[00:27.14]READING
[00:28.45]THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS
[00:30.72]In 1951, the then director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, wanted to settle an argument about the fastest bird in Europe.
[00:37.09]After talking to his friends, he concluded that a book which answered such questions might be popular.
[00:41.20]The Guinness Company hired two Englishmen to write what later became the Guinness Book of World Records.
[00:45.77]The first edition was published in 1955 and has been a best seller ever since.
[00:49.89]More than 60,000new records are sent in to the book each year, but they cannot all be printed.
[00:54.47]Instead, the editors of the book set down the records and keep track of them in other ways.
[00:58.31]The records are put into different categories.
[01:00.66]The Guinness Book of World Records has chapters on the human body, amazing feats, the natural world,
[01:04.86]science and technology, arts and the media, modern society, travel and transport, and sports and games.
[01:09.85]You can learn that the oldest person is a woman who lived to be 122 years and 164 days,
[01:15.86]that the longest moustache reached a length of 1.6 metres and that the longest poisonous snake is 5.71 metres long.
[01:22.05]There are also strange records, like the Englishman who balanced a small car weighing 159.6 kilogrammes on his head for thirty-three seconds!
[01:29.99]There are many Chinese records.
[01:31.74]For example, Tian’anmen Square is the largest square in the world with an area of about 40 hectares.
[01:36.76]China has the greatest number of hospitals in the world and Urnmqi is the most remote city from the sea-it is 2.500 kilometres from the nearest coast.
[01:44.91]A special and delicious record was set in 1997 to celebrate Hong Kong’s return to China.
[01:49.51]The world’s largest jiaozi was made.
[01:51.31]Weighing an incredible 480 kilogrammes!
[01:53.71]Many of the records in the Guinness Book of Word Records come from the world of sports.
[01:57.66]Among the brilliant athletic achievements, a few records stand out because of the moving life stories behind them.
[02:02.46]The Guinness world record for the fastest average speed at the Tour de France was set in 1999 by the American cyclist Lance Armstrong.
[02:09.20]Impressive as the record is, it fades next to the story of Armstrong’s struggle against disease.
[02:13.90]In 1996 Armstrong, the then No 1 cyclist in the world,
[02:17.40]was diagnosed with cancer and many thought that it mean the end of his career, maybe even his life.
[02:21.69]In 1998, however, Armstrong returned to the world of racing.
[02:25.06]He went on to set the speed record and achieve his goal of winning the Tour de France six years in a row from 1999 to 2004.
[02:31.69]Why are people so interested in world records?
[02:34.25]Part of the reason of our interest is probably the same curiosity that led Sir Hugh to write the Guinness Book of Word Records in the first place.
[02:40.10]We want to know what is possible and find out just how far we can push ourselves.
[02:43.81]Clearly, we also entertained by accounts of strange and unusual deeds and facts.
[02:47.68]Whether we are out to set a new record ourselves or simply enjoy reading about champions,
[02:51.65]the Guinness Book of world Records makes for interesting reading.
[02:54.11]Anybody can try to set a record.
[02:55.96]There are, however, some records that the book does not accept.
[02:58.65]No records that are dangerous to the person who is attempting it or to others are allowed.
[03:02.62]If you want to try to set record, you should first contact the Guinness Book of World Records.
[03:06.64]The editors will decide if your idea is suitable and then send you rules and the form you need to apply for the record.
[03:11.58]Afterwards, if all goes well, a Guinness official will come to inspect your attempt.
[03:15.29]If you are successful, the official will confirm the record and you will get a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records stating that you are a world record holder
[03:22.24]INTEGRATIN SKILLS
[03:25.71]Reading
[03:26.52]ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
[03:28.46]“Hey man, try that 360 again!”
[03:30.49]It is Saturday afternoon and a group of teenagers are trying new tricks on the park’s skating ramp.
[03:35.30]Every weekend, after finishing their homework, Lin Yong and about a dozen of his friends grab their wheels and head down to the park to hang ten.
[03:41.52]Lin Yong is seventeen and a skilful skateboarder.
[03:44.52]He and his friends decided to build the ramp three years ago after watching a skateboarding competition on TV.
[03:48.91]Together with two of his classmates, Lin Yong went to the local park and told the park administration about their plans.
[03:54.32]Two weeks after thee manager had given them his permission, the ramp was ready and the friends held a grand opening.
[03:56.62]“All of our schoolmates were here, as well as many of our parents and other kids from the neighborhood.
[04:00.95]There were even some grandparents who came to see what it was all about.”
[04:03.59]The ramp soon became popular and the teenagers have started a skateboarding club called Fun On Wheels.
[04:08.53]Skateboards have been around since the 1970s, but they have recently become popular again.
[04:13.28]Many teenagers have discovered the skateboard as a result of TV shows, films and competitions such as the X Games.
[04:18.59]The X Games are like the Olympic Games for sports that are less familiar to us than sports like football and basketball.
[04:23.76]A new generation of sports is capturing the hearts and minds of people who are willing to try something new.
[04:29.06]These new sports are called “extreme sports” and all centre on the “X-factor”- the pure joy of doing something that you did not think you could do and overcoming your fears.
[04:37.50]Extreme sports are different from regular sports.
[04:39.88]Instead of simply trying to defeat the other team or set a new record, many extreme sports are about beauty, harmony and thrills.
[04:45.96]In fact, some extreme sports are not really “sports” at all,
[04:49.33]because they do not have clear rules about winning or losing.
[04:52.13]The goal of a “competition” many simply be to have fun and enjoy the excitement of trying something new.
[04:56.86]Lin Yong loves the feeling he gets when he is getting ready for a ride.
[05:00.41]“It’s hard to describe the feeling. I get excited and my heart beats faster.
[05:04.48]Then my mind becomes clear and I concentrate on the way my body moves in the air.”
[05:08.30]Watching Lin Yong and his friends fly through the air makes you wonder whether the sport is too dangerous.
[05:13.16]“No”, Wang Wei, a sixteen-year-old skater says.
[05:15.79]“all the riders wear helmets and other equipment to protect themselves.
[05:14.79]We don’t let anyone try a dangerous trick unless we know that they are skilled enough to perform it safely.”
[05:18.63]One thing is clear; these enthusiastic teenage skateboarders are enjoying every minute.
[05:23.05]Everyone smiles after a good ride and three is a strong feeling of friendship among the riders.
[05:27.33]As Lin Yong says, “Once you are Xperienced, your life will truly change!” |