Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's stories…
A tunnel under Taoyuan City, and loud music in New Zealand.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what's a desert bloom?
Let's find out after these stories…
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捷運隧道穿越桃園市
Metro Line Tunnel Goes Under Taoyuan City
Do you ride the metro (捷運)?
If you live in a big city, the metro is a great way to get around.
Metro trains carry people from station to station quickly and conveniently.
Some metro train lines are elevated.
That means they rise into the air, like a bridge.
Other metro lines are underground.
They are in tunnels (隧道) deep below the city streets.
That's like the new Green Line (綠線) in Taoyuan City.
What? You didn't know Taoyuan had a Green Line?
That's because it's not open yet.
The Green Line is still under construction.
It's a huge project, costing almost 20 billion NT.
桃園綠線正在興建，耗資200億元。
The good news is, the construction team has already finished about 40% of the Green Line.
But now they are getting into one of the hardest parts of the project.
Recently, they started work on the part of the line between G10 station and G07 station.
This part is tricky, because it goes right under the center of Taoyuan City.
The construction team (施工隊) has lots of things to worry about here.
They don't want the tunnel work to damage any buildings on the surface.
Lots of people are afraid that it might affect Jingfu Temple.
This 300-year-old temple is one of the oldest buildings in Taoyuan.
大家擔心開挖隧道會損壞地面建築，例如有 300 年歷史的景福宮。
So, the team has decided to adjust the tunnel plan, so it won't pass right under the temple.
Taoyuan's Mayor (市長) even visited the temple, to pray (祈求) that everything goes okay with the construction.
Next, the team needs to make sure the tunnel is wide enough.
For that, they are using the biggest tunneling machine in Taiwan.
他們在用台灣最大的隧道鑽掘機。
This huge machine can cut a tunnel through the earth that is 8 meters wide.
Finally, they need to make sure the tunnel is deep enough.
The metro station at Taoyuan Station will be one of the deepest stations in Taiwan.
It will be 40 meters underground.
桃園捷運站會在地下很深的地方，有40公尺深。
These are serious challenges (挑戰), but the construction team is not afraid.
They will keep working, and they say this part of the Green Line will be open to ride by 2028.
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紐西蘭城市厭倦了席琳狄翁
New Zealand City Gets Tired of Celine Dion
Do you like to listen to Celine Dion?
I love her music!
My favorite of her songs is this one…
"You're here~ There's NOOOOTHING I fear…"
Oh yeah, I know that one.
She might be the greatest singer of all time.
席琳狄翁可能是有史以來最偉大的歌手之一。
And her voice is so powerful.
Recently, one city in New Zealand has been hearing a lot of her voice.
And lots of people are tired of it.
How could anyone get tired of Celine Dion?
Well, it's like this.
Porirua is a small city on New Zealand's North Island (紐西蘭的北島).
In the past, it was a quiet and peaceful place.
But these days, there are lots of "speaker battles".
Special cars drive around the city with huge speakers on top.
人們在汽車上安裝巨大的擴音器，並且進行聲音大戰。
The car's owners are competing to see whose speakers can make the best sound.
That means the loudest, clearest sound.
They like to play Celine Dion's music on their speakers.
They say it's because her songs are very clear, with lots of high notes, and not too many low notes.
他們使用席琳迪翁的歌聲，因為她的聲音清晰而高亢。
It's true that their speakers are incredible…
But lots of people in Porirua think it's annoying (很吵)!
Sometimes the speaker battles happen late at night.
The noise wakes people up.
Plus, the city of Porirua is in a valley (山谷中).
That makes the noise seem even louder.
People don't want to ban (禁止) the speaker battles completely.
Everyone knows that this is an important part of the local culture.
But they hope that the speaker battles can move outside of the city.
They also hope these events can stop happening at night.
這是當地重要的文化，但居民不想在晚上聽到。
Now, the city government is working together with the car's owners and the local residents to find a solution.
Celine Dion might be the greatest singer of all time…
But, people need to sleep too!
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So, in today's News Bites…
A new metro line is under construction in Taoyuan City.
The Green Line will go through a tunnel under the city center.
It's a big challenge for the construction team, but they say it will be ready to ride by 2028.
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And,
A New Zealand city is dealing with a unique problem.
Cars with huge speakers are playing loud Celine Dion music late into the night.
The speakers sound impressive, but local residents say it's too loud and too late at night.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth.
But, once in a while, rain falls, and something magical happens.
The desert bursts into a rainbow of flowers.
It's called a "desert bloom" and it transforms the sandy land into a colorful garden.
What other places on Earth do you think are magical?
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!