Siaoliouciou Eco Fee, and Citizen Scientist

News Bites

Hey there! Thanks for tuning in to today's New Bites!
I'm Paz Bueno.
And I'm Nancy Sun.
Today's stories…
Paying a little to protect a lot, measuring snow for 50 years, and English words have more than one meaning!
Let's check it out.
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小琉球7月起收海洋保育費
Siaoliouciou's New Eco-Fee
Starting July 1st, if you plan to visit the beautiful beaches of Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) in Taiwan, there's something new to remember!
The island will start charging a small fee (收取小額費用) of $60 NT to visit three special beach areas: Shanfu, Yucheng Wei, and Duozaiping (杉福、漁埕尾和 ).
These three areas are very important because they have unique plants and animals (獨特植物和動物) that need protection.
The money from the fee will help take care of these areas.
It will be used for things like keeping the beaches clean, teaching the staff how to look after nature, and learning more about the animals and plants that live there.
這筆經費將用於保持海灘的清潔、教育員工如何照顧自然，以及了解更多生活在那裡的動植物。
But there's more!
To make sure too many people don't visit at once and harm the environment, only 300 visitors can enter at a time.
And, there are certain times of the year (特定的時候) when no one can visit.
For example, from December 1st to March 31st, these areas will be closed to give nature a break (給大自然一個休息的機會).
Also, from April 1st to June 15th, the beaches close at night until the morning to help the animals during their breeding season (繁殖季節).
If you really want to see the beaches at night, you can!
From June 16th to November 30th, there are special night tours (夜間導覽).
If you bring a flashlight, only red lights are allowed so we don't disturb the wildlife.
如果你帶手電筒，只允許用紅光，以免干擾野生動物。
In recent years, more people have visited Siaoliouciou, and it started to affect the wildlife.
A study by a marine professor (海洋學教授) found that the number of large sea creatures is much less than before.
Although they are slowly coming back, it's important to keep protecting them.
By paying this fee and following the rules, you help protect the beautiful nature of Siaoliouciou.
It's a small price for a big cause, helping us enjoy this special place without harming it.
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市民科學家測量積雪50年
Citizen Scientist Measures Snow for 50 Years
Think about your daily routine (日常生活).
What are some things you have been doing every day, for the last ten years?
Let's see…I brush my teeth every day, pet my cat, and eat meals!
Well, for the past 50 years, Billy Barr, a 73-year-old man with a gray beard, has been measuring snowfall in the mountains of the state of Colorado in the US.
在過去的50年裡，Billy Barr (比利·巴爾) ，一位留著長長灰色鬍鬚的73歲老人，在美國科羅拉多州的山區測量積雪量。
Every day, he steps out of his small cabin (小木屋) to check how much snow has fallen.
Billy started collecting snow and weather data (收集積雪和天氣數據) after graduating from Rutgers University.
He set up simple tools to measure the snow-something he began doing just to stay busy (為了打發時間而開始做的事情).
Billy is what we call a "citizen scientist" (市民科學家).
This means he is not a professional scientist (職業科學家), but he helps gather important information about the environment.
His work has been very useful for researchers trying to understand how much snow there is and how it affects water supplies (影響水資源).
His dedication (奉獻精神) shows that anyone can contribute to science (任何人都可以為科學做出貢獻).
Billy's data is very valuable (有價值).
It helps scientists understand and predict (預測) changes in the environment.
Even though he plans to retire someday, he hopes to continue his work remotely with new tools that he's testing.
即使他有一天會退休，他也希望用他正在測試的新工具，遠距離繼續他的工作。
In the end, Billy's story shows us that by paying attention to the world around us and trying new things, we can make a big difference, even in unexpected ways.
What kind of nature do you see around your home or school that you could observe (觀察) every day, just like Billy Barr?
Maybe you could start your own project to help scientists learn more about our environment!
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So, in today's News Bites…
Starting July 1st, Siaoliouciou Island will start charging a small fee of $60 NT to visit three special beach areas.
These three areas are very important because they have unique plants and animals that need protection.
The money from the fee will help take care of these areas.
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And,
For the past 50 years, Billy Barr has been measuring snowfall in the mountains of the state of Colorado in the US.
Every day, he steps out of his small cabin to check how much snow has fallen.
He is a "citizen scientist", helping gather important information to help scientists learn more about our environment.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
Did you know that some English words have many different meanings?
These words are called homographs.
For example, the word "set" has 430 meanings, and "go" has 368 meanings!
But the word with most definitions is…"run"!
It is expected to have about 645 different meanings in the next dictionary that will be released in 2037.
So, "run" can mean many things, like running a program on a computer, a car running on gas, or someone running for office.
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 [e-mail], 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!