April Fool's Day

by Jaime/姜仲華(譯)

□語(yǔ)篇導(dǎo)讀

眾所周知，愚人節(jié)是西方的一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。這一天，人們可以隨心所欲地玩惡作劇，以此給大家?guī)?lái)歡樂(lè)?？墒悄阒烙奕斯?jié)發(fā)源于哪里嗎？它的發(fā)展過(guò)程是怎樣的呢？歷史中的愚人節(jié)是否有過(guò)什么離奇的故事？不同國(guó)家的人們又都是怎樣度過(guò)愚人節(jié)的呢？

April Fool's Day is traditionally a day to play practical jokes on others.No one knows how this holiday began but it was thought to have started in France.

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

Tricks are played on April Fool's Day,such as saying,“Your shoe's untied!”Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common trick.And even a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was about how“spaghetti farmers”harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.Whatever the trick,the trickster(耍詭計(jì)的人)usually ends it by shouting to his victim,“April Fool! ”

April Fool's Day is a“for-fun-only”observance(慣例).Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their friends or relatives out to eat in a restaurant.Nobody gets off work or school on this holiday.It's simply a little fun holiday,but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant,for he may be the next April Fool!

Each country celebrates April Fool's differently.In France,the April Fool is called“April Fish”.The French fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends'backs and when someone discovers a this-trick,they shout,“April Fish”.In England,tricks can be played only in the morning.If a trick is played on you,you are a“noodle”.In Scotland,you are called an“April Gowk”,which is another name for a cuckoo bird.

◆詞語(yǔ)積淀

practical/'pr?ktIkl/adj.實(shí)際的；實(shí)用的；事實(shí)上的

untied/?n'taId/adj.解開(kāi)的；松開(kāi)的

harvest/'h?vIst/vt.收獲；收割

victim/'vIktIm/n.受騙者；上當(dāng)?shù)娜?；犧?/p>

vigilant/'vId?Il?nt/adj. 警戒的；警惕的

noodle/'nu?dl/n.傻子；笨蛋；傻瓜

◆典句賞析

1....but it was thought to have started in France.……可是人們認(rèn)為它起源于法國(guó)。

was thought為一般過(guò)去時(shí)的被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)形式，該句相當(dāng)于“It was thought that it had started in France.”；to have started為動(dòng)詞不定式的完成體，表示動(dòng)作先于句子謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)作發(fā)生。

【即時(shí)嘗試】據(jù)報(bào)道外星人在地球成功著落。

2....,there were some people who still celebrated it on April 1 and those people were called April Fools.……,有一些人仍然在4月1日慶祝新年，這些人被稱作愚人。

who為關(guān)系代詞，用來(lái)引導(dǎo)定語(yǔ)從句，修飾先行詞people。句中的who既指代指人的先行詞又作從句的主語(yǔ)，一般可以用關(guān)系代詞that來(lái)替換；April Fools是主語(yǔ)those people的補(bǔ)足語(yǔ)。

【即時(shí)嘗試】在4月1日，被人愚弄的人常被呼作“笨蛋”。

3.Whatever the trick,the trickster(耍詭計(jì)的人)usually ends it by shouting to his victim,“April Fool! ”無(wú)論這些惡作劇怎樣鬧騰，惡作劇結(jié)束時(shí)人們通常都要對(duì)上當(dāng)?shù)娜舜蠼幸宦暋坝奕?！”?/p>

Whatever the trick是Whatever引導(dǎo)的讓步狀語(yǔ)從句，后面省略了is或may be(該句型中be動(dòng)詞作謂語(yǔ)時(shí)常省略)；by doing sth.是固定搭配，表示“通過(guò)做某事的方式”。

【即時(shí)嘗試】無(wú)論題目怎樣，她都會(huì)認(rèn)真思考解答。

譯文助讀

傳統(tǒng)上，愚人節(jié)當(dāng)天人們一般互開(kāi)玩笑取樂(lè)。沒(méi)有人知道這個(gè)節(jié)日是怎么開(kāi)始的，但是人們普遍認(rèn)為它起源于法國(guó)。

愚人節(jié)這一傳統(tǒng)最早可以追溯到1582年的法國(guó)。那時(shí)人們從3月25日起開(kāi)始慶祝新年，慶?；顒?dòng)通常要持續(xù)到4月1日結(jié)束。在16世紀(jì)60年代中期，國(guó)王查理九世下令將新年從3月25日更改為1月1日，可是此后還有一些人仍然在4月1日慶祝新年，這些人被稱作愚人。

愚人節(jié)當(dāng)天會(huì)上演各式各樣的惡作劇，諸如說(shuō)，“你的鞋帶松開(kāi)了”。把室友的鬧鐘撥慢1小時(shí)就是常見(jiàn)的惡作劇。甚至曾經(jīng)在愚人節(jié)當(dāng)天放映的一個(gè)英國(guó)短片，就是介紹“意大利面條農(nóng)民”是如何從意大利面條樹(shù)上收獲莊稼的。無(wú)論這些惡作劇怎樣鬧騰，惡作劇結(jié)束時(shí)人們通常都要對(duì)上當(dāng)?shù)娜舜蠼幸宦暋坝奕恕薄?/p>

愚人節(jié)一直只是個(gè)“玩樂(lè)”的節(jié)日。人們不指望會(huì)有誰(shuí)買禮物或帶親戚、朋友一起去飯店吃飯。在這個(gè)節(jié)日沒(méi)有人不上班或不上課。這只是一個(gè)有趣的小節(jié)日，可是就在這一天你要時(shí)刻保持警覺(jué)，說(shuō)不定你就會(huì)是下一個(gè)“愚人”。

不同的國(guó)家慶祝愚人節(jié)的方式不同。在法國(guó)，愚人節(jié)被稱作“April Fish”。法國(guó)人愚弄他們的朋友，就在他們的后背粘貼上一個(gè)紙做的魚(yú)，當(dāng)有人發(fā)現(xiàn)誰(shuí)被耍了，就對(duì)他大喊一聲“愚人”。在英格蘭，只能在上午玩惡作劇。如果你被別人玩了一個(gè)惡作劇，那么你就是一個(gè)“傻瓜”。在蘇格蘭，你被叫作“April Gowk”，這是布谷鳥(niǎo)的另一個(gè)名字。