What would I do for Carol’s 50th birthday? It was 1 that she didn’t want a party, certainly not a surprise party(that was an agreement at our marriage)．
“How about a small dinner with 2 ?” I asked．
“No,” she said, “I hate being the center of 3 ．”
Still, the milestone had to be marked． 4 wasn’t going to let her get away with a Stouffer’s frozen dinner and a movie video, 5 this was all she said she wanted．
I thought and thought, and 6 making my decision, I sent a letter to her friends, asking them for photos, poems, and letters．“Carol doesn’t 7 a party in person…but I’m hoping to 8 her a party in a book．” I bought a(n) 9 with a friend’s advice, and what I wanted 10 ．For a few minutes at the end of every workday, I 11 pull out the marking pens and make up the 12 , Carol’s．
Photos of her in junior high, pictures of us 13 the boys, original songs, notes, cards, and poems．It made me 14 for all the years we had had together．The 15 was more than the album．It was the friendship and love she had given to me and to our kids and to all her friends and family．You could 16 it on every page．
I wrapped it up and 17 it home．“Happy birthday, sweetie,” I said．“It’s not a frozen dinner or a video, but it’s 18 you deserve．” She cried．She doesn’t 19 like to cry, but I think she likes the book．She’s said so many times．And every time I remind her 20 putting it together was a gift to me．
Perhaps some people in the world ever write to Big Ben．They even 1 birthday presents．In fact, Big Ben is not a 2 ．It's a clock!
Big Ben is the great clock 3 up in a tower of the Parliament(议会)building．This is the building in London 4 laws are made．The people of London like to see Big Ben's four friendly faces．They like to hear the chimes(钟声) 5 15 minutes．They like to hear the bell 6 the hours．Bong! Bong! Bong!
Big Ben's story started in 1834．In that year the old Parliament building burned 7 ．Its clock tower crashed to the ground．There 8 to be a new building and a new clock．
Plans were made．They 9 it “King of Clocks, the biggest and best in the world”．So the clock had to be big．And it had to 10 very good time．
In two years the big clock was made．Five more years went by 11 the clock tower was finished．Then the four 12 for the chimes(击钟装置)were brought into the tower．And at last the giant hour bell was put in 13 ．It 14 out for the first time on July 11,1859．
This great bell had to have a name．A meeting of Parliament was called to pick 15 ．“This clock is the King of Clocks,” one man said．“Let's call the bell Queen of Bells．”
“Then why not Victoria?” said 16 ．The talk about names went 1 ．Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak．He was a big man that others liked．By this time they were all 18 ．Someone shouted, “Why not call it Big Ben and be done 19 it?
Everybody laughed, and the meeting 20 ．But from then on, Big Ben was not just the bell but the whole clock．
