听播客学英语 167 愚人节

 　　Today is the first of April. The first of April is traditionally called All Fools Day, or April Fools Day. It is a day for mischief¹, or playing tricks on people; and for getting people to believe things which are not true.

　　Today is the 50th Anniversary of one of the most famous April Fools Day tricks. It was 1957. BBC television had a weekly documentary² programme called Panorama³. Panorama was a serious and respected programme, reporting on news events around the world. On 1 April, Panorama included a report about the problems facing spaghetti farmers in Switzerland. There were pictures of people picking spaghetti from spaghetti trees and laying it in the sunshine to dry. But the spaghetti farmers were afraid that a late frost would damage the spaghetti crop, and destroy their livelihood⁴.

　　Fifty years ago, most British people did not know much about Italian food like spaghetti. Many people apparently⁵ accepted the documentary at face value. Some people say that it was many years before they found out that spaghetti does not really grow on trees.(No. Spaghetti really does not grow on trees. It was a joke. Alright?)

　　The Panorama report was a spoof⁶. Ever since then, it has been common for newspapers to carry spoof stories on 1 April. So this morning, I opened my newspaper eagerly, to find the spoof story. There was a story that the London Transport lost property office had just found the owner of an urn⁷ containing human ashes which had been left on the underground eight years ago. Surely that was a spoof? But no, the story was in fact completely true.

　　And then I found it. I told you in an earlier podcast that our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is expected to retire later this year. What will he do when he is no longer Prime Minister? According to the Observer newspaper, he will start a new career as an actor. He has been offered a part in a play at a leading London theatre in the autumn. He is already learning his lines. He is practising them with his staff in 10 Downing Street. He has also been offered parts in the BBC’s science fiction programme Dr Who, and in several comedy shows.

　　But is this really an April Fool spoof? Our Prime Minister is one of the finest actors in Britain today. He can convince people of anything. He can convince himself of anything. Such as that there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Do you know Shakespeare’s play, King Lear? It is about an arrogant⁸ and powerful king who decides to retire. He divides his kingdom between his three daughters. But he then argues, first with one daughter and then with the others, until in the end he goes mad. Tony Blair as King Lear? Yes – I think so.

1 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

2 documentary   

adj.文献的；n.纪录片

参考例句：

• This case lacked documentary proof.本案缺少书面证据。
• I watched a documentary on the Civil War.我看了一部关于内战的纪录片。

3 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

4 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 spoof   

n.诳骗，愚弄，戏弄

参考例句：

• The show was a spoof of college life.那戏是对大学生活的讽刺。
• That is Tim Robbins's spoof documentary about a presidential campaign.那是蒂姆·罗宾斯关于总统选举的讽刺纪录片。

7 urn   

n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• The urn was unearthed entire.这只瓮出土完整无缺。
• She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in.她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。

8 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。