Hello there, and welcome to another episode of News Bites.

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Jacob Ingram.

Today's stories…

Officials consider a new holiday, a shark's epic journey, and the origin of blessing people when they sneeze!

Let's check it out.

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勞動節可能成為國定假日

Labor Day Might Be a National Holiday

Hey Jake, what's your favorite holiday?

It's got to be New Years' Eve.

I love that it's so close to Christmas, so it's like a double holiday!

What about you?

Even though it's not a national holiday here in Taiwan, my favorite holiday is Christmas!

I love putting up a Christmas tree (裝飾聖誕樹), baking cookies, and watching Christmas movies in December!

Holidays are special times when we pause from our daily routines (日常生活) to celebrate, remember, or enjoy time with the people we love.

In Taiwan, we have a set number (固定數量) of holidays each year.

It's usually around 115 to 116 days.

Recently, government officials have been thinking about adding one more holiday to our calendar (日曆).

They're talking about making Labor Day a special day off (假日) for everyone!

Labor Day is observed on May 1st.

勞動節是在五月一日。

Right now, some people don't have to work on this day, but schools and some jobs still do.

This idea sounds great because while some parents are off work, their kids still have to go to school.

It was proposed (提出) by Legislator Lin I-chin (立法委員林宜瑾).

She says Taiwan should give people a day to enjoy with their families.

Premier Chen Jien-ren (行政院長陳建仁) says the government is considering (考慮) making Labor Day a national holiday.

However, they need to figure out (解決) a few things first…

Like how to pay for overtime (加班費怎麼算) for important jobs like police and firefighters.

They are still reviewing (審查) the idea and need to do more checks to see how it would work out.

Once they have all the information they need, they will make a decision and share it with everyone.

So, there's a chance that soon, everyone in Taiwan might get to enjoy Labor Day together!

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大白鯊吸引科學家的目光

Great White Shark Catches Scientists' Eye

Marine scientists (海洋科學家) are interested in learning about animals that live in the sea.

Using special technology, they can keep track of (追?) sea creatures on their adventures.

For example, sharks (鯊魚)!

Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and they keep the ocean's ecosystem healthy.

鯊魚有各種形狀和大小，它們維持海洋生態系統的健康。

To learn more about them, scientists use tags that attach to the sharks' fins.

科學家在鯊魚鰭上裝設標籤。

When a shark swims to the surface, the tag sends a signal to satellites in space.

當鯊魚游到水面上，標籤就發送信號給太空中的衛星。

This "ping" (「嗶」) tells scientists where the shark is.

Recently, marine scientists are tracking an interesting female (雌性) great white shark.

They named her LeeBeth, and she is 430 centimeters long, and 1,179 kilograms!

That's the size of a small car!

LeeBeth has been on a long journey in the Gulf of Mexico (墨西哥灣).

Experts have been closely following her travels.

專家一直密切關注她的旅行。

They say her moves are really unexpected (出乎意料).

She was tagged in December last year, near the US state of South Carolina (美國的南卡羅來納州).

Scientists say she's special because she's traveled farther west in the Gulf of Mexico than any great white shark known before.

科學家說，她很特別是因為她在墨西哥灣向西旅行的距離超過了之前任何已知的大白鯊。

LeeBeth is also the champion of "pinging" more than any other shark they've tagged.

LeeBeth也是「嗶」次數最多的鯊魚，超過了他們標記的其他任何鯊魚。

This shark was last spotted near the US states of Texas and Louisiana (靠近美國的德州和路易斯安那州).

That means she's traveled more than 3,200 kilometers.

LeeBeth's adventure is helping scientists learn more about great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Her journey is a big deal because great whites are rare in this part of the sea.

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So, in today's News Bites…

Government officials have been thinking about adding one more holiday to our calendar.

They're talking about making Labor Day a special day off for everyone!

They are still reviewing the idea and need to do more checks to see how it would work out.

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And,

Marine scientists are tracking a great white shark in the Gulf of Mexico.

They say she's special because she's traveled farther west in the Gulf of Mexico than any great white shark known before.

LeeBeth is also the champion of "pinging" more than any other shark they've tagged.

Her journey is a big deal because great whites are rare in this part of the sea.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

A long time ago, in the 14th century, people started saying "bless you" when someone sneezed.

*sneeze*

Bless you!

Thank you.

This began because Pope Gregory the VII, wanted people to say it to him.

He believed it would keep him safe from the Black Plague (黑死病).

In Spanish, you can also say "salud", and in German, "gesundheit!"

Both mean 'good health', as a way to wish the sneezer to stay healthy!

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!