【推荐1】Tips on Learning a New Language Before Travelling

Whenever you travel to a foreign place, it is helpful knowing a bit of the local language. You may not know how to pronounce the words correctly. But speaking the local language shows you care and it will help you mix with the locals easily. To learn a language, you do not have to take full time classes.     1    .

Practise

The more you study the language, the better. Learning a language doesn’t happen overnight. Think of it like learning an instrument or training for a marathon.     2    , how often you practice and your learning style.

    3    

One good way to practise is to use the language you’re learning. Speaking to a native speaker is the best choice because they can train you better and correct your mistakes. Find one on the Internet or in real life and strike a conversation with them. There are some free language exchange websites where you can find native speakers to practise with.     4    .

Download a language app

Your app store offers a large number of apps for language learning. Apps like Google Translate, Duolingo, Bilingual or Hi Native can help you to learn languages quickly. Those apps can help you learn the language effectively.     5     , they are not necessarily the best choice. They can also help a lot when you’re struggling to communicate while on vacation.

A．Speak to native speakers

B．Constantly use the language

C．You can also find a private class to attend

D．Trips can help make the process fun and easy

E．The amount of time you’ll need depends on the language you’re learning

F．But if you’re short on time and trying to master the basics

G．You can follow some of the tips to pick up some basics quickly before that trip

【推荐2】At China Daily Learning English, we sometimes get questions like this: “How can I speak English with more confidence?”     1    . No matter what language we are learning, we would all love to speak more confidently. So today, we have three pieces of advice to help you gain confidence in your English-speaking ability.

Use positive self-talk

Believe it or not, the most important person you talk to every day is yourself. In other words, it is your thoughts that really matter. So our first piece of advice is to use positive self-talk.

If you lack confidence as an English speaker, you may tell yourself things like, “    2    .” When you talk to other people, you may say things like, “I’m so sorry for my English.” But if you keep thinking and saying such things, you are sure to start believing them.

So the next time you are using your English, pay attention to what you tell yourself or others.     3    

Don’t worry too much

One of the biggest barriers to confidence in speaking a second language is the constant worry about making mistakes. Understand that making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process. Yes, you will make mistakes.     4     And many English learners communicate very well, even with mistakes. Mistakes can be a good thing. The more mistakes you make, the more progress you will make.

    5    

If your English-speaking skills are at the beginner or intermediate (中级的) level and you try to do something too difficult, you may fail. This can harm your confidence. But, if you do something that matches your level, you are more likely to do it well.

A．Set realistic goals

B．Build your confidence

C．That is a great question

D．English is too hard and I will never improve

E．It is important to practice speaking English every day

F．But the purpose of speaking a language is to communicate

G．Be sure to replace unhelpful thoughts or ideas with better ones

【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 previous research found positive results on the use of them. But it mainly concentrates 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 available 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 as there is a decrease 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. Females tend to use it less often but for longer periods of time than male users.

Getting any feedback on Busuu depends on whether your answer is correct or not. While it is helpful, this is not the sort of feedback language teachers prefer, as it does not explain why the answer is right or wrong. In spite of this, feedback in the app is very highly rated.

More than 92% of the people state 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 anxiety 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.

1. Why weren’t the results of the former research always dependable?

A．Because it used out-of-date methods.

B．Because it just focused on positive results.

C．Because it was only carried out before class.

D．Because it only considered users of a limited type.

2. What can we learn about the app Busuu from the text?

A．All the contents are free to use.	B．It’s used by more advanced learners.
C．Most users consider it satisfying.	D．It’s more popular with female learners.

3. Which of the following can probably replace the underlined word address?

A．Deal with.

B．Write down.

C．Turn to.

D．Speak of.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Students won’t suffer anxiety in learning languages by using Busuu.

B．Language learning apps are effective and satisfactory to language learners.

C．Language learning apps are very popular with most language teachers.

D．Students should be required to use apps for homework after class.

