________________________________

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

I'm Paz Bueno…

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

Taipei First Girls' High School Marching Band dazzle at Rose Parade, France
sets new rules for fast food restaurants, and playing video games might be
good for your brain!

Stick around and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next.
_______________________________

北一女樂儀旗隊 玫瑰花車遊行讓人驚豔
Taipei First Girls High School Marching Band Dazzle at Rose Parade

How far can you walk, carrying a heavy instrument (樂器)?

One kilometer? Maybe three?

The Taipei First Girls High School marching band, honor guard, and color
guard dazzled the audiences at the Rose Parade in California.
北一女樂隊、儀隊和旗隊在加州玫瑰花車遊行中讓觀眾眼花繚亂。

The marching band (遊行樂隊) was one of six international groups taking part
in this year's parade.

The girls walked for nearly two hours in the cold weather.

It was only six degrees Celsius (攝氏六度)!

They marched for nine kilometers while playing music.

Local media praised (稱讚) the 135 students and teachers for their organized
formation.

The event's host addressed (稱呼) Taiwan both by its official name, the
Republic of China (ROC), as well as Taiwan.

This was the third time the Taipei First Girls High School Marching Band,
Honor Guards and Color Guards was invited to perform at the Rose Parade after
performances in 1996 and 2005.

When the parade was over, the students enjoyed burgers at popular fast food
chain (速食連鎖店), In N Out.

After marching for two hours… I'd be super hungry too!
________________________________

法國速食店新規定
France Sets New Rules for Fast Food Restaurants

The New Year brings many new changes.

In France, those changes include new rules about food packaging (包裝).

Starting January 1st, fast food chains in France cannot give dine-in
customers food in throwaway (一次性，用過就丟的) boxes.

That means if you eat at a restaurant like McDonald's, the food would not be
served in disposable (一次性) packaging.

Under the new law, restaurants have to provide reusable (可重複使用的)
plates, cups, and cutlery (刀叉), which will later be washed and used again.

The law was published (發布) in 2020.

The new system is trying to reduce (減少) plastic and other types of waste.

Environmental groups are calling on the government to properly enforce (執行)
the new law.

They hope the government can fine restaurants that don't follow the rule.
________________________________

打電動可能對大腦有益
Playing Video Games Might Be Good For Your Brain

Do you like playing video games (電動遊戲)?

Many adults, especially parents, worry that video games could be bad for us.

But a new study says video games might be good for our brains!

It's called the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (青少年大腦認知發展),
or ABCD Study.

It's one of many studies that looked at the effects (影響) of video games.

They're looking at over 2,000 people between the ages of 10 and 20 in the
United States.

The test group (測試組) reported playing at least three hours a day.

The researchers compare results with a control group (控制組) of kids who
said they never play video games.

All participants in the study answer questions every year.

The researchers also perform an MRT scan on each kid's brain every other year
(每隔一年).

They tested the kids in two ways.

The first task was to press an arrow key that matched the right or left arrow
on a computer screen.
第一項任務是按下跟電腦螢幕上的右箭頭或左箭頭相配的箭頭鍵。

The second task asked the kids to remember the faces in pictures on the
computer screen.
第二個任務要求孩子們記住電腦銀幕上圖片中的面孔。

The result?

The gamer group was better at both tasks!

A researcher says gamer's brains are better at working memory, attention, and
problem-solving.
研究人員說愛打電動的玩家，大腦更擅長記憶、更專注，更能解決問題。

Gamers also have better hand-eye coordination (手眼協調).

Researchers say we need to study the effects of gaming more before deciding
that video games are good for children.

The ABCD study is still ongoing.

But for now… video games might be better for us.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

The Taipei First Girls High School marching band was one of six international
groups taking part in this year's Rose Parade in California.

The girls walked for nearly two hours in the cold weather.

When the parade was over, the students enjoyed burgers at popular fast food
chain, In N Out.
________________________________

Starting January 1st, fast food chains in France cannot give dine-in
customers food in throwaway boxes.

Under the new law, restaurants have to provide reusable plates, cups, and
cutlery, which will later be washed and used again.

The new system is trying to reduce plastic and other types of waste.
________________________________

And,

A new study says video games might be good for our brains!

A researcher says gamer's brains are better at working memory, attention, and
problem-solving.

Gamers also have better hand-eye coordination.

Researchers say we need to study the effect of gaming more before deciding
that video games are good for children.
________________________________

And that's all for today's episode of News Bites!
________________________________

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we asked you to tell us what your New Year's Resolution is...

