Almost 55,000 people who have had a major impact on British society are profiled in a new 60-volume book that has taken 12 years to pile.
It has cost more than ￡25 million and taken 10,000 writers to update the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Murder victims Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger are among those joining the likes of Queen Victoria and Gandhi.
The new version of the dictionary, which was founded in 1882, costs ￡7,500 and takes up 12 feet of shelf space.
Projects director Robert Faber said Stephen Lawrence was included because his death triggered dramatic developments in British policing and social policy.
Women make up 10% of the entries - double the previous share - and include Queen Elizabeth I, Dusty Springfield, Linda McCartney and Virginia Woolf, whose father piled the first edition.
Alongside the famous names are lesser known individuals such as the inventor of snooker, army reservist (预备役军人) Neville Chamberlain.
Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger were both included because of the overwhelming soul-searching (真挚的自我反省、深思) and examination of education and social policy which followed their deaths.
Mr Faber said: These are not just people who were killed but people who had an impact. Jill Dando is there as much for her career but also because her death became a public event.
So many of these people have seized the public imagination and have contributed to public debate.？
【小题1】A．About 5.B．About 55.C．About 550.D． About 5500.【小题2】It can be inferred that Jill Dando .A．died in a case of murder which drew the public much attentionB．isn’t included in the Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyC．is the director of the Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyD．is included in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography only for her death【小题3】 are collected in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.A．Those who were murdered in historyB．Those who have shaped BritainC．Those who are famous all over the worldD．Those who live in Britain【小题4】How much does a volume of the new version cost on average?A．More than ￡25million.B．More than ￡400, 000.C．￡7, 500.D．￡125D
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(答案→)D
解析：
【小题1】细节题。根据首句“词典收录了将近5.5万名对英国社会有重大影响的人物”和短文中的“Women make up 10% of the entries”一句计算可知。
【小题2】推断题。短文倒数第二段费伯先生说：“他们不仅是单纯的遇害者，他们也是有影响的人物。Jill Dando被编入字典不仅仅是因为她的职业，也因为她的死成为公众关注的事件” 由此可推断Jill Dando也是被谋杀致死。
【小题3】推断题。根据短文首句及全文所列举的人物，他们都是对英国有重大影响的人物。由此判断可知。
【小题4】计算题。此次新版的词典总共60卷，全套7500英镑，平均每卷125英镑。