/* ───────────────────────────────────────────── Reading practice — batch 8: A1 / A2 / B1 / B2 Extends window.READING_DATA ───────────────────────────────────────────── */ window.READING_DATA = (window.READING_DATA || []).concat([ /* ─── A1 · DAILY ─── */ { id: 'the-new-phone', level: 'A1', icon: '📱', minutes: 3, kind: { en: 'Story', ar: 'قصة', tr: 'Hikâye' }, title: { en: 'Grandma\u2019s New Phone', ar: 'هاتف الجدة الجديد', tr: 'Büyükannenin Yeni Telefonu' }, summary: { en: 'Leyla teaches her grandmother to use a smartphone. It is not easy — but it is worth it.', ar: 'ليلى تعلّم جدتها استخدام الهاتف الذكي. الأمر ليس سهلاً — لكنه يستحق.', tr: 'Leyla büyükannesine akıllı telefon kullanmayı öğretiyor. Kolay değil — ama değer.', }, figure: { caption: { en: 'Leyla shows her grandmother how to make a video call.', ar: 'ليلى تُري جدتها كيف تجري مكالمة فيديو.', tr: 'Leyla büyükannesine görüntülü arama yapmayı gösteriyor.' }, prompt: 'A young woman and her smiling elderly grandmother sitting on a sofa looking at a smartphone together, warm home light.', }, body: [ 'Leyla\u2019s grandmother has a new phone. It is a gift from the family. But Grandma is not happy. "It has no [[buttons]]!" she says. "How do I call anyone?"', 'Every Saturday, Leyla visits and teaches her one thing. Week one: how to [[unlock]] the phone. Week two: how to call Leyla\u2019s mother. Week three: how to send a [[voice message]].', 'Sometimes Grandma gets angry. "The phone is broken!" she says. But the phone is not broken — her finger is just on the wrong [[icon]]. Leyla laughs and shows her again. And again.', 'One evening, Leyla\u2019s phone rings. It is a video call — from Grandma! Her face fills the screen, very close, only her nose and glasses. "Can you see me?" Grandma shouts happily.', '"Yes, Grandma. I can see you," Leyla says, and she smiles all evening. Now Grandma sends the family photos of her garden, her cat, and her [[fresh]] bread. Nobody taught her that. She learned it alone.', ], vocab: { 'buttons': { pos: 'noun', def: 'small parts you press on a machine or phone', ex: 'Old phones had real buttons.' }, 'unlock': { pos: 'verb', def: 'to open a phone or door so you can use it', ex: 'Unlock the screen with your finger.' }, 'voice message': { pos: 'noun', def: 'a short recording of your voice you send instead of text', ex: 'Send me a voice message.' }, 'icon': { pos: 'noun', def: 'a small picture on a screen that opens an app', ex: 'Tap the green icon to call.' }, 'fresh': { pos: 'adjective', def: 'recently made; not old', ex: 'The bread is fresh from the oven.' }, }, questions: [ { type:'mcq', q:'Why is Grandma unhappy at first?', options:['The phone is expensive','The phone has no buttons','The phone is old','The phone is broken'], a:1, explainEn:'"It has no buttons!" she says.', explainAr:'"ليس له أزرار!" قالت.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'How often does Leyla visit?', options:['Every day','Every Saturday','Once a month','Every evening'], a:1, explainEn:'Every Saturday, Leyla visits and teaches her one thing.', explainAr:'تزورها ليلى كل سبت وتعلمها شيئاً واحداً.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What surprise does Grandma make?', options:['She buys a new phone','She makes a video call to Leyla','She breaks the phone','She visits Leyla'], a:1, explainEn:'Leyla\u2019s phone rings — a video call from Grandma.', explainAr:'رنّ هاتف ليلى — مكالمة فيديو من الجدة.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'True or false: Somebody taught Grandma to send photos.', options:['True','False'], a:1, explainEn:'False — "Nobody taught her that. She learned it alone."', explainAr:'خطأ — تعلمت ذلك وحدها.' }, { type:'fill', q:'A small picture on the screen that opens an app is an ___.', a:'icon', explainEn:'Her finger is just on the wrong icon.', explainAr:'icon تعني أيقونة.' }, ], }, /* ─── A2 · WORK ─── */ { id: 'first-online-meeting', level: 'A2', icon: '💻', minutes: 4, kind: { en: 'Story', ar: 'قصة', tr: 'Hikâye' }, title: { en: 'Karim\u2019s First Online Meeting', ar: 'أول اجتماع لكريم عبر الإنترنت', tr: 'Karim\u2019in İlk Çevrim İçi Toplantısı' }, summary: { en: 'New job, new team, and a meeting in English — with the camera on. Karim survives, barely.', ar: 'عمل جديد وفريق جديد واجتماع بالإنجليزية — والكاميرا مفتوحة. كريم ينجو بصعوبة.', tr: 'Yeni iş, yeni ekip ve İngilizce bir toplantı — kamera açık. Karim zar zor kurtuluyor.', }, figure: { caption: { en: 'Karim prepares his notes before the video call.', ar: 'كريم يجهّز ملاحظاته قبل مكالمة الفيديو.', tr: 'Karim görüntülü görüşmeden