To find out how effective language learning applications allow mobile users to study a new language anywhere and anytime, Shawn Loewen, a professor at Michigan State University (MSU), recently conducted a study focusing on a popular language learning app and e-learning platform first launched in 2007, to see if it really worked at teaching a new language.
“Despite the fact that millions globally are already using language learning apps, there is a lack of published research on their effect on speaking skills, ” Loewen said. “Actually there are no other studies that have researched mobile language learning apps in this way. Therefore, this study makes an important contribution to the field. ”
In the study, which is published in Foreign Language Annals, 85 undergraduate students at MSU used the app for 12 weeks to learn Spanish. At the beginning of the study, the students took a pretest to examine their existing oral proficiency (熟练),vocabulary and grammar in Spanish. After 12 weeks, the 54 students who completed all study requirements took the same test again to see how much knowledge they had gained.
The study showed that nearly all the students improved in their Spanish language knowledge and ability to communicate. “The result proves that using the app can advance the development of oral communication skills and not just grammar and vocabulary, as a previous study had shown,” Loewen said.
As one might expect, learning gains were related to the amount of time students used. The more time the learners used, the more progress they made. Also, no matter how convenient and effective a language learning app may be, what might be the most important is that learners stick with it.
1. What can we know about the app mentioned in the text?| A．It creates job opportunities for language learners. |
| B．It conducts e-learning research. |
| C．It offers language learning. |
| D．It publishes research results. |
| A．Speaking. | B．Vocabulary. |
| C．Reading. | D．Grammar. |
| A．By studying previous studies. |
| B．By researching applications. |
| C．By completing interviews. |
| D．By doing experiments. |
| A．The great importance of foreign languages |
| B．A study of a language learning app |
| C．A way to learn a language |
| D．The importance of learning a language |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Four Best Apps to Learn French
Mondly
Mondly is perfect for beginners who are learning French because it starts right from the basics. lt offers interactive conversations where you can practice speaking with its chatbot.
The premium (高级的) version of Mondly starts at $ 9.99 per month. There’s also a free version of the app that gives you limited access to some of the content.
Italki
Italki is the best French app for speaking practice because it can connect you with a French teacher that teaches online lessons. There are over 1,100 on-demand teachers who specialize in teaching French with a variety of qualifications to choose from.
Italki teachers set their own prices for classes. They usually range anywhere from $ 4.00 per hour to over$ 60.00 per hour for more specialized classes. Most teachers offer a 50% discount if you take a trial lesson with them, so you can try a few different teachers until you find the perfect one.
MosaLingua
ln addition to teaching the language, MosaLingua has tons of resources like videos, songs and books that teach you about French culture. A lot of apps will teach you the French language, but they completely ignore French culture.That’s what makes MosaLingua stand out.
A subscription to MosaLingua costs $ 4.99 per month.You can also get a yearly subscription for
$ 50.
Babbel
Babbel is the best app to learn French grammar. They have you actively make choices, put together phrases and practice speaking with voice recognition technology.
Babbel costs $ 14.95 for a monthly subscription, but that price goes down if you purchase a yearly subscription.
1. What can you do on Italki?| A．Watch French videos. |
| B．Choose your teachers. |
| C．Speak to book writers. |
| D．Take free trial lessons. |
| A．MosaLingua. | B．Mondly. | C．Italki. | D．Babbel. |
| A．$ 14.95. | B．$ 19.98. | C．$ 60. | D．$ 89.7. |
【推荐2】Fun Ways to Learn English Faster
Read, read, read.
One of the easiest things you can do to learn English faster is to read as much as you can.
Watch movies.
Watching movies will also help you improve your English, by helping you to hear what it sounds like and also helping you to learn new words.
Sing songs.
Learning and singing songs is another good way to make your English better.
You can also just make friends with English language speakers online and chat, email, and Skype together in order to practise your English. You can talk about whatever you want!
| A．Make a friend. |
| B．Practice writing English articles |
| C．Read things all the time. |
| D．You can start watching with subtitles on. |
| E．This will help you improve your pronunciation. |
| F．Newspapers are a good way to learn the basics of a language. |
| G．You can find online friends by joining fan communities or through language-learning communities. |
【推荐3】How long should you practice a new language every day? With the Babbel language learning approach, 15 minutes is enough.
1.
At Babbel, lessons are designed to fit perfectly into those times when you're waiting or commuting. Many users use the app while on public transportation, especially on their way to work.
2. Find the right learning pattern for you.
Learners can adapt their studying for their personality type. There are two types of language learners: those who like routines and those who don't. The former can make up their own schedule, like two sets of repetition and one new lesson, and they stick to it.
3. Build confidence through practice.
It is recommended that one day per week should focus on applying the language to real life.
If there's a Spanish restaurant in your city, why not greet them with “Hola!” or try ordering in Spanish? If that's unavailable where you live, the Internet still provides a lot of places to read the language, or listen to a podcast, or to find an online community where you can communicate with others.
4. Make a habit of daily learning.
The most important thing is to do something every day.
| A．For the latter, they just don't do the same thing every day. |
| B．Even if it's just 15 minutes, it's better than nothing. |
| C．Learning on the go. |
| D．To work is to learn. |
| E．It's the perfect use of a boring stretch of time. |
| F．They can choose whatever radio they prefer. |
| G．To apply is the best way to really get the information into the longterm memory. |
【推荐1】These are some ideas that some people came up with about what the life will be like in the year 2500.
We will have established a base on the moon. School kids can take field trips to the moon weekly. We will have found cures(疗法) for AIDS and cancer. The war will have ended and peace flows freely through the land. Kids will learn more and be smarter than ever before! History will be the main subject at school. Cafeteria(自助餐厅) food will be delicious! You just walkup to a machine, stick out your tongue, and it will scan your taste buds(味蕾) to see what you want to eat.
