News Bites ICRT

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

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Jacob Ingram.

In today's episode…
A new metro line in Taipei, a big change coming for railways in the UK, and what you hear in a seashell.

Stay tuned for more on these stories.
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台北捷運淺綠線 工程進展順利
Work Moves Forward on Light Green Line

Do you ever take the Taipei Metro (臺北捷運)?

Yeah! The MRT is really convenient (方便).

It can take you anywhere in Taipei or New Taipei.

Well, not "anywhere".

There are some places the Metro doesn't reach yet.

If you live in Taipei's Wanhua (萬華) District, or New Taipei's Shulin (樹林) District, there's likely not a Metro station near your home.

But that is about to change.

Both cities are hard at work on a new MRT line.

It's called the Light Green Line (淺綠線).

It will go from Taipei's CKS Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) all the way to New Taipei's Huilong (迴龍) Station.

The new metro line will be built in 2 phases.
新捷運線將分兩期興建。

Phase 1 is all underground (地下鐵路).

The tunnel will start at CKS Hall.

From there the line will serve Taipei's Wanhua District and pass below the Xindian (新店) River.

It will snake under New Taipei's Yonghe (永和) and Zhonghe (中和) Districts.

These are some of Taiwan's most densely populated places (人口最稠密的地方), so there will be lots of passengers to use the train.

Then it enters phase 2.

That's the part workers recently started building.

The train will rise aboveground in Tucheng (土城) District and become an elevated rail (高架鐵路).

There it will meet with the Blue Line, allowing passengers to transfer (轉車).

It will cross over the Dahan (大漢) River into Shulin District.

Finally it will end up at Huilong Station in Xinzhuang (新莊) District.

At Huilong, passengers can transfer to the Orange Line, or to the Taoyuan Brown Line, which is also under construction.

The Light Green Line will save passengers (乘客) in these areas a lot of time.

People in Tucheng can get to CKS Memorial Hall Station in just 20 minutes.

For people living in Shulin, their trips downtown (去市中心旅行) will be half an hour shorter.

This project will also take cars off the road.

That's because more people can take the train instead of driving.

It will improve traffic, cut air pollution, and save passengers money.
這項計畫會改善交通、減少空氣污染並節省旅客的費用。

The project is due to finish in 2031.

So, seven years from now, you may be riding the Light Green Line yourself.
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英國工黨承諾 把火車國有化
UK's Labour Party Promises to Nationalize Trains

Who owns the trains (火車)?

That depends on the country.

In Taiwan, the government runs Taiwan Railways.

However, in the UK, trains are run by private companies.

台灣的火車是國營的，但是英國火車屬於私家公司。

If you want to take a train from one UK city to another…

…you need to book expensive tickets (車票) with a private train company.

But that may be about to change.

One political party (政黨) thinks the UK government should run passenger trains.

The Labour Party (英國工黨) say they will make sure that happens…

…but only if they win the election (選舉).

Why do they want to do this?

These days, a lot of people in the UK think their trains are terrible.

Prices are high and service is poor.
英國火車票價格很貴，服務很差。

It's been getting worse since private companies (私人公司) bought the railways from the government, 30 years ago.

These companies only cared about making money.

They increased fares so they could get higher profits (利潤).

What's more, the companies treated the train drivers poorly.

Many of the drivers went on strike (司機罷工), causing even more problems.

What a mess!

It was not always like this.

Long ago, the Bri

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

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

Today's stories…
Paying a little to protect a lot, measuring snow for 50 years, and English words have more than one meaning!

Let's check it out.
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小琉球7月起收海洋保育費
Siaoliouciou's New Eco-Fee

Starting July 1st, if you plan to visit the beautiful beaches of Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) in Taiwan, there's something new to remember!

The island will start charging a small fee (收取小額費用) of $60 NT to visit three special beach areas: Shanfu, Yucheng Wei, and Duozaiping (杉福、漁埕尾和 ).

These three areas are very important because they have unique plants and animals (獨特植物和動物) that need protection.

The money from the fee will help take care of these areas.

