24/7 English


Site map \|

Poziomy europejskie

European levels:

The levels of language command are classified by the Common European Framework which is an internationally recognised classification of exams and levels accepted by the Council of Europe. The system thoroughly defines the range of language skills which must be mastered by the learners of a language to be able to communicate in it, and to ensure that the communication is set properly in any given sociolinguistic context.

The levels classified by the system:

C2 Mastery
C1 EOP - Effective Operational Proficiency
B2 Vantage
B1 Threshold
A2 Waystage
A1 Breakthrough

More about European levels

Back

Level 3 – Intermediate

April Fool's Day

On 1st April, it is traditional in Britain and America to play tricks on other people. The idea is to have a good laugh at the expense of someone else. The tricks should be good fun and never designed to hurt or humiliate anyone. If the victim falls for the trick, you call him or her an "April Fool".

This tradition is very old and dates back to sixteenth-century France, when people celebrated the New Year on 1st April. In 1562 Pope Gregory introduced a new Christian calendar, so that the New Year then fell on 1st January. But many people ignored the new calendar and went on celebrating New Year on 1st April; other people played tricks on them and called them April Fools.

Today it is a tradition for French children to stick paper fish on the backs of their friends or teachers. When the person discovers the fish, they shout "Poisson d'Avril!" or "April Fish!"

Print text only

Answer the questions below to check how well you understand the text.

On April Fool's Fay you must be careful not to:

play a trick on older people.

have a laugh at the expense of someone else.

humiliate anybody.

An April Fool:

is a person who laughs at other people.

was a person who celebrated New Year in April.

is a French child.

Print all

Last update: 2006-04-13