________________________________

Sunshine Kettle

It's spring! The sun is shining. It makes flowers bloom. It makes the weather
warmer.

Electricity makes TVs and lights work. Fuel makes planes and cars move. What
makes the sun shine?
電視跟電燈靠電力運作，飛機跟汽車則依賴燃油推動。那太陽靠著什麼發光呢?

The sun is made of many very small things called atoms. These atoms like to
bounce around very fast. Sometimes, they hit each other hard and stick
together! When this happens, the atoms become one bigger thing!
太陽由很小的原子組成。這些原子會互相碰撞融合，成為更大的東西。

Lots of energy comes out. It makes the sun shine! This is nuclear fusion!
這就是核融合，這個過程會釋放很多能量，讓太陽發光。

We need this kind of energy. It's good energy. It won't make the environment
dirty. So scientists are trying to copy the sun. But it's hard!
我們需要這種能源，因為它不會汙染環境。

Scientists used many strong lights called lasers. They used lasers to shoot
at atoms. This made the atoms bounce around very fast and hit each other -
just like a mini sun!
科學家對著原子發出雷射光，讓原子產生反應互相碰撞，就像一顆迷你的太陽。

Some energy came out. The electricity from this energy can boil water in a
kettle. Scientists are trying to make better mini suns. The world needs lots
of energy!
釋放的能源還可以燒開水。科學家努力製造更好的迷你太陽，因為世界需要很多能源。

Scientists are working on nuclear fusion so we can have a better world!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
科學家努力模仿太陽的作用，希望產生更多能源。

1. each other 彼此
Do you see that boy and girl? 你看到那個男孩跟女孩嗎?
Do you see how they look at each other? 你有看到他們怎麼看彼此嗎?

2. happen 發生
Yeah, what about it? 看到了，又怎樣呢?
Their eyes are shining. 他們的眼睛發亮。
So they're in love. 所以他們在談戀愛。
No, that's not what's happening. 不對，不是那樣。

3. energy 能源、能量
Then what do you think is happening? 那你覺得發生了什麼事?
There's this energy between them. 他們之間有一種能量。

4. light 光線
Right, the energy of love. 對，愛的能量。
No, it's the energy of light. 不對，是光的能量。
You're weird, you know that? 你是個怪人，你知道嗎?

這些單字很好用。
each other彼此
happen發生
energy能源、能量
light光線

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz
1. What makes planes and cars move?
a. Electricity
b. Fuel
c. Wind

2. What are the scientists trying to copy?
a. Lasers
b. Electricity
c. The sun

3. What can the mini sun do now?
a. Light rooms
b. Cool food
c. Boil water

Answers:
1. b
2. c
3. c

 

________________________________

Hermit Crabs Reuse Our Trash

Why is that plastic bottle cap moving? Oh! A hermit crab is using it as a
shell!
怎麼有塑膠瓶蓋在移動呢? 原來有寄居蟹把它當作外殼!

Hermit crabs don't have their own shells. But they need one to live. Most
hermit crabs use sea snail shells. But people are seeing hermit crabs using
our plastic trash as their shells! They're seeing this all over the world!
寄居蟹沒有自己的外殼，但是牠們需要殼才能活下去。通常牠們用海螺的殼。可是現在到處都有人看到寄居蟹用塑膠垃圾當作外殼。

Is plastic good or bad for hermit crabs? Some plastic is lighter than shells.
It can make walking around easier for these crabs. But some plastic may be
bad for their health.
塑膠對寄居蟹是好還是壞呢?
有一些塑膠比貝殼還輕，但是有的卻可能會傷害牠們的健康。

Using our trash as their shells can be both good and bad for hermit crabs.
Researchers are looking for more answers.
用塑膠垃圾當作寄居蟹的外殼有好有壞，研究員還在找答案。

While we're waiting for answers, we can help the Earth. Hermit crabs reuse
things, so we can too! We can reuse plastic bottles to save coins. We can
reuse plastic cups to grow flowers. There are many useful and interesting
ways to reuse plastic!
寄居蟹回收再利用東西，我們也可以。我們重複使用塑膠瓶，可以拿來存零錢或種花。還有很多實用又有趣的方法回收再利用。

Let's learn from hermit crabs and reuse things! Hermit crabs turn trash into
something useful. Let's do the same to help the Earth. Go, go, go!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
寄居蟹跟人類的關係似乎越來越緊密， 因為牠撿垃圾來用。

1. crab 螃蟹
Look at this cute little thing! 你看這個可愛的小東西!
It's a hermit crab.牠是一隻寄居蟹。
Yeah, and it's using a seashell.對，而且牠在用貝殼。

2. way 方式
Hello there, you little guy! 哈囉，小東西。
Do you like your house? 你喜歡你的房子嗎?
Walking around with its house 揹著房子走來走去…
What a way of life! 真奇特的生活方式。

