I’m a strong believer in learning different languages, which makes you look incredibly good when you’re in a foreign country and can understand and speak the language. The following are 4 apps that will help you learn a foreign language! You can download them for free.
Babbel
Babbel’s lessons are mainly quiz-styled and use audio, pictures and words to help you with the grammar and vocabulary of your chosen language. It helps you use most of the skills needed to learn a language. Your skills are improved by carrying out different tasks, such as completing sentences with missing words, translating, placing words in order and so on.
FluentU
FluentU takes native language content like music videos, news and inspiring talks and turns them into language learning lessons. The videos all make use of interactive (交互的) subtitles (字幕) to ensure understanding, allow users to save material for later review, and make the experience more enjoyable. Clicking on a word or phrase brings up extra information, including example sentences and other video clips that use the language item.
Tandem
Rather than have you work through tasks and memorise different things, the app matches you up with people who share your interests but speak the language you want to learn. You can then have text, voice and video conversations with people to learn their native language, and in return they can learn yours, all by simply communicating with each other.
Busuu
This app is perfect if you want to learn English. There are all sorts of audio and visual learning aids. You’ll find yourself working through interactive tests and learning tools for the vocabulary and dialogue.
1. Which app suits you best if you want to learn through communication?| A．Babbel. | B．FluentU. | C．Tandem. | D．Busuu. |
| A．They cover all languages. | B．They focus on grammar. |
| C．They contain many tests. | D．They are free to download. |
| A．To sell apps to language learners. | B．To teach languages through apps. |
| C．To introduce language learning apps. | D．To teach language learners to use apps. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Little kids can pick up a new language pretty easily. It’s supposed to be far harder for older children. But that conclusion (结论) might not be correct. The window on when people can learn a language well appears to last until around age 17 or 18.
Earlier research had suggested we’re best at learning grammar in early childhood. Then we hit a dead end around age 5. But that’s not so, said Joshua Hartshorne and his colleagues.
Hartshorne surveyed tens of thousands of people online. He began by asking volunteers to take an online English grammar test. He used their answers to guess their native languages. After completing the test, volunteers answered questions about where they had lived? the languages they had spoken from birth and the age at which they first started learning English. It also asked how long they’d lived in an English-speaking country.
Hartshorne’s group analyzed (分析) responses from 669,498 native and non-native speakers of English. If people moved to a new country and began speaking English by age 10 to 12, they finally spoke it as well as those who had learned both English and another language from birth, the researchers found.
The results further showed that around age 17, people’s ability to learn grammar took a nosedive and that those who started learning English after age 10 or 12 never reached the same level of English proficiency (熟练) as people who started younger. Why? The researchers think it’s because they had fewer years to practice before their skills dropped off at 17.
However, they found language learning did not end at 17 and people’s English skills kept improving slightly until around age 30. This was true among both native speakers and those who learned English as a second language, the new study found.
1. How did Hartshorne do the survey?| A．He paid his friends to do it. | B．He surveyed thousands of students. |
| C．He interviewed passers-by. | D．He carried out the survey online. |
| A．Fell. | B．Changed. | C．Counted. | D．Rose. |
| A．It requires few skills. | B．It keeps people smarter. |
| C．It ends at the age of 17. | D．It needs more practice. |
| A．A learning guide. | B．A study on language learning. |
| C．An English speaker. | D．A survey on grammar rules. |
【推荐2】If you want to become a fluent English speaker you should take some advice. There are four skills in learning English. They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills, you should first master the skills of reading and listening.
Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentence, the meaning of the unfamiliar words, etc. There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammar or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact that you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example, in other passages or books, is enough. It will be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences on it.
As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30minutes. You can also only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening.
For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably taking some notes.
If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve quickly, and you can be a fluent English speaker one day.
