Saying Goodbye to a Pingtung Tree

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Description

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Many people in Wutai are sad. Wutai is a small village in the mountains of Pingtung County. 霧台是屏東山區的小村落。

The people there are sad because a big cherry tree died. The tree was about 60-years-old.

But why is this cherry tree so special? Well, a long time ago, this cherry tree was the only big cherry tree in Wutai. In the spring, the tree's cherry flowers were so pretty, people from many places would come to see the tree's flowers. 櫻花盛開時，人們會從四面八方來這裡欣賞。

Then, the people in Wutai had an idea! "Hey! Maybe we should plant more cherry trees! Then more people will visit!" 霧台居民得到靈感，開始種更多櫻花樹來吸引遊客。

It worked! Now, every spring, many, many people go to walk in the mountains and look at all the beautiful cherry trees and cherry flowers. The people in Wutai can make money from the visitors and that helps them. 遊客帶動經濟，改善霧台人的生活。

But, now the first old big cherry tree has died. So the people are going to have a special day to say "goodbye" to the tree. They want to say, "Thank you, old cherry tree! You gave us a good idea! You helped Wutai! Xie Xie ni!" 大家想紀念這棵最老的櫻花樹。

Aww… that's nice. Now I want to go to Wutai next spring and see the cherry flowers, too!

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Vocabulary

霧台的櫻花吸引很多觀光客，但是最老的櫻花樹已經凋零。

1. Spring 春天。
   What flowers can we see in the spring? 我們春天時會看到什麼花？
   Cherry and peach flowers and azaleas. 櫻花和桃花，還有杜鵑花。
   Nice, I like spring! 真好，我喜歡春天！

2. Special 特別的。
   Yeah, spring is very special. 對，春天很特別。
   It means winter is over, 它表示冬天結束了，and we will begin a new semester at school. 我們要開始新學期。

3. Sad 悲傷的。
   What's the matter? You look sad. 怎麼了？你看起來很悲傷。
   I am sad. 我是很難過。
   There's no ice cream in the refrigerator! 冰箱裡沒有冰淇淋了！

4. Pretty 美麗的。
   I need a pretty dress for the party. 我需要一件漂亮洋裝參加派對。
   Then let's go shopping tomorrow. 那我們明天去買吧。

今天的單字你能記住幾個？
spring 春天
special 特別的
sad 悲傷的
pretty 美麗的

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Quiz

1. Where is the cherry tree in this story?
   A: In Yangminshan, Taipei
   B: In Wutai, Pingtung County
   C: In Chiayi City

2. Why is the cherry tree special?
   A: The tree helped the people think of a good idea
   B: The tree can talk and sing
   C: The tree doesn't have any flowers

3. Why do people visit Wutai in the springtime?
   A: To see the cherry trees and flowers
   B: Because Wutai has yummy chou dou fu
   C: To see the monkeys and elephants there
   Answers
   1: B
   2: A
   3: A