Traffic Rules and French Cheese

News Bites

Hey you guys, it's time for another episode of News Bites.
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Paz Bueno.
In today's news: The government wants ease traffic rules, and some French cheeses are at risk of going extinct.
And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Teeth!
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
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政府提出交通微罪 不開放檢舉
Government to Ease Minor Traffic Violations
Taiwan has been called a "living hell for pedestrians".
有人說「台灣是行人地獄」。
It came from a Facebook page by the same name that went viral.
這個說法來自[行人地獄]臉書專頁，引起廣泛的注意。
The government strove (努力) to change the situation.
It toughened up the traffic rules.
政府於是加強交通違規執法。
Though it might have gone a bit too far.
但是可能做過了頭。
Police received lots of minor traffic violation reports and became overwhelmed.
警方收到太多交通違規檢舉案件，沒有辦法處理。
Minor traffic violations (情節輕微的違規事項) are those that incur a fine of 1,200 NT or less.
Now the government is wanting to ease some of the rules.
Currently there are 59 traffic violations that the public can report to authorities.
The government wants to take 10 of these away, leaving 49 reportable violations.
Some of the cut violations include talking on a handheld phone while driving, smoking cigarettes while driving, and illegal parking.
Authorities hope that reducing the number of reportable traffic violations will ease the burden off the police (減輕警察的負擔).
But it's causing some backlash!
The amendment angered road safety activists (社會運動人士).
One group commented that talking on a handheld phone while driving is "extremely dangerous" and it endangers road safety.
They also say that illegal parking violates the rights of road users and blocks emergency vehicles.
Even scholars (學者) are worried that easing traffic violations would make Taiwan less safe for pedestrians.
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法國起司可能會失傳
French Cheeses at Risk of Extinction
When something goes extinct it disappears completely.
Animals and plants can go extinct.
But did you know foods can go extinct too?
One reason is because fewer people learning traditional crafts (傳統技藝).
So the techniques are not being passed down (流傳下來).
But for some popular French cheeses on the verge of extinction, there's another reason.
The fungi (菌) used to make these cheeses are going extinct.
Fungi promote fermentation (發酵) and give cheese its aroma (香氣), color and flavor.
Take Camembert cheese for example.
For the French, it's not only a delicious snack, it's also a national pride.
In the past, cheesemakers used several strains (品種) of a fungus for Camembert.
Different strains of fungus result in different aromas, colors and flavors for cheeses.
不同品種的真菌會給乳酪帶來不同的香氣、顏色和風味。
About 100 years ago, cheesemakers started using a specific fungus strain known as Penicillium camemberti, or "P. camemberti" for short.
This strain of fungus became the gold standard for Camembert cheese, and others.
This allowed the aroma, color and flavor of the cheeses to be consistent (一致的).
However, there's a downside.
The fungus is changing genetically.
In other words, mutations (變異) are developing in the fungus' genome (基因組合).
隨著時間的推移，此菌的基因組開始發生變異。
So the original P. camemberti fungus will no longer exist.
This means Camembert cheese as we know it really is on the verge of extinction.
Other cheeses are also facing a similar problem. So French cheese lovers around the world are worried.
What can be done about it?
Well, experts are saying cheesemakers can use other fungi that's closely related to P. camamberti.
While this may save Camembert from extinction, it won't taste or smell quite the same as the original.
只要是消費者願意接受這微小的變化，卡芒貝爾起司就不會消失。
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So, in today's News Bites:
Taiwan has been called a living hell for pedestrians.
The government toughened up traffic rules, but police became inundated with minor traffic violation reports.
So the government is now easing the rules.
But many are worried this will make Taiwan less safe for pedestrians.
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And,
Some French cheeses are at risk of extinction.
This is because fungi used to make many cheeses are disappearing.
Experts have suggested cheesemakers can use strains of fungi that are similar to the original.
But this might result in the taste and smell of famous cheeses being slightly different in the future.
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趣味小點
Tasty Tidbit
And now for today's Tasty Tidbit. Did you know that human teeth are the only part of the body that can't heal themselves?
This is because teeth are not made of live tissue. They are made of enamel, which cannot regenerate in the same way cells can.
So that's why it's important to take care of your teeth! Because if you lose them, there's no getting them back.
And that's today's episode of News Bites!
Thank you for listening to today's News Bites!
If you have a fun fact or a joke 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!