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

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Jane Lee.

In today's news:

Hearing noise, tasting bitterness, and the next halftime star.

All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________

台北市噪音最高的地方
The Noisiest Places in Taipei

Think about where you live.

You know what it looks like.

But what does it sound like?

If you live in the city, it might sound a little like this...

If you have lived in the city for a long time, you might be used to this.

But scientists say too much noise is not healthy.

Researchers from Academia Sinica (中央研究院) made a map.

The map shows Taipei City.

And it shows how noisy the city is.

這張地圖顯示台北市各區噪音的高低。

Each place on the map has a color.

And the colors show the decibels of noise.

A "decibel" (分貝) is how we measure sound.

Higher decibels mean the sound is louder.

Lower decibels mean the sound is quieter.

The World Health Organization says outdoor noise levels during the day should
be less than 53 decibels.

But the map shows 30 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that.

And the WHO says noise levels during nighttime should be less than 45
decibels.

The map shows 25 percent of places in Taipei are louder than that at night.

The scientists say the city's Daan District (大安區) and Zhongshan District
(中山區) are especially noisy at night.

And places close to Songshan Airport and the Taipei Flora Expo Park
(台北花博公園) are noisy during the day.

Experts say too much noise can make people feel discomfort (不舒服).

And too much noise long-term (長期的) can be unhealthy for our bodies and
minds.

They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.

And now the world is thinking more about noise pollution.

They say the problem of noise needs to be solved so people can live healthy
lives.
________________________________

寶寶心裡苦？胎兒表情透露食物喜好
Fetuses Smile for Carrots, Cry for Kale

Do you like vegetables?

Is there one vegetable that just makes you go, "BLEH"?

Well, it seems like babies do this too, even before they are born!

Some scientists wanted to learn more about fetuses (胎兒).

A "fetus" is a baby still in the mother's womb (子宮).

Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.

They looked at fetuses of 100 women.

The women were in their last 3 months of pregnancy.

The scientists had some of the women eat carrots.

And some of the women ate kale (羽衣甘藍).

They chose carrots because many people would say carrots have a "sweet" taste.

And they chose kale, because many people say kale has a "bitter" taste
(苦的味道).

Then the scientists took 4D ultrasound scans.

接下來，研究人員讓這100名孕婦做了4D超音波掃描。

These scans would take pictures of the baby's face.

Here's what they found...

If the mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that looked like a
smile.

The corners of their lips went up (嘴角上揚).

And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like
they wanted to cry.

Their lips pulled down.

Scientists say they are still trying to understand what this means.

They say eating healthy food is very important.

But they know many healthy vegetables have a bitter taste, like kale.

They hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more healthy
vegetables.
________________________________

蕾哈娜登上超級盃中場秀舞台
Rihanna to Star in Super Bowl Half-time Show

The Super Bowl halftime show is a big event.

The Super Bowl is the final game, between the two best American football
teams in the NFL.

Many people in the U.S. go to the game in person.

Even more people watch the game on TV.

The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl.

It takes place during a break, in the middle of the game.

Many famous stars, like Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and Michael Jackson have
starred in the show.

能在美式足球超級盃中場表演的藝人幾乎都是超級巨星，包括女神卡卡、威肯、和麥可傑克森。

Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the next halftime
show.

The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February
of next year.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Researchers made a map showing noise in each part of Taipei City.

They say noise is becoming more of a problem in cities.

And too much noise long-term can be unhealthy for our bodies and minds.
________________________________

Scientists wanted to understand if a fetus can taste things even in the womb.

They found if a mother ate carrots, many of the babies showed faces that
looked like a smile.

And if the mother ate kale, many of the babies showed faces that looked like
they wanted to cry.

The scientists hope they can find ways to help children and adults eat more
healthy vegetables.
________________________________

And,

Now, the NFL has announced that Rihanna will be the star of the halftime show
this year.

The halftime show happens every year at the Super Bowl, during a break in the
middle of the game.

The 57th Super Bowl, and Rihanna's halftime show will take place in February
next year.
________________________________

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 feel angry sometimes. Maybe someone did something to annoy us. Or
maybe we're angry at ourselves. Feeling angry is totally normal. So when you
are angry, how do you handle 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.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!
 

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

I'm Nancy Sun,

And I'm Clifford Chu.