While these answers might not be looking into the future,

11-year-old Ray from FengGang Elementary School in Hsinchu County tells us
what his plans were for New Year's Eve.

***

And that's all for this week's "Have Your Say"!

Remember, if your answer was used in the show this month, we'll be sending
you a gift in the mail.

Make sure to tune in again tomorrow for an all-new question!
 

________________________________

Hello everyone! Time to feast on another episode of News Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno…

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

More women in local councils, Chinese pandas are going home, and a
once-in-a-lifetime comet in the sky!

Stay tuned and we'll tell you more about these stories, coming up next!
________________________________

台灣在地方議會中有更多女性代表
Taiwan Sees More Female Representation in Local Councils

Do you know who makes the decisions that affect your community (社區)?

In Taiwan, each city and county (縣) has a local government (政府) and
council (議會).

Local governments and councils are responsible for many policies (政策) and
services we use every day.

Like education, public safety...

Health and social services, parks…

Public transportation and… traffic!

It's important to have a government that represents (代表) all the people who
live in a community.

Children, adults, elderly, men, women... all of them have different needs.

In Taiwan, female representation in local councils is increasing!

In November last year, Taiwan held the 9-in-1 local elections to fill many
seats in local councils (補地方議會的許多席位).

Out of 3,048 local public representatives (代表人) elected, 901 were women.

Taipei City reports the highest female representation, with almost 50 percent
of elected officials being women!
台北市的女性代表比例最高，幾乎 50% 的民選官員是女性！

Other counties and cities with the highest female representation over
30-percent are Hsinchu City, Tainan, New Taipei City, and Keelung.

Having more women in leadership positions promotes gender equality.
讓更多女性擔任領導職務可以促進性別平等。

They can make decisions that help address the needs of everyone.

A more diverse and inclusive government (多元化和包容性的政府) can help every
citizen.
________________________________

愛丁堡動物園將大熊貓送回中國
Edinburgh Zoo to Return Pandas to China

Pandas are one of the cutest animals in the world.

They are a vulnerable species endemic to China.
它們是中國特有的易危物種。

They are also China's national treasure (國家寶藏).

All living pandas belong (屬於) to the Chinese government.

No one else can own one (擁有一個).

China lets some governments borrow pandas as a mark of respect between their
countries.
中國允許一些政府借用大熊貓，以示兩國之間互相尊重。

Having a panda can boost the status (提高地位) of a zoo.

Each zoo has to pass a test to be allowed to keep one, and it can cost a lot
of money.

Since 2011, pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived in Edinburgh Zoo in
Scotland.

They are the only pandas living in the U.K.

And, well, they won't be living there after this year.

That's because Edinburgh Zoo is returning Yang Guang and Tian Tian in October.

The zoo says caring for the pandas is too expensive (昂貴的).

It costs around ?750,000 pounds (英鎊) a year… or more than $27,800,000 NT!

Another reason the zoo plans to return the black-and-white bears is because
they could not mate (交配).

The zookeepers hoped the pandas would mate and have babies.

But they gave up after trying for ten years.
________________________________

一生只有一次，綠光彗星將出現在天空中
Green Comet to Make a Once-in-a-Lifetime Appearance in the Sky

For the first time since the Stone Age (石器時代), a green comet will be
visible (看得見) in the sky in 2023.

The comet is officially called C/2022 E3 (ZTF).

But, we'll just call it "the green comet".

It was discovered by astronomers (天文學家) in March last year.

It was about 640 million kilometers away from the Sun, inside of Jupiter's
orbit (木星的軌道).

NASA believes it came from the edge of the Solar System, in a place called
the Oort Cloud.
美國太空總署認為它來自太陽系的邊緣，一個叫做奧爾特雲的地方。

They have been watching it travel closer and closer to the Inner Solar System
(內太陽系).

The green comet will be closest to the sun tomorrow (1/12).

That's around 160 million kilometers from the Sun.

The closest the comet has come since the last Ice Age (冰河世紀)!

Astronomers say it might be visible to the naked eye at night, appearing like
a green blob (斑點) in the sky.

And it will be observable with binoculars or telescopes.
它可以用雙筒望遠鏡或望遠鏡觀察到。

They say it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (一生一次的機會) to see
the green comet.

NASA says the comet will approach (接近) the Sun around January 12th this
year.

And it will be the closest to the Earth on February 2nd.

The next time to see it will be in at least 50,000 years.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

In November last year, Taiwan held the 9-in-1 local elections to fill many
seats in local councils.

