All Reading articles

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26th November 2020: Viral sensation Doggface on the video that gave 2020 some joy

Read how a video of one person finding a moment of joy in a terrible day has made millions of people happier in 2020.

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19th November 2020: Cluttercore: the pandemic trend for celebrating stuff, mess and comfort

In 2020, one of the messiest years in recent memory, the world creates a new word for finding comfort in mess—Cluttercore.

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12th November 2020: How The Flintstones set the stage for the adult animation boom

Read about the direct relationship between the dark humour of adult cartoons like Family Guy and a much older member of the family—The Flintstones.

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5th November 2020: They hate each other’s political views – so why have they become friends?

Is this what our divided world needs? An organization to help people make friends despite their different political opinions.

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29th October 2020: Billionaire Chuck Feeney achieves goal of giving away his fortune

At the age of 89, Chuck Feeney finally achieved his life’s ambition—giving away all of his $8 billion fortune.

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22nd October 2020: Face masks pick perilous path from health protector to fashion accessory

As face masks become fashionable, the fashion industry wonders how to make the necessary become the desirable.

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15th October 2020: Ami, the tiny cube on wheels that French 14-year-olds can drive

Why is an electric, tiny car with a top speed of 45 km/h so incredibly popular with the teenagers of Paris?

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8th October 2020: The signs revamping low-traffic neighbourhoods

Road signs are normally used to stop people and cars. Now, road signs are starting a new, positive use of roads in the UK.

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1st October 2020: Why do authors get a pittance for film rights?

Film and television writers dream of becoming rich, but it doesn’t always come true.

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24th September 2020: Rescue pet shelters emptied by surge in demand during pandemic

All across Australia, there is a huge demand for pets as people spend more time indoors.

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17th September 2020: Meet the man spending billions on old hits

As we increase our use of streaming music services, could music become even more valuable than gold?

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10th September 2020: What a 200-year-old experiment teaches parents about home schooling

Could parents learn something about teaching kids at home from an 18th-century French schoolmaster?

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Online Education: Learning for themselves—developing learner independence

Anna Hasper examines what learner independence means and gives practical suggestions to help young learners take more responsibility for their learning.

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3rd September 2020: Covid-19 reawakens Europe’s sleeper trains

Sleeper trains may be on their way back with so many people avoiding airports.

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Business Spotlight: Get your CV past the bots

This lesson, based on an article from Business Spotlight, is about the importance of having a CV that will get an applicant past the computer programs that companies use to filter job applications.

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27th August 2020: ‘Wave of silence’ spread around world during coronavirus pandemic

As the pandemic made life much, much quieter, seismic scientists found it easier to hear earthquakes.

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20th August 2020: Robot dolphins: the cruelty-free £20m ‘animal’

Robot dolphins might be an alternative to live animals for aquariums in China.

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13th August 2020: I found a fortune in a charity shop

Andy Hewson picked up a copy of The Hobbit for 50p, but later found out it was worth much more than that. 

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6th August 2020: Ocean swimming: my greatest discovery of the coronavirus pandemic

Alison Rourke reflects on how her new love of ocean swimming has helped her in these difficult times.

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Business Spotlight: A Question of Competence

This lesson, based on an article from Business Spotlight, is about the importance of intercultural competence in business situations.