談?wù)動(dòng)嘘P(guān)大本鐘的事情，大本鐘這個(gè)名字是怎么來的

談?wù)動(dòng)嘘P(guān)大本鐘的事情，大本鐘這個(gè)名字是怎么來的

來聽今天的講解:

A: Big Ben is a lot bigger and more impressive than I thought.

大本鐘真的比我原來想的更大，更令人難忘。

B: Yes a lot of people say that when they see it for Lhe first Liiiie.

是的，很多人第一次見到的時(shí)候都這么說。

A: So how tall is it?

那它有多高呢？

B: 316 feet. It's one of London's most visible landmarks, especially at night when the clock faces are dluminated.

316英尺。它是倫敦最明顯的地面標(biāo)志之一，尤其是在晚上鐘面亮著的時(shí)候.

A: Tell me some more about the famous clock fices.

給我多說說這個(gè)有名的鐘吧。

B: The four dials of the clock are 23 square feet, the minute hand is 14 feet long and each of the twelve Roman numerals is 2 feet high.

大本鐘的4個(gè)鐘盤有23平方英尺，分針有14英尺長，而12個(gè)羅馬數(shù)字都有2英尺高。

A: I can see a light on above the clock. What does that mean?

我可以看到鐘上方亮著燈。那是什么意思？

B: It means that parliament is in session.

它代表著正在召開議會(huì)。

A: So Big Ben is closely associated with the Houses of Parliament?

所以大本鐘跟英國議會(huì)的上下兩院密切相關(guān)了？

B: Yes. There are even prison cells within the clock tower where Members of Parliament can be imprisoned for a breach of parliamentary privilege, though this is rare; the last recorded crue was in 1880.

是的。鐘樓里甚至還有一些牢房，用來關(guān)押那些違背了議會(huì)特權(quán)的議會(huì)成員。不過這樣的情況很少發(fā)生，最后一次記錄的案例發(fā)生在1880年。

A: How did Big Ben get its name?

大本鐘這個(gè)名字是怎么來的呢？

B: Most people think that Big Ben is the name of the clock but the name Big Ben actually refers not to the Clock Tower itself. but to the 13 ton bell hung within which was cast in 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in East London. To this day one of the largest bells they have ever cast The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.

大多數(shù)人都以為“大本”是這個(gè)時(shí)鐘的名字，但實(shí)際上它并不是指鐘樓本身，而是指里面掛著的13噸重的大鐘。它于1858年鑄造于倫敦東部的懷特鑄鐘廠，是迄今為止他們所鑄造的最大的鐘。該鐘以第一個(gè)負(fù)責(zé)此項(xiàng)工程的本杰明·霍爾爵士的名字命名。

A: Has the clock ever stopped?

這個(gè)鐘有沒有停過？

B: No. Not even the descruction of the Commons chamber during \Xtorld War II could stop it but once a workman was clealing one of the faces and hung his bucket on onc of the hands and so it was slowed by about 10 minutes.

沒停過。即使在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期rF議院被炸毀時(shí)它都沒停。但曾經(jīng)有一次．一個(gè)清潔工在清潔鐘面時(shí)把水桶掛在了一根指針上，導(dǎo)致它慢了10分鐘。

A: How did Big Ben become much loved by the Bntish public?

英國老百姓怎么那么喜歡大本鐘呢？

B: I chink it started on 31th December 1923 when the BBC first broadcast the chimes of Big Ben over the radio and everybody heard the chimes ring in the New Year.

我想事情起因于1923年12月31號(hào)BBC電臺(tái)首次通過廣播播放了大本鐘的鐘聲，每個(gè)人都聽到了新年的鐘聲。

A: I would love to be here on New Year's eve to hear chem.

我也想在除夕到這里聽聽鐘聲。

B: You would be very welcome.

非常歡迎。