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.

I remember when I was growing up ,my mom always said ,“Half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others .” It's so true .Friends allow us to enjoy the taste of our success and our joys and comfort us in our challenging moments. They provide a mirror for us to learn more about ourselves .I've always looked at friends as the family members.They enrich our lives .As Robert Louis Steven once said,"A friend is a present which you give yourself."

To be a good friend，①成为一个好的听众是很重要的.Hear what your friend says first rather than making conclusions（结论）quickly. Sometimes it is useful to repeated their words back to them， it can help them to realize whether their words were what they wanted to say.

Patience is also important in being a good friend. You know the old golden rule, “Care for others they way you would like them to care for you.”The support of a friend during a difficult time could make the difference between success and failure. ② Encouragement and confidence are the best gifts that can change a person's life.

We should choose our friends carefully, because they can have a huge effect on our life. As someone told me“The attitudes of your friends are like the button(按钮) on a lift. They will either take you up or down.

    Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at the age of 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China in 1275.

    While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote, "Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital, Dadu, are so straight and so wide." Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with "black stones… which burn like wood." Those stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then.

After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice. After he returned home, Marco completed a book called The Travels of Marco Polo, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China.

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Learn to Refuse

    Believe it or not, I've always been a people pleaser. I often put others before myself because I want to make my friends happy.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    “Can you help me with my English?” Grace asked me on the first day after she became my desk mate. “Of course,” I replied without hesitation（犹豫）. Grace has been working really hard on her studies and needed my help — although I didn't have much time left for her.

    One day after school, while I was doing a huge amount of homework, Grace's phone call came.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} but I still felt bad about saying no. When Grace ended the call, the clock said it was 00:15 am. But I still had homework left and I wanted to sleep. This was bad for a Junior 3 student who is going to take an important exam this June.

    Finally I burst into tears. I felt so tired and realized that the stress had an effect on my health. I tried to get myself out. Studying is more important than other things,{#blank#}3{#/blank#} . It's now important for me to say no, no, no. “Can you do me a favor?” Grace asked last Monday. “Sorry I just have to review my biology notes,” I answered. “All right, it's up to you,” she said. I felt completely relaxed when I heard her reply.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    To be honest, I have felt much happier since learning to refuse. I have more time to spend on my study at present. I still try my best to help others,{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. She complained a lot and it made me feel bored

B. If anyone asks me for help, I always say, “yes!”

C. Anyway, it's not so hard to say no at all

D. but sometimes I say no because I know everyone has a limit

E. so Grace has to come the second

    Doing exercise is very important for everyone. But it can be a little difficult to keep a exercise plan when winter comes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Do you have the same problem? I'll tell you what you can do to change the situation.

    To stay active during the winter, you should first make it as easy as possible to do your exercise.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The following advice will give you some ideas for making winter exercise more comfortable and more enjoyable.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you want to exercise outside, you might keep the clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before that. It's often harder to get warmed up when it's cold outside. Putting on clothes fresh from the dryer is just one way to get your body warm.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If it's really cold outside, you might even try a quick shower to get you warm before you do exercise.

    Walk in door.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}To get out of cold weather of winter, you can simply walk in door. Probably in the living area of your room, Walking indoors makes you feel safe and gives you a dry and warm temperature to do it.

A. Take a hot shower.

B. Walking is a good way to stay healthy.

C. Put your sports clothes in the dryer.

D. The cold weather makes you want to stay in your warm bed.

E. Second, make something different before you lose interest in doing exercise.