【推荐3】Lately, the concerns about bees being endangered have become widely noted among people all over the world, but how to take action about it has become scarce in this age. That’s why World Bee Day exists to educate people about the importance of bees and how they can help preserve them for the sake of the future. If you want to help save these fuzzy insects from extinction, then read down below to learn more about what World Bee Day is about!

World Bee Day corresponds (相一致) with an important influencer in the pioneering of beekeeping. Anton Jansa, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia, was one of the first people to help bring about the importance of bees in the world environment. Since then, beekeeping has become a vital necessity in the world’s ecosystems and economic systems. However, not many people realize the importance of bees or know how to help save the bees, which led to the announcement of World Bee Day through the United Nations.

The United Nations set World Bee Day to raise awareness of the importance of bees. Because bees are under a continuous threat from human activity, including the introduction of invasive insects, pesticides and land-use change, which has continuously been destroying bee colonies (蜂群) over time. World Bee Day helps educate people about the importance of bees and what they do for the environment, which includes how they help grow 90% of the world’s wildflower plants, 35% of the world’s crops, and help build ecosystems all over the world. With these statistics, the United Nations has created various programs all over the world to increase awareness of protecting bees and what you can do to help this cause.

If you’re looking for a way to help raise awareness of bee endangerment, then share and spread the news about World Bee Day through social media. If you’re wanting to do more, find a charity that goes towards bee conservation and donates through there. Start a garden and place in a wide arrangement of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that you know bees would like.

【推荐1】Superheroes have taken over cinemas for the past 10 years. Superman, Thor, Iron Man, the Black Panther and many more have featured in film series with serious and complex storylines about the end of the universe. However, the makers of Shazam, which came out in China on April 5, have a different take on the superhero movie.

“It’s just a light, funny … action comedy about a boy in a superman’s body,” wrote Owen Gleiberman in his review for Variety magazine.

Billy Batson, the film’s main character, is a 14-year-old who’s spent his life going in and out of foster homes (寄养家庭). One day, on the way to another home, Billy escapes to the subway and meets a wizard (巫师), who gives him magical powers. Whenever Billy says the magic word – “Shazam” – he changes into an adult-sized man with superhuman powers. These new powers include wisdom, strength, stamina, courage and speed. He can also fly.

But how does Billy use his godlike new superpowers? With the help of his new foster brother, Freddie Freeman, Billy tests his strength like any teenager would do – by breaking the rules. He smashes (砸碎) open a soda machine to get free sodas, tricks his teachers, and even buys beer.

While the film is fun and silly, it also has emotional weight. A major part of the story centers on Billy’s search for his real mother. And later, when he faces the villainous Dr Thaddeus Sivana, a former misfit (不合群的人) kid himself, Billy realizes that his new powers can’t fix every problem. He also learns that he has something precious to protect – his new family.

“With strong messages about families of all shapes and sizes and the importance of supporting and nurturing young people, Shazam really feels like the movie we need right now,” wrote Rosie Fletcher at the website Den of Geek.

【推荐2】Learning to Love Locally-Grown Foods

Cooking shows on TV are usually all about foreign foods. Thanks to globalization, people everywhere are introducing their taste buds to dishes from every corner of the world.     1     In the past few years, the number of people purchasing local foods has been rising because it offers a lot of benefits.

For starters, local food is often tastier because it is fresher. Imported goods must be flown or shipped in from far away, so they naturally lose some of their freshness during the journey.    2     These materials may cause the nutritional value of these goods to decline during the shipping process. Food safety is another reason why people are choosing local produce. Today’s laws regarding foods vary from country to country.    3     But when you know the local farmer who grows your food, the chances of it being polluted are greatly reduced.

Buying local foods can also have a beneficial impact on the environment. Buying local, consumers can maintain green space and farmland in their communities. Besides, if farmers can sell directly to consumers, they will earn more money for their families. Additional profits also enable farmers to better care for their soil and keep quality standards high.    4    

    5     This is an open area where farmers sell fruits, vegetables, and meat directly to the public. Once you experience the freshness of local foods for yourself, it might be tough to go back to the supermarket.

【推荐3】Language learning apps are very popular now and offer opportunities to learn vocabulary and practice grammar. But there has been a discussion about just how effective such apps can be.

Among the most popular apps are Duolingo and Busuu. A former research found positive results on the use of them. But it mainly concentrated on studies with learners who had signed up for language courses and these apps worked as an after﹣class support, so the results were not always reliable. A recent study of 4, 095 Busuu users has been carried out to find out if users can actually learn a language with an app.

Busuu provides learning materials for 12 different languages. It offers special models where some contents are ready for use for free while some contents are not. We find that its users are an even mix of men and women. More than half consider themselves to be at the beginner level because there is a reduction in users as their language levels go up. Most people use the app because of personal interest, or because they want to study or live abroad. Female users are likely to use it less often but for longer periods of time than male users.

Feedback in the app is highly thought of. More than 92% of the users say that the app has met their expectations and 86% consider the app as very good or good. In fact, more than 80% of the users surveyed strongly agree that using the app has helped them improve their knowledge of the language they are learning.

Besides, language learning apps also create an environment where mistakes are only known to the users, and this can address the performance nervousness that many learners suffer from when asked to speak a foreign language. So language teachers should encourage their students to use them to do the grammar work, leaving precious class time for more language communication.