The Boy who Became Buddha
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesCulture Step 2AProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles 0
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
ReadOasis Step 2 Apple Computer has revolutionized tech. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh. It was the first successful personal computer with a mouse and menus. In 2001, Apple released the iPod. With the first iPod, you could carry "1000 songs in your pocket." Today an iPod can hold... Read more
By Sara Teasdale ReadOasis Step 2 Creative Commons Photo by Vinoth Chandar I think the moon is very kind To take such trouble just for me. He came along with me from home To keep me company. He went as fast as I could run; I wonder how... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 The world is in financial crisis. American employers cut 598,000 jobs in January 2009. This is the most job cuts in one month in the US since December 1974. 11.6 million people in the US don't have work. That is about 7.6% of people who can... Read more
Verbal, Visual, & Vocal Communication
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStylesTop Picks 1
ReadOasis Step 2 What is good communication? Psychologist Albert Mehrabian researches three elements of communication: words, tone of voice, and body language. More interestingly, Mehrabian studied how people communicate feelings and attitudes. If your body language and tone of voice disagree with your words, listeners tend to believe your body... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Image by A. F. Lydon Two hundred years ago there was a young man who lived in Scotland. His name was Alexander Selkirk. He was always fighting and making trouble with his neighbors. Many people were glad when he ran away from home. He... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Dan Hurley is a writer. He writes best-selling books about science, and he writes popular stories for the world’s best newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Wired Magazine. In a word, he is a big success. But when... Read more
By Andrew Lang ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Once there was a great war. The king had many soldiers in his army. But he did not give them very much money, so they were poor and unhappy. Because of this, three of them decided to run away from the... Read more
Music: Good for Your Ears
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesIdeasListen!Music Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories 2
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Clive Wearing sits at the piano. He stretches out his hands and fingers. He takes a deep breath. Then he begins to play. His fingers strike the keys, and the piano hammers hit the strings. The strings vibrate in beautiful harmony and precise rhythm.... Read more
By O. Henry ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was raining as I got off the train in Nashville, Tennessee -- a slow, gray rain. I was tired, so I went straight to my hotel. When I arrived, a big, heavy man was walking up and down in the... Read more
Extensive Reading, Because it Works!
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This is Professor Thomas Robb from Kyoto Sangyo University, and he is one of the world’s renowned experts on extensive graded reading. Q: Tell us. Why should students do extensive reading? Dr. Robb: Why? Because it works. I’ve done it for Japanese as well. Really? Yeah. So I chose a mystery... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Mr. Sully stood in front of the class. His old, blue suit looked dirty and worn. His white shirt was turning brown. And his white socks looked gray inside his black shoes. He started speaking. But the class was not listening. He waved his hands to... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Adapted from Mahalo.com Mary and Joe are from Portland, Oregon. They are both sixteen years old, and they have many friends. But when they go to college, they may have to leave their hometown and friends. Mary likes the arts, especially music. And Joe likes English,... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 A young engineer just finished his studies. And he was looking for work. He got an interview at General Electric (GE), one of the biggest companies in the world. The interview went well. But at the end, the man from GE said, "Let me ask you... Read more
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt ReadOasis Step 2 Once upon a time, many, many wild Goats lived in a cave in the side of a hill. A Wolf lived with his mate not far from this cave. Like all Wolves they liked the taste of Goat-meat. So... Read more
By the Brothers Grimm ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A long time ago, there lived a poor wood cutter and his wife. The wood cutter had two children from his first marriage. His little boy was called Hansel, and his little girl was named Gretel. The family lived near... Read more
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt ReadOasis Step 2 Once upon a time three Fishes lived in a far-away river. They were named Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless. One day they left the wild country where no men lived, and they came down the river to live near a... Read more
Six Culture Conflicts (Part 1)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Joel held the warm, brown cup in both his hands. With his eyes, he smiled at Matt and drank his hot chocolate. "Ready to go?" asked Matt. "Yeah," said Joel. "Let’s go home." They stood up at the same time, put on their coats,... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 One morning there was a loud knock at Dean Swift's door. His servant opened it. There was a man outside holding a fat duck that had just been killed. "Here's a present for Dean. It's from Mr. Boyle," the man said. He pushed the bird into... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) King John from the British Library There was once a king of England whose name was John. He was a bad king. He was strict and mean to his people. As long as he could have whatever he wanted, he did not care what... Read more