2017-2018学年湖南省双峰一中高二上期第一次月考英语试题

2017-2018学年湖南省双峰一中高二上期第一次月考英语试题

湖南省双峰一中2017-2018学年高二上期第一次月考英语试题 时量：115分钟 分值：150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。每段对话后有几个小题，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。听每段对话前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟:听完后，各小题给出5秒钟的做答时间。每段对话读两遍。‎ 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I0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? B 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. A bird-shooting trip. B. A visit to Europe. C. A television talk show.‎ ‎19. When did Sir Hugh's first book of records appear? ‎ ‎ 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 Have you ever heard the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? At one time, this was pretty much true. During the Roman Empire, lots of roads were built in order to move armies, send messages by courier (信使), and make trade easier.‎ The network of Roman roads was begun in 312 BC. It was demanded that the roads be built strong so that they would not fall down. Roman soldiers, supervised (监督) by engineers, laid down the roads in a special pattern of layers. There were all together 4 layers, which was made of different materials, such as sand, rocks, stones and so on.‎ Also, Roman roads were cambered (拱形). This means that they were built higher in the middle than on the edges, allowing rainwater to run off, which prevented flooding. We use the same technique in building roads today. The Romans also laid out roads over hills when necessary, setting them down in a zigzag (之字形的)pattern to make the road rise gradually.‎ All Roman roads had milestones (里程碑), placed every thousand paces (a Roman mile). The milestones told when the road was built, who was emperor at the time, the road’s destination, how far the traveler was from the destination, and how many miles had been traveled since the beginning of the road. This information was a great help to travelers.‎ Because of their excellence in construction, it really is no surprise that many parts of Roman road still exist today. These roadways are one of the most impressive achievements of the Roman Empire.‎ ‎21. The following description about Roman roads is true EXCEPT _____.‎ A. Roman roads were built by the Roman soldiers directed by the engineers B. Roman roads could prevent flooding using the technique we don’t use today C. Roman roads had milestones that were placed every Roman mile D. Roman roads still exist today as an impressive achievement of Roman Empire ‎22. What information can you find on the milestones?‎ A. The builders of the road.‎ B. The materials used in building roads.‎ C. The distance from one city.‎ D. The time spent in building roads.‎ ‎23. The passage mainly ________.‎ A. explains the saying “All roads lead to Rome”‎ B. praises ancient Romans for their great achievements C. shows how great the Roman Empire was D. introduces the construction of the Roman roads B After having worked in the University of Maryland for three years, I got a job offer from another university--Lynn University. I left my letter of offer on my present boss’s desk, turned around, and closed the door quietly. I was expecting a call from my boss saying congratulations, which would show her approval of my leaving.‎ In the afternoon, my boss called me, saying, “Can we meet tomorrow?” That was a good signal. The next day, I met with my boss. She said, “Nicholas, we want you. What do you want?” I said, “Boss, I deserve a significant pay raise this year due to my outstanding performance. I think I need a 10% pay raise next year as a condition for me to stay here.” My boss said, “No problem.'”‎ When I left her office, I called Lynn University and told them that I was going to get a 10% pay raise. They had to give me 10% more than their original pay offer in order for me to accept the job. The new boss told me that he was willing to give me more, but I would feel very bad working at this university with such a high pay. I would win a battle, but I would lose a war. He said, "The problem is that your colleague will earn less than you, so you will feel guilty and uncomfortable. But,‎ ‎ I can still give you 5% more than the original offer."