B1-Intermediate

Is Reading Really That Good? Hot

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Public Step 3 Stories Teachers October 17, 2019 4

ReadOasis Step 3 The candidate walked into the cold, concrete classroom, which had been converted into an interview chamber. He seemed hesitant and nervous. He looked up and saw the silhouettes of two professors sitting at small desks on the opposite side of the room. Behind the professors, the... Read more

World Financial Crisis 2009

B1-Intermediate Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories October 10, 2019 0

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

The Happiness Class Hot

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories October 1, 2019

ReadOasis Step 2 In his last year of high school, Alan didn't sleep much. Instead, he studied. Sometimes he studied all night. Sometimes he drank 3 or 4 cans of energy drinks so that he could study more. And he suffered. He got headaches, back pain, and he became... Read more

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect

B1-Intermediate Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 3 Stories Top Picks September 27, 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 27, 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

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories Top Picks September 27, 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

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

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

Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 4 Stories Top Picks August 15, 2019 1

By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) The teacher spoke his mind. He told the truth as he saw it, and this apparently offended leaders who had great power. And so, the teacher, whose name was Confucius, was forced into exile. He had to leave the state... Read more

20 Word Learning Tips

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Sciences Step 2 Stories August 14, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 Learning new words is a big part of learning any language. In English, well-educated native speakers know around 20,000 word families. That’s a lot! To read well in English without dictionary support, you need to know about 8,000 to 9,000 word families. That’s a lot, too.... Read more

Mary Shelley: Author of Frankenstein

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories August 14, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797 in London, England. She was the second daughter in her family. Her parents were Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist, and William Godwin, a philosopher. Her mother died during childbirth. But her father was quick to marry again. Mary got... Read more

Isaac Watts: Father of Hymns (Step 2)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Times August 13, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 2 A hymn is a song of praise to God. People sing hymns at church services and on special holidays like Christmas. Many famous musicians, such as Beyonce Knowles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and Carrie Underwood, learned singing and performing at church. That is, they grew up... Read more

Rakugo: A Funny Side of Japan

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Protected Step 2 Stories Styles August 12, 2019 3

ReadOasis Step 2 Sakura started to cry. "No Tora-san! You can't leave again! I know that life is hard for you here. But when you leave, it's harder for me." Tora-san watched Sakura cry and wipe her tears. He felt so sorry for her, but he didn't say anything.... Read more

The Most Famous Not a Protest Song (Step 3)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories August 11, 2019

ReadOasis Step 3 The little boy didn't want to eat chicken. He did not like the flavor and smell, so he protested. He said, "I hate chicken! It tastes bad! I will never eat it -- ever! His mother looked at him and smiled. And she said, "Jimmy, that's... Read more

Choosing a Major

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 3 Stories August 10, 2019 0

By Daniel Pink (Author of A Whole New Mind) ReadOasis Step 3 Students choosing a college major should follow their interests. That’s easy. You should choose something you’re interested in, simple as that. If you try to choose your major based on getting a job when you graduate or... Read more

The Enemy is Fat

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 10, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) George arrives at work every day at nine in the morning. All day long, he sits at his desk working with a computer. His job is pretty easy, and the pay is not bad. But little does he know that day by day George... Read more

The Duke of Cowboy Actors

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Movies Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories August 10, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 May 26th marks the birth of the great American film star John Wayne. He was born in the US state of Iowa in 1907 with the name Marion Morrison. His father’s poor health caused the family to move to Southern California. And there, Wayne attended school... Read more

W.C. Handy: Father of the Blues (Step 3)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories August 9, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) "Then I saw the beauty of primitive music." W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues W.C. Handy at Age 19 W.C. Handy grew up in a small town in Alabama in the southern part of the US. His father was the pastor of a church,... Read more

Every Day I Have the Blues

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories August 6, 2019

ReadOasis Step 2 Memphis Slim at the Piano Long black fingers were dancing. They were dancing on the white and black keys of the piano. From the comfort of their homes, people watched on their televisions. And they listened to the blue sounds of the piano. The piano player... Read more

Practice Makes Genius (Step 4)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 4 Stories Top Picks August 6, 2019 3

By D.S. Aims ReadOasis Step 4 Tiger Woods started playing golf when he was two years old. Tiger was a mere toddler when his father began training him to become a great golfer. As a boy, baseball phenomenon Ichiro Suzuki practiced with his father every day. The practice sessions... Read more