Blog
Trivia of the Week: Leap Year
One year is 365 days long, but the Earth does not take exactly 365 days to go around the sun once. To keep the seasons from slowly shifting into different months, we must add an extra day every four years. The day we add is February 29. Most years, February only has...
Idiom of the Week: All Greek to Me
Husband: How do you set the clock on this gadget? Wife: Well, I have the instruction manual, but it’s all Greek to me. Husband: Let’s just get the kids to do it. Most English speakers don’t know any Greek at all. When they see something they don’t understand in the...
Word of the Week: Icicle
Icicles are long pointed pieces of ice that hang downward. They form when dripping water freezes. If you live in a place that gets cold in winter, you might see them on the edge of your roof! Do you see icicles in winter? What places are too warm to form icicles even...
Picture of the Week: Montmorency Falls
This waterfall is located in Quebec, Canada. It is 84 meters high, higher than Niagara Falls. Where can you see waterfalls in Japan? Are there any near you?...
Phrase of the Week: Not Much of a Musician
Bill: Look, I found a clarinet in the attic. Ted: Can you play it? Bill: *SQEUAK HONK BLAT* Bill: I guess I’m not much of a musician. If you are not a very good writer, you are not much of a writer. If I build a secret base, but it is just a cardboard box in my living...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
I was able to catch a ______ of my favorite movie star as he went into the hotel. A. glimpse B. look C. stare D. gaze...
Trivia of the Week: Peace Symbol
On this day in 1958, the peace symbol was designed to protest nuclear weapons. The symbol comes from semaphore signals for the letters N and D, standing for “nuclear disarmament”. Other things that have been used to symbolize peace are doves, olive branches, white...
Idiom of the Week: Birthday Suit
Jack: My son is such a trouble maker. Martha: Tell me about it. My little Billy escaped from his bath yesterday and ran around the neighborhood in his birthday suit! When a baby is born, it is not wearing any clothes. So your “birthday suit” refers to the clothes you...
Word of the Week: Heartbreak
Last week was Valentine’s Day. Did you give anyone chocolate? Valentine’s is a romantic holiday, but romance always carries the risk of heartbreak. When someone is very sad after being rejected or breaking up, we say their heart is broken....
Picture of the Week: Arctic Fox
The fur of some animals, like this fox, turns white in winter, so that the animal can blend in with the snow. Do you know any other animals that change color with the seasons? 北極ギツネ...