‎ I delivered this massage to my present boss, and she told me that she would give me another 5% pay raise if I promised to refuse this new job offer. On top of that, she would strongly support my early promotion from assistant professor to associate professor. According to the university policy, you must take at least 6 years to get promoted. That was my third year of employment at this university. After refusing the new job offer, I finally enjoyed both a pay raise and early promotion.‎ ‎24. In paragraph 2, what does Nicholas mean by “That was a good signal”?‎ A. His boss would approve his leaving the University of Maryland.‎ B. He would leave his present job and work for Lynn University.‎ C. His boss would talk with him about a possible pay offer.‎ D. His friends would congratulate him on getting a new job offer.‎ ‎25. Why did the new boss agree to another 5% raise when Nicholas asked for 10% the next day?‎ A .He did not have the right to make such a big pay offer.‎ B. he did not want Nicholas to earn more than he did.‎ C. Nicholas was not experienced enough to get such a raise.‎ D. Nicholas would not feel good for earning too much more than others.‎ ‎26. How much pay raise did the author finally get as a result of refusing the new job offer?‎ A. 5% B. 10% C. 15% D. 20%‎ ‎27. In the text, the author mainly tells his experience of _______.‎ A. earning a pay raise B. refusing a job offer C. applying for a new position D. making decisions in the workplace C Horton At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved.‎ ‎ For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns.‎ Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites.‎ There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark’s. It is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports center, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages.‎ ‎28. What is the writer’s main purpose?‎ A. To explain what tourists can do in Horton.‎ B. To explain why Horton is a good place to live in.‎ C. To explain why Horton is not as pleasant as other towns.‎ D. To describe the history of Horton.‎ ‎29. Which part of Horton does the writer find disappointing?‎ A. the shops B. country park C. transport links D. the schools ‎30. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Horton?‎ A. plenty of parks and playgrounds B. historical buildings C. the quiet and safe streets D. functional and cheap houses ‎31. What advantages does Horton bring to workers?‎ A. There are plenty of jobs available in the town.‎ B. You can drive to nearby cities in a short time.‎ C. You can get to several cities quickly by train.‎ D. Working conditions are better here than in other towns.‎ D When people were building houses, they used to consider not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.‎ Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock (家畜).During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.‎ People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy-saving.‎ House-building becomes a great challenge to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy-saving houses.‎ ‎32. What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?‎ ‎ A. The climate of their areas. B. The energy for their houses.‎ ‎ C. The fashions for their houses. D. The building materials for their houses.‎ ‎33. People in some areas gain a source of heat by ________.‎ A. keeping their livestock downstairs B. protecting their livestock from ‎ the cold ‎ C. sharing their houses only with their cows D. living on the second floor with their livestock ‎34. The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.‎ ‎ A. heat raises the temperature in the houses B. heat goes in the upward direction ‎ C. heat goes up if temperature is raised D. heat increases the temperature of rocks ‎35. From the passage, we can conclude that ________.‎ A. people will no longer consider building materials in the future ‎ B. almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks C. energy-saving buildings will become more popular in the future ‎ D. energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology 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。‎ You often find somebody who works around you complaining all the time, don’t you?‎ ‎ 36 About 70% of Americans say being around nonstop complainers sometimes has a bad influence on them. Luckily, here are 4 tips to help form positive patterns.