ReadOasis Step 2 What is the meaning and purpose of life? Throughout human history, philosophers have answered this question in many ways. Aristotle suggested that humans find meaning in happiness. Zeno thought humans find meaning in freedom from suffering. Nietzsche claimed that life has no meaning. Augustine believed we... Read more
Adapted from Aesop ReadOasis Step 3 A big, white house stood in the middle of a field. Green grass surrounded the house, and behind it, the orange sun was setting over rolling hills. The air was calm at the beginning of a quiet evening. But inside the house there was... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Joy is late for work. She runs out the door in a hurry to catch the bus. As she runs, she sees her neighbor. The neighbor looks at Joy and smiles. He says, "Good morning Joy! Have a great day!" Joy says, "Thanks, you too!" And... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 (Part 1) Image from Wikipedia Frank McCourt stood in front of his classroom. Even after thirty years of teaching, it still was not an easy job. In fact, nothing in his life had been easy. When he travelled from Ireland to America at the age of... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 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." Jim’s sigh was loud enough that other... Read more
From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt ReadOasis Step 4 Just One Lion (Wikimedia) One day a young Lion came suddenly upon a Wolf. The Wolf was not able to get away, so he said to the Lion: “Please, Great Lion, could you take me to your den,... Read more
By Aesop Retold by ReadOasis ReadOasis Step 2 A Dog and a Rooster were best friends. They wanted to see the world, so they decided to leave the farm. They set out on their trip, going along the road that led into the woods. The two friends traveled along... Read more
By Andrew Lang ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) There was once a poor farmer who lived in Denmark. He and his wife owned a very good farm, but they had no children. They were often sad because they had no one to give their possessions to when they died.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 So you want to improve your word power. But what words should you learn first? You can waste time learning uncommon words first. But it’s smart to learn the most common words at the beginning. The top 2,000 words of English make up 80% of all... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Many, many years ago there lived a king. He loved new clothes so much that he spent all his money on them. His only desire was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers. The theatre did not please him.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 Once there was a great Lion. He ruled the world. And all living things feared him. He ran to the top of mountains. He listened to the wind blow, and he watched the clouds change colors. And there, the Lion was King. He walked upon the... Read more
Knocking on Heaven’s Door
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ReadOasis Step 2 He came out of nowhere. In 1961, he just appeared in New York City, wanting to do music. And in one short year, he held a record contract in his hand. By the middle of the 1960s, he had reached the top of the pop music... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 An e-book is an electronic book. People can read e-books on personal computers and mobile phones. A special machine also exists just for e-reading. It is called an e-book reader. The Sony Reader is one popular e-reader. But in November 2007, Amazon.com created an e-reader, too. It... Read more
By Cana Short ReadOasis Step 2 Mother Teresa in 1986 (Image Wikipedia) It was pouring rain. I was walking to a store, and as I did, I passed by a man. A homeless man for sure. He was huddled under a bench, trying to shield himself from the rain... Read more
Adapted from Mahalo.com ReadOasis Step 1 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 home, family, and friends. Mary likes the arts, especially music. And Joe likes... Read more
Simple Steps for Learning English
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By Ashley J. Hastings, PhD President, Global Language Education Service, Inc. Many people around the world are studying English. They need English to succeed in work, school, or relationships. Common sense tells us that we can learn to read a language more quickly if we can already understand it well.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 A long time ago, two men were traveling together. One man was blind, and the other could see. After a long day of travel, the sun went down. The air became cool, and the sky turned dark red. Just before dark, the men rode into a... Read more
From English Fairy Tales By Flora Annie Steel, 1918 Retold by ReadOasis.com at ReadOasis Step 2 Donkeys by Aurelien Guichard (Creative Commons) Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack. He lived with his mother, and they were poor. The old woman made her living by sewing,... Read more
A Definition of Health (New Version)
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ReadOasis Step 1 A doctor was checking an older woman. When he finished, he told her this: “You’re in good health. You’ll live to be 80.” “But doctor,” the woman said, “I am 80 right now.” With a smile, the doctor answered, “See, what did I tell you?” This... Read more
The Wonder of the Taj Mahal
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By Mirah Mayer ReadOasis Step 2 The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was completed around 1649 by the Muslim king Shah Jahan. Over 1,000 elephants and 22,000 workers took 22 years to build it. The Taj Mahal is located in the beautiful... Read more