In paragraph 3, which aspect of GAINS explains why they are helpful to the cause?
A) GAINS and USAID do exactly the same thing, so they can consult each other when either has a problem.
B) They are the program that supplies the U. S. government with the financial backing that makes the donation possible.
C) They are an extension of USAID, so without their efforts in warning people about where the flu is moving, the flu may spread.
D) The information GAINS is able to gather is different than what other international agencies are gathering because GAINS gets the information faster.

The main purpose of this passage is to
A) teach people how to avoid birds that might carry avian flu.
B) alert people about the symptoms and treatments of avian flu.
C) persuade people to give money to develop an avian flu vaccine.
D) inform people about a network that tracks the spread of avian flu.

What is the author’s purpose for writing this particular passage?
A) to aid scientists on the cause and the effects of the avian flu
B) to warn the public how devastating the avian flu could potentially be if or when it arrives in the United States
C) to boast about how much the U. S. government is donating to the cause for the sake of ’good P. R.’ (personal relations)
D) to announce the efforts being made by the U. S. government to help other international agencies in the fight against this serious social epidemic

Avian Flu
U. S. Agency for International Development

WASHINGTON, DC - 1Today, the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a $5 million award to support the development of a global network to track avian influenza, with the aim of monitoring the role of migratory birds. The Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance, or GAINS, will enhance international efforts to collect and analyze laboratory samples from wild birds and identify genetic changes in the virus. The entire award package totals $6 million, including a $1 million contribution from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Spearheaded by the Wildlife Conservation Society, GAINS will work in countries situated along key migratory routes to improve the collection, coordination, and laboratory evaluation of samples from wild birds. The goal of this work is to enhance understanding of the role wild birds play in the movement of the avian flu virus around the world. In addition, GAINS will create, update, and make available to researchers data related to avian influenza surveillance and migratory bird activity.

3 "The United States is already supporting efforts to develop animal surveillance and build diagnostic and laboratory capacity in at least 25 countries," said Dr. Dennis Carroll, Director of USAID's Avian and Pandemic Influenza Response Unit. "The GAINS program is an extension of our important work. The information GAINS produces will feed into systems to warn people about the movement of avian influenza. This network will significantly bolster our ability to support the international community in response to the virus."

4 The announcement supports the successful outcome of the second meeting of the International Partnership for Avian and Pandemic Influenza, held in Vienna, Austria, June 6-7. The U. S. delegation, headed by Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Dr. Paula J. Dobriansky, also included representatives from USAID, and the U. S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.

5 "Leaders must continue to encourage their colleagues at home and abroad to be forthcoming with information critical to global response efforts," Dobriansky said at the meeting. "Providing accurate information to international partners can significantly limit both the human and economic impacts of an outbreak."

6 To date, USAID has allocated $158.4 million to fight avian influenza, and collaborates with other U. S. government agencies, international partners, and local governments and organizations to provide support in 46 countries.