English level guide · CEFR B1
Reading The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) / A Plain Story Simply Told as an Intermediate (B1) learner
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) / A Plain Story Simply Told sits at the upper edge of B1 (Intermediate): an ambitious but achievable stretch, with tap-to-define support to carry you over the harder vocabulary.
Updated June 2026
How The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) / A Plain Story Simply Told reads at B1
Read it in shorter sittings and lean on the read-along audio: hearing each sentence as you see it keeps you moving when the vocabulary gets dense, and you can tap any unfamiliar word for a definition graded to B1. Watch especially for scientific nouns and their definitions built into the surrounding sentences.
At a glance
Key words at B1
Some of the B1-level words The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) / A Plain Story Simply Told by J. Arthur Thomson introduces. See the full word list →
- ability/əˈbɪləˌti/B1
- the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
- absolute/ˈæbsəˌlut/B1
- something that is conceived or that exists independently and not in relation to other things
- accept/əkˈsɛpt/B1
- consider or hold as true
- acceptance/əkˈsɛptəns/B1
- the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true
- accomplish/əˈkɑmplɪʃ/B1
- put in effect
- accordance/əˈkɔrdəns/B1
- concurrence of opinion
- accurate/ˈækjərət/B1
- conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy
- achieve/əˈʧiv/B1
- to gain with effort
- acquisition/ˌækwəˈzɪʃən/B1
- the act of contracting or assuming or acquiring possession of something
- activity/ækˈtɪvɪti/B1
- any specific behavior
What B1 readers can do
- Understand the main points of clear, standard texts on familiar matters.
- Read straightforward factual texts and simpler fiction with confidence.
- Follow a classic story when the language is graded to your level.