雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
掌声的起源与发展：从古罗马到现代
本篇也叫：鼓掌的起源、掌声历史、拍手起源、鼓掌由来、掌声的起源和发展、古罗马鼓掌
Part 2 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2026.2.11山东财经大学
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《The origin and development of applause》，共 12 题，2026.2.11山东财经大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章讲述鼓掌这一行为的起源与发展，重点介绍古罗马时期鼓掌如何被正式化，并成为观众表达赞赏的方式。罗马人用拍手和呼喊结束表演，还出现了受雇鼓掌的“laudiceni”。后来鼓掌成为罗马领袖判断民意的工具，西塞罗等政治家也通过掌声分析对手的受欢迎程度。
Whether you clap, cheer or whistle a great public performance, you are following a long tradition
A
Scholars aren’t quite sure about the origins of applause, but the form that is still most common, clapping the hands together, was formalized in Western culture during and after performances. During the time of the Roman Republic (509BC – 27BC) the common way to end a play was for the chief actor to yell ‘Valete et plaudite!’ (‘Goodbye and applause!’) thus signaling to the audience it was time for them to give praise by striking hands and making explosive noise. It’s no surprise, then, that this became a means of crowd manipulation. Rome saw the rise of a professional class of laudiceni, or ‘people who clapped for their dinner’, hired to infiltrate crowds and manipulate their reaction to performances. Actors would hire a dozen or so people to spread out among their audiences and prolong the applause, or, if they were feeling especially bold, to start ‘spontaneous’ chants and shouts of praise.
B
The Roman Republic came to an end and was replaced by the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD) where applause became a way for leaders to interact directly with their citizens. One of the chief methods they used to estimate their standing with the people was gauging the greetings they got when they entered the arena. Leaders became astute at reading the volume, the rhythm, and the length of the crowd’s claps for clues about how well they were doing as officials and lawmakers. ‘We should think of it as an ancient type of opinion poll,’ says Greg Aldrete, a professor of history. ‘This is how you gauge the people.’ Roman leaders were gathering data about people by listening to applause.
C
Clever leaders of the ancient world researched their rivals, too. Cicero, the Roman lawyer, would send friends to stand around outside the arena, taking notes to see what kind of greeting each official got when he entered, the better to see who was beloved by the people, and who was not. They had a lot of information to assess. ‘Ancient crowds were more interactive than they are today,’ Aldrete points out. ‘There was a lot of back and forth between speakers and crowds. And particularly in the Greco-Roman world, crowds, especially in cities, were really good at communicating messages through rhythmic clapping, sometimes coupled with shouts.’ The coding was, he says, invaluable when assessing an actor's fortunes.
D
Around the first centuries AD, those systems of applause became more and more elaborate. Applause no longer meant, simply, ‘claps’. While Greco-Roman audiences certainly smacked their palms together the same way we do today, their overall strategies of applause were much more varied than clapping alone. Crowds expressed degrees of approval of the person or persons before them, ranging from claps, to snaps (of the finger and thumb), to waves (of the edge of the toga). The emperor Aurelian decided to replace this gesture by waving a special handkerchief instead, a prop which he then distributed to all Roman citizens, so they would never be without a way to praise him.
E
Although style of applause may have changed over the centuries, the need to manipulate remained. 16th-century French poet Jean Daurat is credited with bringing back the Roman practice of hiring professional applauders. In France, this group became known as a ‘claque’. Daurat handed out tickets to his own performances to people who promised to applaud at the end. By the early 1820s, claques had become institutionalized, with an agency in Paris specializing in the distribution of the claqueurs’ services. The historian William B. Cohen describes the intricate price lists agencies of this kind would hand out to potential patrons: polite clapping would cost this many francs, enthusiastic applause would cost this many. The claque also underwent a kind of classification: the rieurs (laughers) would laugh loudly at the jokes; the pleureurs (criers), would feign tears in reaction to performance; the commissaires (officers), would learn a play or a piece of music by heart and then call attention to its best parts. This practice spread to Milan, to Vienna, and to London before falling out of fashion. The claque lost its power once people became aware of its tricks.
F
And clapping itself evolved. In the 18th century, symphonies and concerts became more serious, aligning themselves with the reverence and spirituality associated with religious ceremonies. Knowing when to maintain silence, as well as when to clap, became a mark of sophistication, a kind of code for audiences to learn. Applause became a matter of ‘do’ or ‘don’t,’ so losing many old shades of meaning. Those changes changed performers, too. Applause became much less of a true dialogue with an audience, especially so with opera, where the singers saw it as part of a basic transaction with the crowd. So by the time the 19th century arrived, applause had become standardized and institutionalized, and had become an expectation rather than the reward it used to be.
