Listen to a conversation between two students.
Woman: Hey Jim, know what you are doing yet this summer?
Man: Yeah, I get this chemistry internship lined up. I’m gonna be helping my lab professor with a research experiment.
Woman: How cool!Man: I know. I want to work in a chemistry lab after I graduate, so this will be a great experience.Woman: Sounds like you are all set.
Man: Em…not quite. Here’s a problem. You see, the internship doesn’t pay and I really need to earn money this summer.
Woman: Well, I read the campus bookstore needs help this summer. Maybe you could work at the lab during the week and at the bookstore on the weekends.
Man: Maybe, but then I’ll be working all the time. I’ll hardly have any time to relax all summer.
Woman: True. But here’s a thought. Why not ask your professor if you can share the internship with another person?
Man: You know, now that you mention it. Other summer interns have done this and the professors were fine with it.
Woman: Right. So you could still earn money on days when you didn’t have to be at the lab.
Man: Yeah, sounds good. The only drawback is that I might not learn as much as I would if I were actually in the lab every day and could follow the results of the experiment.
Woman: I know, but it might be worth a try.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which of the two solutions from the conversation you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
In the conversation, the student is facing a problem that he is going to have a free internship this summer at the school’s chemistry lab but he also wants to make some money. There are two solutions. He could choose either to work at the lab during the weekdays and take a part-time job at the bookstore on the weekends or to ask his professor if he could share his internship with another person. As far as I’m concerned, the latter is a better solution. If he chooses to share his internship with another person, he might be able to earn the money and gain the lab experience at the same time. What’s more, other students might have already dealt with this circumstance before and it is likely that the professor is ok with this solution. So the student doesn’t need to be afraid that he might leave a very bad impression or something. All in all, because of these two reasons, I think the second one is a better choice.
