Art museums are places where people can learn about various cultures. The increasingly popular “design museums” that are opening today, however, perform quite a(an) 1 role. Unlike most art museums, the 2 museums show objects that are easily found by the general public. These museums sometimes 3 place things like fridges and washing machines in the center of the hall.

　　People have 4 that design museums are often made use of as 5 for new industrial technology. But their 6 is not simple a matter of sales — It is the 7 of excellently invented products. The difference 8 the window of a department store and the showcase in a design museum is that the first 9 to sell you something, while the second tells you the success of a sale.

　　One 10 of design museums is that they are places where people feel familiar with the 11 . Unlike the average art museum visitor, design museum visitors seldom feel frightened or 12 . This is partly 13 design museums clearly show how and why mass-produced products work and look as they do, and how design has 14 the quality of our life. Art museum exhibits, on the other hand, would most probably fill visitors with a 15 that there is something beyond their understanding.

　　In recent years, several 16 design museums have opened their doors. Each of these museums has tried to satisfy the public’s 17 interest in the field with new ideas. London’s Design Museum, 18 , shows a collection of mass-produced objects from Zippo lighters to electric typewriters to a group of Italian fish-tins. The 19 open to design museums seem far less strict than that to art museums, and visitors may also 20 the humorous part of our society while walking around such exhibits as interesting and unusually attractive toys collected in our everyday life.

　　1. A. various B. important C. different D. special

　　2. A. design B. history C. science D. art

　　3. A. still B. even C. yet D. instead

　　4. A. demanded B. praised C. agreed D. argued

　　5. A. directions B. experiments C. goals D. advertisements

　　6. A. role B. way C. interest D. result

　　7. A. honoring B. examining C. correcting D. helping

　　8. A. among B. between C. correcting D. through

　　9. A. promises B. bears C. tries D. manages

　　10. A. comfort B. advantage C. technique D. shortcoming

　　11. A. guides B. methods C. exhibits D. functions

　　12. A. attracted B. moved C. tired D. puzzled

　　13. A. because B. why C. that D. whether

　　14. A. reduced B. valued C. ruined D. improved

　　15. A. surprise B. feeling C. regret D. hope

　　16. A. new B. traditional C. generous D. successful

　　17. A. lowering B. growing C. varying D. dying

　　18. A. after all B. however C. in the end D. for example

　　19. A. choice B. conclusion C. root D. produce

　　20. A. test B. end C. sense D. intend

　　解读：本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍设计博物馆的特色以及人们的看法等。通观全文给人一种耳目一新的感觉。

　　答案及解析

　　1. C 考查语境理解。结合上下文可知，当前开放的设计博物馆扮演着与艺术博物馆不同的角色。

　　2. A 考查语境理解。本篇主要讲设计博物馆的特色，再结合上句可知答案为A。

　　3. B 考查行文逻辑。用even表示本句话与上一句话之间存在递进关系。

　　4. D 考查行文逻辑。从下句可知“有些人曾经争论说设计博物馆经常被一些新的工业技术当作广告使用”。故选argue“争论，争辩，争吵”。

　　5. D 考查语境理解。下句说“它们的角色不仅仅是促销”，因此可以判断此处与广告有关。答案是D。

　　6. A 考查逻辑推理。根据破折号后面的内容“它是对好的发明产品的赞誉”可以判断“其角色不仅仅是简单的促销”。

　　7. A 考查生活常识。能够在博物馆展出，说明该产品已经得到了认可，对于该产品而言是一种荣誉。四个选项中只有A合适。

　　8. B 考查语法知识。表示二者之间的差异时，通常用the difference between A and B。

　　9. C 考查生活常识，根据常识可知百货公司橱窗里所展示的产品是向顾客推销的，是商家试图卖给顾客的。

　　10. B 考查语境理解。后面句子的意思是“与艺术博物馆的游客不同的是，设计博物馆的游客很少感到害怕或迷惑”，由此可判断“这是设计博物馆的优点之一”。答案为B。

　　11. C 考查逻辑推理。在设计博物馆里，让游客感到familiar的只能是“展品”。

　　12. D 考查语境理解。从后句“design museums clearly show how and why mass-produced products work and look as they do…”可知，设计博物馆展出的东西浅显易懂，所以游客很少会感到“迷惑”。答案为D。

　　13. A 考查行文逻辑。用because说明游客很少会感到害怕或迷惑的原因。

　　14. D 考查语句理解。句意为：它“改善”了我们的生活质量。故选D。其他选项不合题意。

　　15. B 考查语境理解。根据后面的修饰语“that there is something beyond their understanding”可知这是对feeling的解释说明，是参观的感受，故选B。

　　16. A 考查语境理解。从后半句可知在最近几年，几家新的设计博物馆开放了。

　　17. B 考查语境理解。上文提到The increasingly popular “design museums” that are opening today…可知公众的兴趣在“增加”。答案为B。

　　18. D 考查行文逻辑。这是拿London’s Design Museum作为例子，故选for example。

　　19. A 考查语境理解。从London’s Design Museum的展品可知“设计博物馆对展品的选择看起来不是很严格”。

　　20. C 考查语境理解。从后文“as interesting and unusually attractive toys collected in our everyday life”可知“游客会感到我们社会生活中的幽默部分”。