SFL/METU
Dept. of B.E.
February 2017
INTERMEDIATE GROUP
READING 1
Instructor’s Copy
The Great Guinness Book
1
The Guinness Book of World Records is a collection of the highest, and sometimes lowest, achievements in
every possible category. It contains facts like the hottest and coldest places on Earth, the largest lizard, and
the oldest language. There are also human achievements, such as the biggest cake ever made, the highest
jump, and the longest marriage. Some uncommon activities, like standing on one leg the longest or blowing
the biggest bubblegum bubble, have been created simply to get into the book.
2
Clearly, extreme and peculiar things fascinate many people. If the number of copies sold is a guide, The
Guinness Book of World Records is one of the most popular books in the world. Around 94,000,000 copies
have been sold since it was first published in Britain in 1955, which makes it the second most popular
book in history, next to the Bible. The Guinness Book has been sold in 100 different countries and has been
translated into 37 languages.
3
The Guinness Book was first created for the purpose of settling arguments in bars. The idea belonged to Sir
Hugh Beaver, who was the managing director of the Guinness Brewery. This is the same factory that still
produces the famous Guinness beer.
4
In 1951, Sir Hugh was on a hunting trip in south-western Ireland. After shooting at and missing a group of
golden plovers (a kind of small, plain bird), Sir Hugh and his party began a discussion about whether the
plover or the grouse was the fastest bird in Europe. The group did not find an answer to the question at the
time, but it caused Sir Hugh to wonder how many such discussions took place every day in bars where
Guinness was served. He came up with the idea that a book could answer questions about superlatives (the
tallest, fastest, longest, etc.). Such a book would not only be popular by itself, but it could help to market
his company's product as well.
5
Sir Hugh proposed this idea to Norm and Ross McWhirter, who ran a research agency in London. The
brothers compiled, i.e. put together, a list of facts, and the first edition, then called The Guinness Book of
Superlatives, was published on August 27, 1955. By Christmas of that year, the book had already taken its
place at the top of the bestseller lists of the country. When the book became a surprise hit in the US, two
more editions were printed in the same year. The following year, in America, David A. Boehm, the founder
of Sterling Publishing Company, learned about The Guinness Book of Superlatives. He went to Britain to
obtain the rights to the book, which he renamed The Guinness Book of World Records, because he thought
that Americans wouldn’t be able to understand the word "superlative." The book became an immediate
success in the US and brought millions to the company.
6
Many of the facts in the Guinness Book are unlikely to change. For example, it is unlikely that a lizard
larger than the Komodo dragon will ever be discovered. Therefore, Guinness records continue to be made
and broken in the area of human achievement. This has inspired many people who want to be noticed. Of
course, some people, like Olympic athletes, set new records simply because they are excellent at what they
do. Other people spend time purposefully trying to set world records. Some choose highly difficult tasks,
such as deep-sea diving without oxygen or bizarre activities like drinking ketchup or eating glass. Others
choose obscure activities, like bicycling backwards or balancing wine glasses on their chins. Because such
activities are not performed by many people, it is relatively easy to excel at them.
7
Guinness has opened a series of museums in North America, Europe, and Asia. They display graphical
representations of some of the facts found in the book. These museums have been successful wherever they
opened because of the appeal of their superlative facts. This combination of strangeness and achievement is
one of the hallmarks of The Guinness Book of World Records.
1
A. What do the following refer to in the text? Write your answers in the blanks provided.
1. which (para.2)
: The fact that_____________________________________
2. this (para.3)
: _______________________________________________
3. he (para.5)
: _______________________________________________
4. some (para.6)
: _______________________________________________
5. they (para.7)
: _______________________________________________
B. Fill in the blank with a synonym of the word given in bold in the text.
1. peculiar in para.2 probably means ___________________________________
2. party in para.4 probably means
___________________________________
3. compiled in para.5 probably means ___________________________________
C. Find the word in the text which means the following. DO NOT CHANGE THE FORM OF
THE WORD and write ONE WORD ONLY.
1. managed (para.5)
: ____________________________
2. attractiveness (para.7) : ____________________________
D. Circle the best choice.
1. Which of the following best shows that the Guinness Book of World Records is very popular?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The year it was first published.
The information it contains.
The purpose that it was created for.
The number of copies that have been sold.
2. What happened during the first year the Guinness Book was published?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The second and third editions were also published.
It became a hit in the world.
