The Guinness book of world Records

Study the words and expressions

distance – растояние

loudest – самый громкий

rarest – наиредчайший

achievement – достижение

entertainment – развлечение

pastime – приятное времяпрепровождение

eccentricity – эксцентричность

measurable – измеряемый

worldwide – всемирно известный

brewery – пивоварня

golden plover – ржанка (птица)

reference book – справочник

guess – предполагать, угадать

unique – уникальный

giant – гигантский

craw – ползать

clap – хлопать в ладоши

ostrich – страус

reliable – надёжный

A Read the text about the Guinness Book. As you read, look out for the

answers to these questions. Take no notice of the gaps.

1 What kind of information can be found in the Guinness Book of

World Records?

2 Whose idea was it to write this book?

3 What do the Guinness museums show?

Who is the tallest man in the world? Who is the fattest woman in the world? How heavy is the heaviest man? Who has the longest moustache? How long can a person talk without stopping? What distance can a man cover if he walks on his hands? [ 0 - b ]

All these facts can be found in the Guinness Book of World Records. It has information about the world’s tallest, shortest, loudest, heaviest, richest, rarest and greatest. It demonstrates people’s achievements in nearly every field: from sports to politics, from entertainment to science, from the business world to pastimes.

[ 1 - ]

Thousands of people from pole to pole try to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. [ 2 - ] The record must be measurable, it must be the subject of worldwide interest, it must be checked by experts.

[ 3 - ] Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness brewery (the Guinness, by the way, is a type of beer) was hunting. He shot at, but missed a golden plover. In the discussion that followed nobody could answer whether the golden plover was the fastest bird in Europe.

Sir Hugh found out that there was no reference book which would answer that and similar questions. You probably have guessed the rest. [ 4 - ]

Very quickly the book became a bestseller. It has sold 77 million copies so far. And if you think that it’s only the English who are mad about records, you are wrong: the book has been translated into 32 languages. [ 5 - ]

Guinness also opened a chain of museums in Europe and North America to show the public some of the many amazing facts found in the book.

The largest Guinness World of Records Museum is situated in Taiwan. Its architecture is unique among all Guinness museums: the main hall is a giant Guinness book, the public toilet is a football, the snack-bar is giant hamburger, the gift shop is a giant Rubic’s cube (a popular puzzle game).

[ 6 - ]

There are also several live exhibits, including a pair of ostriches (the world’s largest bird), two camels (largest desert animals) etc.

[ 7 - ] If you do, you must find someone reliable to watch you and ask a newspaper to write a report. Then, when you have broken the record, you write to the Guinness Book and hope the day will come when your name and record are printed – and translated into 32 languages – in one of the world’s best-selling books.

B Seven sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the

sentences a – h the one which fits each gap 1 – 7. There is an example

at the beginning 0 – b.

a It all started in 1951.

b Which is the most visited Web site?

c Visitors can see a life-size statue of the world’s tallest man (272 cen-

timetres!) and other lifelike statues of individuals who ran, walked,

kissed, crawled, dived, pulled, highjumped, and clapped their

way into history.

d Who wants to break a record?

e However, it isn’t easy.

f All over the world people seem to want to read about other people

who are faster, fatter, fitter or just madder than they are.

g What came out of his idea was the Guinness Book of World

Records.

h It is also a wonderful portrait of human eccentricity, showing the

great length to which some people will go to become record

breakers.

C Which of these adjectives from the text might you use with the

nouns below?

a wonderful f reference

b human g amazing

c worldwide i unique

d managing l giant

e fastest m life-size

1 statue 2 facts 3 bird 4 director 5 interest

6 portrait 7 eccentricity 8 book 9 architecture

1 _______________________

Although New York is not the capital of the United States (and not even of New York State) it is the biggest and most important city of the country. Situated at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, it has always been the gateway to the USA. But it is more than just a door: it is also a window through which the life of the whole nation may be observed.

2_________________________

New York is many things to many people. It is the financial and media capital of the world. It is the headquarters of the United Nations. It is the center of American cultural life. It is the national leader in fashion and entertainment.

3_________________________

The “Big Apple”, as New York City is nicknamed, is a city unlike any other. It has everything for everyone. It offers the best, the biggest and the brightest of everything. It is a place of excitement, beauty… and contradictions. There is, for example, no canal on Canal Street, Battery Park is not a power station, and Times Square is a triangle. As they say, only in New York!

4_________________________

People who come to New York by sea are greeted by the Statue of Liberty. It has become a symbol of the city (if not of the whole country) and an expression of freedom to people all over the world. The statue shows liberty as a proud woman draped in the graceful folds of a loose robe. In her uplifted right hand, she holds a glowing torch. She wears a crown with seven spikes that stand for the light of liberty shining on the seven seas and seven continents. In her left arm, she holds a tablet with the date of the Declaration of Independence. A chain that represents tyranny lies broken at her feet.

5__________________________

The Statue of Liberty was France’s gift to America. It was designed by the

French sculptor Bartholdi and presented to the USA in 1886. The Lady in the Harbour stands 151 feet tall, weighs nearly 225 tons and has a 35-foot waist. In 1986 she underwent a face-lift in honour of her 100th birthday.

6___________________________

There is a museum in the base of the statue devoted to the history of immigration to the United States.

365 steps lead from the entrance to the observation area in the seven-pointed crown (visitors are not allowed to climb to the torch). The views are breathtaking.

The Lady of the Harbour is tourists’ favourite souvenir. It takes the form of salt shakers and pencil sharpeners, adorns plates and T-shirts.