IELTS READING
Basement of museum
Good morning, and welcome to the museum – one with a remarkable range of exhibits, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. My name’s Greg, and I’ll tell you about the various collections as we go round.
But before we go, let me just give you a taste of what we have here.
Well, for one thing, we have a fine collection of Q11 twentieth and twenty-first century paintings, many by very well-known artists. I’m sure you’ll recognize several of the paintings. This is the gallery that attracts the largest number of visitors, so it’s best to Basement of museum go in early in the day before the crowds arrive.
Attempt full listening test…
Then there are the Q12 nineteenth-century paintings. The museum was opened in the middle of that century, and several of the artists each donated one work – to get the museum started, as it were. So they’re of special interest to us – we feel closer to them than to other works.
The Q13 sculpture gallery has a number of fine exhibits, but I’m afraid it’s currently closed for refurbishment. You’ll need to come back next year to see 11 properly, but a number of the sculptures have been moved to other parts of the museum.
Q14 Around the world is a temporary exhibition you’ve probably seen something about it on TV or in the newspapers. It’s created a great deal of interest. because it presents objects from every continent and many countries and provides information about their social context -why they were made. who for, and so on.
Then there’s the collection of Q15 coins. This is what you might call a focused, specialist collection. because all the coins come from this country and were produced between two thousand and a thousand years ago. And many of them were discovered by ordinary people digging their gardens, and donated to the museum!
All our Q16 porcelain and glass was left to the museum by its founder when he died in 1878. And in the terms of his will, we’re not allowed to add anything to that collection: he believed it was perfect in itself, and we don’t see any reason to disagree!
OK, that was something about the collections, and now here’s some more practical information, in case you need it. Most of the museum facilities are downstairs, in the
basement, so you go down the stairs here. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll find yourself in a sitting area, with comfortable chairs and sofas where you can have a rest before continuing your exploration of the museum.
We have a very good Q17 restaurant, which serves excellent food all day, in a relaxing atmosphere. To reach it. when you get to the bottom of the stairs. go straight ahead to the far side of the sitting area, then turn right into the corridor, You’ll see the door of the restaurant facing you.
If you just want a snack, or if you’d like to eat somewhere with facilities for children, we also have a Q18 cafe. When you reach the bottom of the stairs you’ll need to go straight ahead turn right into the corridor, and the cafe is immediately on the right.
And talking about children. there are Q19 baby-changing facilities downstairs: cross the sitting area. continue straight ahead along tile corridor on the left, and you and your baby will find the facilities on the left-hand side.
The Q20 cloakroom, where you should leave coats, umbrellas, and any large bogs is on the left-hand side of the sitting area. It’s through the last door before you come to the corridor.
There are toilets on every floor, but in the basement, they’re the first rooms on the left when you get down there.
OK, now if you’ve got anything to leave in the cloakroom, please do that now, and then we’ll start our tour.