Out of 3,048 local public representatives elected, 901 were women.

Having more women in leadership positions promotes gender equality.
________________________________

China lets some governments borrow pandas as a mark of respect between their
countries.

Since 2011, Chinese pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived in Edinburgh
Zoo in Scotland.

But the zoo says caring for the pandas is too expensive.

So, they plan to return the pandas to China this year.
________________________________

And,

For the first time since the Stone Age, a green comet called C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
will be visible to us.

It will be closest to the Sun tomorrow, and to Earth on February 2nd.

Astronomers say it might be visible to the naked eye at night, appearing like
a green blob in the sky.
________________________________

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 today's episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun...

And I'm Hope Ngo.

So, in today's stories...

Happiness in Taiwan, seaweed in the ocean, and a giant spider in danger.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

【世界快樂報告】出爐！台灣排亞洲第4
Taiwan Ranked 4th Happiest in Asia

How are you today?

Are you feeling happy?

A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.

And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.

聯合國發表2023年的"世界快樂報告"，台灣名列世界第27名，在亞洲排名第4。

The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.

It looked at six different factors (因素), like freedom and health, to see
how happy people are.
報告用六個指標來為各國排名，包括預期健康壽命、自由指數、和人民慷慨。

In Asia, Israel was the happiest.

The second happiest was Singapore, and the third was the United Arab Emirates.

Finland was listed as the happiest country in the world.

Finland has been the happiest country in the report for six years now.

The second happiest is Denmark, and the third is Iceland.

The report says these countries all have high scores for happiness and
equality (平等).

More people in these countries live long healthy lives.

They take care of each other.

And people in these countries have freedom to make big decisions in their
life.

And the most unhappy country is Afghanistan.

It's been the last on the list since 2020.

The country has been dealing with war for more than 20 years.
________________________________

馬尾藻大軍襲美國
Giant Seaweed Blob Nears U.S.

A dangerous giant blob (一團的物體) is moving closer to the U.S.

Is this a sci-fi movie?

No, it's a blob of seaweed!

The seaweed is called Sargassum.

Every year, sargassum grows in the ocean, and floats around in the water.

They are a natural part of the ocean.

And they are a home for many sea animals, from shrimp, to eels, and sea
turtles.

But starting in 2011, scientists noticed a lot more sargassum in the sea.

The brown seaweed covered beaches.

And the rotting (腐爛) sargassum gave off a bad smell, like rotting eggs.

All that seaweed also sucks all the oxygen out of the water.

This can kill fish and other sea animals.

海藻太過濃密，會吸取海水裡的氧氣，導致珊瑚跟海草死亡，腐化後還會釋放有毒的氣，造成魚類暴斃，危害人體。

Scientists are still trying to understand why so much sargassum grows now.

But they think climate change could be one of the reasons (原因).

Now, a giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.

How big is this seaweed blob?

It's over 8,000 kilometers wide!

The blob is big enough to go across the United States, TWICE!

這一團海藻遍布範圍達8000公里，相當於美國國土寬度的兩倍。

Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.

They are not sure if the seaweed blob will be this big every year.

They say more research is needed.
________________________________

澳洲發現巨大蜘蛛物種
Rare Giant Spider Found in Australia

A new type of giant spider has been found in Australia.

The Euoplos dignitas was found living in Queensland.

The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.

That's not including its legs.

They are a reddish brown color.

They live in forests, in open spaces.

And they build burrows (洞穴) in the soil.

But scientists say these spiders need to be protected (受到保護).

They say the Euoplos dignitas has lost much of its home.

Much of the forests they live in has been cleared by humans.

Scientists say the Euoplos dignitas is probably an endangered species.

科學家說這個新發現的蜘蛛物種已經大量失去了棲息地，很有可能是瀕危物種。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.

And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.

The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.
________________________________

A giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.

This seaweed blob is over 8,000 kilometers wide!

Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.
________________________________

And,

A new type of giant spider has been found in Queensland, Australia.

The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.

Scientists say these spiders need to be protected.
________________________________

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 weekend.

Are you ready for your long weekend? Tomb Sweeping Day and Children's Day are
coming up. Tell us what your plans are for this 5-day-long weekend.

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.

Send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message
on our show on Friday!
 

________________________________

Hey there, this is... News Bites! And welcome to it!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Paz Bueno

In today's news:

A big duck returns to Taiwan, a man puts on a disguise, and a woman comes out
of a cave.

