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cover of episode Lost Hawk, and Test Trouble

Lost Hawk, and Test Trouble

2024/1/4
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News Bites

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Good afternoon, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

Today's stories… A bird of prey shows up in New Taipei City, and some Korean students are not happy about their big test.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…let's visit a magical place in Hawaii!

Stay tuned for more on these stories.


一隻老鷹在新北市出現 Hawk Appears in New Taipei

Have you ever heard a hawk's call (老鷹的鳴叫聲)?

That's the sound of a bird of prey (猛禽).

Hawks usually live in the wild.

But recently, one of them appeared (出現) in New Taipei City.

And the government is trying to find out where it came from.

What happened?

People first noticed the hawk living near a bike path.

It made its home beneath a bridge, under the Xin-dian Shui-yuan Expressway.

人們注意到新店水源路下方棲息著一隻鷹。

It is strange for such a bird to show up in the city.

So, the Animal Protection Office (動物保護防疫處) came to check it out.

This government office makes sure animals are healthy and safe.

When they caught the hawk, they were surprised

The bird was actually a Harris's Hawk (栗翅鷹).

This is a big hawk from the Americas.

Harris's Hawks are smart and social (喜愛社交).

They get along well with humans.

What's more, this hawk was wearing an ankle ring.

這隻鷹的腳踝竟然戴著一個圈圈。

That's a ring it wears on its foot, to show that it is a pet.

But, the hawk's ring did not say who it belongs to.

So now the Animal Protection Office is looking for the hawk's owner (主人).

They say the hawk is in good health.

But they have no idea who its owner might be.

沒有人知道主人到底是誰。

It's tricky because a lot of people actually own hawks.

They train (訓練) the hawks to hunt small birds and rats.

And the Harris's Hawk is the most popular kind of hawk to train.

However, Harris's Hawks are still wild at heart (內心還有野性).

If they are not taken care of, they might attack people or harm the environment.

That's why the government wants to return this hawk to its owner.

Because we can't have wild hawks flying around New Taipei City.


學生因考試時間不公平提起訴訟 Students Sue over Unfair Test Time

Do you want to go to college (大學)?

Then you need to take the college entrance exam (大學入學考試)!

It's an important test, and many students find it stressful.

When the test day comes, you write as much as you can, and hope your time doesn't run out…

So how would you feel if the teacher accidentally (不小心) ended the test early?

That's what happened to some students in South Korea.

The students were so angry that they sued the government.

一些韓國學生控告政府,因為大考提前結束。

Do you think that's reasonable?

Well, in South Korea, the test is a big deal.

It's called the "Suneung" (修能), and it's one of the hardest tests in the world.

The test is eight hours long, and covers several subjects.

Many students feel like their whole future depends on this one test score (考試成績).

After all, the score determines (決定) which university a student can get into.

And that determines what job they can get and what kind of life they can lead.

On the test day, the whole country stays quiet so students can focus (集中注意力).

But recently, something bad happened to one group of students.

During the first part of the test, the bell rang early.

It was only 90 seconds early… but the students felt like it hurt their score.

Many students were so upset they couldn't focus on the other parts of the test.

很多學生非常沮喪,沒有辦法專心完成別的科目考試。

Some of them even gave up and went home.

Now, 39 students have joined a lawsuit (訴訟).

They are suing the government for 20 million won each.

That's about half a million NT (五十萬台幣).

They say that's the cost of studying for another year to take the test again.

Maybe it seems ridiculous (荒謬), but it's not the first time this has happened.

Last year, another group of students sued the government when their test ended 2 minutes early.

And they won.

In a way, it makes sense (有道理).

Everyone asks these students to study so hard.

At least they deserve a fair chance.

學生至少應該得到公平的機會。


So, in today's News Bites…

A hawk was recently found in New Taipei City.

It's a Harris's hawk, and it used to be somebody's pet.

Now the city government is looking for the hawk's owner.


And,

Some students in South Korea are suing their government.

That's because a teacher ended their college entrance exam 90 seconds early.

The students think it's unfair that they got less time.


趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit

Imagine a beach with sand that's not golden or white, but green!

Yes, you heard that right - green sand!

This special beach is called Papakolea Beach.

Now, you might wonder, how did the sand turn green?

It's all thanks to a special kind of rock called olivine.

This rock comes from deep inside volcanoes.

When a volcano erupts, it spews out this rock.

Over time, the waves and wind crush it into tiny, tiny pieces.

These pieces mix with the sand, giving it a beautiful green color.

Papak?lea Beach is one of the rarest beaches in the world.

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!