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随身英语Bye bye Big Ben's bongs 与大本钟的钟声暂时告别Play audio file伦敦标志性建筑“大本钟”将接受维修工程，这意味着维修期间人们无法听到钟声。《随身英语》关注大本钟所遭受的磨损，以及维修工程会涉及到哪方面的工作。 课文内容词汇: repairs 维修 London residents will have to make do without the chimes of Big Ben for a while. After 157 years of nearly uninterrupted service, the iconic clock in London has become worn and requires repairs. 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." The Elizabeth Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses the clock and is visited by 12,000 people a year. 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. Work will also help to bring the building up to modern health and safety standards. 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. 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. Work, with an estimated cost of £29m, is set to begin early in 2017 and is planned to take three years. The clock will be silent for only a few months though and might come back to life in very special occasions. | 
