| 单词 | 值得庆幸 |
| 释义 | 〔circus〕The modern circus owes its name but fortunatelynot its regular program of events to the amusement of ancient times.The Latin wordcircus, which comes from the Greek word kirkos, "circle, ring,” referred to a circular or oval area enclosed by rows of seats for spectators.In the center ring, so to speak, was held a variety of events,including chariot races and gladiatorial combats, spectacles in which bloodshed and brutality were not uncommon.The first use ofcircus recorded in English, in a work by Chaucer written around 1380,probably refers to the Circus Maximus in Rome.Our modern circus, which dates to the end of the 18th century,was originally an equestrian spectacle as well,but the trick riders were soon joined in the ring by such performers as ropedancers, acrobats, and jugglers.Even though the circular shape of the arena and the equestrian nature of some of the performances are carried over from its Roman namesake,the modern circus, despite occasional accidental violence,has little connection with its brutal namesake of long ago.现代马戏团应把它的名称归因于古时候的娱乐，值得庆幸地不是归因于它的固定节目。拉丁文的circus 源于希腊文 kirkos “圆，环”， 指被容纳观众的座位围起的圆形或椭圆形场地。在称之为中央环地的场地中举行多种表演，包括战车赛跑和角斗，屠杀和残暴的景象并不少见。英语中记录的circus 的最早使用， 是在乔叟写于大约1380年的一本著作里，可能意指罗马的大竞技场。现代马戏团可追溯到18世纪末，最初也是马术表演，但走钢丝演员、高空杂技演员和杂耍演员很快在圆形场地中加入特技骑手的行列。尽管马戏场地的圆形形状和一些表演的马术实质是由罗马的同名物得到的，现代马戏团，尽管偶尔出现意外的暴力，与它久远以前残暴的同名物几乎没有关联 |
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