It will be used for things like keeping the beaches clean, teaching the staff how to look after nature, and learning more about the animals and plants that live there.
這筆經費將用於保持海灘的清潔、教育員工如何照顧自然，以及了解更多生活在那裡的動植物。

But there's more!

To make sure too many people don't visit at once and harm the environment, only 300 visitors can enter at a time.

And, there are certain times of the year (特定的時候) when no one can visit.

For example, from December 1st to March 31st, these areas will be closed to give nature a break (給大自然一個休息的機會).

Also, from April 1st to June 15th, the beaches close at night until the morning to help the animals during their breeding season (繁殖季節).

If you really want to see the beaches at night, you can!

From June 16th to November 30th, there are special night tours (夜間導覽).

If you bring a flashlight, only red lights are allowed so we don't disturb the wildlife.
如果你帶手電筒，只允許用紅光，以免干擾野生動物。

In recent years, more people have visited Siaoliouciou, and it started to affect the wildlife.

A study by a marine professor (海洋學教授) found that the number of large sea creatures is much less than before.

Although they are slowly coming back, it's important to keep protecting them.

By paying this fee and following the rules, you help protect the beautiful nature of Siaoliouciou.

It's a small price for a big cause, helping us enjoy this special place without harming it.
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市民科學家測量積雪50年
Citizen Scientist Measures Snow for 50 Years

Think about your daily routine (日常生活).

What are some things you have been doing every day, for the last ten years?

Let's see…I brush my teeth every day, pet my cat, and eat meals!

Well, for the past 50 years, Billy Barr, a 73-year-old man with a gray beard, has been measuring snowfall in the mountains of the state of Colorado in the US.
在過去的50年裡，Billy Barr (比利·巴爾) ，一位留著長長灰色鬍鬚的73歲老人，在美國科羅拉多州的山區測量積雪量。

Every day, he steps out of his small cabin (小木屋) to check how much snow has fallen.

Billy started collecting snow and weather data (收集積雪和天氣數據) after graduating from Rutgers University.

He set up simple tools to measure the snow-something he began doing just to stay busy (為了打發時間而開始做的事情).

Billy is what we call a "citizen scientist" (市民科學家).

This means he is not a professional scientist (職業科學家), but he helps gather important information about the environment.

His work has been very useful for researchers trying to understand how much snow there is and how it affects water supplies (影響水資源).

His dedication (奉獻精神) shows that anyone can contribute to science (任何人都可以為科學做出貢獻).

Billy's data is very valuable (有價值).

It helps scientists understand and predict (預測) changes in the environment.

Even though he plans to retire s

Hey you guys, get ready for an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:
Aftershocks from the April 3rd Hualien Earthquake could last for a year, and an Italian city wants to ban gelato and pizza sales after midnight.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit: The shortest commercial flight in the world.

Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
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¤¤¥¡®ð¶H¸p´£¿ô¡A¾l¾_¥i¯à«ùÄò¤@¦~
CWA Says Aftershocks Could Last For a Year

On April 3rd, a severe earthquake shook the island of Taiwan, and devastated (ºR·´) Hualien.

Since then, there have been lots of aftershocks (¾l¾_).

Aftershocks are typical after major earthquakes.

They can keep on happening for days, weeks or even months.

From April 22nd to 23rd there were over 100 quakes.

Many of them reached magnitude (³W¼Ò) 4, some reached magnitude 5, and 2 reached magnitude 6.

According to the Central Weather Administration, these quakes were the aftershocks of the April 3rd earthquake.

The aftershocks were primarily in northern Hualien County.

But now they have moved southwards.

Based on the experience of the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake (¶°¶°¤j¦a¾_), or the 9-2-1 Earthquake, more aftershocks might happen over the next 6 months to a year.

The recent aftershocks on April 22nd and 23rd were felt more strongly than those over the last two weeks.

As a result, some buildings that were already damaged by the original April 3rd quake were damaged even more.

Some buildings that were already tilting (¶É±×) collapsed completely.

The agency explained this was because these aftershocks were shallow (²L), and their epicenters (¾_¥¡) further inland (¤º³°).

