B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
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Hello hello! You're listening to a brand new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Jacob Ingram.
In today's news:
AI translation helps travelers in Taiwan, and hibernating squirrels could help humans!
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…let's talk about a food that never goes bad!
Keep on listening to find out what is it, at the end of the episode!
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AI幫助來台灣的遊客
AI Helps Tourists in Taiwan
Traveling to a new country is super exciting!
But sometimes there's a challenge: language barriers (語言障礙).
Language barriers make it tricky (困難) to ask for directions, find out about cool places, or even order food.
You might use hand gestures (手勢), draw pictures, or even try a few words in the local language.
But what if there was an easier way to communicate (溝通) while exploring new places?
Imagine being able to chat in your own language and get all the information you need!
想像一下，用自己的語言交談，並且獲得你需要的所有訊息！
That's what's starting to happen in Taiwan, and it's making traveling a lot smoother (順暢) for visitors.
The Tourism Administration is putting in special kiosks (機台) that can talk in different languages to help visitors.
This is great news for people coming from other countries.
The Tourism Administration is doing this because they expect lots of visitors next year - about 12 million!
觀光署預計明年會有很多外來遊客 - 大約1200萬人！
They want to make sure everyone can get help and information easily, even if they speak English, Japanese, or Korean.
Usually, information counters have people who speak different languages, but they can't be there all the time.
通常，旅遊詢問台有會說不同語言的人，但他們不可能一直在那裡。
So, these new kiosks use artificial intelligence (人工智能), to understand different languages.
They work any time, so visitors can always get help.
These kiosks are not only helpful; they also show how advanced Taiwan's technology is.
這些機台不僅實用，還展示了台灣的先進技術。
The AI is so good, it's like talking to a professional interpreter (專業翻譯員) with three years of experience!
The kiosks also use cool transparent screens (透明螢幕) and super-fast 5G internet to make the conversation feel real.
Right now, you can find these kiosks at Taipei International Airport and Yehliu Geopark in New Taipei City.
If people like them, they will put more kiosks in other airports and 13 scenic areas (風景區).
They're even planning to add more languages in the future.
This is a big step to make visiting Taiwan easier and more fun for everyone!
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北極松鼠幫助科學家研究人類健康
Scientists Study Arctic Squirrels' to Help Humans
Animals in the wild have developed some special skills to survive and thrive in their environments.
野生動物為了在自然環境中生存和繁衍，發展出了一些特殊技能。
For example, cats can see really well in the dark.
Octopuses can change colors.
And in the freezing Arctic, ground squirrels have a superpower.
When winter comes, they don't just sleep - they lower their body temperature to freezing levels (把體溫降到冰點) and stay like that for up to eight months!
This is called hibernation (冬眠).
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are studying these amazing squirrels.
They want to understand how these Arctic ground squirrels can sleep in such cold temperatures and wake up just fine in spring.
他們想弄明白這些松鼠如何在超低溫中睡覺，然後春天醒來時毫髮無損。
This could help humans too, especially in treating injuries and diseases (傷痛和疾病).
Here's how these squirrels hibernate:
They go into a deep sleep (深度睡眠狀態) called 'torpor.'
Their heart beats very slowly, and they breathe only once a minute.
它們的心跳非常慢，一分鐘只呼吸一次。
They can stay super cold for weeks!
But then they warm up a little bit to make important things their bodies need, like glucose and immune cells (葡萄糖和免疫細胞).
Scientists think if they can learn how squirrels do this, they might create medicines to help humans.
For example, people with brain injuries could benefit.
腦部受傷的人可能會受益。
Lowering body temperature can slow down brain damage (減緩腦部損傷).
So, if scientists can find a way to safely lower human body temperatures, it could help treat injuries like strokes (中風).
The scientists are also excited because this could help astronauts too.
Imagine astronauts sleeping like these squirrels on long space trips!
The research is still going on.
And it might take years before humans can hibernate like these squirrels do.
But it's exciting to think of all the possibilities!
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So, in today's News Bites:
The Tourism Administration is putting in special kiosks that can talk in different languages to help visitors.
They want to make sure everyone can get help and information easily, even if they speak English, Japanese, or Korean.
If people like them, they will put more kiosks in airports and 13 scenic areas.
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And,
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are studying Arctic ground squirrels.
They want to understand how these squirrels hibernate.
This could help humans in treating injuries and diseases, or in planning long space trips!
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
When we buy food, we often check the expiration date (有效日期) on the package to make sure it's still good to eat.
Most foods have an expiration date because they might not be safe to eat or taste good after some time.
But there's one food that doesn't have this problem: honey!
Natural honey that is properly preserved will not expire.
People have found honey in very old Egyptian tombs, more than 3,000 years old, and it's still good to eat!
Honey lasts so long because it doesn't have much water and it's very acidic.
That makes it hard for bacteria to live in honey.
Bees also add an enzyme (酵素), and that helps keep honey good for a very long time.
So, honey is not just tasty, it's also amazing because it can last for years and years and years!
If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!