This is Book 9, Collection II, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 83.4 Total word count | 15886 Words beyond 1500 | 869 Unknown word percentage (%) | 5.47 Unknown headword occurrence | 2.09 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 28 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 187 Synopsis Wise Men of Gotham is the early name given to the people of the village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, who are known for being foolish. Stories of foolish people are told in almost every country. In Germany there are the Schildburgers, from the town of Schilda, and in the backcountry south of Warsaw, Poland, there are Chelmites, who come from a small Jewish village, named Chelm. In Ireland, stories are told about a foolish man named Sir Gaulard, and there are pedants in almost every country. In the old days, these stories brought joy to the dull and hard life of the people. Even today, these stories still make us laugh. After laughing at these people, we might ask ourselves: aren’t we modern people, who consider ourselves wise, sometime just as foolish or even more foolish than those ancient people?

This is Book 2, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 82.5 Total word count | 19099 Words beyond 1500 | 1029 Unknown word percentage (%) | 5.39 Unknown headword occurrence | 3.19 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 52 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 162 Synopsis Robin Hood is a hero of English folk tales. He is believed to have lived in Nottinghamshire about 700 years ago. He lost his home and ran away into the Sherwood Forest. There, he gathered together a band of merry men. They robbed the rich to help the poor. Robin Hood appears in songs, plays, games, novels, musicals, films, and TV series. This book is rewritten from “Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children” by H. E. Marshall (1867– 1941), English author of children’s historical stories.

This is Book 4, Collection II, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 82.8 Total word count | 35152 Words beyond 1500 | 1286 Unknown word percentage (%) | 3.66 Unknown headword occurrence | 3.27 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 65 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 210 Synopsis Pollyanna Whittier is a young orphan, who goes to live with her Aunt Polly. Aunt Polly does not want to take in Pollyanna, but feels it is her duty to her late sister. Miss Polly sends Nancy to the train station to meet Pollyanna instead of going herself. When Pollyanna arrives, she takes Nancy for her aunt. Tears come to her eyes when she learns the truth, but she soon becomes glad again, because she knows how to play a “Glad Game”. Pollyanna teaches many people in this town how to play the “Glad Game”, and this brings about surprising changes in the town…. This book is rewritten from “Pollyanna” by Eleanor H. Porter (1868-1920. Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel and is now considered a classic of children’s literature. It has been adapted for film several times.

This is Book 4, Collection I, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 87.7 Total word count | 22011 Words beyond 1500 | 755 Unknown word percentage (%) | 3.43 Unknown headword occurrence | 3.91 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 40 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 103 Synopsis Black Beauty is the name of a fine horse. He spends his early years with his mother. Then he is sold to the Squire Gordon, who is a horse lover and cares very well for his animals. Beauty spends the better part of three years here and makes friends with the other horses. Then Beauty is sold to Earlshall Park. The life is harder there. He hurt his knees in a riding accident and is sold as a job horse to a new master. The horse then passes from one master to another…. The original novel was written by Anna Sewell (1820 – 1878), an English novelist, and was published in 1877.

This is Book 11, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 79.6 Total word count | 15162 Words beyond 1500 | 1145 Unknown word percentage (%) | 7.55 Unknown headword occurrence | 1.78 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 24 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 241 Synopsis Apart from being fun, reading jokes is a good way for ESL/EFL learners to improve their understanding of English. Some jokes show different ways in which words are used, and such jokes make it easier for learners to remember the language points. Here is an example: “Is she making him a good wife?” “Well, not exactly; but she’s making him a good husband.” In this joke, the word “make” is used in two different patterns. In the first one, “make him a good wife” means “become a good wife for him”, while in the second, “make him a good husband” means “train him so that he will become a good husband.” A good teacher always knows when to use a joke in his classroom. He may say, “That reminds of a joke/story” during his lesson and then a story follows. This will arouse the students’ interest in his class and students never fail to like such a teacher.

