________________________________

Pets Put On Kimonos for a Special Day in Japan

Japan has special days for kids. There's Girls' Day. There's Children's Day.
There's Shichi-Go-San. Kids think New Year's Day is their day too!
日本有很多兒童的特殊節日，像是女兒節、兒童節、七五三節，甚至是新年兒童也覺得是他們的節日。

On some special days, families go to a shrine. They pray for their kids'
health and happiness.
在特殊節日，父母會帶孩子去神社，祈求孩子健康幸福。

But Japan doesn't have many kids. Every year, fewer and fewer kids go to
shrines.
但是日本少子化，去神社參拜的兒童越來越少。

Many people have dogs and cats. More and more people take their pets to a
shrine. They pray for their pet's health and happiness. But Japan has no
special days for pets.
很多人養寵物貓或是狗，帶寵物去神社的人日漸增多，祈求牠們健康平安。
但是日本沒有寵物的特殊節日。

Now there's a special day at the Dog-Cat Shrine near Tokyo! It's
Shichi-Go-San for pets. This shrine makes human mommies and daddies of dogs
and cats happy.
鄰近東京的神社現在舉辦寵物的七五三節，讓毛小孩主人很開心。

Kids wear special clothes called kimonos for Shichi-Go-San. So pets wear
kimonos too!
兒童會在七五三節穿上和服，貓狗也會在這天穿上和服。

Kids have to be three, five, or seven years old for Shichi-Go-San. So pets
have to be three, five, or seven years old too.
兒童到了三歲、五歲或七歲就會在七五三節去神社參拜。寵物也是一樣。

For many people, their pets are their family. Now their pets share in a
special kids' day at the Dog-Cat Shrine!
________________________________________
Vocabulary
寵物很像家人，也有屬於牠們的節日。

1. fewer and fewer 越來越少
There are fewer and fewer people keeping birds as pets.
養鳥當寵物的人越來越少了。
You may be right.也許你是對的。
I guess birds are too noisy. 我猜是鳥太吵鬧了。

2. clothes 衣服
When I was little, my mom loved to have birds at home.
我小時候我媽媽喜歡在家裡養鳥。
On cold days, she even put little clothes on them!
天氣冷時她甚至幫鳥穿上小衣服。

3. children 兒童
And we the children were responsible for feeding the
birds.我們這些小孩負責餵鳥。
Did they sing? 牠們會唱歌嗎?
Oh, yes, their sounds were sweet. 會啊，牠們的歌聲很好聽。
They made my family very happy. 讓我的家人很開心。

來一起讀一遍今天的單字。
fewer and fewer越來越少
clothes衣服
children兒童
________________________________________
Quiz

1. What are more and more people taking to shrines?
a. Their kids
b. Their pets
c. Their mommies and their daddies

2. Where can people take their pets on Shichi-Go-San?
a. The Family Shrine
b. The Dog-Cat Shrine
c. The Pet Shrine

3. Which pet can wear special clothes on Shichi-Go-San?
a. A six-year-old dog
b. A seven-year-old cat
c. An eight-year-old rabbit






Answers:
1. b
2. b
3. b

 

________________________________

From Street Cleaner to Ballet Dancer

Dancing is an art. It's creative. It's beautiful. And it's very, very
difficult!
跳舞是一種藝術。它很優美但是也很難。

Liu Ziqing is from a small village in northern China. As a boy, he watched a
movie about ballet. He loved it. So he watched it again and again and again…
He watched the same movie more than ten times!
劉子青來自中國北方的小村落。他小時候看了一部關於芭蕾的電影，他非常喜歡，看了很多次。

Ziqing had a dream. He wanted to be a ballet dancer. But his family was very
poor. They had no money for ballet lessons. So Ziqing forgot about his dream.
他夢想成為芭蕾舞者，但是他家太窮了，沒有錢負擔芭蕾舞課。

Ziqing grew up. He fell in love and got married. He had a family. He became a
farmer. He also worked as a street cleaner.
劉子青長大成家，而他的工作是農夫跟清道夫。

Years went by. Then Ziqing was 53 years old. He saw a TV program. It was for
ballet lessons!
很多年之後，53歲的劉子青看到電視上有芭蕾舞課程。

That was ten years ago. Ziqing is 63 years old now. And he's living his dream!
十年過去了。劉子青現在63歲，他實現了他的夢想!

Ziqing is now a professional ballet dancer! He's very popular. His story has
gone viral online!
他現在是專業的芭蕾舞者，非常受大家歡迎。 他的故事也在網路上流傳。

It took Ziqing many, many years to follow his dream. Now he's very happy! Do
you have a dream?