In today's news:

A search for young musicians, a statue for kindness, and old jewelry that
looks new.

All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________

國家青年交響樂團2023年成立
National Symphony Youth Orchestra Looking for Young Musicians

Are you a musician?

The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra
(青年交響樂團) next year.

The orchestra says it wants to help young musicians grow and learn.

The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.

And the orchestra will pick around 70 people.

These 70 young musicians will go through an education program.

The program will be held at the Northern Miaoli Art Center (苗北藝文中心).

Then the group will give its first concert there in July.

The youth orchestra will also hold four or five concerts around Taiwan.

樂團將招募約70位全台各地的年輕音樂家，經過二週的樂團排練、課程後在各縣市舉辦4到5場音樂會。

They will play both classic (古典) and contemporary (現代) music.

The NSO hopes the youth orchestra can become cultural ambassadors for Taiwan.
________________________________

仁慈的雕像
A Statue for Being Kind

There are many statues (雕像) around the world.

Most of them are statues of famous people, like kings, queens, and presidents.

But there is a new statue in the U.K. that honors (尊敬 ) a woman for being
kind.

The woman's name is Jo Newby, and she has been a volunteer for 20 years.

During that time as a volunteer, she fostered 92 children.

Jo在20年中照顧了92名寄養兒童。

But she's not just a foster mom.

Jo Newby also started a special football club (足球俱樂部) in her town.

All children are welcome, including those who have disabilities (身心障礙).

Local coaches say the club is important.

They say there is no other program like it in the area where they live.

The new statue is four meters tall, and is made with recycled material
(回收材料).

The statue shows Jo holding football shoes in one hand.

And in the other hand, she holds 92 balloons to symbolize (代表) all her
foster children.

Jo doesn't think she has done anything to deserve (該得到) the statue.

She says all she thinks about is the children she helps, and making sure they
feel happy, included (被接受) and safe.

She also believes that any act of kindness makes a difference.
________________________________

考古學家發現千年維京首飾
Scientists Find Ancient Jewelry that Looks New

An archaeologist is a scientist that studies history by looking for, and
discovering antiques and artifacts (古老文物).

To do this, they have to travel to faraway places (遙遠的地方).

So when they finally find things that show them how people lived hundreds of
years ago, they get very excited.

Archaeologists in Sweden made one such discovery recently (最近).

They found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years old!

The treasure was hidden in a pot.

There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.

The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked
almost completely new.

考古學家說這些古老的首飾看起來像是新的。

Some of the coins did not come from the area.

Instead, they came from France, England, Bohemia and Bavaria.

The French coin is important, because the archaeologists say it is very rare
(稀有).

They think the coin was made during the 10th century, A.D.

The artifacts were buried under the floor of a building.

The building is in an area where Vikings (維京人) lived for several hundred
years.

Scientists still don't know why such valuable things were buried like that.

But they want to find out.
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

The National Symphony Orchestra is going to set up a youth orchestra next
year.

The NSO will hold auditions for musicians between 12 and 25 years old.

And the orchestra will pick around 70 people.
________________________________

A new statue in the U.K. honors a woman for being kind.

Jo Newby has fostered 92 children over 20 years.

She also started a special football club that welcomes all children.
________________________________

And...

Archaeologists in Sweden found treasure that they think is about 1,000 years
old!

There are rings, pearls, and coins made of silver.

The archaeologists were very excited because they said the jewelry looked
almost completely new.
________________________________

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.

Food is a big part of our lives. And at times, food can mean different things
to us. If you were a food, what food would you be?

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!
 

________________________________

Well howdy there, you've got yourself another episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

Taiwan's offers mountain adventures, self-driving robotaxis take off in
China, and scientists use human breath for gardens.

Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next!
________________________________

嘉義透過山林旅遊爭取穆斯林觀光客
Taiwan's Chiayi Woos Muslim travelers With Mountain Adventure

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Chiayi?

Usually, it's Alishan (阿里山).

The mountain is famous for its sunrise, sea of clouds, and forest railways.

But the mountain is not the only attraction Chiayi has to offer.

Recently, a group of Muslim (穆斯林) tourists from Malaysia was treated to a
trip to Chiayi.

This was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims.

Their itinerary (行程) included Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫), recreational
farms, and a park on the Alishan range.

