Have you ever had trouble pronouncing a common English word correctly or finding English practice partners in your own city or country? If so, the following four American English pronunciation apps will help.
Say It: Pronunciation
Users of this app developed by Oxford University Press can practice more than 35,000 words. It can record your voice and then create a waveform from your voice, which you can compare to that of the model speaker. A marker shows which part of each word to stress.
The app offers a free version. But its usability is limited. You would need to buy the paid version to get full use of the app, which costs $6.99.
ELSA Speak
ESLA Speak uses artificial intelligence (AI) to act as your, own pronunciation teacher. This app offers a speaking test with detailed results and a score. And its AI software lets you have conversations with the computer and get assessment.
The app has a free 7-day trial version. After that, you would need to pay for the full version. Prices range from $0.99 to $99.
Accent Training
This app centers on a few important elements of pronunciation, including reduced speech, intonation and connected speech.
The app is free, but unwanted ads show up often. You can choose whether to pay $2.99 to remove them.
English Pronunciation Tutor
This app developed by Language Arts Press is useful if there are specific sounds in English that give you continuous trouble.
The app is free for the first unit only. After that, you would pay $5.99 to activate the full version.
None of these apps can replace real-life speaking practice. But if you are in serious need of pronunciation support, try them.
We never know when we will do something greater. But it usually happens when we least expect it. When John Kinney turned up at Gloria Scott's house in Woburn, Massachusetts, he thought he was there to repair the 72-year-old woman's lights.
After completing the job, John went home, but he kept thinking about Gloria and a lot of other repairs much needed-pipe damage, holes in the ceiling dangerous front steps, the leaking roof and so on. She told him that she lived alone and felt lonely.
John decided to take action. Even though he couldn't rebuild her whole house, he could make it safe and livable for her. He worked on Gloria's home by himself for free before getting some friends and volunteers involved. But there were so many repairs needed, so he looked for more help online, with a simple description of the situation: "Nice old lady needs help." In just 24 hours, $3, 500 was already raised. And he also had loads of volunteers turning up to lend a helping hand.
While this all has been going on, Gloria has enjoyed watching the process and getting to know the volunteers. She's been here by herself for over 10 years, so it's a big change for her. She's so happy and has got all types of new friends. She's out here making lunch for these kind volunteers, laughing and joking. It's just a miracle to witness. Meanwhile, John's whole family have formed a special bond with the 72-year-old woman. Even all the repairs done, John continues visiting. "She reminds me of my grandmother," he said. "It doesn't stop here. Gloria is a part of my life."
An environmental group in Colombia is leading a project to save wild areas in the San Lucas Mountains with the help of coffee growers.
Since 2016, San Lucas areas have been threatened by mining and coca(古柯) planting. Gold miners and coca growers make more money than coffee farmers. Now the group WebConserva helps link coffee farmers with coffee processors from around the country in order that they can earn more. At the same time coffee farms can serve as borders around forests to protect the biodiversity within.
To date, the project includes 10 families who farm 400 hectares of coffee plants. WebConserva said it hopes, in time, 200 families will be included. At that level, 20, 000 hectares of untouched forest could be protected. The families promise not to cut down trees to expand their crops or to hunt wild animals. In return, they receive $300 for 125 kilograms of coffee.
Arcadio Barajas is among those taking part. His coffee farm sets up a barrier between cattle farms and forests where wild animals live, thus reducing the possibility of conflict between cattle farmers and wild animals. "Cutting down the forest to plant coca and killing wildlife were against my faith, and now I feel that growing coffee lets me be a good guard of the land," he said.
Arnobis Romero is a former coca grower and miner. "Many families depended on illegal activities to support their children years ago. Now, we feel it a duty to look after this biodiversity and to leave it for future generations," he said.
Activists want San Lucas to be protected as a national park, but the process has been slow. Carlos Valderrama, director of WebConserva, hopes the project can build production system that will last far into the future. "It protects forests, biodiversity and ecosystems at the same time as improving coffee growers' quality of life," he said.
Sitting close with your little ones from an early age and enjoying a book together is always a great way to spend time, but do you know reading to your children has a whole range of benefits that will give them a flying start in life?
Firstly, it's a great introduction to vocabulary. Seeing an adult sounding out the words and linking them to the shapes on the page begins to build up vocabulary that they will use for the rest of their life.
Then there are a variety of good effects of hearing stories which improve their minds and develop social awareness and sills. At a time when they are perhaps stuck indoors more than ever before, reading is the best way to motivate children's imagination. They can travel to the moon, meet the Gruffalo and pop in to a chocolate factory all before they've even had lunch!
There's no better way to walk a mile in someone else's shoes than reading their story and seeing things from another's point of view is a great way to build empathy (共鸣), tolerance and qualities needed. There are some fantastic children's books which show characters acting as strong role models. These stories can encourage future leaders and thinkers, so every child can feel they can achieve their dreams, from the Little Leaders series to Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls.
