Tiny Robot Looks Like a Crab

What's that sound?

Oh, it's my robot vacuum cleaner! It got stuck!

Okay, that's better.

Robots can do so many things! They can vacuum floors and help build cars!
機器人可以幫忙掃地，也可以製造汽車。

But, can you imagine a robot so small, that it can walk on the edge of a 10
NT coin?

Well, scientists now have one! It's called a "micro-robot."
科學家做了一個迷你機器人，可以在十元硬幣的邊邊上走路！

"Micro" means super, super small.

Scientists have made a micro robot that looks like a crab. And, it is so
small, it can walk on the edge of a coin!
這個迷你機器人有一點像螃蟹。

This micro robot crab is the smallest walking robot ever made! It's almost
too hard to see with your eyes. You have to look really closely!
它是史上最小的機器人，甚至很難用肉眼看見！

Why did they make this super, super mini robot?

Tiny robots can do things people can't, like go into your body and help
doctors fix something that's too small for the doctors to reach.
迷你機器人可以進入人的身體，幫醫生治療病人。

Micro-robots could soon be saving lives!

Or, a micro robot could help astronauts. It could crawl inside a tiny part of
a spaceship engine and help fix something.
它也可以幫太空人進引擎裡面修太空船。

The next time you have a coin in your hand, imagine a tiny crab robot
crawling on the edge. Amazing, right?

Scientists say one day, micro robots will be so small, you won't be able to
see them without a microscope!
未來的機器人會小到要用顯微鏡才看得到！

Wow! That means one day we could have robots inside of almost anything!
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Vocabulary
機器人小到要用顯微鏡才能看見，很神奇吧?

1. vacuum cleaner 吸塵器
Your vacuum cleaner can run by itself! 你的吸塵器可以自己跑。
Of course. I don't need to do anything. 當然。我什麼都不用做。
I want to get one for my house! 我家也要買一台。

2. look like 看起來像
Does my hair look like a pineapple? 我的頭髮像不像鳳梨？
It looks more like a bird. 更像一隻鳥。
No wonder I feel like flying. 難怪我覺得想飛。

3. fix 修理
Can you fix this mini robot? 你會修這個迷你機器人嗎？
No, it's too small! 不會，它太小了。

4. coin 硬幣
I have too many coins in my pocket. 我口袋裡太多硬幣了。
Give them to me. 都給我吧。
I don't mind. 我不介意。

Let's read these words together.
vacuum cleaner 吸塵器
look like 看起來像
fix 修理
coin 硬幣
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Quiz

1.What do we call super small robots?
A: Whale robots
B: Master robots
C: Micro robots

2. What does this robot look like?
A: A giraffe
B: A crab
C: A fish

3. What could micro robots soon be saving?
A: Lives
B: Money
C: Time

Answers
1. C
2. B
3. A
 

California Says No to Gas Cars

Today is World Car Free Day! It's a time when some people stop driving their
cars for a whole day.
今天是世界無車日！

Cars make a lot of pollution. There are lots of other ways to stop cars from
making so much pollution. Like in California… they want to stop selling gas
cars by 2035.
汽車製造了很多污染。美國加州想從2035年以後不賣燃油車了。

California won't stop selling all cars. They will just stop selling cars that
use gas, which make lots of pollution. They will still sell cars that use
electricity, of course.
不是所有車都不賣了，他們還會賣電動車。

Other states in America also want to ban the sale of gas cars. This means the
air in these places will be cleaner.
美國有一些地方也想要不賣燃油車，這樣空氣會比較乾淨。

And now, Taiwan says it wants to ban the sale of gas cars too! Wow! That's
great. Taiwan won't stop selling them as soon as California, though. Taiwan
plans to stop selling gas cars by 2040. That's five years later than
California.
現在台灣也想要這樣做，不過會從2040年開始，比加州慢五年。

Try walking home today, or taking the MRT! Have a happy and healthy World Car
Free Day everybody!
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Vocabulary
把汽車改成使用電力而不用汽油，空氣會乾淨很多。

1. sell 賣
Do they sell electric bikes here? 他們這裡有賣電動腳踏車嗎？
I think so. 我想有吧。
They're also selling cute little bikes for children.
他們也賣小孩用的可愛小腳踏車。

2. stop 停止
People really should stop driving gas cars. 大家真的應該停止駕駛用汽油的車。
I'm driving a scooter. 我是用摩托車。
An electric one? 是電動的嗎？
Oh, yes. 是的。

