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British River Brought Back to Life

Hi everyone! You guys know that pollution is a big problem around the world,
right? It's in the air. It's on land, and it's in the water. That's bad!
環境污染到處都是，空氣、土地、河流都會被污染，很糟糕！

But, there is also some good news. Many people are working hard to clean up
the environment. In England, scientists are helping to make a river called
the River Mersey much cleaner.
但也有人努力清理環境。英國的科學家想讓一條叫做梅西河的河流變乾淨。

That river was famous for being one of the most polluted rivers in Europe.
Scientists even said the river was "dead", because it had so much pollution.
梅西河是全歐洲最骯髒的河流之一，科學家甚至說這條河流已經死了。

Why was the River Mersey so polluted? For a long time, factories put
dangerous chemicals into the River Mersey.
為什麼它污染這麼嚴重呢？因為工廠一直把廢棄化學物排進河裡。

Also, the river had a lot of sewage. So, it smelled really, really bad. Yuck!
很多下水道也把汙水排進去，所以很臭，很噁心！

Since 1985, the government has spent lots of money to make the River Mersey
cleaner. And it is working!
英國政府從 1985 年以來，花了大錢清理梅西河，結果奏效了！

About 20 years ago, in 2002, there were only 15 kinds of fish in the river.
But last year, there were 37! That's a lot more fish!
20 年前河裡只有 15 種魚，去年已經有 37 種了！

That's great, but the scientists aren't finished yet. They want to keep
working to make the River Mersey even cleaner.

Let's all wish those scientists good luck, it sounds like they are doing a
great job!
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Vocabulary
汙染嚴重的梅西河經過一番努力，已經脫胎換骨。

1. dangerous 危險的
Hmmm, I didn't know that there's a beach nearby. 我不知道這附近有海灘。
That's because nobody goes there. 那是因為沒有人去。
Because it's dangerous? 因為它很危險嗎？

2. polluted 受到污染的
Yeah, it's very polluted.對，它汙染得很厲害。
Yuck, that's bad. 好噁喔，真糟糕。
It is. 是很糟。

3. clean up 清理
Why didn't anyone try to clean it up? 為什麼沒有人試著清理它？
Are you kidding? That's a lot of work! 開玩笑，那是多大的工作！
I don't even want to clean my room! 我甚至不想清我的房間！

4. year 年
You're right, it'll take at least half a year to clean it.
說得對，打掃你的房間至少需要半年。
I'd say a year. 我會說要一年。

我們一起來讀單字。
dangerous 危險的
polluted 污染的
clean up 清理
year 年
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Quiz

1. Where is the River Mersey?
A: America
B: England
C: Germany

2. Why did scientists call the River Mersey "dead"?
A: It had too much pollution
B: It was too dry
C: It had no fish

3. How many kinds of fish were in the River Mersey last year?
A: 15
B: 37
C: 55

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. B
 

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Californians Collect Water From Storms

Today is World Water Day! What does that mean? Does it mean we should all go
take a bath and splash water everywhere?
今天是世界水資源日！這是甚麼意思？叫我們去泡澡、到處潑水嗎？

Not really! In fact, World Water Day is about taking care of our fresh water.
不是喔！世界水資源日要我們好好珍惜淡水資源。

Where does freshwater come from? It can come from the ground, or it can fall
from the sky.
淡水從哪裡來？它可以來自地下，也可以是從天上。

How can we take care of our fresh water? To answer that question, let's talk
about California. Recently, California has had two big problems with water.
我們如何保護我們的淡水？最近，加州碰到了兩個水資源的問題。

One problem is drought. That means it's too dry. For many years, there has
not been enough fresh water in California!
一個問題是乾旱。 加州好幾年以來，一直沒有足夠的淡水！

But this winter, California had the opposite problem. There were huge
rainstorms. The water came down too fast, and flooded many places.
但今年冬天，加州碰到了相反的問題。今年下了大豪雨，很多地方都淹水了。

Some Californians looked at these two problems, and had an idea. If they can
save the water from the rainstorms, they can use it again later when it gets
too dry.
加州有一些人想到，如果可以把豪雨的水存起來，以後就可以在乾旱時候用了。

So, they collected all the water they could. They keep it in barrels and in
cans. Later, when the weather is dry again, they can use it to water trees
and gardens.
他們盡可能把水蒐集起來，存在桶子裡面。當天氣又變乾時，那些水就可以用來澆花。

Taiwan sometimes has droughts too. Today, on World Water Day, let's remember
to use our water well!
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Vocabulary
水是珍貴資源，需要人類思考如何做最佳利用。

1. bath 洗澡
I'm going to take a bath. 我要洗個澡。
Two baths in one day? 一天洗兩次？
Why not? I'll sleep better. 為什麼不呢?我會睡得比較好。

2. drought 乾旱
We're going through a drought, you know. 你知道我們正在鬧旱災。
I do, and I've already stopped watering my trees.
我知道，我已經停止給樹澆水了。

