Shownotes Transcript
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of News Bites!
I'm Nancy Sun…
And I'm Trevor Tortomasi.
In today's news:
Stinky trees, floating cities, and BTS on break.
All that and more, coming up next.
路樹使高雄瀰漫臭味 Skunk Trees Cause a Stink in Kaohsiung
We all know not to bother skunks (臭鼬).
If they are scared or angry, skunks can spray out something very smelly!
But did you know that skunk trees can also make a terrible smell?
Skunk trees (掌葉蘋婆) are tall, with long, pointy leaves.
They grow next to many roads in Kaohsiung.
In the fall and winter, skunk trees grow bright red fruits.
And in the summer…
They get smelly!
During early summer, skunk trees grow reddish flowers.
These flowers smell bad!
In fact, the scientific name for the skunk tree is Stericulia foetida.
The first word "Stericulia" is for the Roman god of bad smells and manure.
The second word "foetida" is from the Latin word for "stink".
And the stinky flowers of the skunk tree can be a big problem, if people live close by.
The Kaohsiung City government got many reports from people this month.
These people said there was a terrible smell.
Some said it smelled like pig feces (豬糞).
Others said it smelled like a dirty sewer (臭水溝).
City workers went to find out where the smell came from.
And they figured out that the stink came from flowering skunk trees.
高雄市環保局發現臭味來源應該是行道樹掌葉蘋婆。
The city says this smell is natural, and not dangerous. And the city says there are other trees in Taiwan that also smell bad when they grow flowers.
Some of these are blackboard trees, fukugi trees, and Formosan nato trees.
其他常見花期會產生異味的行道樹還有黑板樹、福木、和大葉山欖。
馬爾地夫建漂浮城市 Maldives Builds a Floating City
You've heard a lot about climate change.
One of the biggest dangers from climate change, is that sea levels will rise.
If sea levels get too high, some small island countries could disappear.
The lowest country in the world is Maldives.
It is made up of many small islands.
Most of the land in Maldives is about just 1 meter above seawater.
馬爾地夫是島國，土地平均海拔不到1公尺，是地球上地勢最低的國家。
Rising sea levels is a big threat (威脅) to Maldives.
So it has come up with an idea.
It is building a floating city.
20,000 people could live in this city.
It is shaped like coral (珊瑚形狀的), with houses, restaurants, shops and schools.
And people will not drive cars on big roads.
Instead, everyone will get around the floating city by boat, in canals (水道).
Or they can walk, ride a bike, or use electric vehicles on small streets.
Experts think floating cities may help Maldives deal with higher sea levels.
A floating city would not disappear underwater.
Instead, it would rise with the sea.
All the houses would be attached to the seabed, so they will not float away.
Experts have made sure they do this in a way that will not hurt sea life.
And manmade coral banks will be put on the bottom of all these houses.
These will be good places for coral to grow naturally.
And when coral grows there, it will be a good place for fish and other sea animals to live.
城市的底部將會養殖珊瑚礁，盡量不傷害大自然。
People can start moving in to the floating city in 2024.
And the whole city will be finished by 2027.
BTS宣布單飛不解散 BTS Takes a Break
BTS is one of the most famous music groups in the world.
Some of their hit songs are "Butter" and "Dynamite".
But the k-pop band says they are now taking a break.
BTS members say they want to take some time to do solo projects.
BTS團員們希望可以用這段時間來各自沈澱、各自發展事業。
The group did not say how long this break would be.
But the seven members say they want to use this time to grow.
Band member RM also told fans on social media, that "this is never the end".
In fact, 28-year-old J-Hope is getting ready to release a solo album (個人專輯.).
Suga says he will use the time to take lots of classes.
He wants to take dance, vocal, English, Japanese, guitar, keyboard, and pilates classes.
And Jungkook has recorded a song with American singer Charlie Puth.
Charlie posted a short video on TikTok about the song.
The new single "Left and Right" might come out this month.
So, in today's News Bites:
The Kaohsiung City government got many reports of a terrible smell.
The smell came from the flowers of skunk trees.
Skunk trees grow next to many roads in Kaohsiung.
Maldives is building a floating city.
20,000 people could live in this city.
A floating city would rise with the ocean water, as sea levels rise because of climate change.
K-pop band BTS says they are taking a break.
They want to take some time to do solo projects.
The seven members say they want to use this time to grow.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Well, that's our last News Bites episode for this school year!
We want to say a big thank you to all the students, teachers, and schools out there, we hope you've enjoyed the show.
And thank you to the K-12 Education Administration of the Ministry of Education, for supporting us, and helping us make sure that English learning can be easy for everyone.
We hope you all have a safe and fun summer. Make sure to continue washing your hands and wearing face masks!
In the meantime, keep practicing your English, and see you again in September!