B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)
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Hello everybody, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun!
In today's stories…
Taiwan's students are number one in civics, and the reason it's good to sing to babies.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit…a color we can see that doesn't exist!
Let's get into it.
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台灣公民學 世界第一
Taiwan's Students Top in Civics Knowledge
Do you study civics (公民學)?
In this class, you might learn how the government works.
Or you might learn about your rights (權利).
These are things you need to know, if you want to be a better citizen (公民).
That's what "civics" means.
It's about learning how to be a good citizen.
If you're a student in Taiwan, you have probably taken a civics class.
Are these classes worth it (值得嗎)?
By one measure, they are.
A new study says Taiwan's students know more about civics than any other country.
這項研究指出，台灣學生比其他國家的學生更了解公民學。
It's called the "International Civic and Citizenship Education Study".
It asks questions to eighth-grade students (國二的學生) around the world.
That includes 24 countries, such as France, Italy, and Brazil.
These questions aim to find out how much students knows about civics.
For example, they ask why a person might join a political party (政黨).
They ask about the right way for a police officer to behave (行為).
They also ask how to fight fake news (假新聞).
It turns out, Taiwan's students know a lot about these questions.
And Taiwan's score (成績) is getting better.
Fifteen years ago, Taiwan was in fourth place (第四名) worldwide, with a score of 559.
But now the country has moved up to first place (第一名), with a score of 583.
Why is the score so good?
Maybe because students in Taiwan take civics as a class.
In other countries, students learn about civics, but they don't always have a special class for it.
In addition, the study asks students what they think about social issues (社會議題).
Compared to other countries, Taiwan's students show the highest support for gender equality.
跟其他國家相比，台灣學生對性別平權的支持度最高。
That means equal rights for men and women.
They also show the most support for immigrants' rights (移民權利) and environmental protection (環保).
On top of that, these students trust their government much more.
These are all good results (好的結果).
This study shows that Taiwan's students know a lot about civics.
But will they actually act like good citizens?
That's for you to decide.
學生的行為是不是真的就像個好公民，這由你來回答。
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唱歌給嬰兒聽可以幫助他們學習
Singing to Babies Helps Them Learn
How does a baby learn to speak?
When a baby is born, it can't say anything.
By the time it's two years old, it can say simple words.
嬰兒滿兩歲才會講簡單的話。
For a long time, nobody knew how babies learned words.
But recently, scientists from the University of Cambridge (劍橋大學) found the best way to teach a baby how to speak.
And that is singing.
Of course, lots of people like to sing to babies.
Parents sing simple songs to communicate (溝通) with their baby.
Now, scientists say that singing helps teach babies how to use words.
There are two reasons.
One reason is that songs have a strong rhythm (節奏).
Babies can hear rhythm before they understand words.
嬰兒在了解單字之前就能聽到節奏。
Every language has a special rhythm.
And babies can use this rhythm to guess what words mean.
The second reason is that songs have tone (音調).
That means they use high sounds and low sounds, with some words rising and other words falling.
So, babies can use rhythm and tone to learn how to speak.
嬰兒使用節奏和音調來學習如何說話。
That's why the scientists say parents should sing to their babies as much as possible.
There are lots of nursery rhymes (童謠), or special songs for babies.
Next time you're with a baby, you can try singing "Pat a Cake."
The song goes like this:
"Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man."
"Bake me a cake as fast as you can."
"Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B."
"Put it in the oven for Baby and me."
That's an old nursery rhyme from England (英國).
Maybe the baby won't understand each word.
But it will hear the rhythm and the tone clearly.
這首來自英國的古老童謠，可以讓嬰兒清楚地聽到節奏和音調。
And this will help the baby learn to speak.
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So, in today's News Bites…
A new study shows Taiwan's students are top in the world for civics knowledge.
These students know a lot about how to be good citizens.
But just knowing it is not the same as really using it.
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And,
Scientists at the University of Cambridge say we should sing to babies.
When babies hear songs, it helps them learn how to speak.
This is because songs have rhythm and tones that babies can hear clearly.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
How many colors does a rainbow have?
Well, let's see…there's red…orange…yellow…green…blue…indigo…and violet!
That makes seven!
But what about pink? How come it's not on the rainbow?
That's because it doesn't really exist!
Pink is actually a mix of red and violet, two colors at opposite ends of the visible spectrum (可見光譜).
Our brains blend these colors to create pink.
But it in the spectrum of light, there's no pink.
It's a color that exists only in our perception!
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 your voice at the end of an episode.
We'll see you next time, for an exciting new episode of News Bites!