Speed Reading
Read fascinating true stories while building your English reading speed. Time yourself, answer the questions without looking back if you can, and track both words per minute and comprehension.
Reading faster is useful only when you still understand what you read. Aim for steady improvement, not racing.
⏱️ 140+ short speed-reading drills
Want a simple place to start? Browse our collection of 140+ short levelled readings from A1 to C1, including history, science, famous people and inventions.
Explore 140+ short drills →🌱 New to English?
Absolute beginners can start with our short, friendly A0 · Pre-A1 Easy Readings before moving into the timed A1–C1 library.
Start A0 Easy Reading →📚 A2 English Reading Practice
Prefer a smaller, carefully selected collection? Explore 12 illustrated A2 readings with five comprehension questions on every page.
Explore A2 readings →Choose a reading
Choose your English level below, then select any reading card.
A1 Speed Readings
17 A1 readings — choose a reading below
Albert Einstein: A Curious Mind
A1
Famous People
110 words
Pompeii: The City Under Ash
A1
History
110 words
The Light Bulb: Bringing Light Indoors
A1
Inventions & Discoveries
109 words
Blue Whales: Giants of the Ocean
A1
Science & Nature
107 words
Amelia Earhart: Flying Across the Atlantic
A1
Exploration
105 words
Louis Braille: Reading with Your Fingers
A1
Famous People
102 words
Rosa Parks: A Quiet Act of Courage
A1
Famous People
94 words
Neil Armstrong: First Steps on the Moon
A1
Famous People
90 words
The Great Fire of London
A1
History
87 words
Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?
A1
Science & Nature
82 words
How Bees Make Honey
A1
Science & Nature
94 words
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The Bicycle: Two Wheels That Changed Travel
A1
Inventions & Discoveries
82 words
Mount Everest: The Highest Mountain
A1
Exploration
82 words
First Modern Olympic Games – A1
A1
History
75 words
The Camera: Capturing a Moment
A1
Inventions & Discoveries
83 words
The Great Wall of China
A1
History
165 words
How a Sandy Beach Is Made
A1
Science
104 words
A2 Speed Readings
41 A2 readings — choose a reading below
Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt
A2
Famous People
104 words
The Egyptian Pyramids
A2
History
112 words
The Statue of Liberty: A Symbol in New York Harbor
A2
History
111 words
Why We Dream
A2
Science & Nature
180 words
How Octopuses Change Colour
A2
Science & Nature
181 words
From Coffee Cherry to Cup
A2
Science & Nature
188 words
The Amazing Migration of Monarch Butterflies
A2
Science & Nature
178 words
Helen Keller: A Life Without Limits
A2
Famous People
181 words
The Wright Brothers and the Dream of Flight
A2
Inventions & Discoveries
187 words
Leonardo da Vinci: More Than the Mona Lisa
A2
Famous People
183 words
Amelia Earhart: Flying Into the Unknown
A2
Famous People
186 words
Pompeii: The City Buried by a Volcano
A2
History
174 words
Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution
A2
Inventions & Discoveries
188 words
The Dinosaurs and the Asteroid
A2
Science & Nature
184 words
The Great Barrier Reef: A Living City Underwater
A2
Science & Nature
190 words
Roald Amundsen: The Race to the South Pole
A2
Exploration
168 words
First Modern Olympic Games – A2
A2
History
177 words
The Great Fire of London
A2
History
172 words
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
A2
Famous People
101 words
Frida Kahlo: Painting Her Own Story
A2
Famous People
90 words
Mahatma Gandhi and Nonviolent Protest
A2
Famous People
86 words
Florence Nightingale: Changing Nursing
A2
Famous People
92 words
The Mystery of Stonehenge
A2
History
88 words
The California Gold Rush
A2
History
83 words
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
A2
History
88 words
Tutankhamun: The Boy King
A2
History
84 words
The Printing Press: Books for More People
A2
Inventions & Discoveries
86 words
The Telephone: Carrying Voices Across Distance
A2
