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The Blues: Music of Survival

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 2A Public Step 2 Stories November 18, 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 November 18, 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 Themes of Frankenstein

Arts B3-Intermediate++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 5 Stories November 4, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 5 The author of Frankenstein (Mary Shelly) focuses on three critical themes. She is concerned with how we use science for good or evil; how we develop technology but become enslaved by it, and how we receive from nature the power of life and death. Knowledge Shelly... Read more

The Fox and the Grapes (Step 2)

A2-Beginner+Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories September 1, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 2 A hungry fox saw some fine grapes. The grapes were hanging in a high place on a wooden frame. The fox did his best to reach them. He jumped as high as he could into the air. But the grapes were just out of reach, so... Read more

The Queen of Glamour Rock

Arts BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories August 19, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 4 "I thought up the name Queen. It's just a name, but it's very royal, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations." Freddie Mercury Queen formed in... Read more

Victor Frankenstein: A Mad Scientist

Arts BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories August 19, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 4 Man, how ignorant you are in your pride of wisdom! - Victor Frankenstein As a young man, Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with the mixture of science and magic, and he desired to discover and make medicine that would give eternal life to the drinker. And he became... Read more

The Genius of Leonardo da Vinci

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories August 18, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 Leonardo da Vinci began working on the Mona Lisa in 1503. But he didn’t finish it for many years. In 1516, he took the painting from Italy to France. And he probably finished it there in 1519 before he died. Then the King of France bought... Read more

A Childish Psychology

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories August 15, 2019 3

ReadOasis Step 2 Photo by J. Môsieur (CC) Teachers are always trying to find new ways to improve their classes. This is called teacher development. For example, teachers can learn about new materials, books, and computer programs. They also can study about the latest ideas and theories. Besides this,... 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

Metal Music and Metallica

Arts BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories August 13, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) I am an alcoholic and an addict and I didn't want to see my children do the same thing. Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal singer Heavy metal is a style of rock music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has roots in... Read more

The Swing

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 1 Stories August 12, 2019 0

By Robert Louis Stevenson ReadOasis Step 1 How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the most pleasant thing Ever a child can do! Up in the air and over the wall, Till I can see... 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

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

Wishes

A3-Beginner++Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories August 2, 2019 1

By Sara Teasdale ReadOasis Step 2 I wish for such a lot of things That never will come true-- And yet I want them all so much I think they might, don't you? I want a little kitty-cat That's soft and tame and sweet, And every day I watch... Read more

Great Waves of Art

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories August 1, 2019 9

ReadOasis Step 3 Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese artist, painter, and maker of prints, called UKIYO-E. During his life, he was the leading expert on Chinese painting in Japan. His most famous work is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created in the 1820s. The Great Wave comes from... Read more

The Land of Story-Books

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories July 30, 2019 0

By Robert Louis Stevenson ReadOasis Step 3 At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit; They sit at home and talk and sing, And do not play at anything. Now, with my little gun, I crawl All in the dark along the wall, And... Read more

The Rabbit Who Came to Supper

A2-Beginner+Arts BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 5 Stories TV July 30, 2019

ReadOasis Step 5 (Part 1) Bugs Bunny “I'm trapped. Trapped. I gotta get out of this.I gotta think fast. Trapped. Oh boy, they've trapped a rabbit. Look, look fellows, I'm Rin Tin Tin.” Elmer Fudd “Now I got you. You're a dead rabbit.” Delivery Boy “Telegram for Elmer Fudd.”... Read more

JK Rowling and Harry Potter (Step 3)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories July 29, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 After graduating from university in 1983, JK Rowling was living in London. She worked for the human rights group Amnesty International. But in 1990, she decided to move to Manchester. After spending a weekend looking for an apartment, she took the train back to London. It... Read more