A
Where do you find out about the world's longest walk? The world's tallest man? The world's oldest woman? You know the answer.It is the Guinness Book of World Records.How would people find unusual facts without this book?
The Guinness Book did not exist until 1951.Here is what happened.The managing director of Guinness Brewery was a curious man.He wanted answers to some questions about records.For example, he wanted to know what was the fastest flying game bird in Europe.But he was frustrated.There was no book to answer questions like this.
The director, Sir Hugh Beaver, contacted the McWhirter twins.They were brothers who owned a research agency.He asked them to put together a new reference book.It would include all kinds of unusual records.The brothers quickly accepted.The first edition of their book was published in 1955.Soon the Guinness Book of World Records was a best seller.It has sold more copies than any book except the Bible.A new edition is published every year.
Where do all the book's records come from？They are a combination of things like natural wonders, sports records, and stunts (How many people would push an egg with their noses if they weren't trying to get to the book？)．But the editors try to keep things honest.All records must be verified_by an investigator.Only then are they printed.
The Guinness Book is a big business.It is published in dozens of languages.There are TV shows and museums.It is proof of how interested people are in strange pieces of information.
语篇导读
本文为说明文，介绍了《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》的相关情况，包括它的发起人、纪录来源和入选标准等。
21．What is the passage mainly about?
A．The McWhirter twins.
B．A history of the Guinness Book.
C．Unusual records in the Guinness Book.
D．The director Sir Hugh Beaver.
解析 B 主旨大意题。纵观全文可知，本文介绍的是《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》的历史，故选B项。
22．What can we know about the McWhirter twins from the passage?
A．They recognized that Sir Hugh Beaver's idea for a book was a good one.
B．They owned so good a research agency that they liked to help others.
C．They wanted to publish the book so that they set up a search agency.
D．They wanted to know the answers to some questions about records.
解析 A 推理判断题。根据第三段内容可推出，McWhirter兄弟很欣赏Sir Hugh Beaver的想法，认为他出本书的观点很好，故选A项。
23．What does the underlined word “verified” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．Questioned. B．Written up.
C．Proved the truth of. D．Blocked.
解析 C 词义猜测题。根据画线词所在句及上一句可知，编者努力忠实于事实，所有的纪录都必须经过调查人员的证实才能出版印刷，由此可知，verified意为“证实”，故选C项。
