ReadOasis Step 1 The United Way is a group that helps people. The United Way might call you. And they might ask you for a donation of money. Your donation might help build a school in the Philippines. It might help train people for work in the United States.... Read more
Playing Global Business on a Level Field
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ReadOasis Step 3 A Review of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century By Thomas L. Friedman. We are entering a new era where the world is one massive marketplace. Old powers had the advantage, but the playing field is leveling now. New powers are... Read more
Master of Words: Bob Dylan (Part 1)
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ReadOasis Step 2 It was January 1961. In the cold north of Minnesota, a young man of 19 years packed his bags. He was going to New York City. By car, the trip would take over 18 hours. And he was travelling by his thumb. In other words, he... Read more
Beyond the Freezing Point (Ayako Miura)
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ReadOasis Step 3(Part 1) It was much later that I finally learned what a dark age it was. It’s after you know the light that you recognize darkness. You cannot know darkness when you’re in the middle of it. Ayako Miura (1922-1999) Up to the end of World War... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1(Part 1) A thousand years ago, boys and girls did not learn to read. Books were very hard to find, and only a few men could read them. Each book was written with a pen or a brush. The pictures were painted by hand, and some of... Read more
Black History Month
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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
Bill Gates: A Model for Business?
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By Tek SmithReadOasis Step 2 As a young man, Bill Gates had the idea to make a company. In 1975, he left Harvard University, and he started Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. By 2007, Microsoft employed 78,000 people in 105 countries. Today about 90% of the world’s computers... Read more
Zoe Nova (simplifying Mahalo.com) ReadOasis Step 1 People have been drinking green tea for about 5,000 years. Green tea came from China. And today it is produced mainly in China and Japan. Green tea is different from other kinds of tea. The leaves are not processed much. So green... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 They wanted to make a new kind of machine. It was something that had never been made before. They needed a new kind of engine. But no one would build it for them, so they built it themselves. They needed new information, so they did thousands... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 English is currently the world’s common language. It’s the international language of business, politics, and the Internet. About 400 million people speak English as a first language. And about a billion people are learning it today. To learn any foreign language, we need motivation. Motivation is... Read more
Word Power is Life
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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
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
Ichiro and the Kings of Baseball
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ReadOasis Step 2 It often happens in sport. A player just knows he will bring his team the victory. Is this true for Ichiro, that baseball wonder from Japan? Many people doubted his powers during the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He struggled under the pressure. He failed many... Read more
Throwing Shoes for Protest
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ReadOasis Step 2 In recent times, shoe throwing has become an international form of protest. On Monday, February 2, 2009, a young man threw a shoe at Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister of China. The event took place at Cambridge University in the UK. The young man was arrested... Read more
The Honest Truth About Irony
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ReadOasis Step 3 Creative Commons Photo by Oakley Originals Many of us know the story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A young husband and wife love each other deeply. But they are too poor to buy each other gifts at Christmas. After much thought, the man... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 A boy was about to go on his first date. He was worried about what to talk about, so he asked his father for advice. The father said, "My son, there are three subjects that always work. I suggest that you talk about food, family, and... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Julie is visiting the Spanish city of Madrid with her friends. One night, they decide to go to a beautiful restaurant in the Main Plaza of the city. Julie studied Spanish in high school, and she can communicate fairly well. But tonight she is having trouble... Read more
By Zoe NovaReadOasis Step 4 Japan is a land of festivals, and on the third day of the month of March, many Japanese families celebrate the Doll Festival, which is called "Hina Matsuri” in Japanese. This special day is also called Girl's Day, a day when families pray for... 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. Everyone... Read more
By Maria Sonora ReadOasis Step 1 Geisha are traditional performing artists from Japan. These women are good at various Japanese arts, such as traditional music, dancing, and song. The word "geisha" comes from Chinese words that mean "art" (GEI) and "person" (SHA). So "geisha" actually means "artist." In the... Read more