After 20 years of hard work, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) finally opened to the public. Located on the Giza Plateau, just 2 km from the famous pyramids and the Sphinx, this huge museum covers nearly 500,000 square meters. It has become one of the world’s largest places to show ancient relics and a high-tech center for protecting cultural heritage.

Construction of the GEM started in 2005, but the project was delayed many times because of political instability and money problems. Now, its main galleries display thousands of antiquities that were kept in storage before. The most exciting part is the complete collection of about 5,992 artifacts (手工艺品) from the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun, including his famous golden mask.

The GEM is more than just a museum. It has one of the Middle East’s most advanced conservation and restoration centers. A specialized team spent years transferring 57,000 artifacts to the museum safely. The center also offers training courses for people from other countries, teaching them skills like restoration and packaging. As GEM’s CEO Ahmed Ghoneim said, the museum uses the latest technology to protect artifacts and serves as a hub (中心) for education and scientific research.

The museum is very important for Egypt’s tourism. It aims to welcome 15,000 to 20,000 visitors every day, or about 7 million a year. On its first public day, around 18,000 people came. This is part of Egypt’s plan to attract 30 million tourists annually by 2030.

1.1. Why was the GEM’s construction delayed?

A Because of lack of workers.

B Because of political and funding issues.

C Because of design changes.

D Because of natural disasters.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句“Construction of the GEM started in 2005, but the project was delayed many times because of political instability and money problems”可知，项目延迟的原因是政治不稳定和资金问题。故选B。

2.2. According to Paragraph 3, the GEM can be best described as ________.

A a major international conference center

B a site mainly for safe artifact transfer

C a place for entertainment and leisure

D a multifunctional hub for protection and knowledge

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，大埃及博物馆不仅是最先进的保护和修复中心，有专业团队负责文物安全转移，还提供国际培训课程，并且其CEO强调它是教育和科研中心。因此，GEM是一个集保护、研究、教育于一体的综合性机构。选项D“一个集保护与知识传播于一体的多功能中心”全面概括了其多重角色。A项“国际会议中心”、B项“仅用于文物转移的场所”和C项“娱乐休闲场所”均与段落内容不符。故选D。

3.3. How did a local Egyptian feel about the GEM?

A It represented future possibilities.

B It was too modern and unfamiliar.

C It should have been built earlier.

D It was only for foreign tourists.

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据最后一段本地银行家Mohammed Khaled的感受“felt like walking into the future”可知，他认为博物馆代表了未来。A项“It represented future possibilities”（它代表了未来的可能性）是对此感受的合理推断。B项“过于现代陌生”、C项“应更早建造”和D项“仅对外国游客”均与文中表达的骄傲与前瞻性情感不符。故选A。

4.4. What is the main value of the GEM according to the passage?

A Showing Tutankhamun’s relics.

B Boosting tourism and preserving heritage.

C Providing jobs for local people.

D Replacing old Egyptian museums.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据文章整体内容可知，大埃及博物馆的价值体现在多个方面：作为世界最大古文物展示地之一，拥有先进的文物保护修复中心，承担教育和科研功能（体现遗产保护价值）；同时是埃及2030年吸引 3000 万游客计划的核心，首日接待 1.8 万名游客（体现推动旅游业发展价值）。A 选项 “展示图坦卡蒙文物” 过于片面，C 选项 “为当地人提供就业”原文未提及，D 选项 “取代埃及旧博物馆” 无依据，“Boosting tourism and preserving heritage”（推动旅游业发展与保护及研究文化遗产）是对其核心价值的宏观概括。故选B。