2010年专八作文练习(4)

 作文题目

Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

参考范文

People love to visit museums when traveling to new places. I think this is because museums tell them a lot about the culture of those places. Museums are also fun. It’s almost impossible to get bored in a museum. Every museum will have at least one thing of interest to somebody.

When visiting someplace new, you can find out about the culture of that place in many ways. You can go to a movie or a place of worship¹ or a nightclub. Another option is to sit in the park and listen to the people around you. The easiest way to learn about a place’s culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums will show you the history of the place you’re visiting. They’ll show you what art the locals think is important.

If there aren’t any museums, that tells you something, too.

Museums are fun. Even if you’re not interested in art or history, there is always something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call "hands-on" exhibits². These were originally designed to keep children occupied while their parents were looking at exhibits. However, museums have found that adults enjoy hands-on opportunities just as much as children. These exhibits have activities like pushing a button to hear more about what you're looking at, creating your own work of art, or trying on clothes like those on the models in the museum.

People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance³, in my hometown there's a museum devoted⁴ to the potato. This museum has art made out of potatoes. It also tells all about the history of the potato, and sells potato mementos⁵ like key chains and potato dolls.

People enjoy visiting this museum because it’s different. It’s not something they’d find in their hometown and the museum’s curator enjoy talking about the Great Potato.Museums are popular because they are about us. They reflect our creations⁶, our values, and our dreams. No matter who you are or what you like, somewhere there is a museum that will amaze⁷ and interest you.

1 worship   

n.崇拜，礼拜；v.崇拜，敬仰；做礼拜

参考例句：

• The Greeks used to worship several gods.过去，希腊人崇奉好几种神。
• Blind worship must be ended.盲目崇拜必须停止。

2 exhibits   

v.陈列，展览( exhibit的第三人称单数 )；表现；显示；[法律]当庭出示（证件、物证等）

参考例句：

• Many exhibits with characteristics of the Chinese art are on display. 许多具有中国艺术特色的展品陈列出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One is dazzled by the endless array of beautiful exhibits. 展品琳琅满目，美不胜收。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

4 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

5 mementos   

纪念品，令人回忆的东西( memento的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The museum houses a collection of mementos, materials and documents. 博物馆保存着很多回忆录以及文献资料。
• This meant, however, that no one was able to retrieve irreplaceable family mementos. 然而，这也意味着谁也没能把无可替代的家庭纪念品从火中救出来。

6 creations   

创造( creation的名词复数 )； 创造物； （尤指所述由上帝）创造天地； 宇宙

参考例句：

• This artist's creations are worth collecting. 这个艺术家的作品值得收藏。
• The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. 各民族的精神产品成了公共的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

7 amaze   

vt.使惊奇，使惊愕

参考例句：

• He stood in amaze at the sight.他看到那种景象，惊愕得呆呆地站在那里。
• You will soon amaze the world with your brilliant feat.你会一鸣惊人的。