Hey there, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Taipei gets a new performing arts center, saving Indonesia's mynah birds, and what is a "sharkano"?
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
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台北有座新的表演藝術中心
Taipei Gets a New Performing Arts Center
How long does it take to finish building a performing arts center (表演藝術中心)?
In the case (在這個案例) of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, the answer would be a decade (十年), or about ten years.
That's from the time it was imagined (被想像) until the time it became a reality (成為現實).
The building is made out of three different shapes (形狀).
There is a sphere (球體) which is a theatre with 800 seats.
There is a building that looks like a rectangle (長方形) which has 1500 seats.
Then there is a cube (正方體) which has 840 seats.
The performing arts center might look strange (奇怪) to some of us.
It might even look like a planetarium (天文館).
But it was actually inspired (靈感來自) by a wood-block puzzle (木塊拼圖).
The center has features (亮點) that make it look cool not just outside, but inside too.
There is an escalator that has fun colors from the 1970s.
還有一台有著七零年代色彩風格的手扶梯。
To celebrate the opening (開幕) of the performing arts center, which is supposed to happen on August 7th, the center plans a nightly light show (光影秀).
You should be able to see the show, if you are on the metro, or if you are nearby (在附近).
The architects (建築師) who designed the Taipei Performing Arts Center wanted it to look different from other performing arts centers (表演藝術中心) in different cities around the world.
But some people may not be impressed (不太有好印象).
They've compared the building with many shapes, to a combination (組合) of a blood cake (豬血糕), a pork ball (貢丸), and a piece of tofu.
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拯救印尼巴哥
Saving Indonesia's Mynah
There is something special about mynah birds, which are found on the Indonesian island of Bali (峇里島).
While common mynahs (普通的八哥) are brown, the Indonesian mynah is white, and its wings have black tips (末端是黑色的).
They are very beautiful birds, and because their songs are full of different whistles (啼聲) and chirps (吱喳聲), people like collecting them, and showing them off (炫耀) during competitions (比賽).
But because so many people want to have these mynah birds for pets, they are now endangered (瀕臨絕種).
There are now thousands of mynahs living in cages around the world, but bird experts think they have found a way to save the Indonesian mynah.
And they are working with the same breeders (飼養者) which made the mynah endangered in the first place.
These experts have started a "captive breeding program" (圈養繁殖計畫), where the government issues breeders a license (證照).
If they have a license, the breeders are allowed to raise mynah chicks.
如果這些飼養者有證照，他們就可以飼養小八哥。
The breeders can keep 90 percent of the chicks, but they need to give the remaining birds back to the government.
The birds will then be rehabilitated (野放) and sent to West Bali National Park, where authorities (當局) can keep an eye on them (關注牠們).
The program might sound good, but there were problems in the beginning.
Some people, called poachers (盜獵者), continued to steal birds from the park, and some of the chicks died because they got sick.
But the scientists say there are signs that the plan is working.
And they are hoping that locals will realize the birds are important, because if there are birds, then the tourists (遊客) will come visit them too.
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鯊魚火山是什麼，它又在哪裡？
What is a "Sharkano" and Where Is It?
Scientists who study the earth, called geologists (地質學家), say there could be as much as 1,350 active volcanoes (活火山) under the water.
They might be underwater (在海底), but these volcanoes are still active (活的).
That means they can erupt any time, and can cause earthquakes (地震) and send out lava (岩漿).
Because volcanoes are very, very hot places, scientists always thought that sea animals wouldn't go near them, but it looks like they might have been wrong.
They dropped a camera into the crater of the Kavachi Volcano, which is underwater, and found two types of sharks, and many different kinds of fish.
他們把相機放進卡瓦奇火山在海底的火山口，發現了兩種鯊魚，還有很多不同的魚。
Because of the sharks living inside, Kavachi Volcano also became known as the "sharkano".
But the volcano has erupted (爆發) again after the scientists looked at it, and they don't know if the sharks and other fish escaped (逃跑).
So someday, we'll have to see if the sharkano is still around!
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So, in today's News Bites:
Workers have finally finished the Taipei Performing Arts Center.
The center will celebrate by holding a light show every night.
It will formally open in August.
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And,
Indonesia's government has a new way to save the endangered mynah bird.
It will give breeders a special license, which allows them to raise the birds.
But they need to give chicks back to a natural park, so they can be released into the wild.
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And,
The Kavachi Volcano is a super hot place.
But scientists say it became a home for different types of sharks and fish.
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And that's today's episode of News Bites!