走遍全世界80：大本钟

The Big Ben is located in the tower at the eastern end of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, Greater London. It was designed by Edmund Beckett and Baron¹ Grimthorpe.

大本钟在伦敦威斯敏斯特英自治领会议院的最东边。它的设计者是埃德蒙·贝克特和拜伦·格里姆索普。

The Big Ben is very famous throughout the world, but nobody really knows why it is called Big Ben. There are two hearsays about this. Some people say that it was named after Benjamin Caunt, a boxer², who was called Big Ben. More people believe it was called after Welshman, Sir Benjamin Hall. He was the commissioner³ of the work at the time of its installation in 1859.

大本钟在世界上家喻户晓，但实际上没有多少人知道为何它叫大本钟。关于这个问题有两个传言：有人认为它是从一个叫做本杰明·考特的拳击家而来。更多人认为它以一个威尔士人——本杰明·霍尔先生的名字命名的。他是安装工程的监督者。

A story was told that during a debate iin the Commons on what to call the bell, Sir Benjamin was about to give his ideas when a MP who sat behind the front bench shouted, "Let's call it Big Ben!" Then this name came into being.

在经过在下议院讨论中应该叫什么名字后，本杰明先生准备给出结果时，一位在前凳后的国会议员喊道：“我们叫它‘大本’吧！”于是这个名字就诞生了。

The bell hasn't gone through a smooth road since the beginning of its design. Because there was great disagreement about the design of the clock, it took fifteen years to build. In 1857, the bell was completed and tested on the ground, but a four-foot crack appeared and the bell had to be cast again. Finally, the clock started ticking on 31 May, 1859, and struck its first chime on 11, July.

从大本钟的设计到建造结束，这个钟诞生的道路就荆棘满途。因为当时关于这个钟的设计大家有着很大的分歧，建造它就用了15年。1857年，大本钟完工，并在地上做了测试。但是当钟要挂上去时，4尺长的裂缝就出现了。1859年5月31日，大钟的指针终于开始移动并在7月11日进行了它的第一次报时。

Then in September, the bell cracked again. It was silent for four years but was eventually turned a quarter of a revolution. In this way, the crack was not under the striking hammer. Craftsmen⁴ made a square above the crack to stop it graving longer and it can still be seen today.

然而在九月份的时候，钟又裂开了。它沉静了四年，直到在革命后裂缝终于被转了一个角。这样，裂缝就不在敲钟槌的下面。工匠在裂缝上做了一个方框，以此来阻止裂缝的延长，所以现在我们还能看到它。

The Big Ben is famous not only for its 13-ton weight, but also for its accuracy which is a result of its precise mechanism⁵. Even one extra penny's weight on the balance will cause a gain of two fifths of a second in twenty four hours. Although there have been several problem, the bell is still striking today. Its chimes can be heard all over the world on the B.B.C.
 

大本钟闻名全球不仅仅因为它的13吨重量，还因为它的精准——那是因为它严谨的机械结构。在平衡上增添额外的一便士重量都会造成每24小时多五分之二秒的后果。尽管有过几次故障，直到今天大钟仍然在报时。它的钟鸣会通过B.B.C.广播电台传遍全球。

1 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

2 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

5 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。