孟洁

1889年，埃菲尔铁塔作为世博会的标志性建筑在巴黎揭下神秘面纱，然而，它的神秘远不止我们看到的这些。

难词探意

1. backdrop /?b?kdr?p/ n. （舞台）背景幕布

2. demolition /?dem??l??n/ n. 拆除

3. debut /?de?bju?/ n. （演员、运动员）首次亮相

4. converse /k?n?v??rs/ v. 交谈;谈话

The Eiffel Tower is one of the worlds most famous backdrops， but its also home to a little?known apartment with an intriguing history of science and secrecy.

Gustave Eiffel， whose company designed and built the tower， added a number of secret extras to it， ranging from a secret apartment to telegraph and radio broadcast equipment. It was this equipment that may have saved the Eiffel Tower from being torn down as a temporary exhibit left over from the World's Fair， a demolition that was planned for 20 years from the time of its debut.

In 1903， just six short years before the tower was to be demolished， Eiffel doubled down on his invitations to scientists to host discussions and conduct research from within the towers little?known apartment. The apartment， about 1，000 feet （304 meters） off the ground， was equipped with pleasant rugs and chairs surrounded by other comforts， but it also had nearby spaces to serve as mini laboratories.

From this bird?level apartment， the atmosphere was measured， the stars and planets were observed and the bounds of physics were explored by some of the greatest minds of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1903， Eiffel had found the answer to saving his tower. Captain Gustave Ferriè experimented with wireless broadcast signals， eventually sending signals as far as North America. The Eiffel Tower， and its scientific purpose， became too important to the French government to be torn down. Just a few years later， the tower would play a vital role in World WarⅠ， when the French military used the wireless communicators to transmit to ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

Today， the Eiffel Tower receives about 7 million visitors each year， and those who purchase a ticket to the top of the tower can look through a window at the apartment where Thomas Edison once conversed with Eiffel and other invitation?only learned guests. For the most part， the apartments original appearance has been preserved. The apartments laboratory areas exhibit some of their original scientific equipment， and there is an observatory above the apartment that is still not open to public viewing.

1. backdrop /?b?kdr?p/ n. （舞台）背景幕布

2. demolition /?dem??l??n/ n. 拆除

3. debut /?de?bju?/ n. （演员、运动员）首次亮相

4. converse /k?n?v??rs/ v. 交谈;谈话