Every spring scores of people flock to the Buzzard Festival at Hinckley, Ohio. They come to watch for buzzards. Most would be glad just to take a look at a buzzard. If they do see one of these" flying garbage cans", it will probably be circling high in the sky. From there it can watch the ground for signs of the waste and the dead animals on which it feeds. The buzzard is the ugliest bird in the United States. In fact, it may well be the ugliest bird in the world. It has a small, bare, pink head. Its thick body is covered with dark, rough feathers. In spite of its looks, the buzzard is important to the people of Hinckley. It is their first sign of spring. After a winter in the south, buzzards return to their homes in the north. In the Hinckley area, they always return on March 15. No one knows why. But they have come back to Hinckley Ridge on that day, sure as clocks work, for at least forty years. The excitement starts in February. By the middle of March it has reached a high peak. Bets are placed. Prizes go to the person who sees the first buzzard. Radio stations and newspapers tell of the coming festival. And on the weekend after March 15 the people of Hinckley hold their Buzzard Festival. The people come and look around. They chat. They eat their fill of pancakes and sausages. Then they drive past Buzzard's Roost on Hinckley Ridge. A lot of them stop near the road at the stand set up to give information to visitors. There they can hear, from a recording, the main facts about the buzzard. They can see a stuffed buzzard. They can look at some pictures taken of buzzards in other years. With good luck and a strong pair of field glasses, they may sight one or two live buzzards high in the sky. Buzzards may be ugly. They may be "flying garbage cans". But in Hinckley they are just as welcome as the swallows in Capistrano, California. It would be a sad spring indeed if the buzzards ever failed to come back to Hinckley Ridge. At the information stand, visitors to Hinckley's Buzzard Festival can _ . A) learn some facts about the buzzard B) easily see a live buzzard C) take some pictures with the background of live buzzards D) feed their fill of pancakes and sausages to buzzards
A
The companies below offer student accommodation all around London, no matter what university you are attending. And they limit the complications that other rental companies can have (such as paying for heat and hot water, paying your rent yearly and so on). CRM Students has 12 different properties to choose from in London with various size choices depending on your budget and requirements. Prices start from PS 140 per week. International Students House is unique because they offer twin, triple and quad rooms, which means they are cheaper per week than others. Of course, you will be sharing your bedroom with up to three other people. Prices start from PS 78.4 per week. Prodigy Living has several properties in London (most of which have just been decorated) and offers en-suite rooms in flats and one-bedroom flats. Prices start from PS 209 per week. Scape Living has properties in Greenwich, Surrey and Shoreditch, with the latter two being new apartments as of 2015, which means they will be in pretty good condition. Prices start from PS 185 per week. Unite Students offers student accommodation in various areas of London, from en-suite rooms to two-bedroom flats, with lots of sharing choices available. Prices start from PS169 per week. These student housing associations are the best I found on the Internet for cheap student accommodation in London; however, I am aware that new ones are appearing every day. For a full list of associations like these (but most are more expensive than those listed above), I recommend checking out UCL's alternative accommodation page. Note: Most rooms require a small deposit , which is typically the same value as your weekly rental price ( for example, PS 200 per week =PS 200 deposit before you move in). Why does the author recommend the companies above? A) Because they offer all kinds of student accommodation. B) Because they allow students to pay the rent weekly. C) Because they mainly provide one-bedroom flats. D) Because they avoid the need for students to pay extra for facilities in the room.
D
It does not matter who wins. We are told that from day one. Usually, that statement is followed by some remark about being a loser. If we do not care who wins, then why do we compete? Fun, experience, the chance to meet new people --- these are the reasons we try to outdo each other. People will compete over anything. Every Christmas, my neighbors and I have a little Christmas light competition. It is heaven for the electric company, but I think we give Will Rogers Airport a scare. It is bright enough to land a plane in our front yards. I admit that last year my neighbors won, but only because they bought every strand of lights Wal-Mart had before I could get there. Personal competitions are great, but we get a little carried away. I cannot stand to see coaches shout at kids playing sports. Who cares if someone messes up and the other team advances? I'm tired of people competing just to win. It happens not only in sports, but in music competitions, too. People auditioning for chair placement in certain bands can get really unfriendly. This year I did not audition for a certain band, but I went to auditions anyway. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to comprehend the whole picture. Other times I've been the person who was nervous and anxious. This time, I sat back and observed everyone else. I came to the realization that the people who aren't so good are terrified of the good people, and the good people are scared stiff that the bad people have taken lessons and can now show them up. Unless a person is on the outside looking in, I don't think anyone realizes _ . Maybe competing is human nature, but we shouldn't let it influence our judgment. Being disrespectful to opponents , letting competition become our life, and becoming so involved that we close ourselves off from friends and family is not the meaning of competition. A little competition is healthy, so it shouldn't hurt anyone. If it does, someone somewhere needs to back off, find the good thing hidden inside, and try it again.... From the passage, we can learn that _ . A) the author failed the audition B) competitors may be unfriendly to each other C) it is coaches who always mess up the match D) those who observe opponents calmly always win
B