【推荐2】阅读短文，并按题目要求用英语回答问题。

I received a private message on Facebook。 It began harmlessly enough: "Hey, girl. Wanted to invite you to join my next challenge group ——we'll be focusing on fitting in 30 minutes of exercise and balanced nutrition.”

It was all becoming too much. Facebook was running my life, not me.

But what killed Facebook for me was when I posted a photo, and five minutes later my son asked me how many "likes" it had got. His question was a wake-up call.

"Likes" are signs of acceptance and approval. I had forgotten that acceptance and approval need to come from within and had unknowingly set him a bad example.

Before Facebook, surfing the internet was an occasional distraction and I spent a lot more time reading books and magazines. I checked in with friends through texts, emails and phone calls.

To recreate the simplicity of those days and set a healthier example for my son, I deactivated my Facebook account.

I'd been in the habit of checking Facebook many times a day, so I had to come up with some new habits. I carried a novel and a crossword puzzle book around with me. I rediscovered knitting（针织）. I started taking yoga classes.

I started to remember a few things. My body is fine just the way it is. I have friends who will help me out when I'm in trouble, and I will help them out. I do my best to be a good mother, and our son is happy and healthy. We are very lucky to be able to afford two vacations a year.

I stopped looking at the world through my cellphone. I felt pleasant at the moment.

The break left me feeling better about myself, my family, my home and my life.

After a few weeks, I returned to Facebook. Now I look at the photos of my friends^, kids growing up and treasure how social media allows me to keep in touch with family for and wide. I look in on a daily basis, but no longer with the desire constantly to post updates.

It is not an addiction any more.

1. When the author's son asked her how many “likes" it had got, what's the author's reaction to the question? （no more than 10 words）
2. The underlined word “deactivate" in Paragraph 6 mean in English? (I word)
3. What did the author do to change her life?（no more than 5 words）
4. What did the author think of the break from Facebook? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think is the best way to use social media? Please explain.(no more than 25 words)

【推荐3】Nowadays, the world is slowly becoming a high-tech society and we are now surrounded by technology. Facebook and Twitter are innovative tools; text messaging is still a somewhat existing phenomenon and even e-mail is only a flashing spot on the screen when compared with our long history of snail mail. Now we adopt these tools to the point of essentialness, and only rarely consider how we are more fundamentally affected by them.

Social media, texting and e-mail all make it much easier to communicate, gather and pass information, but they also present some dangers. By removing any real human engagement, they enable us to develop our abnormal self-love without the risk of disapproval or criticism. To use a theatrical metaphor (隐喻), these new forms of communication provide a stage on which we can each create our own characters, hidden behind a fourth wall of tweets, status updates and texts. This unreal state of unconcern can become addictive as we separate ourselves a safe distance from the cruelty of our fleshly lives, where we are imperfect, powerless and insignificant. In essence, we have been provided not only the means to be more free, but also to become new, to create and project a more perfect self to the world. As we become more reliant on these tools, they become more a part of our daily routine, and so we become more restricted in this fantasy.

So it is that we live in a cold era, where names and faces represent two different levels of closeness, where working relationships occur only through the magic of email and where love can start or end by text message. An environment such as this reduces interpersonal relationships to mere digital exchanges.

Would a celebrity have been so daring to do something dishonorable if he had had to do it in person? Doubtful. It seems he might have been lost in a fantasy world that ultimately convinced himself into believing the digital self could obey different rules and regulations, as if he could continually push the limits of what’s acceptable without facing the consequences of “real life.”

1. Which word can replace the underlined word “innovative” in Paragraph 1?

A．Traditional.

B．Dangerous.

C．Useful.

D．New.

2. What is the potential threat caused by the novel communication tools?

A．Sheltering us from virtual life.	B．Removing face-to-face interaction.
C．Leading to false mental perception.	D．Making us rely more on hi-tech media.

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Technologies have changed our relationships.

B．The digital world is a recipe for pushing limits.

C．Love can be better conveyed by text message.

D．The digital self need not take responsibility.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Addiction to the Virtual World	B．Cost of Falling into Digital Life
C．Interpersonal Skills on the Net	D．The Future of Social Media