Shownotes Transcript
Hey there! Welcome to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news: Taiwan's first electric tractor from Volvo unveiled, banquet hall frescoes unearthed in Pompeii, and the loudest animal in the world!
Stay tuned for more, coming up next.
台灣通運引進 富豪電動曳引機 Taiwan's First Electric Tractor from Volvo
According to statistics, about 12% of Taiwan's carbon emissions (碳排放) come from transportation.
And a large percentage of these carbon emissions are from vehicles on the highway.
Among all the vehicles, large trucks and tractors (曳引機) were ranked the second largest carbon emitter.
However, these large vehicles are necessary because they transport essential materials around the island.
Without them, logistics (物流) would be slow and delayed.
In order to cut down carbon emissions from tractors, Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣運通倉儲公司) has unveiled its first electric tractor.
The tractor is manufactured by Volvo and will be used to transport cement (水泥) produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台泥).
Both TTS and TCC belong to the same enterprise, TCC International Holdings (台泥國際集團).
According to TTS Chairman Koo, Taiwan has warmer climate and shorter driving distance.
This makes it the perfect place to develop electric vehicles.
Koo believes that Taiwan companies can reduce carbon emissions through electric commercial vehicles (商用車輛).
The new tractor weighs 43 tons and has a cruising (續航) range up to 300-kilometers.
This is the first of a fleet of electric tractors that will be introduced by TTS.
It is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 32%.
Selven, Volvo Trucks Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was also at the unveiling ceremony.
He said that Volvo is very determined to reach net zero emissions (零碳排放).
Many people are worried about the problem of old batteries.
Selven says that Volvo has a company called Volvo Energy.
It is in charge of recycling, remanufacturing and refurbishing (翻新) batteries so that they can be properly reused. EVs are currently more expensive than traditional vehicles.
But as demand increases, it could help reduce the costs, making it more affordable.
全球各大企業都在為2050淨零排放而努力，台灣當然不能落人後。
龐貝城宴會廳壁畫出土 Banquet Hall Frescoes Unearthed in Pompeii
Many are familiar with Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was buried by a volcano eruption.
The eruption happened in 79 AD and the city was buried under four to six meters of volcanic ash (火山灰).
Due to the complete coverage of the ash, the city was largely preserved, frozen in time.
The buried city was rediscovered in the 17th century.
Even up to this day, archaeological excavations (考古挖掘) are still finding artifacts that amaze the modern world.
Recently, a banquet hall has been unearthed in Pompeii.
The hall was decorated with scenes from Greek mythology (希臘神話).
One fresco (壁畫) shows the god Apollo attempting to seduce Trojan priestess (特洛伊女祭司) Cassandra.
Another shows the encounter of Helen of Troy meeting Paris, which would lead to the Trojan War.
Having not been disturbed for centuries, the frescos were exceptionally well preserved. Archaeological Park of Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtreigel depicted (描繪) the Roman life back then.
"They gathered here to feast after sunset, the flickering (閃爍) lights from the candles made the images appear to move, especially after a few glasses of wine."
The mosaic (馬賽克) floor of the hall was made with over a million tiny white tiles (磁磚).
The hall was discovered in a private residence in the city.
It shows the lavish (奢侈豪華的) and high standard lifestyle of the Roman upper class 2 millenniums ago.
The tragedy and amazing discoveries made Pompeii the second-most visited tourist site in Italy.
The most visited tourist site is the Colosseum (圓形競技場) in Rome.
Currently, only about two-thirds of Pompeii have been excavated.
考古學家將會繼續挖掘，讓我們有一天能一睹羅馬帝國兩千年前的風采。
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan's first electric tractor from Volvo has been unveiled.
TTS has introduced the first of a fleet of electric tractors which will be used to transport cement.
It is able to cut carbon emissions by 32%, compared to fossil fueled vehicles.
And,
Banquet hall frescoes were unearthed in Pompeii.
The well-preserved frescos showed scenes from Greek mythology.
It gives us a glimpse of the luxurious lives of the rich back then.
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
Sperm whales are the loudest animals in the world!
They can make sounds as loud as 230 decibels (分貝).
That's louder than blue whales, which make sounds at 188 decibels.
On land, the loudest animal is the bulldog bat.
It makes sounds at 140 decibels…but we can't hear them because they're too high-pitched for our ears.
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!