Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 14, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unornamented
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Present Simple TenseThe present simple tense (also called the "simple present tense") is used when we speak about habits, general facts, and timetables. Most verbs in the present simple tense are in the same form as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Shroud of TurinThe subject of intense study, the Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have been crucified. Though carbon dating places the shroud's origin in the Middle Ages, some believe the image on the cloth is that of Jesus of Nazareth, recorded on the shroud at the time of his proclaimed resurrection. Skeptics, however, have dismissed the shroud as a medieval forgery created using paint or even crude photography. How recently did the shroud undergo carbon dating? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Volvo Car Company Founded (1927)In 1924, Assar Gabrielsson, sales manager at the Swedish ball-bearing manufacturer SKF, and engineer Gustaf Larson decided to build an automobile that could withstand Sweden's rough roads and harsh climate. Their first car—nicknamed "Jakob"—rolled off the line on April 14, 1927, which Volvo considers its founding date. The following year, they created a truck that was immediately popular and contributed to the company's early success. The name Volvo is Latin, not Swedish, and means what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Julie Frances Christie (1941)Christie is a British actress who became an icon of the 1960s "Swinging London" era. Just four years after she made her film debut, she won an Academy Award for her performance in Darling (1965). Throughout the course of her long career, she has been notoriously selective about the roles she accepts and has appeared in such notable films as Dr. Zhivago and Hamlet. After resisting the idea of marriage for many years, Christie finally married for the first time at what age? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A man can never quite understand a boy, even when he has been the boy.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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nature's way of (doing something)— A natural biological process by which something is done or accomplished. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Takayama Matsuri (2025)Held twice a year in Japan, in the spring and the autumn, the Takayama Festival is famous for its elaborately decorated yatai (festival floats), which are adorned with beautiful fabrics, lacquered wood, and patterned metals. Twelve of these floats appear at the April festival, held at Takayama's Hie Shrine, and 11 participate in the October festival. Some yatai feature performances of kabuki (puppet plays), often performed by mechanical marionettes. A highlight of the festival is the parade of gongs known as tokeigaku, which produce a unique kind of folk music. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: terrierwhippet - A cross between a greyhound and a terrier. More... terrier - A dog that "takes the earth" or unearths its prey, from Latin terra, "earth." More... Dobermann, pinscher - Dobermanns are named for German dog breeder Ludwig Dobermann; pinscher means "terrier" in German. More... Jack Russell - A type of terrier—not recognized as a distinct breed— named for the Rev. John Russell (1795-1883) of Devonshire. More... | |