The National Trustin Britainplays an increasingly important part in the preservation for public enjoymentof the best that is left unspoiled of the British

countryside.Althoughthe Trust has received practical and moral support from the Government,it isnot rich Government department.It is a charity which depends for its

existence onvoluntary support from members of the public.

The attention of thepublic was first drawn to the dangers threatening the great old houses andcastles of Britainby the death of Lord Lothian,who left his great seventeenth-

century house to theTrust together with the 4,500-acre park and estate surrounding it. This giftattracted wide publicity and started the Trust's"Country House Scheme".Under

this scheme,with thehelp of the Government and the general public,the Trust has been able to saveand open to the public about one hundred and fifty of these old

houses.Last yearabout one and three quarters of a million people paid to visit these historichouses,usually at a very small charge.

In addition tocountry houses and open spaces,the Trust now owns some examples of ancient windand water mills,nature reserves,five hundred and forty farms and nearly

two thousand fivehundred cottages or small village houses,as well as some complete villages.Inthese villages no one is allowed to build,develop or disturb the old village

environment in anyway and all the houses are maintained in their original sixteenth-centurystyle.Over four hundred thousand acres of coastline, woodland,and hill country

are protected by theTrust and no development or disturbance of any kind are permitted.The publichas free access to these areas and is only asked to respect the peace, beauty

and wildlife.

So it is that overthe past eighty years the Trust has become a big important organization and anessential and respected part of national life,preserving all that is of great

natural beauty andof historical significance not only for future generations of Britons but alsofor the millions of tourists who each year invade Britain in search of a great

historical andcultural heritage.Land protected bythe National Trust_________.

A.can be developedand modernized

B.includes naturallyand historically valuable sites

C.consists ofcountry houses and nature reserves

D.is primarily fortourists to Britain