Lesson 8 The Return of “the Flying Garbage Can”
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 catch a glimpse of 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, or turkey vulture①, 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 clock work, for at least forty years.
The buzzards really arrive before spring does in Hinckley. But the people are tired of the long winter. They are eager to hail the coming of spring. So it doesn’t matter to them how cold it is on March 15. It doesn’t matter how raw the winds are. The people of Hinckley still look on the return of the buzzards each year as the beginning of spring.
In San Juan Capistrano in California, spring is said to start on March 19. On that day the swallows② come back to Capistrano. The people of Hinckley aren’t so lucky.They don’t have swallows until later in the year, but they do have buzzards. So they welcome spring with them.
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. Pupils in Hinckley’s school draw buzzard pictures and put them up in the halls of the school. And on the weekend after March 15 The Return of “the Flying Garbage Can” Lesson 8the people of Hinckley hold their Buzzard Festival.
There are no bright banners and balloons. No bands march up and down the streets. There is just a big sign on the road to tell of the festival. Some small signs have cartoon drawings of “Buzzy Buzzard” on them. Pancakes and sausages are served. And that’s about it.
The people come and look around. They chat. They eat their fill of pancakes and sausages; then they get into their cars and 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 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 are in Capistrano. They are as important as emus③ to the Australians, or storks to the Dutch and Germans. It would be a sad spring indeed if the buzzards ever failed to come back to Hinckley Ridge.
(572 words)
Ⅰ. How well did you read?
1. [Grasp the main idea.] Another good title for this story would be___________ .
A. The Hinckley Buzzard Festival
B. Balloons, Banners, and Bands
C. Why the Buzzard Has a Pink Head
2. [Understand the reason.] The buzzard is called the “flying garbage can” because it___________ .
A. is ugly B. eats waste and dead animals
C. looks like a garbage can
3. [See the point.] The surprising thing about Hinckley’s buzzards is that they___________ .
A. spend the winter in the south
B. return on the same day each year
C. come very close to the town
4. [See the likeness.] Both buzzards and swallows___________ .
A. return to Capistrano on March 15
B. are looked on as signs of spring
C. are also called turkey vultures
5. [Note the details.] At the information stand, visitors to Hinckley’s Buzzard Festival can learn___________ .
A. some facts about the buzzard
B. what a buzzard looks like
C. both A and B
6. [Note the fact.] Festival visitors often have trouble___________ .
A. getting enough to eat
B. finding Hinckley Ridge
C. sighting live buzzards
7. [Draw a conclusion.] The last paragraph hints that___________ .
A. Dutch and German people like storks
B. people the world over like buzzards
C. Hinckley school children like buzzards
Ⅱ. Read for words.
Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.
1. Most would be glad just to catch a glimpse of a buzzard. (Para. 1)
A. 瞥见 B. 快速地飞过 C. 垃圾桶
2. They are eager to hail the coming of spring. (Para. 4)
A. interest B. welcome C. praise
3. It doesn’t matter how raw the winds are. (Para. 4)
A. heavy B. warm and soft C. damp and cold
4. There are no bright banners and balloons. (Para. 7)
A. 禁止 B. 横幅 C. 旗子
5. They can see a stuffed buzzard. (Para.9)
A. 脏的 B. 吃饱了的 C. 丑陋的
Ⅲ. Writing practice.
Imagine you are a buzzard at the Hinckley Buzzard Festival. Tell what you see as you circle high in the sky. Tell why you return to Hinckley Ridge every year. Try to explain how you feel about the festival.
LANGUAGE BOX