________________________________________

Vocabulary
63歲的芭蕾爺爺，非常高興終於能夠實現夢想。

1. dream 夢想
My dream is to write a book. 我夢想寫一本書。
I didn't know you're a writer.我不知道你是作家。

2. difficult 困難的
I'm not, and that's why I need time to practice.
我不是，這是為什麼我需要時間練習。
Writing is a difficult art. 寫作是一門困難的藝術。

3. creative 創造性的
It's a creative art. 它是創作的藝術。
I need to think of something that nobody has written before.
我得想一些沒有人寫過的東西。

4. online 在網路上
What about runaway lions? 逃走的獅子怎麼樣?
But I know nothing about lions! 但是我對獅子一無所知!
That's okay. I'm sure it'll go viral online.
沒關係。我敢說一定會在網路上爆紅。

So what's your dream?
dream夢想
difficult困難的
creative創造性的
online在網路上

________________________________________

Quiz

1. Where is the small village Ziqing is from?
a. Southern China
b. Central China
c. Northern China

2. Where did Ziqing watch ballet lessons?
a. In a movie
b. On TV
c. On a bus

3. How old is Ziqing now?
a. 43
b. 53
c. 63

Answers:
1. c
2. b
3. c

 

________________________________

Christmas Markets Make You Merry

At Christmastime, big street markets open in many countries. They're
Christmas markets!
聖誕節的時候，有很多國家都會辦聖誕市集。

Every Christmas market has a big, beautiful Christmas tree with twinkling
lights. Bright lights are everywhere you look! The lights can give you a
happy holiday feeling!
每一個聖誕市集都有一顆很大、很漂亮、閃閃發光的聖誕樹。

You can buy lots of things at Christmas markets! There are delicious
Christmas drinks, cookies, and breads.
你可以在市集買很多東西! 像是美味的聖誕餅乾、麵包跟飲料。

There are colorful puzzles, spinning tops, cute dolls, or other toys! There
are Christmas stockings, Christmas tree decorations, and …! Whoa, that's a
lot of shopping!
還有拼圖、陀螺、娃娃等玩具。也有聖誕襪、聖誕樹裝飾，有好多東西可以逛!

Christmas markets have other fun things to do! At some markets, you can go up
high in a Ferris wheel. Or you can go around and around in a merry-go-round!
聖誕市集也有好玩的設施，你可以坐摩天輪或是旋轉木馬。

At one market in Hungary, you can go ice-skating around a twinkling Christmas
tree. At another market in Singapore, you can visit a very big gingerbread
house! At a market in Taiwan and at many other Christmas markets, you can
visit Santa Claus!
匈牙利的市集還可以繞著聖誕樹溜冰。新加坡的則是有一個巨大的薑餅屋。台灣跟很多國家的市集還可以遇到聖誕老人。

Christmas markets are happy places. You can eat, shop, and have a Merry
Christmas!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vocabulary
耶誕市集世界各地都有，花樣很多。

1. fun 有趣的、好玩的
Don't you just love Christmas markets? 你很喜歡耶誕市集吧?
Yeah, so many fun things to do. 對啊，可以做好多有趣的事。
And so much food to eat! 好多食物可以吃。

2. bread 麵包
I love apple cinnamon bread.我喜歡蘋果肉桂麵包。
It smells so wonderful! 它好香!

3. colorful 色彩繽紛的
And look at those colorful lights! 妳看那些五顏六色的小燈!
I could stay on the merry-go-round all night.我可以在旋轉木馬上待整晚。

4. decoration 裝飾
Wow, that's a huge Christmas tree! 哇，好大一棵耶誕樹!
The decorations are just beautiful! 上面的裝飾真漂亮!
I wish everyday was Christmas Day.我希望每天都是耶誕節。

你有去過任何一種市集嗎?
fun有趣的、好玩的
bread麵包
colorful色彩繽紛的
decoration裝飾

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiz

1. What can you see at Christmas markets?
a. Bright lights
b. Movies
c. A happy feeling

2. What can you buy at Christmas markets?
a. Toys
b. Ferris wheels
c. Merry-go-rounds

3. Who can you visit at many Christmas markets?
a. Cute dolls
b. Santa Claus
c. Gingerbread men










Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b
 

________________________________

Town Gets Man's Big Secret

Are you generous? A generous person gives money or help in a kind way. Maybe
you're generous. But are you as generous as Geoffrey Holt was?
你是一個慷慨的人嗎? 你能像Geoffrey Holt一樣慷慨嗎?

