Who's who

原文

It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than else. Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax. Inviting the fire brigade to put out a nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in. Students often create amusing situations which are funny to everyone except the victims.

When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill. As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not take him seriously. He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people. Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.

The student did in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went on. Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workmen to go away. When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen. He threatened to remove them by force. The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help. Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. As the men refused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill. The workmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper. He threatened to call the police. At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest. Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call before being taken to the station. Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone. Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.

译文

至今尚未解释，为什么大学生似乎比其他任何人都更喜欢恶作剧。学生们专攻一种特殊的恶作剧：骗局。请消防队来扑灭一场不存在的火，这是一种粗俗的欺骗行为，任何自重身份的学生都不会去干的。学生们常常制造一些有趣的情景，这些情景除了受害者外，人人都觉得好笑。

最近，当一个学生看到两个工人在大学外面使用气动钻时，他立即打电话给警察，告诉他们有两个学生打扮成工人，用气动钻在撕毁道路。挂上电话后，他走到工人跟前，告诉他们如果有个警察命令他们离开，他们不要当真。他还说有个学生打扮成警察，在对人们开各种愚蠢的玩笑。警察和工人们都对这个学生提供的预先信息表示感谢。

那个学生躲在附近的一个拱门里，这样他可以观看和听到一切发生的事情。果然，一个警察来到了现场，并礼貌地要求工人们离开。当他从一个工人那里得到一个非常粗鲁的答复时，他威胁说要用武力把他们赶走。工人们告诉他爱怎么着就怎么着，于是警察打电话求助。不久之后，又来了四个警察，他们规劝工人们。既然那些人不肯停止工作，警察试图夺取气动钻。工人们激烈地挣扎，其中一个大发雷霆。他威胁说要叫警察。听到这话，警察们讽刺地指出，这根本没有必要，因为他们已经被逮捕了。一个工人假装一本正经地问是否可以在被带到警察局之前打个电话。得到许可后，一个警察陪他去了公用电话亭。只有当他看到那个男人确实在给警察打电话时，他才意识到他们都上了当。

词汇表

hoax

名词, 动词

英:/həʊks/

美:/hoʊks/

定义

1. 恶作剧骗局 - A humorous or mischievous deception, often intended to trick people.

例子: The students played a hoax on their professor by hiding his books.

例子: That email about a free trip was just a hoax to steal personal information.

2. 欺骗某人作为玩笑 - To deceive someone as a joke.

例子: They hoaxed their friends into believing a celebrity was visiting.

例子: Don't hoax people; it can lead to misunderstandings.

近义词

prank: 更轻快和无害，常指短暂的恶作剧，而 'hoax' 可能涉及更多计划和欺骗性。

trick: 更通用，指任何形式的欺骗或戏弄，'hoax' 通常有幽默元素，而 'trick' 可以是严肃的。

ruse: 更正式，常用于策略性欺骗，如军事或商业，而 'hoax' 强调娱乐性。

反义词:

truth, reality, honesty

用法

常用于描述幽默的欺骗行为，尤其在非正式语境中，如学校或社交场合；需注意文化背景，可能被视为无害或冒犯。

形式:

复数: hoaxes, 动词过去式: hoaxed, 动词现在分词: hoaxing

关键句型 "If [condition], [result]."

定义

此句型是一种条件句结构，用于表达某种条件下的结果，结构通常为：If + [condition clause]（条件从句）+ , + [result clause]（结果从句）。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这种句型常用于第一类条件句，表示真实或可能的条件，[condition] 通常用一般现在时，而[result] 用一般将来时或其他时态。举例来说，在文章中如 "If a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously."，它清晰地定义了条件与后果的关系，帮助学习者理解因果逻辑。

此句型在英语中非常基础，用于描述假设情景或真实可能性，是初学者构建复杂句子的关键工具。

用法

此句型主要用于日常对话、故事叙述或说明书中，表示如果某事发生，将会产生什么结果。规则包括：条件从句（If clause）常用一般现在时表示一般事实或未来可能，而结果从句可以根据语境变化时态，如一般将来时（will + 动词）。

在语法体系中，它属于条件句（conditional sentences）的一部分，与其他类型条件句（如第二类条件句 "If I were..."）形成联系。横向比较：与第二类条件句（表示虚拟情况，如 "If I won the lottery, I would travel."）相比，第一类条件句更现实、更直接；与时间状语从句（如 "When it rains, I stay home."）相比，此句型强调条件性而非时间顺序。