önce notlarını hazırlıyor.' }, prompt: 'A nervous young engineer at a tidy desk with a laptop showing a video call grid, notebook with handwritten notes, morning light.', }, body: [ 'Karim starts a new job at an international company. His team is in three countries, so meetings happen online — in English. Today is his first one, and he is [[nervous]].', 'He prepares well. He writes his [[introduction]] in a notebook: name, city, job. He tests his camera and microphone twice. He puts a glass of water next to the laptop.', 'The meeting starts. Eight faces appear on the screen. The manager says: "We have a new team member — Karim, please introduce yourself!" Karim\u2019s heart beats fast. He reads from his notebook, and his voice [[shakes]] a little. But everyone smiles and says "Welcome!"', 'Then something goes wrong. A colleague asks him a question, but Karim\u2019s microphone is on [[mute]]. He speaks for thirty seconds — and nobody hears him. The team laughs kindly. "It happens to everyone," the manager says. "Every single week."', 'After the meeting, Karim writes new words from the call in his notebook: *deadline*, *update*, *schedule*. Next week, he wants to ask one question — with the microphone on. That is his small [[goal]].', ], vocab: { 'nervous': { pos: 'adjective', def: 'worried and a little afraid', ex: 'I feel nervous before exams.' }, 'introduction': { pos: 'noun', def: 'the words you say when people meet you for the first time', ex: 'Prepare a short introduction about yourself.' }, 'shakes': { pos: 'verb', def: 'moves quickly in a way you cannot control', ex: 'Her voice shakes when she is scared.' }, 'mute': { pos: 'noun', def: 'the setting that turns your microphone off', ex: 'You are on mute — we can\u2019t hear you!' }, 'goal': { pos: 'noun', def: 'something you want to achieve', ex: 'My goal is to speak English every day.' }, }, questions: [ { type:'mcq', q:'Why are the meetings online?', options:['Karim works from home','The team is in three countries','The office is closed','The manager likes video calls'], a:1, explainEn:'His team is in three countries.', explainAr:'فريقه في ثلاث دول.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What goes wrong in the meeting?', options:['The internet stops','Karim speaks while on mute','Karim is late','The camera breaks'], a:1, explainEn:'He speaks for thirty seconds — and nobody hears him.', explainAr:'تحدث ثلاثين ثانية ولم يسمعه أحد.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'How does the team react?', options:['They are angry','They laugh kindly','They end the meeting','They say nothing'], a:1, explainEn:'The team laughs kindly. "It happens to everyone."', explainAr:'ضحك الفريق بلطف: "يحدث هذا للجميع."' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What is Karim\u2019s goal for next week?', options:['To lead the meeting','To ask one question with the microphone on','To turn off his camera','To write a report'], a:1, explainEn:'He wants to ask one question — with the microphone on.', explainAr:'يريد طرح سؤال واحد والميكروفون مفتوح.' }, { type:'fill', q:'If people cannot hear you in a call, you may be on ___.', a:'mute', explainEn:'Karim\u2019s microphone was on mute.', explainAr:'mute تعني كتم الصوت.' }, { type:'fill', q:'Something you want to achieve is a ___.', a:'goal', explainEn:'That is his small goal.', explainAr:'goal تعني هدفاً.' }, ], }, /* ─── B1 · SCIENCE / DAILY ─── */ { id: 'why-we-forget', level: 'B1', icon: '🧠', minutes: 5, kind: { en: 'Article', ar: 'مقال', tr: 'Makale' }, title: { en: 'Why We Forget New Words (and How to Stop It)', ar: 'لماذا ننسى الكلمات الجديدة (وكيف نوقف ذلك)', tr: 'Yeni Kelimeleri Neden Unuturuz (ve Nasıl Durdururuz)' }, summary: { en: 'You learn ten words today and remember two next week. Science explains why — and what actually works.', ar: 'تتعلم عشر كلمات اليوم وتتذكر اثنتين الأسبوع القادم. العلم يشرح السبب — وما الذي ينجح فعلاً.', tr: 'Bugün on kelime öğrenip haftaya ikisini hatırlıyorsun. Bilim nedenini açıklıyor.', }, figure: { caption: { en: 'Reviewing words at growing intervals beats repeating them in one sitting.', ar: 'مراجعة الكلمات على فترات متزايدة أفضل من تكرارها في جلسة واحدة.', tr: 'Kelimeleri artan aralıklarla tekrar etmek tek oturuşta tekrarlamaktan iyidir.' }, prompt: 'A clean infographic-style illustration of a forgetting curve with review points lifting the memory line back up, notebook and flashcards on a desk.', }, body: [ 'In the 1880s, a German scientist named Hermann Ebbinghaus [[memorized]] lists of nonsense syllables and tested himself for months. His discovery