福建省三明市第一中学2016_2017学年高二英语上学期第一次月考试题

福建省三明市第一中学2016-2017学年高二英语上学期第一次月考试题
（时间：120分钟；满分：150分）
第I卷（选择题共100分）
第一部分听力（共两节，满分30分）
第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）
听下面5段对话。

每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。

每段对话仅读一遍。

1. Where does this conversation probably take place?
A. In a bookstore.
B. In a classroom.
C. In a library.
2. At what time will the film begin?
A. 7:20
B. 7:15
C. 7:00
3. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?
A. Their friend Jane.
B. A weekend trip.
C. A radio programme.
4. What will the woman probably do?
A. Catch a train.
B. See the man off.
C. Go shopping.
5. Why did the woman apologize?
A. She made a late delivery.
B. She went to the wrong place.
C. She couldn't take the cake back.
第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）
听下面5段对话或独白。

每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。

每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。

6. Whose CD is broken?
A. Kathy's.
B. Mum's.
C. Jack's.
7. What does the boy promise to do for the girl?
A. Buy her a new CD.
B. Do some cleaning.
C. Give her 10 dollars.
听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。

8. What did the man think of the meal?
A. Just so-so.
B. Quite satisfactory.
C. A bit disappointing.
9. What was the 15% on the bill paid for?
A. The food.
B. The drinks.
C. The service.
听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。

10. Why is the man at the shop?
A. To order a camera for his wife.
B. To have a camera repaired.
C. To get a camera changed.
11. What colour does the man want?
A. Pink.
B. Black.
C. Orange.
12. What will the man do afterwards?
A. Make a phone call.
B. Wait until further notice.
C. Come again the next day.
听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。

13. What would Joe probably do during the Thanksgiving holiday?
A. Go to a play.
B. Stay at home.
C. Visit Kingston.
14. What is Ariel going to do in Toronto?
A. Attend a party.
B. Meet her aunt.
C. See a car show.
I5. Why is Ariel in a hurry to leave?
A. To call up Betty.
B. To buy some DVDs.
C. To pick up Daniel.
16. What might be the relationship between the speakers?
A. Classmates.
B. Fellow workers.
C. Guide and tourist.
听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。

