I. Warming up

Work in pairs and spot famous buildings and structures in China.

1. the Forbidden City

2. Water Cube

3. Expo 2010 Shanghai China Pavilion

Work in pairs and spot famous buildings and structures from around the world

1. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

2. The Louvre, Paris

3. the Parthenon, Athens

Watch the clip about Eiffel tower for the details.

Architect: Gustave Eiffel

Purpose: the 1889 International Exhibition

Constructed: 1887 to 1889

Rivets: two million with each carried by four men

First level: Mar, 1888

Second level: Sept, 1888

Height: 324 m

Weight: more than 10,000 tons

Elevator: follow the curve of the tower rather than go straight up and straight down

Visitors: 6 million a yearUse: a radio tower

People’s attitude: from dislike to like

II. Background

Style:

III. Text analysis

Text Organization:

Discussion:

1. If we leave aside defense towers built by the Saracens all along the Mediterranean coast and similar defense towers of the medieval walled towns of Italy and France, almost all the other great towers of the past were built for spiritual purposes.

Why does the writer mention the defense towers of the Saracens and medieval towns of Italy and France?

They are mentioned to show what previous towers were built for. They provide an exception to the statement about towers being for spiritual purposes. The writer wants to anticipate any challenge to the main point.

2. If La Tour was an insult to the representatives of the “effete class”, it was love at first sight for the people.

What point is the writer making with this contrast?

 The contrast shows that the Eiffel Tower was controversial when it was built. The views of the artistic elite were of no importance in the face of the enthusiasm of the ordinary public.

3.Surpassed in height by many a modern utilitarian tower, by chimneys, antennas and skyscrapers, it is still the Tower of Towers.

What point is the writer making with this contrast?

The Eiffel Tower may be small by our recent standards, but that does not affect its status. It remains the most amazing tower of all.

Paraphrase:

1.  … but the innerspring to its construction was to demonstrate that …

The word innerspring here is intended to mean “actual main purpose”.

2. … almost all the other great towers of the past were built for spiritual purposes.

Great towers of the past refer to all the towers and spires of cathedrals built to hold bells to ring out whenever a church service was held.

3. As minarets they served and still serve to remind Moslem worshippers of their well timed duties.

The call to prayer made from the mosque minarets or towers reminds Moslems of their duty to pray at those times.

4. And did it get hell from the defenders of the French tradition of beauty!

It was severely reprimanded by the defenders of the French tradition of beauty.

This is an exclamation about the stream of abuse the tower received from art critics. The French tradition of beauty refers to France’s reputation for being the artistic centre of Europe passed from Italy to France which set the standard of taste in painting, architecture, fashion and food throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

5. If La Tour was an insult to the representatives of the “effete class”, it was love at first sight for the people.

While the elite hated La Tour, the masses loved it. The effete class refers to the artistic elite. The word effete is a negative term to describe over-educated and refined people, usually as opposed to ordinary working people.

6. Of no other man-made structure can one say that it transcended technology to become a great human symbol. 

Uniquely this creation of technology has become far more than that and the tower is most important for its symbolic significance.

Summary：

Some structures are built for _______________ purposes. The ____________ Palace had been used for several purposes till it was burn down in 1936 and the Brooklyn Bridge was not only very practical to link two great _______________, but also of great commercial value. Some structures are built for _______________ purposes. The defense towers and all the other great towers of the past were built as symbols of _____________ pride. However, the Eiffel Tower _________________ nothing so lofty or utilitarian. It was subject to _______________ protests from noted artists, but common people loved it. Slowly but surely, the visits to it _____________ new meanings. It became the symbol of Paris and the Mecca of all travelers, and then the symbol of France. As a __________ monument, Hitler, the Algerian rebels and the French right-wing military ____________ attempt to destroy it but all of them tried in vain. It is still the tower of Towers and become a great human symbol.

Keys: utilitarian; Crystal; boroughs; spiritual; civic; acknowledges; indignant; acquired; symbolic; opponents.

IV. Reinforcement:

Discussion

(1) Do you agree that constructing large monuments and buildings is a way of demonstrating a country’s strength?

• Yes, it is an outward sign of a country’s wealth and engineering skills that it can create such impressive buildings. They can give a city or a country dignity.

• No, I think that is a superficial way of looking at things. Apart from anything else many of the buildings may be put up by foreign companies or hotel chains.

• I suppose grand buildings are a way of showing strength but this is not necessarily a good thing. Some of the worst tyrants of history have devoted great resources to such projects.

1. (2) Why do you think great height is important for religious structures?

• Gods are believed to live in the sky so perhaps tall buildings express a desire to reach the heavens. Religions have often been powerful – their buildings also express this.

• It is not always so. Chinese temples have never been very tall – though perhaps Buddhist pagodas are an exception. In China rather than building high buildings we build them in high places.

(3) Do you think it is common or unusual for a major building to change its purpose and its image over time?

There are certainly quite a few examples. The Forbidden City has now become a tourist attraction and symbol of Beijing. The Great Pyramid was a tomb – it stopped being that a long time ago and became a symbol of Egypt. The Tate Modern in London, once a power station, is now Britain’s national museum of international modern art.