A:

B: It's June' 18th.

A: Really? Then it's Dragon Boat Festival today, isn't it?

B: Yes. We Chinese usually eat rice dumplings on this day.

A:

B: Sure. How about you??

A: I didn't.

B: What a pity! But I happen to have got some with me.

A: Yes, I'd love to. By the way,

B: Because in China, people race dragon boats on this day every year.

A: Oh, I see. Thank you for your rice dumplings.

B:

    American people like to say “Thank you.” when others help them or to them. People in many countries do so too. It is a very good habit.

    You say “Thank you.” when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, or when someone says you do your job well, you buy a nice thing，or your city is very beautiful. “Thank you.” is used not only between friends, also between parents and children, brothers and sisters.

    “Excuse me.” is another short sentence they use. When you hear someone say so behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you without you. It's not polite to break in when other people are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me.” , and then begin to talk. You should also do so when you begin to cough or make some noise in front of others. Let's learn to say “Thank you.” and “Excuse me.”

    Every year, 40 days before Easter, Brazil stops. It's a time for the carnival! For four days from Saturday to Tuesday, Brazilians sing and dance in dance halls and clubs, on the streets and beaches, or anywhere else. The carnival takes place in towns and villages all over Brazil and other Catholic countries, but Rio de Janeiro is seen as the Carnival Capital of the world. Carnival is the last big event in the summer in Brazil. It may begin 40 days before Easter, but the city begins getting ready for the carnival several weeks before that.

    Edinburgh Festival: The heart of Scottish culture

    The Edinburgh International Festival is a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance in theatres. in Edinburgh, over a threeweek period in August.

    The festival began in 1947 to try to use the arts to encourage “the flowering of the human spirit". From the start, ordinary people began to put on shows of their own that weren't part of the official Festival, and soon this programme became the Edinburgh Festival “Fringe”, which is a separate programme of small shows,

    Korean New Year: Solnal

    Korea celebrates the lunar(农历) New Year with other East Asian countries. Solnal is a time for families, so Koreans try to return to their homes.

    On New Year's Eve people put things on their walls and doors to protect their families from bad spirits arriving with the New Year. Then on New Year's Day, people put on traditional clothes and put food on a special table for the dead members of their family.

    Then the family sits down to a traditional breakfast of “Tteokguk" - a thick beef soup with rice cakes and green onions. Everyone must eat in order of age, and everyone becomes one year older on New Year's Day.

    The rest of the day is for playing， especially for children. Families enjoy activities such as kite- flying，seesaw(跷跷板) and dancing.

    The New Year is a time for Koreans to celebrate family and tradition.

— No, you __________

— No, it _________________be him. He is holding a meeting in the office now.