江苏省永丰初级中学七年级英语下册 Unit 1 Big Ben背景材料 （新版）牛津版VIP专享VIP免费

BIGBENTheBigBenislocatedinthetowerattheeasternendoftheHousesofParliament,Westminster,GreaterLondon.ItwasdesignedbyEdmundBeckettandBaronGrimThorpe.TheBigBenisveryfamousthroughouttheworld,butnobodyreallyknowswhyitiscalledBigBen.Therearetwohearsaysaboutthis.SomepeoplesaythatitwasnamedafterBenjaminCaunt,aboxer,whowascalledBigBen.MorepeoplebelieveitwascalledafterWelshman,SirBenjaminHall.Hewasthecommissioneroftheworkatthetimeofitsinstallationin1859.AstorywastoldthatduringadebateintheCommonsonwhattocallthebell,SirBenjaminwasabouttogivehisideaswhenaMPwhosatbehindthefrontbenchshouted,let’scallitBigBen!Thenthisnamecameintobeing.Thebellhasn'tgonethroughasmoothroadsincethebeginningofitsdesign.Becausetherewasgreatdisagreementaboutthedesignoftheclock,ittookfifteenyearstobuild.In1857,thebellwascompletedandtestedontheground,butafour-footcrackappearedandthebellhadtobecastagain.Finally,theclockstartedtickingon31May,1859,andstruckitsfirstchimeon11,July.TheninSeptember,thebellcrackedagain.Itwassilentforfouryearsbutwaseventuallyturnedaquarterofarevolution.Inthisway,thecrackwasnotunderthestrikinghammer.Craftsmenmadeasquareabovethecracktostopitgravinglongeranditcanstillbeseentoday.TheBigBenisfamousnotonlyforits13-tonweight,butalsoforitsaccuracywhichisaresultofitsprecisemechanism.Evenoneextrapenny'sweightonthebalancewillcauseagainoftwofifthsofasecondintwentyfourhours.Althoughtherehavebeenseveralproblem,thebellisstillstrikingtoday.ItschimescanbeheardallovertheworldontheB.B.C.