In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.

    It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.

    At the same time, the "Fringe" appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.

    Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.

    Today the "Fringe", once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.

    A paid administrator(管理人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.

    Plan your dream vacation to one of these excellent destinations.

    St. Lucia

    Abundant（丰富的） rainforests and splendid mountains are all reasons to visit this Caribbean island. St. Lucia offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. To take in the breathtaking scenery, plan to hike the Piton Mountains or dive in the waters of Anse Chastanet.

    Banff. Alberta

    This Canadian destination will bring out the explorer in anyone who visits. From hiking and whitewater rafting to skiing and snowboarding, Banff offers travelers an abundance of year-round outdoor activities. The Lake Louise Ski Resort is one of the largest in North America and the striking photo opportunities of the Canadian Rockies from Moraine Lake can't be underestimated (低估).

    Machu Picchu

    According to travelers, a visit to this Peruvian UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) site is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Located in the Andes Mountains, it is the most familiar icon (象征物) of Inca civilization. Spend a few days accustoming yourself to the altitude in the neighboring city of Cusco, where you can experience a mix of Incan and Spanish cultures.

    Great Barrier Reef

    It's easy to see why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – it stretches nearly 1,500 miles along the eastern coastline of Australia and features about 3,000 reefs, 900 islands and more than 1,500 species of fish. Travelers can see these amazing natural structures from the air or underwater. However, large amounts of coral bleaching (褪色) caused by rising ocean temperatures put this place's continued existence at risk, so plan your visit soon to see this awesome sight up close.

    The summer I turned 16, my father gave me a car, which permitted Hannah and me to drive around Tucson whenever we wanted to.

    Hannah was my best friend. "Hannah's amazing," my mother always said. And sure enough, that summer she signed with a modeling agency. She was already doing runway work.

    One day, Hannah and I went to the movies. On the way home, we stopped at the McDonald's drive-through, putting the fries on the seat between us to share. "Let's ride around a while," I said. It was a clear night, moonlight shone over the desert. Taking a turn too fast, I hit a patch of dirt and fishtailed.

    French fries on the floor. An impossible amount of blood on Hannah's face. They took us in separate ambulances. In the ER, my parents spoke quietly Best plastic surgeon in the city. End of her modeling career.

    We'd been wearing lap belts, but the car didn't have shoulder harnesses. I'd cracked my cheekbone: Hannah's forehead had split wide open. What would I say to her?

    When her mother, Sharon, came into my hospital room, I started to cry, bracing myself for her anger. She sat beside me and took my hand. "I almost ended my best friend when I was your age," she said, "I totaled her car and mine."

    "I'm so sorry," I said.

    "You're both alive," she said, "The rest is window dressing." I started to protest, and Sharon stopped me. "I forgive you. Hannah will too."

    Sharon's forgiveness allowed Hannah and me to stay friends throughout life. I think of her gift of forgiveness every time I want to resent someone for a perceived wrong. And whenever I see Hannah, the scars are a symbol of grace for me.

    Nasr Majid started hunting this fall at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (保护区)on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in USA, He's one of the relatively few new hunters who officials hope will help stop a nearly four-decade decline nationally in what has become a hobby for fewer than 5 percent of Americans.

    Natural resources and wildlife, officials in Maryland are encouraging hunting of deer, turkeys and some other wild animals, which is believed to be good for the environment. Without hunting, they say, sika deer will overpopulate the wildlife refuge and they'll overeat the bushes and other plants that provide important habitat for birds. On the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, hunting is also important to prevent the spread of diseases such as Lyme.

    In many families, the hunting tradition has been handed down for generations^ But as longtime sportsmen age and children lose interest, the number of hunters in the United States fell by 2 million, from 2011 to 2018, to about 11 million.

    "Everything is changing. Kids are growing up in front of video games and computers instead of going hunting." said Chris Markin, a hunting specialist for the state natural resources department. "Adults usually focus on working and providing for their families. Those pressures are preventing many other potential hunters from going out, and from raising the next generation of hunters."

    To avoid such a decline, a new approach is needed. Government agencies and nonprofit groups are now launching mentoring (指导) programs to train more hunters, which not only helps preserve an industry and a culture but also means more protection for wildlife and their habitats through deer population control and investment.

    Luckily, there are those still eager to learn, like Majid. He was just looking for an outdoor hobby he could share with his children when he came across the mentors-hip program. Now, he feels capable of hunting on his own, but also has someone he can text with questions that pop up. His new pastime has already paid off for him—on his second hunt with his mentor, in the last minutes of daylight, he bagged his first deer.

    Video producer and musician Justin Scholar enjoyed his fantastic moment weeks ago when he spotted his latest work playing on a huge electronic screen at New York's Times Square.

    "It's sort of the American dream to see your name up inlights,'' says the 25-year-old New Jersey native. “I'd never really cared about my name being that big, but going to New York and seeing the big screens, you always wonder if your work is going to make it up there.

    The video that helps Scholar fulfill his "American dream" was shot and produced in China, where Scholar is living and working as a media company owner. Scholar took his first Chinese class in high school seven years ago and made his first trip to Shanghai in 2015 through a study-abroad program when he was a student in New York University. The film and TV major changed his focus from technical art to traditional arts during his study in Shanghai, spending most of the time learning ink-and-wash painting, calligraphy and the guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. He also fell in love with the city, where he ate a lot of authentic xiaolongbao, or steamed meat buns, and felt safe walking on the streets at 3 am.

    Shanghai impresses Scholar as an efficient, modern city calling for greater business prosperity with foreign participation, so he returned two years later, when his career at home was already booming after making commercials for big names such as Coca-Cola and Jaguar.

    Thanks to a combination of luck and talent, he achieved the goal soon with a Chinese friend as his business partner, and the company has already produced some 15 videos for pop icons, fashionistas, and art museums in merely six months. The video that plays at Times Square, a tourism promotionalfilm for southwest China's Chongqing city, is the company's first project contracted(签合同) by a local government in China.

China's tea culture is an ancient and profound（意义深远的）cultural heritage that has been passed down and developed for thousands of years. It weaves an complicated and fascinating pattern within Chinese society.

Tea growing in China is an art form in itself. The tea- growing areas, with their special climates and lands, produce teas of exceptional quality. From the misty mountain s of Fujian to the green landscapes of Yunnan, different areas offer a rich variety of tea types.

The process of making tea is careful and detailed. It involves exact measurements of water temperature, the right amount of tea leaves, and a certain steeping time to get the fullest flavor and smell. This care for details shows the Chinese people's search for excellence in all parts of life.

Tea is not merely a beverage; it is a thing that helps social relations. It brings people together, whether in family get- togethers, friendly meetings, or business talks. The act of sharing a cup of tea is a sign of kindness and connection. And the many tea- houses all over the country offer places for people to relax, talk, and enjoy the peace that tea gives. Moreover, tea ceremonies are an important part of Chinese culture. These ceremonies are complex and formal, showing the grace and elegance of Chinese traditions. They involve exact movements and a deep respect for the tea and the process.

In addition to its social and cultural importance, tea in China is also known for its possible health benefits. It is thought to have anti- oxidant（抗氧化的）features and is linked to various good effects on physical health.

As China keeps moving forward and modernizing, its tea culture is still strongly fixed, a proof of its historical and cultural importance. It keeps attracting both the Chinese people and those from around the world, inviting them to explore and enjoy the beauty and depth of this great cultural phenomenon.