[英汉互译]Big Ben.doc

Big Ben大本钟One of Londons most famous landmarks, Big Ben is one of the worlds largest four-faced clocks. The name was first given to a 16 ton hour bell, cast on 10 April 1856. The bell was never officially named, but the legend刻字 on it records that the commissioner行政长官 of works, Sir Benjamin Hall, was responsible for the order; another theory is that the bell may have been named after heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt who was popular at the time. Theres also a story that the bell was to be called “Victoria” in honour of Queen Victoria, but the ceremonial speeches went on so long that some joker shouted out “Oh just call it Big Ben and have done with it!” and the name stuck.大本钟是伦敦最著名的地标之一，也是世界上最大的四面钟之一。1856年4月10日，一座16吨重的报时钟铸成，并首次被命名为“大本钟”。这座钟其实从来没有被官方命名过，而是钟面上刻着当时铸钟工程监制人的名字，本杰明霍尔爵士；另一种说法是大本钟可能是命名于当时著名的拳击手本杰明考特。还有一种说法是，为了纪念维多利亚女王，将这个钟命名为“维多利亚钟”，但这个礼仪性的名字太长了就有人开玩笑说：“哦，就直接叫它大本钟吧，别纠结了！”，就这样，钟的名字就定下来了。Since the clock tower was not yet finished, the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard but the bell cracked under the striking hammer钟锤, and its metal金属 was recast重做 as the 15.17 ton bell which is in use today. The new bell was mounted in the tower in 1859 alongside在旁边 four quarter-hour bells.因为钟楼的建造还没有完成，所以钟体安放在新王宫院内，但是钟体在钟锤的敲击下破裂了，现在使用的大本钟是用其金属重铸的，重15.17吨。新的钟体于1859年和四口报刻钟一起被放置于钟楼内。The tower was raised凸起的 as a part of Charles Barrys design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of October 16, 1834. It is designed in the Victorian Gothic style, and is 316 feet (96m) high. Due to ground conditions present since construction建造, the tower leans 倾斜 slightly轻微的 to the northwest, by roughly 8.66 inches (220 millimeters).1834年10月16日晚，原来的威斯敏斯特宫毁于一场火灾，这个钟塔是作为查尔斯巴里为新王宫设计的一部分而建造的。是按照维多利亚哥特式风格设计的，高316英尺（96米）。自建造以来的地面情况导致钟楼向西北方轻微的倾斜了8.66英寸（220毫米）左右。The clock faces are set in an iron framework 21 feet (7 meters) in diameter 直径, supporting 576 pieces of opal glass 玻璃瓷/乳色玻璃, rather like a stained glass window. Some of the glass pieces may be removed for inspection检查 of the hands. The minute hand is 14 feet (4.25 m) long and the figures are 2 feet (.6 m) high. When Parliament 国会 is in session召开会议, a light shines above the clock face. At night, the four clock faces are illuminated 被照明的, making it a particularly impressive sight.钟面被置于一个直径21英尺（7米）长的铁框之内，铁框内有576块乳色玻璃，就像一个彩色玻璃窗。有些玻璃可能会被移开，以方便检查指针。大本钟的分针长14英尺（4.25米）数字高2英尺（0.6米）。在国会召开会议时，钟面上会亮起一束光。到了晚上，四个钟面都会被照明，使大本钟成为了一道亮丽的风景。UK nationals may climb the clock tower by prior预先 arrangement准备 by calling: 020 7219 300. Visitors from abroad can request a tour旅游 by writing at least three months before the scheduled预定的 visit to: Clock Tower Tours, Parliamentary Works Services Dir