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Changes to gene activity that occur with age can be turned back, a new study shows. New research suggests it is possible to slow or even reverse aging, at least in mice, by undoing changes in gene activity—the same kinds of changes that are caused by decades of life in humans. By tweaking genes that turn adult cells back into embryoniclike ones, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reversed the aging of mouse and human cells in vitro, extended the life of a mouse with an accelerated-aging condition and successfully promoted recovery from an injury in a middle-aged mouse, according to a study published Thursday in Cell. The study adds weight to the scientific argument that aging is largely a process of so-called epigenetic changes, alterations that make genes more active or less so. Over the course of life cell-activity regulators get added to or removed from genes. In humans those changes can be caused by smoking, pollution or other environmental factors—which d

Restaurant owners asking customers to make their own food at home would be " like turkeys voting for Christmas ". This is a Christmas Idiom mainly used in British English.  If people are "like turkeys voting for Christmas", they choose to accept a situation which will have very bad results for them in the future.  In the United States, though, the phrases " turkeys voting for Thanksgiving " and " chickens voting for Colonel Sanders " are often used instead.  In Canada, because  of the story of Mouseland, a famous story, people  commonly use " like mice voting for cats ". The turkey, the chicken and the mice expressions are very helpful and can be used for the same idea. Read the story of  Mouseland

If you say that something will not happen in a month of Sundays, you mean that it will never happen. He is never going to get it finished. He will never run the marathon, not in a month of Sundays. You actually mean that it is not likely to happen. " In a month of Sundays " is used to emphasize that something will never happen.  The phrase " when pigs fly " has similar meaning. it is a figure of speech (hyperbolic) that describes an impossibility or something that will never occur.  " When pigs fly " is a way of saying that something will never happen. The phrase is often used for humorous effect. Once in a blue moon  is a similar phrase. However, to do something “ once in a blue moon ” is to do it very rarely: “ That company puts on a good performance only once in a blue moon. ” The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a calendar month, which actually happens about every thirty-two months. The expression " on

Cia de Teatro Bilingue will present a storytelling play this Saturday, December 17th, at 3h30 pm. This event will take place at Villa Lobos Shopping Mall, São Paulo, Brazil. There is no need to pay for tickets; bring the kids to have some fun! ;) A Cia de Teatro Bilingue fará nesse sábado, 17/12/2016, em São Paulo, contação de histórias em inglês (Storytelling às 15h30).  Shopping Villa Lobos - A entrada é GRATUITA!  Legal para levar as crianças. ;)

Social media is a double-edged sword that can give you benefits, though; it can  cause conflicts, hurt people, and  even keep them away. A double-edged sword is not only a situation that can go good or bad. In fact, the taken action has several effects at once in any given situation. It is something like; the result kills two birds with a stone because the two sides of the same blade are sharp, the sword cuts both ways. Let us say it is something that causes both advantages and problems. Observe the two aspects about living in big cities. Many people move from the countryside to large cities; others decide to move to the countryside instead. Living in big cities is a double-edged sword . They are beautiful cities and offer thousands of opportunities, but it is so expensive, thus, many people cannot afford it. Besides this example, we can find other examples on how to use the expression “ a double-edged sword ” in different situations. Let us see the following example

Do you have any knowledge or experience? I have learned some things here and there, so I have some stuff "under my belt".  Clarification: the phrase " under my belt " refers to owning something or possessing knowledge. We all have got a lot under our belts , haven't we?

If something costs an arm and a leg , it is extremely expensive. When you spend a lot money for something, we can say that you pay through the nose for it.  This expression means to pay too much money for something.   If you drive into the city, you have to pay through the nose for parking.  (Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press). There other expressions that roughly mean “ expensive ”. If you want to say that something is a little bit expensive, say “ this is a bit steep ” or pricey. If it is too expensive just say, “It costs a fortune ”. If it is very expensive and you know that you do not have the money to pay for it, just say, “it is a little outside my budget ” or say, “ I cannot afford it ”. “I like to go to clubs in New York, but they charge “ an arm and a leg ” for food and drinks!” It cost a small fortune to have some fun. In other words, it cost you a pretty penny ! Some foreigners love to go to New York. They pay top dollar

You start to complain about something. What do you understand if someone says to you, the phrase, "cry me a river"? See what it means: it said sarcastically to someone whose whining, complaints, or tears fall on unsympathetic ears. Let me make it clear. When someone says "oh cry me a river" it means they are not sympathetic to your sadness. It's a sarcastic way of saying get over it, like the larger phrase, "Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it!". In short, the expression 'cry me a river' is an exaggeration used to convey a sense of sarcasm when you don't feel sympathetic to someone's attitudes or something like that.

