VOA慢速英语2020--荷兰博物馆向公众开放它的秘藏

Netherlands Museum Opens Its Secrets to the Public

All the paintings and other works¹ of art you find at museums around the world represent just a small percentage of their collections. Most of what they have is, at any given time, stored away, out of the public eye.

One art museum in the Netherlands is trying to change that.

Sjarel Ex is director of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Recently, he showed the museum's new depot², or storage area, to The Associated Press (AP) and other media.

The building is expected to hold 151,000 artworks when it opens to the public next year. Almost all these works have yet to be made available and shown to the public at any given time.

Ex told reporters, "You mount³ about 6% of the collection...but then you have 90% in storage. What is the public responsibility to not show 90%?"

He added that having so much of a collection in storage means that it can be forgotten: "...when you cannot look at it, you always have the kind of risk that it's out of sight, out of mind," he said.

Why place a storage builder in the center of the city?

The project was partly driven by a problem. The old storage space in the basement of the museum was in danger of flooding. That could put the valuable artwork at risk.

The new depot is near the center of Rotterdam's Museum Park, and close to the main museum building. The 39.5-meter-tall depot is covered with 1,664 shiny mirrors. They reflect the surrounding grounds and the city's tall buildings.

Rotterdam is known as Manhattan on the Maas because of its high-rise buildings and the river that runs through it. The island of Manhattan is the heart of New York City.

The mirrors have special meaning to Rotterdam residents⁴. Local people and organizations paid for many of them at a cost of about $1,165 each. Their donations⁵ helped to pay for the $105 million project.

The top of the building is the new home for 75 birch trees. The trees were grown at ground level so that their roots could interconnect to make them stronger.

Inside the new depot, visitors will find five different climates, each one designed to protect different kinds of art. Materials such as glass, prints and paintings by the famous Dutch Masters will be kept in areas meant for them.

Architect Winy Maas designed the depot. He said museum officials did not want a depot that looked like a high-security⁶ building on the edge of the city. Instead, it is in the middle of green open space, and surrounded by other museums, in the center of the city.

Maas designed the building to be round and wider on top than on the bottom. He said he wanted to reduce the space it takes up — its footprint.

The depot, however, will be a working environment. The inside is very simple. Visitors may see workers preparing artworks for shipping⁷ and conservators working to repair old paintings. The depot will also have space for members of the public who want to store their art.

The openness of the depot seems to be a security worry, but Ex said the art is safe. "You can see you have cameras. You have very strong glass doors. You have hidden secrets. And we feel comfortable," he said.

Words in This Story

museum – n. a building in which objects of artistic⁸, cultural or scientific interest are stored

mount – v. to organize or set up

basement – n. the bottom or ground floor of a building

mirror – n. a piece of glass that produces images of other objects

reflect – v. to show an image on a surface that bounces⁹ light in the opposite direction

architect – n. a person who designs buildings

conservator – n. a person responsible for the repair and protection of works of art or other things of cultural interest

1 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

2 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

3 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

4 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

5 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

7 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

8 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

9 bounces   

v.弹回( bounce的第三人称单数 )；（电子邮件）被退回；拒付；（朝某个方向）颠簸行进

参考例句：

• Although fatigue shows readily on Carter, he bounces back quickly. 卡特虽然容易显出疲劳的样子，但他恢复得很快。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A rubber ball bounces well. 橡皮球弹力好。 来自《简明英汉词典》