British Museum

 British Museum to Get Bigger

British Museum to get bigger

London’s British Museum is going to become bigger. Executives have decided it is too small to accommodate many of the world-class exhibitions they want to put on and have announced plans to build a $200m extension. The new galleries will house bigger shows and increase the museum’s status as one of the best in the world. In recent years, the museum has not been able to cope with the huge crowds wanting to see special exhibitions. In 2006, the demand for tickets was far greater than the number of tickets available for its exhibitions on Persia and Michelangelo. Neil MacGregor, the museum’s director, said: "For the Michelangelo we could have had three times as many visitors if we'd had space." The new 1,000 square metre space will allow more people to see these kinds of popular large-scale displays.
Unfortunately, the new complex will not be completed in time for September’s eagerly awaited exhibition, The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army. The largest number of terracotta warriors from China’s Forbidden City ever to leave China will come to London. The museum has already sold over 30,000 tickets and has had to borrow exhibition space from its reading room. The British Museum had to turn down Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the same time as the Chinese exhibition because it did not have enough space for both. If the new buildings were finished today, it could have considered running the exhibitions from China and Egypt at the same time. Instead, the Tutankhamen exhibition will be shown in another of London’s museums and is predicted to be the most popular show in British history.

What did you think when you read the headline?
Do you like museums?
Can you remember the first exhibition you went to see?
What are the benefits of a society having lots of museums?
Which country has the best museums?
How often would you like to go to a museum?
Do you think museums should be free to enter?
What museums are there in your town?
Are you a large-scale museum person or a small museum person?
Do you prefer going to museums alone or with a friend?

TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a. The British Museum will open a branch in another English city.
b. Authorities plan to spend $200 million on the British Museum.
c. The museum has had a lot of trouble selling tickets in recent years.
d. An exhibition on Michelangelo was poorly attended.
e. The new museum will be completed by September 2007.
f. The first major exhibition will be on Chinese soldiers.
g. The museum has sold 30,000 tickets for a September exhibition.
h. An exhibition on Egypt’s Tutankhamen will be held at the museum.

T / F
T / F
T / F
T / F
T / F
T / F
T / F
T / F

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1. accommodate

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

2. extension

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

3. cope

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

4. status

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

5. displays

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

6. eagerly

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

7. warriors

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

8. turn down

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

9. considered

SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

10. predicted

1. it is too small to accommodate

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

2. The new galleries will house

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

3. … has not been able to cope

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

4. the demand for tickets

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

5. we could have had three times

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

6. completed in time for September’s

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

7. borrow exhibition space

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

8. The British Museum had to turn

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

9. running the exhibitions from China

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

10. predicted to be the most popular

a. was far greater
b. down Tutankhamen
c. many of the world-class exhibitions
d. from its reading room
e. with the huge crowds
f. and Egypt at the same time
g. as many visitors if we'd had space
h. show in British history
I. bigger shows
J. eagerly awaited exhibition

good

homework

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about the British Museum. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MUSEUMS: Make a poster showing your favourite museums. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?
4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the value of museums and how they can be used to educate more people. Discuss whether people should have to pay to enter or not.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?
5. LETTER: Write a letter to the boss of the British Museum. Ask him/her three questions about the British Museum. Give three suggestions about how to make museums better to visit. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

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