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lesson 12

*○  Lesson  12  The Louvre:  The  World's  Best  Museum?                                     
    Paris, City of Light, and  of art.  A playland for  lovers and a painter's  dream. What   
 better  place  to situate the louvre, considered by many to be the world's  best  museum     
 of  art? What  makes this museum so worthy of that honor?                                    
                                                                                              
 situate  [ˈsɪtʃuˌeɪt] v.使位于；使坐落于                                                     
                                                                                              
   The  museum building,  or, more properly, the  complex of buildings  themselves is a good  
 place to start. As  with  most Western  and a few Asian and   South  American museums,       
 large  palaces or other  traditional architecture are used   to house   museums  of  art     
 and of natural science.  In  the case   of the Louvre,  officially known as   Paris du       
 Louvre (the Palace of the Louvre),  the main building used  today was  formerly the          
 fortress of King  Philip Augustus in the 12th  century. Not until 1546 did  King Francis I   
 begin  to redesign and add onto  the fortress. Subsequent kings  did   the same,             
 especially  during the 17th century  with  major additions by  Louis XIII and Louis XIV.     
 Not only did  these  kings and their ministers add to the buildings , they also  stocked     
 within their rooms  the finest art  that  money could buy.   After the  French  Revolution,  
 the  Palais du Louvre  was   opened to the public. In the early 19th  century, both          
 Napoleon and Napoleon III  added to both the structures and the collections . A              
 controversial see-through glass  pyramid-shaped structure  was added by the architect        
 I.m.Pet in the 1980s. As a  consequence of centuries  of continuous construction and         
 amassing of art  treasures, today the Louvre offers a  world-class  collection   of both     
 French and foreign  art.                                                                     
                                                                                              
properly  [ˈprɑpərli] adv.正确地；适当地；恰当地；得体地                                   
complex [ˈkɑmˌpleks]n.  复合体综合体 
formerly  [ˈfɔrmərli]  adv.以前；从前；原来；过去 finest 最好的                              
 redesign [ˌri:dɪ'zaɪn]n.新设计 v.重新设计 fortress  [ˈfɔrtrəs]                               
 n.堡垒；要塞；城堡；设防的地方                                                               
 subsequent  [ˈsʌbsɪkwənt] adj.随后的 后来的  minister [ˈmɪnɪstə(r)] n.部长；牧师；公使       
 stock  [stɒk] n.库存；储备 revolution  [ˌrevəˈluʃ(ə)n]     n.革命；旋转；巨
controversial  [ˌkɑntrəˈvɜrʃ(ə)l]adj.引起争论的；有争议的
pyramid-shaped  金字塔   pyramid  [ˈpɪrəmɪd]     n.锥体；（古埃及的）金字塔；
architect  [ˈɑrkɪˌtekt]  n.建筑师；设计师；缔造者；创造者 网络架构师；                                                                              
consequence  [ˈkɑnsəkwəns] n.后果；结果  continuous  [kənˈtɪnjuːəs] adj.连续的；不间断的；
construction  [kənˈstrʌkʃ(ə)n] n.施工；建筑  amass  [əˈmæs] v.积聚；收集
treasure  [ˈtreʒər] n.宝藏；财富  

 The  outer shell of a museum, however, no matter  how artistic or historic, cannot  alone make a museum truly great. The inner collections are of couse of  paramount interest to both the   art researcher and art lover alike.  The Lovre does  no tdisappoint them.  Three  of the West's premier works of art are here: the statues VIctory of Samothrece and Venus de Milo accompany Leonardo DA vinci's  most famous painting,  the Mona Lisa. These alone  attract art devotees from around  the world, but far more awaits them. The French  painting  collection is ,  not  surprisingly, unsurpassed. Other major  painting collections include works from the middle ages and Renaissance. The treasures of the French royalty are on display here, too, such as their bronzes, miniatures, potery, tapestries, jewelry, and furniture. Greek, Roman, Egyptian , and Mesopotamian  antiquities as well as early Christian   artifacts  are also  considered important  collections. This  clearly is not a  museum to be seen in one morning!


 Finaly, the site of the mu8seum complex  contributes to  the  mysigue of the Louvre. Paris has long been considered one of the world's most charming cities, with  its endless winding  streets amidst spectacular royal and religious architecture. The  fortress built by King Philip Auguestus was situated on  the right bank of the Seine, overlooking -- at that  time -- splendid  bucolic scenery. Today  this prime location is within walking   distance of many major Parisian tourist attractions, like the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Royal Palace, and the National Library. One  could  easily spend a whold week touring the heart of  Paris centered around the Louvre.

  Taken  altogether, then , the Louvre holds its own as on  of the best museums -- if not  the best --maong the dozens  of major  and internationally famous art museums  around the world. Its many and varied buildings, the unparalleled collection of prestigious works of art, and the delightful site of the grounds  overlooking France's  most famous river all contribute to make the Palais duLouvre a must-see  attraction for the serious art connoisseur and art museum-goer alike. Meet you at the Louvre .