跨语法点联系：它常与情态动词结合（如 "If you study hard, you will succeed."），学生可以扩展到混合条件句中，建立与虚拟语气或其他从句的关联。例如，在文章的语境中，此句型连接了假设和实际行动，突显了恶作剧的幽默元素。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：时态混淆，例如用一般过去时在条件从句中（如 "If I went..." 而非 "If I go..."），这会让句子变成虚拟语气；另一个常见偏误是遗漏逗号或错误连接从句，导致句子不完整。纠正建议：始终记住条件从句用一般现在时，除非是其他条件类型，并练习添加逗号以提高可读性。

此外，学生可能误用否定形式，如 "If you don't come, I won't wait." 应确保否定正确放置。提供具体例句：

错误示例：If a policeman orders them, they not take him seriously.  // 缺少助动词和逗号
正确示例：If a policeman orders them to go away, they should not take him seriously.

练习

一个原创例子：假设你在计划周末活动，可以说 "If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay indoors and watch a movie." 这贴近实际生活，帮助学生应用句型。鼓励学生替换关键词，例如将 [condition] 改为 "If I finish my homework early"，并将 [result] 改为 "I'll go out with friends"，这样他们可以在不同场景中练习，如学校生活或日常决策中。

通过这种替换，学生能加深对句型的掌握，并学会灵活调整以适应各种情境，比如在文章的恶作剧故事中，学生可以改编为 "If someone plays a joke, others might get confused."

额外内容

背景知识：条件句起源于古英语的假设表达，在现代英语中广泛用于逻辑推理，与许多语言（如法语的 "Si... alors..."）类似，但英语更注重时态一致性。对比分析：与中文的 "如果...就..." 相比，英语句型需要严格的从句结构，这有助于培养逻辑思维。同时，此句型在文化中常用于幽默或故事，如文章中的恶作剧场景，体现了英语在叙述中的生动性。学习它还能为更高级的语法铺路，如条件句的混合使用。

关键句型 "Only when [condition] did [subject] [verb]."

定义

此句型是一种强调倒装结构，用于突出条件发生后才产生的动作，结构为：Only when + [condition clause]（条件从句）+ did + [subject] + [verb]（主句）。根据《牛津现代英语语法》，这种句型通过将助动词 did 置于主语前实现倒装，强调 "only when" 引导的条件是触发事件的关键时刻。文章中的例子如 "Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize..."，它定义了事件的转折点，增强了叙述的戏剧性。

此句型常用于正式写作或故事中，帮助学习者表达时间顺序和强调。

用法

此句型主要用于描述直到特定条件满足时才发生的情况，强调延迟或突发的认识。规则：Only when 引导从句，通常用一般过去时，而主句需倒装助动词（如 did）到主语前，以突出强调。

在语法体系中，它属于倒装句（inversion）的子类型，与强调句或时间状语从句相关。横向比较：与简单条件句（如 "When he saw... he realized."）相比，此句型更正式且强调性 stronger；与 "Not until" 句型（如 "Not until he saw... did he realize."）相比，Only when 更侧重于排他性条件，而非否定。

跨语法点联系：它涉及助动词倒装，与疑问句或强调句（如 "Never had I seen..."）有相似性，学生可联系到其他强调结构，如 "Only after... did..."，从而建立更广泛的语法网络。在文章语境中，此句型增强了故事的悬念，连接了观察和 realization。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括：忘记倒装助动词，导致句子不强调（如 "Only when he saw... he realized." 应为 "Only when he saw... did he realize."）；另一个偏误是时态不一致，例如用现在时在从句中。纠正建议：练习时先写出正常顺序再调整倒装，并注意语境是否需要正式语气。

此外，学生可能误用 Only 的位置，或混淆与类似结构，如将它当作简单从句。提供例句：

错误示例：Only when he saw the man, he realized the truth.  // 缺少倒装
正确示例：Only when he saw the man was telephoning did he realize it was a hoax.

练习

一个原创例子："Only when the sun set did the explorers feel safe to rest." 这模拟探险场景，帮助学生理解强调。学生可替换 [condition] 为 "Only when the exam ends" 和 [verb] 为 "did I relax"，创建自己的句子，如 "Only when the movie finished did I understand the plot."

这种练习能让学生在故事或日常对话中应用句型，增强记忆并适应不同情境。

额外内容

背景知识：倒装句源自古英语的诗歌和正式表达，在现代英语中用于文学或新闻以增加冲击力。对比分析：与西班牙语的倒装结构类似，但英语更依赖助动词，这简化了学习曲线。同时，在文化语境中，如文章的恶作剧故事，此句型制造悬念，类似于中文的 "直到...才..."，但英语版本更结构化。掌握此句型能丰富学生的表达，提升写作水平。