Below is a housing guide for students going to London. 
University accommodation offices
　　　Many university accommodation offices have their own list of registered landlords. Others also provide information on accommodation agencies and other housing organization. The advantage of using your university accommodation is that you can get support if you have a problem. The disadvantage is that they are unlikely to have enough registered landlords to houses all their students.
 
Property papers: Loot and Renting
　　　Loot is an important source of information about private housing for co-renters. The offers are from private landlords, agencies and individuals looking for other co-renters. They also have a website: www.loot.com. The advantage of using Loot is that there are some excellent bargains. The disadvantage is that there is no quality control over the offers.
　　　Renting is another useful paper. The offers in this paper are mainly from accommodation agencies. Their website is at www. renting.co.uk.
 
Accommodation agencies
　　　The majority of rented accommodation in London is probably advertised through accommodation agencies. The advantage of using accommodation agencies is that you will have access to a large number of accommodations. A good agent will listen to your requirements and can save you time in looking for the right accommodation. The disadvantage is that they will make a range of charges to potential renters.
 
Notice boards
     Around the universities you will find a number of notice boards where offers of accommodation will be posted. These will either be from landlords or from students. Some universities will also have online notice boards where students can advertise to other students. Advertisements from students can be an excellent way to find accommodation. However, advertisements from landlords can be problematic. 
 
Word of mouth
     Some of the best housing in London is never advertised but is passed on from one group of students to another by word of mouth. It might be that you can find out about good offers from final year students. However, don’t suppose that just because you have found out about housing from a friend it is necessarily going to be better than that found through any other source.
 
Family
    Faced with the very high rents charged in London, some students and their parents will consider buying as an alternative. In some cases this might be a good choice.
 
Comprehension
1. What is the advantage of using Loot? 
A. It has more offers from accommodation agencies than Renting.
B. It gives you personal information about other co-renters. 
C. Their website is designed mainly for students.
D. There are some good bargains.
 
2. A good agent can help you ____.
A. know more people
B. find cheap accommodation
C. get the right accommodation quickly
D. get free information about most accommodations
 
3. The information passed on by word of mouth is important because____.
A. it is better than that found through any other source
B. it helps you find some of the best housing never advertised
C. the final year students always offer better information
D. the landlords have little valuable information
 
4. For students going to London for the first time, which of the following provides the most reliable information?
A. University accommodation offices.
B. Loot and Renting
C. Notice boards.
D. Family.
Vocabulary
accommodation n. 住所
landlord n. 房东
co-renter  合租人
individual n. 个人
access to  进入……的权利
potential adj. 潜在的
notice board  公告栏
pass on 传递
word of mouth  头口相传
Keys to the comprehension
1.  D。细节理解题。关于Loot，选择相应的部分，仔细阅读，得知Loot的好处是：The advantage of using Loot is that there are some excellent bargains. 即价格方面好商量。故选择D。
2.  C。细节理解题。涉及到agent，在“Accommodation agencies”部分寻找答案。根据“A good agent will listen to your requirements and can save you time in looking for the right accommodation. ”可知好的代理人，能听取意见，并节省时间寻找合适的住宿。故选择C。
3.  B。推理判断题。在“Word of mouth”部分寻找答案。口传的信息很重要是因为“is never advertised ；It might be that you can find out about good offers from final year students. ”但是也有弊端，分析四个选项，只有B是正确的。
 
4.  A。推理判断题。根据第一部分“The advantage of using your university accommodation is that you can get support if you have a problem. ”，而其他的都没有涉及到问题的解决这部分，所以选择A。