Shownotes Transcript
Hello everybody, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Trevor Tortomasi…
And I'm Nancy Sun.
In today's news:
Batteries get better, bears get bigger, and a famous cartoon is still going strong.
All that and more, coming up next.
工程師發明用水來發電的行動電源 Engineers Invent Power Bank Energized By Water
Does your phone often run out of batteries? 你的手機會常常沒電嗎？
Sometimes your phone's battery can die at a really bad time… right when you need it!
Of course, the battery is not really dead… you just need to charge it (充電).
And if you're not at home, then you'll have to bring a charger (充電器) with you.
Luckily, power banks (行動電源) are getting better and better every year.
And this year, Taiwanese engineers have created a new kind of power bank that can make energy from drops of water! 台灣的工程師今年發明了新的行動電源，能夠用一滴一滴的水來發電。
A team from Taiwan's National University of Science and Technology (國立台灣科技大學) made the power bank with a very special kind of technology.
The engineers say it works a little like the circulatory system (循環系統) of trees.
As drops of water inside the power bank vaporize, it uses their particles to create electricity. 當行動電源裡的水滴蒸發，它會用水中的粒子來發電。
Right now, the battery is only strong enough to charge a calculator (計算機) or small lights, so it can't charge your phone yet.
But engineers want to use these batteries to power small lights and machines for people in hospitals.
They say it could also be used to power filters (過濾器) and other small things that can help protect against disease.
With technology like this, we can use less power from each city's energy grid (能源網), and will be more environmentally friendly (環保).
It will keep us going when we need it… and the environment will thank us for it!
【胖熊週】大比賽宣布今年的冠軍 Fat Bear Week Winner Announced
One place in the U.S.A. has started a new tradition (傳統) in recent years.
It's called "Fat Bear Week" (胖熊週)!
Fat Bear Week is a week-long competition between all of the fattest bears in Katmai National Park, in the U.S. state of Alaska. 胖熊週是每年一週的比賽，參賽者是美國阿拉斯加州其中一個國家公園裡所有的大熊。
And, of course, the bears don't even know they're competing!
The park is 19,000 square kilometers big (一萬九千平方公尺), and is home to around 2,200 bears.
And every year, as the weather gets colder and colder, bears start to eat more and more food, so they can save up energy to sleep through the long winter (冬季).
Some of these bears can catch and eat up to 30 fish in a day.
And by the end of fall (秋季), some bears can weigh more than 450 kilograms (四百五十公斤)!
As the bears got fatter, people working in the park started to take pictures of the fattest ones.
And a few years ago, park workers made a website (網站) to let people see the pictures.
Now, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come to watch the bears, and vote for their favorites! 現在，來自全球各地的好幾萬人都會上網來看胖胖的熊，投票給最棒的。
This year, a bear named "Otis" was chosen as the winner of Fat Bear Week.
Park workers say Otis caught more fish than the other bears, and used less energy, to quickly become a huge, round ball of fur (圓圓的大毛球).
And people say that in a world of stressful news (令人感到壓力的新聞), talking about fat bears gives them something simple and fun to think about.
So until we see them again next year, let's think positive thoughts (樂觀一點).
And let's hope the bears have a nice, long sleep!
新南方四賤客大合約 South Park Creators Sign Big Deal
A famous television show is expanding.
The creators of South Park have signed a big deal with media company (媒體公司) ViacomCBS.
The deal is valued at 900 million US dollars.
The deal includes several more seasons of the show, as well as a second South Park movie.
南方四賤客的創造人簽了新的九億美元的合約，包括電視節目和電影。
The creators have been working on a second film for quite a while (一陣子), and it should come out soon.
Sources say the movie could hit the Paramount+ streaming service before the end of the year.
Aside from the sequel film, other movies are also planned.
The creators also want to produce a new South Park video game.
新電影可能年底前就開始串流，也可能會有南方四賤客的電玩。
So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwanese engineers have created a new kind of power bank that can make energy from drops of water!
As drops of water inside the power bank vaporize, it uses their particles to create electricity.
Right now, the battery is only strong enough to charge a calculator, but engineers want to use it to power small machines for people in hospitals.
And,
Fat Bear Week is a competition between all of the fattest bears in a National Park.
Park workers have made a website, to let people watch bears in the park get fat for the winter.
And now, people from all over the world come to vote for their favorites!
And,
The creators of South Park have signed a big deal, for about 900 million U.S. dollars.
The deal includes several more seasons of the show, as well as a second South Park movie.
The creators have been working on a second film for quite a while, and it should come out soon.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!