Read · Listen · Learn
2016-11-15
We've been busy since we last posted details of new stories and articles in October. We've welcomed nearly 1,000 students from BRAC University in Bangladesh and we've added some new title and audio recordings to our library.
The Sheriff's Children by Charles W. Chesnutt - audio - upper-intermediateCharles Chesnutt explores the injustices that slavery created in this excellent short story about the actions of a decent and brave lawman, as he refuses to allow his neighbours to hang an Afro-American suspected of committing murder in a small town after the American Civil War.
However, the man has a secret in his past that the crime is about to reveal (5,000 words)
This short story by Tolstoy concerns good relations with neighbours is the key to a happy and peaceful home life. When that is lost, not only friendship suffers but also the farms on which they live.
Read and listen to Tolstoy's wise words here (4,930 words)
Bruno Sammartino - audio - intermediateBruno Sammartino was born just before the Second World War in a mountain village in Italy. He was weak because his mother could not get enough food for the boy to eat. It was hard to imagine in those days that this little boy would become the world champion of wrestling, but that is what happened. He grew into the most famous and best-loved professional wrestler of all time.
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb - upper-intermediateWe of course know that Dr. Watson always helps his friend, Sherlock Holmes, in his cases. However, in this story it is Watson who brings the case to the detective’s attention. Once again, things are not as they appear at first sight and Holmes soon begins to understand and solve another crime.
Unfortunately, he cannot give the engineer his thumb back! (5,350 words)
This is one of the most popular ghost stories of all time. It tells the tale of a very old lady and the young girl who is paid to sit and watch her, get her food and drink and make sure she is happy.
Zero - pre-intermediateIt is hard for us to imagine what life was like before we had the number zero. Numbers were very long and extremely difficult to multiply. Imagine this sum, for example: DCCCLXXVII x MMCCLXIX in Roman numbers. Imagine that you could not use 0 to write 1,000,001. But zero was also thought to be the work of the Devil, because it meant ‘nothing’ and it was impossible to show nothing.
Read and listen to the fascinating story of zero (1,100 words)