Student Inventions and Silent Soccer

News Bites

Hello and welcome back to another episode of News Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Jacob Ingram. Today's stories… Taiwan takes top marks for invention, and fans keep quiet for these sports. And in today's Tasty Tidbit…. Water that's boiling AND freezing? All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________ 台東國小生獲達文西發明展金牌獎 Taiwan Takes Top Marks at Innovation Competition Ever had an idea that could make life a little easier or just more fun? Inventions (發明) start with simple ideas. And this year, some Taiwan inventors (發明者) took their simple ideas… And turned everyday problems into award-winning solutions! Some of Taiwan's brightest minds just took home a bunch of medals at the 5th AII American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo. There were 14 countries, including China, South Korea, Thailand and the US, that were competing (比賽) at the expo this year. All in all, Taiwan inventors won 20 gold medals, 8 silver, 3 bronze, and even 4 special awards. Taiwan scored the highest out of all the countries! One of these cool inventions came from three clever students from Fengli Elementary School in Taitung County (台東縣的豐里國小). Lin Hung-ming, Hsu Tsu-chieh, and Chang En-kai turned a simple tape dispenser (膠帶座) into something magical! How magical, you ask? Their teachers had to put posters (海報) up in the classroom. And these students saw their teachers twisting tape around their fingers to make single-sided tape double-sided. This took a lot of extra time. So, they made something that can be added to the tape dispenser. It is shaped a bit like a "C". And this "C" helps to turn single-sided tape into double-sided tape with a quick pull! 這3名學生的發明，讓單面膠帶撕下來就成雙面膠帶。 And this "C" can be easily put away if you just need regular tape. Talk about genius! Their invention won gold and a special award! 這個"單面膠台變雙面膠台的簡便結構"拿下一面金牌與一面特別獎。 So, whether it's making tape easier to use or finding new ways to fight disease (疾病)… We can all come up with something extraordinary (令人驚奇的). Keep those ideas flowing, and maybe you’ll be next! ________________________________ 看不見的比賽：巴黎帕運"盲人足球" Silent Soccer: Why These Fans Have to Keep Quiet Sports fans… They make a lot of noise! Clapping, cheering, shouting… It's their way to support their favorite players. And it's also fun! But… Fans of these sports have to keep quiet, if they want to support their team. Blind football and goalball are a lot like soccer. But these games are for visually-impaired players (盲人足球員). Fans have to stay silent during some parts of the game. Players are people who cannot see at all. Or they can only see a little bit of light. So these players need to LISTEN. They listen for the ball and other sounds. 盲人足球員需要用聽力來進行比賽，所以觀眾必須維持安靜。 There is a little bell (鈴鐺) in the ball. This helps the players hear where the ball is going. The players also yell out to each other. This helps them work together to get the ball into the other team's net. And fans have to stay silent. An announcer will say "shh" if there is noise. This means EVERYONE is focused (專注) on what's happening on the field. These games were played at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. A player on Brazil's national team says the team can feel the fans' focus. He says they can feel that energy on the field. And the announcer also let's everyone know when it's ok to cheer. Sometimes, a runner comes onto the field with a big sign (告示牌). The sign says "GET LOUD!!!!" And everyone cheers! Some fans go to regular soccer matches too. But they say blind football and goalball are very special. So whether you're cheering loud or staying quiet, one thing's for sure… These sports show us a whole new way to be a fan and have fun! ________________________________ So, in todays' News Bites…. Some of Taiwan's brightest minds just took home a bunch of medals at the 5th AII American DAVINCI International Innovation and Invention Expo. Three clever students from Fengli Elementary School in Taitung County made something that can be added to a tape dispenser. It turns single-sided tape into double-sided tape with a quick pull! Talk about genius! ________________________________ And, Blind football and goalball are a lot like soccer, but these games are for visually-impaired players. Fans have to stay silent during some parts of the game. Players are people who cannot see at all, or can only see a little bit of light. So these players need to listen for the ball and other sounds. These games were played at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit And in today's Tasty Tidbit… Here's something that will tickle your brain… Did you know that water can freeze (結冰) and boil (沸騰) at the same time? You need just the right temperature and just the right level of pressure, and water can be solid, liquid, AND gas, all at once! And that does it for today's News Bites. 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!