【英文原文1】
April Fool
Kevin sat up so quickly that he almost bumped his head on the shelf above his bed.Someone was pounding on his bedroom door.“Kevin.It's time to get up,” he heard his sister calling.“Hurry up.You've slept in again.”Kevin stumbled1) to the door and yanked2) it open.April was standing in the hall.“Hurry up.”she said.“You' re going to be late.”Kevin dashed past her and ran downstairs.The kitchen was empty.The house was dark and silent.As he switched on the light,he glanced at the clock.It was 6:00a.m..The calendar beside the refrigerator caught his eye.There was a big red circle around the first day of the month.Kevin let out a loud groan.Behind him,April giggled.“April Fool.”she teased3) as Kevin spun around4).“I got you,just like I promised.”With that,she flipped into a hand-stand and looked at Kevin with an upside-down grin.Kevin turned and stomped upstairs.As he got back into bed,thoughts of his sister cartwheeled through his mind.April Bateman,expert gymnast5) and expert joke-player,was driving everyone crazy.She never walked when she could bounce,flip,or somersault6).She never missed an opportunity to play a joke on someone.And of course,April Fool's Day was April's favorite day of the year.
Later that morning,Mr.Bateman discovered that his shoes wouldn't tie and his shaver wouldn't shave.Someone had removed the laces from his shoes and the batteries from his shaver.Mrs.Bateman found a huge spider in the middle of the kitchen table.Before she realized that it was plastic,she dropped two soft-boiled eggs on the floor and knocked over a pitcher7) of orange juice.Kevin discovered that every one of his T-shirts had been turned inside out.
“Where's April?”he asked when the family sat down to breakfast.“She had an early gym practice,” said his father.“There's a gymnastics competition at the Y this afternoon,”his mother said as she buttered a slice of toast.“April has her heart set on winning a medal.”
When Kevin came home at noon,his mother rushed into the kitchen.“Kevin,April' s gym coach phoned.The competition may have to be switched to a different location.If that happens,Mr.Boyer will phone back by12:30.”She paused to catch her breath.“It's 12:00now and I have to be at the office in fifteen minutes.If Mr.Boyer calls,leave me a note.”She pointed to the note pad by the phone.“This is very important,Kevin.Be sure that you write down the message.” “Trust me,Mom,”said Kevin.“I promise I'll take care of it.”Shortly after his mother left,the phone rang.It was Mr.Boyer.“The competition has been switched from the Y to the Oakville Arena,”he explained.Kevin wrote down the new address and directions.“Be sure to leave the note where your mother will see it,Kevin,”headded.“ I'll take care of it,Mr.Boyer.I promise,”Kevin assured him.