1,188 people take part in an attempt for the largest simultaneous kiss in la Defense, outside Paris, Thursday Nov. 9, 2006. Is the French kiss falling short of its reputation? Just 1,188 kissers showed up in Paris on last Thursday, the Guinness World Records day, to try to break the record for the most people kissing in one spot at one moment, Guinness World Records said. They failed to break Budapest's 2005 record for 11,570 people. The chosen spot this year was La Defense, a modernist business park on the west edge of Paris. Romantics were undeterred by the small turnout and sought to preserve Paris's reputation. "Paris is known for romance," said Celine Capet, a 24-year-old student. "It's not a record for, say, the United States to hold - they don't even give kisses on the cheek. And for us, that's what we do every day." Muriel Deshayen, 24, a French businesswoman who works nearby, met Belgian tourist Gregory Robert, 22, just outside the event and decided to kiss him. "It'll be a nice memory for him," she said. Robert agreed, adding, "After all, Paris is the city of love." The event in Paris was part of the a record-breaking effort organized by Guinness World Records, which staged events from the Americas to Asia, including the world's biggest chess game in Mexico, the largest underwater press conference in Canada, and a record for most underpants pulled on in a minute in Australia. 点击查看更多双语新闻 (AP)

法国香吻的声望名不副实了吗？据吉尼斯世界纪录总部的有关官员介绍，在上周四的“吉尼斯世界纪录日”这一天，只有1188人参加了在法国巴黎举行的集体拥吻活动。巴黎因未能打破布达佩斯于去年创下的11570人的纪录，因而无缘“同一地点同一时间接吻人数最多”的吉尼斯世界纪录。 今年的活动在位于巴黎西端的拉德芳斯现代商业区举行。 虽然参加活动的人不是很多，但大家仍然激情不减，力保巴黎“浪漫之都”的美名。 24岁的学生塞琳·卡皮特说：“巴黎以浪漫而闻名，所以这个纪录不应该由别的国家来保持，比如，美国--他们甚至没有吻面礼，而这在法国是每天都不可少的。” 在拉德芳斯商业区附近工作的24岁女商人穆里尔·德莎在商业区外邂逅了比利时游客格莱格里·罗伯特，并献上了香吻。 她说：“对于他来说，这会是一个美好的回忆。” 罗伯特对她的话表示赞同，还说：“巴黎果然是一座浪漫之城。” 巴黎所举行的此项集体拥吻活动是吉尼斯世界纪录组织的“破纪录”系列活动之一。此项系列活动遍及世界各地，其中包括在墨西哥举行的世界上规模最大的象棋比赛，在加拿大举行的规模最大的水下新闻发布会，以及在澳大利亚举行的创下“一分钟内穿最多内裤”新纪录的比赛。 （英语点津姗姗编辑）