Ranging from the candle clock to the word clock， this instrument has been used to indicate， keep， and co-ordinate time， becoming an essential part of everyday life. Although nowadays clocks are mostly used to show time， they have also become the symbols of important cities， attracting thousands of tourists every year.

從蠟燭時鐘到字時鐘，時鐘這一工具已經(jīng)成為我們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪斜夭豢缮俚囊徊糠?，它告訴我們時間，記錄并協(xié)調(diào)時間。雖然現(xiàn)在時鐘主要用來報時，但有一些時鐘已成為重要城市的標(biāo)志，每年吸引成千上萬的游客。

Spasskaya Tower Clock， Moscow， Russia

俄羅斯 莫斯科 斯帕斯卡亞塔鐘

The Kremlin chiming clock is a historic clock placed in 1852 on the Spasskaya Tower Clock in Red District， Moscow. Major restoration of the chimes and the entire clock mechanism were carried along time， so now one can listen to Russias National Anthem while admiring the renovated Kremlin clock. The musical theme is played four times a day with six-hour intervals.

克里姆林宮的報時鐘歷史悠久，于1852年被安置在位于莫斯科紅區(qū)的斯帕斯卡亞塔鐘上，其報時裝置以及整個時鐘機(jī)械裝置的主要修繕工作與時俱進(jìn)，所以我們現(xiàn)在可以在觀賞修葺一新的克里姆林宮時鐘的同時聆聽俄羅斯的國歌。這個音樂主題一天播放四次，每六小時播放一次。

Shepherd Gate Clock， Greenwich， UK

英國 格林尼治 謝潑德門鐘

The Shepherd Gate Clock adorns the wall outside the gate of the Royal Greenwich Observatory building in Greenwich， London. This fine looking 24-hour clock whose divisions are marked with Roman numbers is famous as it provides the Greenwich Mean Time which is the standard measurement of time zones.

謝潑德門鐘鑲嵌在倫敦格林尼治的格林尼治皇家天文臺門外的墻上。這座精美的24小時制時鐘的刻度用羅馬數(shù)字標(biāo)示，所顯示的時間被稱為格林尼治標(biāo)準(zhǔn)時間，即各個時區(qū)的時間標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，這座鐘也因此聞名世界。

The Abraj Al Bait Tower Clock， Mecca， Saudi Arabia

沙特阿拉伯 麥加 皇家鐘塔

In Mecca， Saudi Arabia， one can easily find the Abraj Al-Bait Towers， also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. Just imagine that the hotel tower is 601 meters tall （1972 feet）， no less than 120 floors. Believe it or not， the four-faced clock is visible from 25 kilometers （16 miles） away.

在沙特阿拉伯的麥加，你很容易就能發(fā)現(xiàn)這座皇家鐘塔（又被稱為“麥加皇家酒店鐘塔”）。想象一下，這座酒店塔樓高601米（1972英尺），相當(dāng)于120多層樓的高度。信不信由你，你在25千米（16英里）之外都能看見這座有四個鐘面的塔樓。

Big Ben Clock， London， UK

英國 倫敦 大本鐘

Being without a doubt the most famous clock in the world， the Big Ben is located in the clock tower in the House of Parliament （Palace of Westminster） in London. Seen as an excellent symbol of London， the Big Ben is actually the nickname used for the main bell， also known as Great Bell， the largest of the clocks five bells. The clock is known for its reliability， as even after the nearby House of Commons was destroyed by bombing during World War II， the clock kept on chiming.

位于倫敦議會大廈（威斯敏斯特大教堂）附屬塔樓上的大本鐘無疑是世界上最著名的時鐘。大本鐘被看作是倫敦絕佳的象征，而“大本鐘”這個名字其實(shí)是對鐘樓最主要的鐘（五個鐘里最大的一個）的昵稱。大本鐘因可靠而著名，二戰(zhàn)時，鐘樓附近的下議院被炮彈炸毀，這座鐘也沒有停止報時。

The Astronomical Clock， Prague， Czech Republic

捷克 布拉格 天文鐘

The oldest Astronomical Clock is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague， Czech Republic. Situated on the southwest wall of the Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square， it is full of artistic beauty. Its technological complexity is remarkable： the clock keeps pace with the earth， moon， sun and stars. Moreover， when it strikes the two blue windows on the clock tower open and show the processions of the wooden figures.

這座世界上最古老的天文鐘是捷克布拉格最受游客歡迎的景點(diǎn)。布拉格天文鐘在老城廣場的老市政廳西南墻上，不僅富于藝術(shù)美，而且其技術(shù)復(fù)雜性也令人贊嘆——它能與地球、月亮、太陽和星星運(yùn)動同步。而且，當(dāng)鐘聲敲響時，鐘樓上的兩扇藍(lán)色窗戶就會打開，人們就可以看到木刻人像列隊(duì)祈禱的場景。

Strasbourg Cathedral Clock， Strasbourg， France

法國 斯特拉斯堡 斯特拉斯堡教堂天文鐘

The Strasbourg Clock is located in the cathedral tower of Cathedral Notre-Dame of Strasbourg， one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in all Europe. Behind the shell of the clock lays a mathematical demonstration： the clock is able to show the official time， indicate solar time， the day of the week， the month， the year， the sign of the zodiac， the phase of the moon and the position of several planets or as foreseeing upcoming leap years. Moreover， animated characters launch into movement at different hours of the day. This amazing clock as well as the cathedral are a must see！

斯特拉斯堡天文鐘位于斯特拉斯堡圣母大教堂的鐘塔內(nèi)，這座大教堂是歐洲最美的哥特式教堂之一。在時鐘的裝飾殼后面有精確的圖示——這座鐘能顯示標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的時間，指示太陽時、星期、月份、年份、黃道十二宮的符號、月相、一些行星的位置，還能預(yù)告即將到來的閏年。而且，在一天中不同的時段，這座鐘里都會有栩栩如生的人偶突然動起來。這座令人驚嘆的天文鐘以及它所在的大教堂都是必游之處！

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel， Munich， Germany

德國 慕尼黑 市政廳鐘琴樓

This chiming clock can be found in the central Marienplatz in Munich. Tourists gather to see the Glockenspiel. With its 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures， it chimes every day at 11 a.m. （as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer）. The upper part tells the story of one of the most expensive weddings of the Middle Ages， whereas on the lower level you can see the Schafflertanz performed by the red-coated citys coopers. The show last for around 15 minutes， to the pleasure of the crowd.

你可以在慕尼黑的瑪麗恩廣場中央看到這個報時鐘，游客們聚集而來，一覽這座鐘琴樓。鐘琴內(nèi)裝有43個鐘鈴和32個真人大小的玩偶，每天上午11點(diǎn)（夏季在中午12點(diǎn)和下午5點(diǎn)）鐘琴就會報時（玩偶們這時會開始表演）。鐘琴樓的上面部分展現(xiàn)的是中世紀(jì)最奢華的婚禮之一，下面部分則是由穿紅衣的制桶工人表演的夏夫樂舞（一種宗教儀式舞蹈）。整場表演持續(xù)大約15分鐘，供鐘樓下的人們欣賞。