Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Ryan Drillsma...

And I'm Nancy Sun...

In today's news:

Taiwan's population falls, a dog saves a man after a fall, and are dogs
bilingual?

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

台灣人口連續兩年下降
Taiwan Population Falls Again

Every year, a branch of Taiwan's government called the Ministry of the
Interior publishes statistics about Taiwan's population.

內政部每年發布台灣人口的新統計。

The statistics (統計) include the size of Taiwan's population (人口).

This year, the statistics showed Taiwan's population got smaller again.

At the end of 2021, Taiwan's population was 23,375,314.

That's 185,222 people smaller than last year.

And it's the second year in a row the population fell.

One reason for this is that less babies are being born.

The number of babies being born has been falling for six years.

Over 210 thousand babies were born in 2015.

But just over 150 thousand were born last year.

Another reason is that more people are leaving Taiwan and less people are
coming in.

Almost 180 thousand people emigrated, or left Taiwan, in 2021, and just under
17 thousand immigrated, or entered Taiwan.

This could be because of the pandemic, or it could be a phenomenon (現象)
that is happening for other reasons.

The government did not make this clear.

Sometimes it does feel like there are too many people around… but the
government is worried if the populations continues to fall, it could cause
problems.

There may not be enough people of working age to support all the old people
that will live here.

政府擔心人口下降過多可能造成工作年齡人口無法負擔已退休人口的生活費。
________________________________

雪橇狗助受困主人保溫成英雄
Dog Saves Climber in Croatia Mountains

Dogs are said to be man's best friend.

And one dog recently proved this by keeping his owner warm until they could
be rescued (援救).

A man was hiking in a mountain range in Croatia (克羅地亞的山脈) along with
some other people and his 8-month-old best friend, North, who is an Alaskan
malamute - a very fluffy gray and white dog.

But while the man was walking, he slipped and injured his leg.

狗狗的主人健行時滑倒，無法站起來。

He couldn't get back up.

And his friends couldn't reach him either.

The man was in danger because it was very cold.

Luckily, his dog was there to save the day.

While the man's other friends called for help, North lay on top of him, and
he did this for 13 hours until the hikers could finally be rescued.

North used his body heat to keep his owner warm.

當主人的朋友去求救時，North趴在主人的身上幫他保暖，就這樣趴了13個鐘頭。

Finally the hikers were found by first responders - those are the people that
go to rescue people from the mountains.

They said North saved his owners life.

And his owner called North "a real miracle" (真正的奇蹟).

Wouldn't it be great to have this good of a friend!
________________________________

狗能聽得懂不一樣的語言
Dogs can understand different languages

Do you speak to your dog in more than language?

If you do, and you're afraid he or she may not understand, you have nothing
to worry about.

Researchers in the United States have recently found that dogs are in fact,
"bilingual" (雙語) and can tell different languages apart (分辨).

They even found that the older the dog is, the more adept the dog's brain was
at distinguishing between the familiar (熟悉的), and unfamiliar language.
Researchers (研究員) have also found that whales, songbirds, bats, and
dolphins can "communicate" in different accents… and the accent depends on
where they come from.

Dogs can understand different languages. Older dogs are more adept at telling
languages apart.
狗能聽得懂不一樣的語言，而年長的狗語言能力比較好.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

This year, Taiwan's population got smaller again.

And it's the second year in a row the population fell.

The government is worried if the populations continues to fall, it could
cause problems.
________________________________

And,

A man was hiking in a mountain range in Croatia, but he fell and injured his
leg.

His dog lay on him and kept him warm for 13 hours until they were rescued.

He called his dog "a real miracle".
________________________________

And,

Researchers in the United States have recently found that dogs are
"bilingual".

Dogs can understand different languages.

Older dogs are more adept at telling languages apart.
________________________________

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

This week, we asked you to have your say about your favorite sound.

12-year-old Sofia, from Shun-Tian Elementary School in Taichung, says she
loves the sound of pouring soda.

***

And 7-year-old Arsene, from Chiaoyong Primary School in Pingtung, says he
loves the sound of waterfalls.

***

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

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

There won't be a Have Your Say question next week, as we're getting ready for
the Lunar New Year...

But we've still got more episodes of News Bites coming up, so stay tuned!
 

Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun...

And I'm Ryan Drillsma.

In today's news:

The longest bike path, the highest high tea, and a delicious change from
music.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

騎全台最長自行車道 體驗台灣之美
Taiwan's Longest Bike Path Opens

Many people enjoy bike riding in Taiwan.

