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This channel provides awesome digital resources for English language learners.

  • Native Speakers

    ✅ Let the Cat out of the Bag - to mistakenly reveal a secret
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    ⌛️What's the origin of the phrase?
    - The first recorded use of this phrase comes from a book review in a 1760 edition of London Magazine (which is still published today). The reviewer complains that, “We could have wished that the author had not let the cat out of the bag.” Taking from the context, it seems that the reviewer wished the author had not spoiled a surprise or secret in the book.

    💡There have been a few origin stories put forth about how this idiom came to be:
    1️⃣ The first one, which doesn’t seem likely at all, comes from a proposed market practice. All sorts of livestock were traded in open-air markets during this time, including pigs. Businessmen would sometimes sell piglets in bags. Thus, as this particular origin theory of “let the cat out of the bag” goes, the unscrupulous sellers would sell the “pig” in a bag, but instruct the buyer not to open it until they get home, lest the pig escape.
    The buyer would carry a wiggling bag all the way home, only to have it revealed when opened that they had received a feral cat instead of a piglet. As one could imagine, feral cats were worth (and probably still the case today) far less than a piglet. 🛒

    2️⃣ The Spanish equivalent of this phrase giving a potential origin is slightly more plausible, but still a stretch. “Dar gato por liebre” more or less means “to give a cat for a hare.” Hares were commonly eaten during the 14th and 15th centuries. At least in terms of size, a cat and a rabbit are more similar to one another than pigs and cats. To pull the switcharoo with a rabbit for a feral cat at least seems plausible. Then again, the whole hissing and clawing thing would still be a dead give away, so color me skeptical.🇪🇸

    3️⃣ Another possible explanation for the origin of this phrase, this one at least somewhat plausible, stems from Britain’s infamous Royal Navy. Sailors would often get in trouble with their superiors. In order to keep these salty seamen in line, the Royal Navy would employ the help of a cat o’ nine tails, a whip with nine knotted cotton cords that could inflict pretty serious damage onto one’s back. The “cat,” or sometimes referred to by it’s other nickname “the captain’s daughter,” was often kept in a red cloth bag, as a symbolic gesture, as well as keeping it from drying out due to the sea air.

    When a sailor didn’t perform their duty or when their behavior got out of a line, the captain would order that they be trotted out in front of the entire ship and beaten with the whip. The boatswain’s mate, the one in charge of directing and supervising the crew, would be the one who was to do the flogging. As USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts delicately states, “he would take the cat out of the bag in front of the assembled crew and there would be no secret about what would happen next.”🚢

    As you can tell, there seems to be little consensus on the origin of the idiom. In the end, the most likely explanation could simply be that it derived from a slightly more literal origin with no connection to trickery or metaphors; after all, it really is amazingly difficult to force a cat back into a bag they were trapped in after you let the animal out.🐱
    #Idiom

  • Native Speakers

  • Native Speakers

    http://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/how-information-is-like-snacks-money-and-drugs-to-your-brain/?T=AU
    #DailyArticle - 6 min ⏱
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    <A new study by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has found that information acts on the brain’s dopamine-producing reward system in the same way as money or food.> 👩🏻‍🔬

    “We were able to demonstrate for the first time the existence of a common neural code for information and money, which opens the door to a number of exciting questions about how people consume, and sometimes over-consume, information,”

    Just as we can convert such disparate things as a painting, a steak dinner, and a vacation into a dollar value, the brain converts curiosity about information into the same common code it uses for concrete rewards like money. 💶

    ✅While the research does not directly address overconsumption of digital information, the fact that information engages the brain’s reward system is a necessary condition for the addiction cycle, he says. And it explains why we find those alerts saying we’ve been tagged in a photo so irresistible.

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  • Native Speakers

    ✅ Go back to the drawing board - to start planning something again because the first plan failed
    Ex.: The boss does not like our idea so we must go back to the drawing board.
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    What's the origin of the phrase?
    - This term has been used since WWII as a jocular acceptance that a design has failed and that a new one is needed. It gained common currency quite quickly and began appearing in US newspapers by 1947.