3. save 儲存
You can save some of the bath water for that. 你可以存一些洗澡水去澆水。
That's too much trouble. 太麻煩了。
And the water may kill my trees. 那些水有可能弄死我的樹。

4. dry 乾掉
No, it won't. 不會的。
And it'll be better than just letting them dry up. 比讓那些樹乾枯好。

想想看，我們可以如何節省用水？來一起讀單字。
bath 洗澡
drought 乾旱
save 儲存
dry 乾掉
________________________________

Quiz

1. What day is today?
A: World Whale Day
B: World Wind Day
C: World Water Day

2. What happened in California this winter?
A: Rainstorms
B: Hurricanes
C: Tsunamis

3. What did Californians do with all the water that fell?
A: Take a bath
B: Save it for later
C: Splash it everywhere

Answers
1. C
2. A
3. B
 

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Ozone Layer Getting Better

Hi, students! I want to ask you a question. Do you know about pollution?
Pollution means things like air or water are dirty. We get air pollution from
many things, like cars.
Pollution 就是汙染。很多東西都會汙染空氣，像是汽車。

Pollution is bad. It causes a lot of problems. One problem is big: air
pollution hurts the ozone layer. The ozone layer is above the earth and the
clouds. You can't see it, but it helps us a lot.
空氣汙染會破壞臭氧層。臭氧層是在比雲還要高的地方，我們看不到它，但是它幫了我們很大的忙。

The ozone layer keeps us safe from the sun. We would be in big trouble
without the ozone layer! We would have more problems with our skin. We would
have more problems with our eyes too.
臭氧層幫我們抵擋太陽，沒有它，我們的皮膚跟眼睛都會受到傷害。

Air pollution made a hole in the ozone layer. That is very bad. But there is
some good news. The ozone layer is getting better!
空氣汙染讓臭氧層破了一個洞，不過好消息是，它的情況正在好轉！

Think of it like this. You fall down. You get a cut on your skin. Then your
skin gets better. It heals. The cut goes away.
有的時候你跌倒，皮膚會擦傷。然後它會慢慢地復原，傷口也就不見了。

Like your skin, the ozone layer is healing. The hole in the ozone layer is
getting smaller.
臭氧層的狀況就像人類的皮膚，它的洞也在慢慢地變小。

That is great news! It's healing because the air is cleaner. Maybe one day,
the hole in the ozone layer will go away.
會這樣是因為空氣變得更乾淨，也許有一天，臭氧層的破洞會完全消失。
________________________________

Vocabulary
大氣的臭氧層可以阻擋部分紫外線，保護地球上的生物。

1. heal 癒合
Your wound is healing. 你的傷口正在癒合。
It looks smaller now. 它現在看起來比較小了。
Yeah, it hurt like crazy yesterday. 是啊，昨天還痛得要命。
But now it's getting better. 現在就好些了。

2. fall 跌倒
I still can't believe you fell down the stairs. 我還是不相信你會從樓梯摔下來。
I know, and hit my head on the cabinet. 我知道，並且還撞到櫃子。

3. help 幫忙
I'm lucky to still have two eyes. 我很幸運還有兩隻眼睛。
You're lucky to have me help you with cooking. 你很幸運有我幫你做飯。

4. safe 安全的
How can I stay safe? 我怎樣才能保持安全？
By staying upstairs…? 就待在樓上嗎？

今天學到哪些單字？
heal 癒合
fall 跌倒
help 幫忙
safe 安全的
________________________________

Quiz

1. What does the ozone layer do?
A: It makes the air dirty
B: It makes problems with our skin
C: It keeps us safe from the sun

2. What made the hole in the ozone layer?
A: Pollution
B: The sun
C: Clouds

3. What is the great news about the ozone layer?
A: It is getting bigger
B: It is not changing
C: It is healing

Answers
1. C
2. A
3. C
 

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Floating Toilets for Floating Villages

Ahh! That's better… now I need to wash my hands!

Toilets are great! They take our germs away. That helps us to be healthy.

Without toilets, people can get very sick. But toilets cost money. Some
people don't have money for a toilet.
抽水馬桶可以帶走細菌，讓我們保持健康。但有一些人買不起抽水馬桶。

In Cambodia, there's a big lake. It's called the Tonle Sap. It's the biggest
fishing lake in the world!
柬埔寨的洞里薩湖，是全世界最大的漁業湖泊。

About 100,000 people live on the Tonle Sap. They live in floating villages.
They have houses and schools. But they do not have toilets. The lake water is
very dirty.
洞里薩湖上住了大約十萬人，他們住在漂浮村落，村子裡有房屋跟學校，但是沒有抽水馬桶，所以湖水很髒。

The people there are very poor. They use the lake water for everything. They
use it for cleaning.They use it for cooking.Some use it for drinking. That
can make them very sick.
當地居民十分窮困，他們用湖水洗衣服、煮飯，有一些人還會喝，這讓他們很容易生病。

A company wants to help these people. It wants them to use floating toilets!

