Read the passage from when birds get the flu and cows go mad by john diconsiglio. early that morning, a tissue sample from a cow in washington state had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse)—also known as mad cow disease. that’s a rare brain disorder that kills both animals and humans. in europe, hundreds of thousands of cows have caught the disease. and 150 humans have died from it. but mad cow disease had never appeared in the u. s. until now! what is the best reason this passage would be part of the opening? it provides evidence to support a claim. it brings together details into a judgment. it explains what issue is being discussed. it states why a counterargument is weak.