单选题
People all over the world write to Big Ben.
They{{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}send birthday presents. Big Ben
is not a{{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}. It's a clock!
Big Ben is the great clock{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}up
in a tower of the Parliament building. This is the building in London where laws
are{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}. The people of London like to see
Big Ben's four friendly faces. They like to hear the chimes{{U}} {{U}}
5 {{/U}} {{/U}}. 15 minutes. They like to hear the bell{{U}}
{{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}on the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong!
Big Ben's story started in 1834. In that year the old parliament building
burned{{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Its clock tower crashed to
the ground. There (74) to be a new building—and a new
clock. Plans were made. They called{{U}} {{U}} 8
{{/U}} {{/U}}a "King of Clocks, the biggest and best in the world". So the
clock had to be big. And it had to{{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}}
{{/U}}very good time. In two years the big clock was made. Five
more years went by{{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}the clock tower
was finished. Then the four bells for the chimes were brought into the tower.
And at last the giant hour bell was put in{{U}} {{U}} 11
{{/U}} {{/U}}. It rang our for the first time{{U}} {{U}} 12
{{/U}} {{/U}}July 11, 1859. This great bell had to{{U}}
{{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}a name. A meeting of Parliament was called to
pick{{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}. "This clock is the King of
Clocks," one man said. "Let's call the bell the Queen of Bells."
"Then why not Victoria?" said{{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}}
{{/U}}. (Victoria was the British queen at that time) The talk about names
went{{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Then Benjamin Hall got up to
speak. He was a big man that others liked. By this time they were all{{U}}
{{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}. Some one shouted, "Why not call it Big Ben
and be done{{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}} {{/U}}it?"
Everybody laughed, and the meeting broke up. But Big Ben it was from then on.
Not just the bell{{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}the whole
clock.