According to the Seismological Center (¦a¾_¤¤¤ß), aftershocks of a significant earthquake tend to dissipate (®ø´²) over time.

However, there would be sudden high magnitude aftershocks due to stress adjustments.

Therefore there might be another large earthquake.

But it would unlikely reach magnitude 7 or higher.

Due to the expected aftershocks and the upcoming rainy season, officials are advising everyone not to go to mountainous areas, as there could be a risk of landslides (¤s±Y).

In the event of an earthquake, the agency urges everyone to follow these 3 steps:

DROP onto your hands and knees;

COVER your head and neck;

… and HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

¦a¾_µo¥Í®É¡A¿í´`¦a¾_«O©R¤T¨BÆJ¡G­w¤U¡B±»Å@¡Bí¦í¡C
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¸q¤j§Q«°¥« ±N¸T¤î²`©]¾P°â¸q¦¡¦B²N²O¤Î©ÜÂÄ
Italian City to Ban Gelato and Pizza Sales after Midnight

What kind of food would you want to have when you visit Italy?

Many would choose pizza and gelato.

Everyone knows what pizza is.

But what about gelatos?

Well, it's a type of Italian ice cream.

It's similar to regular ice cream, but it's made with more milk than cream, which gives it a smoother texture.

Gelato also has less air whipped into it compared to ice cream, making it denser and richer in flavor.

¸ò¤@¯ë¦B²N²O¬Û¤ñ¡A¸q¦¡¦B²N²O¸Ì­±ªºªÅ®ð¸û¤Ö¡A¨Ï¥¦§ó¥[¿@­§¡A­·¨ý¨à§ó¨Î¡C

Pizza and gelatos are two of the most iconic representative (¥Nªí©Ê) foods in Italian culture.

Having a late-night gelato is a vital («D±`­«­nªº) for many Italians.

It's also an experience for the millions of tourists who visit Italy.

But now, an Italian city is planning to ban the sale for takeaway food and drink at nighttime.

You're probably wondering which city?

Well, it's Milan (¦ÌÄõ).

Milan is Italy's second largest city and fashion capital.

Milan officials say the ban is necessary to reduce late-night noises in residential areas.

Under the ban, food establishments would not be allowed to serve food and dinks between 12:30 am to 6:00 am.

Marco Granelli, a Milan city official, said, "Our objective is to seek a balance between sociab

Hi there.

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

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Jacob Ingram.

In today's news…

A kitten fights crime, and an elderly woman becomes a baby.

And today's Tasty Tidbit is nothing to sneeze at. Stay tuned to find out what we mean!
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台中喵警長立大功
Taichung Officer Kitten Fights Crime

A new employee (員工) started work at a police station in Taichung.

But this employee doesn't really do much police work.

In fact, this employee spends a lot of time playing or sleeping!

Okay okay, it's not really a police officer.

It's a cat!

"Wu-jing-yao" (伍丼么) is a kitten that lives at the Feng-yuan District police station.

Wujingyao started life as a stray (流浪貓).

In February this year, someone found him, and brought him to the police station.

And the police station became his home.

Wujingyao is now around 4 months old, still a kitten.

He can't exactly do police work.

But he is fighting crime in his own way.

The station often shows Wujingyao on its social media pages.

The kitten helps the public learn about how to stay safe.

Wujingyao helps in other ways too.

One day, someone brought an elderly woman to the police station.

Police learned she was 81 years old, and she was lost (迷路).

The elderly woman was scared, and started to cry.

Officers introduced her to Wujingyao.

The woman started smiling right away, and played with the kitten.

After a while, the elderly woman's son came and took her home safely.

And after completing his mission, Wujingyao fell asleep in a policeman's hat.

阿嬤安全回家與家人團圓，而完成任務的伍丼么也直接在同事的外套帽子上呼呼大睡。

The police station posted this story on social media.

And they told people about how to keep seniors safe, and help them avoid getting lost (避免走失).

Wujingyao has become very popular online.

Many people leave comments on the police station's social media pages.

Wujingyao even got a special package (包裹).

It was full of canned cat food!

Police officers were amazed that Wujingyao is so popular.

