Przeczytaj tekst, który został podzielony na cztery części (A–D), oraz pytania go
dotyczące (4.1.–4.5.). Do każdego pytania dopasuj właściwą część tekstu. Wpisz
rozwiązania do tabeli.
Uwaga: w jednej części tekstu znajdują się odpowiedzi na dwa pytania.

 

In which paragraph does the author mention

4.1.	human error as a possible reason for a break in Big Ben’s functioning?
4.2.	a feature of the clock tower that most people fail to notice?
4.3.	incidents when the time shown by the clock wasn’t accurate?
4.4.	a slight delay in hearing the bell when one is at the foot of the tower?
4.5.	a factor which led to a change in the clock’s appearance?

 

BIG BEN

A. Visitors to London often refer to the famous clock tower and the clock itself as Big Ben.
But that’s not accurate. Big Ben is only the name of the bell inside the tower. The tower
is called the Elizabeth Tower. Not many people know that it leans. This is only seen by
those few passers-by who take the time to study its exterior very closely, because
the tower leans only slightly – about 0.04 degrees.

B. Big Ben first chimed in July 1859, but two months later a crack appeared in the bell. This
was most likely caused by a worker carrying out routine maintenance. As a result, the bell
fell silent for four years. When the bell chimes, it not only informs Londoners and tourists
about the time, but also illustrates an interesting phenomenon. As sound travels slower
than radio waves, people listening to a live radio broadcast will hear the bell’s chimes
one-sixth of a second earlier than people strolling past the clock tower.

C. The clock’s maintenance book reveals that the clock’s hands were blue when it was built
in 1859, but London’s smog gradually turned them black. In the 1980s, a new coat of
paint was applied. This time the colour black was chosen to avoid discolouration.
The clock’s hands are illuminated by 28 energy-efficient bulbs, each of which has
a lifetime of 60,000 hours. However, from 1939 to 1945, the authorities decided to make
an exception – the clock’s hands remained unlit in compliance with wartime blackout
rules.

D. Inquisitive tourists will come across descriptions of some occasions when the clock’s
timekeeping was affected by external factors. For instance, the clock’s time was altered in
1944 when a flock of starlings rested on one of the hands. The birds were so heavy that
they slowed the mechanism down. On another occasion, on 31st December 1962, heavy
snow and ice caused Big Ben to chime in the New Year with a 10-minute delay.

Na podstawie: www.telegraph.co.uk