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What's best, a morning shower or an evening shower?
What can magic teach us about the brain?
Making friends as you get older?
These are all topics you'll discover in The Reading Room, our new series of magazine-style articles on our website.
They each come with highlighted vocabulary, comprehension questions and an audio download.
Learn about the world and improve your reading skills Hello, I'm Tim.
Today's story is a famous legend about a so-called outlaw who likes to stand up for poor people.
He lives deep in Sherwood Forest in England with his band of merry men.
Any ideas who this working class hero might be?
Yes, that's right, it's Robin Hood.
Robin has a habit of stealing from the rich to give to the poor.
But the sheriff, who takes money from the poor to fund his lavish lifestyle, can't stand him.
He thinks of him as a robber and wants to have him arrested on his wedding day of all days, just as he is about to marry the beautiful Maid Marian.
A fight breaks out, but the sheriff's men don't stand a chance against the fit and strong Robin.
He manages to escape and goes into hiding in the vast and dense Sherwood Forest.
The hunt is then on to find him.
A fight breaks out, but the sheriff's men don't stand a chance against the fit and strong Robin.
He manages to escape and goes into hiding in the vast and dense Sherwood Forest.
The hunt is then on to find him.
Robin lives out in the forest and as time passes he meets various people, such as little John, who's not little at all.
He's a good fighter, and Robin invites him to join his group of men who together, stand for equality and fairness for everyone.
They plan to steal money from the rich to help those who need it more.
But, oh dear, Robin stands to lose his lovely maid Marion.
The sheriff, knowing it will annoy Robin, tells Marion's father that he wants to marry her.
Her father suggests to her that it's a good idea, but Marion won't stand for it and runs off into the forest to find Robin.
An old, slightly balding and large man called Friar Tuck goes with her.
He marries Marion and Robin and then he joins Robin's band of outlaws.
The sheriff isn't happy about this and comes up with another sneaky way of trying to catch Robin.
Knowing that Robin likes to stand out as the best archer in the land, he holds a contest that Robin can't resist.
As expected, he attends and wins the contest, only to escape and runs back into the forest, much to the sheriff's annoyance.
Then, some time later, King Richard the Lionheart visits Sherwood Forest in search of the legendary Robin Hood.
He meets him and his group of men and realises their true intentions of doing good by helping the poor.
He stands by them and arranges for Robin's land to be returned to him and the men to be forgiven for any crimes they have been accused of.
But much later, after King Richard has died, Robin is caught and is injured.
He dies, but just before he does, he shoots an arrow.
The arrow lands in the forest and it's at this spot where Robin is buried.
And a tree the major oak which Robin Hood and his merry men used to shelter under, still stands in this spot today.
Well, that's my story for today.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Join me again soon.
Thank you.
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