Blog
Picture of the Week: Butterfly Wing
This is a close-up of a butterfly wing. Butterflies are considered very beautiful because of their large, colorful wings. Butterflies’ wings look flat, but actually they are covered in tiny scales. The scales can come off without hurting the butterfly....
Phrase of the Week: Stick with it
Sally: I’ll take a small coffee. Clerk: You can upgrade to medium for just 25 cents. Sally: No, I’ll stick with the small. To “stick with” something means to not change it or leave it for something else. It can also mean to not give up on something. If you stick with...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
We have plans to _______ our product line. Fill in the blank. A. expand B. expansion C. expend D. expanse 製品ラインを増やす（広める）予定があります。 「To」の後は動詞が必要です。ＢとＤは名詞なのでアウトです。Ｂは広める行為や広めたものです。Ｄは広いところ、大きな平たい場所です。Ｃは似ていても「広める」とは関係ない動詞です。（意味は「使う、費やす」です）残るＡが正解です。 Do more TOEIC practice...
Trivia of the Week: Break a Leg!
In theater, it is bad luck to tell someone “good luck” before they go on stage. So instead of saying “good luck”, people say “break a leg”! It would be very bad luck if you broke your leg while on stage, but it really means the opposite. It started in theater, but now...
Idiom of the Week: Best of Both Worlds
Lisa: I think I’ll get cake. Thelma: I feel like ice cream today. Penny: I’m getting pancakes. They have ice cream on top, so it’s the best of both worlds! When something combines the good points of two other things, we say it’s “the best of both worlds.”...
Word of the Week: Backfire
Wilson: How is your family restaurant doing? George: My plan to attract kids with toys completely backfired. The kids are shooting their toy guns in the store and driving away all the other customers. When an action has the opposite result from what was intended, we...
Picture of the Week: Flower Buds
Many flowers bloom in spring. Before a flower can bloom on a tree or plant, a bud must form. After the bud is ready, the petals unfold and the flower blooms. A flower bud is a symbol of birth and potential....
Phrase of the Week: Anything but that
Mom: Joey, you’re grounded! No video games for a week! Joey: No! Anything but that! Joey would prefer any other punishment than losing his video games. When someone proposes the worst possible thing, any other option at all would be better. Of course, it is a little...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
We have a strictly policy against accepting returns when the box has been opened. Where is the mistake? A. a strictly policy B. against accepting C. when the box D. has been opened 開封済みの商品の返品は承らないという厳密な方針があります。 どこが間違いでしょうか？...
Trivia of the Week: Once, Twice, Three Times
Father: How many times in a row can you say “rubber baby buggy bumpers”? Son: Rubber baby buggy bumpers! Father: That’s once. Son: Rubber baby buggy bumpers! Father: That’s twice. Son: Rubber baby buggy bumpers! Father: That’s thrice. Son: Rubber beggy bupper buggers!...
