TOEFL Speaking: Question 2
Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor. Take notes while you listen. Only look at the question after the recording has finished.
Click the button below when you’re ready to start.
Woman: I can’t believe this!
Man: Oh, you read the announcement, did you?
Woman: Yes, I did.
Man: What do you think of the justifications they gave?
Woman: Honestly, I don’t get the argument about upgrades. I think the parking lots are fine as they are. Sure, they might need a few minor repairs here and there, but nothing major. They’re just somewhere we park our cars, after all.
Man: That’s true. But what do you think of the new shuttle service? Sounds pretty convenient, right?
Woman: Actually, I don’t think a shuttle service makes any sense. I mean, at the end of the day, people want to drive – it’s much more convenient.
Man: But don’t you think they’d start taking public transportation if there was a shuttle?
Woman: I doubt it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to have to take a shuttle and then a train or bus just to get home. It’s too much hassle and it’d take forever. It’s one of those things that sounds good in theory, but I bet hardly anyone will actually use it. And the worst part is, we’re the ones paying for it through this parking fee increase! It’s a total waste of money, I think!
Man: Yeah, I see what you mean.
According to the announcement, next semester, the university’s going to increase parking fees by 20%, which the woman doesn’t agree with.
The announcement gives a couple of reasons for the fee increase. Firstly, the university wants to use some of the money to upgrade its parking facilities, but the woman doesn’t think they actually need to be upgraded. She thinks a few small repairs would be enough and suggests that parking facilities aren’t really that important.
The woman isn’t supportive of the university’s plan to introduce a free shuttle service either. The university wants to make it easier for people to take public transportation to the campus and thinks a shuttle will help people get to nearby transportation hubs. But the woman argues very few people will use the shuttle because they like the convenience of driving to campus. She sounds a bit annoyed that staff and students essentially have to pay for a shuttle service they won’t use.