It's a great way to spend time outdoors.

And it's good exercise too.

Now, there's a new place for everyone to enjoy riding their bikes.

It's the longest bike path in Taiwan!

The path opened just this month.

It connects (連結) Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Tainan.

The bike path starts in Yunlin's Linnei Township (林內)

It goes through by the Chianan Irrigation Canal (嘉南大圳) and parts of the
Chianan Plain (嘉南平原).

And it ends close to the Wusanto Reservoir (烏山頭水庫) in Tainan's Guantian
District .

The lane is 87.5 kilometers long!

The government plans to plant 100,000 trees along the path.

This way, people can enjoy a beautiful view while they ride along the trail.

And the trees will help cut carbon emissions.

水圳綠道旁邊會栽種10萬棵台灣原生樹種，製造綠蔭美景，也為地球減碳。

People riding along the path can also learn more about agriculture.

They can see irrigation systems (灌溉系統).

And they can also see things built a long time ago during the Japanese
colonial era.

民眾可已沿著水圳綠道，從台南經嘉義騎車到雲林，多多了解農田水利建設，還可以欣賞農村和天然景觀。
________________________________

史上海拔最高的下午茶
World's Highest Tea Party

Have you heard of high tea (英式下午茶)?

It's a British tradition.

It usually happens around 6 PM.

Everyone sits at a table or in the kitchen after a day of work.

And they eat things like meat pies, baked beans, or potato cakes.

That's a traditional high tea.

But now one person has done it in an all new way.

It's high tea, but really, really high.

Andrew Hughes is an athlete from Seattle, Washington.

He likes climbing mountains.

When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, Andrew couldn't climb mountains for a
long time.

And he realized (發現) what he missed the most, was being with people while
climbing.

So he came up with a plan.

On May 5th, 2021, Andrew and a team of climbers climbed up Mount Everest in
Nepal...

And they held a high tea party!

Andrew和他的登山夥伴竟在聖母峰上舉辦了一場英式下午茶!

The group set up their tea at Mount Everest's Camp 2.

The camp is about 6,500 kilometers high.

And having a tea party that high is much harder than it looks.

Andrew said just carrying all the things they needed up Mount Everest was a
huge challenge (挑戰).

They had to fly all those cups, cookies, plates, and other things from the
U.S. to Nepal.

Then, the tea supplies were carried by a yak (犛牛) up part of the mountain.

Then the team had to carry the supplies in their backpacks for the rest of
the climb.

They passed through steep cliffs (陡峭的懸崖) and frozen waterfalls, all with
the supplies on their backs.

And there was also a big snow storm on the day of the party.

What an incredible (不可思議的) challenge!

But in the end, the team says it was worth it (值得).

They set a new Guinness World Record, for the highest tea party ever held.

Andrew says "the greatest things in life are often those shared".

He hopes the high tea party helps other people chase their own dreams.
________________________________

鋼琴家找到了新方法表現自己
A Pianist Finds A New Way To Express Herself

Navah Perlman Frost has always played the piano.

She is the daughter of violinist Itzhak Perlman, and she began playing the
piano when she was just six years old.

She played for 35 years but had to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic
(疫情).

No public performances could be played in New York where she lives.

她住的紐約不能做公開表演。

To pass the time, Perlman Frost started making cakes for friends and family.

Her icing flowers (糖花) look like fresh flowers or mimic (模仿) works of art.

Her hobby (興趣) has turned into a business.

And she says she probably won't go back to playing the piano professionally
again.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

The longest bike path in Taiwan opened this month.

It connects Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Tainan.

The lane is 87.5 kilometers long!
________________________________

Andrew Hughes and a team of climbers climbed up Mount Everest in Nepal and
held a high tea party.

Andrew said just carrying all the things they needed up Mount Everest was a
huge challenge.

They set a new Guinness World Record, for the highest tea party ever held.
________________________________

And,

Navah Perlman Frost has played the piano since she was just six years old.

But she had to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now she has started a business making cakes.
________________________________

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 kindness.

From a very young age, we are taught to be kind. It can be easy to forget
this in our busy everyday lives, but we can all use a little more kindness to
warm our hearts! Tell us about a time that you saw someone do something kind.

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you 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!
 

Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno....

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

A snake on a train, a new multi-colored species of fish, and the largest
volcanic eruption in the 21st century.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

火車上的一條蛇
A Snake Rides on a Train

What would you do if you saw a snake while riding on a train?

