Edinburgh: a city of culture
Edinburgh, (locate) in the southeast of Scotland, is the capital city of Scotland.
With its museums, shops, wonderful historic castles, and many restaurants, there are many interesting things for visitors (enjoy) all year round.
However, there is something more appealing in Edinburgh. Each year, the Edinburgh International Festival (take) place in the city. In late summer, for three weeks, the festival presents classical music, theatre, opera and dance throughout the city. Whatever your cultural (taste) are, you are sure to find something to enjoy.
So far, the Edinburgh International Festival (earn) its reputation as one of the world's 6. (great) celebrations of the arts. The founders believe that the programmes should be of the highest possible artistic standard presented by best artists in the world, that the festival should enrich the cultural life of European people that it should provide a platform (平台) for the flowering of the human spirit.
The popularity of the festival led the birth of another festival soon—the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Both of them have been (wide) popular over the past 70 years.
How to take notes
Every student knows the importance of taking notes in class. Adults need to take notes in meetings or training courses for work. So here are some ways to help you develop this important skill.
◆Begin with the date and the topic of the class. This may seem obvious(显而易见的), but it's easy to forget.
◆Focus on(集中于) the most important points. Trying to write down everything the speaker says will only make you angry.
◆If the speaker uses a PowerPoint, you may not need to copy the slides (幻灯片). Ask if the PowerPoint will be available (可得到的) afterward. If so, you can focus on writing the things the speaker says instead. Or you can take a picture with a phone. If so, print it out so you can write notes on it.
◆ This will give you the chance to add any information that you didn't write down. It's best to do this as soon as possible, so that you don't forget anything. This review will also increase your chances of remembering what you wrote.
Notetaking is a useful skill, so it's important to practice doing it well.
A. Consider different notetaking skills.
B. It will help you keep your notes organized.
C. Look over your notes again after taking them.
D. But the skill of notetaking isn't only used in school.
E. Try your best to write down what you want to remember.
F. Instead, listen for the key ideas the person wants to communicate.
G. Also, the PowerPoint may be available before the class or meeting.
As most people know, in the past few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only undermined the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people. It is expected that effective (有效的) measures should be taken as soon as possible through our joint efforts to limit its occurrence.
So what should we do with the frightening sandstorms? Some experts put forward practical suggestions as follows: For one thing, more funds (基金) ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection so as to keep more water resources within the surface of the earth. For another, governments of all countries should make laws on environmental protection. For example, banning the use of throwaway chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to cut down the degree of its destruction and to improve the whole environment.
How people look forward to sunny days with little breeze (微风) touching their faces now and forever! Nevertheless, I am fully confident that the golden days can come back so long as everyone tries his best to protect natural environment from today on.
Do you download (下载) music? Do you buy CDs? Do you listen to music on your phone? Do you prefer to watch music or just to listen? Have you ever seen your favourite band or singer perform live? There are so many ways to discover, buy and listen to music!
In the UK, people enjoy live music.
The O2 in London is the second largest live music arena (场地) in Europe. There you can see worldfamous singers and bands such as One Direction, Justin Bieber, Scissor Sisters, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Take That. This large hall has space for 20, 000 people. It also has 548 toilets! Tickets are not cheap. You need to pay more than 50 pounds to see a concert at The O2.
What about free live music? There are music festivals across Britain every year that are completely free. Last year more than 150, 000 people went to the Tramlines free music festival in Sheffield in the north of England. The festival is held every July. Last year there were 900 performances (表演) from all over the world.
What are you and your friends listening to these days? Hip hop, dance, rock, heavy metal, rap, urban, reggae,…Personal interests are very different among British people. If a kind of music exists (存在) then somebody likes it.
A shopping centre in Birmingham, in central England, recently discovered what kind of music some local teenagers don't like. This is what happened. . . Shoppers and shop owners complained to the police about teenagers behaving badly in the shopping centre. When a new sound system in the centre started playing Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, the antisocial behaviour stopped. The young people causing problems had gone! Classical music was clearly not popular with these particular teenagers!
