B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中)

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It's time for today's new episode of News Bites.

I'm Nancy Sun…

And I'm Brody Halverson.

In today's news:

Fighting mosquitoes with robots, and a one-of-a-kind baby giraffe.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…

We know much of Earth is covered with water, but how much can we actually use? More on that at the end of the episode!

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用「無人車」消滅病媒蚊

Robot Helps Fight Dengue Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes…can be…so annoying!

Their buzzing wakes you up at night, and their bites are super itchy.

But mosquitoes can also be dangerous.

Sometimes mosquitoes may carry things like viruses (病毒) in their body.

When a mosquito bites a human, those things can get into our bodies.

And then those things make us sick.

This is how many diseases are spread…

Diseases like malaria, Zika virus, and dengue fever.

Taiwan has seen more than 10,000 cases of dengue fever so far this year.

And the fight to stop dengue fever is still ongoing.

Now, scientists have a new idea to control the outbreak (暴發).

Taiwan researchers are using robots to go after mosquitoes.

The National Health Research Institutes made a robot that can go into ditches and sewers (溝渠和下水道).

The scientists put a camera on the robot, so they can see where it is clearly.

They use the robot to find mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.

Then they use the robot to spray hot water and insecticide, killing the mosquitoes and larvae.

科學家用「無人車」進入下水道，找出蚊子繁殖的地方，再用高溫水槍或殺蟲劑噴灑清洗。

The robots can get into places that people can't get into.

And using robots helps people save time, and stay safe.

Some of the robots also fly.

So scientists have also been using them to check the roofs of buildings.

The robots can spot standing water (積水).

And the robot can spray insecticide.

This also helps people save time and energy.

無人車可以進入許多人無法到達且危險的地方，降低病媒蚊孳生，也可以節省人力和時間。

The scientists say they are working to make the robots even more useful.

They want to equip the robots with AI, so they can identify different mosquito species.

It sounds like we are getting better at fighting mosquitoes.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to say goodbye to mosquito bites?

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美國動物園誕生「無網紋」長頸鹿

Spotless Giraffe Born in US Zoo

Some things just always go together, you know…

Like Christmas and snow…

Burgers and fries…

Movies and popcorn…

And giraffes and spots…right?

When we think of a giraffe, we think of a tall animal with a long neck.

It has light brown fur with dark brown spots.

But a new baby giraffe has been born at a US zoo…and it has NO spots!

The female reticulated giraffe (網紋長頸鹿) was born earlier this summer.

And it has the same brown color all over its body!

The zoo says it has asked experts around the world.

So far, they say there is only record of one other spotless giraffe born in Japan in the 1970s.

So, the zoo believes the baby female giraffe is the "only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet".

動物園說，牠可能是全球目前唯一一隻純色的網紋長頸鹿。

The zoo invited people to vote online to give the baby giraffe a name.

More than 40,000 people around the world voted.

And they chose "Kipekee".

It's a Swahili word that means "unique".

大家投票選出的名字是「Kipekee」，這個字在非洲史瓦希利語中的意思是「獨特」。

Keepers say Kipekee is very "laid-back" and relaxed.

They say she is curious about everything.

Reticulated giraffes are already rare in the wild.

Some experts say there are only around 8,500 left.

They are listed as "endangered" (瀕危物種).

The zoo hopes Kipekee can help everyone learn more about giraffes, and encourage people to protect them.

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So, in today's News Bites:

The National Health Research Institutes made a robot that can go into ditches and sewers to find mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.

Then they use the robot to spray hot water and insecticide, killing the mosquitoes and larvae.

And using robots helps people save time and stay safe when fighting diseases.

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And,

A new baby giraffe has been born at a US zoo…and it has NO spots!

The female reticulated giraffe was born earlier this summer, and it has the same brown color all over its body!

The zoo believes the baby female giraffe is the "only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet".

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

In today's Tasty Tidbit…

Water covers 71 percent of the planet. That sounds like a lot, right? But did you know, only a small part of that can be used by humans?

Some scientists say that humans can use only 0.007 percent of that water. That's because only about 2.5 percent of the water on Earth is freshwater. And we can only get to 1 percent of that freshwater. The rest makes up glaciers and snowfields.

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!

Come back tomorrow for an exciting new episode of News Bites!