17. Where does Thomas Manning work?
A. In the Guinness Company.
B. At a radio station.
C. In a museum.
18. Where did the idea of a book of records come from?
A. A bird-shooting trip.
B. A visit to Europe.
C. A television talk show.
19. When did Sir Hugh's first book of records?
A. In 1875.
B. In 1950.
C. In 1955.
20. What are the two speakers going to talk about next?
A. More records of unusual facts.
B. The founder of the company.
C. The oldest person in the world
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A
The GRAMMY Museum is a musically fascinating journey of music in downtown
Los Angeles. Turn up the beat over four floors of modern exhibits, interactive(互动的) experiences and interesting films that will give you a one-of-a-kind experience. They want to engage you, educate you, and inspire you — just like music does!
There are over 30,000 square feet of interactive, traveling and permanent (永久的) exhibits. This includes over two dozen exhibits along that explore the greatest of the GRAMMY music! Your whole family will find something they love — rock, classical, hip hop to country…
The Crossroads exhibition invites you to explore nearly 160 kinds of music! Open them up on the interactive table in front of you to show photos, songs and stories that describe the influence that music has on the world, as well as the music itself.
Journey down the Songwriters Hall of Fame. How many of these songs do you know? How many songwriters have you heard of? You can also try writing a song with some songwriters in the songwriting kiosks(自助式服务设备)!
Have you wondered how a song gets from someone’s head to your radio? The third floor shows the art of recording.
The museum always has a host of programs and events throughout the year, so make sure you keep up to date — you won’t want to miss out!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Adults: $ 12.95
Children: $ 10.95 (6-17 yrs)
Free: under 5 years old
WHEN CAN WE GO?
Mon-Fri: 11:30 am – 7:30 pm
Weekends: 10:00 am – 7:30 pm
Sometimes shut for private events, so check before you go.
21. What can you learn through the Crossroads exhibition?
A. Stories that inspire songs.
B. The history of the Grammy Awards.
C. The influence of music on the world.
D. How some famous photos were taken.
22. Where can you go to learn about the development of music recording?
A. The third floor.
B. The fourth floor.
C. The Crossroads exhibition.
D. The Songwriters Hall of Fame.
23. How much should a couple with a 6-year-old kid pay to enter the museum?
A. $23.90.
B. $25.80.
C. $36.85.
D. $47.70.
24. We know that the museum __________.
A. is open to the public all year round
B. is open for the same time every day
C. cannot be entered until 10:30 am at weekends
D. cannot be entered until 11:30 am on weekdays
B
Albert Hofmann was a Swiss Scientist who was fascinated by nature. This led him to a career in chemistry in which he sought answers to his uncertainties. He worked at Sandoz Laboratories where he nurtured his research work, and there he made a lot of success by working with various plants and changing them into something useful. He became famous when he became the first person to produce lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (迷幻药). In addition, he was also the first person to taste it and learn about its hallucinogenic (勾起幻觉的) effects. He was deeply connected to the nature and argued that LSD, besides being useful for psychiatry(精神病学), could also be used to promote awareness of mankind’s place in nature. However, he was disappointed that his discovery was being carelessly used as a drug for entertainment. Because of his discovery, LSD fans have fondly called him “The father of LSD”. Besides carrying out his scientific experiments, he also authored numerous books and more than 100 scientific articles. In 2007, he featured in a list of the 100 greatest living geniuses(天才), published by The Telegraph Newspaper.
Childhood & Early Life
Albert Hofmann was born in Baden, Switzerland, on January 11, 1906. He was the eldest of four children. His father was a poor toolmaker in a factory and they lived in a rented apartment. He spent much of his childhood outdoors, and grew up with a very deep connection with nature.
He had mind-blowing experiences in childhood, wherein nature was changed in magical ways that he didn’t understand. These experiences caused questions in his mind, and chemistry was the scientific field which allowed him to understand them.
He studied chemistry at Zurich University, and his main interest is the chemistry of plants and animals. At 23, he earned his Ph. D with honors.
25. What led Albert Hofmann to a career in chemistry?
A. His nature.
B. His father.
C. His family.
D. His interest.
26. I t’s likely that Albert Hofmann produced LSD in __________.
A. Baden
B. a factory
C. Sandoz Laboratories
D. Zurich University
27. From the passage, we know the discovery of LSD __________.
A. was being wrongly used
B. was not useful for psychiatry
C. made Albert Hofmann surprised
D. could change mankind’s place in nature
28. Which can be inferred about Albert from the passage?
