Lesson 71
A famous clock
一个著名的大钟
First listen and then answer the question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
Has Big Ben ever gone wrong?
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. If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected. 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. It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well. Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day. On the B.B.C. you can hear the clock when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower. Big Ben has rarely gone wrong. Once, however, it failed to give the correct time. A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down!
New words and expressions 生词和短语
parliament n. 议会,国会
erect v. 建起
accurate adj. 准确的
official n. 官员,行政人员
Greenwich n. 格林尼治
observatory n. 天文台
check v. 检查
microphone n. 扩音器,麦克风
tower n. 塔
参考译文
当你游览伦敦时,首先看到的东西之一就是“大本”钟,即那座从英国广播公司的广播中全世界都可以听到它的声音的著名大钟。如果不是国会大厦在1834年被焚毁的话,这座大钟永远也不会建造。“大本”钟得名于本杰明.霍尔爵士,因为当建造新的国会大厦时,他负责建造大钟。此钟不仅外型巨大,而且走时也非常准确。格林尼治天文台的官员们每天两次派人矫正此钟。当大钟打点的时候,你可以从英国广播公司的广播中听到,因为钟塔上接了麦克风。“大本”钟很多出差错。然而有一次,它却把时间报错。在钟塔上干活的一位油漆工把一只油漆桶挂在了一根指针上,把钟弄慢了!
国际英语资讯:U.S. reports more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths -- Johns Hopkins University
国内英语资讯:Chinese medical experts share COVID-19 experience with American counterparts
国内英语资讯:China proposes G20 collaboration to ensure stability in global industrial, supply chains
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Chinese community pooling efforts to help fight COVID-19 in U.S.
中国外卖小哥登《时代周刊》封面,“非凡的使命感”令外媒耳目一新
体坛英语资讯:Analysis: Tragic fall of German football icon Klinsmann
体坛英语资讯:Schalke: Back to Europe with the help of Klopps closest buddy
国际英语资讯:Indian PM sets up emergency relief fund for COVID-19 fight
体坛英语资讯:Chinese spikers to start Olympic title defense with preliminary match against Turkey
国际英语资讯:President of Mozambique declares state of emergency
国内英语资讯:Except Wuhan, Chinas Hubei reopens domestic flights
国际英语资讯:Vietnam to suspend all inbound flights for COVID-19 control
国际英语资讯:U.S. steps up developing therapies against COVID-19: Trump
国际英语资讯:Feature: New Chinese-built PCR lab relieves COVID-19 testing pressure in Iraq
美国可能数百万人感染,英国需半年"恢复正常"
国际英语资讯:Russia to close border amid virus crisis
全球疫情汇总:美国可能数百万人感染 英国需半年“恢复正常”
国际英语资讯:Israel launches emergency labor plan as unemployment rate reaches 22.6 pct
国内英语资讯:China to strengthen quality control of medical supply exports
体坛英语资讯:Winter break means reduced fixture list in Premier League this weekend
体坛英语资讯:Chinas Yan ousts Higgins to reach semifinals at Snooker Welsh Open
体坛英语资讯:Barca move joint top, Villarreal, Granada and Mallorca also win in Spain
国际英语资讯:China donates medical supplies to Uzbekistan to help fight COVID-19
国际英语资讯:Turkish president says 39 locations under quarantine over COVID-19
国际英语资讯:Nearly 20,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed in UK
体坛英语资讯:Real Socidead win, but away goal keeps Mirandes cup dream alive
肯尼亚唯一的雌性白色长颈鹿和幼崽被杀害
国内英语资讯:Wuhan achieves full disposal of medical waste, wastewater
国内英语资讯:Rail repair underway after train derails in central China
国内英语资讯:Chinese mainland reports zero increase in domestic COVID-19 cases