________________________________

What People Do for a Happy New Year

Happy New Year! There are many New Year's traditions. You know some of them.
There's fireworks and kissing someone at midnight on New Year's Eve. There
are many more. Some of them are surprising!
新年快樂! 新年有很多不同的習俗，像是放煙火或是在跨年的時候互相親吻。

In Europe, some people throw out sofas or other furniture at midnight on New
Year's Eve. Watch out!! They throw the furniture out of their windows! Why do
they do this? It's a way to throw away old things and welcome new things.
歐洲有很多人會在跨年夜丟掉家具除舊布新，注意喔! 是直接丟出窗外。

In some places, people leave their doors and windows open. Again, this is to
let old things out and welcome the New Year. Doing this can be cold,
especially when it's windy!
有一些地方人們會打開門窗歡迎新年的到來。

In Spain, some people walk around with an empty suitcase on New Year's Eve.
They think it helps them travel more. Maybe they will go on trips to fun
places!
西班牙有人會在跨年夜拿著空行李箱到處走，他們相信這樣也許會旅行到好玩的地方。

In the Philippines, people jump into the air at midnight on New Year's Eve.
They think this helps them grow taller!
菲律賓人覺得跨年的時候跳得越高，可以長得越高。

There are many interesting New Year's traditions. Do you want to try some of
these traditions? What are your traditions?
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Vocabulary
過新年的習俗百百種，每個地方不同。

1. jump 跳
What are you doing, Jacob? 你在做什麼，傑可?
Can't you see that I'm jumping? 你看不出來我在跳嗎?
Yeah, but what for? 看得出，但是幹嘛要跳?

2. taller 比較高的
For helping me to grow taller. 可以幫我再長高一點兒。
You are too old to grow taller! 你太老，不會再長了。
Ouch, that hurts. 很傷人喔。

3. windy 颳風的
And it's windy outside. 而且外面風好大。
You should come into the house. 你應該進屋子裡來。

4. window 窗戶
It IS windy! 風真的很大!
Let me close the windows. 讓我把窗子關起來。
There, much better. 好了，好多了。
Now I need to sit down. All that jumping is tiring!
現在我得坐下。那樣蹦蹦跳很累喔!

Let's learn more English in 2024! 來讀單字吧。
jump跳
taller比較高的
windy颳風的
window窗戶

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Quiz

1. Why do people throw furniture out the window?
a. For friends
b. For good luck
c. For welcoming new things

2. In Spain, what do some people walk around with?
a. A suitcase
b. A sofa
c. Old things

3. Where do people jump in the air to grow taller?
a. Japan
b. The Philippines
c. Thailand













Answers:
1. c
2. a
3. b
 

________________________________

Woman Eats Hundreds of Hotpots

Hotpot is great fun. Everyone cooks together! And hotpot is traditional.
Taiwanese families eat hotpot on Lunar New Year's Eve for good luck.
吃火鍋很有趣，也是一種傳統。台灣家庭會在農曆新年圍爐吃火鍋。

Hotpot changes everywhere you go. Thailand, Japan, Cambodia, and Laos have
their own kinds of hotpot. Switzerland has a kind of hotpot too, made with
cheese! And China has two kinds of hotpot, one from the north and one from
the south.
各地的火鍋都不一樣。泰國、日本、柬埔寨跟寮國都有自己的特色火鍋。瑞士有起司鍋。中國也分南方火鍋跟北方火鍋。

Ms. Kong lives in China. She doesn't like hotpot… She loves it! Ms. Kong
loves hotpot very much. She likes to eat hotpot at one hotpot restaurant. She
went 627 times in nine years!
孔小姐很愛在同一間火鍋餐廳吃火鍋，九年她一共去了627次。

Eating hotpot is Ms. Kong's hobby. She doesn't have any other hobbies. She
doesn't like to cook. She likes to eat! And she likes to eat hotpot the most.
吃火鍋是她唯一的嗜好，她不喜歡煮但很喜歡吃，也最喜歡吃火鍋。

Eating so much hotpot is not healthy. And hotpot cost Ms. Kong a lot of
money. She spent 270,000 yuan on hotpot. That's more than a million Taiwan
dollars!
吃太多火鍋對身體不好，而孔小姐總共花了27萬人民幣吃火鍋，超過台幣100萬。

No more hotpot, Ms. Kong! Take care of your health and your money!
________________________________________

Vocabulary
這名女士會不會吃太多火鍋了?

