News For Kids

Thanks, Mr. Taxi Driver! Taxis are pretty convenient, right? They take customers to places they want to go. In big cities you can often see lots of taxis. 大城市通常有很多計程車。 Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and it's a big city. It has a lot of people, a lot of tourists, and a lot of taxis. 曼谷是一個大城市，人多，觀光客也多，還有很多計程車。 But since the coronavirus has happened, there are not many tourists going there. That means there are a lot of taxis that don't have any customers. 但是自從疫情開始，觀光客大減，計程車多半沒客人。 There are now car parks full of unused taxis. 停車場停滿用不到的計程車。 So now one taxi company had the bright idea of growing vegetables on top of the taxis! 一家公司想出來好主意，決定在車頂上種菜！ The taxi vegetable garden makes food for taxi drivers with no work. And if there are any vegetables left over, the drivers can sell them at a market! 失業的計程車司機可以自己吃，也可以把菜拿去市場賣！ That's pretty smart! The drivers can now grow some food, make some money, they don't waste space, and it's good for the environment! ________________________________ Vocabulary 汽車車頂變成菜園，至少沒有浪費空間。 1. Vegetable 蔬菜。 We should grow some vegetables. 我們應該來種一點蔬菜。 On top of the house? 在屋頂上嗎？ Yeah, why not? 對啊，為什麼不呢？ Vegetables need sunlight. 蔬菜需要陽光。 2. Space 空間。 That's good use of space. 那可以好好利用空間。 You're right. 你說對了。 And vegetables don't need a lot of space. 蔬菜也不需要很大的空間。 3. Tourist 遊客。 Many Taiwanese tourists travel to Bangkok. 很多台灣遊客去曼谷旅行。 They can't go there anymore. 他們現在沒辦法去了。 4. City 城市。 Do you like big cities, Jane? 你喜歡大城市嗎？ I like Taipei. It's not really a big city but it has everything. 我喜歡台北，它不算大都市，不過什麼都有。 Let's read today's vocabulary. vegetable 蔬菜 space 空間 tourist 遊客 city 城市 ________________________________ Quiz 1. Bangkok is the capital city of what country? a. France b. China c. Thailand 2. Bangkok now has a lot of unused what? a. Motorbikes b. Schools c. Taxis 3. What are some of them now being used for? a. Cooking b. Growing vegetables c. Driving Answers 1: C 2: C 3: B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Guess what? New Taipei City is getting a new YouBike system. It's already in Taipei City, but the new YouBike system will be ready in New Taipei City at the end of this month! 新北市新的微笑單車，月底就可以用了。 It is called YouBike 2.0, and there will be new bikes and new stations. The colors are a little different too. 顏色有一點不一樣。 The original was orange and yellow. The new version is white and yellow. There will be seven hundred places in New Taipei City where people can borrow these bicycles… 有七百個地方可以租腳踏車。 These rental stations will be in places where it is convenient for a lot of people. 會放在方便的地方。 For example, near MRT stations! Another place you can rent them is at New Taipei City Hall in Banqiao. And in the future, the government plans to add even more stations for YouBikes… as many as one-thousand-five-hundred! 還會增加一千五百個租腳踏車的地方。 This is great! I really like riding bikes, and I'm excited to try the new bikes. I think they're very convenient to use to get around the city. They are also better for the environment than driving cars, and it helps you get very good exercise! 我覺得腳踏車很方便，也比開車環保，而且你還可以運動！ Will you be using the YouBike 2.0 bicycles? ________________________________ Vocabulary 大台北地區，要騎YouBike越來越方便。 1. System 系統。 We have a new YouBike system. 微笑單車現在有新的系統。 So I don't need to bring my EasyCard? 所以我不需要帶悠遊卡？ That's right. You only need your cell phone. 對的。只需要手機。 2. Ride a bike 騎腳踏車。 I feel bored. 我覺得好無聊。 Let's go and ride bikes at the riverside park. 去河濱公園騎車吧。 Great idea! 好主意！ 3. Excited 興奮的。 I'm so excited about tomorrow's School Day! 