Art museums are places where people can learn about various cultures. The increasingly popular “design museums” that are opening today, however, perform quite a different role. Unlike most art museums, the design museum shows objects that are easily found by the general public. These museums sometimes even place things like fridges and washing machines in the center of the hall.

People have argued that design museums are often made use of as advertisements for new industrial technology. But their role is not simply a matter of sales--it is the honoring of excellently invented products. The difference between the window of a department store and the showcase in a design museum is that the first tries to sell you something, while the second tells you the success of a sale.

One advantage of design museums is that they are places where people feel familiar with the exhibits. Unlike the average art museum visitors, design museum visitors seldom feel frightened or puzzled. This is partly because design museums clearly show how and why mass-produced products work and look as they do, and how design has improved the quality of our lives. Art museum exhibits, on the other hand, would most probably fill visitors with a feeling that there is something beyond their understanding.

In recent years, several new design museums have opened their doors. Each of these museums has tried to satisfy the public's growing interest in the field with new ideas. London's Design Museum, for example, shows a collection of mass-produced objects from Zippo lighters to electric typewriters to a group of Italian fish-tins. The choices open to design museums seem far less strict than those to art museums, and visitors may also sense the humorous part of our society while walking around such exhibits as interesting and unusually attractive toys collected in our everyday life.

40. Showcases in design museums are different from store windows because they __

A. show more technologically advanced products

B. help increase the sales of products

C. show why the products have sold well

D. attract more people than store windows do

41. The author believes that most design museum visitors.

A. do not admire mass-produced products

B. are puzzled with technological exhibits

C. dislike exhibits in art museums

D. know the exhibits very well

42. The choices open to design museums          

A. are not as strict as those to art museums

B. are not aimed to interest the public

C. may fail to bring some pleasure to visitors

D. often contain precious exhibits

43. The best title for this passage is    .

A. The Forms of Design Museums

B. The Exhibits of Design Museums  

C. The Nature of Design Museums

D. The Choice Open of Design Museums

From early times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures. Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre（罗浮宫）in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries. It is the biggest art museum in the world. The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort（堡垒）. In 1190, it was the king’s castle with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat（护城河）to keep out the enemies. Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle no longer needed a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During time of peace, new treasures were brought in. During the days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged.
When FrancisⅠbecame king of France in 1515, he brought in many artists from other countries. One of the artists was Lenardo da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is the best known painting in the museum today.In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum. It is a place where art treasures are kept for everyone to enjoy. Every year millions of people from all over the world come to the Louvre to see the masterpieces.
46. How long has the Louvre been a museum?
A. For over 800 years.     B. Since1350  C. Since1515      D. For over 200 years
47. Most of works of art in the Louvre have been collected probably by _______.
A. the French people     B. FrancisⅠ C. Leonardo da Vinci   D. people of the world
48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Da Vinci once stayed in France.
B. “Mona Lisa” is kept in the Louvre.
C. The Louvre was once a church as well as a palace.
D. The Louvre is a place of interest to different people from all over the world
49. Why is it good for the works of art to be kept in public museums?
A.Works of art will not be stolen  
B. Works of art will not be damaged
C. Artists can study the works of art.  
D. Everyone has a chance to enjoy the works of art.
50. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.  Louvre is always a museum since it was built.
B. All the art treasures in the Louvre have been destroyed in the war.
C.Louvre was once the king’s castle in history.
D. There is still a fort near the Louvre now.

From the earliest times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures.

Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries. The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort(炮台). In 1190, it was the king’s castle with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat to keep out his enemies.

Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle was no longer needed as a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.

During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged.

When Francis I became king of France in 1515, he brought in artists from many countries. One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the best known painting in the museum today.

In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.

1.

On the whole, this passage is mainly about__________.?

A. an art museum called the Louvre     

B. an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci

C. a king of France named Francis I        

D. the best known painting in Louvre

2.

 Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago.

B. French kings and queens once lived in it.

C. The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190.

D. Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years.

3.

 Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums?

A. It helps people remember who the King of France is.

    B. It keeps people out of the palaces.

C. It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art.

    D. It helps people to know who is the greatest artist.

4.

 In the third paragraph the underlined word moat probably means________.

? A. a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies

B. a long and deep ditch(渠) dug round a castle and was usually filled with water

C. a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought

D. a long and high wall around castle

Museum of London

At the Museum of London you can experience and discover the hidden treasures in our city's history．

From talks, walks and tours to evening classes, there's always something happening at museums． The museum is here for you all year round so you can relax in our cafes, find a gift in our shop or just enjoy the sights．

National Army Museum

The museum is available to wheelchair users． And baby changing units are available in the male and female toilets．

The museum cafe offers freshly-made tea and coffee and seasonal food． The National Army Museum Shop offers different kinds of goods（商品）which can be ordered by telephone or mail order, and an online shop has opened．

Opening hours: 10: 00 a． m．-5：30 p． m．

Garden Museum

The Garden Museum explores and celebrates British gardens and gardening through its collection．

A planned program of talks, children's activities and plant shows runs throughout the year． The shop offers a lot of perfect presents for those who love gardens and the garden cafe serves delicious freshly-made food． The museum also welcomes volunteer gardeners．

Musical Museum

The Musical Museum contains many collections of musical instruments．

The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday． We are planning many special performances to which you are all invited． If you would like to have a party or use our facilities（设备）,then please call us for further details．

The museum shop provides a number of presents for musical instrument lovers． For further details please visit the website at www． visit-hounslow． com．

1.We can learn from the text that all the museums

A．have a gift shop for visitors

B．have collections of instruments

C．offer large baby changing units

D．offer different sight-seeing tours

2.What's special about the Garden Museum?

A．You can order goods by mail．

B．You can have freshly-made seasonal food．

C．You can relax in the cafes all day．

D．You can work as a volunteer there．

3.If you want to hold a party, you should go to         

A．the Garden Museum

B．the Museum of London

C．the Musical Museum

D．the National Army Museum

Museums have changed.They are no longer places that one “should”go but to enjoy.

At a science museum in Canada,you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body.At the Children’s Museum in New York,you can play an African drum.There are no “Do Not Touch”sign in some other museums in the USA.

More and more museum directors have realized that people learn beat when they can become part of what they are seeing.In many science museums,the visitors are encouraged to touch,listen,operate and experiment so as to discover scientific rules for themselves.

The purpose is not only to provide fun,but also help people feel at home in the world of science.If people don’t understand science,they will be afraid of it;and if they are afraid of science,they will not make the best use of it.

One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and spare time.Another cause is the growing number of young people in the population.Many of them are college students or college graduates.They see things in a new and different way.They want art that they can take part in.The same is true of science and history.

The old museums have been changing and the government is encouraging the building of new,modern museums.In the States and Canada,there are more than 6 000 museums,almost twice as many as there were 25 years ago.

53.The directors of the museums have realized______.

A.people learn beat when they look at something.

B.visitors prefer to learn from museums

C.people are interested if they take part

D.the importance of scientific rules

54.Why has the growing population of young people caused the changes in museums?

A.Because they are stronger.

B.Because they have less spare time.

C.Because they are better educated.

D.Because there are more young people.

55.Which of the following is not shown in Paragraph Two?

A.People are encouraged to take part in what they are seeing.

B.People are enjoying themselves fully in modern museums.

C.People will understand better by trying to discover the scientific rules themselves.

D.People should go to a museum to learn something.