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A light wind blew through the garden and shook the trees. From one tree, an apple fell and hit the ground. Isaac heard the sound, and it disturbed his thoughts. At the time, he was walking in his mother’s garden, and the apple had fallen from a nearby tree. Isaac began to contemplate some questions. [...]

  There was once a rich man whose wife died. She left him with one little girl. After some years, he married again. He hoped to give his child a mother’s love and care. His second wife had lost her husband by death, and she had two grown-up daughters. The new wife was beautiful, but [...]

Once upon a time, there lived a King and Queen who had no children. Every day they prayed for a child. Finally, a daughter was born, and in their joy, they held a great celebration. For the celebration, the King invited all the fairies in his kingdom except one. There were thirteen fairies in the [...]

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, 1971, and January 17, 1974, UCLA did not lose one game. [...]

These rocks have been hitting our earth for about three billion years, and are responsible for much of what’s gone on on our planet. This is an example of a real meteorite, and you can see all the melting of the iron from the speed and the heat when a meteorite hits the earth, and [...]

Steve entered the room. The programmers looked up at him from their desks. Steve looked right back at them. His eyes were not blinking. Steve said, “We need to have this done by next month.” “No way! We can’t write that much code by next month,” one of the programmers complained. But Steve, still not [...]

Many learners (and teachers) object to extensive reading (ER) for this reason. They want to focus on speaking skills. Others may doubt the effectiveness of ER to help learners improve all language skills, though research strongly supports this claim. Even the most earnest proponents of extensive reading know that learners need to spend time directly [...]

Many approaches to language teaching focus on language as content. These approaches can be called language-driven. On the other hand, content-driven approaches focus more directly on the meanings conveyed by language, and language becomes a means to understand stories and ideas. This is called content-based instruction. Extensive reading is a form of content-based learning where [...]

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 his left were a pink door and a gray [...]

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 book. The match ignites. Now you see a gas [...]

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 front of one store, over 100 people were lining up. [...]

George turned over in bed and covered his head with a pillow. The alarm clock had been ringing on and off for a long time. It was noisy. The neighbors could hear it through the walls. George finally opened his eyes and looked at the clock from under the pillow. It was 9:17 a.m. He [...]

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 be scary. Trying new things can include risks. Some [...]

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 my previous job, whenever something went [...]

Click here to read the Step 2 version of this story. It was a cloudy day in summer. The sun’s light flickered on the green grass as clouds moved across the sky. The colors of the German countryside danced in the changing light. A cool breeze whispered in the trees. Martin was riding his horse [...]

People of all sorts have struggled with emotional problems. For example, Ludwig van Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln, and Isaac Newton all experienced bouts with the blues. That is, they all suffered at times from some form of depression. Look at the case of Newton. He was born into a broken family, and his mother left him when [...]

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese artist, painter, and maker of prints, called UKIYO-E. During his life, he was the leading expert on Chinese painting in Japan. His most famous work is The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created in the 1820s.

When I grow up, I still want to be a director. -Steven Spielberg This quote shows the magic of movies. Steven Spielberg is a grown man, but he loves the movies like a child. He feels a sense of wonder about them. He is already a great film director. But about film, he still enjoys [...]

The giant rocket blasted upward. Hot fire and smoke exploded out of the base of it. Inside, Yuri Gagarin sat in a small control space called a cockpit. It shook with the raw power of the rocket. Yuri said, “Thank you. Goodbye. See you, dear friends. Goodbye, see you soon.” It was 6:07 a.m. on [...]

Read this story at Step 2 Professor Harry Harlow thought that he had created a difficult puzzle. He placed a hinge on a block of wood. A hook held the hinge closed. A pin blocked the movement of the hook. To open the hinge you first had to remove the pin, then swing the hook [...]