去过伦敦的人几乎无不知道矗立在泰晤士河畔的英国议会大厦巍峨壮观,它那尖塔上的大钟尤其引人注目。这座大钟不仅发出深沉宏亮的声音,为伦敦人民打点报时,而且为伦敦市容增添光彩。但人们未必都清楚这座大钟有趣的建造过程。此钟建于1859年。在相当远的地方,人们都可以从四面清楚地看到它那直径9米、每面重4吨的园形大字盘。报时的装置重13吨半。人们很难想象,这样一个庞然大物起初却是靠人力上弦和打钟。那时,每星期需上弦两次,每次需8小时,全靠足蹬,其费劲 Almost everyone who has been to London knows the towering magnificence of the British Parliament building on the banks of the River Thames, and the clock on its pinnacle pays particular attention. The clock not only issued a deep and loud voice, punctuality for the people of London, but also to add luster to the city of London. But people do not necessarily understand the interesting construction of the clock. This clock was built in 1859. At a considerable distance, people can clearly see from all four places it is 9 meters in diameter, each weighing 4 tons of garden-shaped plate. Time-laden device weighs 13 tons and a half. It is hard to imagine that such a monster was originally manned and clocked. At that time, there was a need to wind up twice a week for eight hours each, thanks to the pedal, which was laborious