我好興奮明天的學校日！ Me too. I'm excited to see my old friends. 我也是。我很興奮會跟我的老朋友碰面。 Are they coming? 他們會來嗎？ Yes they are! 會來。 4. In the future 未來。 There will be more bike trails in the future. 未來會有更多自行車道。 I can't wait. 我簡直等不及了。 Do you ride a bike every day? system 系統 ride a bike 騎腳踏車 excited 興奮的 in the future 未來 ________________________________ Quiz 1. What kind of transportation is this story about? a. Cars b. Trains c. Bicycles 2. What are the new bicycles called? a. YouBike 2.0 b. YouTube 2.0 c. Moovo 3. What city is mentioned in this story? a. Taipei City b. New Taipei City c. Taichung City Answers 1. C 2. A 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

What's that sound? Sounds like an insect… like a fly, maybe? 蒼蠅？ Or a mosquito, 蚊子？ Or a… hornet!! 大黃蜂!! Argh! I hate hornets. They scare me. I have been stung by a hornet. 我被大黃蜂叮過。It really hurt! I don't want to experience that ever again! Do you know what the scariest kind of hornet is? 你知道最可怕的黃蜂是哪一種嗎？ The Asian giant hornet. 那就是大虎頭蜂。 The Asian giant hornet is the largest kind of hornet in the entire world. 大虎頭蜂是全世界最大的黃蜂。 An Asian giant hornet nest was recently found in the U.S., and people quickly got rid of it. "Got rid of" 的意思就是把它除掉。 People were scared the hornets would hurt the local insects, like bees. And bees are very important! 蜜蜂很重要！ They help make more flowers, and of course, they make delicious honey! Asian giant hornets can kill bees! 大虎頭蜂會殺死蜜蜂！ They kill other kinds of hornets too! 其他種類的黃蜂也不放過! It is also very painful when an Asian giant hornet stings you. Thankfully, Asian giant hornets don't usually attack people. 還好大虎頭蜂不常攻擊人類。 Of all the insects, I am most afraid of hornets. What kind of insect are you afraid of? ________________________________ Vocabulary 大虎頭蜂有可能攻擊人類，最好避開。 1. Scare 害怕。 Are you scared of hornets? 你怕不怕黃蜂？ Of course. But I'm most scared of spiders. 當然怕，不過我最怕蜘蛛。 2. Scary 讓人害怕的。 Spiders are not that scary. 蜘蛛沒那麼可怕。 They don't attack people. 牠們不會攻擊人。 You're wrong. They are very scary. 你錯了，牠們非常可怕。 3. Attack 攻擊。 Have you ever been attacked by spiders? 你曾經被蜘蛛攻擊過嗎？ No, not really. 並沒有。 But they're so ugly! 但是牠們長得好醜！ 4. Honey 蜂蜜。 Would you like some honey cake? 想要來一點蜂蜜蛋糕嗎？ Oh yes, I love honey cake. 要，我喜歡蜂蜜蛋糕。 It's just delicious, isn't it? 很好吃，不是嗎？ Let's read these useful words. scare 害怕 scary 讓人害怕的 honey 蜂蜜 attack 攻擊 ________________________________ Quiz 1. What kind of insect is this story about? a. Bees b. Hornets c. Mosquitoes 2. What does the Asian giant hornet do? a. Bite b. Sting c. Punch 3. What do these hornets do to other insects? a. They make friends with them b. They kill them c. They ignore them Answers 1. B 2. B 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Do you like art? Today, I'm going to tell you about a very interesting artist. She makes art from trash. You know what trash is, right? You could call it junk, or garbage. It's something you just throw away. 美國有一個很有趣的藝術家，她利用垃圾做藝術品。 Stephanie Hongo lives in America. She makes beautiful art with things people don't want anymore. She turns the trash into animals. She uses ping pong balls for eyes. She uses plastic forks to make feathers for owls. And she used the leg of a Barbie doll for the horn of a unicorn. Is a unicorn an animal? Well, maybe. 她把別人不要的東西挑出來，做成動物的樣子。像是乒乓球當作眼睛，塑膠叉子變成貓頭鷹身上的羽毛，芭比娃娃的腿變成了獨角獸頭上的角。 Stephanie started using trash to make art after she quit her job. She didn't have enough money to buy art supplies. So, she used junk. It sounds dirty to use garbage. But Stephanie only uses clean trash. She gets the trash from her family and friends. Sometimes, people on Facebook give her junk, too. 