Saturday, December 14, 2019

10 Beautiful Flower Idioms

December 14, 2019 0 Comments





When the day of spring, All over the country, leaves are turning green, blossom is blooming, and flowers are pushing their way up out of the ground – it’s no wonder nature has inspired many an English expression!
Here are twenty idioms about plants, flowers, and trees:
  

1. To come up / out smelling of roses
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    It means emerge from a situation with one's reputation undamaged.
    Example: "The scandal could have ruined her reputation, but she came up smelling of roses"

2. To go to seed 
    Image result for to go to seed animation
    This is slightly negative, be careful to use this too. If somebody goes to seed, it means their
    quality appearance has declined. It might mean that they look older or worse than they did.
    Example: "After having children, started to go to seed. He didn't look so good anymore."

3. As fresh as  a daisy
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    It means healthy and full of energy.
    Example: "I thought I'd have a hangover, but I've woken up as fresh as a daisy."

4. A late bloomer
    Image result for A late bloomer idiom
    It means somebody who develops later on in life, either physically or mentally.\
    Example: "Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, was a late bloomer. He founded KFC at 65."

5. No bed of roses
    Image result for roses idiom
    It means difficult or not easy.
    Example: "Gaining a UK citizenship is no bed of roses, it's very difficult."

6. Pushing up the daisies
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    This slightly morbid one. If you are pushing up the daisies, it means you're dead. You're 
    underground and you're helping the daisies to bloom.
    Example: :"My late uncle Malcolm is pushing up the daisies."

7. oops a daisy!
    Image result for oops face funny
    This isn't really an idiom, it's more of an exclamation. It's an expression used to indicate
    surprise. It's like "ah silly me! Oh no!" we can just shorten it down to oops!.
    It is quite frequently used with children.
     Example:
     Mom: "Bella, you left the front door unlocked again"
     Bella: "oops a daisy, silly me!"

8. A shrinking violet
    
    Image result for a shrinking violet idioms
    It means who is very shy and does not like to express their views or opinion.
    Example: "I'am no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing my opinions."

9. To nip something in the bud
    
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    This means to stop something at an early stage.
     Example: "If you see yourself developing a bad habit, try and nip it in the bud before it
     comes ingrained."

10. To smell the roses
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      This means to appreciated what is often ignored.
      Example: "Every morning I like to stop and smell the roses and take my dog on a walk."

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Did You Know? : 20 Fun Facts About Cats

December 11, 2019 1 Comments
Image result for cats

In this world, certainly many people who claim to be cat lovers, including myself too, I love cats so much.  My friends and my family give me the nickname as 'The Mother of Cat'.  However, many of the other cat lovers don't know the facts about cats.  Actually, this adorable animal has a secret that you must know as a cat lover.  The hidden facts are guaranteed to make you more affectionate to this tiny animal.
Well, actually what are the facts about cats that should be known?  There are one, two, three or more?  Surely you are curious cat lovers, right?  Let's look at exposure to interesting facts about this animal.

1. Cats spend between 30 to 50 percent of their day grooming themselves. 

Image result for catsare you that clean? This behavior serves several purposes: It helps cats tone down their a scent so they can avoid predators, it cools them down, it promotes blood flow, and it distributes natural oils evenly around their coat, allowing them to stay warm and dry. Grooming also serves as a sign of affection between two cats, and it’s thought that saliva contains enzymes that serve as a natural antibiotic for wounds.

2.Your cat's tummy pooch serves a purpose.

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That little belly your cat has isn't just the result of those extra treats you've been giving them. Carlson says that this feline spare tire isn't "extra chub," but rather a spot on the cat's body that "stores food, protects cat's organs in cat fights, and helps felines move easier by extending when chasing prey."

3. A purr is a sign of self-healing.

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The purr is often translated as a sign of contentment, but it may be more complex than that. Not all purring is related to pleasure—in some cases, it reflects pain or nervousness. And according to Leslie A. Lyons, an assistant professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, it could be a sign that a cat's muscles and bones are recovering.

4. A cat's nose has catnip receptors.

Ever wonder why catnip lulls felines into a trance? The herb contains several chemical compounds, including one called nepetalactone, which a cat detects with receptors in its nose and mouth. The compounds trigger the typical odd behaviors you associate with the wacky kitty weed, including sniffing, head shaking, head rubbing, and rolling around on the ground.