became famous: we forget most new information within days — unless we review it. The graph of this loss is called the *forgetting curve*.', 'The good news is that every review makes the curve flatter. If you meet a word today, tomorrow, in three days, and then in a week, it slowly moves into long-term memory. This method is called [[spaced repetition]], and it is the most tested technique in language learning.', 'There is a second trick, and it feels wrong at first: testing yourself is better than re-reading. When you struggle to [[recall]] a word before checking the answer, the effort itself strengthens the memory. Scientists call this the *testing effect*. Simply reading your notes again feels easier — but it builds much weaker memories.', 'Context matters too. A word learned inside a sentence, a story, or a real conversation has many [[connections]] in your brain: a sound, a situation, an emotion. A word learned alone on a list has almost none. That is why you remember words from an argument or a funny mistake for years.', 'So the recipe is simple, even if it is not magic: meet words in real texts, test yourself instead of re-reading, and return to old words on a schedule. Five minutes a day beats two hours once a month — [[consistency]] is the whole game.', ], vocab: { 'memorized': { pos: 'verb', def: 'learned something so you can remember it exactly', ex: 'She memorized the whole poem.' }, 'spaced repetition': { pos: 'noun', def: 'reviewing material at growing time intervals', ex: 'Flashcard apps use spaced repetition.' }, 'recall': { pos: 'verb', def: 'to bring information back from memory', ex: 'I couldn\u2019t recall her name.' }, 'connections': { pos: 'noun', def: 'links between things', ex: 'The brain builds connections between ideas.' }, 'consistency': { pos: 'noun', def: 'doing something regularly, without stopping', ex: 'Consistency matters more than intensity.' }, }, questions: [ { type:'mcq', q:'What is the "forgetting curve"?', options:['A memory game','A graph showing how fast we forget','A list of hard words','A type of test'], a:1, explainEn:'The graph of this loss is called the forgetting curve.', explainAr:'منحنى النسيان هو رسم لفقدان المعلومات.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What makes the curve flatter?', options:['Sleeping more','Every review','Writing faster','Reading silently'], a:1, explainEn:'Every review makes the curve flatter.', explainAr:'كل مراجعة تجعل المنحنى أكثر استواءً.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'Why is testing yourself better than re-reading?', options:['It is faster','The effort of recalling strengthens memory','It is more fun','Teachers prefer it'], a:1, explainEn:'The effort itself strengthens the memory — the testing effect.', explainAr:'الجهد نفسه يقوّي الذاكرة — أثر الاختبار.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'Why are words learned in context easier to remember?', options:['They are shorter','They have many connections in the brain','They are more modern','They appear in exams'], a:1, explainEn:'A word in context has many connections: sound, situation, emotion.', explainAr:'الكلمة في سياق لها روابط عديدة في الدماغ.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What does the author say wins in the end?', options:['Talent','Expensive courses','Consistency','Long study sessions'], a:2, explainEn:'"Consistency is the whole game."', explainAr:'"الاستمرارية هي كل اللعبة."' }, { type:'fill', q:'Reviewing at growing intervals is called spaced ___.', a:'repetition', explainEn:'Spaced repetition is the most tested technique.', explainAr:'التكرار المتباعد هو الأسلوب الأكثر اختباراً.' }, ], }, /* ─── B2 · ENGINEERING ─── */ { id: 'bridge-that-swayed', level: 'B2', icon: '🌉', minutes: 5, kind: { en: 'Article', ar: 'مقال', tr: 'Makale' }, title: { en: 'The Bridge That Swayed: London\u2019s Millennium Wobble', ar: 'الجسر الذي تمايل: اهتزاز جسر الألفية في لندن', tr: 'Sallanan Köprü: Londra\u2019nın Milenyum Titremesi' }, summary: { en: 'In 2000, a brand-new footbridge started swaying under its first crowds. The cause was hiding in human nature itself.', ar: 'في عام 2000، بدأ جسر مشاة جديد تماماً بالتمايل تحت أول حشوده. كان السبب مختبئاً في الطبيعة البشرية نفسها.', tr: '2000 yılında yepyeni bir yaya köprüsü ilk kalabalığında sallanmaya başladı. Neden insan doğasının içinde saklıydı.', }, figure: { caption: { en: 'The Millennium Bridge crosses the Thames toward St Paul\u2019s Cathedral.', ar: 'جسر الألفية يعبر نهر التايمز باتجاه كاتدرائية القديس بولس.', tr: 'Milenyum Köprüsü, Thames\u2019i St Paul