1. traditional 傳統的
Let's eat traditional hotpot tonight. 我們今晚吃個傳統火鍋吧。
What's that? 那是什麼呢?
It's a brass pot with a chimney. 就是有個煙囪的黃銅火鍋。

2. healthy 健康的
Oh, I know that one. 我知道那種。
But what's so special about it? 但是有什麼特別的?
I heard it's healthier. 聽說比較健康。
That's not true.不是真的吧。

3. spend 花費
Cooking it ourselves would be healthier.自己煮才會比較健康。
Okay, I'll buy vegetables and meat this afternoon.
好吧，那我今天下午去買菜跟肉。
Don't spend too much money, though.但是不要花太多錢。

4. more than 比較多
I won't spend more than 1,000 NT. 我不會花超過一千塊。
I'm running out of money! 我快沒錢了。

你喜歡火鍋嗎?來一起讀單字。
traditional傳統的
healthy健康的
spend花費
more than比較多

________________________________________

Quiz

1. What is hotpot made with in Switzerland?
a. Cheese
b. Milk
c. Butter

2. Where did Ms. Kong eat hotpot 627 times?
a. At home
b. At a restaurant
c. In Japan

3. How much is 270,000 yuan in Taiwan dollars?
a. Under a million
b. More than a million
c. More than two million

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. b


 

________________________________

Big Search Fails to Find Monster

Are monsters real? There's Nian during the Lunar New Year. Nian has a lion's
face with sharp teeth. People say this monster eats people and animals! But
don't worry, Nian isn't real.
真的有怪獸嗎?
農曆新年有年獸。牠有?獅子的臉跟尖牙。大家都說年獸會吃人跟動物，但別擔心，年獸不是真的。

How about the Loch Ness Monster? Many people think it's real. They think it
lives in Scotland, in Loch Ness. "Loch" means lake.
那尼斯湖水怪呢? 很多人覺得牠是真的，住在蘇格蘭尼斯湖。"Loch"是指湖。

People think the Loch Ness Monster looks like a dinosaur. Some say it has
humps.
大家覺得尼斯湖水怪看起來像一隻恐龍，說牠有背部隆起的身形。

Camels have humps, too. Camels are real. Is the Loch Ness Monster real?
Nobody knows. But people have tried to find Nessie for a long time. Nessie?
That's the monster's nickname.
駱駝背部也有駝峰，駱駝是真的。但尼湖水怪是真的嗎？沒有人知道，大家試著找Nessie好久了。Nessie是牠的小名。

In 2023, more than 300 people searched for Nessie in the loch. They looked
together for two days. People put cameras and microphones in the water. They
used drones. It was the biggest search for Nessie in 50 years!
2023年，有超過300人一起尋找尼斯湖水怪。他們在水下放攝影機跟麥克風，還用到無人機。這是50年來最大的搜索。

Some people took pictures of a big shadow in the water. Some people said they
saw humps in the water. But no one found Nessie. What do you think? Is the
Loch Ness Monster a real monster?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
一大群人費盡力氣，希望解開尼斯湖水怪的謎。

1. nobody 沒有人
I've never seen a monster. 我從來沒看過怪物。
Me neither. Nobody has, I believe. 我也沒有。我相信沒有人看過。
Monsters only exist in stories. 怪物只存在故事裡面。

2. look for 尋找
Really? Then why are people looking for them? 真的嗎? 那為什麼大家要找怪物?
Like in Loch Ness? 像尼斯湖那樣嗎?
They must be scientists. 他們一定是科學家。

3. microphone 麥克風
No, they were ordinary people. 不是，他們是普通人。
One dropped a microphone into the water to collect sounds.
有一個人還把麥克風放進水裡收集聲音。

4. find 發現、找到
Did he find anything? 他有什麼發現嗎?
No. I think the monster is gone. 沒有，我覺得怪物已經走了。

你今天學到哪些單字?
nobody沒有人
look for尋找
microphone麥克風
find發現、找到

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

Quiz

1. How many people looked for the Loch Ness Monster in 2023?
a. Less than 100
b. Between 100 and 300
c. More than 300

2. What is the Loch Ness Monster's nickname?
a. Lochy
b. Betsy
c. Nessie

3. What did people see in Loch Ness in 2023?
a. A real dinosaur
b. A big shadow
c. Many strange fish

Answers:
1. c
2. c
3. b

 

________________________________
0109
Red Hot Seat Surprises Man

Narrator: Let's go jogging. We're so full of energy!

Electricity is full of energy too. It moves. Think of water flowing in a
river. That's how electricity moves.
電力充滿能量，電力流動的方式就像水在河裡流動一樣。

Circuits start and end in the same place. Running tracks are circuits. Hey …
let's jog on a circuit! We can jog around and around and around… Circuits
help electricity flow safely around and around.
Circuit指的是環形的路線，像是操場跑道。Electric
circuits則是電路，讓電流穩定流動。

Electric particles: Oh, there's a shorter way to go! Let's take it!

