Western Style Chronicle - English Salon. Gold Medal Reading (New Edition)

Author: Chen Hongwei, Ou Xiaoqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: April Fool's Day Fun Facts April 1st is a special day when you can play tricks without getting punished. People are not very clear about the origin of the holiday, but it seems to have originated in France as a result of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. In sixteenth-century France, people celebrated the New Year on April 1st, much like today, with parties and dances that lasted late into the night. By 1582, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar to the Christian world, changing the New Year to January 1st. However, some people, unaware or skeptical of the change, continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st. Others would trick them, calling them "April Fools" and making them run errands or try to convince them of something false. In modern France, children stick a paper fish on their friends' backs to trick them. When the "young fool" discovers the trick, the prankster shouts, "April Fish!" Americans also play tricks on their friends or strangers on that day. A common trick is to point at a friend's shoe and say, "Your shoelace is untied!" In the nineteenth century, teachers would point to the sky and tell students, "Look, a flock of geese!" Children in school might tell a classmate that school is canceled. No matter what the trick is, as long as the unsuspecting victim believes the joke, the other person will shout, "April Fool!" The "foolish errands" we make people do are part of everyday jokes: adding salt to sugar bowls, stuffing cotton into small pies, or serving an empty eggshell for breakfast are all classic tricks. Some pranks last all day until the victim realizes what day it is. April Fool's jokes are mostly fun and harmless. The kind of joke that makes everyone, especially the person being tricked, laugh is a clever April Fool's joke. Additionally, there are April Fool's letters, which combine mischief, deception, absurdity, popular poetry, and love. These letters are never signed, but it's clear that girls enjoy guessing the author. If a girl receives an April Fool's letter in April—because people can send them any day in April—it is considered a great honor. The letter's contents are often shared among envious acquaintances. It seems that April Fool's pranks are not limited to children; adults also play these teasing games in the office. Making fake phone calls, sending fake party invitations, and creating bomb scares are all carefully planned tricks. A story about a salesman in Rhode Island can be considered the epitome of an April Fool's prank. Everyone in the office knew he was married, but he was seeing a secretary, who was completely crazy. So, the salesman convinced her to play an April Fool's joke on her boyfriend, saying she was pregnant. The girl walked into her boyfriend's office, deliberately leaving the door open so everyone could hear. Her words scared him, and he said the joke was too far. However, he might have secretly felt relieved that it was just an April Fool's prank. He smiled and continued to see her as usual. P15-17