1. According to the writer, which should you improve first among the four skills？| A．Reading and listening. |
| B．Reading and writing. |
| C．Writing and speaking. |
| D．Speaking and listening. |
| A．Look up all the new words in the dictionary. |
| B．Think about what you are reading actively. |
| C．Spend more time studying grammar. |
| D．Copy as many words and sentences as possible. |
| A．hear | B．discover |
| C．meet by accident | D．look for |
| A．How to choose suitable listening materials. |
| B．How to deal with new words in reading. |
| C．How to speak English skillfully. |
| D．How to improve your reading ability as quickly as possible. |
【推荐3】Welcome to Student Success. The radio programme (节目) can help students study. This morning we will talk with Jenny, John and Anna, the three top students (尖子生) in English from No.1 High School, about how they study.
Jenny: I study by reading the textbook every night. I make lists of words I don’t know. Then I make flashcards (抽示卡) from the lists and go over them. I like to study by myself at home. It’s quiet there.
John: I study best with my friends. We get together in the park after school. Sometimes we use flashcards. At other times, we practise talking in English. It helps me a lot.
Anna: I ask my teacher for help. She always gives me tapes to listen to. Sometimes I read aloud to help practise pronunciation. And I listen to radio programmes like this one too! You can say that I learn by listening.
So they have three different ways to study and they all work (起作用). Our next programme is about language learning.
1. Students Success is a ________.| A．book about how to learn English | B．television programme |
| C．radio programme | D．DVD about language study |
| A．in the park | B．in the library | C．with her friends | D．by herself |
| A．Jenny | B．John | C．Anna | D．The reporter |
| A．books | B．tapes | C．CDs | D．cards |
| A．The three students are all weak (弱的，差的) in English. |
| B．The three students are all high school students. |
| C．Jenny reads the textbook every night. |
| D．Both Jenny and John use flashcards to learn English. |
【推荐1】Today’s grandparents are joining grandchildren on social media, but the different generation’s online habits couldn’t be more different. The over-55s are joining Facebook in increasing numbers, meaning that they will soon be the site’s second biggest user group, with 3.5 million users aged 55-64 and 2.9 million over-65s.
Sheila, aged 59, says, “I joined to see what my grandchildren are doing, as my daughter posts videos and photos of them. It’s a much better way to see what they’re doing than waiting for letters and photos in the post. I think I’m lucky I get to see so much more of their lives than my grandparents did.”
However, Sheila’s grandchildren are less likely to use Facebook themselves. Children under 17 are leaving the site — only 2.2 million users are under 17 — but they’re not going far from their smartphones. Chloe, age 15, even sleeps with her phone. “It’s my alarm clock so I have to,” she says. “I look at it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up.”
Teenagers might have their parents to thank for their smartphone and social media addiction as their parents were the early users of the smartphone. Peter, 38 and father of two teenagers, reports that he used to be on his phone or laptop constantly. He says, “How could I tell my kids to get off their phones if I was always in front of a screen myself?” So, in the evenings and at weekends, he takes his SIM card out of his smartphone and puts it into an old-style mobile phone that can only make calls and send text messages. “I’m not completely separated from the world, but the important thing is that I’m setting a better example to my kids and spending more quality time with them.”
Is it only a matter of time until the generation above and below Peter catches up with the new trend (趋势) for a less digital life?
1. Why does Peter take his SIM card out of his smartphone?| A．To stop his work. | B．To make calls to his boss. |
| C．To catch up with the new trend. | D．To set a good example to his kids. |
| A．Different. | B．Protected. | C．Cut off. | D．Figured out. |
| A．Children under 17 don’t use smartphone at all. |
| B．Chloe is one of the early users of the smartphone. |
| C．People may enjoy a less digital life in the near future. |
| D．Today’s grandparents enjoy a life without social media. |
【推荐2】4 Travel Apps for First Timers in China
Going to China alone requires plenty of preparation. But with the help of mobile devices and apps, preparing has become easier for travelers the world over.
Metro China Subway
To find the best local transport around the main cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, use Metro China Subway to help you source the metro trains that are interconnected with other locations in the area. It works offline and provides users the quickest route from their start to the end point. The app also provides users information on the cost and length of journey.
Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps
Pleco Dictionary
Pleco is by far the best Chinese-English dictionary out there, as it comes with a handwriting and voice recognition features. Pleco also learns along with you, as it saves your searches for easier scanning next time. This app is a great tool to learn Chinese before and during your trip.
