Hello students,
Today we have a lesson for you based on a podcast from the BBC’s ‘Why Factor’ series. Have a listen then try and answer the questions that follow. There are answers at the bottom and for the writing part
, please feel free to post your answers in the comments box below this post
BBC Podcast: The Why Factor – Blue Jeans
From its early days as work-wear for gold-miners and cowboys in the US, denim has transcended its origins, becoming a global fashion item. Mike Williams explores the appeal of a pair of blue jeans and the history of this simple garment. Once a symbol of youth rebellion, it is now common around the world – worn by men and women, old and young. From cowboys to the catwalk, how did denim come to dominate?
THE WHY FACTOR: DENIM – PODCAST QUESTIONS
Vocabulary
- Stitching – a joint, mend, or fasten with many loops or portions of thread
- Rivets – a metal pin for passing through holes in two or more plates or pieces to hold them together
LISTENING TASK
- Why do the French claim ownership of denim? 1’20”
- When and where did modern denim first become popular? 1’55”
- Who is Tracey Pannick? 2’37”
- Who were the world’s first blue jeans sold to? 3’40”
- How much did a dozen blue, copper riveted jeans originally cost? 4’09”
- How much collectors pay for an original pair of blue jeans today? 4’30”
- According to the sociologist Sophie Woodward, why did people wear jeans? 6’15”
- How did this desire to be ordinary come about? 6’34”
- What happened in 1934? 8’04”
- What was the connection between Vogue Magazine and a Dude Ranch? 8’40”
SPEAKING TASK
For this Speaking Task, record yourself speaking on your smart-phone. Guaranteed you’ll find some mistakes you can fix yourselves
- Do you own a pair of jeans?
- How much did you pay for them?
- When and where did you buy them?
- Do you wear your jeans often? why?
- What is it about your jeans that you like the most?
WRITING TASK
Write a paragraph in the Comments Box based on the questions from the SPEAKING TASK (90 words if you can)
How to Leave a Paragraph in the Comments Box
Answers
- The original term for a fabric that looked like denim was Serge de Nime, from the city of Nimes in France.
- America in the 1850s
- She is a corporate historian at Levi Strauss and Co. based in San Francisco
- Workmen such as minors, rail-road engineers, cowboys and farriers
- $12 for 12 pairs of jeans
- $100, 000 – 150,000
- People wore jeans because they wanted to be ordinary
- The desire arose from multicultural societies where people wished to be identified more as a mother, worker etc than their country of origin
- The first pair of blue jeans for women, ‘Lady Levis’ was launched
- Vogue’s article described what the best dressed woman on a Dude Ranch would be wearing
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