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交流園地討論區 |
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討論區 |
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你也可以成為佼佼者 You can also be the best of the best. |
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久不見
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發表時間:2006/11/27 |
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For over 100 years,the Statue of Liberty has been the symbol of the United states.The statye of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S. France helped the U.S. win its freedom from the British,but in the late 19th century,French people were losing their freedom under Napolean`s control.Some French scholars suggested giving the U.S. a mounment as a gift for its 100th birthday in 1876.The gift should be something that could stand for freedom and remind people of the friendship between the two countries.Bartholdi, the famous French artist and sculptor,designed the statue of Liberty.People believe that the model for the statue was Bartholdi`s mother.The famous engineer Eiffel,who created the Eiffel Tower later,also helped. Because the statue was a gift from the people in France and not the government,money became a big problem.That`s why the statue was finished in parts:first the raised arm and the torch,then the head,and then the rest of the body.It took over ten years to finish the statue.The finished statue was taken apart into 350 pieces,put in 214 wooden boxes,and arrived in New York on June 15, 1885.New York was chosen as the home Liberty because in those day,it was the place where new comers to America got their first look of the New World.It took almost another year to finish the base and then six more months to put all the pieces together.Finally,on October 28,1886, Liberty-the new Miss Americ,was introduced to the world.Standing a total of almost 93 meters on the Bedloe`s Island in New York Harbor,Liberty was a birthday presnet that was ten years late. Actually,there are three Statues of Liberty in the world.The original model of the statue is in the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.It is only 4.5 meters tall.Another larger Statue of Liberty is on a tiny island called Swan Ally in the Seine River.Americans wanted to returned a gift to France for the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution,so they made an exact copy of the statue they had and sent it back to France. It was shown to the world on November 15,1889, facing the Eiffel Tower.However,the creator of the statue Bartholdi was very angry that it did not face the statue in New York.A few dats later, during the Paris World`s Fair,Bartholdi got his wish and made the French turn the statue around to face the U.S. Bartholdi also thought that Americans should change Bedloe`s Lsland to Liberty Island,but this wish didn`t come true until 1956. The Statue of Liberty in New York wieghs 225 tons,not including the base.It is also the first statue that allowed people to go inside and climb up.However,a person would have to climb 354 steps to the 22nd story to get to the crown.The 25 windows on the crown symbols of the gems found on Earth and heaven`s light shining over the world, and the seven rays are the seven seas and seven continents of the world.The torch,which is a symbol of enlightenment,has also gone through many changes in material and design over the years.Today,people cannot climb to the crown or the torch anymore,but they can still visit the museum inside the base or see the inside of the statue through a glass ceiling.The lady may be old and silent,but the spirits she stands for will always be in the hearts of freedom fighters.
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