Its rights were sold to an American company.
Its title was changed in order to increase the sales of the book.
3. In Para.6, the word “bizarre” probably means ______________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
valid
strange
suitable
usual
E. Mark the following statements True (T) or False (F).
T
F
1. The main purpose of the Guinness book when it was first published was to develop arguments.
T
F
2. Sir Hugh Beaver thought that a book of superlatives could also help promote his company’s
product.
T
F
3. McWhirter brothers prepared a list of answers to strange questions for the book.
T
F
4. Some people create activities just to have their names printed in the Guinness book.
T
F
5. Guinness museums exhibit the graphical representations and stories of the people in the book.
2
COLLOCATIONAL VOCABULARY
 achievement (n): sth. very good and difficult that
you have succeeded in doing
to achieve sth.(v): to attain sth.; to accomplish sth.
*
*
*
*
 to contain sth.: to have or include sth.
* The book contains over 200 recipes.
* The article contains information on how to plan your
retirement.
 to fascinate (smb.) (v): to attract or interest smb. very
much
a fascinating story/person/place
to be fascinated by/with smb./sth.
* China has always fascinated me.
* The idea of travelling through time fascinates me.
* The book offers a fascinating glimpse of the lives of the rich
and famous.
* They were absolutely fascinated by the game.
 to belong to smb. (phr.v): to be smb.’s property
* The car belongs to the woman next door.
* Who does this watch belong to?
 to come up with sth.(phr. v): to suggest or think of an
* She’s come up with some amazing scheme to double
her income.
* Is that the best excuse you can come up with?
idea or plan
The discovery of DNA was a major scientific achievement.
It was a great/extraordinary/remarkable achievement.
We try to celebrate the achievements of our students.
This year, our company was able to achieve all of its
production goals.
 to propose sth. (to smb.): to suggest a plan, idea or action * Einstein proposed his theory of general relativity in 1915.
to propose doing sth.
to submit/consider/accept/reject a proposal to do sth. (n)
a proposal for sth.
 to compile sth. (v): to make a book, list, record etc.,
using different pieces of information,
music, etc.
compilation (n)
 to inspire smb. to do sth. (v): to give smb. the
* I propose going to an early film and having dinner
afterwards.
* The French government has approved proposals for
a new waste law.
* Have you read Steve’s proposal for the new project?
* The document was compiled by the Department of
Health.
* The database was compiled from statistics published
by the Tourist Board.
* The CD is a compilation of disco hits from the 70s.
* Her early childhood inspired her to write her first novel.
* After her trip to Venezuela, she felt inspired to learn
Spanish.
* Her courage is a source of inspiration to us all.
enthusiasm to do /create
sth.
inspiration (n)
 to excel (in/at sth.): to do sth. extremely well
* We aim to give every student the opportunity to excel.
* She has always excelled in foreign languages.
* As a child he excelled at music and art.
 appeal (n.): a quality that causes people to like smb./sth.
* I can’t understand the appeal of skydiving.
* The Beatles have never really lost their appeal.
* The design has to appeal to all ages and social groups.
to appeal to smb.: to attract or interest smb.
3
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
A. Match the underlined words with their synonyms given after the sentences.
1) He has achieved his goals in life by having a good job and raising a family.
2) The letter contained information about Boulestin's legal affairs.
3) I propose going to the beach this weekend.
4) It's a programme designed to appeal mainly to 16 to 25-year-olds.
5) We compiled our findings in the report.
a) attract; interest
b) attained; accomplished
c) suggest
d) included
e) put together
B. Below are sentences divided into two parts. Match the parts to make meaningful sentences with
the help of contextual clues and collocations.
1.
We are all fascinated _____
a.
2.
You shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong _____
b. at foreign languages.
3.
Rick has always excelled _____
c.
4.
She came up _____
d. by the advances in technology.
5.
Her early childhood inspired her _____
e.
4
to you.
to write her first novel.
with a new idea to increase sales.
ANSWER KEY
A.
1. around 94,000,000 copies have been sold (since The Guinness Book of World Records was first
published in Britain in 1955)
2. Guinness Brewery
3. David A. Boehm
4. people
5. museums
B.
1. uncommon / strange
2. group
3. put together
C.
1. ran
2. appeal
D.
1. d
2. a
3. b
E.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F
T
F
T
F
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
b
d
c
a
e
B.
1. d
2. a
3. b
4. e
5. c
5