This was part of the county government's campaign to promote tours that
included Halal-certified (清真認證) restaurants.

To be Halal certified, the food has to be prepared according to Islam Law
(伊斯蘭法律).

For example, Muslims do not eat pork (豬肉).

Even the cooking equipment cannot ever come into contact with pork.

The animals used for food also have to be prepared according to Islamic
ritual rites (儀式).

Although the requirements are strict, the government is confident that there
will be more Muslim-friendly attractions in the future.
嘉義縣政府將致力於營造更多的穆斯林友善景點。
________________________________

中國大陸無人駕駛計程車掀風潮
Self-Driving Robotaxis are Taking Off in China

Imagine hopping into a taxi... and realizing that there's no driver!

This is a goal that car manufacturers are working to achieve.

In China, one company might have just gotten closer to making it a reality.

AutoX announced that it had rolled out fully autonomous (自動駕駛) cars on
public roads in Shenzhen (深圳).

Previously, companies operating autonomous vehicles on public roads were
required to have safety drivers inside.

AutoX currently has completely removed the backup driver or any remote
operators (遠程操作員) for its cars.

The company released a video of its autonomous vehicle navigating (導航) on
its own, through the city's downtown area.

The video also shows passengers getting in, and the vehicle veering past
pedestrians to perform a U-turn.

The CEO says the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for contactless
service (無接觸服務).

This led to the acceleration of the development of autonomous artificial
intelligence, or A.I.
新冠肺炎的疫情加速了自動駕駛系統人工智慧的發展。

Although the A.I. for autonomous vehicles is not ready to go fully public,
the developers are hopeful that the time is near.

So, don't be too surprised if you don't see a driver in your taxi in the
future!
________________________________

科學家使用人類吐出的二氧化碳作為花圃的肥料
Scientists Use Carbon Dioxide from Human Breath as Fertilizer

We all know that when there's too many people in a room, the temperature
rises.

This is partly due to the CO2 that we breathe out.

It traps the heat, causing the temperature to rise.

However, in Boston University, researchers put the gas to good use.

They directed the CO2 coming from a campus building's exhaust vents (排氣口)
to a rooftop garden.

They grew two groups of the same plants, corn and spinach (菠菜).

The CO2 was directed to one group, but not the other.

And control fans were installed, to enable the researchers to control the
amount of CO2 reaching the vegetables.

Over time, the researchers discovered that the spinach with CO2 grew up to
four times larger than usual.

The corn also grew up to twice the usual size.

Other elements might have contributed to the growth of the vegetables.

But the researchers are optimistic (樂觀) that the system can be improved,
and implemented (實施) in many buildings.

The concept of taking high concentrations (濃度) of CO2 from human
respiration (呼吸) and using it on a rooftop farm is exciting.

Who knows, maybe rooftop gardens might produce better vegetables than farms
one day!
或許大樓屋頂的菜園有一天會種出比農場更優質的蔬菜。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A group of Muslim tourists from Malaysia was recently treated to a trip to
Chiayi.

It was part of a travel promotion targeting Muslims, and included a visit to
Alishan, with Halal-certified restaurants.
________________________________

And,

A Chinese company called AutoX is making fully autonomous cars for public
roads in Shenzhen.

AutoX currently has completely removed backup drivers and remote operators
for its cars.
________________________________

And,

Researchers in the U.S. directed CO2 gas from exhaust vents to a rooftop
garden.

Over time, they discovered that the plants with more CO2 grew up to four
times larger than usual.
________________________________

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 feeling thankful.

Many people in North America celebrate a holiday called "Thanksgiving", when
they get together and give thanks. But no matter where you live, there are so
many reasons to be thankful!

So, what are you most thankful for?

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!
 

________________________________

Hello there, and welcome to News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi...

And I'm Paz Bueno.

In today's news:

Taiwan gives out this year's Golden Horse Awards, scientists see farther and
smaller, and twins are born from ice.

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

第59屆金馬獎頒獎典禮
The 59th Golden Horse Award Ceremony

Every year, some of Taiwan's most famous directors (導演), actors (演員), and
movie editors (電影剪輯師傅) get together for a ceremony.

