第1436期:Bye bye Big Ben's bongs

London residents will have to make do without the chimes of Big Ben for a while. 

伦敦居民将不得不暂时没有大本钟的钟声。

After 157 years of nearly uninterrupted service, the iconic clock in London has become worn and requires repairs.

经过 157 年几乎不间断的服务，伦敦标志性的时钟已经磨损，需要维修。

Steve Jaggs, Keeper of the Clock, said: "This project will enable us to give one of Britain's most famous landmarks the TLC it so desperately needs and deserves."

时钟管理员史蒂夫贾格斯说：“这个项目将使我们能够为英国最著名的地标之一提供它迫切需要和应得的 TLC。”

The Elizabeth Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses the clock and is visited by 12,000 people a year. 

被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产的伊丽莎白塔设有时钟，每年有 12,000 人参观。

It's said to be structurally sound but water caused damage to its masonry and there's corrosion in the cast-iron roof and belfry and the frame which holds the clock's bells. It all needs fixing.

据说它结构完好，但水损坏了它的砖石，铸铁屋顶和钟楼以及固定钟铃的框架也被腐蚀了。这一切都需要修复。

Work will also help to bring the building up to modern health and safety standards. 

工作还将有助于使建筑达到现代健康和安全标准。

It will have a lift installed to make it easier and quicker to evacuate an injured person and give access to disabled people who can't climb its 334 steps. 

它将安装一个电梯，以便更容易和更快地疏散受伤人员，并让无法爬上 334 级台阶的残疾人进入。

And at a time when energy efficiency is a concern, the lights which illuminate the clock dials and the belfry will be replaced by low energy LEDs.

在关注能源效率的时候，照亮时钟表盘和钟楼的灯将被低能量 LED 取代。

Work, with an estimated cost of £29m, is set to begin early in 2017 and is planned to take three years. 

预计成本为 2900 万英镑的工作将于 2017 年初开始，计划耗时三年。

The clock will be silent for only a few months though and might come back to life in very special occasions.

不过，时钟只会静默几个月，并且可能会在非常特殊的场合恢复活力。

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.

大本钟这个名字最初是指塔内重达 13.5 吨的大钟，但最终也被用于钟和塔。 

The clock stands 96m above the Houses of Parliament. 

时钟位于国会大厦上方 96m 处。

It was designed by architect Edmund Beckett Denison and began keeping time on 31 May 1859. 

它由建筑师 Edmund Beckett Denison 设计，于 1859 年 5 月 31 日开始计时。

Surely it might be our turn to give this famous symbol of Britain some time to rest and recover.

当然，也许该轮到我们给这个著名的英国象征一些时间休息和恢复了。

词汇表

to make do  将就着，凑合着用
chimes   报时钟声
uninterrupted   没有中断过的
worn   受到磨损的
repair (noun)   维修
landmark   地标性建筑
TLC  (tender loving care 的缩写)  细心护理
UNESCO World Heritage Site    联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产地
structurally sound   结构上没有问题
masonry   砖石结构
corrosion    生锈、腐蚀
cast iron    铸铁
to fix    修理、整修
health and safety standards    健康安全标准
to evacuate    转移，疏散
to replace    更换
LED  (light-emitting diode 的缩写)   发光二极管
Houses of Parliament   议会大厦
architect   建筑设计师