A2 READING TEXTS
How important are museums to you?
We asked three young people this question and this is what they told us.
Chris
A lot of my friends think museums are boring but I love them. I prefer ones where they move
things round regularly, and bring in new things to keep it interesting. I also like to have things
to listen to as well as look at. I suppose I like museums because I’m really interested in
history and art. We study these subjects at college, but I’ve actually found out a lot more
about them from museums than from my textbooks.
Emily
I’m lucky because I live in New York, so there are lots of great museums for me to visit. One
thing I’ve learnt is that you should never try to see a whole museum the first time you go.
Just go to one or two rooms, and then return as often as you can to see the rest. For me, it’s
important that the people who work in the museum are pleasant, and happy to talk to me
about the things in the exhibition. That makes a big difference.
Daniel
I don’t go to museums much, except during my holidays in new cities. Then I make sure I
spend at least a day going to the most famous ones. If it’s a big museum and I don’t have
much time, I sometimes walk into a room and choose just five things to look at. I also take a
tour if there is one, as I learn so much more from listening to the person showing us round
than I do if I’m by myself.
1 Who always visits museums when A Chris B Emily C Daniel
they travel?
5 Who says that they sometimes only
A Chris B Emily C Daniel look at a few things in a room?
2 Who says it is important to visit the A Chris B Emily C Daniel
same museum several times?
6 Who learns more in a museum than in
A Chris B Emily C Daniel a classroom?
3 Who likes museums where the
exhibitions often change? A Chris B Emily C Daniel
A Chris B Emily C Daniel 7 Who prefers going around a museum
with a guide to going alone?
4 Who says that museums should have
friendly staff? A Chris B Emily C Danie
Joe Brown: being a writer
I wrote my first stories when I was about 12, but I really didn’t know how good they were. My
friends weren’t interested, but my teacher sent some of them to a national magazine for
children. The magazine didn’t want them, but then my mum heard about a competition while
she was listening to the radio. So I sent in one of my stories and it won first prize! Then I
thought, ‘I can do this.’
During my years at school, I continued writing when I had time. Then when I left school, I
went to university. I didn’t study writing – I studied French and Spanish. After university, I
worked in a bookshop and in a library, but I wanted to write again. I decided to move to
France.
At first, I worked as a waiter. I worked every day except Sunday. I wrote my novel on
Sundays and in the evenings!
I love writing and I’m never bored. You spend a lot of time alone, but this isn’t a problem for
me. I’ve finished my second novel now and I’ve got ideas for another, but I wanted a break
first so I’ve come home to England for a while.
My parents live in London, I have a brother in Liverpool and my sister lives in a village in the
countryside. I’m staying with my parents, but this weekend, we’re all going to go to my
sister’s house to have a family party.
1
How did Joe know that he was a good B six days a week.
writer?
C every day.
A He won a competition.
B His friends liked his stories. 4 What is Joe doing now?
C He wrote for a magazine. A He’s writing his next novel.
B He’s having some time off.
2 What did he do when he left school?
C He’s travelling around England.
A He wrote more stories.
B He studied languages. 5 Joe is going to meet his family in
C He travelled to France and Spain. A a village.
3 When he was a waiter, Joe worked B Liverpool.
A most evenings. C London.