These filmmakers gather to receive awards for the best films made in Taiwan,
Hong Kong, and China.
這些電影製作人每年都來這裡參加台灣，香港和中國最佳電影工作人員的頒獎。

They're called the Golden Horse Awards (金馬獎), and Taiwan has been giving
them out since the year 1962.

There are all kinds of categories (類別) for these awards, so people can get
them for different kinds of hard work.

This year's award for "Best Director" (最佳導演) was given to Laha Mebow
(陳潔瑤) for her movie "GAGA" (哈勇家), a movie about solving problems with
family...

And the award for "Best Narrative" (最佳劇情片) went to the movie "Coo-Coo
043" (一家子兒咕咕叫), a movie about a racing pigeon (賽鴿)...

Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) won best leading actress (最佳女主角), and Anthony Wong
(黃秋生) won best leading actor (最佳男主角).

The award for "Best Editing" (最佳剪輯) went to "Incantation" (咒), a film
where lots of dark and scary things happen.

And the prize for "Best Documentary" (最佳紀錄片) was awarded to the movie
"And Miles to Go Before I Sleep" (九槍), about the difficult lives of
Taiwan's migrant workers (移工).

It can take a long time to make big films like these, even with lots of
people working together.
就算有很多人一起合作，製作這種大規模的電影有時候仍然需要好久的努力。

So it's great to see them get so much recognition (認可) for their work.

And nowadays, almost everyone has a camera in their phone...

Maybe you could be a filmmaker, too!
________________________________

科學家給測量系統取新的名字
Scientists Name New Measurements

How tall are you?

Maybe... one meter (一公尺)?

Okay, how far can you run?
你能跑多遠？

Maybe one kilometer (一公里)?

For many years, scientists have used a naming system (命名系統) for all kinds
of measurements (各種各樣的度量衡).

You probably know that one kilometer is equal to 1,000 meters.
一公里等於一千公尺。

And you might know that one meter is 1,000 millimeters (毫米).

But did you know that one millimeter has 1,000 micrometers (微米)?

And it can get even smaller than that!

There are nanometers (奈米), picometers (皮米), and femtometers (飛米).

But now, scientists want to talk about things that are even smaller.

So they've named some new measurements, called the "rontometer" and the
"quectometer".

These tiny lengths are even smaller than atoms (比原子還要小)!

But it doesn't stop there...

Scientists have also made two new measurements for LONG distances (長距離)!

After kilometers, there are megameters (百萬公尺), gigameters (千兆米), and
terameters (太米)...

And now we have two new words, "ronnameters" and "quettameters", to measure
distances longer than our universe (比宇宙還要大的距離)!

We can also say "quettagrams" for weight (重量), and "quettabytes" for data
(數據).

Scientists say we need these words because our world is growing so fast, that
we need to talk about bigger and bigger numbers.

So we might need even more words in the future!
________________________________

雙胞胎從冷凍胚胎出生
Twins Born from Frozen Embryos

Before each person is born, they grow from a tiny embryo.
在每一個人出生之前，會先從微小的胚胎開始成長。

We won't go into too much detail, of course...
我們先不用講太多細節...

But if an embryo is frozen (冷凍)... can it still grow into a person?

Well, in the United States, two babies have just been born from embryos that
were frozen for 30 years!

So, yeah, the answer is yes.

These two embryos were frozen in the year 1992, and kept around -128 degrees
Celsius (攝氏負一百二十八度) until last month.

It took a lot of careful preparation (細心的準備), but the babies were
finally born last month, on October 31st.

Scientists say the amazing birth is a new world record.
科學家說這對雙胞胎的出生打破了世界紀錄。

And doctors say the babies are healthy (健康) so far!

So, are these babies already 30 years old?

Who knows? Maybe we can let them decide for themselves!
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Every year, Taiwan gives its famous Golden Horse Awards to the best films
made in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China.
________________________________

And,

Scientists have named two new measurements, the "ronnameter" and the
"quettameter", to help us measure bigger things than before.

Ronna- and quetta- can also be used to measure things like weight and data.
________________________________

And,

Two babies in the U.S. have just been born from embryos that were frozen for
30 years!

These two embryos were frozen in the year 1992, and kept around -128 degrees
Celsius until last month.
________________________________

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 music.

There are so many different kinds of music, in all kinds of cultures all over
the world. Music can be fast or slow, or loud or quiet, and it can have all
kinds of different instruments in it.