On April 18th, the morning train between Miaoli and Hualien was interrupted
(中?) when a snake was spotted onboard.

The conductor made an emergency announcement to inform the passengers.
列車長發布緊急通知通知乘客。

And the train made a temporary (暫時的) stop in Yilan station so that
firefighters could get on the train and catch the snake.

It was found on the luggage rack (行李架) in one of the train carriages.

The animal was identified as a 90-centimeter boa constrictor (蟒蛇).

Boa constrictors are non-venomous (無毒的), meaning that they don't produce
venom when they bite.

These animals are not native (本土的) to Taiwan, and they are mostly found in
South America.

The investigators believe that it could be a pet that escaped (逃脫) its
owner.

Many passengers took pictures and videos as the snake slithered (滑行) on the
handrails and between the seats.

The police say that pet owners should not bring animals into the station or
on the train without permission (允許).

People who break the rule will have to pay a fine (交罰款) between 1,500 and
7,500 NT.
________________________________

在馬爾代夫發現了一種新的五顏六色的魚
A New Species of Multi-Colored Fish in the Maldives

Scientists in the Maldives (馬爾代夫) have discovered a new kind of
multi-colored fish (多色的魚).

The rose-veiled fairy wrasse is a colorful sea creature that lives up to 300
feet deep in an area of the ocean called 'the twilight zone'
(海中的暮光地帶).

The rose-veiled fairy wrasse was mistaken (被誤認為) for its relative, the
rosy-scales fairy wrasse, for a long time.

That's because both fish live in the same habitat (棲息地), grow to three
inches long, and look alike.

But there are some small differences (區別).

Rose-veiled fairy wrasses have more rounded tail fins (尾鰭).

Because it's so dark underwater, it's hard to tell if the adults of the two
species are different colors.

In the end, scientists decided there were enough differences to call it a
separate species (物種).

They named it Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa, after the national flower (國花) of
the Maldives.

The word finifenmaa means "rose" in the local language (語言).
________________________________

21世紀最大的火山爆發
The Biggest Volcanic Eruption in the 21st Century

Tonga's volcanic explosion in 2022 may be the biggest eruption (爆發) of the
21st century (21世紀).

The eruption pushed out 10 cubic kilometers of material, created a shock wave
that went around the Earth several times, and emitted ash plumes (排放灰羽)
the size of France.

By using a newly developed algorithm (算法), scientists were able to figure
out the size of the eruption in Tonga.

It's called the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), and it says eruptions of
this size happen every 50-100 years.

Such an algorithm could be useful in remote places (偏遠地區), where there
isn't a lot of equipment to measure eruptions.

This new approach uses seismic waves to estimate (估計) eruption size.

Today, scientists have thousands of seismic monitoring stations (地震監測站)
that can detect earthquakes even over long distances.

It can also estimate volcanic eruption size in as little as an hour if enough
data is available, helping to estimate the size of the resulting ash cloud,
and how that might impact the environment.
可以在短短一個小時內估計火山噴發的規模，產生的火山灰雲，以及可能對環境造成的影響。

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in January 2022 and destroyed 90 percent of
the uninhabited island (無人島) it was on.

The volcano exploded into seawater instead of open air, so it affected (影響)
the blast and tsunami that followed.

For now, the researchers say, their algorithm is easy to use and can be
tweaked (調整) in many ways in the future.

However, it already makes calculations (計算) very quickly.

And as data on more eruptions are collected, the algorithm can be improved
(改善).
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A boa constrictor was found on a train going from Miaoli to Hualien.

Firefighters got on the train to catch it.

And they think it was a pet that ran away from its owner.
________________________________

And,

Scientists discovered a new type of multi-colored fish in the Maldives called
a rose-veiled fairy wrasse.

They live 300 feet deep in the ocean.

And they are named after Maldives' national flower.
________________________________

And,

Tonga's volcanic eruption might be the biggest one in the 21st century.

Scientists used an algorithm to calculate how big it was.

The algorithm can calculate the size of volcanic eruptions from far, far away.
________________________________

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 food.

There's a saying in English "It's raining cats and dogs". It means it's
raining really hard. But that idea of strange things raining down from the
sky really makes you think right?

If the sky could rain food, what food would you like to have rain down?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you 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!
 

Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

Tiny cells remake themselves, scientists make a discovery, and one human
pushes herself to a new limit.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

台灣科學家發現新的細胞分裂方式
Taiwanese Scientists Discover New Kind of Cell Division

Each living thing (生物) that you can see... is not just one thing.

That's because the living things you can see with your eyes, like animals and
plants, are made up of many, many cells (細胞).

Cells are tiny living things that carry DNA.

Most cells are too small to see, but together, they make up (構成) bigger
forms of life.

And cells can reproduce (繁殖) in different ways.

They can combine (結合) their DNA, to make one new cell.

Or they can split their DNA evenly (均勻地分裂), to make two cells that are
exactly the same.

And for a long time, scientists thought these were the only two ways that
cells could reproduce.
很久以來，科學家一直認為細胞只有這兩種繁殖的方式。

But recently, scientists in Taiwan were carefully watching (仔細觀察) the
cells of a certain kind of fish, as it grew from a baby into an adult.

And they noticed that the fish cells were reproducing in a different way!

So they used a special computer system to tag (標籤) each tiny cell with a
different color.

That way, they could see which cells reproduced first.

The scientists discovered that the cells were splitting their DNA quickly and
unevenly (不均勻地分裂).

Now, they will continue to study it in other animals, too...

Because the more we learn about our cells, the more we learn about ourselves!
________________________________

科學新發現 內耳絨毛細胞可以長回來
Scientists Discover Gene to Regrow Lost Ear Hair Cells

If you're listening to this episode of News Bites, then your ears should be
working just fine.

But how exactly do our ears hear things?

Inside our ears, there are cells called "hair cells" (絨毛細胞).

Each hair cell has tiny hairs on it, which vibrate (震動) when sound hits our
ears.

There are outer hair cells (外耳絨毛細胞), which catch the sound first.

And then there are inner hair cells (內耳絨毛細胞), which communicate the
sound to our brains.

But there's one problem: Hair cells can't reproduce (不能繁殖).

Usually, cells in our bodies can reproduce, so if we lose some, we can make
more.

But if we lose our hair cells, we lose our hearing (失去聽覺), and they can't
grow back (長不回來).

Fortunately (幸好), scientists in the United States have recently discovered
a way to make new hair cells.

When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make
it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell.
新的細胞生長時，科學家可以稍微調整它們的DNA，讓它們變成外耳或是內耳絨毛細胞。

For now, the scientists are still only trying this on mice, until they say it
is safe enough to try in humans.

But when scientists get better at making new hair cells, we could soon help
people who have lost their hearing.

And all of this work is to help a few tiny cells in our ears, so that our
brains can hear the sounds around us.

So, thank you for listening... but be sure to thank your ear hair cells for
letting you listen, too!
________________________________

單腿女跑者 打破馬拉松世界紀錄
One-Legged Woman Breaks Marathon Record

Many animals can run pretty quickly on four legs.

And some people can run pretty fast on two legs, as well!

But one woman has proven (證明了) that she doesn't need that many legs to be
a runner.

Her name is Jacky, and she ran 104 marathons in 104 days... with only one leg!

First of all, no matter how many legs you have (不管你有幾條腿), a marathon
is already very difficult to run.

That's because one marathon is 42 kilometers long.

And Jacky ran that far every single day!

Jacky lost one of her legs to cancer, so she replaced it with a prosthetic
leg.
Jacky之前因為癌症而失去一條腿，之後用義肢來代替。

The prosthetic leg makes it harder to run, but she showed us it's still
possible.

And she says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year!

So the next time you want to complain (抱怨) about walking somewhere...
remember how many legs you have.

Or at least (至少) just be grateful it's not a marathon!
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Scientists in Taiwan used a special computer system to tag tiny fish cells
with different colors.

And they noticed that some of the fish cells were splitting their DNA quickly
and unevenly.

Now, scientists want to look for this new kind of cell division in other
animals, too.
________________________________

And,

Scientists in the United States have recently discovered a way to make "hair
cells", which are the kind of cells in our ears that help us hear things.

When a new cell is growing, they can change one tiny piece of its DNA to make
it become either an outer hair cell, or an inner hair cell.

And when scientists get better at this process, we could soon help people who
have lost their hearing.
________________________________

And,

One woman has recently run 104 marathons in 104 days... with only one leg.

She had lost one of her legs to cancer, and replaced it with a prosthetic leg.

She says she still wants to run even more marathons, later this year.
________________________________

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

主播每周一問
Have Your Say

This week, we asked you to have your say about caring for people.

