Ten years ago a museum was often a quiet stop on a school trip. Today, on a long holiday, the queue outside a famous one may start before the doors open, and the tickets are gone within minutes. For a growing number of travellers, the museum is not a stop on the way. It is the reason for the journey.
The change has several causes. Ticket prices for many public museums were cut or made free, so a visit costs almost nothing. Social media made the objects themselves famous: a bronze mask with a strange smile, a painted vase with a story on it. Once an item has been seen by millions of people online, they want to stand in front of it.
Small cities have noticed the chance. Instead of trying to build something new, many have opened or improved the museums they already had, and some have turned a single find into a local name. A county known only for farming may now attract visitors because of one tomb and the objects inside it.
The pressure this brings is real. Guards must protect both the objects and the crowds, and a glass case surrounded by hundreds of phones can be a poor experience for everyone. Some museums now sell timed tickets, limit the number of people inside at one time, and open later in the evening so that visitors can come after dinner.
Whether the fashion lasts is another question. What most museums are trying to build is not a single popular show but a habit of visiting. If a family comes once a year and brings a child who asks to come back, the queue on a holiday may be the least important thing about it.
Words to know:
- museum (n. 博物馆)
- queue (n. 队列，队伍；v. 排队)
- exhibition (n. 展览，展出)
- collection (n. 藏品，收藏)
- tomb (n. 坟墓，陵墓)
- guard (n. 警卫；v. 保卫)
- timed (adj. 分时段的，限时的)
- habit (n. 习惯)
长难句拆解 · 介词短语作定语 + 过去分词作后置定语
原文：Once an item has been seen by millions of people online, they want to stand in front of it.
拆解：主干是 they want to stand in front of it（他们想站到它面前）。once 引导时间状语从句，意为「一旦……就……」，比 when 更强调条件性。从句用现在完成时 has been seen，被动语态，说明「被看过」这件事已经发生。主句是主谓宾加不定式，stand in front of it 中 in front of 是介词短语，it 指代前面的 an item。注意 once 引导的从句里不能用将来时，要用现在完成时或一般现在时表将来。
直译：一旦一件展品在网上被数百万人看过，人们就想站到它面前。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- is not a stop on the way → is no longer just a break during the trip（stop ＝ break）
- were cut or made free → became cheaper or cost nothing（cut ＝ 降价）
- have noticed the chance → have spotted the opportunity（notice ＝ spot）
- trying to build something new → attempting to construct a fresh site（build ＝ construct）
- A county known only for farming → a rural area famous for nothing but agriculture（known for ＝ famous for）
- sell timed tickets → offer entry at fixed hours（timed ＝ 限时的）
- limit the number of people inside → control how many visitors are admitted（limit ＝ control）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：为了吸引游客，许多小城市优先选择新建博物馆。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：面对客流压力，一些博物馆采取了哪些具体措施？
- 选词填空：The queue outside a famous one may start before the doors ____.（供选：open / opening / opened）
参考答案与解析
- FALSE。原文说 Instead of trying to build something new, many have opened or improved the museums they already had，明确表示不是新建，而是开放或修缮已有的博物馆。题目与原文意思相反。
- 发售分时门票、限制同一时段在馆人数、延长到夜间开放。原文对应 Some museums now sell timed tickets, limit the number of people inside at one time, and open later in the evening。三点答全为佳，答出其中两点也算要点命中。
- open。before 引导时间状语从句，从句中用一般现在时表将来，主语是复数 the doors，因此用动词原形 open。opening 是分词形式，不能单独作谓语；opened 是过去式，与从句时态要求不符。
中文译文
十年前，博物馆常常只是学校组织出游途中一处安静的去处。如今在长假里，一家知名博物馆门外的队伍可能在天亮开门前就排了起来，门票几分钟内被抢空。对越来越多的旅行者来说，博物馆已不是路上的一站，而是出行的理由本身。
这一变化有几个原因。许多公立博物馆的门票降价或免费，一次参观几乎不花钱。社交媒体让文物本身出了名：一张带着奇特微笑的青铜面具，一件绘有故事的彩绘陶罐。一件展品在网上被千万人看过之后，人们就想站到它面前。
小城市注意到了这个机会。许多地方没有另起炉灶去新建，而是把已有的博物馆开放或修缮，还有的把一次考古发现做成了本地的招牌。一个原来只以农业闻名的县，如今可能因为一座古墓和墓中出土的器物吸引游客。
随之而来的压力是真实的。安保既要护住文物，又要护住人流；一个被数百部手机围住的玻璃展柜，对谁都算不上好体验。一些博物馆开始发售分时门票，限制同一时段在馆人数，并延长到夜间开放，让游客可以晚饭后再来。
这股热潮能否持续是另一个问题。多数博物馆真正想建立起来的，不是一次爆红的展览，而是一种参观习惯。如果一个家庭每年都来一次，并带出一个主动要求再来的孩子，那么假期里的那条长队，或许反而是最不重要的事。