作者，配音，編輯：(Nancy)

第二配音員：(Hope)

Hi there, it's time for today's episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Hope Ngo.

So, in today's stories…

Happiness in Taiwan, seaweed in the ocean, and a giant spider in danger.

All that and more, coming up next.

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【世界快樂報告】出爐！台灣排亞洲第4

Taiwan Ranked 4th Happiest in Asia

How are you today?

Are you feeling happy?

A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.

And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.

聯合國發表2023年的"世界快樂報告"，台灣名列世界第27名，在亞洲排名第4。

The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.

It looked at six different factors (因素), like freedom and health, to see how happy people are.

報告用六個指標來為各國排名，包括預期健康壽命、自由指數、和人民慷慨。

In Asia, Israel was the happiest.

The second happiest was Singapore, and the third was the United Arab Emirates.

Finland was listed as the happiest country in the world.

Finland has been the happiest country in the report for six years now.

The second happiest is Denmark, and the third is Iceland.

The report says these countries all have high scores for happiness and equality (平等).

More people in these countries live long healthy lives.

They take care of each other.

And people in these countries have freedom to make big decisions in their life.

And the most unhappy country is Afghanistan.

It's been the last on the list since 2020.

The country has been dealing with war for more than 20 years.

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馬尾藻大軍襲美國

Giant Seaweed Blob Nears U.S.

A dangerous giant blob (一團的物體) is moving closer to the U.S.

Is this a sci-fi movie?

No, it's a blob of seaweed!

The seaweed is called Sargassum.

Every year, sargassum grows in the ocean, and floats around in the water.

They are a natural part of the ocean.

And they are a home for many sea animals, from shrimp, to eels, and sea turtles.

But starting in 2011, scientists noticed a lot more sargassum in the sea.

The brown seaweed covered beaches.

And the rotting (腐爛) sargassum gave off a bad smell, like rotting eggs.

All that seaweed also sucks all the oxygen out of the water.

This can kill fish and other sea animals.

海藻太過濃密，會吸取海水裡的氧氣，導致珊瑚跟海草死亡，腐化後還會釋放有毒的氣，造成魚類暴斃，危害人體。

Scientists are still trying to understand why so much sargassum grows now.

But they think climate change could be one of the reasons (原因).

Now, a giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.

How big is this seaweed blob?

It's over 8,000 kilometers wide!

The blob is big enough to go across the United States, TWICE!

這一團海藻遍布範圍達8000公里，相當於美國國土寬度的兩倍。

Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.

They are not sure if the seaweed blob will be this big every year.

They say more research is needed.

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澳洲發現巨大蜘蛛物種

Rare Giant Spider Found in Australia

A new type of giant spider has been found in Australia.

The Euoplos dignitas was found living in Queensland.

The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.

That's not including its legs.

They are a reddish brown color.

They live in forests, in open spaces.

And they build burrows (洞穴) in the soil.

But scientists say these spiders need to be protected (受到保護).

They say the Euoplos dignitas has lost much of its home.

Much of the forests they live in has been cleared by humans.

Scientists say the Euoplos dignitas is probably an endangered species.

科學家說這個新發現的蜘蛛物種已經大量失去了棲息地，很有可能是瀕危物種。

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So, in today's News Bites:

A United Nations report says Taiwan is the 27th happiest place in the world.

And it is the 4th happiest in Asia.

The report looked at over 150 countries and territories around the world.

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A giant blob of sargassum is moving towards the U.S. state of Florida.

This seaweed blob is over 8,000 kilometers wide!

Scientists think the seaweed will show up on beaches in Florida in July.

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And,

A new type of giant spider has been found in Queensland, Australia.

The body of these spiders can get up to 5 centimeters long.

Scientists say these spiders need to be protected.

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