14-year-old Brian, from Linkou Junior High School, says he's thankful for his
mother's care.

***

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

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

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

Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno…

And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.

In today's news:

A musician wins an award despite his condition, a secret forest is found in
China, and a space rock passes by Earth!

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

藝術家克服逆境贏得音樂獎
An artist overcomes adversity to win a music award

A Tainan musician (音樂家) won an award despite having a serious health
condition.

Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.

With the help of his friends, a singer and a guitarist (吉他手), Lee competed
with 150 teams.

The competition took place at Kaohsiung's Hanshin Arena last month.

His winning song is called 'This Night, We Say Goodbye'.

Lee started learning to play guitar and write songs in junior high school.

He developed a passion for music, and he won a national music competition
when he was in college.

But before he could sign a contract with a record company, he was in a
serious car accident.
還沒來得及與唱片公司簽約，就遇到一場嚴重車禍。

He has severe paralysis (癱瘓) because of the accident ten years ago.

He cannot move his body from his neck down.

But the accident did not end his music career(職業生涯).

He can create music using a mouth-operated computer trackpad.
他可以用嘴巴控制電腦觸控板來創作音樂。

Lee says he can continue his musical dream and winning the competition
inspires (啟發) him to keep writing more songs.
________________________________

中國大坑底部 發現秘密森林
A hidden ancient forest was discovered at the bottom of a sinkhole in China

Scientists have found an entire forest hidden at the bottom of a giant
sinkhole (巨大坑洞) in China!

A sinkhole is a hole in the ground which is formed when the land collapses
(倒塌), leaving a big hole.

It happens when the rock underneath the ground is washed away (沖走) by
water.

Sinkholes can cause a lot of damage (損害) to the land around it.

The discovery was made this month by explorers (探險家) who found three ways
to enter the cave.

They alerted (通知) scientists about the sinkhole in the Guangxi region.

It is 306 meters long and nearly 200 meters deep.

They found a lot of ancient (古老的) trees and plants.

Some of the trees are 40 meters tall!

Experts believe there are new species of animals and plants that have never
been seen before living in the sinkhole.
專家認為，生活在這個大坑中的動物和植物可能是新物種。

Scientists have to hike (爬山) for hours to reach the secret forest.

But they are excited to find out more about its environment (環境).
________________________________

美國太空總署說 今年最大的太空岩石上週末飛越地球
NASA says the largest space rock of the year flew by last weekend

A huge asteroid (小行星) traveled near our planet last Friday!

Well, it wasn't TOO close - it was about 2.5 million miles (相當於四百萬公里)
away from Earth.

Asteroids are giant space rocks in our solar system that orbit the Sun
(繞太陽運行).

Sometimes they are called NEOs - Near Earth Objects.

No asteroid has hit Earth in 66 million years, since the one that caused the
dinosaurs to become extinct.
自從導致恐龍滅絕的小行星撞地球，6600 萬年以來這種事沒有再發生過。

The team at NASA that studies Near Earth Objects says the asteroid was
discovered more than 30 years ago.

They have been tracking (追?) it for a long time.

The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter
(直徑將近兩公里).

That's twice the length of the Burj Khalifa-the tallest building in the world!

This asteroid is one of more than 29,000 near-earth objects that NASA
monitors (監視) every year.

Don't worry though-the chances of them hitting our planet are very, very low.

7335 will come back in June 2055.

Next time, it will pass by at an even farther distance from our planet.
下一次，它將在離地球更遠的地方經過。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Jeremy Lee was the winner of the ninth Hybrid Original Tournament.

He has severe paralysis because of a car accident ten years ago.

But it does not stop him from following his passion.
________________________________

And,

A hidden ancient forest was discovered at the bottom of a sinkhole in China.

Scientists have to hike for hours to reach the secret forest.

And they believe new species of animals and plants will be found there.
________________________________

And,

A huge asteroid traveled near our planet last Friday.

The space rock is called 7335 and it's more than a mile in diameter.

This asteroid is one of the near-earth objects that NASA monitors every year.

7335 will come back in June 2055.
________________________________

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 learning online.

Many of you have spent some time going to school online now. It's one way to
make sure that we stay as safe as possible, with COVID-19 still going around.
In some ways learning online can be a fun new way to go to school. But in
some ways, it can be challenging too.

How do you feel about learning online?

Record your message and send it to newsbites@icrt.com.tw with your name and
age, and if you 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!