They also used this opportunity (機會) to tell people what to do if they get a strange package in the mail.

Wujingyao is doing a lot to help police fight crime!
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電腦故障讓百歲人瑞返老還童
Super Flying Senior is Not a Baby, Really!

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

Like, someone thinks you are your brother or sister.

Or maybe you and your best friend look alike?

It happens sometimes.

But sometimes, it happens to people who don't look alike at all.

Patricia lives in the United States.

Every year, she flies to another state to visit her family.

But Patricia sometimes runs into problems when flying.

You see, Patricia is 101 years old.

But the airline (航空公司) often mistakes Patricia for a BABY!

Patricia looks fabulous (極好的、絕佳的)!

But she doesn't exactly look like a baby.

It's actually a problem with the airline's computers.

Patricial was born in 1922.

But this was so long ago, that the computer system cannot understand it!

The system automatically (自動的) changes the year of Patricia's birth to 2022.

This would make her 2 years old!

航空公司的電腦系統無法處理Patricia 1922年出生的事實，自動將她改成2022年出生。

This makes Patricia laugh.

She says "It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I'm an old lady!".

But she hopes the airline can fix this problem as soon as possible.

"Being a baby" can make it hard for Patricia to fly.

One time, the airline did not have a wheelchair ready for Patricia to use.

They were expecting a baby.

Another time, Patricia's daughter had to carry all their luggage.

Patricia says every time there is a problem, the airline is very helpful.

But she says it would be nice to fix the glitch (小故障).

Even with all these misadventures (意外的遭遇), Pa

Hey there! Welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

In today's news:
Taiwan's first electric tractor from Volvo unveiled, banquet hall frescoes unearthed in Pompeii, and the loudest animal in the world!

Stay tuned for more, coming up next.
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台灣通運引進 富豪電動曳引機
Taiwan's First Electric Tractor from Volvo

According to statistics, about 12% of Taiwan's carbon emissions (碳排放) come from transportation.

And a large percentage of these carbon emissions are from vehicles on the highway.

Among all the vehicles, large trucks and tractors (曳引機) were ranked the second largest carbon emitter.

However, these large vehicles are necessary because they transport essential materials around the island.

Without them, logistics (物流) would be slow and delayed.

In order to cut down carbon emissions from tractors, Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣運通倉儲公司) has unveiled its first electric tractor.

The tractor is manufactured by Volvo and will be used to transport cement (水泥) produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台泥).

Both TTS and TCC belong to the same enterprise, TCC International Holdings (台泥國際集團).

According to TTS Chairman Koo, Taiwan has warmer climate and shorter driving distance.

This makes it the perfect place to develop electric vehicles.

Koo believes that Taiwan companies can reduce carbon emissions through electric commercial vehicles (商用車輛).

The new tractor weighs 43 tons and has a cruising (續航) range up to 300-kilometers.

This is the first of a fleet of electric tractors that will be introduced by TTS.

It is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 32%.

Selven, Volvo Trucks Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was also at the unveiling ceremony.

He said that Volvo is very determined to reach net zero emissions (零碳排放).

Many people are worried about the problem of old batteries.

Selven says that Volvo has a company called Volvo Energy.

It is in charge of recycling, remanufacturing and refurbishing (翻新) batteries so that they can be properly reused.
EVs are currently more expensive than traditional vehicles.

But as demand increases, it could help reduce the costs, making it more affordable.

全球各大企業都在為2050淨零排放而努力，台灣當然不能落人後。
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龐貝城宴會廳壁畫出土
Banquet Hall Frescoes Unearthed in Pompeii

Many are familiar with Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was buried by a volcano eruption.

The eruption happened in 79 AD and the city was buried under four to six meters of volcanic ash (火山灰).

Due to the complete coverage of the ash, the city was largely preserved, frozen in time.

The buried city was rediscovered in the 17th century.

Even up to this day, archaeological excavations (考古挖掘) are still finding artifacts that amaze the modern world.

Recently, a banquet hall has been unearthed in Pompeii.

The hall was decorated with scenes from Greek mythology (希臘神話).

