B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)

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Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Kelly Kimura.

In today's stories…

He's definitely real, and "bear-y" polite, and a purple superfood helps power-up our health.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…?

An animal that carries a whole ecosystem on its back?

Stay tuned for all that and more, coming up next.

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台灣黑熊「站姿」引發網友熱議

A Bear-y Special Star at the Zoo

Meet "Bobby".

He's a 19-year-old Formosan black bear, and he lives at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung.

But Bobby isn't just your average bear.

Bobby has a "bear-y" special skill (技能).

He stands up and walks like a person!

In fact, Bobby and his skill stole the spotlight earlier this month.

He stood up, and walked slowly towards visitors.

Everyone got very excited.

When he got close to the visitors, Bobby even nodded his head, almost like he was saying "hello"!

Many people started taking photos and videos.

Bobby's behavior (行為) was so surprising, some people wondered if he was really a bear!

Some even joked that Bobby was probably a zoo worker in a bear costume.

高雄壽山動物園的台灣黑熊「波比」站姿太挺直，讓遊客懷疑是不是工讀生假扮。

So many people talked about Bobby, that even Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai shared Bobby's photo online.

The mayor also posted a photo of Bobby eating sugar cane (甘蔗), to show he is a real bear.

This actually isn't the first time that Bobby has stood on two legs to say "hello" to visitors.

He did the same thing just a few years ago, and also left everyone confused.

The mayor of Kaohsiung at that time had to explain things.

She said the bears in Kaohsiung are real.

She said the city doesn't allow "unsafe" behavior at work.

Bobby's tricks are funny.

But he also reminds us of something important, that Formosan black bears are in danger.

Data shows that there are just 200 to 600 Formosan black bears left in the wild in Taiwan.

And they are the only bear species that live in Taiwan's wilderness.

Formosan black bears are an endangered species.

The bears, along with other endemic (特有的) species like the leopard cat and Formosan Pangolin, need our help.

We need to do our part to protect the environment, and all living things!

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美國推出基改紫色番茄

The Power of the Purple Tomato

Calling all gardeners and fruit lovers!

How would you like to try a tomato that looks like a juicy grape, and packs a superfood punch?

Well, hold on to your watering cans…

Because the Purple Tomato is finally here!

Wait a minute….

Tomatoes are mostly red, orange, or green, right?

Yes, but the Purple Tomato is genetically modified.

It's a genetically modified organism, or GMO (基因改造生物).

But wait!

Don't run away screaming "Frankenfood!" just yet!

This purple fruit isn't a lab monster.

Scientists spent 20 years making the Purple Tomato.

They borrowed some genes from a snapdragon flower.

These genes give the tomato its purple color…

AND, they give the tomato lots of "anthocyanin".

Anthocyanin is good for your health!

It's the same thing that gives blueberries and eggplants their color, and also makes them superfoods.

這種紫色基改番茄帶有兩個取自「金魚草」的基因，讓他含有大量的抗氧化物「花青素」。

Regular red tomatoes that we plant have anthocyanin too.

But it's mostly in the leaf and stems, not in the red tomato itself.

So Purple Tomatoes make it easier to get that anthocyanin into our bodies!

Scientists ran some tests.

They added Purple Tomatoes to food for some mice.

And mice that ate Purple Tomatoes lived 30 percent longer than mice that didn't.

研究人員把一些基改紫番茄加入老鼠的飼料中，結果發現這些老鼠的壽命明顯增長。

The Purple Tomato will be the first GMO crop (農作物) sold directly to home gardeners in the US.

So would you plant these powerful purple superfoods in your garden?

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So, in today's News Bites…

Bobby the 19-year-old Formosan black bear lives at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung.

He stands up and walks like a person!

Many people were amazed, and some even wondered if he was really a bear!

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And,

Scientists have made a Purple Tomato.

The tomato has lots of "anthocyanin", which is good for your health.

The Purple Tomato will be the first GMO crop sold directly to home gardeners in the US.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

In today's Tasty Tidbit….

They may be slow, like reeealllly sloooooowwwww…..

But sloths carry whole ecosystems in their fur!

That's right, it's like a mini rainforest growing on the sloth's back.

Tiny green algae grows on the fur. This algae is food for little green moths. And tiny beetles love eating these moths!

The sloth gives them a safe place to live on its fur.

But these critters aren't freeloaders!

All these living things help the sloth look and smell like the forest, helping it hide from predators.

And the moths and beetles eat the sloth's dead skin and parasites, helping keep the sloth clean and healthy.

They're like a personal spa for the sloth!

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 [email protected], 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!