________________________________

Dog Finds Little Boy for Police

A family could not find their little boy. No one could find him. Everyone was
worried. The boy was three years old.
有一家人的小孩不見了！大家都找不到他，小孩才三歲，讓人非常擔心。

The police tried hard to find the boy. They sent a drone up to the sky! It
did not find him. They flew a helicopter! They did not see him. They walked
near the boy's home. They did not find him.
警察努力尋找這個小男孩，還出動空拍機跟直升機，但是都沒有看到他的蹤影。他們在這個小朋友家附近搜索，仍然一無所獲。

Then a policeman saw a dog. It barked at him. The policeman thought it wanted
to tell him something. He thought the dog was telling him to hurry and come
with it. So he went with the dog.
突然，警察看到一隻狗對他叫個不停。他覺得狗狗在叫他快點跟著牠走！於是，他就跟在這隻狗後面。

The dog took the policeman to a house. It went to the back of the house. So
the policeman did too. The dog barked at a car there.
狗狗帶著警察來到一棟房子的後面，然後對著一輛汽車狂吠。

The dog found the boy! He was in the car! He could not get out. The policeman
helped him. Everyone was happy!
原來小男孩就在車子裡，他沒辦法打開車門鎖，所以出不來。警察把他救出來後，大家都很開心！

No one knows anything about the dog. No one knows its name. No one knows who
its owner is.
沒人認識那條狗，也不知道牠是誰的。

But we do know one thing. It's a good dog!
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Vocabulary
聰明狗兒幫助警察找到了失蹤的小孩。

1) walk 走路。
Look what I found! 你看我找到的。
My Gosh, Jane, where did you find it? 天哪，你在哪裡找到的?
I was walking back from 7-11, 我從Seven走回來，
and this kitten just followed me! 這隻小貓就跟著我。

2) take 帶。
Don't let it come in yet. 不要讓牠進來。
Take it to the vet first. 先帶牠去看獸醫。
He can check if it has a chip. 獸醫會檢查牠有沒有晶片。

3) owner 主人。
You think this little thing has an owner? 你覺得這個小東西有主人?
It's possible. 有可能。
What if it doesn't have a chip? 要是牠沒有晶片呢?
Then you can give it to the police. 那你可以把牠交給警察。

4) police 警察。
Police!? It's a kitten, not a criminal! 警察!? 牠是一隻小貓，不是罪犯!
If you let it in, it'll steal all your milk!
如果你讓牠進來，牠會偷走你所有的牛奶!

Are you a cat or dog owner?
walk走路 take帶 owner主人 police警察
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Quiz

1. How old was the boy?
a. One year old
b. Two years old
c. Three years old

2. Where did the policeman find the boy?
a. In a house
b. In a car
c. In a helicopter

3. Who is the dog's owner?
a. The policeman
b. The little boy
c. No one knows

Answers
1. c
2. b
3. c
 

________________________________

Hey there! Welcome back to another episode of News Bites.

I'm Allie Highsmith.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news: Cats are now the most popular pet in Taiwan, and in China, a
court says companies cannot fire workers just to replace them with AI.

And in today's News Flash: compensation.

Let's get into it!
________________________________

貓咪接管台灣！
Cats Take Over Taiwan!

Do you have a dog or a cat at home?

In Taiwan, dogs used to be the most popular pet (寵物).

But that has changed.

For the first time ever, cats are now number one.

The Ministry of Agriculture has released new numbers.

農業部公布了最新數據。

Right now, there are about 1.74 million (一百七十四萬) pet cats in Taiwan.

That is over 30 percent more than just two years ago.

比兩年前增加了超過三成。

Meanwhile, there are about 1.46 million (一百四十六萬) pet dogs.

So cats have now passed dogs in total numbers!

Why are more people choosing cats?

Officials say it comes down to lifestyle (生活方式).

More people are living alone, especially in cities.

City apartments are often small.

Cats are easier to care for in small spaces.

Also, many cat owners have more than one cat.

That is why the total number has grown so fast (增加得這麼快).

Even though more cats live in Taiwan now, more families still own dogs than
cats.

雖然台灣的貓咪數量更多，但養狗的家庭仍然比養貓的多。

The government also has a new rule.

Starting this year, cat owners must register (登記) their cats, just like dog
owners do.

This rule helps the government keep track of pets (掌握寵物數量) and protect
animal welfare (動物福利).

So if you have a cat at home, make sure it is registered!
________________________________

In this episode's bite-sized break, 10-year-old Pedro from New Taipei's Tur
Ya Kur Elementary and Junior High tells us a fun fact about space!

***BITE-SIZED BREAK***
________________________________

AI不能搶我的工作！
AI Can't Have My Job!

Imagine going to work one day...and your boss says a computer can do your job
better.

Should the company be allowed to fire you?

公司可以因此解僱你嗎？

In China, courts (法院) are saying: no!

Recently, a court in Hangzhou (杭州) made an important decision.

A tech company tried to fire a worker named Zhou.

一家科技公司試圖解僱一名姓周的員工。

Zhou's job was to check sentences written by AI.

But because AI keeps getting better, the company said the job was unnecessary
(不必要).

They also tried to cut Zhou's pay (減薪), from 25,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan a
month.

Zhou said no to the pay cut.

So the company fired Zhou.

But the court said that was illegal (違法的).

Under Chinese law, companies cannot fire workers just because AI can do the
job cheaper.

That is not a good enough reason.

這不是一個充分的理由。

The court also said the pay cut was too big.

It was not a fair offer.

這不是一個合理的條件。

The company had to pay compensation (賠償金) to Zhou.

The court said, "AI should help workers, not replace them."

「AI應該幫助勞工，而不是取代他們。」

If a company needs to change because of AI, it should help workers learn new
skills first (應該先幫助員工學習新技能).

This case is being watched around the world.

這個案例正受到全球關注。

As AI grows more popular, more workers may face (面臨) the same problem.

________________________________

THE RECAP

So, in today's News Bites:

For the first time ever, there are more pet cats than pet dogs in Taiwan.

The Ministry of Agriculture says there are about 1.74 million cats -- a jump
of over 30 percent in just two years.

More people living alone in small city apartments is one big reason for the
change.
________________________________

And,

A court in Hangzhou, China ruled that companies cannot fire workers simply
because AI can do the job at a lower cost.

The court ordered the company to pay compensation to the worker.

It also said that when AI changes a business, companies should help employees
learn new skills, not just let them go.
________________________________

NEWS FLASH

In today's News Flash, our word of the day is "compensation" (賠償)!

Compensation is a noun.

It means something given to a person to make up for a loss or harm.

In today's story, a court ordered a company to pay compensation to a worker
who was fired unfairly.

We can also use "compensation" in other situations.

For example, if someone breaks your bicycle, they might pay you compensation
to help fix it.

Compensation can be money, but it can also be other things, like extra days
off from work.
________________________________

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!