat scrambled eggs! Yum!
_________________________________________________________

Vocabulary

雞蛋的料理方式有很多，並且應該在烹調之前才清洗。

1. Cook 做飯。
Cooking is difficult for me. 對我來說做飯菜很難。
Really? Even cooking eggs or noodles? 真的喔? 即使煮蛋煮麵也是嗎？
Yes. It takes a lot of time. 對啊，很花時間。

2. Boil 水煮。
Maybe you can just boil some eggs. 也許你可以就煮幾個蛋。
It's easy. 那很容易的。
But I hate boiled eggs. 但是我討厭水煮蛋。

3. Sick 生病的。
You will get sick if you keep eating so little. 你總是吃這麼少會生病的。
You know what? I never get sick. 你知道嗎？我從來不生病。

4. Wash 清洗。
My hands are itchy. 我的手好癢。
You've washed your hands too many times. 你洗手太多次了。

These are useful words to learn.
cook 做飯
boil 水煮
sick 生病的
wash 清洗
_________________________________________________________

Quiz

1. What kind of food is being talked about in this story?
a. Rice
b. Eggs
c. Vegetables

2. What should you do to eggs before you put them in the refrigerator?
a. Wipe them with a dry cloth
b. Wipe them with a damp cloth
c. Cook them

3. When should you wash eggs?
a. Before you cook them
b. Before you put them in the refrigerator
c. After you eat them

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. A
 

Video Games Can Be Good for Your Health

Video games are so fun. I could play video games for hours!

But my parents always tell me I shouldn't play video games for too long
because it will make my eyes go bad and rot my brain.
我爸媽都說玩太多電動遊戲會傷害眼睛，對腦袋也不好。

Well, guess what? I can prove them wrong!

Some very smart researchers from around the world found out that video games
can actually be really good for your brain!
有一些研究員發現電動遊戲其實對你的腦袋很好！

For example, researchers found out that playing video games can actually help
the brain remember more things. 可以幫助記憶。

They can actually make you smarter, too! Researchers found out that some
people were actually able to think better after playing video games.
研究顯示，打過電動之後，頭腦也會比較清楚。

And guess what else? Some studies showed that people's brains actually got
bigger after playing a lot of video games! 有一些人的腦容量變大了! All the
parts of the brains that are in charge of memory, planning, and how you move
your body… all got bigger!

Isn't that amazing? The next time my parents tell me to stop playing video
games, I'll just tell them that I should keep playing, because it will make
my brain bigger, better, and smarter!

It still might not be very good for my eyes though… Hmm…
________________________________

Vocabulary

研究人員說，打電動對腦袋是有好處的。

1. Researcher 研究人員。
Researchers are people who study things. 研究員就是研究東西的人。
What things? 什麼樣的東西？
Like what's good for the brain. 比如說什麼對頭腦比較好。

2. Brain 腦袋。
Sleep is important for the brain. 睡眠對腦子很重要。
Yeah, I know. 我知道。
But you only sleep 4 hours a day. 但是你一天只睡4小時。
How does your brain still work? 為什麼你的腦袋還是有用？

3. Better 更好。
I can think better after taking a shower. 我洗過澡之後比較能想事情。
For me, walking is better. 對我來說走路比較好。

4. Smarter 更聰明。
My computer is getting smarter! 我的電腦越來越聰明了。
What do you mean? 怎麼說？
It just said I should take time off tomorrow. 它剛剛說我明天應該請假。

Please read after me.
researcher 研究員
brain 腦袋
better 更好
smarter 更聰明
________________________________

Quiz

1. What part of the body is talked about in this story?
a. The face
b. The brain
c. The hands

2. What did studies show playing video games did to the brain?
a. Made them bigger
b. Made them smaller
c. Made them dumber

3. What didn't researchers say in the story?
a. Video games make your eyes bad
b. Video games make some people smarter
c. Video games make some people think better

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. A
 

China Limits Kids' Video Game Time

That's my alarm clock! 我的鬧鐘響了！

Oh no! I was playing video games for so long that I forgot to sleep! And now
the sun is shining, the birds are singing… it's morning! I played video
games all night! 天啊！我玩電動玩了一整個晚上！

I guess video games is a problem for a lot of kids in China, too, because a
lot of parents in China say their kids are playing too many video games.

The parents say too much time staring at screens is bad for their kids'
health. 中國的父母說小孩玩太多電動遊戲，而且一直盯著螢幕看對身體很不健康。

I guess they want their kids to spend more time playing outdoors.
他們大概想要小孩多多到戶外去玩。

The government in China is planning to do something about this.