G
In the 21st century we’re reinventing applause, to make it what it used to be: a coded form of communication. More and more the digital world allows us to link and like and share through our devices. By connecting with others in this way, we become part of the performance by participating in it, demonstrating our appreciation by amplifying and extending the show through commenting and praising. But our kind of applause matters more now, in many ways, because it is no longer momentary and short-lived, but is far more permanent instead.
想在线练习这套卷子？进入机考练习
答案：the initial emergence of applause as a behaviour in the theatre
原文定位：During the time of the Roman Republic (509BC – 27BC) the common way to end a play was for the chief actor to yell ‘Valete et plaudite!’ (‘Goodbye and applause!’) thus signaling to the audience it was time for them to give praise by striking hands and making explosive noise
同义替换：「applause as a behaviour」↔「striking hands」，「in the theatre」↔「end a play」
答案：the use of applause by political figures to value their own popularity
原文定位：applause became a way for leaders to interact directly with their citizens. One of the chief methods they used to estimate their standing with the people was gauging the greetings they got when they entered the arena
同义替换：「political figures」↔「leaders」，「use of applause」↔「greetings」，「value their own popularity」↔「estimate their standing with the people」，「popularity」↔「standing with the people」
答案：the use of applause in working out how popular an opponent was
原文定位：Cicero, the Roman lawyer, would send friends to stand around outside the arena, taking notes to see what kind of greeting each official got when he entered, the better to see who was beloved by the people, and who was not
同义替换：「working out」↔「see」，「popular」↔「beloved by the people」，「opponent」↔「each official」，「applause」↔「greeting」
答案：the different methods of applause employed in ancient times besides clapping
原文定位：Crowds expressed degrees of approval of the person or persons before them, ranging from claps, to snaps (of the finger and thumb), to waves (of the edge of the toga). The emperor Aurelian decided to replace this gesture by waving a special handkerchief instead
同义替换：「different」↔「ranging from claps, to」，「applause」↔「expressed degrees of approval」，「besides clapping」↔「waving a special handkerchief」
答案：the re-emergence and disappearance of fake appreciation
原文定位：French poet Jean Daurat is credited with bringing back the Roman practice of hiring professional applauders;By the early 1820s;claques had become institutionalized;The claque lost its power once people became aware of its tricks
同义替换：「re-emergence」↔「bringing back the Roman practice」，「fake appreciation 」↔「professional applauders」，「disappearance」↔「lost its power」
答案：the impact of musical performance on the etiquette of applause
原文定位：In the 18th century, symphonies and concerts became more serious;Knowing when to maintain silence, as well as when to clap, became a mark of sophistication;applause had become standardized and institutionalized
同义替换：「musical performance」↔「symphonies」，「impact」↔「became more serious」，「etiquette of applause」↔「institutionalized」
答案：a form of applause that is more far-reaching than ever before
原文定位：In the 21st century we’re reinventing applause;our kind of applause matters more now, in many ways, because it is no longer momentary and short-lived, but is far more permanent instead
同义替换：「more far-reaching」↔「permanent」，「applause」↔「our expressions of approval」，「than ever before」↔「In the 21st century」
答案：As a practice in France it first appeared in the 16th century.,Claqueurs were divided into different categories.
原文定位：French poet Jean Daurat is credited with bringing back the Roman practice of hiring professional applauders;The claque also underwent a kind of classification;the rieurs (laughers);the pleureurs (criers);the commissaires
同义替换：「first appeared in」↔「bringing back the Roman practice」，「divided into different categories」↔「underwent a kind of classification」，「claque」↔「professional applauders」
答案：silence
原文定位：Knowing when to maintain silence, as well as when to clap, became a mark of sophistication
同义替换：「show their superiority」↔「became a mark of sophistication」，「understanding」↔「Knowing」，「applause」↔「clap」
答案：opera
原文定位：Applause became much less of a true dialogue with an audience, especially so with opera, where the singers saw it as part of a basic transaction with the crowd
同义替换：「performers」↔「singers」，「in particular」↔「especially so with」，「no longer had a meaningful」↔「much less of a true」
答案：reward
原文定位：applause had become standardized and institutionalized, and had become an expectation rather than the reward it used to be
同义替换：「no longer offered as」↔「rather than」，「to performers」↔「it used to be」
答案：permanent
原文定位：our kind of applause matters more now, in many ways, because it is no longer momentary and short-lived, but is far more permanent instead
同义替换：「Nowadays」↔「in the 21st century」，「expressions of approval」↔「kind of applause」，「in comparison to the applause of the past」↔「no longer momentary and short-lived」，「are seen as」↔「is far more」