—Kristen
Here I am in the wonderful year of 2500 and life is so easy. I work in a pet store and it is so hard! I have to wake up at midnight every day and fly my car to the store. It takes so long to get there. It takes me 20 seconds to get to the store in Mississippi from my home in Florida! At work, I have to push 5 buttons and then I go home. It takes 2 seconds and that is like forever.
—Morgan
In the year 2500, I think we will have invented cars that run on things we don’t need like garbage. Tail gas will smell like whatever you like such as chocolate. I also predict that buildings will be able to go into a different dimension(维) so your car won’t hit them. The cars in 2500 don’t fly, for we haven’t got that technology yet, but they can hover(盘旋) up to seven feet. These cars are made for speed!
—Carly
Instead of cars, we may have hovering devices that float around. We could also have electric cars instead of gas? powered cars. Food might be more healthy. What I believe is that the environment will change most. The environmental changes will also determine many other changes. If more people try to help the environment, then perhaps in 2500 we will have more forests and wildlife. If people won’t help the environment, then we will have no forests and little wildlife left.
—Roberta
1. According to Kristen, what will happen in 2500?| A．English will be the main subject at school. | B．Students can go to the moon every week. |
| C．Cafeteria will replace other restaurants. | D．AIDS and cancer will disappear. |
| A．Kristen. | B．Morgan. | C．Carly. | D．Roberta. |
| A．there will be more wildlife and forests | B．the environment will have changed a lot |
| C．the environment will be seriously damaged | D．cars will run on solar power and electricity |
| A．Aids and cancer will disappear in 2500 |
| B．Studnets can go to the moon every week |
| C．English will be the main subject at school |
| D．What the life will be like in the year 2500? |
【推荐2】Princess quiz time! How did Snow White survive? How did Cinderella (《灰姑娘》) leave her evil stepmother? How did Sleeping Beauty finally wake up?
A kind-hearted person always comes to save the princess, like a prince or a godmother. Princesses cannot protect themselves, though they are very pretty and nice. They always need the help of others.
However, in fact, women can’t put their life in the hands of a prince-like man. They need to work and even fight for their own happiness. The traditional image of a princess is getting out of date.
Recently, Disney, a company famous for its princess movies, posted the “top 10 rules for being a modern princess”. You will not find any rules related to beauty or looks. The rules focus on loyalty, honesty and other moral values. The rules say princesses need to believe in themselves and try their best to get out of trouble, instead of waiting for a prince’s help.
It’s not the first time Disney princesses have caught up with society’s development. In 1950, when people’s hearts were broken by World War II, Disney created Cinderella. In 1990, Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast (《美女与野兽》) loved reading when education was a man’s special right in the past. Belle showed the improvement of women’s position in society. Now is Elsa from the film Frozen (《冰雪奇缘》), a symbol of modern princess.
“This is brilliant – ‘The top 10 rules of being a modern princess’ – (it’s) about time,” a group named Confidently Mom said on social media website Twitter. Princesses are still very beautiful, but inner character is the key to being a princess.
1. What does the story think modern women should be like?| A．They should turn to others for help. |
| B．They should depend on themselves for their own happiness. |
| C．They don’t need to care about their appearances. |
| D．They should depend on men to do most things. |
| A．looks | B．education |
| C．position in society | D．thought |
| A．Belle | B．Cinderella |
| C．Godmother | D．Elsa |
| A．Fantastic | B．Meaningless |
| C．Doubtful | D．Social |
【推荐3】When Mexican scientist of the evolution of animal behavior, Laura Cuaya, moved to Hungary for her postdoctoral studies in Budapest, she brought her pet dog, Kun-kun, along for the ride. Cuaya couldn’t help noticing how locals warmed to dogs. This prompted her naturally curious scientific mind to start asking questions. “Here people are talking all the time to Kun-kun, but I always wonder if Kun-kun can recognize that people in Budapest speak Hungarian, not Spanish?” So she set out to find an answer through a scientific study.
Cuaya and her colleagues decided to use brain images from MRI scanning to shed light on her hunch. They worked with dogs of various ages that had, until the experiment, only heard their owners speak just one of the two languages, Spanish or Hungarian. Not surprisingly, getting the dogs to happily take part in the experiment took some creative coaxing (劝诱) and animal training! The researchers first needed to teach Kun-kun and her 17 fellow participating dogs including a labradoodle, a golden retriever and Australian shepherds, to lie still in a brain scanner. Their pet parents were always present, and they could leave the scanner at any point.
The research team played children’s classic book The Little Prince in both Spanish and Hungarian while scanning the dogs’ brains with an MRI machine. They were looking for evidence that their brains reacted differently to a familiar and unfamiliar language. The researchers also played scrambled versions of the story to find out if dogs could distinguish between speech and non-speech.
The images reveal that dogs’ brains show different patterns of activity for an unfamiliar language than for a familiar one — the first time anyone has proved, researchers say, that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages. This means that the sounds and rhythms of a familiar language are accessible to non-humans.
The team also found that the brains of older dogs were more skilled at detecting speech “suggesting a role for the amount of language exposure”. They suggest that dogs have refined their ability to distinguish between human languages over the long process of domestication.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The concern of the researcher. | B．The significance of the study. |
| C．The background of the study. | D．The introduction to the researcher. |
| A．Age limits. | B．Language exposure. |
| C．Brain patterns. | D．Owners’ commands. |
| A．Unreasonable. | B．Contradictory. |
| C．Compromising. | D．Groundbreaking. |
| A．Dogs Can Tell Foreign Languages |
| B．Dog Brains Have Different Patterns |
| C．Old Dogs Know More About Human Speech |
| D．Dogs Can Differ Speech From Non-Speech |