A. H e has four brothers or sisters.
B. He has found many useful plants.
C. He lived up to more than 100 years.
D. He only concentrated on scientific experiments.
C
Put technology in the hands of someone like Elon Musk and it can send people into space, make a future of clean and renewable energy a reality, or build electric cars. Put in your hands, and it can help you achieve all sorts of things, from learning to code to learning a language.
Educational apps are becoming increasingly popular as a supplement(补充), and sometimes as an alternative(替代物), to traditional education. Why? Well, for starters, it’s extremely convenient to learn on a pocket-sized device that you already carry around with you at all times. The best apps are also highly interactive and adaptive, coaxing you in and getting you hooked on learning.
But apps, just like textbooks and language lessons, are a medium through which a language can be studied. The way you use them will affect how successful you are. If you flick through a textbook and don’t dare say a word in your language lessons, you’ll make slow progress. The keen reader who repeats each exercise in the textbook and engages the teacher in the conversation will move ahead. So how do you ensure you get the most out of your app, and what should you consider before you install(安装) one?
Before that, a very quick introduction: I developed the following five points from my experience as both a language teacher and learner, and from working in startups in the field of language. I spent six years teaching in Germany and Spain as well as developing a video learning startup. However, I first came to language learning late. I started learning Spanish at 22, and was able to use Spanish and German freely by about 28. I’ve been using language apps for the last few years, an d participated in two successful one-week challenges to go from zero to hero in Italian and French. If you’re interested, you can see the French challenge here.
So, just before downloading an app, here’s what you should think about…
29. We infer that Elon Musk is most probably __________.
A. an app developer
B. a language teacher
C. a professor at college
D. an engineer and tech company owner
30. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Causing you to get tired of learning.
B. Encouraging you to interact with others.
C. Making you keep learning the language.
D. Providing new leaning methods for you.
31. What does the author want to show by giving the example of how one uses a textbook?
A. Doing exercise is important.
B. Different people learn differently.
C. Textbooks have become out of date.
D. We should use a language learning app correctly.
D
Five years ago, when I taught art at a school in Seattle, I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beg inning of a term to find out something about my students. I put a small set of Tinkertoys in front of each student, and said: “Make something out of the Tinkertoys. You have 45 minutes today-and 45 minutes each day for the rest of the week.”
A few students hesitated to start. They waited to see what the rest of the class would do. Several others checked the instructions and made something according to one of the model plans provided. Another group built something out of their own imaginations.
Once I had a boy who worked experimentally with Tinkertoys in his free time. His constructions filled a shelf in the art classroom and a good part of his bedroom at home.
I was delighted at the presence of such a student. Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work. His presence meant that I had an unexpected teaching assistant in class whose creativity would infect other students.
Encouraging this kind of thinking has a downside. I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking. Wi thout fail one would declare, “But I’m just not creative.”
“Do you dream at night when you’re asleep?”
“Oh, sure.”
“So tell me one of your most interesting dreams.” The student would tell something wildly imaginative. Flying in the sky or in a time machine or growing three heads. “That’s pretty creative. Who does that for you?”
“Nobody. I do it.”
“Really—at night, when you’re asleep?”
“Sure.”
“Try doing it in the daytime, in class, okay?”
32. The teac her used Tinkertoys in class in order to ________.
A. make the lessons more exciting
B. know more about the students
C. raise the students’ interest in art
D. teach the students about toy design
33. What do we know about the boy mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A. He liked to help his teacher.
B. He preferred to study alone.
C. He was imaginative.
D. He was active in class.
34. What does the underlined word “downside” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Mistake
B. Difficulty
C. Drawback
D. Burden
35. Why did the teacher ask the students to talk about their dreams?
A. To help them to see their creativity.
B. To find out about their sleeping habits.
C. To help them to improve their memory.
D. To find out about their ways of thinking.
第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

