60 Tons of Paint

If you''d lived in Paris between 1889 and 1930, you would have enjoyed the sight of the world''s tallest building. La Tour Eiffel was named after its head contractor, Gustave Eiffel, and was built to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. It remained the world''s tallest structure until it was surpassed by New York City''s 319-meter-high Chrysler Building in 1931.
Today''s towers built close to the Eiffel''s height are most often used for communication. Television, radio, and cell phone companies depend on such towers to transmit their signals. But the Eiffel Tower was built before radio communication was necessary, and even before the radio was invented.
As one of the world''s most famous monuments, the tower has attracted a lot of attention, but not all Parisians welcomed its construction. The French writer Guy De Maupassant supposedly hated the structure, but ate at its restaurant every day. When asked why, he remarked that it was the only place in the city from which he couldn''t see the tower. During the years between 1925 and 1930, the tower acted as the world''s largest sign, advertising cars for the French company, Citroen. When the German army invaded Paris in 1940, the lift cables were cut as Hitler''s men stormed the city. However, German soldiers still climbed all the way to the tower''s flagpole in order to fly the swastika.
Modern structures make the Eiffel Tower look small in comparison. Today''s architects design populated buildings that surpass 500 meters—nearly double the height of the Eiffel Tower. Even so, the romance continues, and the tower welcomes over 6 million visitors per year. To keep the 118-year-old structure looking fresh, 60 tons of paint are reapplied every 8 years! Through it all, the grand old tower lives on.


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1. This artical is about The Eiffel Tower in Paris.

2.
a. storm vt. 猛攻，突襲 & vi. 氣沖沖地走
centennial n. 一百年（紀念）
swastika n. 納粹黨徽（反卍字形）

b. through it all　　經歷風風雨雨
in comparison　　相較之下
supposedly adv. 據稱，據說

3.I chose this artical because I think the Eiffel Tower is very beautiful. I really want that one day I can go there. To see the building and eat their food and so on in Paris.