3. useful 有用的
I think the house is useful. 我覺得房子很有用。
You don't need to worry about the enemies out there. 你不需要擔心外面的敵人。

4. bad 壞的
I think it's a bad idea. 我覺得滿糟糕的。
A seashell is heavy. 貝殼很重呢。
It's only heavy on land. 只有在陸地上才重。
It's okay in the water. 在水裡就沒關係了。

你有看過寄居蟹嗎?
crab螃蟹
way方式
useful有用的
bad壞的

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz

1. What do most hermit crabs use as shells?
a. Glass bottles
b. Sea snail shells
c. Coins

2. What are some hermit crabs using as shells?
a. Plastic
b. Pearl
c. Paper

3. What can we learn from hermit crabs?
a. Reuse things
b. Walk around
c. Save money

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

 

________________________________

Out of Gas But Unstoppable

People love ordering food online. Food delivery drivers are busy! In India,
one delivery driver uses his scooter to deliver food orders. But one day, it
needed gas. He went to the gas station.
人們喜歡線上點餐，讓外送員都很忙碌。印度有一位外送員騎機車送訂單。有一天他的機車需要加油，就去了加油站。

At that time, everyone was worried about gas. Was there enough? Maybe not! So
everyone wanted to buy gas. The line at the gas station was very long!
當時大家都很擔心汽油不夠，所以都去買油，讓加油站大排長龍。

The man waited... three hours! Then he got a new food order. This was a big
problem. He didn't want his hungry customer to wait! But his scooter needed
gas.
這位外送員一等就是三個小時，但是他有了新訂單，不能讓客人等。

The man had an idea. He used his friend's horse! He got the food. He put the
red delivery bag on his back. Then he rode the horse to deliver the
customer's order.
他有個主意，他可以騎朋友的馬送餐! 他騎著馬、揹著紅色外送袋去送客人訂的餐點。

The road was busy and noisy. But the horse walked calmly.
街道非常吵雜又擁擠，但是馬冷靜地向前走。

People were amazed to see a delivery driver riding a horse! Some posted
pictures online of this unstoppable food delivery driver. He became famous!
路人都很驚訝看到外送員騎馬送訂單，有一些人上傳照片到網路上，讓他一炮而紅。

His scooter was out of gas, but this delivery driver found a cool way to do
his job! Giddyap, horsey!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
騎馬送餐去，真是使命必達。

1. famous 著名的
What's that long line for? 那麼長的隊伍在做什麼?
Don't you know? That's the famous pancake store. 你不知道嗎?那是有名的鬆餅店。

2. wait 等待
People are lining up for pancakes? 大家為了鬆餅排隊?!
Yeah, I once waited one hour standing there.
對啊，我有一次站在那兒等了一個鐘頭。

3. amazed 驚訝的
I'm amazed you'd do something like that. 我很驚訝你會做那種事。
Well, you've never tasted their pancakes. 因為你沒吃過他們的鬆餅。

4. deliver 運送
No, I'm amazed you didn't have it delivered to you. 不，我是驚訝你沒有叫外送。
For pancakes, you have to eat it nice and hot. 鬆餅一定要吃熱呼呼的啊。

今天學到哪些單字?
famous著名的
wait等待
amazed驚訝的
deliver運送

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz
1. What is the man's job?
a. Camera operator
b. Horse trainer
c. Food delivery driver

2. How long did the man wait for gas?
a. 3 minutes
b. 30 minutes
c. 3 hours

3. What was the man's idea?
a. Order food
b. Ride a horse
c. Become famous

Answers:
1. c
2. c
3. b

 

________________________________

Microplastics Are Everywhere

Plastic makes our lives easy. We use plastic bottles for drinks and plastic
bags for food. When we're done with them, we throw them away!
塑膠製品像是塑膠瓶、塑膠袋讓我們的生活更便利。通常使用之後就把它扔掉。

Lots of plastic trash goes into the ocean. After some years, it breaks down
into microplastics. Microplastics are very small. How small? They're smaller
than 5 millimeters.
很多塑膠垃圾流入海裡。幾年後，就會被分解成塑膠微粒，微粒有多小呢? 小於5毫米。

Fish and other animals eat and drink microplastics. Sometimes microplastics
are in our food and water. Microplastics can be everywhere!
塑膠微粒無所不在。魚類跟其他的海洋生物會把塑膠微粒吃下肚。還會出現在我們的食物跟水中。

Microplastics can be everywhere because we use too much plastic. This isn't
good. Some scientists think microplastics can make us sick!
我們用了太多塑膠製品，科學家擔心塑膠微粒會讓人生病!