‎ ‎1. Self-awareness When a negative thought pops into your mind, immediately correct it. Instead of telling yourself “That’s a nice shirt, but I can’t afford it,” change the message to “That will look great with my black pants when I can afford it.” 37 .‎ Of course, everyone complains sometimes. But the less frequently you complain, the better you will feel.‎ ‎2. Distance yourself ‎ 38 Excuse yourself and go somewhere quiet, somewhere outdoors in the fresh ‎ air. Think of something pleasant before returning. You have to take this seriously because negative people can and will pull you into the quicksand (困境).‎ ‎3. Don’t try to change complainers If you find yourself trapped in a group of complainers in a meeting or at a social event, simply choose silence. Let their words bounce (弹起) off you while you think of something else. Attempting to stop the complaining can make you a target. 39 If someone says, “I hate Mondays, weekends are too short,” try to think, “I’m glad I rested up over the weekend, so I’m ready to make some improvement on that big project.”‎ ‎4. 40 ‎ When someone is shouting at you angrily, throw the responsibility back at them by asking, “So what do you intend to do about it?” In most cases, complainers don’t really want a solution. They just want to speak them out. If you make them aware that they themselves have to find the solutions, they will leave you alone and find someone else to complain to. If so, you will be happy.‎ A. Find solutions B. Change responsibility C. You have got a lot of company.‎ D. By doing this, it will lead to positive behaviors.‎ E. But you can redirect the discussion in your own mind.‎ F. You will never know what they are going to talk about.‎ G. Whenever possible, escape from negative conversations.‎ ‎ ‎ 第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第一节 完形填空（共20小题；每题1.5分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（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。‎ ‎“Paul must have been trying to carry his waste paper to garbage can and dropped a few pieces.” I ____41____ , picking them up. ____42____ later I found more pieces. No quiet sighing this time. I ____43____ ,“Who is throwing garbage?” No answer.‎ ‎ Instead, I saw more bits of paper ____44____ floating down from upstairs. Looking up, I saw my seven-year-old son, Paul.‎ ‎“Stop making a mess.” “It’s not a mess. They’re ____45____.” “Sorry, what did you say?” I hadn’t heard him clearly.‎ He didn’t answer me. Paul has autism (白闭症) and ____46____ answers a question, especially when he’s ____47____ attentively on something else. He ran down the stairs. “Where are my other butterflies?”he asked, ____48____ around. Every time Paul ____49____ five or more words together, my heart says a ____50____ of thanks. But lately he seems to ____51____ that the benefits of forming complete sentences when communicating are ____52____ of the effort.‎ Butterflies. Of course. I rushed to ____53____ them from the garbage, ____54____ them off and handed them to my young artist. “Want to see them ____55____ again?” he asked with a shy smile. “Oh yes! They’re beautiful.”I whispered. He ran back upstairs to float his ____56____ down again. They really did look like beautiful butterflies.‎ That day Paul ____57____ me to look up at ____58____ instead of down at garbage. How many other masterpieces (杰作) do I miss because I’m too caught up in my ____59____ to take time to appreciate what’s right in front of me? ____60____ is not what happens to us. It’s how we look at it. Now, I look up.‎ ‎41. A. laughed B. sighed C. amazed D. shouted ‎42. A. Days B.Years C. Moments D. Weeks ‎43. A. called out B. turned up C. got in D. added to ‎44. A. angrily B. silently C. loudly D. peacefully ‎45. A. planes B. papers C. leaves D. butterflies ‎46. A. rarely B. frequently C. willingly D. eagerly ‎47. A. devoted B. depended C. focused D. addicted ‎48. A. showing B. looking C. playing D. drawing ‎49. A. spells B. puts C. pushes D. accumulates ‎50. A. sound B. remark C. report D. prayer ‎51. A. refuse B. hear C. mind D. realize ‎52. A. worthy B. aware C. fond D. typical ‎53. A. hide B. destroy C. rescue D. remove ‎54. A. tore B. dusted C. cut D. seized ‎55. A. throw B. flow C. land D. fly ‎56. A. masterpieces B. schoolwork C. inventions D. imagination ‎57. A. reminded B. forced C. intended D. permitted ‎58. A. mistakes B. weaknesses C. beauty D. scenery ‎59. A. amusement B. housework C. communication D. homework ‎60. A. Happiness B. Failure C. Success D. Life ‎ ‎ 第II卷 注意：将答案写在答题卡上。