Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Trevor Tortomasi…

And I'm Ryan Drillsma.

In today's news:

Chinese classes for foreigners, Minecraft classes for the world, and Arthur finishes 26 years on TV.

All that and more, coming up next.

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桃園提供中文課幫移工學習中文

Taoyuan Offers Foreign Workers Mandarin Classes

Have you ever tried to learn a new language?

If you're listening to News Bites, then you probably have!

But many people in Taiwan have spent more time learning English…

So maybe you don't realize (沒發現) how difficult it is to learn to speak and read Chinese.

Of course, radio, TV, and books can help a lot with learning a new language, but there's nothing better than having a good teacher!

And right now, there are many people who need to work in Taiwan, but don't speak Chinese as their first language, and might not have enough money for classes.

現在有很多人要在台灣工作，但是他們也許還不會講中文，而上中文課的費用也是一個沉重的負擔。

So the city of Taoyuan is starting to offer free (免費的) Chinese classes to migrant workers (移工).

The free classes are to help people who have moved to Taiwan from other countries, like Indonesia (印尼), Vietnam (越南), the Philippines (菲律賓), and Thailand (泰國).

The classes will focus (集中在、專注於) on Chinese that people can use in the workplace, and to have a comfortable life in the city.

And the more Chinese they learn, the easier it will be for them to be a part of Taiwanese society.

來台灣的外國人多學習中文，也可以越容易地融入台灣社會。

The classes start from March 6th, and will go until April 24th.

Remember, if you are learning a second or a third language other than Chinese, you are already very lucky (幸運).

It's not easy now, but it will definitely make your life easier in the future (未來).

Just remember to thank your teachers!

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老師說【麥塊】是個好的學習工具

Teachers Say Minecraft Can Be A Good Learning Tool

Almost 13 years ago, in 2009, one man made a video game (電動遊戲) by himself.

He used his programming skills (寫電腦程序的技能) to make an entire world in his computer.

And two years later, with help from more people, the game quickly became very famous (有名).

It's called Minecraft (當個創世神，也被稱為麥塊), and now millions of people are playing it!

But many teachers are saying that it's not just a game… it could also be a good learning tool (教學工具)!

There are many ways to make learning more interesting, but one of the best ways is to make a lesson into a game.

讓學習的過程更有趣有很多方法，不過最好的方式之一就是把教學變成遊戲。

This is called "gamification" (遊戲化).

Gamification makes it easier for people, especially kids, to stay engaged (互動、參與) in learning new things.

And because of this, some teachers are starting to see how Minecraft could be helpful in classes about science (科學), technology (科技), engineering (工程), and math (數學).

The company Microsoft (微軟) has even made an educational version (教學版本) of the game, for use in schools.

Teachers say it's not just a class about the game… and it's not just a gamification of reality.

老師說，這不只是關於遊戲的課程，也不只是現實的遊戲化。

It's a balance (平衡) between both, and can teach kids about the connections between them.

We play games to have fun, but they can also teach us a lot about our world.

And the more we learn about our world, the more we're ready to create our own!

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電視卡通【亞瑟小子】將要結束了

TV Cartoon 'Arthur' Ends

The TV show "Arthur" (亞瑟小子) is finally ending, after 26 years.

That makes it the longest-running (播出、持續最久的) cartoon on U.S. television!

It's a show about a young aardvark (土豚) named Arthur, and his family and friends.

And it first aired in the year 1996!

亞瑟這個卡通第一次播出是1996年！

Many people say he taught a generation of children about kindness, empathy, and inclusion.

很多人說，這個卡通教了一代的孩子們關於友善，同情，和包容。

The final episode looks at the future, and predicts (預測) what life will be like for Arthur and his friends in 20 years.

The show won many awards (獎項), like four Daytime Emmys (艾美獎), and a BAFTA Children's Award (英國電影金像獎).

But Arthur isn't disappearing for good!

Social media promise Arthur will be back in reruns, a new podcast (播客), and short videos.

Which cartoon do you think will take Arthur's place, for the next generation of children?

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So, in today's News Bites:

The city of Taoyuan is starting to offer free Chinese classes to migrant workers.

The free classes are to help people who have moved to Taiwan from countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

The classes will focus on Chinese that people can use in the workplace, and to have a comfortable life in the city.

________________________________

And,

There are many ways to make learning more interesting, but one of the best ways is to make a lesson into a game.

Gamification makes it easier for people, especially kids, to stay engaged in learning new things.

And because of this, some teachers are starting to see how the game Minecraft could be helpful in classes about science, technology, engineering, and math.

________________________________

And,

The TV show "Arthur" is finally ending.

The cartoon ran for 26 years, which makes it the longest-running cartoon on U.S. television!

Many people say he taught a generation of children about kindness, empathy, and inclusion.

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And that's today's episode of News Bites!