Hi there, and welcome to today's episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

In today's news,

A broken trunk, and a tree that grows with you.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit:

It's a lunch you'll never forget!

Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.

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象鼻岩斷裂墜海

Elephant Trunk Rock Collapses into the Sea

Attention nature lovers and selfie stars.

We have some sad news.

Remember that giant rock that looked like an elephant?

Sadly, a part of that big rock has fallen into the sea.

Elephant Trunk Rock was a famous part of Taiwan's landscape (風景、景觀).

The rock is in New Taipei, close to Shen-ao Fishing Harbor.

It looked like a giant elephant with a long trunk (象鼻), standing in the sea.

新北市瑞芳深澳的「象鼻岩」，是一個外型像大象的海蝕洞。

Actually, there are many interesting rocks in that area with amazing shapes.

The famous Queen's Head (女王頭) rock is there too.

It's in Yehliu Geopark.

And the rock looks like a woman's head, with a crown, and a long neck.

But many of these famous rocks won't be around forever.

In fact, Elephant Trunk Rock lost its trunk earlier this month.

And it's all because of nature.

Over time, the seawater and winds change the rock.

The salt, water, and wind make the rock weak.

And experts say the wind and waves were extra strong that afternoon, just before Elephant Trunk Rock fell down.

海水長期沖蝕加上自然風化，造成象鼻部分斷裂。

Elephant Trunk Rock used to be a popular spot.

Many people would visit to take photos there.

But some of those people would climb onto the rock.

This was very dangerous, and could have damaged (損壞) the rock.

So in 2020, officials set up a warning line around the rock, to keep people safe.

Right now, the rest of Elephant Trunk Rock is still off-limits.

Officials are asking everyone to stay away from the rock for safety.

目前象鼻岩附近地質不穩定，已管制禁止遊客進入。

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聖誕樹循環出租

Rent-and-Return Christmas Trees

It's the day after Christmas.

No more delicious Christmas treats.

We've got to say goodbye to beautiful Christmas decorations.

And worst of all, in some countries, there's a sad sight in the streets…

Used Christmas trees, left by the road.

The lifeless brown trees will be picked up by garbage trucks, and taken to landfills (垃圾掩埋場).

In many parts of the world, these traditional Christmas trees were living trees.

They were cut down especially for Christmas.

And they are thrown away after Christmas is over.

But the world is changing.

More people feel that cutting down the trees is wasteful (浪費) and bad for the environment.

Now, there is a greener way to enjoy Christmas.

You don't have to cut down a living tree.

And you don't have to buy a plastic tree.

Some companies now have living Christmas trees FOR RENT (出租).

They grow Christmas trees on a farm.

They take care of the trees through most of the year.

When December comes around, people come to the farm, to pick out a tree.

The companies put the tree in a pot.

Customers take the tree home and decorate it for Christmas.

They need to remember to water their living tree too.

And when Christmas is over, people take their tree back to the farm.

The tree is replanted.

And it keeps growing until next year.

顧客可以一月再歸還聖誕樹，之後公司會把樹重新種植。

The companies call it "rent, water, return".

You can even rent the same tree every year.

Some companies say a 1 meter-tall Christmas tree could be 1.3 meters tall next year.

So the tree grows with you!

They say their trees are not perfect.

People who rent these living trees can't forget to water them.

And some needles (松針) will fall from the trees.

But the trees will keep living for years.

And when the trees get over 200 centimeters tall, they "retire" (退休).

The companies plant these big trees in the forest.

This helps the environment and cuts waste.

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So, in today's News Bites:

Elephant Trunk Rock was a famous part of Taiwan's landscape.

But part of the rock broke off and fell into the ocean.

Seawater and wind slowly made the rock weak.

And experts say the wind and waves were extra strong that afternoon, just before Elephant Trunk Rock fell down.

And,

Some companies now have living Christmas trees for rent.

They grow Christmas trees on a farm.

Customers take a tree home and decorate it for Christmas.

When Christmas is over, people take their tree back to the farm, and the tree is replanted.

And it keeps growing until next year.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

Are you enjoying your lunch today?

Nothing like a good laugh to go with your food.

You ready?

Why did 4 and 4 skip lunch today?

They already 8!

And here's Andy from Chupei Junior High School in Hsinchu County to tell us the special person he would choose as his guest for lunch.

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!