Download: https://www.pleco.com/
China Train
If you plan to travel around China efficiently, then consider Chinese Trains. It will save you money as opposed to flying to your desired destination. The China Train app makes it easy to plan and book train trips around the country, with its up-to-date schedule and virtual booking service.
Download: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/app.htm
Yelp
Unsure where to dine on your first day in China? It might help to consider reading a few reviews from Yelp about certain restaurants near you. The app provides users reviews of other customers, directions, menus and photos.
Download: https://www.yelp.com/mobile
1. What can Metro China Subway help you find?| A．The fastest route to the destination. | B．The best destination worth visiting. |
| C．The most comfortable underground. | D．The best way to book a suitable hotel. |
| A．https://www.pleco.com/ | B．https: //www.yelp.com/mobile |
| C．https: //play.google.com/store/apps. | D．https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/app.htm |
| A．Metro China Subway. | B．Pleco Dictionary. | C．China Train. | D．Yelp. |
Teens Go Online
Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids spend on line and keep them away from chat rooms.
Chat to the magic Mum
British author J. K. Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.
School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas (睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra (代数), American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.
1. In the first news item, which country is NOT covered in the research?
| A．Britain. | B．France. | C．Sweden. | D．Spain. |
| A．J. K. Rowling will have an Internet interview. |
| B．Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother. |
| C．The Harry Potter book will be available on the Internet. |
| D．The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June. |
| A．To get ready for a military parade. |
| B．To learn to protect themselves. |
| C．To gain some military knowledge. |
| D．To develop their love for the country. |
| A．Get up Late | B．Online School |
| C．Magical Computers | D．No Teachers |
【推荐1】It can be a hard nut to crack to get boys interested in reading books. Fortunately, many young adult authors are now writing teen books that attract guys.
◆Gone by Michael Grant
Everyone over fifteen is disappearing in Sam’s town and the ones left behind are seeking help. In this story, teens must get together and find a way to rule themselves while preparing to fight against supernatural elements. Teens will enjoy this story of unwilling heroes, competition, and revenge (复仇).
Recommended for ages 14-18.
Price: $10
◆Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Award-winning author Westerfeld creates another reality of World War I in this biology-versus-technology story. The two teens are supposed to be enemies. A girl, pretending to be a British airman, and a prince on the run cross paths and find themselves sailing on the airship Leviathan.
Recommended for ages 12-14.
Price: $12
◆The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Buckingham Palace becomes a shelter for kids escaping from zombie-infested London. Inyet another breathtaking story, readers are caught up in the action and stress of teens trying to survive as a horrible disease spread across England. Author Higson, a well-known British actor and comedian, is also the writer of the highly successful Young Bond series.
Recommended for ages 14-18.
Price: $10
◆The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Readers are following the adventures of 15-year-old Will who fights against huge beasts and evil warlords (军阀) trying to take over the kingdom. Author Flanagan continues to interest his fans with this long-running series of the adventures of a shy teenage boy who becomes a hero.
Recommended for ages 12-14.
Price: $16
1. Which of the following books stresses teamwork?| A．Gone. | B．Leviathan. |
| C．The Enemy. | D．The Ruins of Gorlan. |
| A．Both of them tell one complete story. |
| B．Both of them are set in Buckingham Palace. |
| C．Both of them are intended for the same age group. |
| D．Both of them are written by Scott Westerfeld. |
| A．To persuade children to read books. |
| B．To introduce some books to boys. |
| C．To advertise some best-sellers. |
| D．To introduce some famous authors. |
【推荐2】Are you looking for a magazine for your kids? Here are some that you may like.
Anorak
6 issues (期) per year
This magazine is designed for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 8. In every edition of Anorak, you will find fun stories to read and plenty of colorful pages to keep you happy.
Ask
9 issues per year
The magazine Ask (Arts and Sciences for Kids) challenges bright young minds and satisfies their curiosity. Each issue of this magazine helps kids in the 2nd-4th grade explore the world along with the past and present great inventors, artists and scientists.