這位藝術家在離職之後沒錢買藝術作品的材料，於是想到利用垃圾。聽起來有點不衛生，不過她只用乾淨的，從親朋好友那裏收集來的垃圾。有時候臉書上的好友也會把不要的東西給她。 It's great that Stephanie uses trash to make art. She can help the environment. She can also make money by selling her art! ________________________________ Vocabulary Stephanie把垃圾變成藝術作品，真是化腐朽為神奇！ 1. Garbage 垃圾。 Did you throw away your bag? 你把包包扔掉了嗎？ Yeah, it's in the garbage can now. 扔掉了，它現在就在垃圾桶裡。 Are you sure you don't want it? 你確定你不要它了？ I'm sure. 我確定。 2. Junk 垃圾。 You're eating too much junk food, Nancy. 你吃太多垃圾食物了，南西。 No, I'm not. Fried pork chop is not junk food. 我沒有，炸豬排不算垃圾食物。 3. Use 使用。 I don't know how to use this can opener. 我不知道怎麼用這個開罐器。 Here, let me show you.我來做給你看。 4. Artist 藝術家。 My mom is an artist. 我媽媽是藝術家。 Wow, so she paints pictures? 哇，所以她畫畫？ No, she makes salad that looks like art. 不是，她做的沙拉看起來像藝術品。 今天的單字你記住了幾個？ garbage 垃圾 junk 垃圾 use 使用 artist 藝術家 ________________________________ Quiz Q1: Which is NOT another name for trash? A: Stuff B: Garbage C: Junk Q2: What does Stephanie make with trash? A: Toys for pets B: Art that looks like animals C: Ping pong balls Q3: Where does Stephanie get the trash? A: From garbage cans B: From her friends C: From stores Answers 1. A 2. B 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

I once drew a picture that a friend thought was very good. So my friend bought it for one-thousand NT dollars! 我的朋友花了一千塊台幣買了我畫的畫。 I was very happy because that's a lot of money! But one boy in England made much, much more from pictures he made. A 12-year-old boy named Benyamin sold his art, and made four-hundred thousand U.S. dollars! That is over 10 million NT dollars! 一個12歲的男孩把他的藝術作品賣了40萬美金，那是一千多萬台幣！ That is a very, very large amount of money! Benyamin made over three-thousand different pictures of whales on the computer, 他是用電腦創作超過三千張鯨魚的圖案，and then he sold them through a special system on the internet. This system lets people make money online. 他是用特殊的網路系統來買賣圖案。 In this system, people can buy and sell things online with a special kind of money. This special money only works through the internet! Benyamin has always been very interested in computers and the internet. 這個男孩 一直都對電腦跟網路的東西很有興趣。 That is how he learned about people selling things using special online money. I'm going to start paying more attention to computers. Maybe I can sell things on the internet to make more money, too! Have you ever sold anything? 你有賣過東西嗎？ ________________________________ Vocabulary 這個英國男孩在網路上賺大錢，成了全球新聞。 1. Make money 賺錢。 It's not easy to make money. 賺錢很不容易。 I knew that long ago. 我很久以前就知道了。 I also know that spending money is easy. 我還知道花錢很容易。 2. Sell 賣。 Maybe I should try to sell something. 也許我應該試試看賣東西。 Like what? 賣什麼呢？ Like my facemask designs. 比如說我的口罩設計。 3. Picture 圖畫。 So you'll draw pictures of the masks. 所以你會畫出口罩的圖樣。 Yes, and the masks will have mouths or eyes on them. 對，而且口罩上是嘴巴或是眼睛。 4. Attention 注意。 A facemask with a picture of a mouth? 口罩上面有嘴巴的圖案嗎？ That will get people's attention. 那會引人注意的。 That's the idea. 就是要那樣。 So do you plan to make some money? make money 賺錢 sell 賣 picture 圖畫 attention 注意 ________________________________ Quiz 1. Benyamin made pictures of what animal? a. Whales b. Dolphins c. Turtles 2. Where did Benyamin sell his artwork? a. Through the internet b. At an art store c. At school 3. What has Benyamin always been interested in? a. Whales b. Computers and the internet c. Art Answers 1. A 2. A 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Do you like stories and movies about mummies? No, I don't mean moms, like your mom or my mom. I mean mummies… Mummies are dead people. They are wrapped in pieces of cloth. A lot of mummies have been found in Egypt. The mummies are buried in the ground. So, people have to dig a lot to find them. 