VOA慢速英語：倫敦大本鐘靜音四年

London’s Big Ben to Go Silent for Four Years

倫敦大本鐘靜音四年

This is What’s Trending Today.

歡迎收聽今日熱點。

That is the sound of Big Ben.

這就是大本鐘的聲音。

People from London like to call the ringing of Big Ben “bongs.” They mark the start of a new hour.

倫敦人喜歡將這個聲音稱之為“bongs”它標志著一個新的時間的開始。

Big Ben is the name of the large bell inside the clock tower above Britain’s Houses of Parliament. The tower is part of the Palace of Westminster. There are other smaller bells, too.

大本鐘是鑲嵌在英國國會鐘塔上的一枚巨大的鐘擺。該塔是威尼斯特宮的一部分。上面還有其他的小一點的鐘擺。

The structure that houses Big Ben is one of the most famous sights in the country. It is called the Elizabeth Tower.

大本鐘的建筑結構是該國家最著名的街景之一。它叫做伊麗莎白塔。

Big Ben started making its bongs 158 years ago. But beginning on August 21, it will go silent for four years. The bell will ring for the last time at 12 noon.

158年前，大本鐘開始發(fā)聲報時。但自8月21日開始，它將靜音四年時間。該鐘聲將在午后12點整發(fā)出最后的響聲。

The bell will be disconnected from the clock as crews launch a major repair project in the tower.

當人們在維修該塔的時候，該鐘擺將和鐘分離。

The clock, however, will continue to tell the time, silently.

盡管如此，大本鐘將繼續(xù)沉默的顯示著時間。

The only time people in London will hear the bells will be on Remembrance Sunday, which falls on November 12th this year, and New Year’s Eve.

倫敦人能夠聽見鐘聲的時間僅僅為每年11月11日前的星期日，今年將是11月12日，以及新年前夕。

Some people are making plans to be in London for the final bongs before the four-year silence.

一些人為了最后的鐘聲，計劃著在四年沉默之前來倫敦參觀大本鐘。

The renovation project will cost about $40 million, said Steve Jaggs. He is known as “The Keeper of the Great Clock.”

史蒂夫·賈格斯表示：維修工程將花費四千萬美金。他被稱為“大鐘的守護者”。

Jaggs said the goal is to keep the building safe and the famous timepiece working for future generations to enjoy.

賈格斯表示：該維修旨在保護建筑的安全以及為了子孫后代們可以更好的享受這個著名的計時器。

The clock faces and many of the clock’s moving parts will be taken apart and cleaned. Rust will be removed and an elevator will be built for workers to use.

鐘面和許多鐘的移動部件將被拆開和清洗。鐵銹將被移除，將會為工人們建造一個電梯。

The last time the bell stopped ringing for repairs was in 2007. It was also silent for the funerals of former Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.

上一次鈴響的時候是在2007年。對于前首相溫斯頓丘吉爾和瑪格麗特撒切爾的葬禮，大本鐘也保持沉默。

There was reaction to the silencing of Big Ben on social media.

在社交媒體上對大本鐘的沉默是有反應的。

Joana reacted to the news on Twitter. She proposed that there be “one minute of silence for the lost bongs of Big Ben.”

喬安娜在推特上對這一消息做出了回應。她提議說，“為大本鐘的沉默默哀一分鐘”。

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

這就是今日熱點的全部內(nèi)容。

I’m Dan Friedell.

丹·弗雷德報道。