Many Americans use smartphones for most or all of their day-to-day communication activities. But how fast are we at using an electronic device? A new study has some answers. A team of researchers carried out an experiment. It involved more than 37, 000 volunteers from over 160 countries.

On average, the volunteers estimated (估计) they spent about six hours a day using their phones. The majority said they used two thumbs (拇指) to write messages. Both Android and iPhone users were tested, and most said they used the device's standard keyboard. The volunteers were given 15 English sentences to type out on their phones as quickly and accurately (精确地) as possible. The research team found that on average, people wrote about 36 words per minute. Those tested made a typing mistake 2.3 percent of the time.

The researchers noted that 36 words per minute is about 25 percent slower than the average rate for people using a computer keyboard. But the fastest phone typists reached speeds of over 80 words per minute. Subjects who reported using two thumbs or two fingers reached speeds of 38 words per minute. Those who said they used only one finger typed 29 words per minute. Among age groups, the fastest typists on an electronic device were between 10 and 19 years old.

Researchers said it makes sense that younger people have higher typing speeds because they generally spend a lot more time on their devices. “Such a large quantity of experience contributes to the development of the typing skill, ” they said. “And it explains why young people — who spend more time with social media, communicating with each other — are picking up higher speeds. ”

The researchers call the difference between typing words on a smartphone and a physical keyboard “the typing gap”. They predict this gap will further narrow (变窄) in the future as people get less skilled with keyboards and as smart methods for typing on devices continue to improve.

Uber has introduced a motorcycle taxi service in the over-crowded streets of Bangkok.

The move is an effort to respond to what competitor Grab is doing, and Grab already offers a motorcycle option in the Thai capital, called GrabBike.

It isn't Uber's first go at motorcycles. In 2012, the company launched a moto-taxi option in Paris for a few weeks as a short-term experiment. It hasn't tried another motorcycle feature until the Bangkok one, which it has designed for cities in developing countries like Thailand.

Motorbike rides can now be requested like any other Uber taxi on the app in three central Bangkok neighborhoods, and the driver will even show up with a helmet for the passenger.

"Motorcycles are part of the commuting(通勤)culture in Thailand," Douglas Ma said in a Statement, "The new service would create tens of thousands of flexible work opportunities for Thais."

Fares start at 10 baht(28 US cents), and cost an additional 3. 50 baht for each kilometer and 0. 85 baht per minute for every ride—cheaper than the car service.

Bangkok residents reported varying degrees of success at finding available motorcycle taxis in the city after the feature launched Wednesday(February 24, 2016), ranging from a few minutes away to none at all. Uber declined to comment on how many motorcycles are available through the app.

The startup said it has plans to roll out the motorcycle service in other cities in the near future, but it wouldn't clearly state which ones. The taxi -hailing app is in over a dozen Southeast Asian locations, including Bali, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.

As the most wonderful tools for learning and teaching English, iPads appeal to more and more students who use them to access online resources in their classrooms. With the help of the thousands of education and language apps available in Apple's app store, students make effective use of the iPad to learn in an interactive environment. Given below is a list of some of the best iPad apps for learning and teaching English.

Grammar Up

Grammar is the heart of any language and, thus, the Grammar Up app is one of the most highly recommended apps for English Learners. This app is specifically designed for people who want to improve their grammar, vocabulary and word selection. It consists of more than 1800 multiple-choice questions grouped under twenty different grammar categories.

Learn English The Fun Way

"Learn English the fun way" is an amazing app for grammar and matching lessons in which English learners get to do simple exercises such as matching an animal or a short description of something to its picture.

SpeakingPal

Recommended as one of the best apps for English educators and learners, SpeakingPal allows users to record and compare their speech with a native English speaker. This amazing app combines video with automatic speech recognition software that tests your English speaking skills. You just have to speak with a video character and get immediate response on how well you said and pronounced all your English words. In short, this app basically understands and rates your speech.

Wordflex Touch Dictionar

Turn your word-meanings search into a fun experience with the Wordflex Touch Dictionary app! Developed exclusively for iPad in association with the Oxford University Press, the Wordflex Touch Dictionary app converts your word entries into attractive trees which you can move, drag, share and reorganize using touch gestures. This app is among the best as it also contains audio pronunciations both in UK and US English, which is a great benefit for English learners.

iBooks

iBooks is a complete book library for the iPad users. It includes the iBookstore and allows users to download and read books for free. It also allows users to save their favorite classics for free. The app features a beautiful bookshelf on which you can browse various books; tap a book to open and read it, and add notes to your favorite paragraphs in the book. You can also create your own texts and upload them into the app.