很多木乃伊是在埃及發現的。他們都埋在地下，所以要挖到很深的地方才找得到。 In 2021, 16 very special mummies were found. These 16 mummies had tongues made of gold! 這16具木乃伊個個都有黃金打造的舌頭！ Why did they have gold tongues? The reason is very interesting. People in ancient Egypt believed gold tongues could help people talk after they died. How can people talk after they die? Well, Egyptians believed in an afterlife. 古時候的埃及人相信人死了之後會有來生，黃金舌頭可以讓人再來生也可以講話。 It's like burning ghost money, I think. People in Taiwan and China burn ghost money for dead people. The dead people can spend the money. The ancient Egyptians didn't burn ghost money. They tried to help dead people by giving them gold tongues. 也許這就像燒紙錢，很多人都會燒紙錢給過世的家人，讓他們在陰間也有錢可以花。有的古埃及人不燒紙錢，而是給死去的親人黃金舌頭。 Egypt is so cool! I wonder what they will find next? ________________________________ Vocabulary 埃及的木乃伊非常有名，黃金舌頭可就是新聞了。 1. Egypt 埃及。 Egypt has a long history, just like China. 埃及跟中國一樣，有悠久的歷史。 I'd sure like to visit Egypt someday. 我真希望有一天去埃及玩。 2. Tongue 舌頭。 I find the gold tongue a very strange idea. 我覺得黃金舌頭真是個奇怪的想法。 Yeah, why not give the mummies gold eyes? 對啊，為什麼不是給木乃伊黃金的眼睛？ 3. Dead 死亡的。 Well, I think it's all the same to the dead. 對死人來說應該都一樣吧。 And maybe dead people just want to rest. 也許死去的人只想休息。 4. People 人們。 Many people burn paper money for their dead family members. 很多人會給去世的家人燒紙錢。 Right, people believe money is useful everywhere. 是的，人們相信到處都用得到錢。 Let's read today's words together. Egypt 埃及 tongue 舌頭 dead 死亡的 people 人們 ________________________________ Quiz Q1: What was special about the mummies? A: They were wrapped in gold cloth. B: They had gold tongues. C: They were buried with gold coins. Q2: How many mummies were found? A: 6 B: 16 C: 60 Q3: What did people in Egypt believe about dead people? A: They needed money. B: They could talk. C: They weren't dead. Answers 1. B 2. B 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

That's my alarm clock! 我的鬧鐘響了！ Oh no! I was playing video games for so long that I forgot to sleep! And now the sun is shining, the birds are singing… it's morning! I played video games all night! 天啊！我玩電動玩了一整個晚上！ I guess video games is a problem for a lot of kids in China, too, because a lot of parents in China say their kids are playing too many video games. The parents say too much time staring at screens is bad for their kids' health. 中國的父母說小孩玩太多電動遊戲，而且一直盯著螢幕看對身體很不健康。 I guess they want their kids to spend more time playing outdoors. 他們大概想要小孩多多到戶外去玩。 The government in China is planning to do something about this. They are going to stop kids who are younger than 18 years old from playing video games on weekdays. Weekdays are Mondays through Fridays. 18歲以下的人，星期一到星期五不能打電動。 Kids can play video games on the weekends, but only for three hours. 到了週末小孩可以玩，但只能打三個小時。 I don't think anything like that will happen in Taiwan… 台灣應該不會發生這種事情。 But we should really try to control ourselves… don't be like me and forget to go to sleep. 要去上班了，我完蛋了。 ________________________________ Vocabulary 兒童打電動太入迷怎麼辦? 中國的做法是規定只有週末才能玩。 1. Weekend 週末。 Weekends are my favorite time! 週末是我最喜歡的時間。 They are not mine. I prefer weekdays. 對我來說不是。我比較喜歡平日。 2. Weekday 平日。 I have too much housework to do on the weekend. 我週末有太多家事要做。 Maybe you should do some of it on weekdays. 也許你應該在平日做一些。 3. A lot of 許多。 A lot of students go to cram schools on the weekend. 很多學生週末去補習班。 