It's a New World Record! 1
Who's the fastest runner?How high is the highest building?Find the answers in Guinness World Records,"the world's most readable reference book."Reading Skill:Finding the Right Meaning from ContextMeet Koko 14
Koko can"talk"——at least,that's what some people say about the famous 125-kilogram gorilla with a two thousand-word"vocabulary."Reading Skill:Identifying Word FormsThe First Modern Olympic Games 27
After centuries in the dark,the Olympic spirit shines again,thanks to the Frenchman who got the international Games started one hundred years ago.Reading Skill:Understanding"Personal"Nouns and Terms of OriginBusiness Manners Around the World 40
If you are in Korea,don't sign a document in red ink.If you are in Taiwan,don't wrap a present in white paper.Read about the do's and don't's of doing business around the world.Reading Skill:SkimmingThe World's Most Popular Monster 52
A fire-breathing monster that dances?Godzilla is savage in some movies,silly in others.And he keeps coming back...Reading Skill:Understanding Passive SentencesA Brief History of Coffee 64
According to legend,coffee was discovered by a sleepy goat herder in Ethiopia many years ago.Now it is one of the world's favorite drinks.Reading Skill:Understanding Chronological OrderThe Amazing Mr.Tesla 77
He created seven hundred devices and spoke nine laguages,but today he is almost unknowm.Read about Nicola Tesla,one of the greatest minds of his time.Reading Skill:Understanding Vocabulary from ContextThe ABCs of Hangul 89
For many Koreans,what is typically Korean?Hangul,the simple but elegant alphabet,is one of the country's finest creations.Reading Skill:Understanding Patterns of OrganizationDoctors Without Borders 103
It began as"a couple of doctors with a suitcase and a dream."Today,the international aid organization brings medical help to anyone anywhere.Reading Skill:ScanningSister Act:Venus and Serena Williams 114
What are these tennis superstars like?Smart and confident,with a great sense of style.A profile of two sisters,who fulfilled their father's dream.Reading Skill:Understanding Conditional SentencesHurray for Bollywood! 127
Glamorous,romantic,Magical——that's Bollywood,the cinema industry of India,which produces over a thousand films a year.Reading Skill:ParaphrasingKrakatoa,West of Java 139
Learn the story of the greatest explosion in the history of the world——the deadly eruption of Krakatoa in 1893 and its aftermath.Reading Skill:Irregular VerbsExamination Hell 153
Some survive and some do not.A short report on examination hell——Japan's make-or-break university entrance exams.Reading Skill:Making InferencesThe Mummy's Curse 165
A look at the 3,300 year-old curse of King Tut,blamed for dozens of deaths and the subject of a recent scientific study.Reading Skill:Understanding PrefixesVocabulary Index 177
Reading Skills Chart 182
Answer Keys,Audio Scripts,and Puzzle Solutions:Units 1-14 185
Quizzes:Units 1-14 199
Answer Key:Quizzes 227