News Bites ICRT

Back to another episode of News Bites!
I’m Paz Bueno.
And I’m Brody Halverson.
In today's news:
The number of pet dogs and cats increases, nurses say ransomware is stressing hospital operations, and seeing double!
Keep on listening to find out more!
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寵物貓狗的數量 逐年增加
Number of Pet Dogs and Cats Increases

Having a pet is a great way to keep you company.

Over the past decades, the number of pets has constantly (持續) increased.

The statistics are shown in a recent survey done by the Ministry of Agriculture (農業部).

Last year, there were almost 1.5 million dogs and more than 1.3 million cats in Taiwan.

Compared to 2021, the number of dogs increased by 19% and cats by 50%.

As for other pets, there was also a 3.3% increase.

This phenomenon (現象) is happening globally.

Statistics show that there are over half a billion dogs and cats in the U.S., E.U., and China alone.

Not to mention the other countries.

The global COVID-19 pandemic (疫情) also contributed to the increase of pets.

As people were under lockdown (封鎖) in their homes, millions of them adopted a pet to keep them company.

In Australia alone, there was an increase of 1.2 million pet dogs after the pandemic.

Another reason is that as raising children is challenging, many have turned to raising pets.

As a result, the pet industry is rapidly growing.

According to the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院), the average amount that pet owners spend on a pet every year is NT$28,000.

It is estimated around NT$50 billion (寵物經濟規模達到五百多 億) are spent on pets every year in Taiwan.

Going to the vet, regular grooming at pet salons, pet food and treats, equipment and toys and so much more.

每年舉辦寵物展的場次幾乎快超越婦幼展了。

In a few years, the number of pets in Taiwan will surpass (超越) the number of children.

This also poses a problem for pet control.

Currently, the law requires pet dogs to be microchipped and registered.

Whereas, only Taipei requires owners to register cats.

The MOA is assessing the possibility of a mandatory (強制) cat registration throughout the country.

So, don’t be surprised if you see more dogs than children in the park in the near future.
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勒索軟體癱瘓醫院作業
Nurses Say Ransomware Is Stressing Hospital Operations
When a computer is attacked by ransomware, all the files are locked.
You can still turn your computer on and off, but that’s basically everything you can do.
In other words, your computer is kidnapped (綁架) by hackers (駭客).
You have to pay a ransom (贖金) of crypto currency (加密貨幣).
After that, you might receive a password to regain control of your computer.
If you don’t want to pay, you can always format (格式化) and reinstall the operating system on your computer.
But you will lose all your files.
Imagine the amount of damage ransomware can do to a company, or even a hospital.
A recent attack on a major US hospital network is endangering patient’s health.
All the nurses, doctor and staff have to shift to paper records.
With the computers down, doctors have to write paper prescriptions (處方簽).
The nurses then have to take it to a machine to enter manually (手動輸入) to obtain the medication.
With the system offline, it’s almost impossible to cross-check it with the pharmacy.
This might lead to an overdose (過量) of medication.
Due to the hack, lab results that usually take 30 minutes to 1 hour to process are now taking hours.
This will cause a delay in patient care and immediate (即時) treatment.
All these are matters of life and death.

The reason that cybercriminals (網路犯罪份子) target healthcare organizations is because they possess an enormous volume of sensitive data that can be sold for

Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Kelly Kimura…

And I'm Jacob Ingram.

Coming up next in today's news: Taiwan wins awards at the Robofest World Championship and an eight-year-old is a fashion trendsetter at school!

And in today's Tasty Tidbit, a man mails a postcard from one cool post office to another!

Stay tuned for more on those stories!
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台灣奪得世界機器人大賽冠軍
Taiwan Wins at the Robofest World Championship

Taiwan is a leader in robotics (機器人技術).

And smart students here are already becoming leaders in robotics!

Last month, the Robofest World Championship (錦標賽) was held for three days at a university in Michigan, in the U.S.

