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The Joke’s on You! 愚人节快乐！

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The footage shown on BBC’s Panorama program seemed wholesome and idyllic. ___1___ They were toiling in their fields, harvesting an abundant crop of …… spaghetti? No – it was not a miracle of genetic engineering. It was an April Fool’s Day joke!

英国广播公司《广角镜》节目中所播映的影片，看来似乎内容谨慎美好。这段新闻报导以瑞士乡间纯朴的农民为主角，他们在田里辛勤耕种，采收丰盛的农作物……意大利面条？不，这可不是基因工程的一大奇迹，而是愚人节玩笑！

___2___ The origins of this holiday go back to 1582 as France adopted the new Gregorian calendar. This meant that New Year’s Day would be moved to the start of January. Previously, the year ended in late March, with festivities to celebrate the New Year culminating on April 1^th. ___3___ Their neighbors would play jokes on them, such as inviting them to fake parties. As the new calendar spread, the tradition of April Fool’s Day went with it.

数百年来，愚人节当天都少不了各式各样精心策划的恶作剧。这个节日的起源回溯至公元1582年，法国改采新制的格里高里历法，元旦因而被挪前至一月的第一天。原本，三月底是一年的结束，而庆祝新年的庆典在四月一日庆祝的人，就成了最早的「愚人」。街坊邻居会开他们玩笑，例如邀请他们参加假的派对。随着新制历法的盛行，愚人节也因而流传开来。

Over the years, April Fool’s Day has gained popularity and the jokes have become increasingly sophisticated. ___4___ After the show aired, hundreds of people called the BBC to ask how they could grow their very own spaghetti tree! More recent jokes included Burger King’s 1998 introduction of “Left-Handed Whoppers” and a Dutch television station’s surprise announcement that the Leaning Tower of Pisa had collapsed.

这几年，愚人节越来越受欢迎，开玩笑的方式也日益巧妙。英国广播公司著名的「意大利面条树」，虽是1957年播放的节目，却是史上最成功的愚人节玩笑之一。节目播出后，数以百计的民众致电询问如何才能栽种出意大利面条树！近年来的玩笑，则有1998年汉堡王所推出的「左手华堡」，和一家荷兰电视台所报导比塞塔崩塌的惊人消息。

So this April 1^th , remember to think twice before believing any incredible news stories you hear. ___5___

所以今年的四月一日，切记在相信所听到的任何惊人消息前先三思。否则，你可会成为愚人家族的一员喔！

−by Michael Karanicolas

A.   For hundreds of years now, April Fool’s Day has been a day for elaborate pranks of all kinds.

B.   Those who did not get the news and continued to celebrate on the old date became the original “April Fools.”

C.   Otherwise, you might turn out to be an April Fool yourself!

D.   The news report featured simple farmers in rural Switzerland.

E.    Even though broadcast in 1957, the BBC’s famous “spaghetti trees” continues to be one of the most successful April Fool’s Day jokes in history.

Vocabulary

单词发音

wholesome [ˋholsəm] adj. 审慎的；安全的

abundant [əˋbʌndənt] adj. 丰富的﹐充裕的

culminate [ˋkʌlmə͵net] adj. 达到最高点；达到高潮

fake [fek] adj. 假的；冒充的

sophisticated [səˋfɪstɪ͵ketɪd] adj. 富有经验的; 复杂的

announcement [əˋnaʊnsmənt] n. 宣告，宣布

incredible [ɪnˋkrɛdəb!] adj.【口】难以置信的

prank [præŋk] n. 胡闹；恶作剧

More Information

单词发音

footage [ˋfʊtɪdʒ] n.〔某个事件的〕影片

panorama [͵pænəˋræmə] n. 风景的全貌﹐全景

idyllic [aɪˋdɪlɪk] adj. 快乐祥和的 perfect; extremely pleasant

toil [tɔɪl] v. 长时间地苦干﹐辛苦劳作

spaghetti [spəˋgɛtɪ] n. 意大利面条

adopt [əˋdɑpt] v. 采取；采纳

festivity [fɛsˋtɪvətɪ] n. 庆典，庆祝活动

whopper [ˋhwɑpɚ] n. 特大之物, 弥天大谎

Pisa [ˋpizə] n. 比萨（意大利西北部一城市，以其斜塔闻名）

feature [fitʃɚ] v. 以……为特色；是……的特色

simple [ˋsɪmp!] adj. 单纯的，朴实的

Answer