Now is the perfect time to build up a library of excellent reads ready for children to enjoy now and in the future. They will create memories to last a lifetime. On top of the benefits for your little ones, it's fun, relaxing and a great chance to go back and reread the best books from your own childhood.
Finish It and Forget It
Do you have a hard time leaving work at work? Is your to-do list so long that it is never possible to finish everything you set out to do in a day? You may start with leaving your work at work. When your work day ends, you should try to move from your professional life mode (模式) to your personal life mode.
Leave your to-dos to the next day.
Often, to-do lists are quite unrealistic. Be honest with yourself about what you can actually complete in a day. If something doesn't get completed, move it to another day.
You needn't solve all the conflicts and problems in one day.
If you've had a tough day, don't feel pressured to always solve the issue the same day. It doesn't mean that you should avoid difficult conversations, but rather that it is important to find the right time to have them.
Clear your mind to focus on the present.
When you find yourself focusing on all that you haven't finished during the day, take a deep breath, leave in behind. Never beat yourself up over moment than have passed earlier in your day that you will never get back. For it, too, can never be regained.
End your day on purpose.
Do you drop off to sleep while reading a book? Studies show that most people have a more restful night's sleep when they have a bed time routine
（常规做法）consisting of no lights and low or no noise in the hour before going to sleep. End your day intentionally and you will find yourself energized when you begin the next day!
A. Do you sometimes fall asleep on the sofa?
B. Sometimes we get stressed with overcrowded schedules.
C. Don't permit yourself to make mistakes or get off the track.
D. Waiting a day or two can help you calm down and find a solution.
E. Instead, make best of the moment you're in right now by enjoying it.
F. You should form the habit of taking responsibility and finish work on time.
G. If so, you should simply remind yourself "finish each day and be done with it".
A lot of people fear getting old, because ageing is often linked to loneliness. But Terry, 75, in Green Bay, knows 1 what to do to keep sadness from seeping into his 2
Terry, an animal lover whose heart has a very 3 spot for cats, frequently drops by the animal shelter in Green Bay to hold the 4 cats close and take a short sleep with them!
The charming 5 of the old man taking a short sleep while surrounded with cats 6 the workers. It had such a beautiful 7 that the workers always found themselves taking 8 of Terry and all the cats and posted them on the Face-book page.
9 one photo with the cat, Lois, appealed to the followers of the page and 10 over 47 thousand likes and about 25 thousand shares! In fact, in less than a day, Lois was 11 by a new family!
Terry has become popular on the Internet. But more than the 12, the old man is very happy to know that his love for cats is bringing a lot of help to the animal shelter by 13 a lot of people to donate to the shelter.
Terry is happy, the 14 behind which is not difficult to understand. His story just goes to show how a small 15 can make a big difference.
People have worked tearlessly to lose weight. Diets with fancy names come and go. Soon one fad(时尚) sweeps the dieting world and then .
The big question is whether any of these weight loss plans have worked. If one had worked, wouldn't everyone just follow this (success) weight loss plan?
The short answer is no, according to researchers have been studying diets for over twenty years. Their research has repeatedly asked these sorts of questions, and always found the same (disappoint) answers. Their findings offer a good explanation for why dieting over the long term is actually impossible. The fact is that the weight of most dieters won't become (low) than before, because dieting is sure to fail.
When you diet, so many biological (change) happen in your body that it becomes practically impossible (keep) the weight off. It's not about your self-control or willpower. It's your brain telling your body not to lose weight.
But there's an entire industry that (earn) money from convincing people that just the opposite is true. You can't believe anything that they say because their job isn't to tell you the (true) —it's to make money, These companies make their money from your failure, not success. They need you to fail, you'll pay them again for the next dieting fad.
注意：
1）写作词数应为80左右；
2）题目已为你写好.
参考词汇：厉行节约，反对浪费practice strict economy and combat waste
New Fashion in Our School
注意：
1）续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已给出.
At Sandringham I got to know this kid, Teddy, a funny guy. He is one of those friends with whom you start hanging out and from that day forward you're never apart. We were both very naughty. When you put us together, it was a disaster. Walking home from school, we'd throw rocks through windows, just to see them broken, and then we'd run away.
One Saturday night, we were at the shopping center and most of the shops were closed. The cinema was still showing movies and the building was still open. There was a shop that sold greeting cards and magazines and it didn't have a door. So when it closed at night, there was only a metal gate, like a trellis (架子), which was pulled across the entrance and padlocked (用挂锁锁上). Walking past this shop. Teddy and I realized that if we put our arms through the trellis, we could reach the chocolates just inside. We reached in, took a few, and then swallowed the chocolates. We started going back again and again to steal more.
We did this every weekend for at least a month. Then we pushed our luck too far. It was a Saturday night. I reached in to take a chocolate, and at that exact moment a security guard came around the corner and saw me with my arm in up to my shoulder. I brought my hand out with a bunch of chocolates in it. I saw him. He saw me. His eyes went wide.
注意：
1）续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已给出.
Paragraph 1:
I tried to walk away, acting natural.
Paragraph 2:
The next day when Teddy and I ran into the classroom, the headmaster was there waiting.
