Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year's Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas officials concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year's Eve. "The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage  and death. There was no sign of infectious disease," the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said. One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. "Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky," the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night. Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was  _ because the violent weather had already left the area. "We're leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens. The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: "The events do not appear related." Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins . Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital. According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is   _  . A) cold weather B) poor management C) disease D) lack of food
C


Phoenix , Arizona, the USA was shaken by a big sandstorm recently. It was a huge dust storm that struck Phoenix a little after 7:00 pm local time. Arizona has sandstorms particularly during the monsoon(  )season which usually starts from mid-June until the end of September. However, this was so far the biggest. The cloud of dust turned day into night. Some trees were downed, gardens were destroyed and it knocked out power for thousands of local people along the area, but luckily no death happened. A number of the people's pools became dirty with dust. People who lived in Phoenix for more than 40 years said that this was the first time they had experienced this huge dust storm. It could greatly influence people's health. The big dust cloud started in Tucson traveling north across the desert. The huge storm ran up to 60 miles per hour. It was more than 100 miles wide and a mile high. Besides Phoenix and near cities ,the storm also reached Yuma area in southwestern and far western Arizona. It reduced the visibility (  ) in these areas, putting off the flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The storm only takes place in Arizona, the Sahara Desert and areas of the Middle East, because of the dry environment and large amounts of sand. Because of the serious shortage of rain, a wall of there's a large possibility that the water is polluted because of the storm. It is fortunate that though the big sandstorm happened,  _  . A) .people's health was not influenced B) .it didn't do harm to people's gardens C) the electricity power remained normal D) all the local people in the area survived
D


Q: Crime in the city of prefix = st1 /Cliohit a 30-year low last year. "This is  ly wonderful for our citizens, our businesses, and our visitors," said Police Chief Louis Gates. Clio has a population of 28,000, but it has at least 30 gangs  . The gangs make most of their money from dealing drugs and offering "protection." They also commit violent crimes, such as stealing, robbery or even murder. There were 1,486 thefts last year. Most of the thefts involved cars. Thieves also robbed the people at gunpoint or pick pocketed them. They broke .into houses and businesses at the alarming rate of two a day two years ago, but that rate was down to only one a day last year. "That's a 50-percent decrease in one year," said Gates. "I think the police officers deserve a big pat on the back. Even better, maybe they'll get that 10-percent raise that they are all hoping for. " With an example of how the police force has helped reduce crime, Gates talked about bicycle thefts. "For years and years, kids were locking up their bikes at bike stands in front of schools, libraries, and shopping mails. About 10 percent of the time, the kids would come out of the school or wherever and discover that their bike was no longer there. We wracked our brains( ) trying to find a solution to this problem. Finally, at the beginning of last year, when we simply removed most of the bike stands, then the bicycle theft rate came down quickly. Most cities in the state have similar problems. They all involve too many people, too much crime, too few police, and too little money. These problems go along with civilization everywhere. They might reduce, but they will probably never disappear. All people can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Crime in the city of Cliois mainly caused by   _  . A) illegal gangs B) protection providers C) cruel murderers D) drug dealers
A: A


(Question)
China is casting a huge shadow on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn Chinese in order to maintain their competitive edge. "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically  in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart at the Asia Society, a US grow trying to bridge the gap between Americans and people of Asia and the Pacific. China, the world's most popular nation, is very important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the globe. It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and could become the second largest economy country in the world, after the superpower status and its telling effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. Even though the US State Department has stressed the Chinese language "important " to national prosperity  and security, the "current infrastructure   to support recruitment   of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is badly inadequate," an Asia Society study says. The Society has set a target of having at least 5% of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015. " Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco - based Chinese American International School. The passage mainly tells the readers that   _   . A) Americans enjoy learning foreign languages B) Chinese is becoming hot in the USA C) Language is a cultural bridge between the US and China D) Economy decides language studying
(Answer)

B