Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's stories…

Taiwan's gender pay gap becomes smaller, and the Tower of London's new Ravenmaster.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…can you guess which game has more possible moves than the number of stars in the sky?

Keep on listening to find out!

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性別平等薪水日 今年比去年早達成

Taiwan Marks Earlier Equal Pay Day

The gender pay gap (男女之間的薪水差距) is when women and men get paid differently for doing the same job.

Around the world, women usually earn (賺) less money than men for similar work.

In Taiwan, a special day called Equal Pay Day shows us how long women have to work after the new year to earn what men made the previous year.

台灣有性別平等薪水日，這個日子告訴我們，男子工作一年所賺的錢，女子要一年又五十幾天才能賺到。

This year, that day was February 23rd, which is four days sooner than last year.

今年這個日子在二月23號，比去年提早了四天。

This means women are getting closer to earning the same as men.

But there's still a long way to go.

但是還有很長的路要走。

In 2023, women earned about 14% less than men.

This means they had to work 54 extra days to make the same amount of money.

Women made an average of (平均每小時賺得) NT$318 per hour, while men made NT$373.

Even though the gender pay gap has gotten a bit smaller over time, it got a little worse after COVID-19.

But in 2023, the gap became smaller again.

Especially because more jobs in services (服務業) were available, and many of these jobs were taken by women.

Compared to other places in the world (與世界其他地方相比), Taiwan is doing quite well in making sure men and women are paid more equally.

For example, the pay gap is much larger in Japan, South Korea, and the United States.

The idea of Equal Pay Day started in the United States in 1996.

It was created to help people understand that men and women should be paid the same for the same work.

Taiwan has been marking (標記) this day every year since 2012 to show how it's making pay equal for everyone.

It's a step forward in making sure everyone gets a fair chance (公平對待), no matter if they are a man or a woman.

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倫敦塔的新烏鴉守護者

The Tower of London's New Ravenmaster

The Tower of London in England (英格蘭) is a place with a lot of history.

It's been a palace (皇宮), a prison (監獄), and even a zoo.

Now, it's a place where lots of tourists come to learn about history and see the Crown Jewels (皇家寶石).

There's a legend that has been told about the tower for centuries.

倫敦塔有一個傳說，已經流傳了好幾個世紀。

It's about a prophecy that says the tower and the British kingdom will face great trouble if the ravens that live there ever leave.

這個預言說，如果住在塔裡的烏鴉離開，倫敦塔和英國將面臨巨大的麻煩。

To prevent this, the Tower assigns a person, called a ravenmaster, to take care of them.

為了防止這種情況發生，倫敦塔指派了烏鴉守護者來照顧牠們。

And this very special job has just been given to Michael "Barney" Chandler.

Chandler is 56 years old, and he is a Yeoman Warder, or "Beefeater" (皇家侍衛).

They wear special uniforms (制服) and look after the tower.

They also guide tours (導覽) and do special ceremonies (進行特別儀式).

Now, he's the new ravenmaster at the Tower of London.

According to the legend, there must always be six ravens at the tower.

Chandler promises that while he's in charge, the number of ravens will never drop below six.

Chandler and his team take care of seven ravens - that's one extra, just in case!

These ravens are name Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar, Branwen and Rex.

They are very smart, almost as clever as a 7-year-old child (幾乎和七歲的小孩一樣聰明)!

Chandler says he loves working with them because they all have different personalities (各有不同的個性).

Chandler makes sure the ravens are healthy and happy.

Even though their feathers are trimmed to keep them from flying away, these clever birds sometimes manage to escape.

即使它們的羽毛被修剪，免得牠們逃走，這些聰明的鳥兒有時候還是會設法逃脫。

Chandler says working with the ravens is never boring because they are so smart and always full of surprises (充滿驚喜).

He's making sure to take care of them well, and keeping the ancient legend alive (維繫這個古老傳說).

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So, in today's News Bites…

Equal Pay Day shows us how long women have to work after the new year to earn what men made the previous year.

This year, Taiwan's Equal Pay Day arrived four days sooner than last year.

This means women are getting closer to earning the same as men.

But there's still a long way to go.

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And,

Michael "Barney" Chandler is the Tower of London's new ravenmaster.

He has to make sure the number of ravens at the tower never drops below six.

According to an old prophecy, if the ravens ever leave the tower, the British kingdom will face great trouble.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

There are endless possibilities hidden in the game of chess.

There are so many possible moves they outnumber (數量多於) the stars in the sky!

Every time you move a piece, you can choose from thirty-eight different moves next.

In a chess match, each player makes about forty moves.

That means the total number of possible moves is ten to the power of 126.

There are still many chess moves people haven't even thought of yet!

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!