The Universal Museum|人人都爱的大英博物馆

The Universal Museum

by Leigh Goldberg

Founded by Sir Hans Sloane, the British Museum is the ultimate house of cultural artifacts and antiquities.

　　What is a person who has amassed over 71,000 objects to do to make sure the priceless collection is not broken up after his death? Physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane decided to bequeath his whole kit and caboodle to King George II in the mid-1700s. In return, Sloane's heirs received a hefty sum equivalent _(1)_ nearly US$30,000, and England established the first public national museum in the world in 1753.

　　The British Museum in London _(2)_ opened its doors to the public in 1759. The

_(3)_ was free, and the collection on display consisted of manuscripts, books, drawings, prints, natural specimens, and antiquities from various cultures. As the British Empire expanded, so _(4)_ the museum's collection. Most notably, it _(5)_ the Rosetta Stone, a valuable key in the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the Parthenon sculptures in the early 19th century.

　　Presently, the British Museum is one of the world's largest, housing nearly 100 galleries in its more than 90,000 square-meter facility. Its _(6)_ collection has some eight million works, of which only one percent, or 50,000 pieces, is showcased publically at any single time. What's more, it is among the most expansive and comprehensive collections around since it documents the global history of human culture from the beginning to now. However, visitors wanting to check out the natural specimens or books and manuscripts have to venture to the Natural History Museum and the British Library respectively since they no longer call the British Museum home. With over three kilometers of exhibition space, there's no _(7)_ of cultural artifacts to see at the British Museum.

1. (A) to (B) at (C) into (D) on

2. (A) negatively (B) intensely (C) officially (D) directly

3. (A) identity (B) admission (C) management (D) assurance

4. (A) is (B) does (C) was (D) did

5. (A) relieved (B) rejected (C) acquired (D) overlooked

6. (A) obedient (B) permanent (C) portable (D) shameful

7. (A) shortage (B) apology (C) diligence (D) imitation

 

人人都爱的大英博物馆

由汉斯‧史隆爵士所创立的大英博物馆是文化艺术品及古代文物最终的家。

　　一位收藏了七万一千多件物品的人会做什么事来确保在他死后这些无价的收藏品不会损坏呢？身为医生和博物学家的汉斯‧史隆爵士在十八世纪中期时决定在他过世后将他所有的收藏品都赠送给英国国王乔治二世。史隆的后代得到了当时相当于约三万美元的巨款作为回报，而英国也在 1753 年设立了全世界第一座国立博物馆。

　　位于伦敦的大英博物馆是在 1759 年正式对大众开放。该馆是免费入场，而展出的收藏品包括了来自各种文化的手稿、书籍、画作、印刷品、自然标本及古代文物。随着大英帝国的扩展，大英博物馆的收藏也随之增加。其中最特别的是，该馆在十九世纪初期得到了罗塞塔石碑这项破解埃及象形文字的宝贵关键，以及帕德嫩神庙的雕像。

　　目前，大英博物馆是全世界最大的博物馆之一，其九万多平方公尺的占地有将近一百座艺廊。在该馆永久展出的作品大约有八百万件，其中只有百分之一或是五万件作品会在某个时候公开展示。此外，大英博物馆也是收藏品最广泛且全面的博物馆之一，因为它记录了全球人类文化从开始到现在的历史。然而，现在想要看看自然标本或是书籍及手稿的游客必须分别前往自然历史博物馆和大英图书馆，因为这些收藏品已不再收藏于大英博物馆了。大英博物馆拥有超过三公里的展示空间，里面绝对少不了文化艺术品供人观赏。

 

答案： 1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. C

6. B 7. A