巴黎埃菲尔铁塔

[背景介绍]

埃菲尔铁塔是法国巴黎的重要景点和突出标志。铁塔于1889年建成，屹立在巴黎市中心的战神广场上。埃菲尔铁塔得名于它的设计者，著名建筑师和工程师古斯塔夫·埃菲尔。为了迎接世界博览会和纪念法国大革命100周年，法国政府决定修建一座永久性纪念建筑。经过反复评选，埃菲尔设计的铁塔被选中。埃菲尔铁塔是现代主义作品，一反当时盛行的古典主义风格，体现了最大胆、最进步的建筑工程艺术。铁塔为钢铁镂空结构，建成后整个塔身高300多米，到1930年它仍然是全世界最高的建筑。

情景对话

Rosanna：I cant believe were here. Paris at last！

Tom：Hey， look！ There it is！

Rosanna：Oh yeah， the Eiffel Tower. It looks bigger on TV， doesnt it？

Tom：I dont think so. Its pretty tall. It was the worlds tallest building from when it was built until the 1930s. It held the record for 41 years.

Rosanna：Arent you a fount of knowledge！

Tom：I read the guide book on the train.

Rosanna：Why did they build it？

Tom：It was built as the entrance arch for the World Fair back in 1889. Can you imagine seeing it back then and walking underneath it？ It must have been awe⁃inspiring！

Rosanna：So how high is it？

Tom：Its 320 meters tall， which is similar to an 81⁃storey building.

Rosanna：Wow， thats impressive. Just think of the construction workers who had to climb up to build it.

Tom：They certainly needed a head for heights. I dont think I could work that high with just a harness for safety.

Rosanna：It mus8c0f497bdd3e776759911906a2c9908bt have taken a large workforce.

Tom：It says here that it took 300 men just over two years to complete it. Amazingly there was only one fatality （死亡） due to strict safety rules.

Rosanna：Thats really good. Was it popular with the locals when it was built？

Tom：There was some controversy when it was first built. A group of architects and artists created a petition against the tower and called it a “hateful column of bolted steel”.

Rosanna：Wow， strong words.

Tom：Yes， theres even an urban myth that once it was open， Guy de Maupassant， a famous French writer， ate lunch in the towers restaurant every day because it was the only place in Paris where he wouldnt have to see the tower！

Rosanna：Ha， thats funny. Does it still have a restaurant？ Shall we go and have lunch there ourselves？

Tom：OK， there are two restaurants in the tower. One of them even has a Michelin star！

Rosanna：Ah， in that case well go to the other one. That sounds expensive！

罗莎娜：真不敢相信我们到了这里。终于来到巴黎了！

汤姆：嘿，看啊！在那边！

罗莎娜：噢，是呀，埃菲尔铁塔。它在电视上看起来更大一些，对吧？

汤姆：我不这样认为。它挺高的呀。从它始建时到20世纪30年代，它都是世界上最高的建筑物，这个纪录保持了41年。

罗莎娜：你真是万事通啊！

汤姆：我在火车上读了旅游指南。

罗莎娜：他们为什么要建造这座铁塔呢？

汤姆：建造它是为了给1889年举办的世界博览会作入场大门。你能想象吗，在那个年代，从埃菲尔铁塔下面走过？那一定会令人感到宏伟壮观、深受鼓舞！

罗莎娜：那么这座塔有多高呢？

汤姆：它有320米高，差不多和一座81层的楼一样高。

罗莎娜：哇，那真令人叹为观止。想想建筑工人吧，他们要攀爬着去建造它。

汤姆：那当然需要不恐高的人啦。我觉得，我可没法仅仅系上一条安全带就在那么高的地方干活。

罗莎娜：那一定需要很多劳动力。

汤姆：据说，300个工人仅花了两年多的时间就把这座塔建成了。惊人的是，由于严格的安全规定，只有一个工人因工死亡。

罗莎娜：那真是不错了。刚竣工时，这座塔在当地受欢迎吗？

汤姆：始建时，这座塔引起了一些争议。许多建筑师和艺术家请求不要建造此塔，称它为“由钢铁铆接起来的令人厌恶的柱子”。

罗莎娜：哇，好犀利的表达啊。

汤姆：是的。甚至还有一个都市传说：这座塔刚一开放，法国著名作家莫泊桑每天都到塔上的餐厅吃午餐，因为只有在巴黎的这个位置他才不必看到这座塔！

罗莎娜：哈，那真有趣。塔上现在还有餐厅吗？我们要不要去那里吃午餐呢？

汤姆：好啊，塔里有两家餐厅。其中一家甚至还是米其林星级餐厅呢！

罗莎娜：啊，那样的话，我们还是去另一家吧。那听起来很贵呀！

[巧笔妙记]

harness n. 背带；保护带

workforce n. 劳动力；全体员工

controversy n. 争论；争议

petition n. 请求；请愿书

the World Fair 世界博览会

a head for heights 不恐高