ReadOasis Step 3 Police Chief Brody looked at the mayor. And Brody said, "Larry, Larry, we need to kill the shark now. If we do, then maybe we can save the month of August." "August?!" replied the mayor. "Tomorrow is the 4th of July. It's a big day for... Read more
Plots in Story Style Communication
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 The bell rang. And the students sat at their desks waiting. The teacher was late. The clock ticked and ticked. Finally, 13 minutes after the bell, the teacher entered the room. But strangely, he was pulling a big object into the class. The students watched in... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Koko wakes up and rolls over. He looks at the clock by his bed. It says 8:17 AM. Koko jumps up and says, "I'm late!" He rushes to work. At his office building, he sees a long line at the elevator. "Oh no," he says. "I'll... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Gandalf the great wizard looked down on little Bilbo the hobbit. And Gandalf said, "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone." Bilbo frowned and said, "Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank... Read more
Find Meaning in Life’s Story
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 On one dark day in 1944, German soldiers forced Guido and his family onto a crowded train. Women and children cry and scream in the train as it rides rough through the night. Finally, the train stops. The doors open. And Guido and his family see... Read more
Reverse Engineer Your Life Story
A3-Beginner++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 Jack and Rose grabbed each other's hands as they dropped into the ice, cold sea. The giant ship sank below them and pulled them deeper and deeper into the dark water. The Titanic pulled Jack down and ripped his hands away from Rose. And Rose floated... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 At the start of the film Gran Torino, Walt sits down on his front porch. He picks up the newspaper. And he starts to read to his dog. He reads the horoscope -- how the stars will show the future. "This year you have to make... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Yoshi sat down at the round dinner table. He looked up at five faces that he had never seen before. Everyone smiled at Yoshi, but he felt shy and nervous. It was his first time to visit the United States and his first time to stay... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Leia listened to the quiet songs of little birds. She heard a gentle breeze blow through her window. The cool air touched her face. And she fell asleep in the softness of her bed. But as she slept, the air turned cold. And something moved in... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 In the Christmas movie "Home Alone," little Kevin gets in trouble. So, his mother sends him to bed early. And before Kevin goes to bed, he and his mother have a talk. Kevin says, "Everyone in this family hates me." His mother replies, "Then maybe you... Read more
Three Levels of Story Problems
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 3 Harry fell down hard on the rocks. Blood and dirt covered his face. He looked up and saw his enemy -- Voldemort. On his hands and knees, Harry crawled forward. He needed to grab his magic wand, or he was sure to die. Both wizards picked... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Casey Neistat tells stories. He wanted to move to New York City because it's a great place for storytellers. But his father said, "You can't! You don't have any money." Casey said, "I want to make movies." But people told him, "You can't! You didn't go... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Sweat dripped down Terry's face. He could hear his heart beating in his chest. The teacher said, "Begin!" And 300 students started writing. Terry heard their pencils tapping paper as they started writing in their test books. Terry felt the fire of fear in this entrance... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Professor Jones looks at his class. He can't believe his eyes! All his students lay sleeping on their desks. They fell asleep during his 90-minute talk. Sally stares at her computer waiting for a reply from her boss. She emailed him three days ago. But her... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 George sat alone on the beach. The sun beat down hot on his head. The skin on his face turned red. The blue ocean looked so inviting and fresh. George spoke to himself, "I'm all alone, and it's dangerous, but I just have to jump in... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Mary looked down at her cheese pizza and watched it go cold. Sally watched. After a long silence, she asked, "When did you lose it Mary?" Mary looked up and said, "I can't remember. It's just terrible. I just lost it!" "Well," said Sally, "maybe you... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. It stands at 3,776 meters (12,389 ft). The mountain rests just west of Tokyo, and on a clear day, you can see it from the city. Mount Fuji has an even and round shape, and it is a... Read more
Six Culture Conflicts (Part 1)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 Joel held the warm, brown cup in both his hands. With his eyes, he smiled at Matt and drank his hot chocolate. "Ready to go?" asked Matt. "Yeah," said Joel. "Let’s go home." They stood up at the same time, put on their coats, and headed... Read more
Six Culture Conflicts (Part 2)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 Opinions differ about social problems. But here we will not focus on changing opinions. Instead, we want to ask a basic question. What do social problems teach us about cultural values and conflicts? To answer this question, we will look to the culture expert Geert Hofstede.... Read more
Six Culture Conflicts (Part 3)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles
ReadOasis Step 2 Question 4: What Is True? Here a culture faces its fears of the unknown. We may feel unsure about many things: money, health, the future, success, failure, danger, or risk. We lack certainty about many things in life. People worry and feel anxiety. How do we... Read more