I don't. I play video games. 我不去，我打電動。 4. Go to sleep 去睡覺。 You do go to sleep at night, right? 你晚上還是會睡覺，對吧？ Yes, but usually after midnight. 對，不過通常在午夜以後。 We use these words all the time. weekend 週末 weekday 平日 a lot of 許多 go to sleep 去睡覺 ________________________________ Quiz 1. What do parents say kids in China are doing too much? a. Eating junk food b. Playing video games c. Sleeping 2. What is the Chinese government going to do? a. Stop kids from playing too many video games b. Tell kids to play more video games c. Tell parents to play video games 3. Will kids be allowed to play on weekdays? a. Yes b. No c. Yes, but only if they finish their homework first Answers 1. B 2. A 3. B -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

I have been sitting for too long. My back hurts, 我的背好痛，I need to stand up and walk around! Did you know that sitting too long is not good for your body? 你知道坐太久對身體不好嗎？ Sitting can be very relaxing, and it feels nice, but if you sit too long, it is bad for your health! Really! Scientists have done studies that prove if you sit for hours and hours, you are hurting your body. 科學家說坐太久會傷害身體。 But a lot of people need to sit for a very long time, for work, or for school. 但是很多人因為工作或是上課，需要一直坐著。 So scientists say you should try to exercise for about thirty to forty minutes a day. 每天花三到四十分鐘動一動。This will help keep your body healthy, even if you are sitting a lot. Some good ideas for moving around are going for a walk or riding a bike. 去走走路，或是騎腳踏車。 These aren't very hard things to do, but it will keep you healthy! 這樣可以保持健康。 Doing things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, 選擇走樓梯, 不要搭電梯， or doing more chores around the house, 多做一點家事， are also good ways to keep moving. All of these activities keep your body strong. That reminds me, I've been so busy talking that I forgot I need to get up and move around! I'm going for a walk! ________________________________ Vocabulary 每天動一動，跑跑步打打球，對身體很好喔！ 1. Move 動作。 You have a bike in your room! 你房間裡有腳踏車！ Yeah, I think better when I'm moving 是的，我動來動去時腦筋比較清楚。 2. Healthy 健康的。 It can certainly help keep you healthy. 對你保持健康一定會有幫助。 Actually it's not enough, 其實這不夠，because I eat a lot of junk food. 因為我吃很多垃圾食物。 3. Body 身體。 Junk food can hurt your body. 垃圾食物可能傷害身體。 But you already knew that. 不過你早就知道這一點。 I do. Don't worry. 我知道，別擔心。 My body is strong. 我身體強壯。 4. Around 周圍。 Where's Emily? Emily在哪裡？ Somewhere around the house. 就在房子附近吧。 She really likes to move around. 她就喜歡到處跑來跑去。 Please read the words after me. move動作 healthy 健康的 body 身體 around 周圍 ________________________________ Quiz 1. What shouldn't you do for hours and hours? a. Sit b. Sing c. Stare 2. Scientists say people should do how much exercise every day? a. 3-4 minutes b. 30-40 minutes c. 1 minute 3. What is a good way to exercise? a. Sit some more b. Sleep c. Take a walk Answers 1. A 2. B 3. C -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

I am so bored… Because of COVID, I try not to go out that much. If I don't go to places where there are a lot of people, I may avoid getting sick. 因為COVID的關係，我現在都避免外出。 But I miss going out! I miss seeing different things. I miss going to department stores, I miss concerts, I miss museums. 我想念可以外出的時候，可以去百貨公司、音樂會，還有博物館！ Luckily, there is one museum that I can visit without even leaving the house! The New Taipei City Gold Museum has created a "digital museum," 新北市黃金博物館最近有了數位版本。 This means they put the things in their museum online. This way people can see the things inside the museum through their computers, phones, and tablets. 