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

深入解析：关键句型 "If [condition], [result]."

定义

这个句型是条件句的典型结构，用于表达一种假设或真实条件下的结果。基本形式为：If 引导的从句（条件子句）+ 主句（结果）。在权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》中，它被定义为第一类或第二类条件句，表示可能发生或假设的情况。例如，文章中的 "If a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously." 展示了这种结构，其中 If 子句描述条件，主句给出结果。核心含义是建立因果关系，帮助表达条件与后果的逻辑联系。

用法

此句型常用于日常对话、叙述和假设情景中。规则包括：If 从句通常用一般现在时表示真实条件，而主句用一般将来时或祈使句；如果是假设条件，可能用过去时。语法体系中，它属于从句结构的一部分，与其他连接词如 unless 或 when 相关，建立跨语法点联系，例如与时间状语从句结合（如 "If you study hard, you will succeed."），或与情态动词一起使用（如 "If it rains, we might stay home."）。这有助于学生从简单句过渡到复杂句，增强表达的精确性。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：混淆时态，例如在 If 从句中使用将来时（如 "If it will rain..."，应为 "If it rains..."）；或者遗漏逗号分隔从句和主句，导致句子不清。常见偏误还有省略主句或使用不当的助动词。纠正建议：练习时态一致性，通过记忆标准范例如 "If I have time, I will call you."，并注意在口语中强调 If 的发音以突出条件。同时，避免在正式写作中过度使用该句型，以免重复。

练习

一个额外的例子："If you see the policeman, tell him the truth." 这个句子可以帮助学生练习在实际情景中应用，例如想象一个故事背景。通过替换 [condition] 和 [result]，如 "If it snows tomorrow, we will go skiing."，学生能逐步掌握如何构建完整条件句。

额外内容

背景知识：条件句起源于英语的逻辑表达，在现代英语中演变为多种类型（如零条件句、第一条件句等）。对比分析：与中文的 "如果...就..." 类似，但英语更强调时态变化。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生可以扩展到混合条件句，如 "If I had known, I would help now."，从而丰富叙述能力和批判性思维。

深入解析：关键句型 "Only when [condition], [inverted clause]."

定义

这个句型涉及倒装结构，常用于强调条件或时间点，直到该条件满足时，主事件才发生。结构为：Only when 引导的从句 + 倒装的主句（通常将助动词或be动词置于主语前）。例如，文章中的 "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." 在权威教材如《高级英语语法》或《新概念英语》进阶部分中，被定义为强调倒装句，用来加强句子的戏剧性或重点。核心含义是突出 "only" 的限制条件，直到那时，主句才成立。

用法

此句型多用于叙述故事、表达转折或强调特定时刻，规则是：Only when 后跟从句，主句需倒装（如 "did he realize" 而非 "he did realize"）。在语法体系中，它链接到强调句和从句结构，与其他强调方式如 "Not until" 相关，建立跨语法点联系，例如与过去完成时结合（如文章中所示），或与一般过去时对比使用。这有助于学生理解句子强调技巧，从基本陈述句过渡到更高级的表达方式。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：忘记倒装主句，导致句子不自然（如说 "Only when he saw, he realized" 而非正确形式）；或误用 Only 的位置，造成歧义。另一个偏误是时态混乱，例如在从句中使用错误时态。纠正建议：通过反复练习倒装规则，记忆如 "Only after... did..." 的模式，并分析文章中的例子。还需注意在口语中，这种结构较正式，避免在 casual 对话中过度使用，以免显得生硬。

练习

一个额外的例子："Only when the sun sets will we start the journey." 这个句子让学生练习强调时间条件。通过修改条件，如 "Only when you finish your homework will you watch TV."，学生可以应用到日常情景中，增强对倒装的实际掌握。

额外内容

背景知识：倒装句源于英语的古语法传统，用于修辞强调，在现代文学中常见。对比分析：与非倒装句相比（如 "He realized only when he saw..."），这种结构更具冲击力。补充信息：学习此句型能提升写作的文采，例如在描述事件转折时使用，进而帮助学生在阅读和写作中识别类似表达。