One fresco (壁畫) shows the god Apollo attempting to seduce Trojan priestess (特洛伊女祭司) Cassandra.

Another shows the encounter of Helen of Troy meeting Paris, which would lead to the Trojan War.

Having not been disturbed for centuries, the frescos were exceptionally well preserved.
Archaeological Park of Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtreigel depicted (描繪) the Roman life back then.

"They gathered here to feast after sunset, the flickering (閃爍) lights from the candles made the images appear to move, especially after a few glasses of wine."

The mosaic (馬賽克) floor of the hall was made with over a million tiny white tiles (磁磚).

The hall was discovered in a private residence in the city.

It shows the lavish (奢侈豪華的) and high standard lifestyle of the Roman upper class 2 millenniums ago.

The tragedy and amazing discoveries made Pompeii

Hi there.

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

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nany Sun.

In today's news: Rumors about voice samples being collected during phone calls, and NASA has been asked to help search for the Loch Ness Monster.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Have you ever wondered what causes most colds?

Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
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不必擔心 有人用LINE收集你的聲音
Voice Sample Rumors on LINE Messaging APP

You know those random calls you sometimes get from out of the blue?

The calls from unknown numbers?

Rumor has it some of these numbers are collecting voice samples (語音樣本).

A voice sample is a bit of someone's voice that's recorded (錄音).

It's like when you take a small piece of a song to get a feel for how it goes.

Voice samples allow you to hear what someone else's voice sounds like, and get an idea for how that person talks and expresses themselves.

So why would someone want to collect voice samples?

Well, it's for training AI to simulate the voices of real people.

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence.

It's like a smart computer program which can do things that normally only humans can do.

人工智慧現在可以做很多以前真人才能做的事。

For example, telling jokes, writing stories, drawing pictures or even carrying out a conversation.

In this case, some people are using voice samples to train AI how to mimic their voices.

據說有些人使用語音樣本訓練AI模仿人的聲音。

So why would anyone want to train AI to mimic people's voices?

Well, some shady folks out there are looking to scam others.

They want to make AI sound like relatives, parents or friends, to trick you into giving them money.

So that's why some are advising not to speak over the phone when answering calls from unknown numbers.

But is there any need to be so cautious?
接到不知道誰打來的電話時，需要很小心嗎？

Well, according to the Taiwan Fact-Checking Center, the answer is no!

那是不需要的。

The Fact-Checking Center explained that AI struggles to produce high-quality voices with just a few greeting sentences.

Cybersecurity experts agree.

網路安全專家同意。

They said that while AI can simulate human voices, it needs longer speech samples to do so effectively.

Plus, AI being used for voice fraud is still relatively rare compared to other scams.

So, what's the bottom line?

There's no need to freak out and stay silent on the phone.

But if you suspect a call might be a scam, it's still a good idea to hang up as soon as possible.
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有人呼籲美國太空總署 協助尋找尼斯湖水怪
NASA Urged to Help in New Search for Loch Ness Monster

Nestled in the Scottish Highlands lies Loch Ness.

蘇格蘭高地中隱藏著尼斯湖。

It's a picturesque freshwater lake shrouded in mystery and folklore.

它是一個風景如畫的淡水湖，籠罩著神秘和民間傳說。

What is it most famous for?

… The legend of the Loch Ness Monster.

Locals affectionately call the monster Nessie.

It's described as a large aquatic creature resembling a plesiosaur (蛇頸龍).

That's a type of dinosaur that swims in the ocean.

Nessie has been the subject of many sightings and debates.

The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster dates back to the early 1900s.

There have been reported sightings and photographs showing a dark, elongated shape (狹長的形狀) emerging from the waters.

People have been searching for the monster for many years.

In 1936, a chap called Sir Edward Mountain led the first organized expedition (探險遠征隊) to Loch Ness to search for the monster.

He took 20 men with him.

Together, they placed binoculars (望遠鏡) and cameras (照相機) around the loch, and took many photographs.

But still, they couldn't prove whether there really was a monster lurking in the waters.

Now, with the 90th anniversary of Sir Edward Mounta