B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
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Hi there, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's episode…
Taiwan's young baseball team makes a championship run, and scientists study the benefits of a vegan diet.
And for today's Tasty Tidbit, let's talk about a popular vegetable garnish, 香菜, cilantro!
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台灣U12世界盃棒球賽季軍
Taiwan Places 2nd in U12 Baseball World Cup
People all over the world love to play baseball (棒球).
Many players start when they are really young.
By the time they are 11 or 12 years old, some are good enough to compete internationally.
That's what the Under-12 Baseball World Cup is all about.
In this tournament, every team represents (代表) a different country.
Each team is made of that country's best 11 and 12 year old ballplayers.
This year, the tournament was hosted by Tainan City.
How did Taiwan's team do?
It started earlier this summer, when the team arrived in Tainan for their first game against Japan.
The game was dramatic (戲劇性).
After six innings, the score was tied 1-1.
六局後比分1-1平。
But in the seventh inning (第七局), Taiwan scored twice to win the game.
That was the start of a winning streak (連串勝利).
The boys also won their next three games against Mexico, Germany and Venezuela (委內瑞拉).
Their fifth game was against Australia.
Taiwan put up an incredible score (了不起的成績), winning the match 18 to 0.
After winning their sixth game against the Dominican Republic (多明尼加), Taiwan's team was undefeated (保持不敗).
They felt like they were on fire.
他們感覺自己旺到不行。
But now they would face their old rivals… South Korea (南韓).
Taiwan and South Korea have been baseball rivals (宿敵) for years.
The boys knew the other team would put up a real fight.
The game was tough (艱難).
Taiwan was only able to score one run.
However, Taiwan's defense (防守) was excellent.
South Korea could not score any points, and Taiwan was victorious.
南韓隊一分都沒有，台灣隊獲勝。
Finally, it was time for the championship game (冠軍賽).
This one was against the country that invented baseball… the United States (美國).
It was their hardest match yet.
For most of the game, the two sides were neck and neck (勢均力敵).
Neither team could score as they both struggled to gain the advantage.
兩隊都想超前，卻都沒辦法得分。
But in the final innings, the other team turned up the heat (火力全開).
The US scored ten runs to win the game.
With that, the tournament was over.
The boys from Taiwan had to be content with second place.
台灣只能亞軍，差強人意。
But, they have not given up.
Taiwan will have another chance when the next Under-12 Baseball World Cup happens in 2025.
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研究指出 吃素可減少環境破壞
Study Shows Vegan Diet Cuts Environmental Damage
Everybody knows that eating vegetables is good for your body (對身體有利).
But is it also good for our environment (環境)?
A new study (研究) has answered this question.
The study found that eating a vegetable-based diet (以蔬菜為主的飲食) causes much less damage to the environment.
On the other hand, eating a meat-based diet (以肉類為主的飲食) leads to much more environmental damage.
How does it work?
Well, scientists have known for a long time that eating meat and dairy (乳品) is harmful for the environment.
Meat and dairy comes from animals like cows, pigs, sheep and poultry (家禽).
These animals use a lot of land (土地).
Think of a big field full of sheep…
How many trees or vegetables could we grow on such a large space?
What's more, animals need to eat lots of food, just to produce (產生) a little meat.
Finally, animals produce a lot of… um… waste (排泄物).
In other words, animals poop.
This can damage the environment because it pollutes water and creates emissions.
這可能會損害環境，因為會污染水源並產生廢氣排放。
So, when you eat meat, you become responsible (承擔責任) for these problems.
And nobody wants to be responsible for destroying the environment!
So what can you do?
One solution (解決辦法) is to just eat less meat.
That means eating a low-meat diet (低肉飲食), or less than 50 grams of meat per day.
A better option is to completely stop eating animal products.
You could try a vegan diet (純素飲食).
If lots of people switch (轉向) to a vegan diet, there will be huge benefits for the environment.
So, does this news make you want to eat less meat?
Every person will need to make that decision for themselves.
每一個人得自己做決定。
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So, in today's newsbites…
The Under-12 Baseball World Cup took place in Tainan earlier this summer.
The teams came from all over the world, and all the players were 11 and 12 years old.
Taiwan's team made a great run, but lost to the US team in the championship game.
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And,
Scientists have found that a vegan diet causes less damage to the environment.
Vegans don't eat meat, eggs or dairy.
On the other hand, eating lots of meat damages the environment more.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Do you like to eat 香菜?
In the US and Latin America, we call it "cilantro". And in many other parts of the world, people call it "coriander". But no matter what you call it… some people think it tastes like soap!
Why is that? Well, this plant has many natural chemicals, which make it taste good. But around 10% of people, with different DNA, can taste an extra chemical… one that tastes a lot like soap!
Researchers say this DNA is common in the US, around 14%, but much more rare in Asia. So, you probably don't think 香菜 tastes like soap… or do you?
If you have a fun fact, joke, or 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!
Tune in again next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!