Students from 16 countries, from Grades 4 to 12, competed (競爭).

Over 500 students competed in 100 teams.

Taiwan had 50 students in 12 teams.

They won eight awards (大獎)!

In the two exhibition competitions (展覽競賽), Taiwan won first place awards.

In the senior exhibition competition, a team named "SmartHome Hub" from National Pingtung Senior High School competed against 11 teams.

The SmartHome Hub team won scholarships (獎學金) to the university for $80,000 US dollars, or over two and a half million Taiwan dollars.

In the junior exhibition competition, a team named "Dreamer" competed against 13 teams.

For this exhibition competition, teams thought of a problem that a robot could fix or something it could do.

Then they designed, made, and programmed (寫程式) their robot.

They made a video and wrote reports for the judges (裁判).

Then they showed their robot, gave a 4-minute report in English, and answered the judges' questions.

Taiwan also won in the game competitions.

In the senior game competition, a team named "Just Right," from Cheng Yi Senior High School in Kaohsiung, won first place.

It competed against 21 teams.

This team also won $80,000 US dollar scholarships.

In the junior game competition, a team named "Justice," also from Cheng Yi Senior High School, won sixth place.

It competed against 29 teams! Whoa!

The teams played a two-minute game called "Autonomous (自駕) Taxi."

Their robots picked up small balls and delivered them to different boxes.

In the game, the robots were taxis picking up and dropping off people and food orders!

In the senior medical (醫療的) robot competition, a team named "FAME" won third place.

They got scholarships for $56,000 US dollars, or $1,800,000 Taiwan dollars.

This new wave of young leaders in robotics will help Taiwan make smarter and faster robots!

這些學生的創新想法，可以幫助台灣在機器人領域更成功.
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八歲男孩成為時尚潮流領袖
An Eight-Year-Old Boy Is a Fashion Trendsetter

It's Wednesday, a school day, and the kids are looking good.

It's because of one classmate in a rural (鄉村的) school in a small rural town.

One day he decided he wanted to wear a suit to school.

That was okay. Kids in most public schools in the U.S. don't wear uniforms.

They can choose the clothes they want to wear.

So this 8-year-old boy chose a green three-piece suit: pants, vest, and jacket.

He put on a nice white shirt and a necktie too.

His classmates were surprised at first.

They didn't know why he was dressed up (穿得那麼正式)

They didn't know what to think!

Was this strange or was this cool?

Hmmmmm…

The boy kept wearing suits to school.

He knew he was dressed differently from everyone else.

But he didn't care.

He liked dressing up.

He said, "I can be who I want to be."

Kids got used to (習慣) seeing him dressed up.

One by one, they started dressing up too.

And… they thought they looked good!

It made them feel good!

B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
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Hi there.

It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's episode, we'll be talking about Malayan Tigers, and football-playing AI robots!

And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The king of the jungle!

Stay tuned for those stories.
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臺北動物園新生報到兩瀕危馬來虎
Malayan Tigers Debut at Taipei Zoo

Exciting news from Taipei Zoo: Two Malayan tigers have just made their first public appearance.

Their names are Shima and Serikin.

These tigers came all the way from France, arriving on March 1st from a special zoo dedicated to big cats (來自法國一家專門保育大型貓科動物的動物園).

Shima and Serikin spent over two months in quarantine (檢疫) and spent some time getting used to their new home.

After that, they were ready to meet visitors!

Zookeepers say Shima and Serikin have very different personalities (個性大不同).

Shima loves to play and explore her new surroundings, while Serikin is more shy and careful.

This is a big deal for Taipei Zoo, because it's the zoo's first time participating in a global program to help save Malayan tigers.

Malayan tigers live in the forests of southern Thailand and Malaysia.

They are an endangered subspecies (亞種) of tiger.

They're named after Peter Jackson!

No, not that Peter Jackson - the director the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

不是魔戒電影的導演。

They're named after another Peter Jackson, who's a notable tiger conservationist (老虎保育人士).

