The Best Language Learning Apps for 2023
We test all the major apps for learning a language and here are our top picks for 2023.
Rype
Rype is an online marketplace where language students find teachers and then sign up for low-cost-courses. Because Rype offers tutoring and not classes, it's best for language learners who are not true beginners. Intermediate level speakers and higher will get the most out of Rype.
Rosetta Stone
It is one of the best software programs for learning a language, especially for beginners. It does well in introducing new words and basic grammar in a way that's interesting. Rosetta Stone also does an excellent job of helping you to learn and study for about 30 minutes per day with its wonderfully clear and structured lessons.
Duolingo
Duolingo is really great for all language students. There is no better free language learning app than Duolingo. What makes it so good? With the help of the strong content and the good design, you can pick up and practice for a few minutes per day or sit down for longer study sessions.
Yabla
Unlike most other language learning apps and services, Yabla takes a video-first method. Diving into Yabla's material is more like going to YouTube than opening a textbook. You learn by watching videos, some of which are in the style of a language learning lesson but many others are just interesting content—music videos, cooking segments, travel shows—in the language you're learning.
On Sunday, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia shocked the running world by breaking the women's world record for the marathon by over two minutes. Assefa finished the Berlin Marathon in just 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds.
But Assefa's record was far beyond what most people expected. After all, it was only her third time running a marathon.
"I wanted to break the marathon world record," she said, "But I couldn't imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12."
When Assefa was younger, she started by running short races, called sprints. Then she became a middle-distance runner, running the 800 meters (half mile) race. Her best time in the 800 meters was 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Last March, she ran her first marathon. Then last September, she entered the Berlin Marathon. She won, and set a new women's record for the course, finishing in 2:15:37.
This year, she ran almost four minutes faster than she did last year. In both races, Assefa ran faster in the second half of the race than she did in the first half.
Her time of 2:11:53 was over two minutes faster than the old women's record (2:14:04), which was set in Chicago in 2019 by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
When she finished the race, Assefa kneeled down and kissed the pavement before raising her arms in victory.
Though Assefa made it look easy, she said winning the race "…was the result of hard work" Assefa was coached by Gemedu Dedefo, who has helped train many Ethiopian star runners.
On Monday, people across Kenya took part in the country's first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya's president, William Ruto, to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis (危机).
Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya's forests have been cut down, either for the wood, to clear the land for farming, or both. And those trees would normally help take in carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that's a major cause of the climate crisis.
In early November, to help get Kenya's great tree-planting effort started, the government declared November 13 a holiday—National Tree Growing Day. To prepare for the day, the government got 150 million seedlings ready for planting.
The government created a special app to help organize the tree planting. The app is called JazaMiti, which means "fill with trees" in Swahili. The app helps people collect trees, find places to plant, and record their efforts. The app will also help the government track how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.
People all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. Elizabeth Wathuti, who works to protect the environment, was very happy about the support that Kenyans showed for tree planting. But she pointed out that it would be very important to continue to take care of the trees as they grow. "Tree planting is just the beginning," she said.
Many people were very excited about the tree-planting holiday. Some hope that it will happen every year.
A three-year nationwide action plan to better protect ancient covered bridges (廊桥) started on Monday in Taishun county, Wenzhou city in East China's Zhejiang province.
Covered bridges not only serve as means of transportation and communication. They are also acting as places to rest and for leisurely gatherings, sites for making offerings and even market areas for trading.
"Covered bridges are an important part of traditional Chinese culture, with a long history and rich diversity," said Huang Zi, a lead expert at the Zhejiang Ancient Architecture Design and Research Institute.
But their largely wooden structures and the variety of roles they play make them easier to be damaged. In 2016, three ancient covered bridges in Taishun were destroyed by heavy rains during a typhoon. In 2020, a covered bridge first built during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and most recently rebuilt in the 18th century in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, was destroyed by floodwaters. Not long ago, a 900-year-old covered bridge in Pingnan county, Fujian province, one of the longest in China, fell down in a fire at night in early August.
Protective measures have already been put in place in areas with ancient covered bridges. It will be a long-term process, said Huang, and greater efforts should be made to keep that sustainable (可持续的). One key, according to Huang, is to involve people's concerns, needs and values in protecting the covered bridges.
"More preservation knowledge should be communicated to people through related projects," he said.
