國考福利社~司法特考,司法特考試題解析,司法特考考試用書

In Taipei, the museum most foreign tourists visit is the National

Palace Museum (NPM). According to a respected English travel

guidebook introducing Taiwan, the NPM is one of the four top

museums in the world. Since the NPM has more than 200,000 works

5

of art, containing 5,000 years of Chinese culture and special

temporary exhibitions at all times, foreign visitors who are unfamiliar

with Chinese arts really need a guide to give an introduction on

Chinese history and the origin of each piece. So where are these

guides from and what are the requirements to become one? These

10

guides are members of the Foreign Volunteer Program. The

applicants must be enthusiastic about learning Chinese culture. The

program was founded in 1992 and its popularity is growing so rapidly

that application is getting increasingly competitive.

Before leading a tour in the museum, a guide needs to take more

15

than 30 classes where the guides-to-be must read museum-related

materials and join informal discussion groups about art and antiques.

Further on, they will be given tests about what they have learned and

on how to present their knowledge properly in front of a group of

tourists. After finishing the three-month training period, volunteers

20

must sign a one-year contract with the Museum. Their

responsibilities will include leading a weekly tour and attending

classes about new exhibitions. Such an intensive training prepares

volunteers to answer the visitors’ questions with confidence.