3. drive 駕駛
Do you enjoy driving? 你喜歡開車嗎？
I do. 喜歡。
I feel free when driving. 我開車的時候覺得很自由。

4. ban 禁止
In Saudi Arabia, they ban women from driving. 沙烏地阿拉伯禁止女性開車。
Not anymore. 現在不會了。
The ban is over. 禁令結束了。

這些單字簡短好用。
sell 賣
stop 停止
drive 駕駛
ban 禁止
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Quiz

1. What happens on World Car Free Day?
A: Some people stop selling cars
B: Some people stop buying cars
C: Some people stop driving cars

2. Where do they want to stop selling gas cars?
A: California
B: France
C: India

3. When do they want to stop selling gas cars?
A: By next August
B: By 2035
C: By 2040

Answers
1. C
2. A
3. B
 

New Flying Car Coming Soon

Hey students! Do you know what's cool? Flying cars! They can drive on roads
like regular cars. But they have wings that let them fly in the air, too!
飛天汽車很酷吧！這台車在陸地跟一般的車子一樣，但它也有翅膀，可以讓它飛起來！

Today, I want to talk about a company called Samson. Samson wants to make a
flying car called the Switchblade. When the car flies, the wings swing out
from under the car. They fold back when it is on the road, so the wings are
hidden.
有一家叫做Samson的公司做了一台叫飛天車，名字叫做「彈簧刀」。它的翅膀可以折疊收起來。

The Switchblade has just three wheels, not four. But it can go really fast,
like a sports car. On land, it can travel 200 kilometers an hour. In the air,
it can go even faster... 305 kilometers an hour!
他只有三個輪子，但是可以跟跑車一樣快！在陸地上可以跑到時速200公里，飛起來可以達到時速305公里。

The Switchblade also comes with a parachute. If the motor stops in the air,
the parachute will come out. Then the car can just float down to the ground.
這一台車還有降落傘，如果車子突然壞了也可以安全降落。

It would be great to have a flying car! I would no longer get stuck in
traffic jams.
有了飛天車，我就不會塞到車了！

But it would be expensive, more than $4 million NT!
但是它要四百萬台幣，好貴！

I don't think I can pay for that. I guess I'll just have to keep taking the
MRT.
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Vocabulary
如果汽車都可以飛上天，還需要飛機嗎？

1. wing 翅膀
My God! That's not a plane in the air. 天哪，那架在空中的不是飛機。
It's a car! 是汽車！
And it has two wings! 它並且還有兩隻翅膀！

2. fold 折疊
It's folding back the wings now. 它現在把翅膀收起來了。
How amazing! 真驚人！
Wings that can come out and fold back. 翅膀可以打開，收起來。

3. ground 地面
Now it's touching the ground. 現在它碰到地面了。
Let's go take a look. 我們過去瞧瞧。
Hey, I can't run so fast! 我沒辦法跑那麼快！

4. wheel 車輪
See, it's only got 3 wheels. 你看，它只有三個輪子。
Yeah, one wheel under the nose, and 2 in the back.
對，一個在鼻子下面，兩個在後面。
It really looks like a toy! 真像個玩具呢！

你想搭乘飛天汽車嗎？一起來讀單字。
wing 翅膀
fold 摺疊
ground 地面
wheel 車輪
________________________________

Quiz

1. Where are the wings of the Switchblade hidden?
A: On top of the car
B: On the sides of the car
C: Under the car

2. How fast can the Switchblade travel on land?
A: 305 kilometers an hour
B: 400 kilometers an hour
C: 200 kilometers an hour

3. How many wheels will the Switchblade have?
A: 2
B: 3
C: 4

Answers
1. C
2. C
3. B
 

Teen Makes New Electric Motor

Look at that bus! It looks really cool! And it's so quiet!

Do you know why it's so quiet? It's an electric bus. It uses an electric
motor!
你知道為甚麼這麼安靜嗎？因為它是電動巴士。

Electric motors are great! They don't make all that smelly smoke that's bad
for the air… and bad for people, too.
電動馬達不會產生髒空氣。

But, there is one problem with electric motors. An electric motor needs some
very special things inside it to make it work.

