别让130岁的它，成为下一个巴黎圣母院式的遗憾……| 有声双语

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Nothing says “Paris” like the Eiffel Tower. Everyone who visits Paris has a story about the symbol of France, whether it’s a marriage proposal or simply proof of a visit to the country.

没有什么比埃菲尔铁塔更能代表巴黎的了。每个来到巴黎的人，都会和这一法国的象征发生一段故事，不论是一场求婚，还是仅仅为了证明自己来过法国。

On March 31, the Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s most visited and recognizable landmarks, celebrated the 130-year anniversary of its opening.

3月31日，埃菲尔铁塔 —— 这一世界上最热门、最显眼的地标建筑之一 —— 迎来了落成130周年纪念。

（图片来源：新华网）

It was only supposed to stand for 20 years. Maybe Parisians decided it was easier to just leave it in place. It looks like they made the right choice. More than 250 million people have visited the tower, according to its official website.

人们原本计划在埃菲尔铁塔建成20年后便将其拆掉。或许巴黎人认为把它留在那里更简单些。他们似乎做出了正确的决定。据埃菲尔铁塔官网的数据显示，埃菲尔铁塔已接待超过2.5亿游客。

Designed by French architect Gustav Eiffel, the tower was originally meant to serve as the grand entryway to the 1889 World Fair.

由法国建筑师古斯塔夫·埃菲尔所设计的这座铁塔，原本打算作为1889年世界博览会的宏伟入口。

Its construction took just over two years, and Live Science says the wrought-iron structure is held together by 2.5 million rivets.

埃菲尔铁塔耗时两年多建成，据《生活科学》杂志报道，这一熟铁建筑动用了250万颗铆钉加固。

（图片来源：新华网）

Despite its current popularity, not everyone liked the tower when it opened. Artists complained that it didn’t match the city’s architecture. One artist, who hated the tower, ate lunch in the tower’s restaurant every day. He said it was the only place where he couldn’t see it.

尽管埃菲尔铁塔如今大受欢迎，但其开放之初却并非人见人爱。艺术家们抱怨铁塔与巴黎的建筑物格格不入。其中一位厌恶埃菲尔铁塔的艺术家每天都去铁塔里的餐厅吃饭。他表示，那里是唯一一处他能眼不见为净的地方。

Artists may have hated the Eiffel Tower, but visitors to the 1889 World Fair loved it. Two million people visited during the fair. It then became useful as a radio antenna during the First World War. Everyone forgot those angry artists.

艺术家们或许讨厌那座铁塔，但参观1889年世界博览会的游客们却很喜欢它。在博览会期间，共有两百万人参观了铁塔。后来，它又在一战期间作为无线电天线而派上了用场。大家都忘记了先前那些愤怒的艺术家。

（图片来源：新华网）

In the past, visitors could buy special postcards. The postcard would be attached to a balloon with a small parachute, then released from the tower. Nobody knows whether any postcard ever reached its intended address.

在过去，游客们能买到特制的明信片。这款明信片会系在一个带有小型降落伞的气球上，然后从塔顶放飞。没人知道是否有明信片到达了预期的地址。

Visitors have a choice when they arrive. They can walk 1,665 steps to the top, or they can use one of the original hydraulic elevator cars from 1899. Once they reach the top, they will find Eiffel’s office, where he entertained friends and officials. Tourists can also share a toast in the tower’s top-floor champagne bar.

游客们到达埃菲尔铁塔之后可以进行选择：他们可以走1665级台阶到达塔顶，或者乘坐从1899年起投入使用的原始液压电梯。到达塔顶之后，游客们便会来到埃菲尔的办公室，他曾在这里招待朋友和官员。游客们也能在铁塔顶层的香槟酒吧里喝上一杯。

（图片来源：新华网）

Today, the tower stands as a symbol of France, says UK newspaper The Guardian. Following the terrorist attack of November 2015, the tower was lit with the French tricolor. Artist Jean Jullien, 32, used the iconic structure to design a symbol of peace.

英国报纸《卫报》认为，如今，埃菲尔铁塔已成了法国的标志。在2015年11月发生恐怖袭击之后，埃菲尔铁塔被象征法国的红、白、蓝三种颜色照亮。现年32岁的艺术家让·于连借鉴了这一标志性的建筑，设计出了一个和平的标志。

“All I wanted was a strong symbol, something all the world could easily understand, and that all the world could share ...,” Jullien said.

“我想要的是一个强有力的标志，让全世界都能轻松理解，让全世界都能分享……”于连表示。

以上内容英文部分来自《21世纪学生英文报》高二 748期

本文英文音频由我报外籍编辑Joe Willets 朗读