大本鐘要維修 可能三年都不會響

　　Starting in early 2017, tourists visiting London won’t have quitethe spectacular view of this iconic clock tower, nor will they hearthe chimes ring out. The tower will be covered in scaffolding asrestoration work begins.

　　從2017年初開始，參觀倫敦的游客就沒有機會再看到這個標志性的鐘塔頗為壯觀的景色了，也不會再聽到報時的鐘聲響起。隨著維修工程啟動，大本鐘將被腳手架覆蓋。

　　There is much to do for Big Ben that will ensure the historical structure’s integrity for futuregenerations, and an array of problems will be addressed. According to the New York Times, "Maintenance teams have identified problems with the clock’s hands, mechanism and pendulumthat threaten its ability to function properly, according to a Parliament statement. They also foundleaks, erosion, severe rusting and cracked masonry in the tower itself, which does not meet firesafety guidelines."

　　要為子孫后代確保大本鐘歷史結構的完整性，尚有很多工作要做。另外還有一系列的問題將得到解決。據《紐約時報》報道，“根據議會的聲明，維修團隊已經確定了大本鐘的指針、結構和鐘擺等威脅到基本報時功能的相關問題。他們還發(fā)現了漏水，腐蝕，嚴重生銹和鐘體裂紋等問題，恐有安全隱患。”

　　There will also be an elevator and bathroom installed, and the overall energy efficiency will beenhanced, including adding modern lighting to the tower face.

　　鐘樓將增設一部電梯和衛(wèi)生間，并加強改進整體的節(jié)能環(huán)保，包括在鐘面上加裝現代化的照明設備。

　　This is only the third time in the 157 year history of Big Ben that the clock won’t chime the hours.There’s no doubt that Londoners and visitors alike will be looking forward to when the much-loved clock and tower are spruced up and ringing once again.

　　這是大本鐘長達157年的歷史上第三次修繕。毋庸置疑的是，所有的倫敦市民，所有的游客，都很期待看到摯愛的大本鐘和鐘樓煥然一新，再次響起。