B1-Intermediate
Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect

B1-IntermediateBizBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsPublicStep 3StoriesTop Picks August 15, 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

The Blues: Music of Survival

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 2APublicStep 2Stories August 15, 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

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsPublicStep 2StoriesTop Picks August 15, 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
Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture

Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsIdeasProtectedStep 4StoriesTop 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

20 Word Learning Tips

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsPublicSciencesStep 2Stories 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

Mary Shelley: Author of Frankenstein

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!PublicStep 3Stories 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)

Isaac Watts: Father of Hymns (Step 2)

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesTimes 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

Rakugo: A Funny Side of Japan

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesCulture Step 3AProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles 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)

The Most Famous Not a Protest Song (Step 3)

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories 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

Choosing a Major

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsIdeasProtectedStep 3Stories 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

The Enemy is Fat

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedSciencesStep 3Stories 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

The Duke of Cowboy Actors

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Movies Step 2AProtectedStep 2Stories 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)

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

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories 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

Every Day I Have the Blues

ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2AProtectedStep 2Stories 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)

Practice Makes Genius (Step 4)

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedSciencesStep 4StoriesTop 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
A Lesson in Justice (Step 3)

A Lesson in Justice (Step 3)

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 3StoriesStory August 6, 2019

ReadOasis Step 3 Alexander the Great was the king of Macedon. His ambition was to become the master of the whole world. He led his armies through many countries. He plundered cities, he burned towns, he destroyed thousands of lives. At last, far in the East, he came to... Read more
Lean In

Lean In

B1-IntermediateBizBiz Step 2ABNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesProtectedStep 2Stories August 5, 2019 0

Book Trailer by Sheryl Sandberg ReadOasis Step 2 I entered the workforce believing that my generation was going to have equal responsibility and equal opportunity. And it didn't work out that way. Women are getting more college degrees, more graduate degrees, entering the workforce at every level. But in... Read more
The Best Things

The Best Things

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 1StoriesTech August 5, 2019 0

The following is a summary of a famous quote from Steve Jobs. Usually, people remember the part “Great artists steal.” But this is really about how to make “the best things.” It also shows how Steve Jobs blended the arts and sciences. Simple Version ReadOasis Step 1 It comes... Read more
A Nap is Better than Coffee (Step 2)

A Nap is Better than Coffee (Step 2)

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedSciencesStep 2Stories August 4, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 When you are tired from work or study, what do you do? Many people drink coffee or an energy drink. But a new study suggests this. A short sleep might be better for you than a cup of coffee. Researchers studied caffeine. Caffeine is found in... Read more
Idi Amin and Uganda

Idi Amin and Uganda

B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 3StoriesTimes August 2, 2019 5

By Rebecca Babirye ReadOasis Step 3 On 14 April 1978, soldiers broke up a church service in Kampala, Uganda. Bullets flew around the room and destroyed the organ. About 150 Christians were loaded onto trucks and taken to Uganda’s main prison. The president of Uganda, Idi Amin, had declared... Read more
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