写在本试卷上无效。‎ 第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）‎ 第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）‎ 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。 ‎ As an old English saying goes, “Honesty is the best policy”. It is more than an old cliché (陈词滥调) , but ____61____ good way to live your life.‎ First, honesty is the ____62____ (easy) choice that we can make. When people get caught in lies, it always costs them something. Many relationships are destroyed by lies.‎ Second, honesty gives us much ____63____ (free). Many people believe that being honest limits them in life, but that is not true. Sooner or later those dishonest people ____64____ (pay) a price for their acts; on the contrary, when we are honest, we are ____65____ (true) free.‎ If there were two people ____66____ (stand) before you, a person with a record of being honest and a person ____67____ is known to be dishonest, who would you be more likely ____68____ (believe)? I’m sure most people would side with the honest person. ____69____ we live in the truth or we live in lies. Truth sets us ‎ free and lies leave us in nothing but more troubles. Honesty is a choice that we make each day. The choice is ____70____ (you). What will you choose?‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分35分）‎ 第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处，每处仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号 (^)，并在其下面写出该加的词。‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线 () 划掉。‎ 注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；‎ ‎ 2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。‎ Dear Mum,‎ This afternoon, our teacher asked us list what our parents had done for us. I write down a lot of good sides.‎ Time passes quickly, isn’t it? It is three years when I became a high school student. Looking back on the progresses that I have made so far, I really appreciate for your support.I know that without your properly guidance, I would not have done so well.‎ However, what still makes me puzzling is how to make my dream to go to the top university come true. Please continue to lend I a hand. I really need your help.‎ ‎ Kate 第二节 书面表达 (满分25分)‎ 假设你是高二学生李华，你的表弟王林今年将要上高中。请你给他写着一封邮件，从以下两个方面提出建议。‎ ‎1. 学习方面；‎ ‎2. 课余生活方面。‎ 注意：1. 词数100左右；‎ ‎ 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；‎ ‎ 3. 文中不得出现考生的具体信息；‎ ‎ 4. 信的开头以为你拟好，不计入总词数。‎ Dear Wang lin,‎ I’m glad to know that you are going to be a senior high school student this September. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________‎ 答案 一 听力：CABCA CBBCC ABBAC BAACA 二 阅读理解：BCD CDCA BABC BABC CDGEB 三 完形填空：BCABD ACBBD DACBD AACBD 四 填空：‎ 文章论述Honesty is the best policy.‎ ‎61. a 泛指一个好的方式用a。‎ ‎62. easiest 定冠词the加形容词最高级形式。‎ ‎63. freedom 在much后用名词形式，故填freedom。‎ ‎64. will pay 由Sooner or later可知，该空该用一般将来时态。‎ ‎65. truly 形容词前用副词修饰，故填truly。‎ ‎66. standing 因people与stand是主动关系，用现在分词作后置定语。‎ ‎67. who/that 定语从句先行词为人“person”应由who/that引导。‎ ‎68. to believe 因固定短语be likely to do sth.，故填to believe。‎ ‎69. Either 因Either…or…表示“要么......要么....”。‎ ‎70. yours 这就是你的选择，用名词性物主代词做表语，代表“your choice”。‎ 五 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ ‎ 1. us后加to 固定短语ask sb. to do sth.要求某人做某事。‎ ‎2. write→wrote 根据上文语意，此处应该为发生在过去的动作，故改为wrote。‎ ‎3. isn’t→doesn’t 本句的谓语动词是实义动词passes，故反意问句中用助动词doesn’t。‎ ‎4. when→since 固定结构It is + 段时间 + since…为固定结构，故改为since。‎ ‎5. progresses→progress 因progress为不可数名词。‎ ‎6. 去掉your前的for 因appreciate为及物动词，可直接接宾语，故不需要介词。‎ ‎7. properly→proper 用形容词来修饰名词guidance。‎ ‎8. puzzling→puzzled 过去分词来补充说明“me”自身的感受。‎ ‎9. the→a 用不定冠词a表示泛指，意为“一所”。‎ ‎10. I→me 用人称代词的宾格me来作lend的宾语。‎ 第二节 书面表达 (满分25分)‎ ‎ 参考范文 Dear Wang Lin,‎ I’m glad to know that you are going to be a senior high school student this September. As a senior 2 student, I have so much experience to share with you. High school life is full of challenges. Making good use of your time will be of great benefit to efficient study. It is also helpful to preview your lessons before class and take notes in class. High school life can be very colorful as well. I suggest you participate in some meaningful activities, such as sports and voluntary work to develop yourself properly and thoroughly. The coming three years will be the most beautiful time in your life. I believe that with your efforts, you’ll make it fruitful and wonderful.