Old Oil Wells Can Get Heat from the Earth

We use energy every day. We use energy for cars and scooters and for machines.
我們每天都會用到能源。

We get most of our energy from coal and oil. But coal and oil make a lot of
pollution. Yuck!
這些能源大多來自煤炭跟石油，造成很多污染。

You guys know about solar energy and wind energy. But do you know about
geothermal energy?
你聽過太陽能跟風力發電，但你知道地熱嗎？

Geothermal energy comes from the earth. The earth is really hot inside. When
you go to a hot spring, you feel the earth's heat.
地球內部溫度很高。你去泡溫泉的時候，感受到的就是地熱。

People have to drill deep into the earth to get geothermal energy, which is
expensive!
要使用地熱，就必須挖到地球深處，這樣很貴！

But now a university in America is saving money by using old oil wells, which
already go deep into the earth. There is no more oil in them, so Scientists
can use them to bring up the heat from the earth.
美國一所大學找到便宜的方法，他們要用乾掉的油井取得地熱。

Wow! That's a great idea! That will make geothermal energy much cheaper.

This is exciting! Why? Well, because geothermal energy is like solar and wind
energy. It's clean. Plus, you can get geothermal energy even when the sun
isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

That's because the earth is always hot inside!
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Vocabulary
地熱取之不盡用之不竭，是優良的能源。

1) coal 煤
We use coal to produce power. 我們用煤發電。
But that's not a good idea, right? 那不是個好主意，對吧？
Coal brings pollution. 煤會帶來汙染。

2) hot spring 溫泉
Hey, there are fish in the hot spring! 溫泉裡有魚！
I can't believe it! 真不敢相信！
Yeah, how can they live in a hot spring? 對啊，牠們怎麼有辦法住在溫泉裡？

3) inside 在裡面
Scientists say it's always hot inside the earth. 科學家說地球裡面一直很熱。
That's why we have volcanoes? 這是為什麼我們有火山嗎？
Maybe.也許吧。

4) oil well 油井
Think about that. An oil well in the backyard! 想想看，後院裡有一口油井！
You have an oil well in your backyard? 你家後院有油井？
No, I don't even have a backyard. 沒有，我連後院都沒有。

Let's read today's vocabulary.
coal 煤
hot spring 溫泉
inside 在裡面
oil well 油井
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Quiz

1. Where does most of our energy come from?
A: Sun and wind energy
B: Geothermal energy
C: Coal and oil

2. Which is an example of geothermal energy?
A: Heat from the earth
B: Heat from the sun
C: Energy from the wind

3. What is true about the dry oil wells?
A: They are not deep in the earth
B: They don't have oil in them
C: They are still making oil

Answers
1. C
2. A
3. B
 

NASA's 'Slingshot' to Space

Can you throw a baseball really far? I can't.
打棒球的時候，你可以把球投得很遠嗎？我不行。

But, when I spin my arm around and around and then throw a baseball, the ball
flies farther.
如果我先旋轉我的手臂，再把球丟出去，球會飛得比較遠。

Spinning around and around gives the ball more energy. This is called
"momentum".
這叫做【動力】。

When something has a lot of momentum, it can be thrown really far!

NASA is the American space agency. They want to try using lots of momentum to
send rockets to space using no fuel!
現在美國太空總署想要用同樣的原理來發射火箭進入太空！

A machine with an "arm" will hold the rocket and start spinning. It will keep
spinning and spinning and spinning, until it gets up to 5,000 kilometers per
hour!

Then... whoosh! The arm of the machine will let go! And the rocket will fly
straight up from the earth. It will fly up into the sky and all the way into
space!
太空總署的發射器有一隻機器手臂，會旋轉火箭，直到它的時速高達五千公里。手臂鬆開之後，火箭就會一飛沖天，一路飛進太空。

It's a really cool idea because it doesn't need any fuel. So it saves money
and it doesn't cause any pollution.
這不需要用到燃料，很省錢也不會汙染環境。
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Vocabulary
用甩球的方式把火箭甩進太空，真是神奇！

1. rocket 火箭
How does a spaceship go into space? 太空船是怎麼進太空的？
The rocket pushes it into space. 火箭把它推進太空。

2. throw 扔
Come on, throw the ball to me. 來把球扔給我。
That's too high! 太高了！
Sorry about that. I'll throw better this time. 真抱歉，這次我會投好一點。

3. machine 機器
Name a machine that changed the world. 你說一個改變世界的機器。
An elevator? 升降機如何？
Yeah, without it we wouldn't have tall buildings. 對，沒有它我們就沒有高樓。

