World Cup 2011 — Japan vs. USA
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ReadOasis Step 1 All eyes look at the score. USA 2, Japan 1. The clock runs down. Only 3 minutes left in extra time! Will the USA win again? The air is electric. Japan gets a corner kick. Miyama kicks a low ball to Sawa. Sawa flips the ball... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Michael flies into the water. SWOOSH! His arms move fast. His legs kick with power. His long body flows in the pool. He reaches the wall. He turns and pushes off. The crowd cheers. Michael swims to the finish. SPLASH! He touches the wall. First place!... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Maradona passed the ball. He ran for the goal. An English player tried to kick it away. But the ball flew back to Maradona. Maradona jumped high. He pushed the ball into the goal. The crowd exploded! RAAAAAH! English players cried to the judge. "He used... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Ayumu speeds down the hill. Then he shoots up the bank. He jumps and spins into the air. And he lands — so clean and stylish. The TV announcer says, "That is super human!" Then they waited. The score appeared. "YAY!" shouted the crowd. And on... Read more
Marta — Soccer’s Shining Star
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ReadOasis Step 1 Marta gets the ball. She turns and spins. Defenders pull her. But she's too fast and strong. She breaks free and shoots. "GOAL!" The crowd cries, "MARTA! MARTA!" Marta made history. In the World Cup, Pelé scored 12 goals. More than any man. But Marta scored... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 The boy stepped onto the green grass. He was just 17. He looked up at the big, rough men running around him. And feeling no fear, he started to run. Suddenly, the ball came. The boy caught it on his chest. He controlled it. He lifted... Read more
Reading Power Wins Big on TOEIC Test
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ReadOasis Step 2 Kenta looked at the envelope. His test score was inside. He opened it and read the words: "TOEIC Official Score Report. Total Score: 290." For a first-year university student, the score was low. Like all Japanese, Kenta had studied English for 6 years in junior high... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Jackie picked up the note. The paper smelled like hate. Then he read the words. "WE ARE GOING TO KILL YOU." "Why?" Jackie thought. "I just want to play baseball." Long ago, baseball wasn't fair. No black players played in the Major Leagues. Then came Jackie... Read more
Words for Breaking Stereotypes
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ReadOasis Step 2 When Steve met Mariko in Tokyo, he was in for a surprise. She shook his hand. She smiled. She spoke with confidence in a big voice. And she gave clear and strong opinions. They ate lunch at a sushi place. Mariko smiled and said, "I hate... Read more
Cultural Quest — 10 Key Questions
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ReadOasis Step 2 The alarm sounded. "Beep, beep, beep!" The morning sun shone into Zoe's room. As she opened her eyes, she saw her plane ticket. Tokyo. "Oh my," she said to herself. "The day is here! I'm really going." Today, Zoe will fly for the first time. And... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Gary stood in front of the class. He looked at all his students. He opened his mouth to speak. But the students didn't listen. They talked to each other. He started speaking again. "Today, I want to talk about The Old Man and the Sea. Do... Read more
Do You Know How Your Body Talks?
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ReadOasis Step 2 Do you know how your body talks? Can it help you share your thoughts and feelings? A famous psychologist, Albert Mehrabian, studied these questions. He looked at how our bodies show others what we think and feel. Let's see what he found with two simple examples.... Read more
Zombies in English Class
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ReadOasis Step 1 John sat down. He opened his English book. But he felt sleepy. He closed his eyes. And then he heard a loud BANG! He looked up. He saw a dirty, green zombie. The zombie walked over to John. The zombie came closer and closer. It opened... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Mr. Jones stood in front of his English class. The students looked sleepy and bored, so Mr. Jones decided to open with an interesting story. He told the students a famous joke, and here is what happened… The Joke. Two older couples ate dinner together. After... Read more
$80,000 for One Song
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ReadOasis Step 2 The room is dark. You are alone. You are drinking a coke and downloading some songs from the Internet. Then you hear a crash. Your heart stops as you hear a man shout. "This is the police!" You catch your breath and say, "What?" Then another... Read more
One day, Johnny Cash took the stage. He smiled wide. His black clothes shined. He said, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." He picked up his guitar. He began to sing. His voice was deep, like a river's flow. The song was about a man. The man was in prison. The... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Sue closed the car door. She looked down at her feet. And she started to cry. Tears flowed down her face. Jim said, "What's the matter?" As she cried, Sue said, "You hurt my feelings. You made a joke about me. And you did it in... Read more
Jumping Over Death, Evel Knievel
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ReadOasis Step 1 The people felt real fear. They watched Robert. He sat on his bike. The sound was loud. "POP! CRACK! VROOM!" The bike started to move. Faster and faster, he rode. The bike hit the ramp. Robert jumped high. He flew through a wall of water! Down... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Mao smiles big. She jumps high. She spins fast three times. She lands on one foot. "Wow!" The crowd cheers! It was the 2010 Olympics. Mao Asada made history. She did an amazing jump. It's called the "triple axel." And she stands as the first woman... Read more
The Trouble with Ken’s Horse
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ReadOasis Step 2 Ken walked on the green grass behind his house. He looked up and saw Bella, his beautiful horse. Bella's coat shone bright in the afternoon sun. Ken touched Bella's face. "Hi girl," he said. And then Ken held up a shiny, red apple. Bella wanted to... Read more