7 . April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day is a western festival. No one _______ exactly when and how April Fool’s Day began. However, there are some stories about _______ it came into being. One story _______ like this: in the sixteenth century France, the start of the new year was on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way _______ it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.

Then in 1562, Pope (教皇) Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, _______， who hadn’t heard or didn’t believe the _______ in the date, so they _______ to celebrate New Year’s Day on April first. Others played tricks on them and called them “April fools”. They tried to make them believe that something false was _______. In France today, April first is called “April Fish”. French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends’ _______. When the “young fool” ________ this trick, the prankster (恶作剧者) shouts “April Fish!”

Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One ________ trick on April Fool’s Day is pointing down to a friend’s shoe and saying, “Your shoelace is untied.” School children might tell a classmate that school has been canceled (取消). ________ the trick is, if you fail for the joke the prankster shouts “April Fool!”

In Britain today, on the first of April, even ________ newspapers, radio and TV programs tell big lies. You might read a science ________ showing that doctors have found a way to cure (治愈) AIDS, or you would probably listen to a piece of news about a UFO ________ on an island.

Bringing the past to life by restoring (修复) old buildings from yesterday can show     1     (confident) in tomorrow. Jinan, the capital city of Shandong province, understands this.

Named a State-level historical and cultural city in 1986 by the State Council, Jinan     2     (have) a large number of cultural relics (遗迹) and historic buildings.

One main example is in the ancient downtown area of Jinan. The Baroque-style building is     3     former site of the city’s first cinema—Xiaoguanghan,     4     was built in 1904 when Jinan opened up to the outside world. By the late 1990s, the building was     5     danger of collapse (倒塌). The days of a good crowd of film lovers were long     6    (go).

Li, 45, a film lover who works in the catering industry (餐饮业), decided to help restore the historic building with the local government’s support in 2008. Restoration work started in 2009, During the process, Li began to learn about the history of the cinema and     7     the old building really means to Jinan’s history and China’s wider film culture.

After nearly 26 months, Xiaoguanghan     8     (give) new life as a film museum and restaurant. The museum now has more than 4,000 historic items,     9     (include) cameras, projectors, posters and classic props (道具), making it a perfect place for visitors     10     (learn) about the history and culture of Chinese cinema.

Khamisi Ally Abdi, a 25-year-old African student in Cangzhou Technical College, Hebei Province, has practiced tai chi for two years. Having worshiped kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan as     1     child, the Tanzanian understood Chinese kung fu to be a fast-paced attack and defense art before he     2    (arrive) in China, but now he realizes tai chi is different. It is tai chi moves with balance and deep rhythmic breathing     3     allow him to feel the charm of the exercise. It brings peace and     4     (calm) to his mind while building his muscles.

The college, as one of the international exchange centers,     5     (admit) more than 300 international students from over 50 countries since 2016,     6     (main) countries along the Belt and Road, providing a tai chi course for all foreign students.     7     (practice) tai chi has led Abdi to acquire a comprehensive appreciation of this Chinese culture and ideology. He now prefers people     8     (call) him his Chinese name Chen Yanzhi, as the characters of Yanzhi carry the meaning of talented and virtuous. The art has inspired his understanding of China.     9     he is longing for is teaching tai chi in his country and he expresses hope that this magical kung fu can be     10     (benefit) to more people.