英语四级听力-短对话 221

 

Passage Two29.

A. March 20 through April 2.

B. March 21 through April 1.

C. March 25 through April 1.

D. March 26 through April 2.

30.

A. In the 19th century.

B. In the 18th century.

C. In the 17th century.

D. In the 16th century.

31.

A. People must play jokes on friends on April Fool's Day.

B. Sometimes jokes last until the end of April Fool's Day.

C. People usually buy interesting gifts for each other on April Fool's Day.

D. Young lovers often eat out for fun on April Fool's Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passage TwoUnlike most of the other holidays, the history of April Fool's Day is not totally clear. [29]The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Before that year, the new year was celebrated¹ for eight days, beginning on March 25 and lasting² until April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, a new calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1. However, many people did not receive the news or 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 public. They were often sent on "fool's errands" or were made the target of other practical jokes. This evolved, over time, into a tradition of joke-playing on the first day of April. [30]The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the 18th century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. Jokes performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied³!"), to the elaborate. Setting a room-mate's alarm clock back an hour is a common trick. Whatever the joke, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!" Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. [31]Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed⁴ documentary about "noodle farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the noodle trees. April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" celebration. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever alert, for he may be the next April Fool!

答案解析：

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29. When was the new year celebrated in France before 1582?

[C]解析：短文第2、3句提到：“可以被确认为愚人节传统开始之日的最切近的年份是1582年，在法国。在此之前，新年从3月25日开始，4月1日结束，共庆祝8天。”因此选C。考查细节，听到什么选什么。考虑到各选项提到的起始日期均不相同，只要听到原文中的March 25就可以正确作答。

30. When did the tradition of April Fool's Day spread to England?

[B]解析：短文提到，“该传统最终在18世纪传入英格兰和苏格兰。”故选B。由选项知，本题肯定问时间。好在文中只提到一个18th century，故本题不难解答。

31. What do we know from the passage?

[B]解析：短文中提到，“有时候，对亲友开的一些巧妙的现实玩笑会持续一整天。”B正确。由选项可推知，本题问人们在愚人节这一天会怎么做。“绝对化的选项不是答案”，因为这样的话不合事实。可以由此排除A（must太绝对），C（usually，不见得）。本题也可以从时间副词上找到解题钥匙：sometimes不难听出；until the end of the day与last the entire day同义替换。

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。