1. ( ) The reading is mainly about ___. (A) the traditional celebrations of April Fools’ Day in France (B) the tricks people like to play on others on April Fools’ Day (C) the origins of April Fools’ Day and how it has been celebrated (D) the reasons why April Fools’ Day is related to fish I. Reading for the Main Idea—Skimming Skim the reading and choose the best answer. C

2. __ 1. In France, when you succeed in pinning a paper fish on a person’s back, you call that person an “April Fish.” __ 2. It has become a tradition for radio stations to broadcast real and funny news stories on April Fools’ Day in the United States. II. Reading for Details—Scanning A. Scan the reading. Put a “T” in the blank if the statement is true, and put an “F” if the statement is false. T F

3. __ 3. Because people are extremely suspicious of any strange news they hear on April Fools’ Day, no one is taken in. __ 4. In 1957, many people called the BBC to ask how they could grow spaghetti by themselves because they thought the news was real. F T

4. ( ) 1. The origins of April Fools’ Day date back to ___. (A) medieval Britain (B) medieval France (C) modern China (D) modern Greece B. Scan the reading and choose the best answer to each of the following questions or statements. B

5. ( ) 2. In 1976, an astronomer declared that because ___, the force of gravity would not be as strong as it usually was that night. (A) there had been a water shortage (B) a space shuttle would land at a local airfield (C) two planets had lined up with each other (D) the moon had come closer to the Earth C

6. ( ) 3. Which of the following hoaxes is NOT related to the BBC? (A) The Hong Kong government planned to distribute magical powdered water in response to a water shortage. (B) Spaghetti was grown in the fields in Switzerland. (C) The force of gravity became weaker because two planets had lined up with each other. (D) A woman called in and said that she had floated up to the ceiling. A

7. III. Topics for Discussion 1. What are the origins of April Fools’ Day? 2. Has anyone ever played tricks on you, or have you ever played tricks on your friends on April Fools’ Day? Share the most unforgettable experience you’ve ever had about this with your classmates.