Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. paint the town red
    • ex. On New Year's Eve, people painted the town red by watching fireworks and having street parties all night.
  2. overripe
    • ex. The overripe banana was too soft and had brown spots all over it.
  3. edible
    • ex. The chef made a beautiful cake with edible flowers on top.
  4. a guideline
    • ex. Our teacher provided us with guidelines to help us write our essays.
  5. squash
    • ex. I accidentally squashed the sandwich in my bag when I sat down.

Article

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

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On August 27, thousands of people painted the town red during the 80th anniversary of Spain’s famous “Tomatina” festival in Buñol. In this event, participants threw tomatoes at each other. It lasted one hour and used 120,000 kg of overripe tomatoes. About 22,000 people from across Spain and around the world joined the fun. Most of these visitors paid 15 euros (about ¥2500) to participate.

The tradition began in 1945 when children in the town started a food fight with tomatoes. After that, the event became an annual festival. In the 1950s, it was stopped by the government, but people asked for it to return. In the 1980s, the “Tomatina” began being shown on television. So, it attracted an international crowd. As a result, starting in 2002, the “Tomatina” became an international tourism attraction.

The tomatoes used in the festival are not edible. They are grown only for the event. There is one important guideline during the “Tomatina”: squash the tomato before throwing it to avoid injury. Many people also wear goggles and ear protection during the tomato fight.

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

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Events and Festivals

  • Would you like to join the “Tomatina” festival? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What is the most popular festival in your country? Discuss.
  • Why do you think it’s important to have safety rules at festivals? Discuss.

Food Waste

  • Do you think food waste is a big problem today? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How do you feel about using food, like tomatoes, in a festival or event (ex. it’s fun, it’s a bad idea)? Discuss.
  • What are some good ways to reduce food waste at home? Discuss.