‎ Yours sincerely,‎ Li Hua Text 1‎ M: Excuse me, madam.‎ W: Yes?‎ M: How long can I keep the book?‎ W: For one month. Please make sure you return the book before it’s due.‎ Text 2‎ M: Hurry up, Jenny! It’s already 7. We’ll be late for the film!‎ W: Don’t worry, dear. We still have 20 minutes, and it takes us only 15 minutes to get there. We’ll be there just in time.‎ Text 3‎ M: I heard on the radio that it’ll be sunny during the holiday weekend. Maybe we can take a trip to Boston.‎ W: That sounds great! I’ll call Jane to see if she’d like to join us.‎ Text 4‎ W: It’s nearly 8. If you want to catch the 9 o’clock train, you’d better go now.‎ M: Don’t worry. I’ll drive to the station.‎ W: In that case, let me go with you, and you drop me off at the city center. I’ll go to the open market.‎ Text 5‎ W: I’m sorry the cake is late. We’ll do better next time, I promise.‎ M: Well, I’m sorry, too. You’ll have to take it back. The birthday party is over, and we don’t need the cake anymore.‎ Text 6‎ W: Oh, it’s broken! Jack is not going to be happy when he sees this. It’s his favorite ‎ CD. He’ll tell Mum.‎ M: Please, Cathy, can I borrow ten dollars? I’ll buy him a new one, and I’ll clean up your room.‎ Text 7‎ W: How did you like the dishes, sir?‎ M: Delicious! Everything was excellent here. Thank you.‎ W: Do you want some coffee? Tea, sir?‎ M: No, thanks. I’m fine. I’ll just have the bill, please. How much is your service charge?‎ W: 15 percent. And it’s included in your bill. Thank you very much, sir. We look forward to seeing you again.‎ M: Sure. Goodnight!‎ Text 8‎ W: Can I help you?‎ M: 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.‎ W: I see. Let me have a look…well, we’ll be happy to change it for you, but I’m afraid we don’t have another pink one.‎ M: Oh? What will I do then?‎ W: Would you like to choose a different color? We do have this camera in black and orange.‎ M: My wife doesn’t like either of those colors.‎ W: If you want, we can order another camera just like this one. There wouldn’t be any extra charge for it.‎ M: That sounds fine. Would you please go ahead and do that?‎ W: 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.‎ M: Thank you very much.‎ W: You’re welcome.‎ Text 9‎ W: Hi, Joe. Many people in our department are leaving for Thanksgiving. What are you going to do?‎ M: 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?‎ W: I’m going to do some traveling with my family.‎ M: Oh? Where to?‎ W: Toronto. And on our way, we’re going to visit my aunt Betty in Kingston.‎ M: That’s exciting! How long do you plan to stay?‎ W: Two days. I have a get-together party with my college friends on the 10th 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.‎ M: Thank you. You, too!‎ Text 10‎ W: Where can you look if you want to know how tall the tallest person in the world is? Or who the oldest person in the world is? There’s only one place where you’ll find all this information, and that’s in the Guinness Book of Records. This morning, we have someone from the Guinness Company that produced that famous book, Thomas Manning. Welcome to the program, Thomas!‎ M: Thanks, Sue. It’s a pleasure to be here.‎ W: Perhaps you could start by telling us where the idea for the book came from.‎ M: 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.‎ W: So, I suppose he went to the nearest library to look for the information, and he couldn't find it?‎ M: 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 about records to satisfy their curiosity.‎ W: So, the idea for a book of records was born! And when did the first book come out?‎ M: A few years later, in 1955. So, to answer your first question, the tallest person in the world is 231.7 centimeters tall, and the oldest person is Jeanne L. Calment, who was born in February 1875.‎ W: There are also some rather strange records, aren’t there, Thomas?‎ M: Yes, that’s right. Did you know, Sue, that the shortest time it has taken…‎