Electric motors need special metals, and other things that you can only find
by digging in the ground.
要做電動馬達，需要很特別的金屬，以及很多在地底下才找得到的東西。

And, there isn't enough of those things in the ground for the future... one
day they will all be gone, and then how will we make electric motors?
而且這些東西總有一天會用完！

Well, guess what? A 17-year-old student in America may have found the answer.
His name is Robert.

Robert is working on a new way to make electric motors that don't need any
special metals! And scientists say his idea could work!
美國一個叫做 Robert 的學生，在研究一種不用特別的金屬，就可以做電動馬達的方法！

That's amazing! Robert is only 17 years-old, but he's already changing the
world!

What would you like to make? Maybe one day you will have an idea that can
change the world too! You could build an even better motor, or a cool new
spaceship!
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Vocabulary
你想發明什麼嗎？也許可以改變世界喔！

1. world 世界
Can you name 2 things that changed the world? 你能說出兩種改變世界的東西嗎？
Sure, computers and cellphones. 當然，電腦和手機。
That's true. We used pen and paper before. Not anymore.
這是真的，我們以前用筆和紙。現在不用了。

2. work 工作
What if your computer doesn't work? 要是你的電腦不中用怎麼辦？
I'll just have to go to bed. You? 那我只好上床睡覺了。你呢？
I'll get it fixed right away. 我會馬上找人修理。

3. special 特別的
I know someone special who can fix computers. 我認識很特別的人會修電腦。
Lucky you! I don't have such a special friend.
你運氣不錯。我沒有這麼特別的朋友。

4. electric 電動的
Yes, he knows a lot about electric things. 他對電器懂很多。

這些單字你記住了嗎？
world 世界
work 工作
special 特別的
electric 電動的
________________________________

Quiz

1. How old is Robert?
A: 170 years-old
B: 17 years-old
C: 70 years-old

2. What did Robert make?
A: A new kind of electric motor
B: A new spaceship
C: A new flying motorcycle

3. Why are electric motors better?
A: They don't make bad smoke
B: They are super heavy
C: They are delicious

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. A
 

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Electric Airplanes Tested in America

Hi students! Today we're talking about electric vehicles.
我們今天要講的是電動交通工具。

There are electric bicycles, electric cars, and even electric buses! The
world is changing: now, there is even an electric airplane!
現在有電動腳踏車、電動車、電動巴士，甚至還有電動飛機！

No way! That's amazing! A new electric airplane!

They are testing the electric airplane in America. This electric airplane is
small. It can carry just 11 people.
現在美國在測試電動飛機。這台飛機很小，只能載11個人。

And after testing, if everything is safe, some companies will start using
small electric airplanes for short trips with only a few people.
經過測試，如果一切安全，有一些公司就會用來進行短程旅行！

But in just a few years, electric airplanes will get bigger and stronger!

One day very soon, airplane companies are going to make big electric
airplanes.

Maybe one day you'll fly to Europe or America in an electric plane!
也許有一天，我們就可以搭電動飛機去歐洲或美國了！

Ahh, that would be so nice. It would be so quiet! And it would be much, much
better for the environment!
它們很安靜，而且對環境也很好！

I can hardly believe it, but electric airplanes are here!

Soon, maybe every kind of vehicle in the world will use electric power!
________________________________

Vocabulary
為了環保，現在很多交通工具都變成電動的。

1. plane 飛機
Hey, what's that? 嘿，那是什麼？
I can't believe it! It's a plane! 真不敢相信！是一架飛機！

2. electric 電動的
Why isn't it making any sounds? 為什麼它都沒有聲音？
I think it's an electric plane. 我想它是電動飛機。
Really? Even my electric bike makes more noise. 真的嗎?
我的電動腳踏車聲音比它還大。

3. safe 安全的
Do you think it's safe? 你覺得它安全嗎？
My bike is very safe. 我的腳踏車很安全。
No, I mean the plane. 不，我是說飛機。

4. company 公司
It should be. 應該安全。
The company making the plane would make sure it's safe.
製造那架飛機的公司會確保它是安全的。

Let's read today's vocabulary together.
plane 飛機
electric 電動的
safe 安全的
company 公司
________________________________

Quiz

1. What are they testing in America?
A: An electric garbage truck
B: An electric airplane
C: An electric monkey

2. How big is the airplane in the story?
A: Small. It can carry 11 people
B: Small. It can only carry 2 people
C: Super big! It can carry 500 people

3. Electric cars, buses, and airplanes are…
A: …quiet, and good for the environment
B: …noisy and ugly
C: …funny and stinky

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. A