Top Picks

Making Work Fun: The Levity Effect

B1-Intermediate Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 3 Stories Top Picks February 25, 2020 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 responded with great enthusiasm. “Sir, your search ends here! I’m the one. In... Read more

Drifting Cowboy: Hank Williams

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories Top Picks February 25, 2020 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

Be a Starter: Poke the Box

A3-Beginner++Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 3 Stories Top Picks February 24, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) 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... Read more

Habit Power (Step 3)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories Top Picks February 18, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) 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... Read more

The Rules of Elite Success

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories Top Picks February 17, 2020 1

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

Photo Art: Composition (1 in a Series)

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Top Picks February 3, 2020 2

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

Lady Sings the Blues

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Movies Step 2B Music Step 2A Protected Step 2 Stories Top Picks January 28, 2020 1

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

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

Verbal, Visual, & Vocal Communication

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

ReadOasis Step 2 What is good communication? Psychologist Albert Mehrabian researches three elements of communication: words, tone of voice, and body language. More interestingly, Mehrabian studied how people communicate feelings and attitudes. If your body language and tone of voice disagree with your words, listeners tend to believe your body... Read more

The Trial of Galileo (Step 2)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories Top Picks December 19, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was the middle of winter. Galileo was old, weak, and sick. But he had to make the 200 mile (320 kilometer) trip to Rome in the cold. Why all this trouble? The Head of the Roman Church said so. Galileo must go on... Read more

Driving Motivation (Step 2)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories Top Picks December 18, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) 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... Read more

Pleasure, Success, and Reading

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Public Step 2 Stories Styles Top Picks December 10, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Mary lay down on the sofa with her book, and she opened it again. She couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. She loved science fiction, and this book was one of the most famous sci-fi books of all time: 2001: A... Read more

The Life of Vincent van Gogh

Arts B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 2 Stories Times Top Picks November 30, 2019 9

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

A Small World of English

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 2 Stories Top Picks November 20, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Is it a small world after all? What do you think? Travellers easily move all around the world in the air. By the power of the Internet, a teacher in New Delhi meets face to face with a student in London. Through video link,... Read more

Practice Makes Genius (Step 3)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Top Picks November 19, 2019 2

ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by Ludovic Peron Tiger Woods started playing golf when he was two years old. Basically from birth, Tiger was trained by his father to become a great golfer. As a boy, baseball marvel Ichiro Suzuki practiced with his father every day. The practice... Read more

Confucius: An Icon of Chinese Culture

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 4 Stories Top Picks August 15, 2019 1

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

The Drama of Darwin (Step 3)

BNC Levels C1-Advanced CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories Top Picks August 12, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) 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... Read more

Practice Makes Genius (Step 4)

B1-Intermediate BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 4 Stories Top Picks August 6, 2019 3

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 Boy Who Cried Wolf (Step 2)

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Story Top Picks July 30, 2019 0

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

Don’t Read = Can’t Read

A3-Beginner++BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles Top Picks July 28, 2019 4

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.” Mark Twain Mark Twain in the Tesla Science Lab Mark Twain was the funniest man in America. He went on adventures. He travelled the world. He met presidents and kings. And... Read more