In this task, you're given an article and an answer. Your task is to generate the fill-in-the-blank question for this answer based on the given article. The blanks are always at the end of the question, and can be filled with more than one word or phrase.

Q: Article: Most shoplifters agree that the January sales offer wonderful opportunities for the hard-working thief. With the shops so crowded and the staff so busy, it does not require any extraordinary talent to help you to take one or two little things and escape unnoticed. It is known, in the business, as "hoisting". But the hoisting game is not what it used to be. Even at the height of the sales, shoplifters today never know if they are being watched by one of those evil little balls that hang from the ceilings of so many department stores above the most desirable goods. As if that was not trouble enough for them, they can now be filmed at work and obliged to attend a showing of their performance in court. Selfridges was the first big London store to install closed-circuit videotape equipment to watch its sales floors. In October last year the store won its first court case for shoplifting using an evidence a videotape clearly showing a couple stealing dresses. It was an important test case which encouraged other stores to install similar equipment. When the balls, called sputniks, first make an appearance in shops, it was widely believed that their only function was to frighten shoplifters. Their somewhat ridiculous appearances, the curious holes and red lights going on and off, certainly make the theory believable. It did not take long, however, for serious shoplifters to start showing suitable respect. Soon after the equipment was in operation at Selfridges, store detective Brian Chadwick was sitting in the control room watching a woman secretly putting bottles of perfume into her bag. "As she turned to go," Chadwick recalled, "she suddenly looked up at the 'sputnik' and stopped. She could not possibly have seen that the camera was trained on her because it is completely hidden, but she must have had a feeling that I was looking at her." "For a moment she paused, but then she returned to counter and started putting everything back. When she had finished, she opened her bag towards the camera to show it was empty and hurried out of the store. "
Answer: there are so many people in the store

A: January is a good month for shoplifters because _ .
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Q: Article: This week in our Foreign Student Series,we discuss rules about getting a job while studying in the United States. International students are permitted to work for the college or university they attend or for a business at the school.But the business must directly provide a service to students.You could work at the bookstore,for example,but not for a construction company that is building something on campus .Also,a foreign student cannot displace an American citizen in a job.International students can work twenty hours a week while attending classes;more during school breaks.You can work until you complete your studies. Foreign students normally cannot take a job that has no connection to their school.But the government may give permission if students are suddenly faced with a situation that is out of their control.Examples include large medical bills. The loss of financial aid or an unexpected change in the financial condition of their source of support.Students must also meet other conditions.They must have attended their American school for at least one year.Government approval is given on a case-by-case basis.Students must re-apply after a year if they want to continue all off-campus job. Foreign students who will be attending graduate school can apply for some jobs before they come to the United States.A good example is a university job like a teaching or research assistantship.Some schools pay their assistants.Others provide free education in return. Many do both.Graduate assistants might teach, give tests,grade work, assist professors with research and hold office hours.Many universities now provide language training to foreign teaching assistants to help them improve their English.Some schools require foreign students to pass an English speaking test before they arc permitted to teach. International student offices at schools have to provide information on students each term to the Department of Homeland Security.Students who violate the terms of their visa--for example, By working off-campus without permission--could be sent home.
Answer: a radio program

A: This passage is probably from_.
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Q: Article: A desert is a beautiful land of silence and space. The sun shines, the wind blows, and time and space seem endless. Nothing is soft. The sand and rocks are hard, and many of the plants even have hard needles instead of leaves. The size and location of the world's deserts are always changing. Over millions of years, as climates change and mountains rise, new dry and wet areas develop. But within the last 100 yeas, deserts have been growing at a frightening speed. This is partly because of natural changes, but the greatest makers are humans. Humans can make deserts, but humans can also prevent their growth. Algeria Mauritania is planting a similar wall around Nouakchott, the capital. Iran puts a thin covering of petroleum on sandy areas and plants trees. The oil keeps the water and small trees in the land, and men on motorcycles keep the sheep and goats away. The USSR and India are building long canals to bring water to desert areas.
Answer: small, thin pieces of sticks.

A:
In this passage, "needles" refers to _ .
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