Jackson "earned his stripes" way back in 2005, when the Malayan tiger subspecies was discovered, and named after him.
Sadly, Malayan tiger numbers are dropping because of habitat loss and poaching.

Taipei Zoo Director Chen I-tsung (諶亦聰) says these tigers are critically endangered, which means they are at very high risk of extinction.

Deforestation for palm oil plantations (棕櫚樹園區) and urban development (城市發展) has significantly reduced their natural habitat.
This makes it harder for them to find sufficient prey and leads to increased encounters with poachers (盜獵者).

Poaching remains a major threat, driven by the illegal wildlife trade, where tiger parts like their coats (皮毛) are highly valued.
盜獵依然是重大威脅，由於老虎的皮毛非常值錢，帶來許多非法的野生動物交易。

Thankfully, conservation efforts are underway to protect the remaining Malayan tigers.

These efforts include anti-poaching measures, habitat preservation and community engagement programs.
保育措施包括反盜獵、棲息地保護和社區參與計畫。

Shima and Serikin are both very elegant and quiet, so the zookeepers ask visitors to be considerate when visiting them.

They can be found in the Tropical Rainforest Area at Taipei Zoo.

Let's help raise awareness about these beautiful animals and support efforts to protect them.
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日內瓦人工智慧展 機器人踢足球
Robots Play Soccer at AI Showcase in Geneva

Time to head over to Switzerland for this next story - the land of chocolate, mountain landscapes and luxury watches.

Recently, an A-I for Good Global Summit took place in Geneva.

最近日內瓦舉行了一場人工智慧全球高峰會，探討怎樣讓AI做好事。

You remember what A-I is, right? It stands for Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence can do many things.

It can look at a lot of data very fast and find important information.

AI can do boring and repetitive tasks, so people can do more interesting work.

It helps with decision-making by showing patterns and predictions.

But it can do much more than that!

At the Summit, AI-controlled robots played soccer, answered trivia questions, and even poked

Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

Today's stories…
Taiwan's millet seeds are stored in the Artic, a gardener makes music, and stories of mermaids in the Caribbean!

Let's begin!
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臺灣珍貴種子 走進北極
Taiwan's Tiny Treasures Go to the Arctic

Seeds (種子) are tiny but mighty treasures essential for our food and agriculture.

They carry the genetic blueprint of plants (植物的基因藍圖).

Protecting seeds means preserving the diversity of our crops (保護農作物的多樣性)…

…which helps us adapt (適應) to changes like climate shifts and disease.

Speaking of protecting seeds, did you know that a team from Taiwan traveled to the Arctic (北極) at the end of May?

They took 170 seeds of a grain called millet (小米) to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (挪威的斯瓦爾巴全球種子庫).

Oh, the "Doomsday Seed Vault! (世界末日種子庫)!

It's like a safe place for seeds from all over the world, right?

Exactly! It helps keep seeds safe in case of big problems like climate change, wars, or other disasters.

At the end of May, there was a ceremony in Svalbard to celebrate Taiwan's participation in this important project.

Many important people from Taiwan were there, including scientists and representatives of Taiwan's indigenous Peoples (臺灣原住民).

Millet is very important to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan.

It's a staple food and has special cultural rituals.
小米是一種主要的食物，並且有特殊的文化儀式。

These seeds will help ensure that future generations can continue to grow millet.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located in the northernmost town in the Arctic Circle (北極圈內最北邊的小鎮).

It's a very secure place, protected by natural freezing conditions and strong underground tunnels.

It can even withstand earthquakes and nuclear attacks!
它甚至能夠承受地震和核武攻擊！

By sending millet seeds to the Global Seed Vault, Taiwan is helping to protect global agriculture and preserve (保存) important parts of its culture.

It's amazing how something so small can have such a big impact on our world.

