Taiwan Chocolate, Kittens Fly, Dragon Hairdo

News Bites

In today's news, with Nancy and Hope: Chocolates with a Taiwan twist, kittens that come with a plane ticket, and a dragon's new hairdo. All that and more, coming up next! ________________________________ 台灣巧克力奪國際金獎 Taiwan Chocolates Win International Awards It's the sweet taste of victory! Taiwan chocolates have won international awards. The Golden Bean Awards are held by the U.K.'s Academy of Chocolate every year. The awards are given to the best cocoa beans and chocolates from around the world. 英國巧克力學院每年舉辦國際競賽，希望可以推廣精品巧克力。 The winners are chosen by seven expert judges. They check what the chocolate looks like. They also look at the flavor (味道) of the chocolate. And chocolate from Taiwan's Evergreen Hotel won gold. The hotel's "Peach Oolong Tea Chocolate" took the top prize for "Filled Chocolates". The hotel also got a silver award for its "Tieguanyin Tea Chocolate". Other Taiwan chocolatiers won awards too. Meiho University in Pingtung County won three silver awards. And all of its winning chocolates have tea flavors too, like the "Taiwan Alishan Jin Xuan Tea Drinking Chocolate". Other Taiwan chocolates have won Golden Bean awards before. Cocoa beans from Pingtung's Fu Wan Chocolate, Hey Fun Chocolate, and Joy Cacao Coffee Plantation all won awards. Lin Wei-chun is a Taiwanese member of the jury. She says Taiwan's chocolates showed artistry. She says they stood out (脫穎而出) at the awards. And Wei-chun says she was happy to see that many of them used ingredients from Taiwan. She says things like dried longan fruit, and Taiwan teas helped make their chocolates special. ________________________________ 領養貓咪 送機票 Adopt a Kitten, Fly For Free If you're thinking of getting a pet, adoption (領養) is a great choice. Adopting a pet helps you find a new best friend. And it helps an animal find a loving home. But a U.S. airline is adding another bonus (好處) to adopting a pet… A free plane trip! Frontier Airlines says it will give a free flight to people who adopt one of three kittens. 美國邊疆航空表示會送免費機票代金券給領養幼貓的民眾。 The kittens are named Spirit, Delta, and Frontier. One is orange with stripes (條文), one is orange and white, and one is a calico (玳瑁). Right now, they live at the Las Vegas Animal Foundation. The foundation found the kittens around the end of December. They are just a few weeks old. And they need a forever home. The airline says it wants to help animals. And it is happy to give a little extra incentive (鼓勵) for people adopting the kittens. ________________________________ 宮廟神龍「長頭髮」? Temple Dragon Sports New Hairdo There are many temples (寺廟) in Taiwan. Many temple roofs are works of art. They are often filled with mythical creatures (神話故事裡的生物). And one of the most common creatures is dragons. A temple in Miaoli also has many dragons on its roof. The highest part of the temple roof shows two dragons facing each other. But one day, one of the dragons suddenly looked a little different. Some people said it looked like the dragon grew hair! Workers at the temple took a closer look. And they realized that magpies (喜鵲) made a nest on top of the dragon's head. 廟裡的工作人員仔細一看，原來是喜鵲在龍頭上築巢。 Magpies are one of the smartest birds. In fact, they are one of the smartest of all animals. And in many Asian cultures, they are believed to bring good luck. Many people joked that the magpies gave the temple dragon a new hairdo (髮型) for the Lunar New Year. The temple hopes the magpies and their nest will also bring good luck and protection for everyone. ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites: Taiwan chocolates have won awards at the Golden Bean Awards. The awards are given to the best cocoa beans and chocolates from around the world. Taiwan's Evergreen Hotel won gold for its "Peach Oolong Tea Chocolate". ________________________________ A U.S. airline is giving away a free plane trip to people who adopt one of three kittens. The kittens were found around the end of December, and they need a forever home. The airline says it is happy to give a little extra incentive for people adopting the kittens. ________________________________ And, One of the dragons on the roof of a temple in Miaoli suddenly looked a little different. Workers at the temple realized that magpies made a nest on top of the dragon's head. Many people joked that the magpies gave the temple dragon a new hairdo for the Lunar New Year. The temple hopes the magpies and their nest will bring good luck and protection for everyone. ________________________________ And that's today's episode of News Bites!