If you are looking for apps to learn English for studying abroad, you might be confused. There are so many apps to choose from. How can you decide which English language learning app is right for you? Our list of top four favourite apps to improve your English will help.
Hello English —Best app for middle learners
If you already understand the basics but want to improve your English, this app is for you. Hello English starts with a language test, and then serves up English lessons based on your test results. Hello English supports learners with 23 native languages and lets you play games, watch videos and listen to audio books, too.
Fluent U-Best media-based app
This app sources English-language videos from the real world — including news, music videos and commercials —to help you learn English. Interactive captions （字幕） allow you to tap any word and see more information about it.
Rosetta Stone—Most multi-use app
This award-winning English language learning app teaches vocabulary and English grammar. Rosetta Stone includes lessons on pronunciation so you can improve your English accent. You can also download audio lessons to learn offline.
Duolingo—Most fun app
This personalised English-learning app turns studying into a game. Earn virtual coins to unlock new levels and spend them on fun upgrades. An animated owl （动画猫头鹰） keeps you company and encourages you as you learn. When you have questions, get help from fellow students inside the app using the Duolingo message boards.
Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They found that miscommunication was always possible, even over something as simple as "yes" and "no"
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren't paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, "Do you have cold drinks?" The woman there didn't say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her. She had raised her eyebrows（眉毛）, which in Micronesia means "yes".
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, "Do you have cabbage today?" He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a no d means "no".
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean "yes" or "no".
For many kids, the Internet is at their fingertips. From computers to smartphones, a web of information is open to them. According to a new report, about three out of four kids aged 12 to 15 connect the Internet using a mobile device from time to time. Many younger kids are online too.
Julian Zeitlinger, 9, from New Jersey, uses his computer to watch videos and play games. To keep him safe online, his parents monitor his web use and discuss Internet safety with him. "I ask my parents whether something is nice or bad." Julian says.
Mobile devices offer more ways than ever to share personal information. The information can be dangerous in the wrong hands. A study found that 62% of children aged 8 to 17 have had an unpleasant online experience.
Have you ever had to enter a parent's e-mail address when signing up for a website? That safety measure is there because of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act(COPPA). The law says sites for kids under 13 cannot collect personal information, such as a phone number or full name, without a parent's permission.
This July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will update COPPA for the first time since the law was created in 1998 when there were no smart phones. The nature of the way kids get online has changed, FTC lawyer Phyllis Marcus said.
When the changes take effect, COPPA will apply to mobile devices and newer forms of advertising. It will expand what falls under "personal information" to include videos, photographs, and services that give users location.
COPPA doesn't cover everything that can go wrong online. That is why kids and parents need to know what to look out for and to stop and think before sharing information online.
"There is a misunderstanding that if a site is following COPPA, it is totally safe," says privacy expert ShaiSamet. He runs kidSAFE, which checks whether a site meets kidSAFE standards and is safe. "It's important that kids know how useful the Internet is but that it also can be dangerous if you are not careful." he adds.
Stores play music to change the way customers feel. Clothing stores for teenagers play popular music. It is exciting and makes the customers feel happy, but music does more than that. It can change the way a person shops.
According to studies, the volume（音量） of music changes how people shop. Customers shop quickly when store music is very loud. They hurry through the store, but they buy just as much. When music is quiet, customers shop slowly. Customers take time to look at the products and talk with the salespeople. Quiet music is good for products that take time and information to buy.
Slow music makes people slow down. In restaurants with slow music, customers spend more time eating. Slow music also slows down customers in supermarkets. Customers notice more products as they walk through the store. With slow music in supermarkets, sales go up by 38 percent.
Familiar music gives shoppers a good idea of time. People know the beginning, middle, and end of a familiar song. When customers hear music that is not familiar, they don't notice the time. When they don't notice the time, they spend more time shopping and buy more. People remember past experiences and feelings when they hear familiar music. Many stores play old, happy music so customers feel good. When customers hear new music, they forget about the world outside of the store. Some stores use new music so their customers relax while they shop.
Stores choose music that fits their products. A bookstore plays classical music and jazz. It gives the store a serious and intelligent feeling.
How to Avoid an Internet Addiction
While it may seem like everyone surfs the web these days, there is a fine line between casually checking your social media pages and having a full-blown Internet addiction. If you fear that you may lose interest in other aspects of your life because you prefer to be on the Internet, you may be on your way to an Internet addiction. .
Admit you are at risk of an addiction.
More and more people in the world are becoming addicted to the Internet. You are not the only one with this problem, and it is becoming more and more common and more and more well-known..
Set aside limited time for computer use.
Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. If you have a laptop, make sure to put it somewhere that you can remember but not somewhere that you see every day. Try keeping it closed when you are not using it.. If you have a desktop PC, try not to go near it or put something over it like a sheet.