Stay tuned for more on these stories, coming up next.
________________________________

巨無霸黃色小鴨 現身高雄
Giant Rubber Duck Appears in Kaohsiung

Okay, I have a joke for you.

What sound does the little bird make?
小鳥發出什麼聲音？

"Cheep cheep!"

Okay then, what sound does the BIG bird make?
那，大鳥會發出什麼聲音呢？

"CHEEEEEP!"

Now, what sound does a 15-meter-tall inflatable duck in Kaohsiung Harbor make?
高雄港中，15公尺高的充氣黃色小鴨會發出什麼聲音呢？

*HOOOOOOOOOOONK*

That's right, the big yellow duck came back to visit Taiwan!

This giant duck-shaped balloon is actually a piece of art that floats on the
water, and lots of people come to take pictures of it.
這個巨無霸氣球鴨鴨，其實是漂浮在水面的藝術品，吸引很多人來拍照。

It was made by a Dutch artist (荷蘭的藝術家) named Florentijn Hofman.

He has made a lot of these giant ducks, to show in countries all around the
world.

The giant duck's first time in Taiwan was in the year 2013, when it floated
(漂浮) around Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Keelung.

And that time, around 4 million people (四百萬人) went to go see it, in just
one month!

So people were very surprised to see it appear (出現) in Kaohsiung again.

However, some people were worried the giant duck would affect boats in the
harbor (有的人擔心黃色小鴨會影響到港口的船), so it was only inflated as a
test.

Maybe someday we'll see it again!
________________________________

男生偽裝成女性 加入西洋棋比賽
Man Wears Disguise to Join Chess Tournament

Do you like to play chess (西洋棋)?

Well, you probably don't like chess as much as one man does...

This guy REALLY wanted to play chess.

So he joined a chess tournament (他加入了西洋棋比賽).

But there was one big problem...

This chess tournament was only for women!
這場西洋棋比賽只讓女生參加！

So, this man wore a hijab (頭巾) to cover his face and body.

為了能夠出賽，這個男生於是戴上長長的頭巾，隱藏自己的臉和部分身體。

Then, he pretended (假裝) to be a woman!

At first, people at the tournament were a little suspicious (懷疑).

They said it was really weird that this... "woman" didn't talk, and wore
really big shoes (穿很大的鞋子.)

But they couldn't see her... or his... face, so they still weren't sure
(還不確定) if it might be a man.

Finally, after the tournament's fourth round (過了比賽的第四關), they asked
him to show his face.

And, of course... he was a man!

They removed him (踢出比賽) from the women's chess tournament.

And they say he won't be allowed (不允許) to play in any tournaments for a
few years.

Of course, he did a very weird thing...

But man, he must REALLY love chess!
________________________________

女性運動員 穴居五百日
Woman Lives in a Cave for 500 Days

For our final story, we're looking at an amazing athlete (很了不起的運動員).

But this woman doesn't play basketball, or football, or chess...

She does things like... living in a cave (洞穴)!

This woman went into a cave in Russia, on November 21st, 2021...
這名女士2021年11月21日走進俄羅斯一個洞穴...

And she didn't come out until this month!
她這個月才出洞！

While she was in the cave (當她在洞穴裡面), she says she spent lots of time
exercising, drawing, and knitting hats (織帽子).

She also read 60 books, and drank 1,000 liters of water (喝了 1,000 公升的水).

And she didn't talk to anyone!

Luckily, there was a group of scientists nearby.

They monitored her (監看她的狀況), to make sure she was safe.

Scientists say her 500 days in a cave can teach us a lot about the human
brain (人類的頭腦).

Now, she holds the world record (世界紀錄) for longest time spent in a cave.

Whoof... doing anything for 500 days is pretty tough!
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A big yellow duck has come back to visit Taiwan.

This giant duck-shaped balloon is actually a piece of art that floats on the
water, and lots of people come to take pictures of it.

The giant duck's first time in Taiwan was in the year 2013, when it floated
around Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Keelung.
________________________________

And,

A man disguised himself as a woman, to join a women's chess tournament.

He put on a hijab, to cover his face and body.

People discovered him after the fourth round, and say he will not be allowed
to join tournaments for a few years.
________________________________

And,

A woman has just come out of a cave in Russia, after living in it for 500
days.

While she was in the cave, she spent lots of time exercising, reading,
drawing, and knitting hats.

Scientists say her 500 days in a cave can teach us a lot about the human
brain.
________________________________

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 the weather.

The weather has been crazy this month. First it was hot and dry, and now it's
rainy and stormy!

