Why do we clap? 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 live performance, such as a play, or a concert, to say thank you to the performers. 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 classical Athens, applause meant judgement and taking part. Plays were often in competition with each other, and prolonged clapping helped a play to win. The theatre was large - it could hold 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 sign of being part of the community, and of equality between actors and audience. The important thing was to make the noise together, to add one's own small handclap to others. Clapping is social, like laughter: you don't very often clap or laugh out loud alone. It is like laughter in another way, too: it is infectious, and spreads very quickly. Clapping at concerts and theatres is a universal habit. But some occasions on which people clap change from one country to another. For example, in Britain people clap at a wedding, but in Italy they sometimes clap at a funeral.

　　鼓掌

　　我们为什么鼓掌？当然是为了表示我们喜欢什么事情。但不论一个电视节目或一本书有多好，在结束时我们都不鼓掌。我们在现场表演结束时鼓掌来感谢表演者，比如戏剧或音乐会。首先他们给予精彩的表演，然后我们给予热烈的掌声。没有我们，也就是观众，表演会是不完整的。

　　鼓掌的习俗很早就开始了。在古代雅典，掌声代表评判和参与。比赛常常是竞争性的，持续时间很长的掌声可以帮助一场比赛获胜。剧场很大--可容纳14 000人，是城市成年男性人口的一半，这就意味着观众可能制造出很多的噪音。

　　掌声是一个人成为团体一员的标志，是演员与观众平等的标志。重要的是整齐地制造声音，将一个人微弱的鼓掌声与其他人的融合在一起。鼓掌有其社会性，就像笑声：你独自一人时通常不会鼓掌或者大笑。鼓掌在另一方面也很像笑声：它会传染，而且散播得很快。在音乐会上和剧场里鼓掌是一种普遍的习惯。但是不同国家的人们在某些场合的鼓掌习惯是不一样的。例如，在英国，人们在婚礼上鼓掌，而在意大利，人们有时在葬礼上鼓掌。

　　1．If you stare at someone you look at them for a long time. (P24)

　　如果你盯着某个人，你长时间看着他们。

　　★stare vi.凝视；盯着看

　　①It's not polite to stare at a girl in the face.

　　盯着姑娘的脸瞧是不礼貌的。

　　stare at　　　　　　 盯着看；凝视

　　stare into ... 凝视......

　　stare sb. up and down 上下打量某人

　　②Children should be taught not to stare at handicapped people.

　　应教育儿童不要盯着残疾人看。

　　③She was staring into the distance.

　　她凝视着远方。

[易混辨析]