Image result for cats nose

5. But most cats don't respond to catnip.

More than half of the world’s felines don’t respond to catnip. Scientists still don’t know quite why some kitties go crazy for the aromatic herb and others don’t, but they have figured out that catnip sensitivity is hereditary. If a kitten has one catnip-sensitive parent, there’s a one-in-two chance that it will also grow up to crave the plant. And if both parents react to 'nip, the odds increase to at least three in four.

6. If you love cats, you're an ailurophile.

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Looking to elevate your vocabulary? Try using the word ailurophile in a casual conversation. It’s a fancy word for "cat lover," and it’s derived from the Greek word for cat, ailouros, and the suffix -phile, meaning "lover." Conversely, the word ailurophobe—a combination of ailouros plus phobe—describes someone who hates cats.

7. Cats might be marking you as territory when they massage you.

Image result for cat kneading

Sounds right. Experts haven’t figured out why cats like to knead, but they’ve come up with several possible explanations, one being that your kitty is trying to mark their "territory" (that’s you!) with the scent glands in their paws. And since kittens knead their mama’s belly to stimulate milk production, there’s also a chance that they carry this behavior into adulthood—a phenomenon known as a "neotenic behavior."

8. Cats don't always land on their feet.

Contrary to popular belief, cats don’t always land on their feet when they fall. But more often than not, all four paws end up touching the ground. Cats have a fantastic sense of balance, so they’re able to tell “up” from down and adjust their bodies accordingly. If they sense they’re plummeting downwards, they twist their flexible backbones mid-air, allowing them to right themselves so they don’t fall splat on their backs. Additionally, cats can spread their legs out to “parachute” through the air, and they’re small, light-boned, and covered in thick fur—meaning their fall isn’t going to be as hard as, say, a dog’s.

9. Your cat might be allergic to you.

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Usually we think it's the other way around, but even if you’re not allergic to cats, your cat might be allergic to you. One in 200 cats are believed to have asthma—and this number continues to rise among indoor kitties as they're more frequently exposed to cigarette smoke, dust, human dandruff, and pollen.   

10. No one knows why black cats are considered to be bad luck in some cultures.


This myth has persisted across Western civilization for centuries. Felines with dark fur first became linked with the Devil during the Middle Ages, and when the Black Death pandemic ravaged Europe in the mid-14th century, superstitious individuals responded by killing off the black cat population. Little did they know that vermin carried the deadly disease and that the rodent-eating cats actually helped curb its spread. And black cats eventually became associated with witches because women accused of practicing black magic tended to adopt alley cats as companions.

11. In Great Britain and Japan, black cats are good luck.

Black cats are considered to be a bad omen in the U.S., but in Great Britain and Japan, they’re perceived as auspicious. In the English Midlands, new brides are given black cats to bless their marriage, and the Japanese believe that black cats are good luck—particularly for single women. Meanwhile, the Germans believe that a black cat crossing your path from left to right is ominous, but if the feline switches directions and goes right to left, it’s fortuitous.

12. Cats can't taste sweets.

Cats are genetically predisposed to not be able to taste sweets. They will likely nibble off your plate if it contains meat, but they’ll leave it alone if it’s laden with cake.

13. Cats like small spaces. 


                        Image result for cats in boxes 
 Why do cats love to cuddle up in boxes? Animal experts think that the enclosed spaces make felines feel more protected, secure, and important—kind of like they’re back in the womb. (Sure enough, researchers found that when shelter cats are provided with boxes to cuddle up in, they adjust faster and are less stressed than kitties that aren't given boxes.) Also, sleeping in a box might help a feline retain more body heat so it stays nice and toasty, and therefore relaxed.

14. Cats sleep up to 70 percent of their lives.

                         Image result for cats sleeping
Domestic cats do mostly one of four things: sleep, eat, run, or play. It turns out, sleeping takes up more time than the other three activities combined. With up to 70 percent of their lives dedicated to sleep, cats are among the most frequent sleepers in the animal world because, in the wild, they must use a lot of energy to hunt.

15. Cats and humans have similar emotion centers in the brain.
Image result for cats meowing to humans  

 You have more in common with your cat than you may realize. Both human and cat brains are composed of gray and white matter. What's more, according to reporting by Petful, cats tend to think in the same pattern as humans and, like us, have a long- and short-term memory.

