Shownotes Transcript
Hi there.
You’re listening to an all-new episode of News Bites.
I’m Jacob Ingram. And I’m Nancy Sun.
In today's news: An Invoice Lottery winner disqualified, and a set of dentures auctioned for big bucks.
And in today’s Tasty Tidbit: Rainbows on Venus.
Stay tuned for those stories, coming up next.
統一發票兌獎 中獎者被取消資格 Uniform Invoice Lottery Winner Disqualified
Have you ever bought something in Taiwan?
Many places give you a receipt (發票) after you buy something.
These receipts are special in Taiwan.
Because if you hold onto them, you might have a chance at winning money!
This is called the Uniform Invoice Lottery (統一發票).
Receipts, or invoices, have eight-digit numbers on them. 發票上有八位數字的號碼。
Every two months the government announces a list of winning numbers.
If the number on your receipt matches a winning number or parts of it, you can win money.
The more receipts you have, the higher your chances of winning. That’s certainly what one trickster (耍花招者) thought. A guy bought lots and lots of cheap items from online stores.
He collected lots of receipts, i.e. uniform invoices.
In fact, he collected more than 10 thousand invoices from last May to this February. 從去年五月到今年二月他蒐集了一萬多張發票！
That’s a heck of a lot of receipts!
He ended up winning 30,000 NT from these receipts.
But authorities found out what he was up to.
They said over 90 percent of his purchases were small and irregular. 他們說他超過九成的購買是小額且不規律的。
In other words, it did not fit regular consumption patterns. 換句話來說，它不符合常規消費模式。
This breached the rules of the Invoice lottery. 違反了統一發票中獎的規矩。
So what happened next?
Officials wrote the person a letter, informing him that he broke the rules.
The man then voluntarily returned the winnings.
So if you want to win in the Uniform Invoice Lottery, you have to play fair.
邱吉爾的假牙 拍賣價格上萬美元 Churchill's Teeth Sell for Thousands at Auction
This next story is about teeth.
But not just any ol’ teeth.
It’s about Winston Churchill’s teeth. 是關於【溫斯頓．邱吉爾】的牙齒。
Now, you might have heard of him.
Winston Churchill was Britain’s Prime Minister (英國首相) during the Second World War (第二次世界大戰).
He led his country with courage and determination.
He inspired people with his powerful speeches and never gave up, even in the toughest times.
But did you know Churchill had a secret?
He wore false teeth, which are also called “dentures” (假牙).
Dentures were so important to him that he always carried two sets with him. 假牙對他來說如此重要，他總是隨身帶著兩副。
And recently a set of his dentures sold at an auction for a whopping 18,000 Pounds.
That’s about the same as 23,000 US dollars, or 732,000 NT. 這副假牙賣了兩萬三千美金，或是七十三萬兩千台幣。
It’s believed up to four sets of dentures were made for him, one of which was buried with him. 一般相信他總共訂做了四副假牙，其中一副跟著他入土為安。
The set sold at the auction was mounted on gold, and were designed by his dentist.
Gold dentures? Wow!
It was made for him when he was 65 years old.
Another item sold at the auction was the microphone reputedly used by Churchill to announce the end of World War Two.
It sold for 11,500 Pounds, which is over 400,000 NT!
So in today’s News Bites,
A man bought lots of cheap things to get receipts for the Uniform Invoice Lottery. He won 30,000 NT, but officials found most of his purchases weren't normal. They told him he broke the rules. So he gave the money back. Top of Form And,
A set of dentures belonging to Winston Churchill sold at an auction for 18 thousand Pounds. The set sold was mounted on gold. It was made for him by his dentist when he was 65 years old, at the start of World War Two. It is believed Churchill owned four sets of dentures, and always carried two with him at all times.
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
And in today's Tasty Tidbit,
Did you know that a rainbow on Venus is called a glory?
Now, Venus is a hellish place, with surface temperatures as hot as a wood-fired pizza oven.
I won’t ever be cooking my pizzas on Venus. That’s for sure!
Even though Venus has a very different atmosphere than Earth, it still has some similar things happening in its sky.
A glory happens when sunlight hits tiny drops of acid in Venus' air.
These drops scatter light, making a circular rainbow-like shape.
These circular rainbows are called “glories”.
Unlike Earth's rainbows, which come from water droplets, Venus' glories come from acid droplets.
Ouch!
And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!
If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story 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!