The eiffel tower

Ever since the mythical Tower of Babel (probably a Babylonian ziggurat), people have aspired to build high. The greatest medieval embodiment of this was the Gothic cathedral. But with the Industrial Revolution came an age which expressed itself in the engineering of commerce-railways, ships, bridges, canals, and exhibitions. Yet perhaps the most striking visual image of all was a tower. It was a celebration of revolution, built in the style and material of the age. The 1889 Paris Exposition celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution, and for this the great tower of iron that has become Paris's famous symbol was erected.

GARABIT VIADUCT

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel designed the 541-foot latticearch span of the Garabit Viaduct in 1885, the French Ministry announced a competition to design a large tower. Eiffel's 990-foot-tall iron tower won.

FIRST STAGE

The four legs grew upward and inward, supported by wooden scaffolding. Cranes inside the framework of the legs lifted the material for the first floor, which by March 1888 was spanning between and linking up the legs.

PREFABRICATION

Like the Crystal Palace, all the tower's 12,000 pieces were prefabricated off site and assembled with precision down to the last fraction of an inch.

FOUNDATIONS

Once foundation caissons were finished, in June 1887, work on the tower began immediately.

THE EIFFEL TOWER

Despite criticism its impact on Paris, the tower proved a great popular success in the 1889 exhibition. Eiffel placed a meteorology station at the top in 1889, and in 1901 probably saved in from demolition by using it as a site for radio transmitters.

SECOND STAGE

By July 1888, the second floor, 427 feet high, had been completed. And still the structure climbed. By April 1889, it was complete, held together by no fewer than two-and-a half million rivets.

TOP OF THE TOWER

Many worried at the time that the tower would be felled by high winds, but the combination of widely splayed legs and open-lattice construction, which allows wind to pass through, has ensured that Eiffel's design remains stable in the severest gales.

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What was the most striking visual image of the Industrial Revolution?

2. What was the Eiffel Tower built for?

3. Who is the author of this tower?

4. What is the total height of the tower?

5. When was the foundation of the tower finished?

6. What did the Eiffel place at the top of the tower?

7. Where did the Eiffel tower prove a great success?

8. When was the second floor completed?

9. Why does the Eiffel tower remain stable in the severest gales?

2. Give the Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

ziggurat; embodiment; centenary; latticearch span; wooden; scaffolding; fraction; radio transmitters; rivet; widely splayed legs; stable.

3. Translate the following sentences from russian into English:

1. Башня являлась наиболее внушительным визуальным образом прогресса 19 века.

2. 990 - футовая железная башня Александра Густава Эйфеля победила в соревновании на лучший проект.

3. Все 12.000 частей башни, изготовленных заранее, были собраны на месте с точностью до дюйма.

4. Метеорологическая станция была помещена на вершину башни в 1889 году.

5. К июлю 1888 года второй этаж высотой 427 футов был закончен.

6. Благодаря открытой решетчатой конструкции и широко расставленным четырем опорам, башня перенесла самые сильные ветры.

4. Translate the following passive construction into Russian and explain their using:

were prefabricated; were finished; had been completed; would be felled.

5. Retell the Text.