Courses

The Biggest Band (Step 2)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories March 31, 2020 1

By Maria Sonora ReadOasis Step 2 Imagine By Diego Torres Silvestre (Creative Commons) It was a hot August night in New York City, 1965. Two thousand policemen were in charge of security. They watched carefully as 55,000 fans filled Shea Stadium. But this was not for a baseball... Read more

Johnny Cash: The Man in Black (Step 3)

Arts B3-Intermediate++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3B Protected Step 3 Stories March 30, 2020 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

Richard Wagner, Musician

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Public Step 2 Stories March 30, 2020 1

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

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories March 29, 2020 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

Get Down to Business in English

B1-Intermediate Biz Biz Step 2B BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Protected Step 2 Stories Top Picks March 23, 2020 1

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 jokes and no laughter.... Read more

The Lord of the Rings

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Movies Step 2A Public Step 2 Stories March 21, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 The One Ring was power, and the Council had it. If a man wore it, he could control the world. But the Ring’s power came from Sauron. His power — in the ring — would destroy you. And his power would destroy all goodness. The Council... Read more

The Longest Railway

A3-Beginner++Biz Biz Step 2B BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Protected Step 2 Stories March 21, 2020 0

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 finan... Please login to read the rest of the story, or join ReadOasis today! Read more

The Talented Tyler Perry

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Movies Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories March 18, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Tyler Perry is an exceptionally successful and talented playwright, screenwriter, actor, comedian, producer, and director. He is an American, but many Americans do not know who he is. Tyler Perry was born Emmit Perry Junior. During his childhood, he suffered from poverty and sexual abuse. When... Read more

Miles Davis, Jazz Legend

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories Times March 18, 2020 1

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

Jesse James: Robber or Robin Hood?

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Movies Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories Times March 11, 2020 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

Sincerely, Thomas Edison

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Invention Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories Times March 8, 2020 1

By Cana Short ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) An amazing thing happened this morning! I was walking down the street when I noticed a crowd gathered outside a local brokerage firm. People nearby told me that an important machine had broken down. The manager of the firm was in... Read more

Hawaiian Treasure

B3-Intermediate++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories Times March 8, 2020 4

ReadOasis Step 3 Far into the middle of the Pacific Ocean rest the Hawaiian Islands. They are a paradise of nature and human civilization. They stand like green gardens in the center of the deep blue sea. Creative Commons Picture by Paul Bica Hawaii was first settled by Polynesians... Read more

Ichiro and the Kings of Baseball

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Protected Sports Step 2A Step 2 Stories Styles March 8, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 It often happens in sport. A player just knows he will bring his team the victory. Is this true for Ichiro, that baseball wonder from Japan? Many people doubted his powers during the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He struggled under the pressure. He failed many... Read more

Machu Picchu: The Lost City

A3-Beginner++Biz Step 2B BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories Times March 8, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Hiram Bingham was a real Indiana Jones. He taught at Yale University. And he was an explorer. On July 24, 1911, Bingham was in Peru again. He was searching for the lost city of the Incas. His guide was Melchor Arteaga, a local farmer. They walked... Read more

The Best Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories Times March 8, 2020 2

ReadOasis Step 2 It was the summer of 1967. About 200,000 people came to the small town of Monterey, California. It was time for the Monterey Pop Festival. Over 30 artists were playing 3 days of music. But today, people remember the last night of the show. It was... Read more

Experience Flow

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Protected Sciences Sports Step 2A Step 2 Stories Top Picks March 7, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Shaun White is a world famous snowboarder. Watch him slide down the pipe in slow motion. He goes up one side and flies into the air at an extreme height. Time stands still. Coming down, he gains speed and lands smoothly. Then he rises... Read more

Seven Pounds

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Movies Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories March 6, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 "In seven days, God created the world. In seven seconds, I shattered mine." These are the words of Ben Thomas. He is a man who feels he must pay for a great mistake. His mistake sets him on a journey. The journey involves seven names, seven... Read more

Throwing Shoes for Protest

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 2A Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles March 6, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 In recent times, shoe throwing has become an international form of protest. On Monday, February 2, 2009, a young man threw a shoe at Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister of China. The event took place at Cambridge University in the UK. The young man was arrested... Read more

$80,000 for One Song

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Protected Step 2 Stories Tech March 6, 2020 0

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

Bill Gates: A Model for Business?

A3-Beginner++Biz Biz Step 2B BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories March 5, 2020 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