Parrots are known for being able to copy some of the sounds that people make — they might squawk "hello" or "how are you?" if they get used to hearing words and phrases like these. They might even say some rude things!

Some birds are also able to learn the names for objects — and identify them.

And a 5-year-old parrot in the US has been recognized by Guinness World Records after correctly identifying 12 objects in three minutes.

That record-breaking bird is an African gray parrot named Apollo, who lives in Florida. He can identify things like books, bugs and socks.

He's become popular on TikTok, where he has about 3 million followers. He also has around 1.5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel called "Apollo and Frens."

And a TikTok video of Apollo asking questions from 2023 has been watched 66 million times.

Apollo actually broke the record in 2023 but he's among the stars in the Guinness World Records book that was released in September.

The parrot is owned by a couple named Dalton and Victoria Mason. They're content creators and they've been working hard to train the bird.

The owners say they teach Apollo as if he were a child of preschool age.

"We teach him as much as we can," the couple told Guinness, adding that they focus on things that Apollo wants to focus on.

Researchers have found that some African gray parrots are able to do better at some cognitive tasks than 5-year-old children.

And Apollo's owners plan to keep teaching the bird to see how much he can learn and how many more records he can break.




Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Record-Breaking Parrot Can Identify and Name Objects

There are many expressions about apples. You might have heard that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," or if you care about someone a lot, you might call them "the apple of my eye." Here are a few more apple expressions!

If you're surprised that something has happened, or have just beaten someone at something and want to gloat, you can say, "How do you like them apples?" This expression, which uses incorrect grammar, was made popular by the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, but it's been used for over 100 years.

So if the best tennis player in your school has been laughing at your tennis skills, but you beat them in a match, you might say, "How do you like them apples?"

If you want a second chance at something, you could ask for a "second bite of the apple," or a "second bite of the cherry."

So if the top tennis player wants another chance to beat you, you can say, "Okay, I'll give you a second bite of the apple. Let's play again tomorrow."

When someone or something destroys a plan, or makes something difficult, you can say they have "upset the apple cart." This expression has been around since the 18th century, and probably comes from an older Roman expression, "upset the cart," which had the same meaning.

So if it rains the next day, you might say, "Oh no! We were going to play tennis today, but this rain has upset the apple cart!"

Expressions to Give You a 'Second Bite of the Apple'

Tacos are a favorite dish for many people, but making the perfect taco takes a little more than just throwing ingredients together.

So here are a few easy tips to help you create delicious tacos every time!

Choose the right tortillas
MasterChef judge and Mexican cuisine expert Aarón Sánchez says there are three important elements to making the perfect taco — the tortilla, the fillings, and the toppings.

You should choose what kind of tortilla to use depending on what kinds of fillings you have, Sánchez told Tasting Table.

If your filling "has fur or is meat," you should use flour tortillas, because they're thicker and won't rip as easily. For all other, lighter fillings, like vegetables or beans, a corn tortilla is best.

Traditional Mexican tacos are almost always made with soft tortillas — not the hard shells that have become popular in America.

Use two tortillas for each taco
If you've ever ordered from a taco truck, you might have noticed that there are two tortilla wraps around your taco. This is to keep the taco together. If one of the tortillas rips or breaks, your fillings won't fall out and make a mess!

Add something pickled
Sánchez adds pickled food to his tacos, to add a bright, tangy taste that balances out the rich meat and cheese.

And it's easy to make your own pickled toppings! Take any leftover vegetables you have, put them in a mix of equal parts water and vinegar, add some sugar, salt and spices, then put it all in a sealed jar. After a day or two, you'll have your own fresh pickled vegetables!

Spread your toppings early
If you like sour cream or guacamole on your tacos, instead of putting them on top of your finished taco, try spreading them on your tortilla before you wrap it. This helps hold the fillings in place, and ensures that you get sour cream or guacamole with every bite!

Tips for Making Perfect Tacos Every Time

One of Coca-Cola's many taglines was: "You can't beat the real thing." The company was trying to say that even though there were a lot of similar drinks, none of them was as good as the "real" Coke.

You might not agree. But when it comes to art, researchers in the Netherlands think it's true — you can't beat the real thing.

A small study has found that real artworks stimulate the brain much more than posters or prints of the same work.

The Mauritshuis ("MAO-rits-haus") Museum in The Hague commissioned the study. The museum's best-known artwork is Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer.

Researchers showed this artwork and four others to 20 people. While they were looking at the paintings, their brain activity was measured using a brain scanner.

The participants were also asked to look at posters of those same five artworks. The researchers compared their brain activity when looking at the real artworks and when looking at the posters.

They found that when looking at the real artworks, participants had an emotional response that was 10 times stronger compared to when they were looking at the posters.

Martine Gosselink from the museum said this was an "enormous difference." She said they had thought that looking at the real thing might give people a richer experience, but now "we can really say that it is true."

The researchers said the real art caused a strong emotional response in a part of the brain called the precuneus. This part of the brain is involved with self-reflection and personal memories.

Some have said that this research demonstrates the importance of museums and galleries for people of all ages.

Study: Real Art Stimulates Brain More than Posters

Spanish star Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 38, he has announced.

Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including the French Open 14 times.

He has been one of the greatest players of the modern game, sharing his time at the top with his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The tennis world has long debated which man should be called the "Greatest of All Time" — or "GOAT."

Nadal hasn't been able to compete much during the past two seasons because of injuries. He has entered just two of the last eight major tournaments.

He said that next month's Davis Cup finals — when he'll play for Spain — will be his final tournament.

"It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," he said. "But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end."

Nadal was known for his physical style of play — he played every point as though it were his last, but he was especially strong on clay courts.

There is a statue of Nadal outside those slow, red courts in Paris on which he enjoyed so much success.

As well as his French Open titles, he won the US Open four times and won Wimbledon and the Australian Open twice each.

"I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined," Nadal said.

His last major title came in Paris in June 2022. Nadal's tally of Grand Slams has since been surpassed by Djokovic, who has now won 24 majors.

In total, the Spaniard won 92 singles titles, spent 209 weeks as the world's number one player and earned almost $135 million in prize money.

He said: "Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true."

Rafael Nadal Retires from Professional Tennis at 38

An annual event involving dirt, beer and cash once again drew dozens of competitors to a ski resort in Maine on October 12.

More than 30 couples competed in the North American Wife Carrying Championship, a 254-meter race during which competitors splash through water, jump over logs and trudge through mud — all while carrying their partner on their backs or shoulders.

The event began in Finland, with the first official event taking place in 1992. It has grown in popularity since then — the World Championship is held annually in the region of Sonkajärvi, and the North American Championship has taken place in Maine every year since 1999.

Traditionally, the Finnish event involved male competitors carrying a woman. At the competition in Maine, couples didn't have to be married to compete, nor did they have to be a man and a woman.

One participant — the carrier — was dressed as Mr Incredible, while his "wife" was dressed in pink. They and others were cheered on by crowds on both sides of the course at Sunday River ski resort.

Most of the participants use a technique in which the "wife" is carried like a backpack — upside down — to keep their arms free as they run. Wearing smiles and grimaces, competitors end up wet and muddy.

The champion leaves with the weight of the "wife" in beer and five times their weight in cash. To estimate the amount they win, the winning partner is put on one side of a see-saw-like scale that organizers balance out on the other side with cases of beer.

"We come each year for the fun," said Wade Porterfield of Cuba, New York, who competed with his wife, Sara Porterfield. "There is really a low chance of us winning. Pretty much everybody cheers everybody on and it's a blast."