（原 文）

　　中国科技馆的诞生来之不易。与国际著名科技馆和其他博物馆相比，它先天有些不足，后天也常缺乏营养，但是它成长的步伐却是坚实而有力的。它在国际上已被公认为后起之秀。

　　世界上第一代博物馆属于自然博物馆，它是通过化石、标本等向人们介绍地球和各种生物的演化历史。第二代属于工业技术博物馆，它所展示的是工业文明带来的各种阶段性结果。这两代博物馆虽然起到了传播科学知识的作用，但是，它们把参观者当成了被动的旁观者。

　　世界上第三代博物馆是充满全新理念的博物馆。在这里，观众可以自己去动手操作，自己细心体察。这样，他们可以更贴近先进的科学技术，去探索科学技术的奥妙。

　　中国科技馆正是这样的博物馆！它汲取了国际上一些著名博物馆的长处，设计制作了力学、光学、电学、热学、声学、生物学等展品，展示了科学的原理和先进的科技成果。

　　（参考译文）

　　The first generation of museums are what might be called natural museums which， by means of fossils， specimens and other objects， introduced to people the evolutionary history of the Earth and various kinds of organisms. The second generation are those of industrial technologies which presented the fruits achieved by industrial civilization at different stages of industrialization. Despite the fact that those two generations of museums helped to disseminate / propagate / spread scientific knowledge， they nevertheless treated visitors merely as passive viewers.

　　The third generation of museums in the world are those replete with / full of wholly novel concepts / notions / ideas. In those museums， visitors are allowed to operate the exhibits with their own hands， to observe and to experience carefully. By getting closer to the advanced science and technologies in this way， people can probe into their secret mysteries.