The Leaning Tower of London: Time's up for tilting Big Ben
倫敦斜塔: 大本鐘不能再傾斜了

Fears over the long-term stability of Big Ben have been raised because it is beginning to tilt to one side.
人們一直在擔心大本鐘的長期穩定性：它已經開始向一邊傾斜了。

The top of the clock tower is leaning one-and-a-half feet off a level position, according to surveyors, and getting worse each year.
據監測員的測量結果，鐘樓的頂部已經偏離水平位置傾斜了1.5英尺，而且每年的傾斜幅度都在增加。

The tower in Westminster, which houses the giant bell known as Big Ben, is sinking into the banks of the Thames, partly as a result of decades of underground excavation.
大本鐘的鐘樓位于威斯敏斯特區，目前鐘樓正慢慢陷入泰晤士河的河岸里，部分是因為長期的地下挖掘施工造成的。

Subterranean works beneath the tower include the Jubilee line station, an underground car park and sewers.
鐘樓下方的地下施工包括銀禧線地鐵站臺，還有一個地下停車場和部分下水道工程。

Its lurch of 0.26 degrees is said to be visible to the naked eye—and if it goes uncorrected could cause the tower to crash.
據說現在大本鐘0.26的傾斜度用肉眼都能清晰看到，如果不進行矯正，可能會造鐘樓倒塌。

However at current rates, it would take 4,000 years before the tower is as slanted as the Leaning Tower of Pisa which leans by four degrees and is around 12ft off the vertical.
不過以目前速度來看，大本鐘要像比薩斜塔一樣傾斜可能要花四千多年。比薩斜塔的傾斜度為4，已經偏離垂直位置達12英尺。

John Burland, emeritus professor at Imperial College London, said: ‘I've heard tourists saying “I don't think it is quite vertical” and they are right. If it started greater acceleration we would have to look at doing something, but I don't think we need to do anything for a few years yet.’
倫敦大學帝國理工學院的名譽教授John Burland表示：“我也曾經聽到參觀者說覺得大本鐘不是垂直的，事實確實如此。如果傾斜速度加快，那我們就需要采取一些行動了。不過我覺得近幾年還用不著。”

If Big Ben were to fall it would crash into MPs' offices over the road in Portcullis House. Currently, the clock tower is sinking more quickly on the north side of the 315ft-tall building.
如果大本鐘真的倒塌了，那會直接砸進保得利大廈內的國會議員辦公室里。315英尺高的保得利大廈北側的鐘樓目前下陷得更快。

A just published 2009 survey for London Underground and the Parliamentary Estates Department found that the rate of movement has accelerated in recent years.
日前公布的倫敦地下和議會地產部門2009年度調查報告顯示，近年來鐘樓的下陷速度已經加快。

Engineers cannot explain why the tower's clock face moved up to an eighth of an inch (3.3mm) away from the vertical between November 2002 and August 2003.
至于在2002年11月到2003年8月間，鐘樓的鐘面為何偏離垂直位置上移達0.125英寸（3.3毫米），工程師們無從解釋。

Since 2003, monitoring instruments show the tilt has increased 0.04in (0.9mm) a year, compared to the long-term average rate of just 0.025in (0.65mm) a year.
監測試備顯示，與長期的平均水平每年0.025英寸（0.65毫米）相比，自2003年以來，鐘樓每年的傾斜位置增加了0.04英寸（0.9毫米）。

The report, obtained by the Sunday Telegraph, revealed that the tower was now leaning towards the north-west at an angle of 0.26 degrees, meaning the top of the tower is 1ft 5in (435mm) from vertical.
據周日電訊報獲得的報告顯示，大本鐘目前已經朝西北方向傾斜了0.26度，這就意味著鐘樓的頂部已經偏離垂直位置1英尺5英寸（435毫米）。

Big Ben's movement has caused cracks in the walls of other parts of the House of Commons, including corridors where ministers and shadow ministers have their offices.
大本鐘的傾斜運動還造成了下議院其它部分墻面出現裂紋，其中包括部長和影子部長辦公室的走廊墻面。

詞語注釋：
tilt [tilt] n. 1. 傾斜，傾側 2. （意欲贏得某物或戰勝某人的）企圖，嘗試 v. 1. [I,T]（使）傾斜，傾側 2. [I,T]使傾向于；使向...傾斜，偏向
emeritus [i'meritəs] a. 名譽退休的,退休的
vertical ['və:tikəl] a. 垂直的,直立的; sewer ['su:ə] n. [C] 1.下水道，陰溝 2. 裁縫師 v. [T] 用下水道排，安下水道于
slant [slɑ:nt] n. 1. 傾斜，歪斜，斜線，斜面 2. （有傾向性的）觀點，態度 v. 1. [I,T]（使）傾斜，歪斜 2. [T]有傾向性地陳述，有偏向地報道
accelerate [ək'seləreit] v. 1. [T]使（某事物）加快；促進（某事物）；加速 2. [I]加速; 加快