August 16, 2017 / 10:00 AM
Four years without Big Ben’s bongs? It can’t be right, says UK PM May
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said
on Wednesday it could not be right for “Big Ben”, the bell in
the British parliament’s clock tower whose bongs
(1)_______, to fall silent for four years during renovations.
May joined other politicians who have protested at the
news that the great bell, which has rung every hour for
most of the past 157 years, would cease its bongs to ensure
the safety of workers carrying out renovations on the tower.
“Of course we want to ensure that people are safe at
work, but it can’t be right for Big Ben to be silent for four
years,” May told reporters.
“I hope that the Speaker (of the House of Commons)
... will urgently look into this and ensure that we can hear
Big Ben through those four years.”
Big Ben’s bongs, which are heard marking the start of
some of the BBC’s flagship news bulletins, are part of the
soundtrack of daily life in the British capital and beyond.
Officially known as the Elizabeth Tower, the clock tower
that houses Big Ben is believed to be the most photographed
building in the United Kingdom. May’s comments were
more restrained than those of her Brexit minister, David
Davis, who said on Tuesday that (2)_____.
Another Conservative politician, member of parliament
Nigel Evans, suggested earlier on Wednesday that the bongs
could be switched back on every evening when the workers
carrying out the renovations of the clock tower finished for
the day.
Steve Jaggs, parliament’s Keeper of the Great Clock,
had announced this week that Big Ben would stop its regular chimes at midday (1100 GMT) on Monday, Aug. 21,
inviting members of the public to gather nearby to hear the
final bongs.
The bell will still toll for important (3)_____ but will
otherwise remain silent until 2021.
Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Michael
Holden
(Adaptado de Acesso em
16/08/2017)
In the previous text, three parts of sentences have
been removed. Below you will find the three removed parts
PLUS one which doesn’t fit. Choose from the parts of
sentences (I – IV) the one which fits each gap (1 – 3).
Remember, there is one extra sentence you do not need to
use.
Sentences
I) the House of Commons said on Monday
II) events such as New Year’s Eve celebrations
III) are one of the country’s most familiar sounds
IV) the silencing of Big Ben for such a long period was
“mad”
Now choose the correct alternative.
