Now listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Mary, how's your volunteer work going? You're still involved in that after-school program with the elementary kids?
(woman) Yeah, but I've got a problem. I am supposed to be driving a bunch of them to the zoo tomorrow.
(man) Yeah?
(woman) And I was supposed to rent a van for the trip. But I waited too long to call the rental agency to reserve one.
(man) Oh!
(woman) Now it turns out they don't have any vans available for tomorrow. I don't know what to do? These kids will be really disappointed if their trip gets cancelled.
(man) Hmmm, well, doesn't one of your friends on campus have a car? I mean, couldn't you borrow it for the day?
(woman) Yeah, probably, but I'd need to borrow two cars or there wouldn't be enough space for all the kids.
(man) Um, hum.
(woman) That's why I was going to rent the van. And then I'd need to find somebody else to drive, too. I can't drive two cars by myself.
(man) Yeah, that’s true. Well, I am sure you can probably find a volunteer or if you wanted to save yourself the trouble of hunting down a second driver, what about public transportation? Check the bus schedule, I think there’s a bus line that goes right past the zoo.
(woman) Yeah, that’s a possibility, but I don’t know, it might be a real challenge supervising the kids on the bus.
(man) Ha, ha…
(woman) Sometimes they are a handful when they get excited. It’s an option, though.
The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Briefly summarize the problem then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
Well, the woman's problem is that she is supposed to drive a bunch of kids to the zoo tomorrow but she couldn't rent a van. Accordingly, the man offers two solutions: she could perhaps borrow a car form one of her friends for the trip, or she could try public transportation instead. Well I think the woman should try public transportation for the sake of safety. The tour bus drivers are generally more experienced and professional especially when carrying a bunch of kids. All she needs to do is to focus on keeping the kids safe and cheered up, so it will be a lot easier and more manageable. Comparatively speaking, it's undoubtedly more dangerous for the woman to plan some self-driving trip, letting alone carrying a bunch of kids. Irresponsible, I'd say, if anything bad happens. All in all, I strongly recommend the public transportation as a better option. (160 words)
