七年级英语下册 Unit 1 Big Ben背景材料 （新版）牛津版.doc

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1、BIGBENTheBigBenislocatedinthetowerattheeasternendoftheHousesofParliament,Westminster,GreaterLondon.ItwasdesignedbyEdmundBeckettandBaronGrimThorpe.TheBigBenisveryfamousthroughouttheworld,butnobodyreallyknowswhyitiscalledBigBen.Therearetwohearsaysaboutthis.Somepeoplesaythatitwasnamedafter

2、BenjaminCaunt,aboxer,whowascalledBigBen.MorepeoplebelieveitwascalledafterWelshman,SirBenjaminHall.Hewasthecommissioneroftheworkatthetimeofitsinstallationin1859.AstorywastoldthatduringadebateintheCommonsonwhattocallthebell,SirBenjaminwasabouttogivehisideaswhenaMPwhosatbehindthefrontbench

3、shouted,let’scallitBigBen!Thenthisnamecameintobeing.Thebellhasn'tgonethroughasmoothroadsincethebeginningofitsdesign.Becausetherewasgreatdisagreementaboutthedesignoftheclock,ittookfifteenyearstobuild.In1857,thebellwascompletedandtestedontheground,butafour-footcrackappearedandthebellhadto

4、becastagain.Finally,theclockstartedtickingon31May,1859,andstruckitsfirstchimeon11,July.TheninSeptember,thebellcrackedagain.Itwassilentforfouryearsbutwaseventuallyturnedaquarterofarevolution.Inthisway,thecrackwasnotunderthestrikinghammer.Craftsmenmadeasquareabovethecracktostopitgravinglo

5、ngeranditcanstillbeseentoday.TheBigBenisfamousnotonlyforits13-tonweight,butalsoforitsaccuracywhichisaresultofitsprecisemechanism.Evenoneextrapenny'sweightonthebalancewillcauseagainoftwofifthsofasecondintwentyfourhours.Althoughtherehavebeenseveralproblem,thebellisstillstrikingtoday.Itsch

6、imescanbeheardallovertheworldontheB.B.C.