选项中有两项为多余选项。

In today’s busy and competitive world, we all lead incredibly stressful lives. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can affect our mood and productivity. 36 The good news
is that it is manageable and can be reduced, or even relieved completely.
Enter the world of books. Feeling stressed out? Pick up your favorite book and leave
the reality and worries behind. It is the most effective way to relax and overcome stress.
37 Getting lost in a book before bedtime can calm your mind and prepare your body for
a good night’s sleep.
Connect with people. Another way to successfully beat stress is meeting with friends. Friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and just can’t seem to shake it off, call your best friend or a member of your family and talk to them. 38
Walk it off. You can also effectively relieve yourself of stress by simply taking a walk around your neighborhood. 39 There’s a whole new world up there that you never seem to notice while rushing to work or talking to someone. Take a moment to admire a new building or a balcony somewhere high up that reminds you of a castle from your favorite movie. Enjoy your time alone and seize every moment of it.
40 Nothing brings you back on track like a good laughter. It is the most powerful antidote(良方) to stress and it brings joy into your life. Laughing brings people together
and drives away all stress-related problems as if they never existed. It is absolutely the best medicine there is, and it will keep you both physically and emotionally healthy.
A. Laugh it off.
B. Take some medicine.
C. As you walk, remember to look up.
D. Reading may also help you sleep better.
E. Your hobby could be reading books, or even writing one.
F. But most importantly, it can affect our physical and mental health.
G. The conversation with a close person will immediately make you feel better.
第三部分英语知识运用（共五节，满分70分）
第一节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从短文后所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白
处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Once upon a time, there lived two parent parrots. Every morning they flew out to 41 food for their two young birds. One day, a hunter 42 the young birds. The young birds 43 to free themselves from the hands of the hunter. One 44 from the hunter, while the other was taken in a cage by the hunter to his house. He gave it to his 45 .
The other parrot flew away and came to a place where some holy men lived. They did not 46 the young parrot, so it stayed there. It 47 their talk and learned to say a few words.
Several years later, a traveler was walking near the hunter’s hut(小屋). He sat near the hut, extremely 48 . He heard the parrot that lived there say, “ 49 , why have you come here? I will cut your throat.” The traveler 50 got up and left the place in
a hurry. Then he happened to reach the place where the other parrot lived. The parrot was sitting on a tree. Seeing the traveler, it said, “Welcome, traveler. Welcome to this hermitage(偏僻的寺院). We have a lot of good 51 in this forest, which looks sweet and delicious. Eat whatever you like. The holy men will 52 you well.”
The traveler was 53 . He couldn’t understand why this parrot was so polite 54 the other one was so rude. They were both parrots, after all. 55 it wasn’t strange. The parrot he met first lived with the hunter’s children who often spoke 56 words, while the parrot he met later had learned the 57 of holy people.
Our growing environment is of gr eat 58 . It is the company that shapes our words and deeds. Good company helps us learn good things while bad company 59 the contrary. Therefore, choose the 60 people to grow up with.
41. A. get B. preserve C. cook D. buy
42. A. defeated B. threatened C. caught D. observed
43. A. flew B. screamed C. advanced D. struggled
44. A. disappeared B. learned C. escaped D. died
45. A. cousins B. kids C. neighbors D. parents
46. A. harm B. follow C. know D. demand
47. A. looked for B. cared for C. referred to D. listened to
48. A. disappointed B. tired C. concerned D. excited
49. A. Father B. Officer C. Fool D. Sir
50. A. suddenly B. gradually C. hardly D. immediately
51. A. rice B. fruit C. meat D. bread
52. A. treat B. understand C. guide D. protect
53. A. interested B. thrilled C. surprised D. relaxed
54. A. though B. unless C. as D. while
55. A. Necessarily B. Actually C. Fortunately D. Strangely
56. A. dirty B. short C. dishonest D. amazing
57. A. language B. joy C. attitude D. experience
58. A. difference B. shock C. value D. importance
59. A. picks up B. consists of C. leads to D. makes up
60. A. lucky B. right C. kind-hearted D. educated
第Ⅱ卷(非选择题共50分）
第三部分英语知识运用（共五节，满分70分）
第二节单词拼写（共10小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(61题)
1. One of the biggest __________(挑战) the government is now faced with is how to improve
the air quality.
2. It has been __________(宣布) that the President of the US will visit China next month.
3. Our team was d last night, which made us sad and disappointed.
4. The students must learn to h those urgent cases in the summer camp.
5. She is so __________ (热情的) about learning giving English speeches.
6. This is a big family c of ten people.
7. London Eye, the largest observation wheel in the world, __________(吸引) a large number
of visitors every year.
8. He __________(阐明) his opinion at the meeting yesterday.
9. Five p five is ten.
10. The young lady gave the police a very detailed __________(描述) of the robber.
第三节完成句子（考察短语、句型、语法）（共6小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(62题)
1. 你能弄懂这位作家在讲什么吗？
Can you __________ _________ of what this writer is saying?
2. 我只有找到工作才能有足够的钱继续大学的学业。

Only if I get a job _________ ________ have enough money to continue my studies at college.
3. 值得赞扬的是，杰克一直都没将那个秘密告诉任何人。

To _________ _________, Jack never told anyone that secret.
4. 他在2000年写的那本书仍然很受欢迎。

His book __________ in 2000 is still popular.
5. 我发现很难明白当地村民说的英语。

I found it hard to understand the English language __________ by the native villagers.
6. 在我昨天购物的时候，我的摩托车被偷了。

When I went shopping yesterday, I __________ my motorbike __________.
第四节词块检测（共7小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(63题)
1. 受霍乱威胁的普通人 ordinary people __________ __________ cholera
2. 看来水是罪魁祸首。

