当你来到伦敦时，你首先会看到的东西之一便是大本钟——这座著名的时钟，人们在世界各地都能通过英国广播公司听到它的声音。
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.
如果议会大厦没有在1834年被烧毁，这座大钟就永远不会被建造出来了。
If the Houses of Parliament had not been burned down in 1834, the great clock would never have been erected.
大本钟得名于本杰明·霍尔爵士，议会大厦重建期间，他负责监督时钟的制作。
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.
它不仅体积巨大，而且走时极为精准。
It is not only of immense size, but is extremely accurate as well.
格林尼治天文台的官员每天两次让人检查这座时钟。
Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.
在英国广播公司的节目中，当大本钟实际敲响时，你可以听到它的声音，因为麦克风连接在钟楼上。
On the B.B.C. you can hear the clock when it is actually striking because microphones are connected to the clock tower.
大本钟极少出过故障。
Big Ben has rarely gone wrong.
然而，有一次它未能准时报时。
Once, however, it failed to give the correct time.
一名正在钟楼上施工的油漆工把一罐油漆挂在了其中一根指针上，使它慢了下来！
A painter who had been working on the tower hung a pot of paint on one of the hands and slowed it down!