Call people instead of sending instant messages or texts.
If you are free on weekends, call friends and ask them to go outside. This will distract you from the computer. .
Use an alarm clock or timer.
Before using your computer, decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock or timer and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up. Alternatively create a shutdown time r on your desktop..
A. Make a small list of what you want to do within that time.
B. When the computer is not looking at you, you are less likely to use it.
C. This can be programmed to shut down your computer after the set time.
D. Do not be embarrassed; find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.
E. This will stop you from using the Internet so often or going on to another page.
F. If you have a problem on weekdays, phone your friends or ask for help in person.
G. Luckily, there are ways to avoid living your life in front of the computer.
The four people have persuaded companies to give them £250,000 worth of toys and food — for nothing. And next Monday, they are going to 1 them to every house across north London. David Goodfellow and his three friends, Benny Crane, James Hunter and Callum Teach, call themselves "The Kindness Offensive". They specialize in 2 random acts of kindness for total 3 .
According to them, it is remarkably easy to get toys and food to 4 , if you persist. "You simply phone 5 manufacturers to see if they are willing to donate something." Mr. Goodfellow explains. "Our phone bills are enormous, but 6 you meet someone kind and nice."
The four friends 7 their work together a year ago. "At first, most people deeply doubted it," said Mr. Crane, a musician. "They didn't think we'd 8 our promises." But the group soon learned how to do it properly and convince people of their good 9 .
Their first successful "kindness act" was to help 10 a boy's dream of watching a football match and, last October, they gave free food to 11 seekers. "We've met people struggling just to live." said Mr. Hunter, "they 12 want to contribute to society but they can't work and they don't find it easy even to buy food."
The Kindness Offensive tries to 13 media exposure（接触媒体） but they would like to see more people performing kind deeds for one another. "What I've learnt is that 14 is influential," David's father said, "15 you do good deeds, you'll get a lot out of it and others will follow."
China has once again proved its (able) to change the world with the "four great new inventions": high-speed railways, electronic payments, shared bicycles and online shopping. They're related to China's high-tech innovation (创新), has improved the quality of people's lives, according to a survey (make) by the Belt and Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
"My wallet is no longer in use. I can buy and eat whatever I want simply with a fingertip on my phone," said university student, adding that "even pancake sellers are using mobile payment."
The bikes (them) are not new, but the operating model of bike-sharing (base) on satellite navigation system (卫星导航系统), mobile payment, big data and other high technologies.
China has entered a new innovative era, thanks to the large amounts of capital China has invested in (encourage) innovation, said Bernhard Schwartlander, WHO Representative in China.
It is increasingly clear that China is innovating and no longer copying Western ideas. This is especially true in mobile, where China is leading many ways such as social messaging app WeChat, Rebacca Fannin, founder of Silicon Dragon, said. This is partly because China skipped over the PC era and went (direct) to mobile. China has a (large) mobile use than any other country in the world.
When the shrill（尖锐的） ring of the phone echoed （回响） through the living room, Jane was still sleeping. She slowly opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was already nine o'clock! Though still sleepy, Jane knew she had to get up because her mother had been working in her office day and night for several days and she couldn't expect her younger brother Tom, who was sleeping like a pig, to answer the phone. She quickly put on a coat and dashed into the living room. As she picked up the receiver, on the other end came the warm greeting, "Good morning, my dear!"
It was the voice of her father, a sea man who seldom returned home due to his duties earning money to support the family. On hearing her father's voice, Jane's sleepiness disappeared.
Born in a not-so-rich family, Jane and Tom felt the stress of life, but they were happy to enjoy the family atmosphere. At school, they were straight-A students and took part in various after-school activities, earning the pride of their loved ones.
"Good morning, Dad. Why are you calling so early on a weekend?" Jane inquired, pretending to be slightly annoyed. "Tom and I have been very nice recently." "My dear, today is your mother's birthday. I have ordered a cake online and it will arrive at our doorstep in the late afternoon. Do remember to take the cake. It is my surprise for your mother."
Upon hearing her father's words, Jane felt a twinge of embarrassment. How could she have forgotten such an important day!
While chatting with her father, Jane's gaze （凝视） wandered around the room and saw a lot of dirty clothes scattered （散落） on the sofa. The floor hadn't been cleaned for a few days since her mother had been too busy with work this week to attend to such domestic matters.
Glancing at the clock again, Jane realized she still had enough time to prepare a surprise for her mother.
"Well, Dad, now I'm going to wake Tom up. We will give Mum a surprise, too!" Jane said and hung up the telephone.
注意：1）续写词数应为150个左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph1:
Jane hurried to Tom's room and shared her plan with him.
Paragraph2:
"Happy birthday, Mum!" Jane and Tom shouted when their mother opened the door.
