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第 301 课:Don't Be an April Fool! 整人有理,只在愚人节!

If it is the morning of April 1 and you see some money on the ground, perhaps you should think twice before you pick it up. 如果4月1号早上你看到地上有些钱,在把它捡起来之前你要三思。

It might have been glued there by someone keen to turn you into an “April fool.” 可能是有人很想把你变成“四月愚人”,而把钱粘在地上。

Remember: It is the first day of April, a day when people around the world enjoy playing tricks on each other. 记住:这可是4月1号,正是世界上的人享受彼此捉弄寻乐的日子。

In the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church decided that the calendar year in Europe would begin on January 1, instead of the original date of April 1. 16世纪,罗马天主教教派决定将欧洲的年历改由1月1号开始,取代原来的4月1号。

Some people were slow to accept the new rule, and others called them ignorant or stubborn. They became the first April fools. 一些人一时无法适应这个新规定,而被其他人称为无知或固执。他们就成为第一批“四月愚人”。

The tradition of playing tricks on this day most likely started in France. 在这天捉弄人的传统最可能起源于法国。

Victims there were known as “April fish,” possibly due to the ease with which newborn fish could be caught in the spring. 在那儿恶作剧的受害者被称为“四月鱼”,也许这与春天刚出生的幼鱼容易被捕捉有关。

Nowadays, it is still a custom among French children to tie paper fish to each others' backs on April 1. 现在,在4月1日,互相把纸鱼绑在背后仍是法国孩子的习俗。