Eiffel Tower

In the center of Paris, by the Seine River, stands a huge iron tower. It is very, very tall and is the most famous building in Paris. Its name is the Eiffel Tower. From far away, it looks like a giant upside-down letter "Y" (字母 Y), standing firmly (稳稳地) under the blue sky.

But it wasn't just built anywhere. In 1889, Paris was going to host (举办) a big World Expo (世界博览会), and France wanted to build a special building that would show the country's strength (力量) and intelligence (智慧). The engineer (工程师) Gustave Eiffel’s design (设计) was chosen, but many people thought the idea of an iron tower was too bold (大胆的) and even a bit strange

Building it was not easy. More than 100 years ago, there were no machines as powerful (强大的) as we have now. The workers had to deal with (应对) high places and strong winds. The tower was made of many, many pieces of iron (铁), that had to be put together one by one. It was very dangerous (危险的) for the workers who worked up high. But Mr. Eiffel cared a lot about safety (安全) and came up with many ways to protect (保护) the workers.

The most interesting part is that, at the time, many people didn’t like it! Some artists (艺术家) and writers (作家) thought it ruined (破坏) the beauty of Paris. They wrote letters (信件) to say the tower should not be built. Some people said it looked like an ugly (丑陋的) chimney (烟囱), and others called it a "stain (污点) on Paris's face." 

The great writer, Guy de Maupassant, hated the tower, but he often went to the restaurant at the top to eat. When asked why, he humorously (幽默地) said, "Because this is the only place in all of Paris where you can’t see the tower!"

However, when the Eiffel Tower was finished (完成) in 1889, people quickly changed their minds. It became the shining (闪亮的) star of the Expo, and everyone rushed (匆忙) to climb to the top to look at the beautiful view (景色) of Paris. It was a huge (巨大的) success! The plan was to take it down after 20 years, but everyone loved it, so it stayed.

Did you know? The Eiffel Tower is almost 300 meters tall, and it was once the tallest (最高的) building in the world! It has three platforms (平台), and visitors can take an elevator (电梯) or climb stairs to go up. From the top, all of Paris is right below you. On clear (晴朗的) days, you can see very far. The tower even lights up (亮起) with golden (金色的) lights at night, making it very beautiful.

Today, the Eiffel Tower is not just a symbol (象征) of Paris, but also a proud (骄傲的) symbol of France. People lovingly (亲切地) call it the "Iron Lady." Every year, countless (无数的) visitors from around the world come to see it. It is one of the greatest wonders (奇迹) of human engineering (工程).