陕西省定边县第四中学高中英语 Unit 1 Breaking records 背景材料 文章 Sir Hugh Beaver and Guinness Book of World Records素材 新人教版选修 9《吉尼斯世界记录大全》 —— 这是一本全球最权威的书籍。可是，你知道是谁最先想到写一本这样的书吗？为什么给它冠以“吉尼斯”之名？Sir Hugh Eyre Campbell Beaver, who was born in 1890 in Johannesburg (约翰内斯 堡 ), South Africa and died in London in 1967, was a British engineer, industrialist, and founder of the Guinness Book of World Records.In 1946, he became a managing director of Arthur Guinness, Son Co Ltd and stayed there until he retired in 1960.On 10 November, 1951, Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, went on a shooting party in North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. He became involved in an argument: which was the fastest bird in Europe — the Golden Plover or the Grouse? That evening at Castlebridge House he realized that it was not possible t o confirm in reference books whether or not the Golden Plo ver was Europe’s fastest bird. Beaver thought that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in the 81,400 pubs in Britain and in Ireland, but there was no book with which to settle arguments about records. Beaver’s idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chat away recommended his university friends Norris and Ross McWhir ter, who had been running a fact-finding agency in L ondon. The brothers were commissioned to compile（编写）what became the Guinness Book of World Records.numerous adj. existing in large numbers 许多的commission v. to officially ask sb. to write, make or create sth. or to do a task 正式委托