用電腦、手機, 跟平板電腦就可以看到博物館裡面的東西。 Their system also lets people explore the museum using virtual reality technology, 透過虛擬技術，就可以走進博物館！ Virtual reality technology makes it seem like you're really there. You can also look very closely at some of the things inside the museum by clicking on them. 只要點一點滑鼠，就可以近距離觀看。That is so convenient! More museums should do this. 更多博物館應該要這樣做。 ________________________________ Vocabulary 只要有電腦，坐在家裡就可以欣賞博物館裡面的寶貝。 1. Convenient 方便的。 You can buy so many things online! 上網可以買好多東西！ It's very convenient, isn't it? 真方便，不是嗎？ 2. Digital 數位的。 Everything is digital now. 現在所有東西都數位化了。 Not everything. 並不是所有的東西。 For example, we can't eat digital food. 比如說我們就不能吃數位食物。 3. Look 看。 But you can look at the food and order what you like. 但是你可以上網看菜色，然後訂你喜歡的。 You don't have to go out. 都不必出門。 That's true. 這是真的。 4. Gold 黃金。 I love gold. 我愛黃金。 Who doesn't? 誰不愛呢？ Let's visit the Gold Museum this weekend. 我們這周末去拜訪黃金博物館吧。 Alright. 好啊。 So what have we learned today? convenient 方便的 digital 數位的 look 看 gold 黃金 ________________________________ Quiz 1. Where is the museum in this story? a. New Taipei City b. Taipei City c. Tainan City 2. What is the museum called? a. The Gold Museum b. The Rock Museum c. The Virtual Reality Museum 3. What can you use to visit this museum online? a. Computers, phones, and tablets b. Computers, phones, and glasses c. Computers, video games, and earphones Answers 1. A 2. A 3. A -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In English, we say "turn on" and "turn off" for many things… like the TV, or the lights! We don't "open" the lights or "close" the TV, we 'turn on' the TV or 'turn off' the lights. There is a small river in America that is very strange. For a few months every year the river starts for 15 minutes and then the water stops for 15 minutes. 美國有一條小河很奇怪。每一年有幾個月的時間它會流動15分鐘，接著停止15分鐘。 It's almost like someone 'turns on' and 'turns off' the river! 好像有人打開或是關掉這條河。 But people don't do it, it just happens! 它會打開或是關掉，但並不是人類控制的。 Scientists think that a big bubble of air stops the water from coming up from underground. The air underground makes a bubble. Then, the big bubble of air stops the water, making the river 'start' and 'stop'. 科學家認為是從地底下冒出來的巨大空氣泡泡擋住了河流，就好像關掉一樣，接著又開始流動。 There are very few rivers like this around the world. 這樣子的河流在全世界非常地少見。 It's very strange, yeah? But also very interesting. A river that turns on and off! ________________________________ Vocabulary 河流會自己打開或是關上，原來是空氣泡泡造成的。 1. Turn on 打開。 It's so hot! Let me turn on the air conditioner. 好熱，我來打開冷氣機。 Remember to turn it off before you go to bed. 你睡覺之前要記得把它關掉。 2. Turn off 關上。 Did you turn off the fan last night? 你昨晚有關掉電扇嗎？ I didn't turn it on. 我沒有打開它。 But I did turn off the air conditioner. 但是我有關掉冷氣機。 3. Underground 地下。 Spring water is rising up from underground. 泉水從地下冒出來。 No wonder plants here are so green. 難怪這裡的植物都很綠。 4. Start 開始。 Come quick, Ryan! The game starts in 2 minutes! 趕快來，萊恩，比賽再兩分鐘就開始了！ Why do they start so early? 他們怎麼這麼早開始？ I have no idea.不知道呢。 唸單字可以幫助我們記憶。 turn on 打開 turn off 關掉 underground 地下 start 開始 ________________________________ Quiz 1. What is strange about one river in America? A: The water turns on for 15 minutes, then turns off B: The water is purple and sweet C: The water makes a funny sound 2. Why does the river turn on and turn off? A: A big bubble of air stops the water B: A person turns it on and off C: Elephants drink all the water 3. How long does the river 'turn off' each time? A: 15 minutes B: 30 minutes C: One hour Answers 1. A 2. A 3. A -- Hosting provided by SoundOn