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 BBC. You can even hear from the clock on BBC when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower. But do you know that if the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834，the great clock would never have been erected?
当你来到伦敦，最先看到的肯定是大本钟，全世界都能通过英 国广播电台听到这个著名的钟的报时声。由于钟塔上配备了麦克 风,你甚至能从电台里听到大本钟表针走动的咔咔声。但是你知道 吗？如果不是1834年的一场大火烧毁了英国国会大厦，我们今天 就不可能看到大本钟了。
Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built. The Big Ben is not only of immense size，but is extremely accurate as well. Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.
大本钟这个名字是由英国首任劳工和建筑部大臣本杰明霍尔爵士起的，在建设新国会大厦时,他负责建造大本钟。大本钟不 仅外形庞大，而且报时准确。皇家格林尼治天文台的官员每天都要 对大本钟做两次检查。
It has rarely gone wrong ever since it first struck the hour on July 11，1859, except for occasional maintenance and bad weather. Once, however, it failed to give the correct time because a painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down! Again, during the New Year’s Eve in 1962，the clock slowed due to heavy snow and ice on the long hands, thus it chimed in the new year 10 minutes late.
自其于1859年7月11日开始报时以来，大本钟极少报错时间， 仅在维修或天气恶劣时才偶尔暂停工作。有一次，一个油漆工在钟 楼上工作时，把一桶油漆挂在了表针上，致使大本钟慢了下来。还 有一次，1962年元旦，由于分针上积雪结冰，结果大本钟比实际晚 了 10分钟报告新年的来到。
As one of London’s most familiar landmarks, Big Ben has celebrated the 150th anniversary of its first chiming in May, 2009. To mark the anniversary, the message “Happy Birthday Big Ben, 150 years, 1859-2009” will be projected on the tower. Mike McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock, said: “After 150 years, Big Ben still holds a special place in the hearts of Londoners and the world as a magnificent example of engineering and building genius.”
作为伦敦最著名的地标性建筑之一，人们将在2009年5月庆 祝大本钟首次报时以来的第150个生日。为了纪念大本钟的生日， “大本钟150岁生日快乐！ 1859 ~2009年”的字样将通过投影显示 在钟楼上。守钟人迈克?麦卡恩说大本钟已经150岁了，但它作 为机械和建筑杰作的典范,仍然在伦敦和世界人民心中占据着特 殊的地位。”
As a matter of fact, Big Ben is the nickname for the clock at the north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is often extended to refer to the clock tower as well. These days, the name Big Ben is frequently used to describe the tower, one of the capital’s most photographed sites. And what is the clock tower originally called? It is officially called the Saint Stephen’s Tower. That’s right. It is the Saint Stephen’s Tower which adjoins the Houses of Parliament now housed the clock. The 96-metre (315-foot) high tower was built as part of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament by architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin following a major fire in 1834. The clock is the largest four-faced chiming clock and its clock tower the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.
事实上’大本钟是伦敦威斯敏斯特宫（即英国国会大厦)东北角 钟塔上的大报时钟的昵称,但人们提到它时通常也包括其下的钟 楼。如今，大本钟这个名字常用来指整个钟楼，这里可是伦敦曝光率最高的景点之一。但是这座钟楼原本是叫什么名字呢？它的正式名字叫做圣史蒂芬钟楼。没错， 大本钟的钟表正是坐落在英国国会大厦旁边的圣史蒂芬钟楼上。在1843年的一场大火之后，作为 重建英国国会大厦的一部分,建筑师查尔斯.巴雷和奥古斯塔斯.帕金共同设计了这座96米(合 315英尺)高的钟楼。大本钟是世界上最大的四面自鸣报时钟,圣史蒂芬钟楼则是世界上第3髙的独 立钟塔。
Despite being one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, the interior of the Big Ben is not open to the general public due to security concerns, although from time to time press and other VIPs are granted access. However, the tower has no elevator, so those escorted must climb the 334 limestone stairs to the top.
尽管大本钟是世界上最著名的旅游名胜之一,但出于安全考虑其内部却不对公众开放,虽然 偶尔也会有媒体或VIP获准登上钟楼。不过，钟楼没有安装电梯，获准进人钟楼的人得要爬上334级 石灰石台阶才能登顶。
The other remarkable feature of Big Ben is its tunes-that of the Cambridge Chimes, first used for the chimes of St. Mary’s church, Cambridge, and supposedly a variation, attributed to William Crotch, on a phrase from Handers Messiah. The words of the chime, again derived from St. Mary’s church and in turn an allusion to Psalm 37，are:
大本钟还有另一个特色,那就是它的鸣钟音乐采用了剑桥钟声。剑桥市圣玛丽教堂是第一个 采用这个钟声的。此钟声是威廉?克劳奇仿照海德尔的《弥赛亚》改编而成的一段音乐，配合着圣 玛丽教堂使用的摘自圣经第37诗篇的词句：
“Al! through this hour Lord be my guide And by Thy power No foot shall slide”
“愿这个钟头的分分秒秒 上帝导我前行 以主之能 佑吾民平安”
Next time you are in London, do not forget to have a look with your own eyes at the more than 150-year-old Big Ben. You might think it is too young comparing to other ancient places of interests in London, but you will find a lot of intriguing stories attached to it. Warn you, do not get too fascinated to forget your return flight!
下次你来到伦敦，一定要亲眼看看已经150多岁的大本钟。也许你觉得跟伦敦城的其他名胜古 迹相比,它的历史太短。但是它身上那些引人人胜的故事可不少。还得提醒一下，可不要太流连忘 返哦！