ReadOasis Step 2 Dorothy looked up into the sky. And she started to sing. Her soft voice rose up gently in the air. Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And... Read more
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
The Mindset Message (Step 3)
CoursesInvention Step 3ALevelsListen!ProtectedSciencesStep 3Stories June 22, 2018
ReadOasis Step 3 Some people say that "hard work is more important than innate intelligence." To appraise this claim, researchers gave this message to a group of people. Then something remarkable happened. Right after hearing the message, the people manifested real changes in their brains. Is this true? Can... Read more
Fred Astaire, Dancer Extraordinaire
ArtsCoursesLevelsMovies Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories June 21, 2018 1
ReadOasis Step 2 If you watch Fred Astaire dance, you will be amazed at his grace. He seems so relaxed, like his feet are dancing on air. He makes genius look effortless. But like all great dancers, Astaire practiced his routines for hours and hours. He was a hard-working... Read more
Get Down to Business in English
BizBiz Step 2BCoursesLevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesTop Picks June 19, 2018 1
By Joseph Poulshock, PhD ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A Big Decision As usual, the boss spoke clearly and in short sentences. “Okay, it’s decided. This meeting is over. You all know what to do.” One by one, the managers closed their notebooks and stood up. There were no... Read more
Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams (Step 3)
ArtsCoursesLevelsMusic Step 3BProtectedStep 3Stories June 18, 2018 0
By Maria Sonora ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) By MGM Records via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) Hank would never make it to his destination. There were too many problems. It was icy cold outside. Covered with a blanket, he sat in the back seat of his light blue Cadillac.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. He helped to develop many styles of modern jazz music. These styles include cool jazz and jazz fusion. Cool jazz has a calm, relaxed, and smooth... Read more
Isaac Albéniz, Genius of Spanish Music
ArtsCoursesLevelsMusic Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories June 15, 2018 1
By Maria Sonora ReadOasis Step 2 Isaac Albéniz (May 29, 1860 - May 18, 1909) was a genius of Spanish music. He gave his first concert when he was four years old. And at the young age of nine, he began his concert career. By age 15, he had... Read more
Babe: A Good Mannered Pig
ArtsCoursesLevelsListen!Movies Step 2AProtectedStep 2Stories June 14, 2018 3
ReadOasis Step 2 Babe is a young pig who wants to become a sheep dog. He is separated from his family, and he finds himself on a strange farm. Babe becomes confused and lonely. But a friendly sheep dog takes care of him. And Babe slowly adjusts to his... Read more
A Force for Good in Music
ArtsCoursesLevelsListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories June 11, 2018 0
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) U2 in Concert It was a cool winter night in January 2002 in New York. The city that never sleeps was wide-awake and full of movement. Even in the cold, you could feel the energy of arts, entertainment, culture, and money. That week, top... Read more
Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect (Step 2)
BizBiz Step 2BCoursesLevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesTop Picks June 11, 2018 1
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) 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 answered with great confidence. “Sir, your search ends... Read more
Jesse James: Robber or Robin Hood?
CoursesLevelsListen!Movies Step 2AProtectedStep 2StoriesTimes June 11, 2018 1
ReadOasis Step 2 It was just past noon on December 7, 1869. Two brothers walked into a bank in Gallatin, Missouri. Their names were Frank and Jesse James. One of them, maybe Jesse, walked up to the bank clerk and asked to exchange a $100 bill. The bank clerk... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 VOA Learning English reports that China has paid for the longest railway in the world. It's 13,000 kilometers long! The longest railway in the world is now open. In December, a train carrying products from China arrived in Spain’s capital, Madrid. The railway is one of the most recent transportation projects that China has financed in Europe. The train took three weeks to go from the city of Zhejiang in China to Madrid in Spain. It takes a ship... Read more
By Douglas Forster ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) “And we’re back. I’m Jim Ladd, and you’re listening to KMET. We’re the south’s number one station for the rock and roll music you need for your soul. Before the break, I announced that I would be accepting requests. And boy,... Read more
Music as Medicine
CoursesInvention Step 3ALevelsListen!Music Step 3AProtectedSciencesStep 3StoriesTop Picks June 8, 2018 2
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) You are watching TV. On the screen, you see the two strong hands of a man. In his left hand, he holds a book of matches. In his right hand, he holds a single match. With his right hand, he strikes the match on... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A little boy was sitting in his grandmother's kitchen. He was watching the red fire in the wide open fireplace. He quietly thought about the causes of things. He was always thinking and always wanting to know how things worked. "Grandma," he asked, "what... Read more
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black (Step 3)
ArtsCoursesLevelsListen!Music Step 3BProtectedStep 3Stories June 6, 2018 0
ReadOasis Step 3 Johnny Cash was a man of great presence, as if born from an ancient legend that reveals the contradictions of human life. Cash died in 2003, but he gave us a vast collection of over 50 years of music. He also created his own genre, between... Read more
Bill Gates: A Model for Business?
BizBiz Step 2BCoursesLevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2Stories June 5, 2018 1
By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 2 As a young man, Bill Gates had the idea to make a company. In 1975, he left Harvard University, and he started Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. By 2007, Microsoft employed 78,000 people in 105 countries. Today about 90% of the world’s... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. He was a famous German musician and writer. He wrote operas, or "music dramas." Unlike many writers of opera, he wrote the words and music for all his works. Wagner's music is known for being intense, complex, and... Read more
Country Music Icon: Hank Williams
ArtsCoursesLevelsListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories June 1, 2018 0
ReadOasis Step 3 It was the middle of America’s Great Economic Depression. Hank Williams was just seven when his father left. The stress from World War I still burned in his father’s brain, and he committed himself into Veteran’s hospital. Hank’s mother worked. She played organ at church, and... Read more