________________________________

Taipei Is Making Buses Safer to Ride

Do you ride the bus? Many people ride the bus. Some ride every day. But,
sometimes, bus riders get a surprise.
你平常會搭公車嗎? 有些人天天搭公車，但車上偶爾會發生意外！

Some bus drivers drive, and then they drive too fast! Hey! Sometimes they
stop too fast. Whoa! Both are dangerous to do! Sometimes bus riders fall
down. Ouch!
如果公車司機開太快或是突然煞車，乘客就有可能摔倒。

This year in Taipei, from January to May, almost one hundred bus riders were
hurt! Every year in Taipei, about two hundred bus riders are hurt! Ow!
台北每年都有大約兩百位公車乘客因此受傷。

The bus drivers wanted to do a good job. But they worked many hours. Why?
Taipei could not get more bus drivers.
台北的公車司機不夠，所以他們的工作時間很長、很累。

And the roads were busy. People were waiting at bus stops! The bus drivers
tried not to be late!
塞車的時候，司機就會著急，因為他們不想讓大家在公車站等太久。司機一緊張，就容易發生意外！

But Taipei wants safer buses. Now there are more bus drivers. They cannot
work more than ten hours a day.
為了讓乘客更安全，台北雇用了更多司機，減少司機疲勞駕駛的問題。

The roads are busy. People are waiting at bus stops. But Taipei will also
teach bus drivers safer driving. And bus drivers can do a good job!
台北的公車司機需要學習如何安全駕駛。這樣一來，搭公車受傷的人就會變少。

Bus riders want safer buses. Falling is NOT fun!
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Vocabulary
台北市希望增加公車司機的人數，鼓勵大家多多搭乘。

1. road 道路。
This road looks dangerous! 這條路看起來很危險!
You sure it's safe to drive this fast? 你確定可以開這麼快?

2. hurt 受傷的。
Relax, I'm the driver.別擔心，是我在開車。
No one's gonna get hurt.不會有人受傷的。
We should just take the bus.我們應該就搭公車的。

3. late 遲到。
Then we'd have to wait and wait. 那我們就得一直等。
I'm already late for work. 我上班已經晚了。
Your job doesn't pay enough for stunt driving.
你工作拿的錢可不夠你耍開車特技。

4. job 工作。
Maybe I can get a new job as a taxi driver. 也許我可以換新工作，當計程車司機。
You'll get fined every day! 你會每天都被罰錢的!

Let's read the vocabulary.
road道路 hurt受傷的 late遲到 job工作
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiz

1. What do bus riders sometimes do when buses stop too fast?
a. Jump up
b. Fall down
c. Sleep

2. How many bus riders were hurt from January to May in Taipei?
a. Five
b. Almost one hundred
c. About two hundred

3. What will Taipei teach bus drivers?
a. Safer driving
b. Faster driving
c. Safer falling

Answers
1. b
2. b
3. a

________________________________

Hey there! Welcome to another episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Hope Ngo.

Coming up today:Taiwan's first monorail MRT and a 30 year old baby?!

And for our News Flash: record or record?

Let's get started!
________________________________

台南要蓋台灣第一條單軌列車！
Tainan Plans Taiwan's First Monorail!

Tainan is making Taiwan's very first monorail train (單軌列車).

A monorail is a train that moves above the ground, on just one rail (軌道).

The new line will be called the Blue Line, and it will make Tainan the first
city in Taiwan with a monorail MRT.

The first part of the Blue Line will be about 8 kilometers long.

It will have 10 stations and one maintenance depot (維修機廠) for train
repairs.

Construction will begin next year in 2026 and finish by 2031.

The line will travel through Yongkang, East, and Rende districts, which are
busy areas full of people.

It will connect hospitals, schools, shopping areas, and bus or train stations.

Now you might wonder…why a monorail?

Tainan chose this design because the tracks are smaller, so they fit better
on the city's narrow and historic streets.
因為它的軌道比較小，比較適合台南這些狹窄、又有歷史的街道。

The trains will also use rubber tires (橡膠輪子).

That means less noise and faster construction compared to regular metro
trains.

It's also safer, with walkways (走道) for passengers to leave the train in an
emergency.

Tainan is the last of Taiwan's six big cities to build a metro.

With the Blue Line, the city wants to make travel easier and support Taiwan's
local industries (本地產業).

There are also plans for other lines, called Red, Green, Dark Green, and
Yellow.

But the Blue Line will be the first to start.

People in Tainan have mixed feelings (看法不一).

Some are excited about the new, modern system.

Others wonder if it will really work well, since scooters are still the most
popular way to get around.

也有人擔心不一定實用，因為機車還是大家最常用的交通工具。

The train should be ready in 2031.

If people like it, it may be the start of more monorails in Taiwan.
________________________________

世界上最「老」的寶寶
The World's "Oldest" Baby

In Ohio, USA (美國俄亥俄州), a baby boy named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born
on July 26, 2025.

What makes his story amazing is that he came from an embryo (胚胎) frozen in
1994...that's more than 30 years ago!

That makes him the world's "oldest baby" born from the longest-frozen embryo
ever (冷凍最久的胚胎).

The embryo was created through IVF (試管嬰兒), a medical process that helps
people have children.

Back in 1994, a woman named Linda Archerd used one embryo herself and had a
daughter, who is now 30 years old.

The other three embryos were kept frozen for decades (數十年).

Years later, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, a couple in their 30s, adopted (領養)
one of those frozen embryos after struggling with infertility (不孕) for
seven years.

They traveled from Ohio to a fertility clinic in Tennessee many times before
the embryo was successfully implanted in Lindsey.
他們從俄亥俄州多次前往田納西州的生育診所，最後才順利將胚胎植入Lindsey 的子宮。

This is not only a happy story for the Pierce family...it's also a big step
in science!
Doctors say this shows that embryos frozen for decades can still grow into
healthy babies.

The adoption agency that worked with the Pierces says embryos do not have an
"expiration date" (保存期限).

For Linda, the donor, it feels surreal (很不可思議).

Her daughter now has a biological sibling (親生兄弟姊妹) born 30 years later!

Science and new ideas about adoption are changing what family and parenthood
can look like today.
科學進步和新的收養方式，正在改變我們對「家庭」和「父母」的想像。
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

Tainan will build Taiwan's first monorail MRT.

The Blue Line will be 8 kilometers long with 10 stations, opening in 2031.

It will connect busy districts, schools, hospitals, and shops.

Some people are excited, while others wonder if it will work in a city where
scooters are so popular.
________________________________

And,

A baby boy in Ohio was born from an embryo frozen in 1994.

The embryo had been frozen for more than 30 years, making him the world's
"oldest baby."

His parents adopted the embryo after many years of infertility.

Doctors say this shows embryos can stay healthy for decades.
________________________________

In today's News Flash, our word of the day is "record" and "record"!

It has two meanings, and the pronunciation is different!

As a noun (REH-kord), a record means "the best or highest result."

For example: "This baby's birth set a world record."

As a verb (ri-KORD), record means "to write down or save information."

For example: "The teacher will record the test scores."

So remember:

REH-kord is a noun, meaning that something is special or the best.

ri-KORD is a verb, and it's to save or write something.

Both uses show the idea of keeping important information.
________________________________

If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your
message and send us your Bite-Sized Break to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you
might hear it in an upcoming episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!