[originaltext]Miriam(W) Frank(M)Now, listen to Part One of the conversation

Miriam(W)    Frank(M)
Now, listen to Part One of the conversation.
W: Hello, Frank.
M: Hello, Miriam. How nice to see you again. How’s everything going?
W: Fine. Busy these days?
M: Yeah. With lots of things to do. Would you like to join me for a drink?
W: OK, thanks.
M: Any news recently?
W: Oh, well, yesterday I read the newspaper and got very shocking news. You know,(1/2- 1)it’s not the federal government that sets the calendar for our public schools. Public school calendars are set by individual states and districts.(2-2)According to the news, instead of a long summer break, our local school decided to keep students in class year-round with shorter breaks throughout, offering about 20 additional school days.
M:(2- 3)The students must feel very sad when hearing this news.
W: Yeah, I think so.(3)And this idea is gaining increasing popularity. It’s a strategy school districts across the country are experimenting with. Perhaps the most closely watched is in Massachusetts, which has extended class time for 26 of its low-performing schools. The idea has even won the endorsement of both President Obama and his education chief.
M: Mm...,(4)I heard that the education chief said in an interview that our current school calendar was based upon the agrarian economy and the vast majority of the students in our country weren’t working the fields in the summers. So he—he thought it was really an outdated, outmoded model. It needed to be changed.
W: I don’t agree with him.(5 - 1)Extending school year seems so completely short-sighted to me. More time is no silver bullet for reform. Take Miami-Dade County Schools in Florida for example, it used an extended day program for three years, but dropped it because they didn’t see improvement in test scores.(5-2)Besides, it—it disrupts family life.
This is the end of Part One of the conversation. Questions 1 to 5 are based on what you have just heard.
1. Who set(s)the public school calendars?
2. Which of the following statements is NOT the change made to public school calendars?
3. Which state experimented with the new public school calendar has gained the closest attention?
4. Why does the education chief support extending school year?
5. According to Miriam, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?