________________________________
Typhoon Takes Time from Sports Competition

A big sports competition was in New Taipei City for three days. Men's and women's
teams came from ten countries! But…Typhoon Bavi tried to come too!
新北市舉辦了一場為期三天的大型運動賽事，有來自十個國家的隊伍前來參賽。不過，颱風巴威也想來共襄盛舉！

For two typhoon days, the teams stayed in their hotels. Some ran on stairs.
Some studied videos of games.
兩個颱風天選手都只能待在飯店裡。有些人跑樓梯練習體能，有些看比賽影片研究戰術。

The teams had one day to compete! So the 45-minute games became much shorter.
The teams had 20-minute games!
風雨過後只剩下一天可以比賽！因此，一場賽事從四十五分縮短成二十分鐘。

What team sport can be played that fast? Tchoukball can! Players can have the
ball for three seconds. They can take three steps. Then they must pass the
ball or throw it at a net.
什麼樣的比賽可以那麼快？原來是巧固球！巧固球比賽時，球員拿球不能超過三秒鐘，也只能走三步。球員必須立刻傳球給隊友，或者把球丟向反彈網。

Teams can pass the ball three times. Then a player must throw it at the net!
So tchoukball is fast!
That weekend, Hong Kong's women's team won first place. Taiwan's won second
place. Singapore's men's team won first place. Taiwan's won third place.
一支球隊最多只能傳球三次，就一定要把球射向反彈網。因此，巧固球的比賽節奏非常快速！最後，香港女子隊奪得冠軍，臺灣女子隊則獲得亞軍。男子組則由新加坡隊和臺灣男子隊分別拿下冠軍和季軍。

But Taiwan will not give up! We have had the number one men's team in the
world almost every year... for more than 40 years! And we have the number two
women's team this year!
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Vocabulary

巧固球很容易學，節奏又快，很多人喜歡玩。

1. competition 比賽。
Are you ready for tomorrow’s soccer competition? 明天足球賽你準備好了嗎?
Yes, but I’m quite nervous.是，但是我滿緊張的。

2. second 第二。
It’s our first game.它是我們的第一場。If we lose, there won’t be a second one.
要是輸掉就沒有第二場了。

3. team 隊伍。
Don’t worry. 別擔心。You are one of the best players on our team! 你是我們隊最棒的球員。

4. third 第三。
That’s so nice of you! 你人真好!
I have to say that. 一定要啊。I don’t get to play until the third game.我第三場才要上場。

今天的單字很常用喔。competition比賽 second第二 team隊伍 third第三

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

1. Where was the competition?
a. Taipei
b. New Taipei
c. Singapore

2. How long were the teams' games at the competition?
a. Three seconds
b. Twenty minutes
c. Forty five minutes

3. What do tchoukball players throw the ball at?
a. A net
b. A basket
c. A tchouk

Answers
1. b
2. b
3. a


 

________________________________

Hi and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Jeffrey Mo.

Today, we'll be talking about the future of Taiwan's busiest airport, and why
some young people are turning to an old music player.

And for News Flash, we'll explain what "convenience" means.

Stay tuned to learn more.
________________________________

桃園機場第三航廈持續升級
Taoyuan Airport's Terminal 3 Takes Shape

Have you ever been stuck in a long airport check-in line?

During busy travel seasons, checking in and dropping off luggage can take a
lot of time.

Taiwan hopes to make that experience much faster in the future at its busiest
airport.

Taoyuan International Airport is getting a new terminal (航廈), called Terminal
3.

It's still being built, but expected to be finished by the end of next year.

An airport terminal is the main building where passengers begin and end their
journeys.

Officials say the new terminal will have more automation (自動化) than the
airport does today.

That means machines will help passengers complete tasks that are currently
handled by airport staff.

For example, Terminal 3 will have 92 self-service check-in kiosks.

Travelers will be able to check in and print boarding passes on their own.

Even baggage drop-off will become more automated.

Luggage will be checked, stored, and routed to the correct aircraft using
automated systems.

Transport Minister Chen Shih-kai says passengers will be able to arrive at
the airport several hours before departure and complete check-in whenever
they want.

