Task 2 · Listening · Variant 16

Edward: Mom? Dad? Sheryl? Anybody home?

Sheryl: Ed? Are you back from school?

Edward: Yes. Sheryl, how are you? Feeling better?

Sheryl: I've still got a runny nose and keep on coughing, but I've stopped running a temperature. I wonder if you would like to join me for lunch?

Edward: With pleasure. I also have a project to discuss.

Sheryl: What's that?

Edward: We're to organize a book swap.

Sheryl: What?

Edward: The idea is that anyone from our school can show up, bring spare books and magazines, and help themselves to what others have brought in. Ms. Green says it's free and easy and saves everyone a lot of money they normally splash out. She also wants everyone to buzz about their new finds for weeks, and, definitely, encourage our lot to read more.

Sheryl: Sounds reasonable. Ed, we have piles of books on our shelves that might never get read or those we've leafed through and didn't like.

Edward: True.

Sheryl: Though it might be interesting to rummage through other people's books, I don't think there'd be a lot of eager people to do that.

Edward: When you come to think of it, everybody loves bread and circuses. So, Sheryl, to make them come we should think of entertainment. To create a more social atmosphere, we may offer refreshments. We may also organize a lottery as part entertainment and part fundraiser to cover the costs of drinks.

Sheryl: Ed, that's a lovely idea. Cakes, warm drinks, popcorn and some other easily served nibbles will make the event more fun. We may even ask people to help out in that way. They may bring something with them too.

Edward: Ok! We've got the atmosphere covered, but, all things considered, it can be awkward and inefficient for students to have to swap books with each other directly. Any ideas here?

Sheryl: Well, we may put out bins labelled with 'Classics', 'Fantasy', 'Memoirs', 'Detectives', and even 'Random' and ask people to organize the books they've brought into the bins provided. And as they move around, they are free to browse what's already there and take what they are interested in. By the way, who is going to get the word out that we're having the event?

Edward: Hmm, it's the trickiest part. We may create a low-ink poster that we can easily print at home on a coloured paper. Then we'll share it on notice boards at school. We may also ask our peers to spread the word during their extracurricular activities.

Sheryl: And! There're social media! We may create a social net 'event' and then invite our friends. Some might even blog about the event.

Edward: Oh! It's bound to be a success! Thank you, Sheryl!

Sheryl: My pleasure!