Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. blistering
    • ex. Please avoid going out in the blistering heat.
  2. a historian
    • ex. A local historian gave a fascinating talk about the history of our city’s oldest buildings.
  3. integrate
    • ex. When she moved to a new country, she integrated smoothly into the different culture.
  4. high society
    • ex. Famous actors and rich business owners often attend events organized by high society.
  5. disapproval
    • ex. He received a look of strict disapproval from the teacher when his phone rang in class.

Article

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

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Traditional Spanish hand fans are becoming popular again as blistering summer heat brings very high temperatures across Spain and other parts of Western Europe. The folding fans, called abanicos, are small enough to carry in a purse but can create a strong breeze. People of all ages now use them on public transport, at concerts, and music festivals. During Madrid’s Pride celebrations in July, colorful fans were also common. Twenty-year-old Ana Feliu said she carries a paper fan everywhere in the summer.

The abanico has a long history in Spain. Historians believe folding fans came to Europe through Portuguese trade with Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries. By the 18th century, Madrid had become an important center for making fans, while Valencia became Spain’s main fan-making city.

Fans also became fashionable among rich European people. The Spanish painter Diego Velázquez showed a woman holding a fan in his 17th-century painting The Lady with a Fan. By the 1800s, the fan was so integrated into high society that women used them to show feelings of interest or disapproval, a practice known as “the language of the fan.”

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

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Use of Fans

  • Traditional Spanish hand fans are becoming popular again this summer. Do you also use traditional hand fans in your country when it’s very hot? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Historians believe that folding hand fans first came to Europe from Asia through Portuguese trade. What do you call a hand fan in your native language, and how do people use it in your culture? Discuss.
  • Aside from traditional hand fans, what other things have you used to make yourself feel less hot, especially when there are no electric fans or air conditioning? Discuss.

Summer and Popular Items During This Season

  • How hot can summer get in your city/town? Discuss.
  • What summer item do you think is most useful for staying comfortable in hot weather (ex. cold foods, electric hand fans)? Discuss.
  • Do you think the items that are popular during summer in your country are useful enough to keep using throughout the year? Why or why not? Discuss.