Narrator: When electricity finds a shorter way to go, it takes it. This is
called a short circuit. Short circuits can be very dangerous. They make
electricity flow faster! This makes lots of heat. Too much heat can start a
fire!
當電力找到更短的路線的時候，就會發生短路，導致過熱而電線走火。

Anything electric can short circuit… Smart toilets can!
任何電器都有可能短路，智慧馬桶也會喔!

Thanks to electricity, smart toilets have nice, warm seats. Smart toilets
wash your bottom. Some dry it too. Some can play your favorite songs!
智慧馬桶因為電力可以暖座、沖洗、烘乾，甚至可以播放你喜歡的歌。

In China, a smart toilet short-circuited. It started a big fire! A man was
surprised... but not hurt.
在中國，有個智慧馬桶因為短路而燒了起來，幸好沒有人受傷。

But don't worry. Short circuits in smart toilets almost never happen. This
toilet wasn't so smart, was it!
________________________________________

Vocabulary
電力對現代人來說太重要了，但是也會有出錯的時候。

1. go jogging 去慢跑
I’m going jogging tonight. 我今晚要去慢跑。
At the stadium? 在體育場嗎?
Yeah, would you like to come along? 對，你想一起來嗎?
No, too many people. 不了，人太多。

2. around 環繞
Besides, it’s not fun. 而且不好玩。
You’re just running around and around. 你就是一圈又一圈地跑。
You can listen to music when running.你可以在跑步的時候聽音樂啊。

3. short 短的
Even a short run of 15 minutes would be good for you, you know.
即使只跑短短15分鐘也對你有益，你知道嗎。

4. energy 精力
No, it takes too much energy. 不要，太花力氣了。
I just want to stay nice and warm at home.我只想舒舒服服又暖和的待在家。

請注意，來讀今天的單字。
go jogging去慢跑
around環繞
short短的
energy精力
________________________________________

Quiz

1. What helps electricity flow safely?
a. A running track
b. An electric circuit
c. Your favorite song

2. What can too much heat start?
a. A river
b. Electricity
c. A fire

3. What can short-circuit?
a. Anything short
b. Anything electric
c. Anything smart

Answers:
1. b
2. c
3. b

________________________________

This Ferryboat Flies

People in Sweden made a flying ferryboat! Wait... what's a ferryboat?

Ferryboats are buses on water. They carry many people. People use them to go
to work or school. Some ferries carry cars too.
Ferryboat渡輪就像水上的公車，載人上班、上學，也可以載車子。

Ferries need to push lots of water so they can move. That takes a lot of
energy. All that water makes ferries slow. It also makes ferries move side to
side and up and down. Many people feel seasick.
渡輪需要很大的動力才能往前走。水流會讓渡輪的速度變慢，也會搖晃。很多人會因此暈船。

The flying ferry from Sweden can carry thirty people. It doesn't carry cars.
It starts in the water. Then it flies close above the water!
瑞典的飛行渡輪可以搭載30個人，它不載車子。它從海上起飛並在海面上飛行。

This flying ferry doesn't need to push water to move, so it doesn't use a lot
of energy. It's very fast. And it doesn't move side to side or up and down.
People don't get seasick.
這艘飛行渡輪速度非常快，而且不需要消耗很多的動力，也不會搖晃。

And this ferry is electric! That helps the Earth. Electricity costs ninety
percent less than the fuel for other ferries. What a huge saving! That helps
ferry companies.
這艘渡輪是電動的!
電力的花費比燃油便宜九成，所以電動飛行渡輪幫助地球也幫助渡輪公司。

Electric flying ferries are good for people, ferry companies, and the Earth!
Can we have them in Taiwan?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary
瑞典的飛行渡輪解決了許多問題。

1. seasick 暈船
A flying ferryboat. 一艘飛行渡輪。
What a good idea! 好棒的主意!
Yeah, I've never liked taking boats. 對啊，我從來就不愛搭船。
They make me feel seasick. 會讓我暈船。

2. carry 搭載
But this one seems different. 但是這艘好像不一樣。
I just hope it can carry my bike, too. 我只希望它也能載腳踏車。

3. need 需要
Why do you need your bike? 為什麼需要腳踏車?
I need it to go to school. 我需要騎車上學啊。

4. water 水
It lands on water… 它降落在水上...
So how do you ride your bike? 所以你要怎麼騎車?
It should get close to a dock. 它應該會靠碼頭。
Then I can ride it down the ramp. 然後我就可以騎車下坡道。

你有搭過渡輪嗎? 來讀單字。
seasick暈船
carry搭載
need需要
water水
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quiz

1. What does the flying ferry carry?
a. Cars and people
b. Cars
c. People

2. What is good about the flying ferry?
a. It's very fast.
b. It moves side to side.
c. It makes people seasick.

3. What makes the flying ferry fly?
a. Water
b. Electricity
c. Wind

Answers:
1. c
2. a
3. b