【起源】：Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

  The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

  However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

  【中文大意】：每年四月一日，是西方的民间传统节日——愚人节（April Fool's Day），也称万愚节。对于它的起源众说纷纭。较普遍的说法是起源于法国。1564年，法国首先采用新改革的纪年法——格里历(即目前通用的阳历)，以一月一日为一年的开端，改变了过去以四月一日作为新年开端的历法。新历法推行过程中，一些因循守旧的人反对这种改革仍沿袭旧历，拒绝更新。他们依旧在四月一日这天互赠礼物，组织庆祝新年的活动。主张改革的人对这些守旧者的做法大加嘲弄。聪明滑稽的人在四月一日这天给顽固派赠送假礼物，邀请他们参加假庆祝会，并把这些受愚弄的人称为“四月傻瓜”或“上钩之鱼”。以后，他们在这天互相愚弄，日久天长便成为法国流行的一种风

  【小把戏】：
  1. you could wear a black sweater and pull a piece of white thread through it, so that people try to pull it off. 把细线拴着的钱包丢在大街上，自己在暗处拉着线的另一端。一旦有人捡起钱包，他们就出其不意地猛然把钱包拽走。
  2. change the time on someone’s alarm clock so that they’re late for work. 调整了某人的闹钟，这样他们就上班迟到了。
  3. glue a coin to the floor and see how many people try to pick it up.在地板上画一个硬币，看看有多少人想捡起它。

  【愚人节聊天用语】：
  1. What are some tricks people play on April Fool's Day? 在愚人节人们都开什么玩笑？
  2. What is the background of this day? 愚人节的背景是什么？
  3. Do you have the same tradition in your country? 你的国家李有类似的传统吗？
  4. Do you play tricks on April 1st? 你在四月一日恶作剧吗？
  5. What sort of tricks do you play? 你会做出哪种类型的恶作剧？
  6. Have you ever tried fooling your family on April Fool's Day? 你曾经试过在愚人节的时候愚弄过你的家人吗？
  7. Do you always look forward to April Fool's Day?  你总是盼望着愚人节的到来吗？

  【愚人节防骗招数】：
  首先要记住4月1号这天是愚人节，在这一天，凡事都先用脑子想一想，然后再决定下一步的行动。在没有想好以前，暂且认为全是假的，不要轻易相信任何事情。等确认无误以后，再做出反映不迟。同时要具备反击的能力，争取主动，不让别人牵着你的鼻子走。

  第一招：顺水推舟
  愚人节骗人招数中最常见的就是朋友通知你马上去做什么事情。这时候你不妨顺着他的话说下去，最好比他说的还要真，还要严重，不自觉地和他对换角色，让他进入云里雾里，辨不清东南西北，最后反倒愚者自愚了。记住，千万不要相信他，否则你很有可能会成为他这一整天笑话的把柄。

  第二招：装傻充愣
  许多男生在愚人节时遭到女生袭击，这一招就是教给男生如何“反袭击”的密技。当你身边漂亮的女生在愚人节这一天向你暗送秋天的“菠菜”时，可不要轻易接招，要小心菠菜里裹着的“定时炸弹”。否则一旦你欣喜若狂地接下，“炸弹”立刻就会爆炸，笑得她直不起腰来。当然对美女也没有必要以牙还牙，面子还是要给的。最好的办法就是假装什么都没看见，什么都没听明白，还要热心地帮她找“菠菜”接收点。这样她也就不好意思再演下去，只得偃旗息鼓了，反愚行动再次成功。

  第三招：战线同盟
  如果有人在这一天想骗你但是被你看穿了，你大可以将他收服，然后成立统一战线联盟，合二人之力去开创更为广阔的天地，骗倒更多人。毕竟人多力量大，两人合伙骗人的可信度要比单兵作战时强得多哦！如此一来，少了一个“敌人”，多了一个“战友”，变被动为主动，何乐而不为？

  第四招：借花献佛
  如果愚人节这一天领导也来凑份子，可是一件不大好对付的事，毕竟是领导，深了不是，浅了也不好，可怎么办？不用发愁，我们有防骗兵法！如果领导向你发难，比如骗你说某某病了，让你掏钱去给他买东西，你可以假装不知真相，先按照他的指示去做，然后把他的指示告诉大家，再告诉大家由领导结账，这时，在大家的拥护声中，生米已经煮成熟饭，在愚人节里，他也多半不会介意。

  第五招：百变金刚
  这可是愚人节这天最有可能发生的被愚状况，要注意了。如果接到电话，称你的电话费、手机费、住房贷款等费用没有及时缴纳，要做出惩罚时，先认真听听讲话人的声音是不是熟人，朋友很可能用这种方法愚你一下子。如果听出声音果然是熟人，不妨将计就计，给他来个大变身，换个身份假装其他人，让他以为拨错电话号码，尴尬、尴尬他。

  第六招：单刀直入
  发现有人骗你，第一句话就直接拆穿他，不和他绕圈子，以显示你的英明神勇。这一招是最直接、最简明的做法，干净利落

  【Words About Fools】：
  1. It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. --Mark Twain
  2. However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. -- Nicolas Boileau-Desprux
  3. [Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. -- Thomas Reed
  4. He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks. -- Fran鏾is, Duc de La Rochefoucauld
  5. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer
  6. Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. -- Elizabeth Gaskell
  7. Looking foolish does the spirit good. -- John Updike
  8. Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. -- Mark Twain
  9. A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. -- William Blake
  10. A fool must now and then be right by chance. -- Cowper
  11. It is better to be a fool than to be dead. -- Stevenson
  12. The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain

Joke of Today

Stewed Tomatoes

  A guy is going on an ocean cruise, and he tells his doctor that he's worry about getting seasick.
The doctor suggests, “Eat two pounds of stewed tomatoes before you leave the dock.”

  The guy replies, “Would that keep me from getting sick, Doc?”

  The doctor says, “No, but it'll look real pretty in the water.”