People all over the world write to Big Ben. They【C1】______send birthday presents. Big Ben

is not a【C2】______. It's a clock!

Big Ben is the great clock【C3】______up in a tower of the Parliament building. This is the building in London where laws are【C4】______. The people of London like to see Big Ben's four friendly faces. They like to hear the chimes【C5】______. 15 minutes. They like to hear the bell【C6】______on the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong!

Big Ben's story started in 1834. In that year the old parliament building burned【C7】______. Its clock tower crashed to the ground. There【C8】______to be a new building—and a new clock.

Plans were made. They called【C9】______a "King of Clocks, the biggest and best in the world". So the clock had to be big. And it had to【C10】______very good time.

In two years the big clock was made. Five more years went by【C11】______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【C12】______. It rang our for the first time【C13】______July 11, 1859.

This great bell had to【C14】______a name. A meeting of Parliament was called to pick【C15】______. "This clock is the King of Clocks," one man said. "Let's call the bell the Queen of Bells."

"Then why not Victoria？" said【C16】______.(Victoria was the British queen at that time)The talk about names went【C17】______. Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak. He was a big man that others liked. By this time they were all【C18】______. Some one shouted, "Why not call it Big Ben and be done【C19】______it？"

Everybody laughed, and the meeting broke up. But Big Ben it was from then on. Not just the bell【C20】______the whole clock.

【C1】

A．once

B．usually

C．ever

D．even