Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 27, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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First ConditionalFirst conditional sentences contain a conditional verb in the simple present tense in the "if clause," and a future tense verb preceded by the auxiliary verb "will" in the main clause. What are first conditional sentences used to explain? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cities of RefugeCities of refuge were towns in the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah in which the perpetrators of manslaughter could claim the right of asylum. Outside of these cities, blood vengeance against such perpetrators was allowed by law. According to some regulations, perpetrators who had claimed asylum were to be taken from the city and put on trial; if found innocent, they were to be returned safely to the city of refuge, which they could ultimately leave without fear of harm when what happened? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Radio City Music Hall Opens in New York City (1932)Developed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the Radio Corporation of America, and the creator of the Roxy Theatre, New York's landmark Radio City Music Hall opened with a lavish variety show that was not well received. Instead, the world's largest indoor theater began showing movies with accompanying stage spectacles. Recently, it has focused on concerts and live events such as the Grammy Awards. Its annual Christmas show remains a popular tourist attraction. What was the first film shown there? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Louis Pasteur (1822)Perhaps best remembered for developing the pasteurization process, Pasteur was a French microbiologist who made great strides in keeping people safe by revolutionizing contemporary thinking about diseases. He proved that food spoilage was due to exposure to microorganisms, leading to the use of heat pasteurization to kill bacteria. He developed vaccines against anthrax, cholera, and rabies, and his work on silkworm diseases saved the French silk industry. What was "Pasteur's Deception"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If there is one thing worse that the modern weakening of major morals, it is the modern strengthening of minor morals. Thus it is considered more withering to accuse a man of bad taste than of bad ethics.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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live in an/(one's) ivory tower— To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Second Night of Kwanzaa (2017)Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration of family and black culture. Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Families gather in the evenings to discuss the principle of the day, and then light a black, red, or green candle and place it in a candleholder called a kinara. On the evening of Dec. 31, families join for a feast called the karamu. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pinkpink - If you pink your eyes, you half-shut them. More... in the pink - Comes from the English foxhunting tradition; people who foxhunt often wear scarlet jackets and are called pinks—so if you are in the pink, you are about to set off to gallop your horse across country. More... incarnadine - Can mean "flesh-colored or pink," but also "crimson, blood-red." More... pink - The color gets its name from the flowering plant of the same name. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Cosmic Rays from Exploding Stars Create Clouds and Heat the EarthParticles from exploding stars can create clouds over Earth, which heat up our planet, scientists have discovered. When charged particles from solar rays and supernovae mingle with aerosols, they make clouds gather in a process never described before. "Finally ... More... | |