Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in London. The name was given in honor of Sir
Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of the works when the bell was installed in 1856.
The clock has become a symbol of the United Kingdom and London. When a television or film-maker
wishes to quickly show a non-UK audience a certain location in Britain, a popular way to do so is to
show an image of the Clock Tower. The Clock Tower is also often voted as the Most Iconic London
Film Location.
The Clock Tower is a focus of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and TV
stations tuning to its chimes (报时钟声) to welcome the start of the year.
Londoners who live an appropriate (适当的) distance from the Clock Tower and Big Ben can, by
means of listening to the chimes both live and on the radio or television, hear the bell strike thirteen times
on New Year’s Eve. This is possible due to what amounts to an offset between live and electronically
transmitted chimes since the speed of sound is much slower than the speed of radio waves. Guests are
invited to count the chimes aloud as the radio is gradually turned down.
The Clock Tower has appeared in many films, most notably in the 1978 version of The Thirty-Nine
Steps, in which the hero attempted to halt the clock’s progress (to prevent a linked bomb blowing up)
by hanging from the minute hand of its western face. It was also used in the film, Shanghai Knights,
starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and was depicted (描述) as being destroyed in Aliens of
London. In the Walt Disney film The Great Mouse Detective, it is even shown being destroyed by a
UFO!
1. From Paragraph 2, we know that Big Ben is .
A. a landmark of the UK and London
B. a most popular scene for film makers
C. a must-see sight for tourists to London
D. a popular place where to have pictures taken
2. Why do some people hear the bell strike thirteen times on New Year's Eve?
A. They are standing too far away.
B. There is something wrong with Big Ben.
C. There's some technical problems in the radio broadcasting.
D. They hear the striking live and by radio waves at the same time.
3. The underline word "halt" in Paragraph 5 means " ".
A. look into something
B. get something to stop
C. make something work again
D. draw people's attention to something
4. In which of the following movies is the clock destroyed?
A. The Thirty-Nine Steps and Shanghai Knights.
B. Shanghai Knights and Aliens of London.
C. Aliens of London and The Thirty-Nine Steps.
D. The Great Mouse Detective and Aliens of London.
5.What would be the best title of the text?
A. The origin and development of Big Ben
B. Sir Benjamin Hall - the founder of Big Ben
C. Big Ben - significance in popular culture
D. Big Ben and New Year’s celebrations
