4 . Four Free Mobile Apps to Help You Learn English Faster

Have you realized that you can put your smartphone to really good use for learning English? Here are four free mobile apps that will help you do just that.

Duolingo

If you want to learn English from ABC, then this is the app you are looking for. Duolingo uses educational games to help you learn English. For beginners, the app focuses on helping you learn verbs, phrases and sentences.

Hello English

It covers all the sides of language learning, including vocabulary, translation, grammar, spellings, spoken and reading skills. It uses educational games to teach different English lessons and offers new video books, latest news, and books. However, you should already understand simple English sentences and alphabets(字母表), for the app can’t help you learn English from ABC.

Lingbe

If you are ready to practice your spoken skills in the real world, you’ll need Lingbe. It’s a community-based app where people help each other and share their native languages. It connects you with real people on call who are native English speakers.

HelloTalk

HelloTalk is similar to Lingbe as it connects you with native speakers to help improve your language skills. However, it adds a few extra functions that might interest you. You can view the information about users to find a match that interests you. Additionally, you can also send text and audio messages, and even make calls with other people.

Whether you are a beginner or a fluent learner, you can find your favorite app. Why not take action now!

8 . Ever since I was very young, afraid of making mistakes, I’ve asked countless times “What should I do?”

However, during my high school years, I _______. Maybe it was when I decided to try for the lead in Beauty and the Beast. I would have to memorize lines and movements, but I took the chance that I might fail. On the day of practice, my heart was pounding; my hands were _______ badly when I got up to sing. But when I opened my mouth, the sound was loud and _______. I reached for the high notes that sometimes were beyond my reach, which made me very _______. I was trying to do my best even though I might fail. I realised that if I wanted to live life to the fullest, I had to take _______.

Now, I do take these chances, with baby steps every day, voicing my opinions in class discussions or debates and riding my bike for exercise.

Three years ago, I broke my back when I fell from my bike. The _______ stopped me from trying out for basketball. But I didn’t give up. The first day my doctor _______ me to do any physical activity, I started running with my mom. No stop-watches. No cheering crowds. I didn’t make the basketball team, but I didn’t fail, either.

I have finally learned to _______ myself, like taking a tough science course. And I have come to realise that even though my parents, friends and teachers don’t always have the _______ to “What should I do?”, they will be there to ________ me when I try.

10 . Wang Mengshu, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a group discussion of the annual session of the National People’s Congress that WiFi should not be provided on high-speed trains, as it might harm communication signals (信号) of trains and would also cost a lot in keeping trains in good condition. He also encouraged passengers to enjoy the views, instead of fixing their eyes on the tiny screens of smartphones and laptops. However,Beijing Youth Dailysaid it should be market demand that decides whether the WiFi is offered on the trains or not.

An increasing number of people, especially young white-collar workers, are addicted to their smartphones rather than face-to-face communications, thanks to the extensive WiFi coverage across the country. ThatjustifiesWang’s disagreement to the offering of WiFi on high-speed trains, because they shouldn’t depend on high-tech devices. It is also obvious that passengers on trains without free WiFi will use their smartphones and other mobile devices less. However, whether the trains should provide a free WiFi service mainly depends on customer demand.

In other words, the China Railway Corp has to obey relevant market rules, and provide technologically possible services to passengers if that is what they want. It cannot turn a blind eye to customers’ wants.

Free WiFi, in fact, is already offered on a lot of buses and coaches. This is a natural response to their competition with trains (especially high-speed ones), which are significantly faster and safer. The bus companies have been forced to improve their services to survive. So it requires proper guidance, not total “no” on the use, to make up for the negative effects of high-end technologies, such as people’s increasing addiction to smartphones.