They are going to stop kids who are younger than 18 years old from playing
video games on weekdays. Weekdays are Mondays through Fridays.
18歲以下的人，星期一到星期五不能打電動。

Kids can play video games on the weekends, but only for three hours.
到了週末小孩可以玩，但只能打三個小時。

I don't think anything like that will happen in Taiwan…
台灣應該不會發生這種事情。

But we should really try to control ourselves… don't be like me and forget
to go to sleep. 要去上班了，我完蛋了。
________________________________

Vocabulary

兒童打電動太入迷怎麼辦? 中國的做法是規定只有週末才能玩。

1. Weekend 週末。
Weekends are my favorite time! 週末是我最喜歡的時間。
They are not mine. I prefer weekdays. 對我來說不是。我比較喜歡平日。

2. Weekday 平日。
I have too much housework to do on the weekend. 我週末有太多家事要做。
Maybe you should do some of it on weekdays. 也許你應該在平日做一些。

3. A lot of 許多。
A lot of students go to cram schools on the weekend. 很多學生週末去補習班。
I don't. I play video games. 我不去，我打電動。

4. Go to sleep 去睡覺。
You do go to sleep at night, right? 你晚上還是會睡覺，對吧？
Yes, but usually after midnight. 對，不過通常在午夜以後。

We use these words all the time.

weekend 週末
weekday 平日
a lot of 許多
go to sleep 去睡覺
________________________________

Quiz

1. What do parents say kids in China are doing too much?
a. Eating junk food
b. Playing video games
c. Sleeping

2. What is the Chinese government going to do?
a. Stop kids from playing too many video games
b. Tell kids to play more video games
c. Tell parents to play video games

3. Will kids be allowed to play on weekdays?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Yes, but only if they finish their homework first

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. B
 

Company Makes Masks from Plants

Oh, hi kids! I'm just eating some vegetables. Vegetables are plants. Fruits
are plants, too. We eat lots of plants. Do you know what other things we can
do with plants? Make things! We can make houses with trees, for example.
First, you cut the trees down. Then you can make a house.
蔬菜水果都是植物。植物可以吃也可以用來製造東西，很多房子就是木頭做的。

There is an American company that uses plants to make face masks.
一家美國的公司開始用植物來做口罩。

That is great! Do you know why? Well, because of COVID-19, there are a lot of
face masks these days. When people throw them away, it makes a lot of
garbage. 使用過的口罩被丟掉造成很大量的垃圾。

Have you ever seen face masks on a sidewalk? Yes, I really hate that, too!
Face masks are usually made from a type of plastic. Plastic takes a very long
time to disappear from the environment. So all those face masks are a big
problem. They take up space in landfills. "Take up" means "uses."
這些垃圾占用了很大的空間。

But one company named G95 makes masks from plants. These masks fully
disappear from the environment in 90 days after they are thrown away! When
people have used the masks, they can mail them back to the company. G95 then
recycles the old masks! That is so great!
這家公司用植物做成的口罩，丟掉90天之後就分解不見了。要是你把用過的口罩寄回去，這家公司還會把它回收利用。
________________________________

Vocabulary

用植物做成的口罩，可以自行分解。

1. Disappear 消失。
My pretty face masks have disappeared! 我的漂亮口罩不見了！
Face masks don't just disappear. 口罩不會就這樣消失。
Here, they are in the garbage can. 在這裡，在垃圾桶裡。

2. Throw away 扔掉。
But I didn't throw them away. 可是我沒有把它們扔掉啊。
I think they fell off from the desk. 我想是從桌上掉下去的。

3. Environment 環境。
This is a really nice environment. 這是個很好的環境。
There are so many trees around. 周圍有好多樹。
Yeah, I hope we can live here. 是啊，真希望我們可以住在這裡。

4. Company 公司。
The biggest company in the world is an American company.
世界最大的公司是一家美國公司。
Is it McDonald's? 是麥當勞嗎？
No. 不是。

今天學了哪些字，還記得嗎？
disappear 消失不見
throw away 扔掉
environment 環境
company 公司
________________________________

Quiz

Q1: What is this story about?
A: Making masks from plants
B: Using wood to make houses
C: Growing different kinds of plants

Q2: What are most face masks made from?
A: From plants
B: From wood
C: From plastic

Q3: What is G95?
A: A mask
B: A company
C: A plant

Answers
1. A
2. C
3. B