Microplastics are a big problem. But we can fix it together! How? We can use
less plastic. We can use reusable water bottles and bags. We can recycle. We
can put plastic trash into the bins for plastic!
塑膠微粒是個大問題，但是我們可以一起來解決。我們可以減少使用塑膠，改用環保杯跟環保袋，也可以做塑膠回收。

We can also stop plastic from going into the ocean. We can pick up trash on a
beach. Then the plastic in the trash won't become microplastics!
清理海灘上的垃圾，也會阻止塑膠流進大海，它們就不會變成塑膠微粒。

We can do these small things to make a big change. Let's stop more
microplastics from being in the ocean!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
海洋中的塑膠會分解成微小粒子，跑進食物鏈裡面。

done 完成
Are you done drinking? 你喝完了嗎?
Yeah. You want some water, too? 對啊，你也要喝點水嗎?
No, I just want your bottle. 不，我只要你的瓶子。

recycle 回收
Hey, you threw it away! 你把它扔掉了!
No, I'm just having it recycled. 沒有，我只是回收它。
By tossing it in the trash? 扔進垃圾裡回收?

trash 垃圾
That's not a trash bin. 那不是垃圾桶。
It's a bag for empty bottles. 是放空瓶子的袋子。
But I may get thirsty later on.可是我等一下也許會口渴。

change 改變
You should bring your own water bottle.你應該自己帶水。
So you want to fix the Earth's problems now? 所以你現在要解決地球的問題啦?
Just to make a small change. 只是做一點小小改變。

這些單字很常用。
done完成
recycle回收
trash垃圾
change改變

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz
1. Where does lots of plastic trash go into?
a. The ocean
b. Space
c. Forests

2. How small are microplastics?
a. 5 milligrams
b. 5 milliliters
c. 5 millimeters

3. How can we help fix the microplastics problem?
a. Recycle plastic
b. Use plastic bags
c. Throw away plastic

Answers:
1. a
2. c
3. a

 

________________________________

Take a Train, Help the Earth

Trains are so relaxing! Do you like to sleep on trains?
坐火車真舒服，那你會喜歡睡在火車上嗎?

In Europe, more and more people are sleeping on trains. It's fun and
exciting! And it's good for the Earth.
在歐洲越來越多人睡在火車上，很好玩、很有趣，又很環保。

Sleeping on trains?? Well, this isn't about falling asleep on an MRT train!

People are sleeping on sleeper trains in Europe. These night trains have
small rooms. The rooms have beds. Some have bathrooms! Sleeper trains are
hotels on wheels! Some have dining cars too.
歐洲很多人都會睡臥舖列車，這種夜間火車有很多小房間，房間裡有床鋪，有的還有廁所。臥鋪列車就像有輪子的飯店，有的甚至還有餐車。

Sleeper trains in Europe cost more than planes. So why do people ride these
trains? It's because they don't want to fly. Planes are bad for the
environment. They use lots of fossil fuels. This makes the Earth warmer!
在歐洲搭臥鋪列車比搭飛機還貴，那為什麼還是有人要搭呢?因為飛機要用到很多燃油，會讓地球暖化。

Trains are much better for the environment. They're also good for
sightseeing. We can see nature. We can see towns and cities too.
搭火車比較環保，也適合看風景，我們會看到大自然、城鎮跟城市。

Now, we have to go to another country to ride on a sleeper train. But in
2027, maybe Taiwan will have its own Formosa Sleep Express!
現在我們想要搭臥鋪列車，就只能到別的國家。但是到2027年也許台灣會有福爾摩沙寢台列車。

Would you like to try sleeping on a sleeper train?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
在火車上過夜，是另外一種旅行的方式。

1. relaxing 讓人放鬆
I love traveling by train! 我真喜歡火車旅行!
Yeah, look at those green fields. 對啊，看那些綠色田野!
It's so relaxing! 讓人好放鬆。

2. ride 搭乘
I wish I could ride a train to many other places.
我希望能搭火車去很多別的地方。

3. Europe 歐洲
You can easily do so in Europe.去歐洲就可以很容易做到。
It has extensive rail networks. 它的鐵道網路很完整。
You can travel from Rome to Berlin, or from Paris to Vienna by
train.你可以坐火車從羅馬到柏林，從巴黎到維也納。

4. lots of 很多
Have you been there lots of times? 你去過那裏很多次?
Oh, yes, more than I can count. 多到我都數不清了。

大家多坐火車吧!
relaxing讓人放鬆的
ride搭乘
Europe歐洲
lots of很多

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz
1. Where are more people sleeping on trains?
a. Europe
b. Taiwan
c. Formosa

2. Why are these people taking sleeper trains instead of planes?
a. Trains cost more.
b. Trains are better for the environment.
c. Trains have dining cars.

3. What do planes use?
a. Small rooms
b. Hotels on wheels
c. Fossil fuels

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. c