Have you ever wondered where pearls come from? They aren't found underground like diamonds. They are made inside animals that live in the sea.
But what kind of animal can make jewels? Certain kinds of animals that live in shells, like clams, can make pearls. Inside those shells, animals like clams are very soft. It's easy for their bodies to get hurt if something gets inside their shell.
When something does get inside, like a piece of sand, the shellfish quickly begins coating the thing so that its insides won't get hurt. The shellfish covers the thing with layers of the same stuff that is on the inside of its shell. After many layers are added, it becomes a pearl. (Kayleen Hartman, staff writer)
PHOTO : EPA
你曾經想過珍珠是哪裡來的嗎?它們不像鑽石是在地底下被開採,而是在海底動物體內生成的。
不過哪一種動物可以製造出珍珠?像是蛤蜊等住在貝殼裡的動物,才能夠生成珍珠。在這些貝殼裡,如蛤蜊般的動物非常柔軟。假如有東西跑進貝殼裡,牠們的身體就很容易受傷。
有東西跑進去時,比如說是一粒沙子,貝類動物就會很快地將它包住,如此體內才不會受傷。貝類動物會用體內相同的物質將它層層包住。一層又一層包圍後,珍珠就誕生了。
(翻譯:賴美君)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110