交通部長陳世凱表示，未來旅客可能可以在班機起飛前幾個小時就抵達機場，並在自己方便的時間完成報到。

In other words, they won't have to wait for airline counters to open.

Officials hope this will make travel smoother and reduce congestion (減少壅塞)
inside the terminal.

The new terminal is part of a huge project costing more than NT$128 billion.

When completed, Terminal 3 will increase the airport's total capacity to
about 90 million passengers per year.

That's important because passenger numbers continue to grow.

Taoyuan International Airport handled nearly 50 million passengers last year
alone.

The terminal will also strengthen Taiwan's role as a regional aviation hub
(航空樞紐).

In other words, it will help connect travelers flying between North America,
Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world.

Terminal 3 was designed by a team led by the late British architect (建築師)
Richard Rogers.

Its roof is inspired by ocean waves and is supported by 16 giant steel
columns.

Officials say it could become Taiwan's largest indoor public space.

The terminal will also connect directly to the Taoyuan Airport MRT (桃園機場捷運),
making it easier for travelers to reach the airport.
________________________________

年輕人重新愛上iPod
Young People rediscover the iPod

Do you know what an iPod is?

Some of our younger listeners might not!

In the early 2000s, millions of people around the world used iPods to listen
to music.

That was before smartphones became popular in the 2010s.

iPods were made by Apple (蘋果公司) and became one of the most famous music
players ever created.

Apple stopped making iPods many years ago.

But surprisingly, they're making a comeback (強勢回歸)!

Secondhand iPod sales have been increasing.

Back Market is a website that sells used electronics (它是二手3C專賣網站).

It says sales went up by almost 50 percent last year, and Gen Z makes up the
largest group of buyers.

Online marketplace eBay also says people searched for "iPod" more than 1,300
times every hour.

And the biggest spikes happened right when schools across the U.S. started
passing strict smartphone bans!

Why would teenagers want old technology?

Well, experts say many young people are looking for ways to reduce
distractions (減少干擾).

When you listen to music on a smartphone, notifications can constantly
interrupt you.

Messages appear, and social media apps compete for your attention.

An iPod doesn't have those distractions.

Its only job is to play music.

One technology analyst (科技分析者) said many younger users are becoming more
concerned about mental wellbeing (心理健康) and smartphone dependence.

Using a dedicated music player can help them focus on listening instead of
constantly checking social media.

Another reason is algorithms (演算法).

Many streaming services use these to predict what music you'll enjoy.

Some listeners say they prefer choosing their own playlists.

他們希望自己選音樂，而不是由演算法幫忙決定。

Another reason is some young people simply enjoy using older technology.

Experts say the trend reflects a larger cultural shift.

For years, technology companies focused on adding more features to devices.

But now some people are asking whether that’s necessary.

Of course, smartphones are still incredibly useful.

They allow us to communicate, navigate, study, and access information
instantly.

But the growing interest in iPods suggests that some people want more control
over how they use technology.

Sometimes, a device that does one thing well is better than one that does
everything.
________________________________
RECAP

So in today's News Bites,

Taoyuan Airport's Terminal 3 is expected to open in 2027.

The new terminal will use automated check-in and baggage systems to make
travel faster and more efficient.
________________________________
And,

Young people are helping bring back the iPod.

Many say they enjoy distraction-free music listening and want a break from
constant smartphone notifications and social media.
________________________________

NEWS FLASH

In today's News Flash, let's talk about the word ‘convenience’.

Convenience is a noun that means ‘方便’, like something is easy, or saves you
time or effort.

For example, the automated systems in Taoyuan Airport's new terminal are
designed for convenience.

They can help passengers check in more quickly.

But today's iPod story shows that convenience isn't always everything.

Some people are willing to give up the convenience of smartphones so they can
focus better on listening to music.
________________________________

That’s our final new episode of News Bites for this school year!

A big thank you to all the students, teachers, and schools for tuning in, and
thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education
for supporting us.

We hope to see you again next semester, and in the meantime, enjoy the rest
of your summer!