6.stare at 凝视，盯着

7.ask sb a favor 请某人帮忙

8.in competition with 与......进行竞争

Ⅲ.经典句式

1.In Russia you must make a toast every__time you take a sip from your glass.

在俄国，你每一次从杯子里抿一小口时，都要祝酒干杯。

2.Without us-the audience-the performance would__not__be__complete.

没有我们观众，表演就不会完美。

3.But some occasions on__which people clap change from one country to another.

但是人们鼓掌的一些场合因国家的不同而有所不同。

原文呈现

Clapping

Why do we clap①？To show we like something，of course.But we don't clap at the end of a television programme or a book，however good they are.We clap at the end of a live② performance③，such as a play，or a concert，to say thank you to the performers④.First they give，and then we give.Without us-the audience-the performance would not be complete.

The custom of clapping has early beginnings.In classical⑤ Athens，applause⑥ meant judgement⑦ and taking part⑧.Plays were often in competition with each other，and prolonged⑨ clapping helped a play to win.The theatre was large-it could hold⑩ 14，000 people，half the adult male population of the city，which meant that the audience could make a lot of noise.

Applause was a sign⑪ of being part of the community，and of equality⑫ between actors and audience.The important thing was to make the noise together，to add one's own small handclap⑬ to⑭ others.Clapping is social⑮，like laughter⑯：you don't very often clap or laugh out⑰ loud alone.It is like laughter in another way，too：it is infectious⑱，and spreads very quickly.Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universa