Inventions & Discoveries
82 words
The Northern Lights – A2 English Reading Comprehension
A2
Science & Nature
87 words
How a Rainbow Forms
A2
Science & Nature
86 words
Why Dinosaurs Disappeared
A2
Science & Nature
84 words
Marco Polo and the Stories of Asia
A2
Exploration
85 words
The Kon-Tiki Voyage
A2
Exploration
92 words
How Chocolate Is Made
A2
Science
196 words
Why Foxes Are Moving Into Cities
A2
Science
102 words
The Snapshot Camera Changes Photography
A2
Inventions
109 words
The Magna Carta: Limiting a King
A2
History
131 words
Machu Picchu: A City in the Andes
A2
History
134 words
The Suez Canal: A Shortcut Between Seas
A2
History
133 words
How Tides Rise and Fall
A2
Science
141 words
Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter
A2
Science
137 words
B1 Speed Readings
33 B1 readings — choose a reading below
Titanic: The Night the Unsinkable Ship Sank
B1
History
252 words
William Shakespeare: Words for the Stage
B1
Famous People
112 words
The Amazon Rainforest: A Vast Living System
B1
Science & Nature
116 words
How Lightning Forms
B1
Science & Nature
180 words
The Day Humans First Walked on the Moon
B1
History
222 words
Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President
B1
Famous People
223 words
The Berlin Wall: A City Divided
B1
History
237 words
The Internet: From Research Network to Everyday Life
B1
Inventions & Discoveries
219 words
Everest: The First Confirmed Ascent
B1
Exploration
233 words
Smallpox: How Vaccination Changed History
B1
Science & Nature
212 words
Ada Lovelace and the First Computer Program
B1
Famous People
86 words
Malala Yousafzai: Speaking for Education
B1
Famous People
94 words
Leonardo da Vinci: Art, Science and Curiosity
B1
Famous People
99 words
Marie Curie and Radioactivity
B1
Famous People
90 words
Pompeii: A City Buried by Vesuvius
B1
History
89 words
The Black Death
B1
History
87 words
The French Revolution Begins
B1
History
89 words
The First Flight
B1
History
89 words
Penicillin: The Accidental Observation
B1
Inventions & Discoveries
89 words
The Steam Engine and Industrial Change
B1
Inventions & Discoveries
82 words
DNA: The Molecule of Heredity
B1
Science & Nature
91 words
The Human Brain
B1
Science & Nature
91 words
The Deepest Ocean Trench
B1
Science & Nature
93 words
Amelia Earhart Disappears
B1
Exploration
95 words
The Sinking of the Lusitania
B1
History
210 words
The Rosetta Stone: Unlocking Ancient Egypt
B1
History
206 words
How Blue Whales Communicate Across the Ocean
B1
Science
118 words
Surviving the Antarctic Ice: The Endurance Crew
B1
Exploration
120 words
The Panama Canal: Joining Two Oceans
B1
History
151 words
The Hubble Space Telescope: A Window on the Universe
B1
Science
144 words
Photosynthesis: How Plants Capture Light
B1
Science
142 words
Jane Goodall: Watching Chimpanzees in the Wild
B1
People
136 words
Roman Roads: Building an Empire
B1
History
143 words
B2 Speed Readings
20 B2 readings — choose a reading below
Leonardo da Vinci: Art, Anatomy and Endless Curiosity
B2
Famous People
200 words
The Berlin Wall: A City Divided
B2
History
208 words
The Printing Press: When Ideas Began to Travel Faster
B2
Inventions & Discoveries
202 words
The Human Brain: A Universe Inside the Skull
B2
Science & Nature
194 words
Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President
B2
Famous People
123 words
Albert Einstein and a New Picture of Physics
B2
Famous People
114 words
Chernobyl: Anatomy of a Nuclear Disaster
B2
History
122 words
The Cuban Missile Crisis
B2
History
109 words
The Haitian Revolution
B2
History
116 words
The Transistor: The Tiny Device Behind Modern Electronics
B2
Inventions & Discoveries
100 words
GPS: Finding Position with Atomic Clocks
B2
Inventions & Discoveries
100 words
Plate Tectonics: A Moving Planet
B2
Science & Nature
93 words
Vaccination: Training the Immune System
B2
Science & Nature
115 words
Voyager 1: Journey into Interstellar Space
B2
Exploration
188 words