16. Cats are likely smarter than dogs.
                                
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Garfield was right. The cerebral cortex of cats—the part of the brain that is responsible for cognitive information processing—is much more complex in felines than in canines. It also contains twice as many neurons as dogs. Additionally, cats have proven to be better at complex problem-solving than their rival pet.

17. Cats use their whiskers in crazy ways.


A cat's whiskers are covered in nerve cells and blood vessels that help them investigate the world around them, according to the Veterinary Centers of America. An average cat's whiskers span about the width of its body, so cats frequently use them to detect if they can fit into a space.

18. Cats can hunt accurately in almost complete darkness.

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Your cat's uncanny ability to pounce on you even with the lights out is no coincidence. The back of a cat's eye has a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum which "collects all available light, intensifying it and reflecting it back out of the retina," thus allowing them to accurately process images even in almost complete darkness, according to Galaxy. It's this unique ability that makes them such great hunters—and allows them to stay one step ahead of predators, too. 

19. Cats are lactose intolerant.

                    Image result for cats drinking milk

If you're thinking about setting out a bowl of milk for your cat to enjoy, you might want to reconsider. "Even though you see cats drinking milk in movies, their bodies do not tolerate milk very well," says Sara Ochoa, DVM, a Texas-based small and exotic animal veterinarian.

20. Raw fish or raw food can be bad for cats

                     Image result for cats eat fish

 Another delicacy cartoons would have you believe cats love is raw fish—but that could actually be bad for them, according to the pros at VetStreet. Uncooked fish can contain bacteria that is harmful to cats and can cause food poisoning. Also, an enzyme in raw fish destroys thiamine, an essential B vitamin, which can lead to neurological problems.

 

 (Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/578211/cat-facts & https://bestlifeonline.com/cat-facts/)



 

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Cake - Learn English For Free! (Review)

December 10, 2019 0 Comments

Image result for cake learn english for free


Learning English has become an important requirement in today's society. Because English has become an international language that was later recognized as a universal language.  Therefore it is very necessary to deepen knowledge in this field. For the sake of smooth communication with the world community, of course. Not only that today's technology has reached the learning system that is often called e-learning, every day technological innovation is developing.  We are currently starting to involve technology as a learning media, one of which is learning English because it is easy to use and interactive.  Currently Android smartphone users can already enjoy the English learning application.  Various types of free English learning applications can be downloaded easily via a smartphone. One of the applications that we can use is the Cake application.

Cake is an application that uses videos with short and pleasant English conversation will be added every day to practice our pronunciation. Not only that with cake can help us to improve hearing and understand sentences to be spoken in English cake also has the ability to record sound. To help the learning process, this application provides audio and text. Audio will train you in hearing every vocabulary. So you can immediately understand what the other person is saying.  While the text learns to write the correct word.  Then equipped with audio about the correct pronunciation of the word. 

The following are interesting things that are owned by the cake that is claimed by the cake application itself:

🍰 Learn real English expressions curated from youtube. See similar phrases in one  
       place and spend just a few minutes a day to improve your English!
🍰 If you want to improve your English speaking skills, look no further. Our “Cake” app
       offers speaking practices that simulate conversations with native speakers!
🍰 Check your pronunciation with our AI speech recognition. Simply record your voice
       and get immediate feedback. Soon you will learn to sound like a native speaker.
🍰 100% free! “Cake” app is completely free and there are no annoying ads. We are  
       committed to helping you improve your English. Learn English with “Cake” today.

 

Review of the author

I am a new user of this cake application, I use this application when my lecturer asks students in the class to download this application and use it for learning Information and Communication Technology courses. The following are the advantages that I can feel when using this application:
1. This application is quite simple and easy to use.
2. There are several levels in this application according to our ability.
3. To start this application we are also asked to log in first you can use email or facebook. 
4. All the materials are useful and enjoyable 
5. The design is beautiful and not complicated 
6. There are many expressions that are presented so that we can   imitate
 7. It’s really fun to comprehend listening and pronunciation at the same time with real context and even we can learn from our favorite video or movies.
 
 It cannot be denied that this application also has weaknesses, such as:
1. Because this application is online so this application must use strong connections
2. Videos often experience interference so it does not play well 
3. Users often have difficulty logging in 
4. There is no prior tutorial or the explanation  features so users have a little trouble
5. We need a coin to open the selected test
 




  












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