These floating toilets are called "HandyPods". HandyPods clean the dirty
toilet water. They help make the lake water safe.
有一家公司想要幫助這些人，製造出「方便飄浮馬桶」。這種馬桶可以處理排泄物，讓湖水比較安全。

Now there are 100 HandyPods on the Tonle Sap. The company wants 200 more
HandyPods there by 2025. That's 300 HandyPods!
現在洞里薩湖上面有100個方便漂浮馬桶，公司希望2025年以前再多設置200個。

Floating toilets for floating villages, to help people stay healthy! What a
great idea!
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Vocabulary
柬埔寨的水上房屋現在有了更好的廁所。

1. floating 漂浮的
Have you heard of a floating house? 你有聽過漂浮房屋嗎？
Yes, I have. They are homes that float on the water.
有啊，就是浮在水面上的家。

2. in the world 世界上
That's right. 沒錯。
There are many floating houses in the world. 世界上有很多漂浮房屋。
Like in the Netherlands. 就像荷蘭。
Exactly. 正是。

3. people 人們
I can imagine why the Dutch people like them. 我可以想像為什麼荷蘭人喜歡它。
Oh, why? 為什麼呢？
They can just float away if they don't like their neighbors.
要是他們不喜歡鄰居，就可以漂走。

4. fish 釣魚
Or it's because they can go fishing anytime they want.
或者也是因為可以隨時釣魚。
That too. 也是。

今天的單字很有趣。
floating 漂浮的
in the world 世界上
people 人們
fish 釣魚
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Quiz

1. What is the world's biggest fishing lake?
A: The Tonle Pod
B: The Tonle Sap
C: The Toilet Sap

2. Where are these floating villages?
A: On the water
B: In the sky
C: In trees

3. How many HandyPods are on the lake now?
A: 100
B: 200
C: 300

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. A
 

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New York City Versus Rats

Hey! Do you hear that? That's the sound of too many rats!

Wild rats are mean! They fight other animals. They eat trash. They run in
very dirty water… which means they carry lots of germs and diseases. They're
dangerous, they can make you very sick. Stay away from wild rats!
野生老鼠會咬垃圾，在下水道亂鑽，身上細菌很多，可能讓人生病！

New York City has many, many rats. They're everywhere!

The mayor of New York City says that everyone who knows him knows one thing:
he hates rats! Now the mayor wants to fight the rats. He wants them out of
his city!
紐約到處都有老鼠，紐約市長決心跟老鼠宣戰，把牠們趕出城市！

The mayor gave Kathleen Corradi a new job. Her job is to get rid of rats.

Kathleen Corradi has helped nearly 120 schools get rid of rats before. Can
she help a big city now?
市長找來專家 Kathleen Corradi，她之前成功幫助120 所學校除掉老鼠。

First, Kathleen Corradi is taking away the rats' food. She's getting garbage
trucks to pick up people's trash earlier. Then the rats can't eat it all.
首先，Kathleen Corradi 請垃圾車早一點去收垃圾，讓老鼠沒有東西吃。

She also wants people to fix all the holes and cracks in their homes. That
stops the rats from getting inside. No food and no homes mean no rats!
她也請民眾把家中屋頂或是牆壁破洞修補好，老鼠就不能亂鑽。沒有食物、沒有地方住，就不會有老鼠了！

So, it's New York City versus the rats!
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Vocabulary
紐約市長下定決心，要把老鼠趕出紐約市。

1. get rid of 除掉
Mosquitos! I hate mosquitos! 蚊子，我討厭蚊子！
I'll get rid of them. 我來消滅牠們。
You missed, I can't believe it! 你沒打到，真不敢相信！
No, I got one. 不，我打死了一隻。

2. fight 對抗
There are two more. 還有兩隻。
How can we sleep tonight? 今晚怎麼睡啊？
We have to keep fighting them. 我們只有繼續跟牠們大戰。

3. stop from 阻止
Let's put up a mosquito net. 來把蚊帳掛起來。
Yeah, that should stop them from coming at us. 對，讓牠們沒辦法咬我們。

4. hole 破洞
Hey, how come I still got three mosquito bites? 為什麼我還是有三個蚊子包？
Maybe there's a hole in the net? 也許蚊帳有破洞？

一起來讀讀單字跟片語吧。
get rid of 除掉
fight 對抗
stop from 阻止
hole 破洞
________________________________

Quiz

1. Does the mayor of New York City like rats?
A: Yes
B: No
C: Maybe

2. Who has the job of getting rid of rats in New York City?
A: The mayor
B: Kathleen Corradi
C: Wild rats

3. What should you do if you see a wild rat?
A: Kiss it
B: Fight it
C: Stay away

Answers
1. B
2. B
3. C