英语博客：Creetown gem rock museum.

　　During the summer vacation, I took my children to visit the Creetown gem¹ rock museum, in Scotland. It is highly recommended, as it is the leading independent gem rock museum in the whole of the UK. We travelled about fourty five minutes to get there, and, believe me, it was worth it. Though the entrance is small, the first room you come to opens up into a world of colorful gems² and rocks of all kinds. There are many tall display cases, showing huge crystals, with their names and information on where they come from. There is a wall where children, or indeed anyone, can touch and feel the rocks and gems. My children spent the whole time saying, "Wow!" and "Look at this!" It's the sort of place you go to where you don't want to rush; there is so much to see and examine. Moving on from the first room, you come to the Crystal Cave. It is a man made cave that is set up deliberately³ to show rocks and crystals in an underground setting. Every nook and cranny has a different crystal, and one area even shows stones that are naturally fluorescent⁴. In daylight or under artificial light, you wouldn't know that they are fluorescent, but in the cave, their amazing variety of colors glows. There is also a large study, full of squashy sofas, where visitors can sit and watch a video on basic geology. It's just the right length to give the information everyone needs to know  about the fundamentals of rock and crystal formation. Then, after having your eyes occupied and your brain informed, you can visit the Prospector's Pantry Cafe, and fill up on hot soup, sandwiches, quiche, and locally baked goods. It's a perfect spot to visit when you are in Galloway, rain or shine, with or without children, to enjoy the beauty of what is found in the earth, and to come away with more understanding of this fascinating subject.
Grammar notes.
Everyday expressions: rain or shine, the whole...., nook and cranny, believe me.
1. He works every day restoring old buildings, rain or shine.
2. Throughout the whole film they chatted. And then, the whole way home they sang loudly.
3. If you are going to clean the house, I expect every nook and cranny to be spotless!
4. It's a good job that I took my heavy coat and gloves to the soccer match because, believe me, it was freezing!

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

3 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

4 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。