Adapted from “The Fortune” In “The Golden Windows” By Laura E. Richards ReadOasis Step 2 One cloudy day a man was walking along the street. He was sad because his business was not going well. On top of that, he wanted to buy a horse, but he didn’t have... Read more
What Kind of Person Are You?
B3-Intermediate++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedSciencesStep 4Stories
ReadOasis Step 4 Who are you? What is your personality? What are your personality characteristics, and how do they help or hurt you? In the 1990's psychologists found 5 kinds of personality traits. They are called the Big 5. (1) Openness: How open are you to new things?(2) Conscientiousness:... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 By Aesop An argument arose between the North Wind and the Sun. Each claimed that he was stronger than the other. At last, they agreed to test their powers upon a traveller. They would see who could get the man to take off his coat first.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 4 B. B. King Lucille B.B. King was a great master of blues guitar. Though he passed away on May 14, 2015, he lived to be 89, and he played professionally for nearly 70 years. (His first recording was in 1949.) Because of his last name and... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 English is currently the world’s common language. It’s the international language of business, politics, and the Internet. About 400 million people speak English as a first language. And about a billion people are learning it today. To learn any foreign language, we need motivation. Motivation is... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Escaping Criticism by Pere Borrell del Caso, 1874 There once was a painter named Zeuxis. He could paint life-like pictures. People often mistook his pictures for the real things which they represented. At one time he painted the picture of some fruit. It seemed so real... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Once upon a time there lived a little girl. She was sweet and pretty and good, and everybody loved her. Her old grandmother was very fond of her. So the grandmother made the little girl a cute red coat with a hood. It suited... Read more
Word Power is Life
A3-Beginner++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsNGSL QuizzesPublicStep 2StoriesStylesWhy Read BigWords 0
ReadOasis Step 2 We all have something to say. A boy likes a girl, and so he says, “I like you!” A traveller gets lost, so he asks a stranger, “Can you show me the way?” A woman sees a man walk in front of a bus, and she... Read more
What’s the best way to improve your English? Of course, there are many ways. But big, easy reading is one of the best. And it probably has the most research and evidence to support it. What is big, easy reading? First, you read lots of books and stories. That’s... Read more
Fred Astaire, Dancer Extraordinaire
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMovies Step 2BProtectedStep 3Stories 1
ReadOasis Step 3 "Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained." -- Fred Astaire It was a dark time. In 1929, the American economy crashed. Many people lost all their money. Almost half the banks... Read more
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Creative Commons Photo by by Law Keven A mango-tree grew on the bank of a great river. The fruit fell from some of the branches of this tree into the river, and from other branches it fell... Read more
The Boy who Became Buddha
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ReadOasis Step 2 He was born in 1935 -- in a poor farmer's home in northeast Tibet. At age 2, he was recognized as the 14th Buddha of Compassion. Buddha's soul had again appeared in a child. And this boy was the Buddha. He was taken to a palace... Read more
By Aesop Retold by ReadOasis ReadOasis Step 1 Two men were walking together through the woods. As they walked, they enjoyed the smell of flowers and the songs of birds in the air. But then suddenly, everything became quiet. The men looked around, feeling that something bad was about... Read more
Diego Velázquez, Painter of Painters
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By David Bello ReadOasis Step 2 Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez Diego Velázquez (June 6, 1599 – to August 6, 1660) is one of the greatest painters of all time. With great skill he mixed color, light, space, and the rhythm of lines. He created scenes of historical and... Read more
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by by mape_s One day a Wolf said to her mate, “A longing has come upon me to eat fresh fish.” “I will go and get some for you,” said the mate. And he went down... Read more
Ichiro and the Kings of Baseball
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesProtectedSports Step 2AStep 2StoriesStyles 0
ReadOasis Step 2 It often happens in sport. A player just knows he will bring his team the victory. Is this true for Ichiro, that baseball wonder from Japan? Many people doubted his powers during the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He struggled under the pressure. He failed many... Read more
Isaac Albéniz, Genius of Spanish Music
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories 1
By Maria SonoraReadOasis Step 2 Isaac Albéniz (May 29, 1860 - May 18, 1909) was a genius of Spanish music. He gave his first concert when he was four years old. And at the young age of nine, he began his concert career. By age 15, he had given... Read more
Throwing Shoes for Protest
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ReadOasis Step 2 In recent times, shoe throwing has become an international form of protest. On Monday, February 2, 2009, a young man threw a shoe at Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister of China. The event took place at Cambridge University in the UK. The young man was arrested... Read more
Babe: A Good Mannered Pig
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ReadOasis Step 2 Babe is a young pig who wants to become a sheep dog. He is separated from his family, and he finds himself on a strange farm. Babe becomes confused and lonely. But a friendly sheep dog takes care of him. And Babe slowly adjusts to his... Read more
The Honest Truth About Irony
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3StoriesStyles 0
ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by Oakley Originals Many of us know the story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A young husband and wife love each other deeply. But they are too poor to buy each other gifts at Christmas. After much thought, the man... Read more