I. Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1. In 1753 by an Act of Parliament the British Museum was founded, and the state itself became a big ___.

2. But some of the most ___ collections of objects of artistic, archaeological, scientific, historical and general interest are contained in the ___ museums and galleries in London.

3. Most famous ___ include the Rosetta Stone in the Southern Egyptian Gallery, and, in the_______, the Magna Charta, Nelson's log-book, and Scott's last diary.

4. The Victoria and Albert Museum is a national collection of ___and ___ arts of all countries and periods.

5. The architect Alfred Waterhouse ___ a suitable building, the construction of which was completed in 1880.

6. More than 300 scientists are engaged in the ___ and ___ of animals, plants and minerals.

7. The Imperial War Museum gives a visual record of all the ___in which British and Commonwealth armed forces have been engaged since the outbreak of the First World War.

II. Complete the sentences with the best answer (a, h or c).

1. During the colonial times the aristocracy and rich merchants filled their houses and castles with valuable

a) sculptures, furniture and ornaments.

b) works of arts.

c) jewellery.

2. The British Museum includes also the British Library, which is the national library of the United Kingdom and ranks among the great­est libraries in

a) Britain.

b) Europe.

c) the world.

3. Madame Tussaud's figures were extremely realistic, and their cos­tumes could be characterized by great

a) elegance.

b) accuracy.

c) perfection.

4. The list of notable events on view includes those depicting the his­torical

a) Battle of Hastings.

b) Battle of Britain.

c) Battle of Trafalgar.

III. Are the statements true or false? Correct the false statements.

1. There are about 2,000 museums and galleries in Britain, which in­clude the chief national collections, and a great variety of inde­pendently or privately owned institutions.

2. The Victoria and Albert Museum has about five miles of galleries with various exhibits, including ethnic arts and crafts.

3. The National Gallery exhibits all schools of European painting from the 13th to 19th century and includes works by Van Dyck, Rubens, Vermeer, Holbein, El Greco, Goya, Velasquez, Gainsborough and Leonardo da Vinci.

4. The Tate Gallery is really three galleries: a national gallery of Brit­ish art, a gallery of modern sculpture and a gallery of modern Brit­ish painting,

5. The Natural History Museum is the home of the national collections of living and fossil plants and animals.

6. Madame Tussaud first became associated with life-size wax portraits in 1770 when, at the age of 9, she helped her uncle open an exhibi­tion in Paris.

7. She came to England in 1802, travelling with her exhibition for about thirty years before settling down permanently in Victoria Street.

8. Built to impress and dominate the people of London, the British Mu­seum has been a severe symbol of power throughout its 900-year history.