It seemed that the water was __________ __________.
3. 他在太阳系的中心放了一个固定不动的太阳。

He placed a __________ sun at the centre of the solar system.
4. 地球绕着太阳转时本身也在自转。

The earth was __________ as it went round the sun.
5. 令人庆幸的是这是和平实现的。

Happily this was accomplished __________ __________.
6. 英国国旗集合了三个国家的国旗。

The Union Jack flag __________ the flags of three countries.
7. 她担心时间不够。

She is worried about the time __________.
第五节阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

（共10小题，10空；每空1分，满分10分）(64题)
After David’s daughter was born, he decided to make one million dollars. He thought in this way his daughter would live 1 happy life.
In order to achieve his goal, David devoted most 2 his time to his business. While other fathers 3 (play) with their kids outside, he was working. While other fathers were reading stories to their kids, he was hanging out with his clients(客户). His little daughter 4 (name) Jane hardly saw him.
Time flew fast. One day, when David returned home from work, he saw Jane 5 (sit) in the living room. When she saw him, she ran to him and asked him to play with her for a while. “Sorry, Jane, but I’m 6 (terrible) busy tonight. I have a lot of work to do.” He was about to leave 7 he heard Jane crying. So he stopped and asked why. “You’re always working. You have no time for me at all. You’re not a good dad,” said Jane. David was 8 (lose) in thought after hearing that. He remembered why he worked so hard — he wanted Jane to live a happy life. However, things go contrary to his wishes. He 9 (teach) a good lesson that day. Therefore, he made a 10 (decide) to spend a lot more time with his daughter.
第四部分书面表达（满分10分，默写准确度7分+书写3分）(65题)
最近，你校不吃早餐的人越来越多，请你以“Do not skip our breakfast”为题给校报英语专栏写一篇短文，呼吁大家改动这一不良习惯。

