The British museum is one of the biggest museums in the world. It is the oldest museum in Europe. It was opened in 1759. Sir Hans Sloan who lived in London at that time was a great collector. He collected everything: coins, sculptures, pictures, stones, ancient things. But he died in 1753 and the King bought his collection for £ 20,000. That was the beginning of the British museum. It is situated in London in Great Russell Street.There are more than thirteen million objects at the British Museum nowadays.
You can visit the great Reading Room which is circular in shape. The Reading Room is in the centre of the museum. Many famous scientists and writers worked here. Among them are Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling, Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Charles Darwin and many others.
Nowadays, there are many wonderful collections in the British museum, from ancient Egyptian mummies to masterpieces of Greek and Roman art.
Walking through the halls and rooms of the museum you can study two million years of world history and culture.
If you are lucky to be the visitor, you should see The Lewis Chessmen. It is a large group of chess pieces carved from whale bone in the 12th century. See the chess set in Room 40, on the Upper Floor. I advise you to visit Room 4 on the Ground Floor. Here you can see the huge head of Egyptian pharaoh. In Room 24 on the Ground Floor you can see The Easter Island Statue, which was probably made in 1200.
The British Museum has a very fine collection of cat mummies, many of which are displayed so that visitors can see the clothes and shoes they were buried in.
Every year more than 6 million visitors come to the museum. The entrance is free, but you’ll need tickets to visit some rooms.
Task 1. Mark only the correct statements.
1. The British Museum is situated in the UK.
2. Sir Hans Sloan opened the museum.
3. The Reading Room is round.
4. Sir Hans Sloan worked in the Reading Room.
5. People can learn some facts from the world history here.
6. You can visit the museum without paying money.
Task 2. Choose the correct title to the pictures:
Task 3. Answer the questions in one word.
1.Who was Sir Hans Sloan?
2.Who found the British Museum?
3.How many people come to the museum every year?
4.What is the shape of the Reading Room?
5.What do people buy to enter some rooms?
