Are You an April Fool

□劉曉妮

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Are You an April Fool

□劉曉妮

同學們，想必你們都聽說過愚人節，那你們會不會一不小心成為“四月的傻瓜”呢？你們知道愚人節的由來嗎？讓我們一起來了解一下吧！

April Fool’s Day is traditionally1a day to play practical2jokes on others, send people on fool’s errands3, and fool the unsuspecting4. No one knows how this holiday began but it was thought to have originated5in France.

傳統上來講，愚人節這一天，人們可以相互惡作劇，騙人跑腿，欺騙不知情的人。沒人知道這個節日是怎么來的，但人們普遍認為它源自法國。

1. traditionally adv.傳統上，傳說上;其名詞是tradition，形容詞是tra?ditional。

2. practical adj.實踐的，實際的；可實現的，實用的；其名詞是practice。

3. errand n.差事；差使

4. unsuspecting adj.不懷疑的；可信任的；未料到的，未猜想到的

5. originate vi.產生；起源于，來自。如：Where does it originate?它起源于哪里？

The closest point in time that can be identified1as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. New Year was celebrated on March 25 and celebrations lasted until April 1st. When New Year’s Day was changed from March 25 to January 1st in the mid-1560’s by King Charles IX, there were some people who still celebrated it on April 1st and those people were called April Fools.

慶祝愚人節最早是在1582年的法國，那時法國新年是在3月25日，一直持續到4月1日。16世紀60年代中期，國王查理九世把新年從3月25日變為1月1日，而還有一些人在4月1日過新年，這些人就被稱作“四月傻瓜”了。

1. identify vt.確定；識別，認出；使參與；把……看成一樣

Each country celebrates April Fool’s Day differently. In France, the April Fool is called“April Fish”. The French fool their friends by tap?ing a paper fish to their friends’backs and when someone discovers this trick, they yell“Poisson d’Avril!”

每個國家用不同的方式過愚人節。在法國，四月愚人節被稱作“四月魚”。法國人和他們的朋友是這樣開玩笑的：把一張裁成魚形的紙用膠帶粘到朋友的后背上，當有人發現的時候，他們就會喊：“Poisson d’Avril!”。

In England, tricks can be played only in the morning. If a trick is played on you, you are a“noodle”. In Scotland, April Fool’s Day is 48 hours long and you are called an“April Gowk”, which is another name for a cuckoo bird. The second day in Scotland’s April Fool’s Day is called Taily Day and is dedicated1to pranks involving the buttocks.

在英國，只能在早上惡作劇。如果你被耍了，那你就是“面條”。在蘇格蘭，愚人節要持續兩天，被耍的人被稱為“四月布谷”。蘇格蘭第二天的愚人節叫做續愚人節，惡作劇主要在別人的屁股上做文章。

1. dedicate vt.奉獻，獻身

April Fool’s Day is a“for-fun-only”observance1. Nobody is expect?ed to buy gifts or to take their“significant2other”out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It’s simply a fun little holi?day, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant3, for he may be the next April Fool!

愚人節是一個“僅為娛樂”的節日。誰也不用買禮物，也不用帶著朋友去豪華餐廳吃飯；人們也不會放假，它僅僅是個搞笑的小節日。但是在這一天，每個人都要保持警醒，不然就要被人耍啦！

1. observance n.慶祝；慣例；遵守；奉行

2. significant adj.重要的；有意義的；有重大意義的；值得注意的n.有意義的事物；象征，標志

3. vigilant adj.機警；警惕的，警覺的；警戒的

插圖：楊明