This is Book 9, Collection I, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 85.3 Total word count | 31945 Words beyond 1500 | 1802 Unknown word percentage (%) | 5.64 Unknown headword occurrence | 4.53 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 76 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 208 Synopsis Three girls and two boys who live in Tenth Street have formed the Tenth Street Reading Circle. They read detective mystery stories together. One day, Betty Bliss suggests forming a detective club. They will call themselves Tenth Street Yard, after the London Scotland Yard, and Betty will be Superintendent. At first, the two boys do not think girls can do good detecting, so they laugh at them and refuse to join the club. But after they have solved several cases successfully, the boys begin to admire the girls and want to join the club. After that, they succeed in solving a number of cases. The original stories are written by Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937), famous American humorist, author of more than 30 books and more than 2,000 stories and essays.

This is Book 1, Collection V, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 86.5 Total word count | 16587 Words beyond 1500 | 890 Unknown word percentage (%) | 5.37 Unknown headword occurrence | 2.95 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 46 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 151 Synopsis This book is rewritten from Book 1 of Enid Blyton’s THE SECRET SEVEN collection. The Secret Seven are Peter and his sister Janet, Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin and George. They form the Secret Seven Society - ready to solve any mystery, any time. They have a secret password, a badge, and a secret meeting place in a garden shed. This is the first adventure of the Secret Seven. The Seven have been making snowmen in the field opposite a lonely old house. When Jack returns home, he finds his badge gone. As he is not allowed to go out after lunch, he decides to steal out of the house at night and go and see whether he can find his missing badge. That is when he discovers a mystery worth investigating.... Enid Blyton (1897 - 1968) is one of the world’s best-loved children’s authors. Her books have been translated into over 90 languages and are still enjoyed by children and adults all over the world.

This is Book 2, Collection II, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 84.2 Total word count | 11138 Words beyond 1500 | 579 Unknown word percentage (%) | 5.2 Unknown headword occurrence | 3.45 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 25 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 65 Synopsis When Mowgli is a man-cub, Shere Khan, a tiger, wants to catch him and eat him. He is saved by a wolf and becomes a member of the wolf family. Mowgli learns how to live in the jungle with the help of all of his animal family, but he still watches the people in the nearby village who are living normal human lives. Can Mowgli return to human civilization? The original book was written by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), an English writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The book was published in 1894 and has been made into films several times.

This is Book 6, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 82.6 Total word count | 16260 Words beyond 1500 | 1013 Unknown word percentage (%) | 6.23 Unknown headword occurrence | 2.98 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 40 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 151 Synopsis The narrator, an airplane pilot, crashes in the Sahara desert. His plane is badly damaged and he has very little food or water. At this time, the little prince comes to him. He is a very serious little boy who asks the narrator to draw him a sheep. The narrator agrees, and the two become friends. The pilot learns that the little prince comes from a small planet. The little prince passes by neighboring asteroids and meets various people, a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter, a geographer and so on. After staying on the earth for a year, the little prince decides to return to his planet, so he asks the poisonous snake for help…. This book is rewritten from “Little Prince” by the French author Antoine de Saint Exupéry (1900-1944). It is the third most-translated book in the world and one of the best-selling books ever published.

This is Book 4, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words. Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions. Text Information Readability | 82.9 Total word count | 21514 Words beyond 1500 | 790 Unknown word percentage (%) | 3.67 Unknown headword occurrence | 2.58 Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 33 Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 145 Synopsis Mark Nelson’s farm is mortgaged to Squire Hudson for two thousand dollars. The farm is not making enough money to support the family, so his son Tom shows his wish to go to California to raise money in the gold mines. Fortunately, he finds the Squire’s wallet and returns it at once. So the Squire offers to lend Tom the money to get to California, and the debt is added to the mortgage. His parents agree, and they borrow the money from Hudson. Then Tom heads for Pittsburgh. On the train, Tom meets a young man who calls himself Milton Graham. They stay in the same room in a hotel in Pittsburgh that evening. When Tom wakes up at night, he finds Milton standing with his back turned to him, searching his pockets…. This book is rewritten from “The Young Adventurer, Or, Tom’s Trip Across The Plains” by Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832 – 1899), a 19th-century American author, most famous for his novels about the adventures of poor boys who succeed through hard work.