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ESL Master English practice by level
reading Level: B1 15 min

Famous Entrepreneurs

Read about successful business people and practice the past progressive tense.

reading b1 past-progressive business success

Read the Text

When Oprah Winfrey was building her media empire, she was working sixteen hours a day. While other talk show hosts were following simple scripts, she was creating something different. She was sharing real stories that people could connect with.

Steve Jobs was presenting his ideas to investors while his competitors were laughing at him. They did not believe that personal computers would become popular. While they were focusing on business customers, Jobs was aiming at ordinary families.

JK Rowling was writing Harry Potter while she was travelling on trains in Scotland. At the same time, she was raising her young daughter alone. Publishers were rejecting her manuscript, but she was refusing to give up.

These entrepreneurs were taking enormous risks while others were playing it safe. Their achievements show that success often comes to those who keep going when everyone else has stopped.

Questions

1 / 15

How many hours a day was Oprah working?