Tell us about the weather near you! Do you like the recent weather?

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.

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 Paz Bueno…

And I'm Brody Halverson.

In today's news:

Equal rights for parenting, a pasta mystery, and baaa-rave firefighters.

Stay tuned for more on these stories, coming up next.
________________________________

台灣同志伴侶可以共同領養子女
Same-Sex Couples Can Jointly Adopt

Taiwan is Asia's leading country for LGBT rights (權益).

LGBT stands for people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.
LGBT代表女同志、男同志、雙性戀者，以及跨性別者。

These are people who may love someone of the same gender (性別) or feel they
are a different gender from the one they were born as.

In 2019, Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex (同性)
couples to get married.

There are laws to protect people from being treated badly because of who they
love or how they feel about their gender.

There's even a special day when people march in the streets to celebrate love
and diversity (多元文化), called the Pride Parade (同志遊行).

On May 16th, the Legislative Yuan (立法院) changed a rule to help same-sex
couples.

Before, these couples could only adopt their spouse's child if it was their
biological child.
過去，這些伴侶只能領養配偶的親生子女。

But now, these couples can also adopt a child together.

Everyone is saying it's a fair thing to do because it's important that all
kinds of families can take care of children.

People who care about the rights of children and LGBT people are really happy
about this change.

Love is love, no matter who you are.
________________________________

森林中的義大利麵
Mysterious Pasta in the Woods

Picture this (想像一下): You're walking in the woods, and guess what you
find?

Piles and piles of pasta!
一堆又一堆的義大利麵！

This happened near a river in the US city of Old Bridge last month.

No one knew how the pasta got there.

And when the city cleaned it up, they found there were 500 pounds of noodles
(500磅的麵條)!

Pictures of the pasta were posted on Facebook, and many people found it
funny.

A netizen (網友) joked that cleaning it up was "Mission Im-pasta-ble"
(不可能的任務).
這個字把 "impossible"（不可能）與 "pasta"（義大利麵）結合在一起。

And another joked, "Lead suspect (主要嫌疑人) is a guy named Al Dente."
"Al Dente"是一個義大利詞語，用來形容煮得恰到好處、口感稍硬的義大利麵。

It turns out the suspect was not a guy named Al Dente, but a man who wanted
to clean out his pantry (食物儲藏室).

Neighbors say the city doesn't have bulk garbage pickup (大型垃圾收集服務),
which is a big problem.

The man didn't know how else to throw away all the pasta he had.

The incident brought a lot of attention (吸引很多注意) to the town's garbage
problem.

The residents hope city authorities can provide better trash pickup services
after this.
________________________________

智利的山羊如何保護森林
How Goats are Saving Forests in Chile

Forest fires are becoming more and more common as we deal with the climate
crisis.
隨著氣候變遷危機，森林火災變得越來越常見。

They hurt the trees and plants, animals that live in the woods lose their
homes, and the smoke harms our earth.

It's important to know how we can prevent (防止) forest fires.

In a city in Chile named Santa Juana, there's a team of helpers that help
protect the forest from dangerous fires.

And they're goats (山羊)!

These goats have already helped to save a forest park called Bosques de
Chacay from a big fire that happened in February.

But thanks to the goats, the park was safe!
The goats eat the dry plants that can catch fire easily during the hot
summer.
山羊會吃掉在炎熱的夏天容易著火的乾燥植物。

They also help the soil stay healthy with their poop.
他們的糞便也有助於土壤保持健康。

A forestry engineer (林業工程師) says, "These animals can help us a lot."

He thinks more people should use goats to eat the dry plants that can catch
fire.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

On May 16th, the Legislative Yuan changed a rule to help same-sex couples.

Before, these couples could only adopt their spouse's child if it was their
biological child.

But now, these couples can also adopt a child together.
________________________________

And,

A man discovered mysterious piles of pasta near a river in the US city of Old
Bridge last month.

It turns out the suspect was a man who wanted to clean out his pantry.

Neighbors say the city doesn't have bulk garbage pickup, which is a big
problem.
________________________________

And,

In a city in Chile named Santa Juana, there's a team of goats that help
protect the forest from dangerous fires.

The goats eat the dry plants that can catch fire easily during the hot
summer.

These goats have already helped to save a forest park from a big fire that
happened in February.
________________________________

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 being angry.

We all go through hard times. Or something not very nice happens, and we feel
angry! That's very normal, and totally okay! So when you are angry, how do
you deal with those feelings?

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.

Send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear your message
on our show on Friday!