Do not skip our breakfast
Recently, the number of the students in our school who skip breakfast has increased greatly.
三明一中高二月考英语试题参考答案（2016.10）
第Ⅰ卷
第一部分听力（30分，每小题1.5分）
1-5 CABCA 6-10 CBBCC 11-15 ABBAC 16-20 BAACA
第二部分阅读理解（40分，每小题2分）
第一节
21-25 CACDD 26-30 CACDC 31-35 DBCCA
第二节
36-40 FDGCA
第三部分语言知识运用
第一节完形填空（30分，每小题1.5分）
41-45 ACDCB 46-50 ADBCD 51-55 BACDB 56-60 AADCB
第Ⅱ卷
第三部分英语知识运用
第二节单词拼写（共10小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(61题)
1. challenges
2. announced
3. defeated
4. handle
5. enthusiastic
6. consisting
7. attracts
8. clarified
9. plus 10. description / account
第三节完成句子（考察短语、句型、语法）（共6小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(62题)
1. make sense
2. can I
3. his credit
4. written
5. spoken
6. had/got; stolen
第四节词块检测（共7小题，10空，每空一词；每空1分，满分10分）(63题)
1. exposed to
2. to blame
3. fixed
4. spinning
5. without conflict
6. unites
7. available
第五节语篇型语法填空（共10小题，10空；每空1分，满分10分）(64题)
1. a
2. of
3. were playing
4. named
5. sitting
6. terribly
7. when
8. lost
9. was taught 10. decision
第四部分书面表达 (65题)
Recently, the number of the students in our school who skip breakfast has increased greatly. In my opinion, skipping breakfast is a bad habit that should be kicked.
For one thing, breakfast offers us the energy we need for the whole thing. When we a re hungry, it’s hard for us to keep our mind on our studies. For an other, people who skip
breakfast will consume more food at noon and in the evening. Therefore, the extra calories will be stored in our body and make us gain weight easily.
In short, skipping breakfast leads to poor school performance and poor health, even a bad figure. Therefore, do not sk ip breakfast and have a proper breakfast every day.
听力原文：
第一节：
Man: Excuse me, Madam?
Woman: Yes?
Man: How long can I keep the book?
Woman: For one month. Please make sure you return the book before it’s due.
第二节：
Ma n: Hurry up, Jenny. It’s already seven. We’ll be late for the film.
Woman: Don’t worry dear, we still have twenty minutes. And it takes us only fifteen minutes to get there. We’ll be there just in time.
第三节：
Man: I heard on the radio that it’ll be sunny du ring the holiday weekend. Maybe we can take a trip to Boston.
Woman: That sounds great. I’ll call Jean to see if she likes to join us.
第四节：
Woman: It’s nearly eight. If you want to catch the nine o’clock train, you’d better go now.
Man: Don’t worry. I’ll d rive to the station.
Woman: In that case, let me go with yo u. And you drop me off at the city center. I’ll go to the open market.
第五节：
Woman: I’m sorry, the cake is late. We’ll do better next time, I promise.
Man: Well, I’m sorry too. You have to take it back. The birthday party is over and we don’t need the cake any more.
第六节：
Woman: Oh, it’s broken! Jacky is not going to be happy when he sees this. It’s his favorite CD! He’ll tell mum.
Man: Please Kathy, can I borrow ten dollars? I’ll buy him a new one a nd I will clean up your room.
第七节：
Woman: How did you like the dishes, Sir?
Man: Delicious. Everything was excellent here. Thank you!
Woman: Do you want some coffee, tea, sir?
Man: No. thanks, I’m fine. Ah, just have the bill, please. How much is your serv ice charge? Woman: Fifteen percent and it’s included in your bill. Thank you very much, sir. We look forward to seeing you again.
Man: Sure, good night.
第八节：
Woman: Can I help you?
Man: Yes. My daughter bought this camera here for my wife’s birthday. But it doesn’t work. So I’d like to change it for another one.
Woman: I see. Let me have a look. Well, we’ll be happy to change it for you. But I am afraid we don’t have another pink one.
Man: Oh? What will I do then?
Woman: Would you like to choose a different color? We do have this camera in black and orange. Man: My wife doesn’t like either of those colors.
Woman: If you want, we can order another camera just like this one. There wouldn’t be any extra charge for it.
Man: That sounds fine. Would you please go ahead and do that?
Woman: We’d be very happy to but it’ll take at least a week. Maybe ten days. We’ll call you when it comes in.
Man: Thank you very much.
Woman: You are welcome.
第九节：
Woman: Hi, Joe! Many people in our department are leaving for Thanksgiving. What are you going to do?
Man: I think I’ll just stay at home. I may see some friends and watch a few DVDs. And I probably would go to the Ottawa Car Show. What about you, Ariel? What’s your plan? Woman: I am going to do some traveling with my family.
Man: Oh, where to?
Woman: Toronto. And on our way, we’re going to visit my aunt, Valley, in Kingston. Man: That’s exciting. How long do you plan to stay?
Woman: Two days. I have a get-together party with my college friends on the tenth in Toronto. Oh, I’m afraid I’ve got to go now. My husband is waiting for me. And we’ll have to pick up Daniel from school. Have a nice holiday, Joe!
Man: Thank you. You too!
第十节：
Where can you look if you want to know how tall the tallest person in the world is, or who the o ldest person in the world is? There is only one place where you’ll find all these information, and that’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. This morning we have someone from the Guinness Company that produced that famous book, Thomas Manning. “Welcome to the program, Thomas!” “Thanks, Sue. It’s a pleasure to be here.” “Perhaps you could start by telling us where the idea for the book came from.” “Well, it was first suggested in the early 1950s. Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of Guinness, was out shooting birds with some friends. A bird flew away so quickly that no one was able to shoot it. Sir Hugh wondered whether this bird was the fastest bird in Europe, and if it wasn’t the fastest, he wondered what was.” “So I suppose he went to the nearest library to look for the information and he couldn’t find it?” “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. And this made Sir Hugh think there must be other people in the same situation who wanted this kind of information. He thought that, like himself, people would be interested in finding facts of all records to satisfy their curiosity.” “So the idea for a book of records was born. And when did the first book come out?”“A few years later, in 1955. So, to ask your first question: the tallest person in the world is 231.7cm tall. And the oldest person is Jeanne. L. Calment, who was born in February, 1875.” “There are also some rather strange records, aren’t there, Thomas?” “Yes ,that’s right. Did you know, Sue, that the shortest time it is taken …”。