Best Education Apps for Android
Mobile technology, which is one of the most revolutionary productivity tools of all time, is an amazing way to help further your education. You can use your smartphones and tablets to help teach yourself new skills and learn new things. Here are some of the best education apps for Android.
SoloLearn
Price: Free
SoloLearn has tons of education courses on computer programming. All of them teach you a computer language. There is a range of languages available, including Python, Java, C++ and even JavaScrip. If you're into computer programming at all, you should look into these.
Quizlet
Price: Free
Quizlet is arguably the best flashcards app out there. You can use it for virtually any topic. You can practice terms for your class, memorize vocabulary terms, and more. It also includes foreign language support, images and audio, and you can share flashcards with friends.
EdX
Price: Free
EdX offers courses from actual colleges, including computer programming, engineering, history, psychology, nutrition, statistics, and hundreds of others. It features online or offline video lectures, course announcements and handouts, and various tutorials. Anyone looking for higher education should have this app right now.
Khan Academy
Price: Free
Khan Academy is another education platform. It currently boasts over 10,000 instructional videos, classes, and other content. It deals with more typical education, such as mathematics, economics, history, science, and more. There is also a version specifically for younger kids and we highly recommend that one as well.
If we missed any of the best education apps for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can find our latest app lists by referring to the link here.
When Ariel Cordova-Rojas rode her bike to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York, last November, she planned to go hiking and bird-watching. Bingo! A mile into her walk, she spotted a gorgeous female swan near the water's edge. Cordova-Rojas, 30, who had worked at the Wild Bird Fund care center in Manhattan, knew that swans can be aggressive. But as she approached this one, it didn't move.
She was certain that the bird needed medical attention. Cordova-Rojas wrapped her jacket around the bird's head to keep it calm, carefully picked it up, and cradled it in her arms. And then a thought struck her: What do I do now?
Her best bet was the care center, but that was across the East River and clear on the other side of town. How was she going to transport a 17-pound swan on her bike all that way? Luckily, some strangers driving by offered her, her bike, and the swan a lift to a nearby subway station.
On the subway, no one seemed particularly disturbed by the feathered passenger. One guy, says Cordova-Rojas, was "sitting right in front of me on his phone. I don't know if he noticed there was a swan in front of him." And then the animal-care manager picked her up at the subway station. There, staff members determined that the swan might have lead poisoning, caused by eating weights used on fishing lines.
The staff got the swan back up on her feet. She even made a boyfriend at the center—another injured swan. Sadly, the swan got a bacterial infection later. Two months after Cordova-Rojas came to her rescue, she passed away.
It's a disappointing ending, but the real story is just how far some people are willing to go to save a swan in the big city—literally.
Research into whether the human voice helps plants isn't conclusive. Even so, there are convincing reasons that chatting with your houseplants is good for them—and you.
In a 2022 survey by trees.com, 50 percent of the 1250 respondents reported talking to their plants. When asked why, 65 percent said they believe it helps them grow. The research, however, isn't definitive about this point. While studies have found that vibrations (震动) caused by sound do affect plants, the jury is still out on whether the human voice offers any specific benefit.
For many plant owners, though, the science is beside the point. Marquis Matson, co-founder of the blog the Indoor Nursery, says she talks to her plants every day because "it feels nice and I think plants get a sense of community from my talking to them and that keeps them going". On the plant side, a study in a 2003 issue of the journal Ultrasonics investigated the effects of the classical music and the sounds of birds, insects and water on the growth of Chinese cabbage and cucumber. Both forms of sound exposure increased the vegetables' growth. In a 2015 study, researchers exposed marigold (金盏花) and chickpea (鹰嘴豆) plants to light Indian music as well as to traffic noise. They found that both types of plants grew and developed better after being exposed to the music for four hours per day, but not to the traffic sounds. "Plants definitely respond to vibrations in their environment—which can cause plants to grow differently and become more resistant to falling over," says Heidi Appel, leader of the study. She points out, "While sound absolutely matters to plants, we don't know if talking to them makes them grow differently."
