Hello and welcome back to News Bites!

I’m Allie Highsmith.

And I’m Nancy Sun.

Coming up today:

Taipei just broke a heat record, and a war far away changed the colors on
snack bags.

And in today's News Flash: the word is "supply chain."

Keep on listening to find out more~
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台北五月高溫破紀錄
Taipei Breaks a May Heat Record

Taiwan is known for hot summers.

But this year, the heat came early and broke records.

On Wednesday, May 28th, the Taipei weather station recorded 38.3 degrees
Celsius.

5月28日，台北氣象站記錄到攝氏38.3度。

That is the hottest May temperature ever recorded at that station.

這是該氣象站有記錄以來，5月份的最高氣溫。

The station has been keeping records since 1896.

That is more than 125 years of data.

So why was it so hot?

Weather experts say it was a combination (組合) of things.

A strong high-pressure system (高氣壓系統) sat over the Pacific.

There were fewer clouds than usual.

And southwesterly winds pushed warm air down into the Taipei Basin.

西南風將暖空氣往台北盆地壓了下去。

The hottest place in Taiwan that day was Yujing District in Tainan.

It reached 39.8 degrees Celsius.

And the heat did not stop at night.

The Taipei station recorded a low of 28.7 degrees early Wednesday morning.

That is what scientists call a "tropical night".

That’s when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees.

這就是所謂的「熱帶夜晚」，也就是夜間溫度持續高於攝氏25度。

Experts say hot nights can be dangerous because your body cannot cool down
while you sleep.

This is especially risky for older people and people without air conditioning.
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***BITE SIZE BREAK***
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戰爭讓零食包裝變成黑白色
A War Far Away Turns Snack Bags Black and White

Have you ever noticed the colorful bags on your favorite snacks?

Those bright colors are printed with special ink.

But now, the war in Iran is making that ink harder to find.

伊朗戰爭讓包裝印刷油墨的原料變得很難取得。

Iran is a country in the Middle East.

In February, the United States and Israel launched strikes (軍事攻擊) on Iran.

Iran then blocked a very important waterway called the Strait of Hormuz.

伊朗因此封鎖了一條非常重要的水道，叫做荷莫茲海峽。

The Strait of Hormuz is like a doorway for ships carrying oil.

If it is blocked, oil is harder to move.

And when oil is hard to get, many things become more expensive.

One of those things is naphtha.

Naphtha is a liquid made from oil.

It is used to make ink and plastic.

石腦油是從石油提煉出來的液體，用來製造油墨和塑膠。

In Asia, naphtha prices have almost doubled since the conflict (戰爭) began.

That is a big problem for a Japanese snack company called Calbee.

Calbee makes popular chips and prawn crackers.

Starting May 25th, 14 of its products switched to black and white packaging.

The company says the design change helps them keep making products and
getting them to stores.

Calbee is not alone.

Other companies around the world are also feeling the effects.

Airlines have paused some flights because jet fuel (航空燃料) is too expensive.

Car companies like Toyota are seeing lower profits (利潤).

And in the United Kingdom, a clothing company raised its prices by up to 8
percent.

Even though the war is far away, it’s still affecting our everyday lives.
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RECAP

So, in today's News Bites:

Taipei broke a May heat record on May 28th, reaching 38.3 degrees Celsius.

Weather officials issued heat alerts for 12 cities and counties.

Experts say nighttime heat can be especially dangerous for health.
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And,

A war in the Middle East is disrupting the supply of materials used to make
ink and plastic.

Japan's Calbee snack company is now using black and white packaging on 14 of
its products.

The conflict is also affecting airlines, car companies, and clothing brands
around the world.
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NEWS FLASH

In today's News Flash, our word of the day is "supply chain"!

"Supply chain" is a noun.

It describes the steps it takes to make a product and get it to you.

供應鏈是指製造產品並將它送到你手上的所有步驟。

Think about a bag of chips.

First, farmers grow the potatoes.

Then, a factory turns them into chips.

Then, the chips are put into bags with colorful printing.

Next, a ship or truck carries them to a store.

Finally, you buy them.

All of those steps together are called the supply chain.

When one step has a problem, like a blocked waterway or a shortage of ink, it
can affect everything else.
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