Lesson 71

When you visit London, one of the first things you will see is Big Ben, the famous clock which can be heard all over the world on the B.B.C.
当你访问伦敦时，你首先会看到的事物之一就是大本钟，即那座通过英国广播公司节目传遍全世界的著名时钟。
If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected.
如果议会大厦在1834年没有被烧毁，这座大钟就永远不会被建造起来。
Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built.
大本钟得名于本杰明·霍尔爵士，当新的议会大厦建造时，他负责时钟的制作。
It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well.
它不仅尺寸巨大，而且也极其精确。
Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.
来自格林尼治天文台的官员每天两次派人检查时钟。
On the B.B.C. you can hear the clock when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower.
在英国广播公司，当大钟实际鸣响时，你可以听到它的声音，因为麦克风与钟楼相连。
Big Ben has rarely gone wrong.
大本钟很少出故障。
Once, however, it failed to give the correct time.
然而有一次，它未能给出正确的时间。
A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down.
一位在塔上工作的画家在其中一个指针上挂了一罐油漆，把它弄慢了。