1、ParisParis is the capital ofFrance.It’sknownastheCityofLightbecauseofitsbeauty.It’saplacetoenjoygreatfood,greatart,andgreatbuildings.It’salsoaplacetositbackandenjoylifeinasidewalkcafé.For hundreds of years,artistsandwritershavecelebratedParis.Manyhavegonetolivethere.Visitorscometoadmiret
2、hecity.It’sacenteroffashionandstyle.It’salsothebusiness,financial,andindustrialcenterofFrance.THEEIFFELTOWERThe Eiffel Tower is thebest-knownlandmarkinParis.Francebuiltthislacy,irontowerfortheParisWorld’sFairof1889.ThefairhonoredtheFrenchRevolutionthatbeganinParis100yearsearlier.The Eiff
3、el Tower risesnearly1,000feet(300meters).Elevatorstakevisitorstothetop.Atthetimeitwasbuilt,thetowerwasthetalleststructureintheworld.Thetowerwasnamedforitsdesigner,GustaveEiffel.CITYONTHESEINEThe river Seine runs throughParisandcutsitinhalf.ThepartofParisonthenorthsideoftheriveriscalledth
4、eRightBank.ThepartonthesouthsideiscalledtheLeftBank.Most of the businessesandlargestoresinParisareontheRightBank.ManygovernmentbuildingsandtheUniversityofParisareontheLeftBank.TheuniversityisintheLatinQuarter.StudentsattheuniversityoriginallyspokeLatin,givingtheneighborhooditsname.The ol
5、dest part of ParisisontheÎledelaCité,anislandintheSeine.NotreDame（巴黎圣母院）cathedralisontheisland.Workersbegantobuildthecathedralin1163.BUILDINGSANDMONUMENTSThere’s a lot to see inParis.YoucouldtakeawalkdowntheChamps-Élysées.Thiswide,tree-linedboulevardisoneofthemostfamousstreetsintheworld.
6、At one end of the Champs-ÉlyséesistheArcdeTriomphe(ArchofTriumph).ThismonumentwasbuilttohonorthevictoriesofFrenchemperorNapoleonI.AttheotherendisthePlacedelaConcorde(SquareofPeace)withitshugefountainsandstatues.The Louvre is an old palaceinthemiddleofParis.It’salsooneoftheworld’sgreatmus
