Today's story: Horse-drawn carriages have been part of New York City life since the 1800s. Though New Yorkers no longer use them to get from point A to point B, rides through Central Park remain popular with tourists and couples on date night. But growing concerns about animal welfare, and a string of accidents, turned public opinion against the practice. The New York City Council voted 40-7 to ban the carriages starting in 2028.

Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/906

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Today's story: Andy Burnham became Britain's prime minister in July, and immediately faced a dilemma: should he continue to wear the polo shirts, jeans, and casual jackets that he wore when he was a mayor? His "hipster dad" style became a signature part of his personal messaging. Or would he follow the dress code of all (male) politicians in the House of Commons, wearing a suit and tie? Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/905

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Today's story: The marathon takes its name from a Greek legend about a messenger who ran from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens with news of victory. That story isn't quite true, but it did inspire the modern-day race. Today, about 1.2 million people finish a marathon every year, in races that range from huge city events to unusual courses on the Great Wall of China and in Antarctica. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/904

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Today's story: Burglars often leave no fingerprints or hair behind, but they may still leave traces of themselves floating in the air. What if that could be used to help solve crimes? In an experiment in Oslo, Norway and Adelaide, Australia, researchers staged fake burglaries, and then tried to identify the "intruders" using DNA floating in the air. The result? They found evidence of the intruder more than half the time. But real-world use by police would be much more complicated. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/903

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Today's story: Six-year-old Lian Yunzhi from China set a new Rubik’s cube world record with an average time of 4.27 seconds, breaking her own record just three days after setting it. The Rubik’s cube has fascinated and frustrated puzzle lovers for decades, but competitive speedcubers have mastered the art of solving it in seconds. Lian began learning to solve cubes at age four and now trains for hours each day to compete at the highest level. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/902

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Today's story: We continue our look back at 900 Plain English lessons with five more favorite topics. We revisit stories about airport chapels, the history of QR codes, what makes a good apology, the debate over top sheets, and the surprising way anti-venom is made. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/901

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

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Today's story: This week, Plain English is celebrating its 900th episode. We've touched on stories big and small over the years, and this is a time to look back on some of our favorites. In part 1, we look back on episodes about the movie "Crazy Rich Asians", a taste test that went awry, television personality Regis Philbin, and a surprising scam at McDonald's. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/900

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

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Today's story: The Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 1,000-year-old embroidered account of the Norman Conquest, has traveled from France to the British Museum for a rare exhibition in London. The fragile 70-meter work required carefully engineered transportation and will remain on display until July 2027. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/899

Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/899

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Plain English helps you improve your English:

• Learn about the world and improve your English
• Clear, natural English at a speed you can understand
• New stories every week
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Mentioned in this episode:

Hard words? No problem

Never be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com