Every seed counts when it comes to protecting our planet's biodiversity (生物多樣性) and ensuring a healthy future.
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園丁的新旋律
A Gardener's New Tune

Humans have always been creative (有創意) with music, inventing countless instruments over the centuries.

From simple drums and flutes to complex (複雜的) pianos and electric guitars…

…each new instrument has brought unique sounds and styles.

People have even used everyday objects (日常物品) to make music!

Anything can become an instrument with a bit of imagination.

And now, a gardener (園丁) in England has found a way to make music with…plants!

He has introduced a whole new way to create and enjoy music.

A gardener named Martin Noble-James discovered a unique way to make music using plants.

Martin built a special machine called a synthesizer (合成器) to turn plants' electrical impulses into sounds (將植物的電脈衝轉化為聲音).

This new music style is called bio-sonification (生物聲音化).

Bio-sonification works by connecting electrodes (電極) to plants.

These electrodes pick up the plants' natural electrical signals (自然的電訊).

The signals are then transformed into music (轉化為音樂) through the synthesizer.

Martin got interested in this during the COVID-19 lockdown (新冠疫情封鎖期) and has been experimenting ever since.

He says he enjoys making music without controlling it.

Instead, he collaborates (合作) with the plants.

He finds it exciting to perform live, just plugging in a plant and seeing what happens.
他覺得現場

Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Kelly Kimura…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Coming up in today's news: Hualien holds a racing event for snails and a new airline for dogs takes flight.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit, an elementary school baseball team is going to the U.S. thanks to one woman!
Stay tuned for more on those stories!
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**花蓮舉辦蝸牛競賽 **
Hualien Holds a Snail Competition
We humans have been using animals for sports ever since we were able to train (訓練) them.
We race horses and dogs.
Some people make dogs and roosters (公雞) fight.
Using animals for fights is cruel (殘忍的).
It’s also illegal (違法的) in most places.
Recently (最近), animal competitions (競賽) have become more creative (更有創意) and interesting.
Nepal (尼泊爾) has elephant soccer.
California has dog surfing (衝浪).
Here in Taiwan, we have snail (蝸牛) racing.
Yes, you heard that right: snail racing.
A snail competition was recently held in Fenglin Township (鳳林鎮) in Hualien.
Fenglin Township is well known for its slow-paced lifestyle (慢節奏的生活方式).
Ten years ago, an international association (國際協會) that promotes (推廣) a slow-paced lifestyle named Fenglin Township a “slow” city.
It’s the first “slow” city in Taiwan.
Its mascot (吉祥物) is a snail.
So snail racing and Fenglin Township are a good match (絕配)!
The snail racing competition promotes a slow-paced lifestyle.
It also brings visitors – and snails – from all over Taiwan to this beautiful town.
This year, 81 people brought snails to race in the competition.
The race is on a cloth with two concentric circles (同心圓) on it.
The snails start at the inner circle (內圈) and go to the outer (外) circle.
The first one to crawl across 33 centimeters wins.
Four races were held with about 20 snails in each race.
The winner was a Giant African Snail.
Its name is 宇宙強強滾, or “The Universe Rolls On.”
It reached the outer circle in 1 minute and 25 seconds.
The top three snails got a medal and sweet potato leaves (地瓜葉).
One woman said she had picked up ten snails a week ago.
She trained them with sweet potato leaves.
She chose the best of the ten for the competition.
Her snail won second place! It finished in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
鳳林人希望能藉由這個活動把慢活的哲學推廣出去。
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**狗狗航空公司起飛 **
A New Airline for Dogs Takes Off
Do you have a dog?
If you do, maybe you understand how it feels to leave your dog when you go on a trip.
Poor dog!
Sure, you can take your dog with you.
It’s easy when you’re going on a road trip.
Many dogs love riding in cars.
But… what if you’re flying?
Most airlines (航空公司) only allow dogs that are less than 9 kilograms in the cabin (機艙).
However, they must be kept under the seat in a pet carrier (寵物籠).
Large dogs must fly in the cargo hold (貨艙) under the cabin.
Even on smooth flights (順利飛行), dogs are anxious (焦慮的).
They are also not comfortable.
A new airline started, and it’s what some dog lovers have been waiting for.
A pet company started it with a private jet charter company (私人飛機包機公司).
Dogs are treated like people are.
Maybe they’re treated even better!
The airline says dogs are their top priority (最優先).
Before flights, the airline serves (提供) them snacks and gives them noise-canceling earmuffs (降低噪音的耳罩).
During flights, the airline serves them drinks to help their ears with changes in air pressure (空氣壓力).
The dogs can meet other dogs or stay in their seats.
唯一的缺點是昂貴的票價.
A one-way trip from New York to Los Angeles costs $6,000 US dollars for one dog and one person.
That’s about 195,000 Taiwan dollars!
From

