1 . Doubling as educational centers and conservation centers, museums play an important role in the protection of ________. Although these institutions ________ in size and specialty, the task of most museums is around the display and care of their collections.

Today, many museums are among the most visited ________ in the world. In order to figure out how this important cultural phenomenon came to be, it is ________ important to understand its origins and trace how its role has developed over time.

The word museum ________ from “mouseion”, the Greek term for “a holy place for the Muses”. In classical Greek mythology, the nine Muses are the goddesses of the arts and sciences, making them perfect protectors for these ________ institutions.

Earliest museums were private collections and were only accessible to a narrow circle of people. They displayed ________ and curious natural objects and works of art. Some of them even ________ “wonder rooms” or “cabinets of curiosities”.

In 1683, an Englishman named Elias Ashmole donated the contents of his wonder room to Oxford University, forming the ________ of the Ashmolean Museum. Believing that “the knowledge of Nature is very necessary to human life and health,” Ashmole wanted to ________ the public through his unprecedented (前所未有的) donation. Following his footsteps, many like-minded collectors across Europe shifted their focus from ________ use to public access in the late 17^th and 18^th centuries. During this time, world-class museums began to make their art collections accessible to the public. The opening of these institutions ________ a string of similar movements in the 19^th century.

Today, the importance of public institutions is stronger than ever before. ________ taking care of collections and making them accessible to the public, many museums are using new technologies to improve their public programs, ________ their collections, and share their research. With these modern methods, museums are able to ________ audiences in new ways and extend their tasks beyond their walls.

2 . One of the most important events in the modern Olympic Games is the Marathon(马拉松)race. The race _______ one of the great events in Greek history.

In 490 B C. about 10,000 Greeks _______ against the Persian army at a place called Marathon. It is _______ that the Persians were ten times as_______ as the Greeks. However, where there is a will, there is a way._______ the brave attack of the Greeks, the Persians were badly beaten and_______away from the plain of Marathon. When the Persians had run away, a soldier, who was the most famous_______in Athens, was _______ to carry the good news to the city and he was also asked to march at full speed.

Although he had fought through the battle and _______many wounds, the soldier at once started off toward the ________ city ________ was twenty-six and a quarter miles from the plain of Marathon to the Marketplace of Athens, ________ there the elders of Athens had gathered ________   for news. He ran and ran over ________ and across plains. As he went on, his lips became ________ and his breathing hard, but when he thought of the ________ of the people of Athens on hearing the news, he ________ harder than ever.

At last the elders of Athens heard a great shout and saw a soldier staggering(蹒跚) toward them.” Rejoice! Rejoice! We won!” said the soldier, and fell down ________..

In________of this noble soldier and athlete, we have in the modern Olympic Games the Marathon race, ________ the athletes run this same distance.

3 . The Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world. It _____from west to east, ____ mountains, ______valleys and finally _____the sea.

The Great Wall has a history of over two _____years. People began to _____the wall ____the spring and Autumn Period in Chinese history. In about 221 BC Qin Shihuang had all the walls______. _____,the Great Wall came to the world. The Great Wall is _____6,000 kilometers long, 6-7 meters high and 4-5 meters wide. In most places it is _____ enough for five horses or ten men to walk _____along the top. It was very _____to build ______a great wall in the old _____. Thousands of men _____when they built it. The Great Wall was made not only of stones, but millions of _____.

Today, the Great Wall has become a place ______interest not only to the Chinese but also to people all over the world. _____ the Egyptians feel proud of their pyramids, _______   Chinese people also feel proud of our Great Wall.