Read the passage from When Birds Get Flu and Cows Go Mad! by John DiConsiglio. Hughes and his team had prevented a health disaster. They recovered enough of the sick cow to stop an outbreak of mad cow disease. It had taken the team more than a month. "This wasn't exactly like finding a needle in a haystack, but it was pretty close," he says. Between February 2004 and February 2007, two more cows in the U. S. tested positive for mad cow disease. In both cases, their meat products were recovered before anyone got sick.

the US is now free from mad cow disease.

Hughes and his team are very accomplished.

another mad cow disease outbreak is possible.

Hughes dreams of fighting epidemics with his team.

Another mad cow disease outbreak is possible.

I guess you haven't included the last sentence of this excerpt: "But the thought of a mad cow epidemic still keeps Hughes awake some nights." This sentence is crucial, and it confirms that the correct answer is C. Another mad cow disease outbreak is possible.

Explanation:

From the excerpt, it's obvious that this disease is both very dangerous, highly infectious, and extremely difficult to prevent. The tone doesn't suggest that the US is now free from the disease. On the contrary, it reinforces the possibility of a new outbreak. Also, the passage is not about Hughes's and his team's stellar accomplishments or dreams of fighting epidemics. In fact, they barely managed to contain the disease. The article is about a problem and a solution, and not the team of experts and their professional struggle or mission.