More relevantly, the protection of covered bridges should be combined with tourism. "When people come to visit, walk and have fun there, those old covered bridges can truly show their energy and liveliness," he said.
How to Prepare for an Earthquake
An earthquake can be a very destructive natural disaster, particularly in the Pacific Rim region. After an earthquake, your home may be a mess and you might be left without a water supply or power. By doing so, you may minimize the damage and injury in and around your home.
· Create a disaster plan.
Form your plan and know what to do before the earthquake happens. The most important first step is understanding what to do when an earthquake hits.
In a real earthquake, this is your number one defense. Drop to the floor, take cover under a firm desk or table and hold on firmly. Namely, drop and cover your head from falling objects. Stay there until the shaking stops.
·Learn basic first aid.
There are resources in your community to educate people on how to deal with first aid emergencies.
·Write down and share emergency contact lists.
This should include everyone in your home, office, etc. In addition to normal contact information, ask each person to provide an emergency contact as well.
A. Stay away from the shaking house.
B. Practice "drop, cover and hold on".
C. Then go over your plan on a regular basis.
D. Therefore, you can turn to your family for help.
E. You need to know how to get in touch with them.
F. There are several things you can do to prepare for an earthquake.
G. For example, your local Red Cross has classes teaching you the basic skills.
A few years ago, I felt like a true failure. I was doing Weight Watchers for the third time in order to lose weight, but not making 1 .
At that time, I spent hours every day working out to my videos and was still 2 . I thought I was meant to be overweight forever and there was no need to 3 it. I needed a 4 of heart and mind. That change came in the most 5 way. It came with running. After dinner on Thanksgiving, I went out for a 6 with my family. I had turned my little MP3 player on and was 7 the music when my favorite song came on. I felt like dancing, but that was impossible, for I had my children with me. So I caught the speed a bit and started to run slowly. I was quite 8 with my burst of activity.
What was more surprising was that I 9 the next morning and went out again. After running, I felt strong and 10 at the same time. I 11 the good feelings I felt when I used to run 20 years ago and decided that I wanted more of that. I 12 up for a spring race and practiced hard for it.
13 my weight is still heavier than what I would like, I no longer care about it. I try to stay more focused on my life. Most 14 , my workouts are less than an hour per day and I take Sundays off completely. My 15 is to keep exercising in my life but not let it control my life. After all, I am so much more important than my weight.
Lanzhou, 9 August 2017. A group of researchers and (scientist) from China and other countries are working together to help increase knowledge and appreciation of China's ancient cultural heritage. They are recording and collecting digital images of cultural relics from the Mogao Caves, were a key stop along the Silk Road throughout Caina's ancient history. Nearly 500,000 high-quality digital photographs (produce) since the international project started 1994.
The Mogao Caves have long been a meeting point for (difference) cultures and are part of the history of many countries. The caves were international when people (travel) the Silk Road in ancient times. Even today, tourists from all over world visit Dunhuang to see the caves, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has even reproduced a copy of the caves and paintings for people to admire in America.
By (share) so many digital photos over the Internet, the group hopes to promote even wider interest around the world in China's ancient history, culture, traditions. They also hope (educate) people about the importance of safeguarding historic and cultural relics for future generations to understand and appreciate.
注意：写作词数为80词左右。
Sometimes a stranger can greatly improve our day. A pleasant meeting with a stranger can comfort us when we were in trouble.
Once, I experienced a severe turbulence (气流颠簸) on the flight to Boston. Because of that, I was extremely scared. Anxiety and fear filled my heart. All the people on the flight seemed nervous, except my seatmate, who looked friendly and calm. Then, I turned to the woman next to me and said, "Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes? I'm really nervous."
"Sure. My name is Sue," the woman replied, smiling warmly. "What brings you to Boston?" I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane shook violently, and suddenly I said, "I might need to hold your hand too." Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
When Sue Pernick took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept (哭泣) with comfort. She was so calm and made me less frightened—"Yep, this is a little trouble, but we'll be on the ground safely soon," she told me—that I asked her what she did for a living. "I'm a retired P.E. teacher and I coached women's volleyball," she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
Sue and I talked-about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean—until the plane finally landed. Then the businessman sitting on the other side of her, who'd been silent the entire flight, remarked that he'd enjoyed our conversation. "It cleared my fear out," he said. "I was scared too. I wanted to hold Sue's hand!" When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my e-mail address.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few days later, I received an e-mail.
……
I decided to be a person like Sue.
