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Fool for a Day 今日我最笨？

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On April 1st, you’d better be extra-alert to anything out of the ordinary, or you could end up being called a “fool”! April Fool’s Day falls on this date every year, and it’s an occasion that can leave many of us caught off guard. Although it’s not celebrated as an official holiday, the day gives people the chance to have a laugh at the expense of others by playing hoaxes.

4月1日那天，你最好特别小心身边任何不寻常的事情，否则你可能会落得被人叫「傻瓜」的下场！每一年的这一天是愚人节，对许多人而言，这是个稍无戒心、就特别容易上当的日子。虽然这一天不是法定节日，却给了大家机会来整他人，牺牲别人换来开心一笑。

The origin of this mischievous tradition is somewhat obscure. One suggestion is that it was simply adopted as a fun celebration to mark the beginning of spring. A more common view, however, is that the French came up with the idea in 1582 in response to a reform of the calendar. That year saw the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in France. The new calendar started in January, a contrast to the previous calendar which had always begun in April. Some were slow to catch on to the change, though, and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st. This blunder led to them being teased as “fools” by others.

关于这恶作剧传统的起源众说纷纭。一种说法为，纯粹是因为好玩的缘故，而决定以这种整人的仪式来庆祝春天的开始。另一个较普遍的说法则是，由于1582年法国人有了新的历法改革，因此产生了愚弄人的点子。那一年，法国开始采用格里历（即现在的阳历）。新的历法从1月开始，和之前总是以4月开始的历法有所不同。不过有些人，一时还无法适应这样的转变，依旧在于4月1日庆祝新年。这个不小的错误使得这些人遭其他人取笑「傻瓜」。

Nowadays, apart from individual pranks, a common April Fools’ Day tradition is the running of fake news stories. For example, last year, British’s BBC ran a report on a rare species of flying penguin, complete with special effects! So here’s wishing you a Happy April Fools’ Day. Just try not to be “fooled” yourself!

如今，除了个人的恶作剧之外，另一种流行的愚人节传统则是由媒体散布假新闻。例如去年，英国国家广播公司BBC播出了一则介绍会飞翔的罕见企鹅品种的报导，且画面还经过特效处理！所以在此祝你愚人节快乐。只是千万要小心，自己可别被耍啰！

−by David Vickers

Vocabulary

单词发音

alert [əˋlɝt] adj. 警觉的；警惕的；留神的[（+to）]

caught off guard 措手不及 to surprise someone by doing or saying something they were not expecting

at the expense of  以……为代价

mischievous [ˋmɪstʃɪvəs] adj. 恶作剧的；调皮的

reform [͵rɪˋfɔrm] n. 改革，改良

More Information

单词发音

out of the ordinary 不正常的; 例外的; 特殊的 unusual, uncommon, exceptional

fall on 正逢(某日)

occasion [əˋkeʒən] n. 场合，时刻

hoax [hoks] n. 玩笑；恶作剧

obscure [əbˋskjʊr] adj. 模糊的；含糊不清的

adopt [əˋdɑpt] v. 采取；采纳

in response to 作为对…的答复, 响应…,应…

catch on 理解 to understand

blunder [ˋblʌndɚ] n. 大错

tease [tiz] v. 取笑；欺负

apart from 除...外  with the exception of; besides

prank [præŋk] n. 胡闹；恶作剧

running [ˋrʌnɪŋ] n. 流出

complete [kəmˋplit] adj. 兼有的；附带的[F][（+with）]

special effects（电影等的）特技效果；特殊效果

Reading Questions

1. What do people traditionally do on April Fools’ Day?

A. They try to make fools of themselves.

B. They read made-up news reports.

C. They play tricks on each other for fun.

D. They celebrate the beginning of a new season.

2. What is the most commonly believed origin of the tradition?

A. It began as a fun celebration to mark the arrival of spring.

B. It began when change in the calendar led to the creation of an extra day in April.

C. It arose because some people had trouble adapting to a new calendar.

D. It started with a group of French officials who decided to play a hoax on their king.

3. What would be another suitable title for this article?

A. Exploring the Origins of a Humorous Celebration

B. How to Fool People and Win Friends

C. French Calendar Reforms Through the Ages

D. BBC Reporter Discovers Incredible Flying Penguins

The History of April Fools Day

Answer