Despite the lack of studies and evidence about the benefits of talking to your plants, there is at least one theoretical bonus, "If we identify with a living organism that we're taking care of, we're going to take better care of it and help them thrive," Appel says.
Even the greatest writers had to sometimes trick themselves into writing. John Steinbeck, for one, couldn't put words to paper unless he had 12 perfectly sharpened pencils lined up on his desk. German philosopher Friedrich Schiller "could not live or work" without a drawer full of rotting apples nearby—a fact his poor friend Goethe discovered by following a strange, unpleasant smell to its source in Schiller's study. Even Virginia Woolf relied on a custom-made (定制的) standing desk—not for any health benefits, but because her sister, a painter, worked standing all day, and Virginia hated to appear any less hard-working.
The magic here is not in the pencils, or the standing, or even the rotting apples: It's in the ritual (仪式). Rituals are powerful drivers of behavior, and there's increasingly more research to back it up. Studies have shown that a ritual toast before a drink can make the drink taste better, ritual journaling can reduce stress while promoting a more positive view, and any ritual behavior that establishes the start of a process can help us push through delay and get rid of anxiety. Some rituals can even improve our performance in tasks tied to personal identity. In this case, it may be as simple as writing with a lucky pen.
Across several studies, researchers had students complete a variety of physical and mental challenges, sometimes with the help of "lucky" objects that reinforced a part of their identity; for example, a drinking coaster (杯垫) decorated with a picture of an athlete might be given to a student to use during a coaster-flipping game. The question was: Can custom-made equipment have an impact on success? The answer seems to be yes. According to Scientific American: Even though participants did not expect any benefit, they got higher scores using a customized pen, and they played a beer-coaster flipping game better with customized coasters.
It is worth noting that the effect worked best when those customized objects had a strong connection to some part of the student's purpose. One of the study authors, professor Martin Schreier explains, "If there is a connection between the goal and the identity, then you are more motivated to achieve this goal because you can be sure of this part of the identity."
Five Nutrition Myths and What Health Experts Want You to Know Instead
If you're looking to improve your diet and achieve your health goals, keep reading to find out what you need to know.
MYTH 1: All fat is bad.
By the 1980s, doctors, government health experts, the food industry and the media were reporting that a low-fat diet could benefit everyone. As a result, many people replaced calories from fat with calories from refined carbohydrates such as white flour and added sugar. Examples of those include monounsaturated (单元不饱和的) fats found in olive oil, certain nuts and seeds.
MYTH 2:
While the nutrition of plant-based drinks can vary, many have more added ingredients which can contribute to poor health than cow's milk. Typically, cow's milk has about eight grams of protein per 250 millilitres. Almond drinks on the other hand, typically has one or two grams in the same amount.
MYTH 3: Potatoes are bad for you.
Potatoes have often been defamed in the nutrition community because of their high glycemic index (血糖指数), which can increase your blood sugar sharply. They are also inexpensive and available year-round in grocery stores.
MYTH 4: "Calories in, calories out" is the most important factor for maintaining weight.
But research does not suggest that eating more will result in becoming overweight or obese. Rather, it's the types of foods we eat that may be the long-term drivers of those conditions.
MYTH 5: Fresh fruits and vegetables are always healthier than canned, frozen or dried varieties.
Research has found that frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. However, some canned, frozen and dried varieties contain added sugars, saturated (饱和的) fats and sodium, so be sure to read nutrition labels, especially on prepared foods.
A. All drinks are nutritious.
B. They can also be a money saver.
C. Plant drinks are healthier than dairy milk.
D. In reality, healthy fats help reduce your risk.
E. It's true that extra-processed foods can lead to weight gain.
F. However, they are rich in vitamin C, fibre and other nutrients.
G. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will probably lose weight.