The Silk Road – B2 English Reading Comprehension
B2
History
238 words
Ibn Battuta: Across the Medieval World
B2
History
152 words
Zheng He and the Ming Treasure Voyages
B2
History
149 words
Antibiotic Resistance: When Medicines Stop Working
B2
Science
145 words
Coral Bleaching: Reefs Under Stress
B2
Science
148 words
The James Webb Space Telescope: Looking Back in Time
B2
Science
148 words
C1 Speed Readings
19 C1 readings — choose a reading below
Nelson Mandela: Leadership After Twenty-Seven Years in Prison
C1
Famous People
251 words
The Black Death: How a Pandemic Reshaped Medieval Europe
C1
History
239 words
CRISPR: Rewriting the Language of DNA
C1
Science & Nature
227 words
The Race to the South Pole: Amundsen and Scott
C1
Exploration
242 words
Charles Darwin and the Logic of Natural Selection
C1
Famous People
135 words
Alan Turing: Computation, War and Legacy
C1
Famous People
118 words
The Industrial Revolution: More Than Machines
C1
History
112 words
The Partition of India
C1
History
120 words
The Internet: A Network of Networks
C1
Inventions & Discoveries
115 words
Artificial Intelligence: From Symbolic Rules to Deep Learning
C1
Inventions & Discoveries
120 words
CRISPR and the Ethics of Editing Life
C1
Science & Nature
128 words
Climate Change and the Carbon Cycle
C1
Science & Nature
122 words
Apollo 11: Engineering a Lunar Landing
C1
Exploration
122 words
Polynesian Navigation Across the Pacific
C1
Exploration
119 words
The Library of Alexandria: Knowledge and Legend
C1
History
165 words
Greenwich Mean Time: Standardising the Clock
C1
History
152 words
Earthquakes: Reading Stress in the Crust
C1
Science
154 words
The Invention of Paper: A Technology for Ideas
C1
Science
153 words
The Magnetic Compass: Finding Direction Without Landmarks
C1
Science
158 words
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130 free levelled English readings
Browse individual A1–C1 reading pages. These pages make the library easy to share, bookmark and discover in search.
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A1 Readings
17 readings at A1 level
- Albert Einstein: A Curious Mind A1
- Pompeii: The City Under Ash A1
- The Light Bulb: Bringing Light Indoors A1
- Blue Whales: Giants of the Ocean A1
- Amelia Earhart: Flying Across the Atlantic A1
- Louis Braille: Reading with Your Fingers A1
- Rosa Parks: A Quiet Act of Courage A1
- Neil Armstrong: First Steps on the Moon A1
- The Great Fire of London A1
- Why Do Volcanoes Erupt? – A1 English Reading A1
- How Bees Make Honey A1
- The Bicycle: Two Wheels That Changed Travel A1
- Mount Everest: The Highest Mountain A1
- First Modern Olympic Games – A1 English Reading A1
- The Camera: Capturing a Moment A1
- The Great Wall of China A1
- How a Sandy Beach Is Made A1
A2 Readings
41 readings at A2 level
- Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt A2
- The Egyptian Pyramids A2
- The Statue of Liberty: A Symbol in New York Harbor A2
- Why We Dream A2
- How Octopuses Change Colour – A2 English Reading A2
- From Coffee Cherry to Cup A2
- The Amazing Migration of Monarch Butterflies A2
- Helen Keller: A Life Without Limits A2
- The Wright Brothers and the Dream of Flight A2
- Leonardo da Vinci: More Than the Mona Lisa A2
- Amelia Earhart: Flying Into the Unknown A2
- Pompeii: The City Buried by a Volcano A2
- Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution A2
- The Dinosaurs and the Asteroid A2
- The Great Barrier Reef: A Living City Underwater A2
- Roald Amundsen: The Race to the South Pole A2
- First Modern Olympic Games – A2 English Reading A2
- The Great Fire of London A2
- Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom A2
- Frida Kahlo: Painting Her Own Story A2
- Mahatma Gandhi and Nonviolent Protest A2
- Florence Nightingale: Changing Nursing A2
- The Mystery of Stonehenge A2
- The California Gold Rush A2
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall A2
- Tutankhamun: The Boy King A2
- The Printing Press: Books for More People A2
