Top Picks | ReadOasis

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 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 here! I’m... Read more

The Gift of the Magi

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By O. Henry ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. These pennies were saved one and two at a time. To save this money, she had to fight with the vegetable man, the meat man,... Read more

The Gutenberg Revolution

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ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Johannes Gutenberg was in trouble. He borrowed money from investors, but he was about to lose it. He promised to make a special kind of mirror and sell lots of them. The mirrors were unusual. It was said that they could capture the holy... Read more

The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Step 1)

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By Aesop ReadOasis Step 1 (Part 1) Illustration by Milo Winter The Boy was sleepy. It was not interesting staying in the fields all day and watching sheep. The sheep always did the same thing. They ate grass. They walked around, and they ate more grass. After that, they... Read more

Experience Flow

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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

The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Step 2)

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By Aesop ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Illustration by Milo Winter The Boy was bored. It was not interesting staying in the fields all day and watching sheep. The sheep always did the same thing. They ate grass. They walked around, and they ate more grass. After that, they... Read more

The Science of Good (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) President Clinton stood in front of the microphone. He took a breath and swallowed. Then he began his apology. He was not apologizing for being with another woman. Not yet. And he was not apologizing for a personal failure. Not this time. He was... Read more

Get Down to Business in English

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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

Habit Power (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 Will walked into the large office area and looked around. He was carrying a cup of coffee, and he spilled some on his hand. “Ouch!” he said. “That’s hot!” He looked around, but all the other workers were busy. They didn't even notice him. He walked over to... Read more

The Rules of Elite Success

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) The computer sat in a funny little room at the Lakeside School in Seattle. It was a gift from the Mother’s Club. Costing $3,000, it was expensive at the time. But the mothers wanted the students to have a computer so they could have... Read more

Be a Starter: Poke the Box

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ReadOasis Step 3 I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. Pablo Picasso, Artist. It is a basic secret of success. To get skill, we need to do new things. Depending on the task, doing something new can... Read more

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 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 responded with great enthusiasm. “Sir, your search ends here! I’m... Read more

Lady Sings the Blues

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ReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees These sad words open the song “Strange Fruit.” The song was written by Abel Meeropol, and it... Read more

Photo Art: Composition (1 in a Series)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Cameras and photos are everywhere today. For example, Flickr is a photo sharing site. People put thousands of photos on Flickr every minute. And some of these photos are excellent. The photographer Ansel Adams once said this. "You don't take a photograph, you make it." This... Read more

Genius for Melody

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ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) On June 2, 2010, President Barack Obama stood on a small stage in the White House. In the audience sat a mix of elite leaders and famous musicians. The President was about to give America’s highest award for popular music to Paul McCartney of the... Read more

A Coach for Life (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) The students stared at the lights on the scoreboard. Through their tears, the numbers were hard to see. They rubbed their eyes in disbelief. But the numbers still read Notre Dame - 71, UCLA - 70. It was impossible, even unbelievable. Between January 30,... Read more

Are Lectures Effective? (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 The teacher stood in front of the class. He put his notes on a tall stand. The stand was in the middle of the room, and the teacher could move around behind it. As he faced the class, there were many windows on his right. On... Read more

Are Lectures Effective? (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 The professor stood in front of the class. He put his notes on a tall stand. The stand was in the middle of the room, and the professor could move around behind it. As he faced the class, there were many windows on his right. On... Read more

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

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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 Life of Vincent van Gogh

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ReadOasis Step 2 Every Sunday morning, Vincent would put on his best clothes. When he was ready, he would walk to the small, red brick church where his father was the pastor. On the way, he would pass a burial ground, and he would see stones and grave markers.... Read more