与大本钟的钟声暂时告别
2016-04-09小J
译/小J
与大本钟的钟声暂时告别
译/小J
London residents①resident英 [ˈrɛzɪdənt]美 ['rɛzɪdənt]adj. 居住的;定居的n.住院医师will have to make do without the chimes②chime英 [tʃaɪm]美 [tʃaɪm] vi. 鸣响;和谐vt. 打钟报时n. 钟声;一套发谐音的钟of Big Ben for a while. After 157 years of nearly uninterrupted③uninterrupted英 [,ʌnɪntə'rʌptɪd]美 [,ʌn,ɪntə'rʌptɪd]adj. 不间断的;连续的service, the iconic④iconic英 [aɪ'kɒnɪk] 美 [aɪ'kɑnɪk]adj. 图标的,形象的clock in London has become worn and requires repairs⑤repair英 [rɪ'peə]美 [rɪ'pɛr]vi. 修理;修复vt. 修理;恢复n. 修理,修补;修补部位.
Steve Jaggs, Keeper of the Clock, said: "This project will enable us to give one of Britain's most famous landmarks⑥landmark英 ['læn(d)mɑːk] 美 ['lændmɑrk]n. [航]陆标;地标;界标;里程碑;纪念碑;地界标;划时代的事adj. 有重大意义或影响的the TLC (tender loving care) it so desperately needs and deserves."
The Elizabeth Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses the clock and is visited by 12,000 people a year. Water caused damage to its masonry⑦masonry英 ['meɪs(ə)nrɪ]美 ['mesənri]n. 石工;石工行业;石造建筑and there's corrosion⑧corrosion英 [kə'rəʊʒ(ə)n]美 [kə'roʒən] n. 腐蚀;腐蚀产生的物质;衰败in the cast-iron roof and belfry and the frame which holds the clock's bells. It all needs fixing.
Work, with an estimated cost of £29m, is set to begin early in 2017 and is planned to take three years. The clock will be silent for only a few months though and might come back to life in very special occasions.
The name Big Ben originally referred to the 13.5 tonne Great Bell within the tower,but ended up being used for the clock and tower too. The clock stands 96m above the Houses of Parliament. It was designed by architect⑨architect英 ['ɑːkɪtekt]美 ['ɑrkɪtɛkt]n. 建筑师,缔造者Edmund Beckett Denison and began keeping time on 31 May 1859.
伦敦的居民要将就度过一段没有大本钟的时间了。经过近157年不间断的服务,这只伦敦标志性的大钟已经年久失修,是需修缮了。
看守人Steve Jaggs说:“我们将通过这项工作给伦敦最著名的地标之一进行精心护理,它急需修缮。”
大本钟坐落在联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产伊丽莎白塔里,每年有1.2万名游客光顾。滴水导致了砖石结构的损坏,铸铁的楼顶和承载钟铃的钟楼和框架都存在腐蚀情况,亟待修复。
这项工作计划在2017年开始,持续三年,预计花费2900万英镑(约2.8亿元人民币)。不过大本钟只会安静几个月时间,然后在某个特别的时间重新复活。
大本钟的名字起源于塔内重达13.5吨的“Great Bell”,但最后用来指钟和塔两者。大本钟比英国国会大厦还高出96米。它由建筑师Edmund Beckett Denison设计,从1859年5月31日开始报时。
Bye bye Big Ben's Bongs