B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)

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

I'm Brody Halverson.

And I'm Paz Bueno.

In today's episode…

Taiwan sends a robot to the North Pole, and Sweden chooses nuclear power.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…what is the farthest place on Earth?

Let's get into it.

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台灣無人船訪問北極

Taiwan's Unmanned Boat Visits the Arctic

What's at the North Pole (北極)?

It's a cold place, with lots of ice and polar bears.

But, it's a long way from Taiwan.

That's why many people were surprised to hear that a boat from Taiwan went to study the North Pole.

That's right… a Taiwanese boat went to the Arctic (北極極地).

The Arctic is what we call the area around the North Pole.

A team of scientists from Taiwan wanted to know more about this mysterious region.

台灣的科學家想要多了解這個神秘的地區。

So, they sent a little boat on a 14-day mission (使命) to the Arctic.

The boat didn't have any people on it, only machines.

It was an unmanned boat (無人船).

First, the scientists had to build the boat.

They asked for help from National Penghu University of Science and Technology (國立澎湖科技大學).

The university designed and built all the electronics (電子設備) on the boat.

They made a communication system (通訊系統).

They also made an AI tool, to help the boat stay away from floating ice (遠離浮冰).

When the boat was finished, it weighed 15 kilograms.

The scientists put it on an airplane and sent it North.

It went to Svalbard, an island in the Arctic Ocean.

它去了北冰洋的一個島嶼斯瓦爾巴島。

That's where the little boat started its mission.

It used a special camera to scan the ocean floor (掃描海底).

This scan let scientists make a 3-D model (3D模型) of the sea floor.

What's more, the boat brought a sensor (感測器) to measure earthquakes (測量地震).

It left the sensor in the Arctic, so scientists can continue to study earthquakes there.

Finally, the boat collected ice and soil.

This will help scientists learn how the temperature in the Arctic is changing.

Ice in the Arctic is melting due to climate change.

由於氣候變化，北極的冰正在融化。

The scientists want to know how fast it's melting.

After 14 days, the mission was finished.

The team thinks the mission was a success (成功).

It gave them lots of data (大量數據).

It also showed that the boat could work in very cold weather.

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瑞典計劃建設 10 座核電廠

Sweden Plans 10 Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear energy (核能) is useful.

It can generate a lot of power.

它可以產生大量的電力。

Recently, Sweden's government (瑞典政府) said they need to generate twice as much power.

They say it's important for meeting their climate goals (氣候目標).

Along with other EU countries (歐盟國家), Sweden's goal is to be "carbon neutral" (碳中和) by 2050.

So, they need to stop using coal, oil, and gas.

They also need to switch to electric cars.

Their government's plan is to build 10 new nuclear power plants (核電廠).

The government wants to use nuclear power to reduce their carbon emissions and reach their climate goal.

政府希望利用核電來減少碳排放並達成氣候目標。

But, lots of people are against the plan.

That's because nuclear power plants creates nuclear waste (核廢料).

It does not pollute the air like carbon emissions.

However, it is still toxic (有毒).

It's difficult to throw nuclear waste away.

That's because it can pollute the environment (污染環境) and nobody wants to live near it.

Plus, some people feel that nuclear power is dangerous.

If a nuclear power plant has an accident (核能意外事故), it can pollute a big area.

These people think the government should use other kinds of energy, like solar and wind energy.

這些人認為政府應該使用其他類型的能源，例如太陽能和風力發電。

Solar and wind energy are cleaner and safer.

But, they do not generate as much power as nuclear energy.

That's why Sweden has a big choice to make.

For now, it looks like they will go with nuclear energy.

But it's not only Sweden.

All over the world, many countries are facing the same choice.

許多國家都面臨著同樣的選擇。

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So, in today's News Bites…

Scientists from Taiwan have sent an unmanned boat to the Arctic.

The little boat scanned the ocean floor and collected ice and soil.

The mission lasted 14 days, and scientists say it was a success.

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And,

Sweden plans to build 10 new nuclear power plants.

Their government says this can help them generate enough power to reach their climate goals.

But other people are against nuclear power, and want to use wind or solar instead.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

How far away is your home from your school, or your work?

Well, one place on Earth is farther away from people than anywhere else.

It's called "Point Nemo".

Point Nemo isn't actually an island, it's just a place in the ocean… but it's 2,600 kilometers away from land, in every direction!

In fact, it's so far away from everyone, that the people closest to it are… astronauts!

As the international space station travels around Earth, it gets closer to Point Nemo than anyone on the planet.

And when satellites get too old to be in space, many countries send them down to crash around Point Nemo, so they won't hit any people.

You can go there if you want… but you'll probably be the only one!

If you have a fun fact or a joke 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!