au·di·ence /ˈɔdiən(t)s, ˈɑ-/
  聽眾,觀眾,讀者;謁見,接見;傾聽,聽取
  Au·di·ence n.
  1. The act of hearing; attention to sounds.
     Thou, therefore, give due audience, and attend.   --Milton.
  2. Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or the transaction of business.
  According to the fair play of the world,
  Let me have audience: I am sent to speak.   --Shak.
  3. An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by authors to their readers.
     Fit audience find, though few.   --Milton.
     He drew his audience upward to the sky.   --Dryden.
  Court of audience, or Audience court Eng., a court long since disused, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; also, one belonging to the Archbishop of York. --Mozley & W.
  In general (or open) audience, publicly.
  To give audience, to listen; to admit to an interview.
  ◄ ►
  audience
       n 1: a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public)
            performance; "the audience applauded"; "someone in the
            audience began to cough"
       2: the part of the general public interested in a source of
          information or entertainment; "every artist needs an
          audience"; "the broadcast reached an audience of millions"
       3: an opportunity to state your case and be heard; "they
          condemned him without a hearing"; "he saw that he had lost
          his audience" [syn: hearing]
       4: a conference (usually with someone important); "he had a
          consultation with the judge"; "he requested an audience
          with the king" [syn: consultation, interview]