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ВИДАШЕНКО Н.І. ЗБІРНИК ТЕКСТІВ І ЗАВДАНЬ 2 ДЛЯ...doc
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4. Choose the right word. Use your research skills to answer the questions after the text.

bell clockfaces commissioner constructed

hammer hour hand landmarks mechanism

tower minute hand the largest weighing

The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, known as the Big Ben, is one of London’s most famous (1) ____________ . The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster is commonly referred to as the ‘Big Ben’, but in fact the name Big Ben refers to the clock’s hour (2) ____________, the largest of the clock’s five bells, the others being used as quarter bells.

There were two bells cast as the clock tower’s hour bell. A first, 16 ton (3) ____________ bell was cast by John Warner and Sons in 1856. Since the Clock Tower was not yet completed, the bell was hung temporarily in the Palace Yard. The bell soon cracked so it was recast in 1858 in the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as a 13.5 ton bell. Unfortunately soon after this bell was placed in the belfry in July 1859, it cracked yet again. This time, instead of recasting the bell, the crack was repaired and a lighter (4) ____________ was used.

The hour bell was probably named after Benjamin Hall, the first (5) ____________ of works. Some sources however claim the bell was named after Benjamin Caunt, a British heavyweight boxing champion.

The clock was the largest in the world and still (6) ____________ in Great Britain. The (7) ____________ have a diameter of almost 7.5m. The (8) ____________ is 2.7m long and the (9) ____________ is 4.25m long. The clock is known for its reliability, it has rarely failed during its long life span. Even after the nearby House of Commons was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the clock kept on chiming. The clock’s (10) ____________, designed by Edmund Beckett Denison, has a remarkable accuracy. The clock’s rate is adjusted by simply adding small pennies on the shoulder of the pendulum.

The tower was (11) ____________ between 1843 and 1858 as the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, now better known as the Houses of Parliament. The clock (12) ____________ is 96m high and consists of a 200ft high brick shaft topped by a cast iron framed spire. The clockfaces are 180ft / 55m above ground level.

1. Where is Big Ben located?

2. What is Big Ben?

3. What is the size of Big Ben?

4. Who may visit the clock tower?

5. Which political institution shares a building with Big Ben?

6. Who designed the clock tower, and when?

7. What is an interesting fact about this landmark?

8. Would you like to visit this landmark? Why or why not?

Text 3. The Eiffel Tower part 1

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is one of the most popular places in the world. Every year, more than two million tourists visit this iron tower. It was built in 1889 by a French engineer, Gustave Eiffel. It is 300m high, which is nearly 108 stories, and weighs up to 7000 tons. It was considered the tallest structure in the world until the Empire State Building was built in New York 40 years later.

The Eiffel tower was one of the first structures in the world to have passenger elevators. The steel elevator allowed visitors to see the beautiful gardens and buildings around the tower. This attracted even more tourists and the entire cost of the tower was recovered in just one year.