II Be ready to give brief retelling of the text, using Appendix 1.

I Reading

a) Read the following text

Put down the unknown words (with their transcription and translation) into your vocabulary. Be ready to translate the text orally.

b) Find and write out all irregular verbs given in the text. Remember three forms of them.

The British Museum

The British Museum is a top London tourist attraction as well as a major educa­tional source for students. The Museum's distinctively Greek structure was built during the 19th century and the collec­tions expanded massively during the years of the British Empire. This has lead to the museums notoriety for plundering sources all over the globe. Take frequent breaks to rest those tired feet and remember admis­sion is free so you can go back as often as you like without cost.

There are many reasons for visiting London and many reasons for visiting The British Museum. The endless variety of beautiful architecture is chief among the reasons for visiting London and The Reading Room and Egyptology De­partment are two compelling reasons for visiting The British Museum. By visiting the museum you can become both a time traveler and a world traveler, all in one visit. There are six million objects from every­where: ancient China to modern Africa. It is a place of wonder and magic. Let your imagination run riot. What would it be like to be a Ro­man soldier or perhaps you would like to take part in a Japanese tea ceremony!

The origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician, natu­ralist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane (1660 — 1753). Not wishing to see his collection of some 71,000 objects, a library and herbarium, dispersed on his death, Sloane bequeathed it to King George II for the nation in return for the payment of $20,000 to his heirs.

The foundation collections largely consisted of books, manuscripts and natural history with some antiquities (including coins and medals, prints and drawings) and ethnography. In 1757 King George II donated the 'Old Royal Library' of the sovereigns of England. The Museum was first housed in a 17th-century mansion, Montagu House, in Bloomsbury on the site of today's building. On 15 January 1759 the Brit­ish Museum opened to the public.

The first antiquities of note, Sir Wil­liam Hamilton's collection of Greek vases and other classical objects, were pur­chased in 1772. These were followed by such notable acquisitions as the Rosetta Stone and other antiquities from Egypt (1802), the Townley collection of classi­cal sculpture (1805), the sculptures of the Parthenon, known as the Elgin Marbles (1816).

The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court opened to the public on 7 December 2000, marking a new beginning for the British Museum. The £100 million development transforms the Museum's two-acre inner courtyard, hidden for 150 years, into Europe's largest covered square. Designed by Forest and Partners, this project turns a great hidden space into a new public piazza for London and its visitors. At the heart of the Great Court the magnificent Reading Room was restored to its 1857 glory.

When completed in 1857, it was im­mediately hailed as one of the great sights of London. Despite being amongst the most famous rooms in the world, it has only been generally accessible to those with a Readers ticket. With its opening to the public on December 7, 2000, it began a new chapter in its distinguished history and for the first time, is available to all Museum visitors. Its magnificent interior has been carefully restored, including the repair of the papier mache interior of the dome and reinstatement of the 1857 azure-blue, cream and gold decorative scheme devised by Sydney Smirke.

It houses the Paul Hamlyn Library, a new public reference resource library of some 25,000 books, catalogues and other printed material focusing on the world cultures represented in The British Mu­seum.

The museum has celebrated its 250th birthday and there are many events and special exhibitions going on. Visit Room 90, and see the Prints and Drawings ex­hibition.

This exhibition explores London in the middle of the 18th century, when it be­came the largest city in the western world. Objects include watercolours by Paul and Thomas Sandby, drawings and prints by Hogarth and London drawings by Ca-naletto. There are watches, jewellery and medals, coins, Spitalfields silk, spurs for fighting cocks, shop signs and a first edi­tion of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. Two of the Museum's great treasures are included — a drawing of a passion flower by Maria Sibylla Merian and a bronze head of Sophocles dat­ing from between 300 and 100 BC.

There is a marvellous restaurant be­tween The Reading Room and The Egyp­tology Department nestled in surround­ings designed by Sir Norman Foster.