Who was Geoffrey Holt? Geoffrey was a nice, quiet man. People liked him. He
lived in a small town in America called Hinsdale.
他是誰呢? Geoffrey是個安靜又友善的人，他住在美國一個叫 Hinsdale的小鎮。

Geoffrey knew a lot about cars. But he didn't drive a car. He rode a bicycle
around town. That's because Geoffrey didn't like to spend much money.
Geoffrey很了解車，但是他沒有開車。Geoffrey不喜歡花很多錢，他都在小鎮裡騎腳踏車。

When he was 82, he died. But Geoffrey had a big secret. He kept the secret
for a long time.
但是Geoffrey有個秘密，大家一直到他在82歲過世的時候才發現。

Geoffrey was rich! He had about four million dollars. Wow! That's more than
125 million Taiwan dollars!
他其實很有錢，他有大約400萬美金，超過1億2500萬台幣。

Geoffrey gave all his money to Hinsdale when he died. He wanted to help his
town.
Geoffrey死後把他所有的錢留給這個小鎮，希望可以有所幫助。

The people of Hinsdale are very happy about the money. They will use
Geoffrey's money to help their town. Their schools and other things in their
town will be better.
Hinsdale的人非常高興，他們打算讓小鎮裡的學校跟其他的設備變得更好。

Geoffrey Holt was a very generous guy!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vocabulary
這位低調的富翁，把他所有的財富都留給他所住的地方。

1. die 死亡
How do you want to be remembered when you die? 你死的時候希望人們記得你什麼?
That's a very big question! 好大的問題!

2. kind 仁慈的
No, I'm serious.我是認真的。
Okay, I'd like people to say I love my friends.
好吧，我想要大家說我愛朋友。That I'm nice and kind.人很好很和善。

3. happy 快樂的
What about you? 你呢?
I'd like to be remembered as a happy person.我想要別人記得我是個快樂的人。

4. better 更好的
Are you happy now? 你現在快樂嗎?
I try to be.我在努力。
I believe I can do better.我相信可以做得更好。
I'll help you. 我會幫你。
Thank you! You are nice and kind. 謝謝，你真的是又好又和善。

你今天學到哪些字?
die死亡
kind仁慈的
happy快樂的
better更好的
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quiz
1. Which one did Geoffrey do?
a. Spent a lot of money
b. Drove a car
c. Rode a bicycle

2. How old was Geoffrey when he died?
a. 62
b. 82
c. 102

3. How much of Geoffrey's money did Hinsdale get?
a. Half of it
b. Most of it
c. All of it













Answers:
1. c
2. b
3. c
 

________________________________

Kaohsiung's Countdown Will Be a Blast!

In Taiwan, people love staying up late on New Year's Eve and watching
fireworks. People countdown to midnight and then... kaboom!
在台灣，我們很喜歡熬夜跨年看煙火秀。

Most fireworks shows are not long. Kaohsiung City's 2023 fireworks show was
three minutes long.
煙火秀通常不會維持很長的時間。高雄2023年煙火秀只有三分鐘長。

This time, Kaohsiung City is making their fireworks show one minute longer.
People will see four minutes of fireworks. Four minutes is short. But in
those four minutes, more than 7,000 fireworks will go off!
這一次高雄的煙火秀會多一分鐘，大家可以看到四分鐘的煙火秀，會發射超過7000支煙火。

The Kaohsiung Eye Ferris Wheel's colorful lights will make the show more
beautiful! The fireworks will make the Port of Kaohsiung's waters sparkle!
高雄之眼摩天輪的燈光讓整個表演更漂亮。煙火將照亮整個高雄港。

Kaohsiung's mayor is excited. His city will shine! Big stars will be at the
New Year's Eve countdown party before the fireworks!
高雄市長很期待他的城市發光。眾多明星也會在跨年倒數派對上表演。

Another fireworks show in Kaohsiung will be 999 seconds long. Kaohsiung's
midnight sky will be bright! People are going to have a blast!
高雄另一個煙火秀長達999秒。高雄的跨年夜會很明亮，絕對可以享受跨年。

The New Year's Eve countdown is in two days. I can't wait to see the firework
shows. Happy New Year everybody!
________________________________________

Vocabulary
高雄的跨年晚會很精彩，會有燦爛的煙火和各種表演。

1. party 派對
What's your plan for New Year's Eve? 你跨年夜有什麼計畫?
I'm going to a friend's party. 我要去朋友的派對。

2. minute 分鐘
We can see the Taipei 101 fireworks from her house.
我們可以從她家看台北101煙火。
But that show only lasts three minutes! 但是那場秀只有三分鐘!

3. watch 看
That's good enough for me. 對我來說夠好了。
I've never been so close to it before.我從來沒有那麼靠近過。
I always watch it on YouTube, if at all. 我要是要看，都在YouTube上面看。

4. count down 倒數
It's totally different! 那完全不同!
You get to count down to the New Year with a lot of people!
你跟一大群人一起倒數迎新年!
But New Year's Day is just like any other day. 但是元旦就跟任何一天一樣。

一起來讀單字。
party派對
minute分鐘
watch看
count down倒數

________________________________________
Quiz

1. How many fireworks will go off in four minutes in Kaohsiung City's show?
a. 10
b. 999
c. 7,000

2. What does the Kaohsiung Eye Ferris Wheel have?
a. Colorful fireworks
b. Colorful lights
c. A midnight sky

3. What will make the Port of Kaohsiung's water sparkle?
a. The party
b. The fireworks
c. The city








Answers:
1. c
2. b
3. b