Saving bees is a fashionable cause. Bees are under pressure from disease and habitat loss, but another insidious threat has come to the fore recently. Concern in conservation and scientific circles over a group of agricultural insecticides has now reached the policy arena. Next week, an expert committee of the European Union (EU) will vote on a proposed two-year ban on some uses of clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid. These are neonicotinoids, systemic insecticides carried inside plant tissues. Although they protect leaves and stems from attack by aphids and other pests, they have subtle toxic effects on bees, substantially reducing their foraging efficiency and ability to raise young. Whatever the EU decision, this vote will not be the end of the story. The proposed ban will buy some time for scientists and policy-makers to understand more about how neonicotinoids affect bee populations. For despite what both sides of the argument say, the link between bee declines and

In one example, Jon lives in the North York Moors - a National Park - where grouse shooting creates conflict. Hunting of wild grouse by using beaters to drive them into a line of guns is regarded by land owners as a traditional sport on the moors. However, conservationists are opposed to this form of hunting as it is associated with the loss of birds of prey, such as the Hen Harrier.  This is a fairly mild form of conflict compared to examples from other parts of the world. Next week we will be looking at problems in Lebanon, where continual military conflict has had significant impact both on the natural environment and how it is managed. Question: What sort of conflicts over natural resources and the environment are there in your country or area?  Explain how the area or areas have been affected by the conflicts?

Most TOEFL books are great materials and provide awesome strategies to prepare students for exams; however, you may make a big mistake if you think the test is all strategy. Either books or teachers will eventually become boring and repetitive, especially, when you start reading or listening to the same advices repeatedly. These are all necessary, though. Other than that, get in touch with English experiences own your own. You must practice your English skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing without using TOEFL books or having a tutor; and, of course, keep using the TOEFL book to support your preparation journey. These attitudes may substantially help you improve all your skills. That is exactly how you will surely get your best TOEFL test score. All in all, there are some similarities and differences among sections, especially, between writing and speaking tasks. They both include two types of questions, for instance, “independent” questions and “integrated

This is an informal contraction of ( am not; are not; is not; has not; have not). For e xample, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". If it is not broken,  "they ain't got nothing to say". "The use of ain't was widespread in the 18th century, typically as a contraction for am not. It is still perfectly normal in many dialects and informal speech in both Britain and North America. Today, however, it does not form part of standard English and should never be used in formal or written contexts" -   Oxford Dictionary 'O ain’t é uma contração de “am not” e “are not”, é uma gíria ou slang. Por algumas pessoas é considerado de uso vulgar, vindo do “povo comum”, usado pela classe baixa da população. Isto não é novidade pois em todas as línguas existem variações usadas pelo “povo”, criando separação entre classes.  Historicamente a própria língua portuguesa foi originalmente considerada vulgar, vindo depois a ser conhe

Talk about Ordinary Situations that we Experience There are many important events in our lives First Task - Sketch out something before you do it. See some hints: what occasion  where and when it occurred (happened - took place) who was there explain how you felt on this special occasion. Second Task - Choose another similar topic and do the same. Tell the reasons why the event was special. Quick Description: Reason 1: Reason 2: Quick conclusion: Improve your ability to talk about  Ordinary Situations . This will enable you to smoothly talk about things like: Describe a happy memory you have. Describe a memorable day in your life. Describe a special event you remember well. TOEFL iBT ®  Quick Prep is a free practice tool with real TOEFL iBT questions from past tests. Each Quick Prep volume includes questions from all four sections of the test. Volumes 1 and 2 have transcripts of the audio portions of the test, but do not i

The following quote is about enabling someone to express their capabilities: “Give a person a fish and you’ll feed them for a day; teach a person to fish and you’ll feed them for the rest of their life.” However, expressing capabilities for resource extraction can lead to over-exploitation. How do you think capabilities can be included in sustainability policies? Give your thoughts on this major problem.