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

I'm Brody Halverson.

And I’m Paz Bueno.

Today’s stories…

Taiwan offers counselling for young people, and New Zealand grows fruit in a lab.

And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…let’s talk about ASMR and misophonia.

Let’s get into it!

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年輕人對免費心理諮商有興趣

Young People Interested in Taiwan’s Free Counselling

Have you ever been to counselling?

Lots of people have.

It’s a good way to take care of your mental health.

尋求諮商是維護心理健康的好方法。

In counselling, you can talk about your problems with an expert.

The expert will listen carefully, and help you find a way to deal with your psychological issues (心理問題).

That sounds great!

But, it’s not always easy to get counselling.

For one thing, it can be expensive.

Another reason is that many people don’t know how to find counselling.

但諮詢服務可能會相當貴，而且很多人不知道怎麼找諮商人員。

Now, Taiwan has a new way to help young people get counselling.

In August, the government started a new program.

The goal is to offer free counselling for people between 15 and 30 years old.

台灣政府提供15至30歲青少年免費諮詢。

Each person of this age can apply for free counselling.

Then they can go to three counselling meetings.

The program is very popular (很受歡迎).

It’s so popular that, in many places, appointments are full.

In big cities like Taipei and Taichung, spots fill up quickly.

Why are young people so interested?

Well, it’s the first government program in Asia to offer free counselling.

So, people are curious about this new service.

年輕人對這個服務很好奇。

Another reason is that many young people are struggling with poor mental health.

That’s especially true after the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this time, people had to stay at home and miss important events.

This really affected the mental health of young people.

許多人的心理健康狀況不佳，尤其是在新冠肺炎大流行之後。

Plus, it seems like younger people are more open to counselling.

Compared to older generations, young people are more comfortable talking about their problems.

So many young people have applied for free counselling.

Now, the government wants to expand the program.

They hope to improve this service and provide more funds to keep it going.

That way, young people in Taiwan can get the support they need.

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紐西蘭科學家在實驗室種植水果

New Zealand Scientists Grow Fruit in a Lab

Would you eat meat grown in a lab (人造肉)?

That means meat that does not come from an animal.

Instead, scientists grow this meat in a lab.

This kind of meat is popular now, but many people say they won’t eat it.

Okay, okay, let me ask you a different question then.

Would you eat fruit grown in a lab (人造水果)?

That’s right, fruit! Like apples and oranges.

That’s what scientists in New Zealand are working on.

They work for a special government agency called Plant & Food Research.

And they want to produce fruit that tastes, smells and looks like real fruit.

這些科學家替紐西蘭一個特別的機關工作，希望製造出味道、氣味和外觀都像真正水果的水果。

Why are they doing this?

One reason is, they want to reduce waste.

When we eat fruit, there is often some part that we throw away.

Like the core of an apple, or the skin of an orange.

They want to grow fruit without these parts, so there will be less food waste.

他們希望種植沒有果核或果皮的水果，這樣就會減少食物浪費。

Another reason is, they want to prepare for the future.

They say in the future, many people will live in cities where there is not enough space to grow fruit on trees.

What’s more, climate change will damage traditional fruit production.

So, lab grown fruit can avoid these problems.

It doesn’t need as much space, and it can be grown inside, where growers can control the climate.

Plus, lab grown fruit has another advantage.

It’s closer to markets, so fruit sellers don’t need to transport it very far.

Excellent!

這些水果可以在更小的空間、更能控制氣候環境、更靠近市場的地方生長。

Can we go eat some lab-grown apples now?

Not yet.

This technology is still in a very early stage of development.

這項技術仍在非常早期的發展階段。

Scientists say it will be years or decades until we can try this kind of fruit.

But in the future, you might enjoy banana, mangos or strawberries grown in a lab.

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So, in today’s News Bites…

Many people are interested in Taiwan’s free counselling.

Under this program, young people can apply for counselling, to help them with their problems.

The government wants to expand this program and improve everyone’s mental health.

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And,

Scientists in New Zealand are growing fruit in labs.

They want to reduce food waste and prepare for the future.

However, they say the technology won’t be ready for many years.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

Have you heard of "ASMR"?

ASMR is when some people feel very comfortable when they hear certain sounds. For example, some people feel really good when they hear the sound of whispering, tearing paper, or even eating food!

But then… there's something called "misophonia".

Misophonia is when people feel really uncomfortable when they hear certain sounds. For example, some people feel bad or even angry when they hear the sounds of tapping, squeaking, or eating food!

Understanding things like ASMR and misophonia can tell us a lot about our brains.

Either way, learning to be comfortable with different sounds is probably going to make you much happier!

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!