    It was well-enough known by 1966 for it to be used as a title for an episode in the 'Get Smart' TV series, and has also been used as the title of several books.

    A drawing board is, of course, an architect's or draughtsman's table, used for the preparation of designs or blueprints.
    #Idiom

  • Native Speakers

    https://www.psypost.org/2019/06/study-15-minutes-of-meditation-associated-with-similar-effects-as-a-day-of-vacation-53798
    #DailyArticle - 4 min⏱
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    <The study found that both meditation exercises and vacationing were associated with higher levels of wellbeing and increased mindfulness.>🍃

    The researchers examined data provided by 40 university students, who used a guided audio file to meditate for 15 minutes per day for two non-consecutive 2-week phases of the study. During the entire 8-week study, the participants completed a daily survey in the evening that assessed their well-being, emotions, and mindfulness.🎋

    ✅The results are in line with a previous study, which found that mindfulness exercises were better than vacations for stress reduction and mood lifting. But, as with all research, the current study includes some caveats.2

  • Native Speakers

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404074915.htm
    #DailyArticle - 5 min ⏱
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    Just 20 minutes of contact with nature will lower stress hormone levels 🌲🌳

    👩🏻‍🔬"Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature."

    🌎"Our experimental approach can be used as a tool to assess how age, gender, seasonality, physical ability and culture influences the effectiveness of nature experiences on well-being. This will allow customized nature pill prescriptions, as well as a deeper insight on how to design cities and wellbeing programs for the public."

  • Native Speakers

    #What is AI (Artificial intelligence) ?🤖

    - An AI is a computer system that is able to perform tasks that ordinarily require human intelligence. These artificial intelligence systems are powered by machine learning. Many of them are powered by machine learning, some of them are powered by specifically deep learning, some of them are powered by very boring things like just rules.📚

    #Why is Artificial Intelligence important?

    - Artificial intelligence systems are critical for companies looking to extract value from data by automating and optimizing processes or producing actionable insights.📈

  • Native Speakers

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141002123631.htm
    #DailyArticle - 6 min ⏱
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    How curiosity changes the brain to enhance learning 👩🏻‍🔬

    The study revealed three major findings.

    1️⃣ First, as expected, when people were highly curious to find out the answer to a question, they were better at learning that information. More surprising, however, was that once their curiosity was aroused, they showed better learning of entirely unrelated information.

    2️⃣ Second, the investigators found that when curiosity is stimulated, there is increased activity in the brain circuit related to reward.

    3️⃣ Third, the team discovered that when curiosity motivated learning, there was increased activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important for forming new memories.

  • Native Speakers

    #What is FORTUNE ❓/ˈfɔː.tʃuːn/
    1) a large amount of money
    2) a form of fate
    EX.: You want to have the good fortune to make a fortune during your career.

  • Native Speakers

    Travel Week 🌏 ✈️
    Idiom
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    ⛵️ push the boat out - to spend a lot of money on celebrating something

    Ex.: They really pushed the boat out for Annie's wedding.

  • Native Speakers

    http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190317-the-three-values-that-shaped-singapore
    Travel Week 🌏 ✈️
    Original - 10-15 min
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    The three values that shaped Singapore

    🎈Why do people love it?
    - The mix of cultures here allows newcomers, especially Westerners, to adjust quickly. With new restaurants and bars opening weekly, Singapore has no shortage of diverse cuisine reflecting its trading port past, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan, German, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, French and American.
    - The multiculturalism doesn’t stop at the food. Locals even have their own lingo that reflects this melting pot. Though not recognised by the government , Singlish – a creole mix of English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and Tamil.

    🏠What’s it like living there?
    - Unlike in many other big cities, residents rarely worry about theft or violence. With one of the lowest crime rates in the world, even petty street crime is viewed as “a waste of time” .
    - Singapore is also very clean and convenient to get around, with very few traffic jams.
    - The city centre has a career-focused vibe and people move at a fast pace, but it’s easy to escape the hustle when needed.
    - Since the island is relatively small, residents also recommend taking advantage of world-renowned Changi Airport and low airfares.

