Styles

5 Amazing Facts About Reading

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles February 20, 2020 4

What’s the best way to improve your English? Of course, there are many ways. But big, easy reading is one of the best. And it probably has the most research and evidence to support it. What is big, easy reading? First, you read lots of books and stories. That’s... Read more

Black History Month

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 2A Public Step 2 Stories Styles February 19, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 February is Black History Month in the US. The month honors important people and events about Africans who are spread out around the world. This tradition began in the US. The US and Canada celebrate black history in February, and the UK does so in October.... Read more

Word Power is Life

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels NGSL Quizzes Public Step 2 Stories Styles Words February 18, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 We all have something to say. A boy likes a girl, and so he says, “I like you!” A traveller gets lost, so he asks a stranger, “Can you show me the way?” A woman sees a man walk in front of a bus, and she... Read more

Culture as a Way of Life

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 18, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 The last thing I remember before the car accident was music. My favorite song played on the radio. Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” exploded as an instant hit. He released the song in December 1991. And I fell in love with it immediately. Three weeks after... Read more

A Library with No Books

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 18, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was dark outside and freezing. Ice and snow shined gray and white under the light of the moon and the lights on the streets. In the surrounding valley, an icy breeze blew through the trees and over the cold waters of the Susquehanna... Read more

The Festival of Lights

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles February 17, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 The sky is filled with fireworks. And the home is bright with the light of candles. Little children are dressed in colorful clothes. Their smiles are wide with the tastes of traditional sweets. And they dance to the beat of Indian music. This is the Festival... Read more

Your Cross-Cultural Purpose

B3-Intermediate++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 16, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 Viktor listened to the sound of hard coughing. He looked at the man in the bed next to him. The man coughed and fought for air. Other men in the room coughed hard, too. Just then, the door burst open. A cold wind filled the room,... Read more

Communication, Culture, and Conflict

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 12, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 The following story uses very strong language -- not appropriate for children. In his work team, only Hiro can speak English. As a result, the team chose him to go to Chicago on an important business trip. The team leader offered to get Hiro a guide.... Read more

Shocked by Culture (Part 1)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 10, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Yuki stepped outside the airplane, and the warm air touched her face. “The heat feels nice,” she said to herself. “Better than winter in Japan!” She flew over 14,000 kilometers for one reason. She wanted to meet her boyfriend’s parents. Arturo, he stood tall,... Read more

Shocked by Culture (Part 2)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 10, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 2) If Yuki marries Arturo today, imagine her future. His parents do not come to the wedding. On their honeymoon, Arturo receives a phone call from home. His father says, “You left our family. You broke our family. You are not my son anymore. I... Read more

Become a Barefoot Bilingual

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles February 10, 2020

ReadOasis Step 3 Bruce looked down at the blue ocean below. In the distance, he saw the green hills and snow covered mountains behind the city of Santa Marta, Colombia. “I arrive in Argentina in 7 hours,” he thought. “Time to get some sleep.” Bruce fell asleep and dreamt.... Read more

International Etiquette

B3-Intermediate++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles February 6, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Note: Mr. Woodward is President of Associates in Cultural Exchange (A.C.E.). A.C.E. has language institutes at two university locations: A.C.E at Seattle Pacific University and A.C.E at Montana State University. This story comes from experiences of traveling, teaching, and doing business in over 45 countries. The... Read more

Update Your Mental and Cultural Software

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles February 1, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 Neo looked at the chair. On the backrest, he saw wires connected to a sharp object. “It looks like an old electric chair,” he said. Morpheus answered in his deep voice. “We use the adapter to connect your brain to the mainframe computer. Then we can... Read more

Blind Men and the Elephant of Culture

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles January 31, 2020

ReadOasis Step 2 Long ago in a faraway land, six blind men sat by the road. Animals and people walked by, kicking up dust in the air. The burning sun made the ground hot. The blind men had no food, no money, and no water. They just waited for... Read more

The Biggest Sporting Event

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Protected Sports Step 2A Step 2 Stories Styles January 28, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 In 1982, England and Argentina were at war. They were fighting over the Falkland Islands. The English took the islands. But even today, Argentina claims them as their own. In 1986, England and Argentina fought again. But this time, it was in Mexico, at the World... Read more

The Tradition of Hot Dogs

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Styles January 27, 2020 5

ReadOasis Step 3 Eating hot dogs is an American tradition. And July is National Hot Dog Month in the United States. Hot dogs are also called frankfurters. This name comes from Frankfurt, Germany, where hot dogs were first served on bread buns. They are also called wieners, a name... Read more

The Artful Geisha (Step 2)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 2A Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Styles January 23, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as traditional music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." In this sense, a geisha is an artist. In the 1920's, about 80,000... Read more

Is Extensive Reading Good for You?

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles TV January 22, 2020 0

Here is a short interview with Dr. Richard Day. Dr. Day is a Professor at the University of Hawaii in the Department of Second Language Studies. He is a well-known and highly regarded linguist. In this interview on ReadOasis TV, Professor Day answers this question. Is extensive reading good... Read more

A Simple Recipe for Learning English

A2-Beginner+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 1 Stories Styles Top Picks January 22, 2020 2

ReadOasis Step 1 To learn English, we need words. Most English native speakers know between 12,000 and 20,000 words. Shakespeare used 31,534 words. And he probably knew more. How many words do you know? Naomi knows 95% of the words in Alice in Wonderland. She understands it without a... Read more

The Reach of English

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Public Step 2 Stories Styles January 19, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 English is a global language. It is the main language in science, business, entertainment, and foreign affairs. There are about 400 million native speakers of English. And maybe one billion people speak it as a second language. English became international mainly through the economic and cultural... Read more