Wealth Gap and Climate Action

Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's episode…
Taiwan has a big wealth gap, scientists have four big ideas to fight climate change, and built-in allergy relief!

Let's get into it.
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台灣貧富差距擴大
Taiwan's Wealth Gap Gets Bigger

Do we live in a fair society (公平的社會)?

Of course some people have more money than others.

It would be great to hear that our society is improving and becoming fairer.

But is that the way it's really going?

Unfortunately, one measure shows that things are moving in the opposite direction.

That means the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.
富人愈富，窮人愈窮。

The government has collected lots of data (數據) about this question.

Now, they say the wealth gap is increasing.

That means the difference between how much money the richest have, and how much the poorest have.

The richest families in Taiwan have 67 times more wealth than the poorest 20% of families.
台灣最富有的家有的財富是最貧窮的家的67倍。

67 times as much money? That's a huge gap.

That means for every one dollar a poor family has…

…a rich family has 67 dollars.

That's four times bigger than the wealth gap was 30 years ago.

There is some good news, though.

Taiwan has a smaller wealth gap than some other developed countries (已開發國家).

Australia's wealth gap is 93 times, and France's wealth gap is 627 times!

But why is it bad to have a big wealth gap?

Actually, there are a few reasons.

First of all, it's unfair (不公平).

It can cause feelings of anger between the rich and the poor.

This may lead to increased crime or other violence.

However, there is a more important reason.

That is, a big wealth gap hurts the economy.
巨大的貧富差距會損害經濟。

If the rich get more money, they tend to just save it (存錢).

But if the poor get more money, they will spend it (用錢), to buy the things they need.

That means shops will sell more, farmers will plant more, factories will build more, and the whole economy (經濟) will grow.

In other words, if the people with less money have more of it to spend, this will help everyone.

So, we should try to make Taiwan's wealth gap smaller.

Not just because it's more fair, but also because it will make the economy stronger.
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科學家講述最有力的氣候行動
Scientists Tell Strongest Climate Actions

How can you help with climate change (全球暖化)?

We all know the climate is changing, and the Earth's atmosphere is getting warmer.

This is dangerous for everyone, so we need to take action (採取行動).

But what can you really do?

I have an idea.

I'll make a big fridge and put the Earth inside, to cool it down.

Don't joke around (不要開玩笑), this is serious.

For real answers, we should listen to science.

A recent survey asked 380 climate scientists this question.

These are the top four answers they gave, for ways that one person can help with climate change.
調查問了 380 名氣候科學家，以下是他們最推薦的四種方法。

Let's count them down.

Coming in at number four is…

…using less energy for home heating and cooling (減少家庭供暖和冷氣的能源).

That means we need to find better ways to warm and cool our houses.

Traditional gas heaters and AC units use lots of power, which puts CO2 into the atmosphere.

But new technologies like the heat pumps (熱泵) are much more efficient.

The number three way is to eat less meat (少吃肉).

The animals we use for meat take up so much of our planet's resources!

For example, cows need a huge area of land.

They eat tons of food and fart out (