31.   Mortgage rates dropped during the period, prompting homeowners to refinance their loans or repay them faster.

32.   No freshmen were admitted to the infirmary, where Faulkner spent four days before dropping out during her first week as a cadet last August.

33.   People drop off during the winter indoor training.

34.   She dropped back during the breaststroke, but recovered nicely in the freestyle to hold off Sarah Maggio for third place.

35.   Some dioceses across the country report that attendance, collections and program participation have dropped during the latest scandals.

36.   Still, the chairman of Teachers Insurance, John H. Biggs, said the tax change could be dropped during negotiations over the final bill with the Clinton administration.

37.   Starbucks stock had dropped during the run-up in green coffee prices.

38.   The drugmaker said the recall is a precaution, after some vials of the human albumin product were dropped during shipment and cracked.

39.   The dispute involving Iran had sent oil prices dropping during the day, wiping out an early rally in European markets after reports that a deal was imminent.

40.   The country became an international pariah, its educated elite fled and NATO bombs dropped during the Kosovo war destroyed factories and infrastructure.