Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, is famous for its festivals. There are twelve festivals around the year. Half of them are celebrated during the months of July and August.Thousands of people visit it. Here are some of the events（公开活动）you can enjoy in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh International Festival

The first Edinburgh International Festival was planned during World War II for artists to find hope and communicate with each other. Later, actors, musicians, dancers and singers from all over world came over to give performances.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

This is one of the largest art festival in the world. There are thousands of shows across the city. It was first held as a supplement（补充）to the Edinburgh International Festival. Then it developed very well. Anyone can perform in the festival and many artists take part in it. During the festival, you can go to the Royal Mile to watch performances for free.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

It began in 1983. It is the largest book festival in the world. It is held every year in Charlotte Square Gardens in the center of Edinburgh. There are over 700 event for kids and adults who love books. You can meet many writers, talk to them or ask them to sign a book. Kids also like it because they can listen to stories and watch artists draw pictures of the stories.

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Many people run for exercise. But what will you do if you are not a “born” runner or jogger (慢跑者)? You may still want a kind of exercise that's inexpensive and easy to do. Why not try walking?

Walking requires no special equipment (装备). It is a kind of exercise that almost any normal, healthy person can do. Walking is good for your health like jogging or running; it will just take longer. Jogging and running make your heart work harder than walking. They also put more stress on your legs and feet than walking does.

    The problem with walking is that most people don't take it seriously. But there's a big difference between serious walking and the walking that most of us do. Walking, like jogging, should have a steady and continuous motion (稳健而持续的动作).

If you want to get your exercise by walking, you need to have your own walking plan. After all, runners and joggers set goals for themselves. Walkers need goals, too. You also need to set a course to walk. Start by walking about 15-30 minutes a day. Increase your time and distance (距离) slowly. And try increasing your walking speed little by little.

If you prefer to jog or run, follow the same advice. Start off slowly. Spend most of the first few days just walking. Then, start walking and running on the same day. Run or jog a short distance, then walk for a while, then, run, then walk. Follow that pattern for 15-30 minutes a day. Slowly make each run longer and each walk shorter. Later on, you can increase your distance, speed and exercise time.

    Mr Hu is an English teacher in China. He loves teaching very much. One day when he is giving an English lesson, he finds the headmaster(校长)sitting at the back of the classroom. After class, the headmaster tells him that he comes to his class to find out how much English and how much Chinese he is using. The result is about half English and half Chinese. The headmaster tells him that he should use more English in his class. Mr Hu makes a plan like this: Talk with an Englishman every Sunday for two hours to learn more English expressions(习语);Write some English expressions on cards; Have a five-minute talk in English with students before class; Speak more English in English classes.

    One year later, he finds he can use English freely.

Jellyfish and Crocrodiles（水母和鳄鱼）

    Hi, my name's Ben. My family, that's Mum, Dad and me, live in Broome in Western Australia. Western Australia is about 80 times larger than Italy, but only 1.5 million people live there. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It has a population of about 12,000. It's right on the coast and is known for its famous Cable Beach, which is 20km long.

    We live in the town in a house with a large garden.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We drive to Cable Beach and look for a quiet place to swim or to fish. We don't go swimming from October to March because there may be box jellyfish in the water. The box jellyfish is one of the most dangerous jellyfish. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are attacked by one, the best thing to do is to pour vinegar（醋）over the area of your body where you are hurt. That's why we always take a bottle of vinegar with us.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A year ago I went camping in the bush with my friend Bill and his dad. We wanted to do some fishing and set up camp about 20 metres from a river. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Bill's father told us to get up and we quickly got out of the tent and ran to the car, which was only 10 metres away.

    Bill's dad started the car and turned on the headlights. In the light, we could see a big crocodile pulling the tent into the river!

    Have you ever heard the saying "There is no place like home!" This is just another way of saying that home is a very special place. Our bedroom, our family, our pets, and all of the things we love are at home.

    Is home a place where you can relax and have fun? Is home a place where you get all of your best thinking done? Being at home means different things to different people. As people grow older, home usually represents more responsibility (责任) because it needs care inside and out. Who takes care of all of these things in your home? How do you help out?

    There are many different kinds of homes. Some people live in apartments, condos, or single﹣family homes. Homes have different rooms that are used for different purpose. The kitchen, the bedrooms, the living room and the bathroom each have their own use. Suppose your house does not have a roof and you are a bird flying over it, what does your house look like? Think about it.

    Some people might say that family and food are two of the best parts of being home. At home, you can tell your parents about your day, play with your pets, and grab a snack from the cupboard of fridge. You can relax in your room and read a book or play a game. You can ask friends over to play. Home is a place to take care of and be grateful for. Even though you are young, you can help to make a nice place to be. After all, home is where the heart is!

    Confidence(自信) is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude (态度). A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful(成功的). But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions(建议):

    Speak loud

    When you are not confident, you can't do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.

    Play sports 

    Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. Astrong body helps you be full of confidence.

    Encourage(鼓励) yourself

    Write down a list(目录) of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you've done.

    Get rid of fear

    Fear(恐惧) comes along with failure(失败). But it's easy to overcome (克服) if you know that failure is part of your life. Don't hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.

    Pick up a hobby

    If you like singing, sing as much as you can.  In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding(杰出的). And it will make you happy and confident.