Hey everybody, and welcome to News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news:
A goose is afraid of water, an 83-year-old man sets a record, and a dog saves turtles.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
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怕水的鵝
The Goose that's Afraid of the Water
The Roman goose (鵝) is one of the oldest kinds of geese around.
This breed (品種) of goose has been around for more than 2000 years, and it even has a place in history (在歷史上有一席之地).
Hundreds of years ago, in the year 4 B.C.E. (公元前四年), invaders (侵略者) were stopped from attacking the city of Rome when it was very dark…
Because as soon as they tried, the geese in the area made lots of noise!
Roman geese are usually colored snowy white (雪白色), while some of the geese have grey feathers.
But there is one Roman goose in the Taipei Zoo that looks a bit different from the others.
He looks scruffy (邋遢), and he isn't white.
But he wasn't born that way…
The goose is scruffy because he doesn't want to take a bath in the goose pond (池塘)!
The zoo says the goose is healthy, and he isn't being bullied by other geese.
He even preens himself, and likes making himself look good.
動物園說這隻鵝很健康，也沒有被其他鵝霸凌。牠甚至會整理自己的羽毛，喜歡讓自己看起來乾乾淨淨的。
The zoo's veterinarian (獸醫) says there is nothing wrong with the goose…
He just doesn't like taking a bath, because he is terrified (害怕) of water!
Even if he is scared, the goose still tries to keep himself clean, but he does that by using stagnant water (靜水) that has collected on the ground.
Seeing the scruffy goose next to his prettier cousins makes zoo visitors worried.
But the zoo says there really is nothing to worry about.
So if you see the scruffy goose, don't worry… he's doing just fine!
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83歲老先生創造紀錄
How an 83-Year-Old Man Set a Record
Many of us probably have grandparents who are more than 65 years old.
They might even be more than 70 years old!
And because we see them as old people, we might think they are fragile (虛弱的).
But there is one Japanese adventurer (冒險家) that could make you change your mind about what older people can and cannot do.
Kenichi Horie loves to sail (航行), and he's been doing it since he was very young.
He's been sailing solo (獨自一人) for many, many decades (好幾十年).
In 1962, he became the first person in the world to sail from Japan to San Francisco.
Then, in 1974, he sailed around the world by himself.
And in 2008, he sailed his solar-powered boat (太陽能船), from Hawaii (夏威夷) to the Kii Strait in Japan (紀伊水道).
That means he has sailed almost 7,000 kilometers, from one point to another.
這意味著這兩點之間的航行超過七千公里。
Now, 60 years after he became the first person to sail from Japan to San Francisco, Horie decided he would go in the opposite direction (反方向).
So, he sailed solo from San Francisco to Japan!
The trip took him 69 days.
Sailing can be a difficult sport, because you need to have the wind and tidal current (海流) in your favor (對你有利).
And it can be a big problem when the wind and current don't take you where you want to go.
Horie says that was a problem for him and his boat, which is called the Suntory Mermaid III.
But after three days of fighting a strong tide (洶湧的浪潮), Horie managed to make it home!
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狗與動物園合作拯救烏龜
This Dog Works with a Zoo to Save Turtles
If you like turtles and dogs, you'll probably love Newt!
"Newt" is the name of a super cool dog.
He uses his incredible (驚人的) sense of smell, to help look for turtles!
Scientists say Newt can go into places that humans can't reach, to look for turtles.
Newt's work is important, because the turtle population around his home is very vulnerable.
Newt的工作很重要，因為他的居住地區的烏龜數量岌岌可危。
Scientists say many baby turtles are born on beaches in Rhode Island where Newt lives, and plenty of mother turtles die.
And because of Newt, they are now trying to find out if more dogs like him can help humans save vulnerable turtle populations.
And it looks like Newt is doing a great job!
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So, in today's News Bites:
Taipei Zoo has a goose that has visitors worried, because it looks so scruffy.
But the zoo's animal doctor says it's because the goose is afraid of water, and he doesn't want to go into the pond with the other geese.
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And,
Kenichi Horie loves to sail, and he's been doing it since he was very young.
He's been sailing on his own for many, many decades.
And he recently became the first 83-year-old to sail solo from San Francisco to Japan.
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And,
A dog named Newt is working with scientists in Rhode Island.
Newt is trained to go look for turtles, where humans can't reach.
Newt has been a big help in saving vulnerable turtle populations.
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And that's today's episode of News Bites!