第二篇：
         Did you know that Paris’s international landmark, now considered one of the world’s most famous buildings,had not always been so well-received? Built as an entrance and the centerpiece to the 1889 World’s Fair in the100th anniversary of the French Revolution, the all-steel structure seemed to rise oddly in an all classic Paris.
          It was heartily disliked by Parisian intellects and artists who signed a statement: “We, writers, painters,sculptors, architects, passionate lovers of the beauty, until now intact, of Paris, hereby protest with all our might,with all our indignation, in the name of French taste gone unrecognized, in the name of French art and historyunder threat, against the construction, in the very heart of our capital, of the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower.”However, the renowned monument, currently regarded as a symbol of romance, survived all the hate.
         The Tower was initially intended to be demolished about 20 years after the exposition. Gustave Eiffel, whodesigned and oversaw the building of the Tower, knew then that its scientific uses could protect it from itsadversaries and prolong its lifespan. He therefore specified and pushed for the Tower’s purposes: meteorologicaland astronomical observations, physics experiments, optical telegraph communications and wind studies. Finallyand decisively he succeeded in saving the Tower by putting it forward as a monumental support antenna forwireless broadcasting.
         In the 1930s, after the Tower had remained the world’s tallest architecture for 41 years, many nicknamesflourished in the press and publications, but later “the Iron Lady” just stuck and was picked up by the public. Theword “Iron,” of course, means the structure is made of puddled iron, while the Tower is a “Lady” partly becausethe French noun tour (tower) is feminine and partly because the fine decorative meshed arches between its fourpillars, or legs, look like a lacy skirt.
【題組】6. Which of the following is true about the Eiffel Tower?
(A) It was intended to be the landmark of Paris.
(B) It mourned the sacrifice of common people in the French Revolution.
(C) No other structures in the world were taller than it until 1970s.
(D) It was originally scheduled to be torn down around 1909.