Top Picks | ReadOasis

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. Everyone... Read more

Practice Makes Genius

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By D.S. Aims ReadOasis Step 4 Tiger Woods started playing golf when he was two years old. Tiger was a mere toddler when his father began training him to become a great golfer. As a boy, baseball phenomenon Ichiro Suzuki practiced with his father every day. The practice sessions... Read more

The Drama of Darwin (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3 Annie Darwin was her father's joy, and she treated him with tender kindness. But in 1849 Annie became sick with severe fever. Charles struggled to cure her, but in 1851, Annie died and was buried in a small church in Worcestershire. The words on her grave... 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

A Simple Recipe for Learning English

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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

Culture of Innovation (Step 3)

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ReadOasis Step 3(Part 1) It was 5 o’clock on a warm summer evening in July 2008. In a busy part of Tokyo, people were leaving their places of work. Some were going home, and others were going out to enjoy the nightlife. It was an ordinary night. But in... Read more

A Coach for Life (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Coach John Wooden The students looked at the score of the game. And they could not believe their eyes. But the numbers still read Notre Dame - 71, UCLA - 70. It was impossible, even unbelievable. Between January 30, 1971, and January 17, 1974, UCLA did... Read more

Good Writing is Good Thinking

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By Joseph Poulshock and Randall Short ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Most people think that thinking is important. If you are a good thinker, then you probably have a better chance at success in life. But how do you know if your thinking is good? And how can you... Read more

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

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By Maria SonoraReadOasis Step 2(Part 1) By MGM Records via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) 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... 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

Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture

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By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) The teacher spoke his mind. He told the truth as he saw it, and this apparently offended leaders who had great power. And so, the teacher, whose name was Confucius, was forced into exile. He had to leave the state... Read more

An Instinct for Language

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ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) The Kingfisher is a beautiful bird. Like many kinds of birds, the Kingfisher takes a special journey when the seasons change. Birds take this journey to find food and better weather. But this is the amazing part. Birds take this seasonal journey without learning... 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

The Next Einstein

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ReadOasis Step 1 By Max L. Knowles A large group of people came together. It was a special day, a chance of a lifetime. They wanted to see a great man. He wasn’t a musician, actor, or sports star. He was a scientist, and his name was Albert Einstein.... Read more

Driving Motivation (Step 2)

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ReadOasis Step 2 Doctor Harry Harlow made a difficult puzzle. At least he thought it was difficult. On a block of wood, he placed a metal catch called a hinge. A hinge is a piece of metal joined to a door. It allows the door to open and shut.... Read more

Slower is Faster

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ReadOasis Step 1(Part 1) Bill was walking slowly to class. He always walked slowly. He wore thick glasses, and it was hard for him to see far ahead. He didn’t want to trip and fall. It’s better to be safe than sorry, he thought. Safe was good, but Bill... Read more

Music as Medicine (Part 1)

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ReadOasis Step 3 You are watching TV. On the screen, you see the two strong hands of a man. In his left hand, he holds a book of matches. In his right hand, he holds a single match. With his right hand, he strikes the match on the match... 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

Einstein Equals Genius

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ReadOasis Step 4 (Part 1) Albert’s father pulled the compass out of his pocket. He placed it on the table. The needle moved and then stopped, facing north as it always did. It was pulled by an invisible force, a magnetic field. For young Albert, the magnetic field that... Read more

The Trial of Galileo (Step 4)

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ReadOasis Step 4(Part 1) Ideas on Trial Galileo was old, weak, and ill. But he had to make the 200 mile journey to Rome in the middle of winter. Why all this trouble? The leader of the Church, the Pope, demanded it. Galileo must go on trial for a... Read more