Katedrali\u2019ne doğru geçer.' }, prompt: 'A sleek modern steel suspension footbridge over the Thames in London crowded with pedestrians, St Paul\u2019s Cathedral in the background, overcast documentary style.', }, body: [ 'On 10 June 2000, London opened its first new Thames crossing in a century: the Millennium Bridge, an elegant steel [[footbridge]] designed by famous architects and engineers. Ninety thousand people crossed it on the first day. Within hours, something alarming happened — the bridge began to sway from side to side.', 'The movement was not violent, but it was [[unmistakable]]. Videos from that day show hundreds of people walking in step, like soldiers, holding the rails. Two days later, engineers closed the bridge. The newspapers had already given it a nickname that would stick for years: the *Wobbly Bridge*.', 'The investigation revealed a subtle [[feedback loop]]. When a bridge sways slightly, people instinctively widen their steps and push sideways to keep balance — and those sideways pushes happen in time with the sway, feeding it more energy. The more the bridge moved, the more people synchronized; the more they synchronized, the more it moved. Below a certain crowd size nothing happens; above it, the swaying grows rapidly.', 'What made the case famous among engineers is that the effect was barely covered in design codes at the time. The designers had followed the rules — but the rules were [[incomplete]]. Lateral forces from pedestrians were simply not understood the way vertical ones were.', 'The fix took two years and cost about five million pounds: ninety-one [[dampers]] — devices that absorb motion energy — were fitted under the deck. The bridge reopened in 2002 and has been steady ever since. Engineering courses now teach the wobble as a classic lesson: real systems include people, and people respond to the system — sometimes all together, in perfect step.', ], vocab: { 'footbridge': { pos: 'noun', def: 'a bridge designed for people walking, not vehicles', ex: 'A footbridge connects the two campuses.' }, 'unmistakable': { pos: 'adjective', def: 'impossible to confuse with anything else; very clear', ex: 'The smell of burning was unmistakable.' }, 'feedback loop': { pos: 'noun', def: 'a cycle where a system\u2019s output feeds back and amplifies its own behavior', ex: 'Rising prices created a feedback loop of panic buying.' }, 'incomplete': { pos: 'adjective', def: 'missing some parts; not finished or not full', ex: 'The data was incomplete, so we repeated the test.' }, 'dampers': { pos: 'noun', def: 'devices that absorb vibration or motion energy', ex: 'The tower uses a huge damper against wind sway.' }, }, questions: [ { type:'mcq', q:'What happened on the bridge\u2019s opening day?', options:['It was empty','It began to sway from side to side','It cracked','It closed for repairs immediately'], a:1, explainEn:'Within hours, the bridge began to sway from side to side.', explainAr:'خلال ساعات بدأ الجسر يتمايل جانبياً.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What fed the swaying?', options:['Strong wind','Heavy trucks','Pedestrians pushing sideways in time with the sway','A design mistake in the steel'], a:2, explainEn:'Sideways pushes happened in time with the sway, feeding it energy.', explainAr:'دفعات جانبية متزامنة مع التمايل غذّته بالطاقة.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'Why is the case famous among engineers?', options:['The bridge collapsed','The effect was barely covered in design codes','It was the most expensive bridge ever','The designers ignored the rules'], a:1, explainEn:'The designers followed the rules — but the rules were incomplete.', explainAr:'اتبع المصممون القواعد — لكن القواعد كانت ناقصة.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'How was the problem fixed?', options:['The deck was rebuilt','Crowd limits were introduced','Ninety-one dampers were fitted','The bridge was narrowed'], a:2, explainEn:'Ninety-one dampers were fitted under the deck.', explainAr:'رُكّب 91 مخمداً تحت سطح الجسر.' }, { type:'mcq', q:'What is the wider lesson the article draws?', options:['Never open bridges to crowds','Real systems include people, who respond to the system','Steel is unreliable','Design codes never change'], a:1, explainEn:'Real systems include people, and people respond to the system.', explainAr:'الأنظمة الحقيقية تشمل البشر، والبشر يتفاعلون مع النظام.' }, { type:'fill', q:'Devices that absorb motion energy are called ___.', a:'dampers', explainEn:'Dampers were fitted under the deck.', explainAr:'dampers تعني مخمدات.' }, ], }, ]);