BNC Levels

5 Amazing Facts About Reading Hot

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles September 5, 2019 4

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

Happiness in 59 Seconds (Step 1)

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Sciences Step 1 Stories September 5, 2019

ReadOasis Step 1 (Part 1) Jim sat into a soft, red chair. He looked down, and then he started to cry. “Am I asking too much?” he said. “I just want to be happy.” Dr. Jones gave Jim a box of paper tissues. “Thank you,” said Jim as he... Read more

The Seven Habits Made Easy Hot

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Public Step 2 Stories September 5, 2019

Max is running late. He hurries out the door of his apartment, holding a cup of coffee. Then he sees his bus. “It’s leaving!” he cries. Max starts to run, but he trips over a rock and falls. His coffee flies out of his hands and spills all over... Read more

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect

B1-Intermediate Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 3 Stories Top Picks September 5, 2019 2

A manager at a company was interviewing a job candidate. The manager said, “We need a very responsible person for this job. We need someone who can take charge.” The candidate’s eyes lit up, and he responded with great enthusiasm. “Sir, your search ends here! I’m the one. In... Read more

The Blues: Music of Survival

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 2A Public Step 2 Stories September 5, 2019

Four men were walking across a field. They were carrying a body wrapped up in white cloth. Their strong, black hands and arms supported the body as they walked on. Other men, women, and children walked behind. And the tall green trees listened. They listened to the cries of... Read more

Grow Your Mindset!

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Sciences Step 2 Stories September 5, 2019

Mike waited and waited. Was it going to be good news or bad news? Who would be in, and who would be out? Would he make the team or not? Finally, the coach put two lists on the door of the school gym. Mike looked at the list for... Read more

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories Top Picks September 5, 2019 0

Hank would never make it to the concert. There were too many problems. It was icy cold outside. He sat under a cover in the back of his light blue Cadillac car. He was heading to the city of Canton, Ohio, to give a big concert on New Year’s... Read more

Story Power

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Ideas Movies Step 2B Public Step 2 Stories September 5, 2019

Dorothy looked up into the sky. And she started to sing. Her soft voice rose up gently in the air. Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that... Read more

The Boy on Graves-End Road

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories Story September 5, 2019 3

By Caty Weaver Kelly Ryan was making dinner. Her ten-year-old son Benjamin was watching television in the living room. Or, at least she thought he was. “Benny-boy, do you want black beans or red beans?” “Red beans, Mama.” Ben had come up quietly right behind her. “Don’t do that,... Read more

Sticky Communication

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Public Step 2 Stories September 5, 2019 1

The bell rang. Jim’s things were already in his red book bag, which looked brown under the white lights of the classroom. Zip! Zip! He closed the bag. He stood up and let out a sigh, “Ahhhh.” It was loud enough that other students and the teacher noticed. Jim... Read more

Culture and Health Hot

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles August 25, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 What is the relationship between culture and health? The following study compares Italians, Japanese, and French with the British and Americans. First, we examine fat in the diet. The Japanese eat very little fat. The British and the Americans eat more fat than the Japanese. And... Read more

The Whirligig of Life Hot

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Story August 25, 2019 0

By O. Henry ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Note: To “whirl” means to spin, and a “whirligig” is a child's toy having a whirling or spinning motion. A “whirligig” is also something that spins, whirls, moves, or changes, like the spinning course of human events. Justice of the Peace... Read more

Happy Memories

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 2 Stories August 25, 2019 0

By Dr. Richard Wiseman ReadOasis Step 2 This exercise is all about re-living happy memories. Research shows that reflecting on what went well yesterday, no matter how trivial the event will make you feel happier. So simply think back about the last 24 hours and focus on what went... Read more

The Little Book of Talent

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 5 Stories August 19, 2019 0

Book Trailer by Daniel Coyle ReadOasis Step 5 (52 Tips for Improving your Skills) TIP #21: Think in vivid Images. Here’s a quick quiz. Which of the following is easier to do? 1. Take the tennis racket back in a straight horizontal line. 2. Take the tennis racket back... Read more

Spreading Deadly Ebola

B2-Intermediate+CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 19, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Patrick Sawyer was in danger, but he didn’t know it. He was in Liberia and working for the government. During that time, he was caring for his sister. She was extremely sick and getting worse every day. On July 7, 2014, Patrick’s sister died. The cause... Read more

Who Shot Lincoln?

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Times August 19, 2019

ReadOasis Step 3 The Deringer pistol used to kill Abraham Lincoln The sword of war cut the nation in two. For four years, the blood flowed. In all, over 620,000 soldiers died. It is impossible to imagine all the pain and sorrow that came from the American Civil War.... Read more

The Queen of Glamour Rock

Arts BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories August 19, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 4 "I thought up the name Queen. It's just a name, but it's very royal, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations." Freddie Mercury Queen formed in... Read more

Victor Frankenstein: A Mad Scientist

Arts BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories August 19, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 4 Man, how ignorant you are in your pride of wisdom! - Victor Frankenstein As a young man, Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with the mixture of science and magic, and he desired to discover and make medicine that would give eternal life to the drinker. And he became... Read more

The Genius of Leonardo da Vinci Hot

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories August 18, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 Leonardo da Vinci began working on the Mona Lisa in 1503. But he didn’t finish it for many years. In 1516, he took the painting from Italy to France. And he probably finished it there in 1519 before he died. Then the King of France bought... Read more

Henry Ward Beecher, Friend of Slaves (Step 2)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Times August 18, 2019 1

By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 2 On February 5, 1860, a strange thing happened at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. Church members were not having a “bake sale.” They were having a “slave sale.” But this sale was backwards. Church members were buying the freedom of a... Read more