Throughouthistorytherehavealwaysbeenpeoplewhocanmakeotherpeoplelaugh.Earlyclownsoftenbothannoyedanddelightedlistenerswiththeircommentsandsongs.Theywerenotthesilentperformersseenintoday’scircusrings.Clownslosttheirvoiceswhenthebigthree-ringcircusesmadeitimpossiblefortheaudiencetohearthem.

Circusclownsgiveperformancesinvariousways.Walk-aroundclownsuseananimalorsomethinglikeahugerubberhammeraspartoftheirperformance.Acarpetclownmovesaroundtalkingwiththeaudienceandperformingwhiletheactschangeintherings.Thenthereareacrobaticclownsridingclownsjugglingclownsandothers.

Everythingaclowndoeslookseasybutitisnot.Makingpeoplelaughcanbehardwork.Clownsmustbeingoodphysicalconditiontopreventinjuries.Eachfunnymoveiscarefullytimedandwell-rehearsed(排练).Mostclownshavealsobeentrainedasacrobatsjugglersoraerialartistsandmanyincludesuchskillsintotheiracts.

Generallytherearethreetypesofcircusclowns—whitefaceaugusteandcharacter.Eachhasaspecialmakeupandclothes.Eachhasatypicalactaswell.

Theneatwhitefaceisusuallyastrictin-chargecharacterwhosetsupthepunchline(thepointofajoke)withapartnerwhoistypicallyanauguste.Hisfacialmakeupisneatlydetailedinredorblackandhisclotheslooksoloosewitharufflearoundtheneck.

OldcircusstorieshaveitthattheaugusteclowngothisnamefromaGermannicknameforsomeonewhoisclumsyactinginacarelessandstupidway.Theaugustewearslight-colouredmakeupbutwhiteisusedaroundthemouthandeyesandthere’sabigrednose.Thisclownperformsagreatdealofhumour.Anoversizedsuitorbaggytrousersallowfreedomofmovementforalltheclumsyacts.Healsowearsbigshoes.

Characterclownsperformasdifferentcharacters—cowboysgrandmothersorconcertconductors.Themostfamouscharacterclownhoweveristhetramp(流浪汉).Trampsweardifferentstylesofmakeupandtornclothes.Sometrampclownsarehappy-go-lucky.Othersareextremelysad.Stillothersactlikegentlemenwhojusthappentobeoutofmoney.

46.Bysayingthatclowns“losttheirvoices”theauthormeansthey________.

A.becamesilenttoavoid