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My name is Trevor Tortomasi…

And I'm Paz Bueno.

In today's news:

Taiwanese students might have to carry less books, people restart the search for a legendary water monster, and we learn how to say every single English sound in just one sentence!

We've got more on all that awesome stuff, coming up next.

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台灣學生的電子書包

'E-Bookbags' for Taiwan Students

If you're a student, then you know how heavy a backpack or a bookbag can be.

Every student has to take a number of different classes, and each one of those classes wants students to carry a different book.

So, not only do students have to carry all that information in their brains…

They have to carry it on their backs, too!

Thankfully, Taiwan's Ministry of Education could soon begin to let students use "e-bookbags".

教育部現在考慮讓學生帶這些電子書包上學。

The "e" stands for "electric", just like in the word "e-mail", or "e-scooter".

That means the bookbag will be digital, and not a bunch of heavy books!

In reality, the e-bookbags are basically a device that lets students read and study on a screen, kinda like an iPad or other tablet.

So, not only could this save paper, but it could also help students carry less books from school to home, and from home to school.

用電子書包可以讓學生節省紙張，而且不用每天背著這麼多書上學回家。

In the past school year, the Ministry of Education helped some schools try out the e-bookbags first, to see if they worked.

And it seems like they DID work, because the Ministry is now planning to expand the e-bookbag program for this new school year.

Unfortunately, the e-bookbags might not work for ALL books, and it might take some more time before every school can use them.

Just remember, if your bookbag is too heavy, you can let your teachers know, and maybe there's a better solution!

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尋找傳說中的尼斯湖水怪

The Search for the Loch Ness Monster

Do you believe in aliens?

你相信有外星人嗎？

How about Bigfoot?

那，你會不會相信有【大腳怪】？

Okay, have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster?

好吧，那你有沒有聽說過【尼斯湖水怪】？

In Scotland, there is a lake known as "Loch Ness".

And around 1,500 years ago, old stories say a man was attacked by a monster in the lake.

Some people called it "The Loch Ness Monster", but most people thought the story was just an old legend.

在蘇格蘭有一個湖叫做尼斯湖。自從一千五百年前，有人說自己在湖裡遭到怪獸攻擊，就有尼斯湖水怪的傳說。

But in 1933, one man looking at the lake said he saw a monster stick its head out of the water.

He quickly told a local newspaper, and suddenly everyone wanted to see the monster, too!

Soon after that, one person took a picture of a weird animal in the lake… and then more people started to believe the legends.

People even gave the Loch Ness Monster a friendlier name: "Nessie".

And ever since then, there are people who believe Nessie is still in the lake.

In fact, just last month, people came to Scotland's Loch Ness to search for Nessie again!

最近又有很多人準備去蘇格蘭，重新尋找尼斯湖水怪。

This time, they brought better cameras, radar, and even drones, for the biggest Nessie search since 1972.

Now, I hope I don't make you sad, but many scientists say the Loch Ness Monster isn't real.

They say the photographs are probably other animals, and the stories are just stories.

But there's one thing humans love the most… a good story!

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So, in today's News Bites:

Taiwan's Ministry of Education could soon begin to let students use "e-bookbags".

That means bookbags will be digital, and not a bunch of heavy books!

In reality, the e-bookbags are basically a device that lets students read and study on a screen, kinda like an iPad or other tablet.

So, not only could this save paper, but it could also help students carry less books from school to home, and from home to school!

Unfortunately, the e-bookbags might not work for ALL books, and it might take some more time before every school can use them.

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And,

People have traveled to Scotland's Loch Ness, to begin another search for the Loch Ness Monster.

This time, they brought better cameras, radar, and even drones, for the biggest Nessie search since 1972.

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster comes from an old story more than 1,500 years ago… and people still talk about it today!

People even gave the Loch Ness Monster a friendlier name: "Nessie".

And ever since then, there are people who believe Nessie is still in the lake.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

What is a "pangram"?

A pangram is a sentence that uses every single letter of an alphabet.

In English, the most famous pangram is:

"The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."

That one sentence has all the letters… A, B, C, all the way to Z!

So… what about having all the SOUNDS?

Well, a sentence that uses all the sounds in a language is called a "phonetic pangram".

Here's a phonetic pangram for American English:

"That quick beige fox jumped in the air over each thin dog. Look out, I shout, for he's foiled you again, creating chaos."

So, all the sounds you can make with American English… those sounds can be found in that one sentence!

If you can say that sentence perfectly, your English might be better than mine!

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If you have a fun fact or a joke 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!