    ❓What else do I need to know?
    - Singapore has a year-round hot climate that takes adjusting to.
    - Singapore is also notoriously the world’s most expensive place to live ( still, the cost of living in Singapore isn't necessarily in the stratosphere if you live a local lifestyle. )
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    ✅All in all, Singapore shines best when residents make the extra effort to venture outside the sometimes-homogenous urban centre, where malls and identical apartments can seem to stretch on for miles in the larger residential neighbourhoods and commercial streets.

  • Native Speakers

    ✅ To paint the town red - To go out into a city or town and have an enjoyable time, typically by visiting various establishments, such as bars, restaurants, clubs, etc
    Ex.: After our exams finished, we all decided to get dressed up and paint the town red.
    #Idiom

  • Native Speakers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZXgApsPCQ
    #DailyVideo - 15 min
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    "Jia Jiang adventures boldly into a territory so many of us fear: rejection. By seeking out rejection for 100 days -- from asking a stranger to borrow $100 to requesting a "burger refill" at a restaurant -- Jiang desensitized himself to the pain and shame that rejection often brings and, in the process, discovered that simply asking for what you want can open up possibilities where you expect to find dead ends."
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    What I learned from 100 days of rejection | Jia Jiang

    Jia Jiang adventures boldly into a territory so many of us fear: rejection. By seeking out rejection for 100 days -- from asking a stranger to borrow $100 to...

    YouTube

  • Native Speakers

    #What is oblivion? ❓
    - the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    - total forgetfulness
    Ex.: “he sought the great oblivion of sleep”

  • Native Speakers

    ✅A fresh pair of eyes - another person to examine something closely in addition to anyone previously.
    Ex.: I need another pair of eyes to look at my term paper because I always make a lot of spelling mistakes.
    #Idiom

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  • Native Speakers

    http://www.brainfacts.org/Neuroscience-in-Society/Tech-and-the-Brain/2019/Do-Brain-Training-Games-Make-You-Smarter-013019
    #DailyArticle - 5 min
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    👩🏻‍🔬Overall:
    The     pitch is appealing: sharpen your mind with a few minutes of brain games each day. Unfortunately, science suggests this promise is probably too good to be true.

    Brain games likely fall short of the hype because the effects of training are limited. When we practice a skill, the brain adapts, and we tend to get better at that skill. But a long history of research shows this training effect is specific: Getting better at one task won’t make you better at something else. If you play brain games on your computer, you’ll get better at those games — but it’s unlikely to enhance your ability to carry out daily tasks or improve your performance at work or school.

    The best way to keep your brain at its best may instead be to maintain your overall well-being with a healthy diet, exercise, and plenty of sleep.
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  • Native Speakers

    https://ed.ted.com/lessons/three-ways-the-universe-could-end-venus-keus
    #DailyVideo
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    🌌"We know about our universe’s past: the Big Bang theory predicts that all matter, time and space began about 14 billion years ago. And we know about the present: scientists’ observations of galaxies tell us that the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate. But what about the future? Do we know how our universe is going to end? Venus Keus explores cosmologists’ three possible scenarios."🌎
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  • Native Speakers

    #What is a PhD? 💡📚

    - A PhD is a postgraduate doctoral degree, awarded to students who complete an original thesis offering a significant new contribution to knowledge in their subject.

    What does 'PhD' stand for?

    - PhD stands for 'Doctor of Philosophy' which is an abbreviation of the latin term, (Ph)ilosophiae (d)octor. The word 'philosophy' here refers to its original Greek meaning: philo (friend or lover of) sophia (wisdom).

    The origin of the PhD

    - Despite its name, the PhD isn't actually an Ancient Greek degree. Instead it's a much more recent development. The PhD as we know it was developed in nineteenth-century Germany, alongside the modern research university.