Hi there, it's time for another episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Hope Ngo.
In today's news:
Healthy leopard cat cubs, flowers you can see from space, and new music from Celine.
All that and more, coming up next.
________________________________
石虎寶寶滿月健檢，長得頭好壯壯
Leopard Cat Cubs Healthy and Growing
Two leopard cat cubs born at the Taipei Zoo are now over a month old!
The young cubs were born in early March.
Their mother Chun-juan (春捲) was a wild leopard cat.
She was found hurt, on the road in Nantou City in 2020.
People helped her get better.
But she was not strong enough to go back into the wild.
So she started living at the Taipei Zoo.
Earlier this year, she gave birth to the two baby leopard cats.
Then, a month later, vets (獸醫) checked the two cubs.
The vets had to be very careful not to leave the smell of humans on the cubs.
The cubs' mother is still a wild animal, and the smell of humans could make her nervous.
So the vets carefully gave the cubs a quick checkup.
One was a female, and one was a male.
The vets say the male cub is a little bit bigger.
And they say both are healthy and strong.
The vets say the cubs opened their eyes when they were around two weeks old.
And they are now following their mother and walking around outside their den.
兩隻石虎寶寶很健康，大約兩周大時張開眼睛，現在活動能力也增強了，開始跟著媽媽在巢穴外走動。
As the cubs get older and stronger, experts will decide if they should stay at the zoo, or be sent out into the wild.
________________________________
超級花期回歸南加州
Superbloom Covers California Desert
What's the desert like?
Many people would say it's dry.
There's a lot of sand.
There's cacti.
And there's rocks.
But did you know, during a very special time, the desert can be full of blooming flowers (綻放的花朵)?
It's called a "superbloom" (超級花期).
And it's happening in California right now.
Most of the time, the desert can look dry and full of rocks.
But actually, there are billions of seeds (種子) deep in the ground.
These seeds are waiting for the right time to grow.
And that's a superbloom.
There has to be a lot of rain over the desert in autumn.
Then the seeds must get warm slowly over the next few months.
And it can't be too windy, or the young plants might blow away.
Then, in spring…
The desert explodes with flowers blooming!
The rocks and sand are covered with flowers.
There are bright orange California poppies, purple bluebells, yellow desert sunflowers, and more.
沙漠中滿山遍野五顏六色，有大片的花菱草、藍鈴花、沙漠向日葵和其它的野花。
The superbloom is so big and bright, that it can be seen from space.
NASA satellites have taken photos of superblooms.
In California, superblooms happen about once every ten years.
And they are happening even less now, because of drought (乾旱) and climate change.
Experts are also reminding visitors not to pick (摘) the flowers.
They say when people pick the flowers…
They are taking away seeds for the next superbloom.
________________________________
席琳狄翁宣布發行新曲
Celine Dion's New Album Coming
Celine Dion has new music to share.
The Canadian singer has five new songs.
She released one of them, called "Love Again" earlier this month.
All five songs are part of music for a new movie.
And Celine also plays a character in the movie.
It's the singer's first time working as an actor in a movie.
席琳狄翁為電影 "Love Again" 演唱 5 首新歌，這也是她第一次客串電影。
Celine has been a professional singer since she was a teenager.
She's won many awards, and many people around the world listen to her music.
Just last year Celine announced that she has a disease called "stiff-person syndrome".
It causes pain and muscle spasms (抽筋).
Celine says she is working with doctors to build up her strength.
________________________________
So, in today's News Bites:
Two leopard cat cubs born at the Taipei Zoo are now over a month old!
Vets checked the male and female cubs.
And they say both are healthy and strong.
________________________________
A superbloom is happening in California right now.
The rocks and sand are covered with bright, colorful flowers.
The superbloom is so big and bright, that it can be seen from space.
________________________________
And,
Celine Dion has new music to share.
The Canadian singer has five new songs that are all part of music for a new movie.
And Celine also plays a character in the movie.
________________________________
And that's today's episode of News Bites!