4. arm 手臂
That man has robot arms. 那個人有機器手臂。
Wow, he must be very strong! 哇，那他一定很強壯！
And he can get pizza right from the oven. 他也可以直接從烤箱裡拿披薩。

Let's read the words together.
rocket 火箭
throw 扔
machine 機器
arm 手臂
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Quiz

1. How will this new rocket get into space?
A: By spinning really fast on earth and then shooting up into the sky
B: By using a new, super big engine
C: By going underwater and then shooting up in the sky

2. How fast will the machine "arm" spin before letting the rocket go?
A: 5,000 kilometers per hour
B: 50 kilometers per hour
C: 450,000 kilometers per hour

3. What does spinning really fast do?
A: It gives things more energy
B: It makes you happy
C: It makes things go slower

Answers
1. A
2. A
3. A
 

Scientists Take Pictures of Cow Burps

I have a funny question for you: Have you ever heard a cow burp?
你有聽過牛打嗝嗎？

Yes, cows burp. They burp a lot! A cow burp probably sounds like this...

Oh, wait. That's a moo. Here's a burp...

Maybe you've heard a cow burp. But have you ever seen a picture of a burp?
你可能聽過牛的打嗝，但是你有看過牛打出來的嗝的照片嗎？

Yes, you can take a picture of a burp. But, you need a special camera.
Scientists in America used a special camera to take pictures of cow burps.
The camera was in space!
美國科學家用外太空的相機，拍到牛打出來的嗝。

Why did the scientists take pictures of cow burps from space?
為什麼要拍這種照片呢？

When cows burp, they make a gas. This gas is called methane.
因為當牛打嗝的時候，會產生一種氣體，名叫甲烷。

Too much methane makes the world hotter. So, too much methane is not good for
the world.
太多甲烷會造成全球暖化。

The scientists want to find out where the methane is. They can see where the
methane is in the pictures from the satellite. This can help them understand
how much methane there is in the world.
科學家用人造衛星拍照，可以看出來什麼地方有很多甲烷。

What does a picture of cow burps look like? In the pictures from space, they
look blue. That's right! A cow burp looks blue in a photo!
所以牛打嗝長什麼樣子呢？在照片中，這些嗝是藍色的！

What about farts? I wonder what a fart looks like? 我很好奇放屁會是什麼樣子？
________________________________

Vocabulary
牛打嗝放屁的氣體都有甲烷，而這種氣體是全球暖化的重要原因。

1. burp 打嗝
Cows burp, and we burp too. 牛打嗝，我們也打嗝。
So we also make methane. 所以我們也製造甲烷。
We make more CO2. 我們製造比較多的二氧化碳。
It's another kind of gas. 它是另外一種氣體。

2. take picture 拍照
Would you take a picture of me? 幫我拍一張照片好嗎？
Of you eating watermelon? 拍你吃西瓜喔？
Yeah, I want to post the picture on my Facebook. 對，我要把照片po在臉書上。

3. photo 照片
What's so special about the photo? 這張照片有什麼特別？
It can cool people down. 可以讓人覺得涼快一點。

4. camera 照相機
My camera takes 4 photos in one second. 我的相機每秒拍四張照片。
That's an amazing camera! 真驚人的相機！

你經常拍照嗎? 來讀讀單字。
burp 打嗝
take picture 照相
photo 照片
camera 相機
________________________________

Quiz

1. Where were the special cameras?
A: On farms
B: In space
C: In America

2. Why are cow burps bad for the world?
A: They make a bad smell.
B: They hurt other animals.
C: They make the world hotter.

3. What color is a cow burp?
A: Blue
B: Brown
C: Purple

Answers
1. B
2. C
3. A
 

New Marine Parks Protect Ocean

GASP! That was so fun! I love snorkeling!

Have you been snorkeling?
你會浮潛嗎？

Snorkeling is when you swim around on the surface of the ocean, and you look
at things under the water.
浮潛就是在海面上游泳，看海裡的景觀。

There are so many interesting things to see in the ocean! Such as fish,
turtles, jellyfish, coral, and sometimes even sharks!
海裡面有魚、海龜、水母、珊瑚，有時候還有鯊魚！

But the ocean is in trouble. There is too much pollution, and this is hurting
the oceans. It is hurting the sea animals too. We need to protect the ocean.
但是現在海洋有太多污染，會傷害海洋跟海洋生物。我們要保護海洋。

One way that Australia is protecting the ocean is by making two marine parks.
A marine park is a "sea park", so it is like a park in the ocean!
澳洲為了保護海洋，蓋了兩座海洋公園。