So, what is your favorite kind of music?

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, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun,

And I'm Paz Bueno.

In today's news:

The sweet taste of Taiwan chocolate, Indonesia islands up for sale, and the
effects of air pollution on young kids.

All that and more, coming up next!
________________________________

Taiwanese Wins 10 International Chocolate Awards
台灣巧克力師傅勇奪「世界巧克力大賽」10項大獎

Chocolate.

It's a sweet and bitter food that is loved by many people around the world.

When we think of chocolate, we usually associate (聯想) it with countries
like Belgium, Switzerland, and others.

They make a lot of chocolate.

But Taiwan is making some delicious chocolate too!

A Taiwanese chocolate maker, Queenie Wu (吳葵妮), recently became the most
celebrated Asian chocolate maker.

She owns chocolate brand "Q Sweet".

Her chocolates received 1 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze, and 2 special awards at
the International Chocolate Awards in November.

Wu said she wanted her chocolate brand from Taiwan to be recognized and
appreciated (讚賞) over the world.

In recent years, the quality of Taiwanese cacao (可可豆) and the ways it's
processed (處理) have improved.

And the quality of Taiwan cacao has been making international news lately.

Cacao farmers and chocolate makers from Taiwan have been winning multiple
international awards over the last few years.

近年來，台灣的可可農與巧克力師傅在許多國際大賽上都得到好成績。

Who know? Maybe Taiwan's chocolate brands will be able to rival (競爭)
international chocolate giants in a few years.
________________________________

Indonesia Archipelago Up for Auction
印尼將拍賣超過100個島嶼的群島

It's many people's dream to own an island.

How about over a hundred islands?

The development rights to an entire Indonesian archipelago (群島) with more
than 100 tropical islands is to be auctioned (拍賣) this month.

The island are in the uninhabited Widi Reserve, north-east of Bali, spread
out over 10,000 hectares.

It is in a marine-protected zone in the "Coral Triangle" area.

According to Indonesian law, foreigners are not allowed to buy islands.

Therefore, buyers will bid for shares (股份) in a development firm on a
Sotheby's auction (蘇富比拍賣會).

The development firm has licensed the rights to build an eco-resort
(生態渡假村) and luxury residential properties on the reserve.

The auction has prompted concerns among some conservationist (保育人士).

The area was described as "one of the most intact coral ecosystems (珊瑚生態)
left on the planet".

It is also home to hundreds of rare and endangered species, among them blue
whales, white sharks, and species yet to be discovered.

但是環境的開放一定會對原生生態造成影響。

The development firm claims that it will not only help build the resort, but
also help protect the environment

They have plans for security patrol and research programs.
________________________________

Air Pollution Affects Young Kids in School
研究發現空氣污染會使孩童課業落後。

We all know that breathing polluted air cause certain diseases.

But recent studies show that air pollution can affect children's development
during early childhood.

One study published recently dived deeper, focusing on the impact that air
pollution have on children's learning.

They found out that cognitive gaps (認知差距) are formed as early as 6 months.

These gaps are entrenched (根深蒂固) when the children turn 2 years old.

The neurotoxic (神經毒素) air pollutants (污染源) affects reading and math
abilities around the time of school entry.

Researchers found that exposure to fine particulate matter (懸浮微粒) may
influence information processing, learning and memory.

科學家認為孩子的身心健全都需要乾淨的空氣。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A Taiwanese chocolate maker, Queenie Wu, recently became the most celebrated
Asian chocolate maker.

She owns chocolate brand "Q Sweet".

Her chocolates received 1 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze, and 2 special awards at
the International Chocolate Awards in November.
________________________________

Indonesia is putting 100-island archipelago up for auction.

This has made some people worried about the environment.

One of the earth's most well-preserved coral ecosystem might be converted
into a vacation resort.
________________________________

And...

A study finds that young kids who breathe polluted air can fall behind in
school.

Clean air is not only essential for children's physical health, but also
mental health.
________________________________

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.

As we get to the end of 2022, Taiwan's weather is getting a little colder.
But some places in the world are getting hotter! And depending on where you
go, it can be cloudy, rainy, windy, or even snowy!

So, what's your favorite kind of 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.

Make sure to send us your recording by Thursday at noon, and you might hear
your message on our show on Friday!