【推荐1】If you are like most learners, you may have faced such a situation: You think you understand a topic. Yet, when asked to use what you have learned, you are not able to remember the information. Not being able to retrieve new ideas could happen on a test or even in a conversation.

Sarah Lynn, an educational consultant and teacher, thinks English learners can improve their ability to remember and use new words by testing themselves. She adds that self testing improves retrieval (数据检素) — the ability to use and remember new words.

Learning takes effort. It takes effort because the learning process changes the brain, says Sarah Lynn. One way it changes the brain is by creating connections, which are called dendrites (树突). Lynn suggests that dendrite connections are important for retrieval. There are three main ideas about how to grow dendrites and improve retrieval, making connections, using repetition and testing yourself.

Lynn recommends that learners test themselves by getting away from what they are studying. Then, they should test themselves by thinking about what they have learned. She recommends that learners make themselves write or speak something. Lynn suggests reading something or watching a video on the topic, then getting rid of the reading or audio material and summarizing it. This will allow learners to test what they know.

The benefits of such practice, Lynn says, are not just improving your ability to remember information. By testing yourself, you can build confidence in the skills you have developed. When you test yourself, Lynn says, you will see how much progress you have made. This progress will satisfy and encourage you to do more in the future.

Next time you are studying English, try to test yourself. A simple way to test vocabulary is to create flashcards with clues on one side and the answer on the back. Another way is to use online services to create digital flasheards, through which learners can do a variety of activities based on one set of new words or information. You can match words with meanings, write a word after looking at a picture, or listen to a word and write it. You can also play games with the new words and meanings. Another way is to ask yourself questions at the end of the day, at the end of a study session, or at other times. Lynn recommends that learners ask themselves questions such as, “What did I learn today? What were those words that I thought were interesting? What was that verb tense I learned? How does it work?”

The important point is this: Effective learning takes time, effort and practice. Do not just assume that you can read something once or twice and fully understand it. Even if you highlight important points or take notes in a class, you probably do not fully understand what you learned. Successful language learners practice as much as they can, and test themselves to improve their skills.

Self-testing is one way to improve your retrieval and inform your future course of study. Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you.

【推荐2】More cycling, better public transport and car bans… Places all over the world are taking a range of measures to lower traffic pollution.

Paris

Paris bans cars in many historic central districts on weekends, places odd-even(单双日制的) bans on vehicles, makes public transport free during major pollution events and encourages car-sharing programs. A long section of the right bank of the river. Seine is now car-free and a monthly ban on cars has come into force along the Champs-Elysees.

The Netherlands

Politicians want to ban the sale of all petrol cars from 2025, allowing only electric of hydrogen vehicles. The new law will allow anyone who already owns a petrol car to continue using it. Most cities encourage bicycle use.

Freiburg

Freiburg in Germany has 500km of bike routes and a cheap and efficient public transport system. One town, Vauban, forbids people to park near homes and makes car-owners pay 18,000 for a space on the edge of town. In return for living without a car, people are offered cheaper housing, free public transport, and plentiful bicycle spaces.

Curitiba

The southern Brazilian city of two million people has one of the biggest and lowest-cost bus systems in the world. Nearly 70% of its people go to work by public transport and the result is pollution-free air and traffic-free streets.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen prioritizes(优先考虑) bikes over cars and now has more cycles than people. The city calculates that one mile on a bike is worth $0.42 to society, while one mile in a car is a $0.2 loss. Large parts of the Danish capital have been closed to vehicles for decades.

【推荐3】When you go for a run outside, chances are that you’ll find litter all around you. Do you just go past it, or do you stop and pick it up? If you choose the latter, you’re part of the latest fitness trend that’s sweeping the West: plogging.

The word “plogging” combines the Swedish phrase “plocka upp” (pick up) with the English word “jogging”.

Running – especially marathons – is often associated with good causes. And plogging, which combines environmentalism with fitness, has become the new poster boy for the environmentally-friendly runner. All a plogger needs is a trash bag, and ideally a pair of gloves to protect their hands.

The process of collecting garbage is simple, but it sheds light on serious environmental issues. “When I usually walk through the streets of New York, the sight of newspapers, lost hats, and shattered glass doesn’t bother me,” Matthew Sedacca of Men’s Health magazine wrote. “But when I was plogging and focused on trash collecting, the amount of garbage strewn (散布) across the sidewalks and along the pavement was kind of shocking.”

While collecting garbage, ploggers learn to classify and dispose of it correctly too. Laura Lindberg, a plogger who lives in New Jersey, US, always keeps a note of what she’s collected in her mind. This way, she knows what can stay in her trash bag and what can go in a nearby recycling bin.

It may be difficult to measure the sense of self-satisfaction that comes from making the world a cleaner, greener and more beautiful place, but the health benefits of plogging are easy to see. According to the Swedish fitness app Lifesum, a 30-minute plogging burns around 288 calories, compared to 235 calories burned from just jogging.

So the next time you go out jogging, why not carry a trash bag and collect some litter along the way? Your body and the environment will thank you.