April Fools' Day
The first of April is commonly known as April Fools' Day, and it is customarily on this day to play a trick on[1] a friend. If your friend falls into the trap, then he or she is an April Fool.
It isn't only children that like such jokes. Grownups like such pranks, too.
Even the media occasionally try to deceive the public with a clever April Fool story.Some years ago, for example, a famous joke was played on the radio. A scientific correspondent[2] reported that strange geological changes had resulted in[3] weaker gravity in different parts of Britain.He asked listeners to jump up and down and see if they could jump higher than they normally could. Many people did.The hundreds of calls the BBC received proved how successful the hoax was. Not until twelve o'clock did the BBC gently remind its listeners it was April Fools' Day that day.
Making jokes only lasts until the noon of the day, the rule is rigid and everywhere acknowledged.Anyone who tries to make a fool after midday is a bigger fool than he who has been fooled. The late trickster is instantly rebuffed[4], as a piece of poem goes:
April Fool's gone and past
You're the biggest fool at last.
When April Fool's Day comes again
You'll be the biggest fool then.
愚人節的玩笑
4月1日是大家都知道的"愚人節"。這一天可以拿朋友開心。如果你的朋友上當了，他或她就是"四月的傻瓜"。
不但孩子們喜歡開這種玩笑，大人們也一樣喜歡。
甚至新聞媒介有時也編造巧妙的故事欺騙公眾。例如，幾年前電臺跟聽眾開了個大玩笑。一位報導科學新聞的記者說，由於奇怪的地質變化，英國各地區的重力減小了。這位記者讓聽眾上下跳跳，看是不是比平常跳得高一些。許多人都照著做了。當成百上千的電話打到英國廣播公司時，證明這場騙局成功了。直到中午12點時，英國廣播公司才和藹地提醒聽眾那一天是"愚人節"。
但愚人節這天開玩笑只能開到中午12點之前。這是約定俗成的嚴格規矩。過了中午還找樂兒的人是一個比被他取笑的人還大的大傻瓜。過了鐘點還開玩笑的人會立刻碰個釘子，自找沒趣兒。正如一首詩所述：
愚人節已過十二點，
你這個大傻瓜來得晚。
待到來年愚人節，
你將是個最大個的大傻瓜。
注釋：
1．play a trick on：捉弄某人、和……開玩笑。Trick還有戲法、花樣的意思。例如：a magic trick就是"一個小魔術"的意思。
2．correspondent：通訊記者。相當於reporter。例如：a war correspondent 隨軍記者。
3．result in：最終結果、導致。例如：The plan resulted in failure. 那項計劃最終失敗了。
4．rebuff：拒絕、受挫。相當於deny、refused。例如：He rebuffed me when I tried to help him.我想幫助他，他卻拒絕了。