I am a professor of psychology. Some time ago, I got halfway through a day of teaching before a co-worker pointed out to me I was quite 1 wearing a different pair of shoes, one red and one black. I felt so 2 and upset but I would have to go to teach my 3 like this. When I noticed how much I wanted to disappear and avoid this 4 , I was determined to face it 5 . I walked into class and 6 to the students that I was wearing two shoes from 7 pairs, and directed their attention to my feet. Everyone laughed and we went on with class. Years later, a 8 in that class told me that this was the moment she first thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be a professor, too.
I 9 my mistake because I realized that trying to hide it was weakening my ability to concentrate my mind on my teaching—but I had no idea that it would also help shorten the 10 distance between my students and myself.
Many contexts may 11 or shame people for making mistakes. Our efforts to avoid them 12 our desires for success, and how others will respond to our mistakes. We might feel 13 and shame if we do make some.
However, mistake-making is part of learning new things, and it can 14 us closer to others. It 15 up the possibility of accepting mistakes gladly, letting us be more open and engaged in what we are doing.
Papermaking is one of the four great inventions of ancient China, along with printing, gunpowder and the compass. It is also the crystallization of (wise) of ancient Chinese people. Among various types of handmade paper in China, Xuan paper is famous for its close links to traditional calligraphy and ink paintings.
The term Xuan paper first appeared in On Famous Paintings through the Ages, a book written by Zhang Yanyuan in Tang Dynasty (618-907), he described Xuan paper as ideal carrier for calligraphy and painting. Handmade Xuan paper from Jingxian county, East China's Anhui province, (list) as a present to the imperial court for its supreme quality during the period.
The traditional craft of making Xuan paper is extremely (demand). Sandalwood (檀香树) bark, a plant native southern China, goes through 108 (procedure) together with rice straw over the course of three years before it can transform into a batch of fine Xuan paper. The entire procedure is so complex that even the most skilled craftsman can only master limited number of steps.
The flow of ink, both guided and resisted by water, determines the output of Chinese art, and Xuan paper outshines others with its excellent ability (give) full play to ink.
Xuan paper (accompany) the passionate brushstrokes of the Chinese literati (文人) for thousands of years. Unlike other forms of paper, it is very resistant to the damage brought by time. It is this durability has made the preservation of many valuable works from ancient China possible.
When starting my sixth-grade year, I was nervous about many things. But nothing compared to the problem that I got to the age where my voice started changing. At first, the voice getting deep excited me. But then I learned before getting deeper, it can crack (变嘶哑).
The first time it happened I was so embarrassed. Surprisingly, my friends didn't make fun of me. In fact, they didn't even mention it. But in my self-conscious sixth-grade mind I was certain they made fun of me behind my back. They weren't having the same problem.
After my first voice crack experience, I was determined to make sure it wouldn't happen again. At least not in public. So, except for strategic times I said, "cool" and "yeah", I didn't talk. My logic was, "If I don't use my voice, it cannot crack." However, I couldn't go without talking forever. I needed a new solution.
I began clearing my throat before speaking, which actually seemed to help. Limiting how much I spoke and clearing my voice made me much less stressful. This was great but there was a larger problem. I was much more scared about having a voice crack during class. My class had many new kids I'd never spoken with. I didn't want their first impressions of me to be based on a voice crack.
Unfortunately, one day my concern came true. It was about two months after the beginning of the term. On the day it happened everything was the same as always until I got into the classroom. I noticed that we had a substitute teacher (代课老师) and immediately started thinking about how he would take attendance. My permanent teacher never had to, since he already knew each student, I panicked. So many thoughts rushed through my mind that I couldn't think straight. I calmed myself down by telling myself that I only had to say one word "Here". "Easy enough, right?" I thought so until my name was called. I did my routine—cleared my throat, took a breath, and said, "Here." The only problem was that while saying this, I had the worst voice crack in the history of voice cracks.
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。
The whole class turned to look at me.
……
"You know, the voice problem you met in class is normal," a classmate came to me and said.