Appleseeds
9 issues per year
Appleseeds is an award-winning magazine of adventure and exploration for kids aged 7-9. This magazine has amazing stories and interviews. Kids will receive activities, maps, puzzles, and games that are related to the theme.
Babybug
9 issues per year
This magazine begins a lifelong love of reading books for babies and toddlers (初学走路的孩子).
American Girls
5 issues per year
This is an ad-free, award-winning magazine.
It provides attractive features like original (原创的) stories, party plans and projects, advice and quizzes. It is designed for girls aged 8-12.
1. Who is Ask most probably suitable for?| A．Children who love playing fun games. |
| B．Children who love reading fun stories. |
| C．Children who love reading about great scientists. |
| D．Children who love experiencing adventure and exploration. |
| A．It has no advertisement. |
| B．It comes out every other month. |
| C．It isn’t easy for kids under ten to read. |
| D．It often organizes different activities for its readers. |
| A．To stress the importance of reading. | B．To introduce some magazines for kids. |
| C．To advertise some new magazines on art. | D．To explain why these magazines are popular. |
Your home can be a dangerous place, but by making it safer you can prevent accidents. The kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom are where most accidents happen. These can include falls, fires, poisoning, cuts, hot water burns, and electric shocks.
THE KITCHEN
People may slip when the floor is wet, so make sure the floor is kept dry.
Always cut away from your body when you use a knife.
Follow instructions for all electrical appliances.
Unplug all appliances after use.
THE BEDROOM
•Never smoke in bed.
•Keep a lamp near the bed.
•Have a telephone near the bed, especially when you’re feeling ill.
•Don’t run electrical wires under carpets.
THE BATHROOM
•Don’t plug in an electrical appliance or use one while standing in water.
•Don’t use a hairdryer near a bath containing water.
•Keep the bathroom floor dry.
•Make sure that your hot water heater is set at a low temperature.
PREVENTING FIRES
Fires can cause terrible damage to your home and terrible injuries to people. If there is a fire, your first priority is getting everyone out of the house safely, and then calling for help. Never go back into a burning building to save your things.
•Buy clothes, curtains, and toys that do not burn easily.
•Use heaters very carefully, as they can set objects on fire.
•Place them away from furniture.
•When cooking, do not let oil touch the fire or other sources of heat.
•Check electrical wires a number of times each year to make sure they are in good condition.
•Switch off your gas and electricity when you will be away from home for a long time.
•Make sure your home is equipped with fire extinguishers.
CHILDREN AND HOME SAFETY
Homes are not always safe places for young children.Being curious, they may stick their fingers or objects into dangerous places and end up suffering from electric shocks or getting burnt. In addition, they may try to eat or drink anything they can find, whether it is food or not. For these reasons, it is important to make your home safe if you have young children about.
•Keep matches out of the reach of children.
•Store all cleaning materials in a locked cupboard.
•Never leave a small child alone in the bath.
•Put covers over electrical outlets.
•Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.
MAKING YOUR HOME SAFE FOR THE ELDERLY
The elderly present special challenges, as they may have trouble moving about and can be seriously hurt in falls. If you have an elderly person in your home, you may need to take some extra measures to make your home safer.
•Make sure that passages within the home are kept clear.
•Put non-slip bath mats in and next to the bath and shower.
•Put handrails along passage walls and in the bathroom.
1. Which is not included in the common accidents around the house?| A．Smoking. | B．Falls. | C．Electric shocks. | D．Poisoning. |
| A．storing all cleaning materials in a locked cupboard. |
| B．putting handrails along passage walls and in the bathroom. |
| C．following instructions for all electrical appliances. |
| D．keeping the bathroom floor dry. |
| A．You should make sure that your hot water is set at a low temperature. |
| B．You shouldn’t run electrical wires under carpets. |
| C．You should keep all medicines out of the reach of children. |
| D．You don’t have to have your home equipped with fire extinguisher. |
| A．Newspaper. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A home-safety manual (使用手册). | D．The Internet. |
