C
A woman grasped her phone to her heart the way a minister might hold a Bible. She was anxious to take a picture of a bunch of flowers that sat not 10 feet away, but first she had to get through a crowd of others pushing to do the same. The cause of this was Bouquets to Art, one of the most popular annual events at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. For the 34th year, artists were asked to create flower bunches that respond to pieces of art on display, from ancient carvings to contemporary sculptures. It’s time to take a photo to post on Instagram, but to the point that it has become a problem.
In recent years the de Young received more than a thousand complaints from people who felt that cell phones had ruined their experience. In fact, institutions of fine art around the world face similar problems as the desire to take photographs becomes a huge draw for museums as well as something that upsets some of their visitors. So the de Young responded with a kind of compromise: carving out “photo free” hours during the exhibition’s six-day run.
One common complaint in the ongoing debates over the effect of social media on museum culture is that people seem to be missing out on experiences because they are so busy collecting evidence of them. A recent study in the journal Psychological Science suggests there is some truth to this; it found that people who took photos of an exhibit rather than simply observing it had a harder time remembering what they saw. But the issue is complicated for the professionals running museums. Linda Butler, the de Young’s head of marketing, communications and visitor experience, acknowledges that not everyone wants a museum to be “a photo-taking playland. ” Yet a lot of other people do, and she thinks that the de Young is in no position to judge that one motivation for buying a $ 28 ticket is more valid than another. “If we removed social media and photography”, she says, “we would risk becoming less popular. ” If this is a battle, signs indicate that the pro-phone crowd (亲手机人群）has already won.
28. What were the crowd eager to do in Paragraph 1?
A. To hold a Bible. B. To admire flowers.
C. To take a photo. D. To see the exhibition.
29. How did the de Young respond to the complaints?
A. By setting periods without photo-taking. B. By making the exhibition free of charge.
C. By compromising with other institutions. D. By giving extra time to take photos freely.
30. What can we infer about the use of social media in museums according to the recent study?
A. It uncovers the truth. B. It accumulates evidence.
C. It causes complaints. D. It plays a negative role.
31. Which of the following may Linda Butler support?
A. Catering to visitors. B. Reducing admission prices.
C. Reserving judgement in public. D. Banning social media and photography.