And these parks are very, very big. They are seven hundred and forty-four
thousand square kilometers large! Do you know how big that is? That is the
size of about twenty Taiwans!
它們有74萬4千平方公里，大概有20個台灣大！

These parks are protected. That means there are rules that help make sure the
water stays clean, and the animals stay safe.
海洋公園有規定保持海水乾淨，也保護動物的安全。

This is important, because if we don't protect the animals, one day they
might be gone forever.
如果我們不保護動物，牠們有一天會消失。

So remember to protect the environment, and keep garbage out of the oceans!
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Vocabulary
澳洲的海洋公園,是指受到保護的海洋區域。

1. swim 游泳
Swimming is the best thing to do in summer. 夏天最棒的事就是游泳。
I agree. Especially if you can swim in the ocean.
我同意，尤其假如你能在海裡游泳的話。

2. under the water 在水下
It's so nice to be under the water. 在水底下真好！
Yeah, sometimes you get to see fish too. 是啊,有的時候還可以看到魚。

3. size 尺寸
The size of this swimming pool is amazing! 這個游泳池的尺寸真驚人！
I think it's an Olympic-size pool. 我想這是個奧運大小的游泳池。

4. forever 永遠
Kate is moving to the U.K. 凱特要搬去英國了。
I know. She'll be gone forever. 我知道,她會永遠離開了。
Forever? So she's not coming back? 永遠嗎？所以她不回來了？
Nope. 不了。

Would you like to visit a marine park? Let's read today's vocabulary.
swim 游泳
under the water 在水下
size 尺寸
forever 永遠
________________________________

Quiz

1. What country created marine parks in this story?
A: Australia
B: Taiwan
C: USA

2. How big is the total size of the marine parks?
A: About the size of 20 Pacific Oceans
B: About the size of 20 Taiwans
C: The size of Australia

3. What is a marine park?
A: A park in the forest
B: A park in the sky
C: A park in the ocean

Answers
1. A
2. B
3. C
 

A Computer that Runs on Algae

Hi, everyone! I want to tell you about a really cool type of energy.

You guys know about clean energy from the sun and wind, right? But do you
know about energy from algae?
你有聽說過藻類也可以發電嗎？

Algae are those green things you see in water sometimes. You can find them in
all kinds of water, like lakes and the ocean.
你常常可以在湖面上或是海面上看到綠色的藻類。

It is kind of yucky if you swim in algae, it's so slimy! But, algae can also
be used to make clean energy.
藻類黏糊糊的，在裡面游泳很噁心。不過它們可以提供乾淨的能源！

Algae are plants. All plants use photosynthesis.
藻類是植物，會行光合作用。

Plants use photosynthesis to make energy, which helps them grow. Now people
are using this energy to make electricity. Wow! It's like a battery that
keeps making power!
植物經由光合作用產生能量，幫助生長。現在人們可以用這種能量來發電！

The scientists have used this algae battery for more than a year. And it's
still making enough energy to power a small computer!
科學家用藻類發電已經一年多了，電力足夠供應一台小電腦。

This is so exciting! Why? Well, algae doesn't cost anything, you can get it
almost everywhere!
而且藻類到處都有！

We use a lot of energy every day. This algae battery can help us a lot. It
can help make the world a cleaner place!
________________________________

Vocabulary
用藻類來發電，有點兒不可思議吧？

1. energy 能源
I'm so tired today, no energy whatsoever. 我今天好累，完全沒有勁兒。
You need a little time to recharge. 你需要一點時間充電。
Let me get you some chocolate ice cream. 我去給你弄點巧克力冰淇淋。

2. use 使用
So we're using ice cream as energy? 所以我們現在用冰淇淋當作能源？
Why not? It's the best one we can use right now.
為什麼不？它是我們現在能用的最佳能源。

3. cost 花費
And it doesn't cost much. 而且它花不了多少錢。
No, it only costs 200 NT. 對，只花了兩百塊。

4. battery 電池
My cell phone's battery is dead. 我的手機電池完蛋了。
That's not fun. 那不好玩。
This store should have the battery you need. 這家店應該有你需要的電池。

這些單字常常用到，我們來讀一遍。
energy 能源
use 使用
cost 花費
battery 電池
________________________________

Quiz

1. Where can you find algae?
A: Only in lakes
B: Only in oceans
C: In all kinds of water

2. What did scientists use algae to do?
A: Build a small computer
B: Give power to a small computer
C: Clean the ocean

3. Why is energy from algae like energy from the wind and sun?
A: They are all clean energy
B: They are all easy to use
C: They all use photosynthesis

Answers
1. C
2. B
3. A