- The Telephone: Carrying Voices Across Distance A2
- The Northern Lights – A2 English Reading Comprehension A2
- How a Rainbow Forms A2
- Why Dinosaurs Disappeared A2
- Marco Polo and the Stories of Asia A2
- The Kon-Tiki Voyage A2
- How Chocolate Is Made A2
- Why Foxes Are Moving Into Cities A2
- The Snapshot Camera Changes Photography A2
- The Magna Carta: Limiting a King A2
- Machu Picchu: A City in the Andes A2
- The Suez Canal: A Shortcut Between Seas A2
- How Tides Rise and Fall A2
- Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter A2
B1 Readings
33 readings at B1 level
- Titanic: The Night the Unsinkable Ship Sank B1
- William Shakespeare: Words for the Stage B1
- The Amazon Rainforest: A Vast Living System B1
- How Lightning Forms B1
- The Day Humans First Walked on the Moon B1
- Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President B1
- The Berlin Wall: A City Divided B1
- The Internet: From Research Network to Everyday Life B1
- Mount Everest – B1 English Reading B1
- Smallpox: How Vaccination Changed History B1
- Ada Lovelace and the First Computer Program B1
- Malala Yousafzai: Speaking for Education B1
- Leonardo da Vinci: Art, Science and Curiosity B1
- Marie Curie and Radioactivity B1
- Pompeii: A City Buried by Vesuvius B1
- The Black Death B1
- The French Revolution Begins B1
- The First Flight B1
- Penicillin: The Accidental Observation B1
- The Steam Engine and Industrial Change B1
- DNA: The Molecule of Heredity B1
- The Human Brain B1
- The Deepest Ocean Trench B1
- Amelia Earhart Disappears B1
- The Sinking of the Lusitania B1
- The Rosetta Stone: Unlocking Ancient Egypt B1
- How Blue Whales Communicate Across the Ocean B1
- Surviving the Antarctic Ice: The Endurance Crew B1
- The Panama Canal: Joining Two Oceans B1
- The Hubble Space Telescope: A Window on the Universe B1
- Photosynthesis: How Plants Capture Light B1
- Jane Goodall: Watching Chimpanzees in the Wild B1
- Roman Roads: Building an Empire B1
B2 Readings
20 readings at B2 level
- Leonardo da Vinci: Art, Anatomy and Endless Curiosity B2
- The Berlin Wall: A City Divided B2
- The Printing Press: When Ideas Began to Travel Faster B2
- The Human Brain: A Universe Inside the Skull B2
- Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President B2
- Albert Einstein and a New Picture of Physics B2
- Chernobyl: Anatomy of a Nuclear Disaster B2
- The Cuban Missile Crisis B2
- The Haitian Revolution B2
- The Transistor: The Tiny Device Behind Modern Electronics B2
- GPS: Finding Position with Atomic Clocks B2
- Plate Tectonics: A Moving Planet B2
- Vaccination: Training the Immune System B2
- Voyager 1: Journey into Interstellar Space B2
- The Silk Road – B2 English Reading Comprehension B2
- Ibn Battuta: Across the Medieval World B2
- Zheng He and the Ming Treasure Voyages B2
- Antibiotic Resistance: When Medicines Stop Working B2
- Coral Bleaching: Reefs Under Stress B2
- The James Webb Space Telescope: Looking Back in Time B2
C1 Readings
19 readings at C1 level
- Nelson Mandela: Leadership After Twenty-Seven Years in Prison C1
- The Black Death: How a Pandemic Reshaped Medieval Europe C1
- CRISPR: Rewriting the Language of DNA C1
- Amundsen and Scott – C1 English Reading C1
- Charles Darwin and the Logic of Natural Selection C1
- Alan Turing: Computation, War and Legacy C1
- The Industrial Revolution: More Than Machines C1
- The Partition of India C1
- The Internet: A Network of Networks C1
- Artificial Intelligence: From Symbolic Rules to Deep Learning C1
- CRISPR and the Ethics of Editing Life C1
- Climate Change and the Carbon Cycle C1
- Apollo 11: Engineering a Lunar Landing C1
- Polynesian Navigation Across the Pacific C1
- The Library of Alexandria: Knowledge and Legend C1
- Greenwich Mean Time: Standardising the Clock C1
- Earthquakes: Reading Stress in the Crust C1
- The Invention of Paper: A Technology for Ideas C1
- The Magnetic Compass: Finding Direction Without Landmarks C1