Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an auction
    • ex. You can buy unique and expensive items at an auction.
  2. a handful
    • ex. Only a handful of students came to class because most of them had the flu.
  3. a commission
    • ex. The seller earned commissions for selling five houses last month.
  4. an entrepreneur
    • ex. My father is an entrepreneur. He owns a few businesses in town.
  5. rekindle
    • ex. Visiting the museum rekindled Jamie’s passion for painting.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Napoléon Bonaparte’s old hat sold for $2.1 million (almost ¥309 million) at an auction. He wore it a long time ago when he was the leader of France. He wore his hat differently from the others, which made it easier for his soldiers to see him in battles. This style is known as “en bataille” or in battle. The hat is one of the handful of items Napoléon wore during his time that survived.

Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat auction house, raised the price until someone bought the hat. “We are at $1.6 million (more than ¥235 million) for Napoléon ’s hat … for this major symbol of the Napoleonic era,” he said. The buyer has to pay 28.8% for commissions according to Osenat. So, the cost totals to $2.1 million (almost ¥309 million).

This hat was the main item sold at an auction of things collected by a French entrepreneur who died in 2022. He spent more than a half-century gathering his collection of Napoleonic items, guns, swords, and coins. The sale came days before the release of Ridley Scott’s film “Napoleon.” The film rekindled people’s interest in the French ruler.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Collecting Items

  • Are you interested in having a collection of something? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think people like collecting items (ex. it makes them happy, it can cost more if they sell it in the future)? Discuss.
  • Imagine you have a collection, what items would it be (ex. watches, manga)? Discuss.

Historical Figures

  • Which historical figure from your country do you admire the most? Why? Discuss.
  • Is it important to keep/collect items owned by historical figures? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Would you be interested in buying items previously owned by famous people or historical figures? Why or why not? Discuss.