It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else. Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.
    真的很难解释，为什么大学生似乎总比其他人更喜欢拿别人开玩笑。学生们都擅长一种特殊的恶作剧—戏弄人。
    PS: It has never been explained why, 真的很难解释
    PS++: specialize in, 在某方面很擅长

    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.
    请消防队来扑灭一次根本不存在的火灾，是一种低端骗局，有自尊的学生通常不会这么做。学生们经常创造一种很搞笑的场景，每个人都觉得搞笑，除了受害者。
    PS: indulge in, 陷入…

    When a student recently saw to 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.
    最近，当某学生看到校外总有很多拿风钻的工人时，他立刻打电话告诉了警察，说有两个学生装扮成工人，正在用风钻破坏路面。
    PS: tear up, 破坏、撕毁

    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 to 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 workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.
    他刚挂断电话，就跑去跟工人说，如果有警察要求他们走开，他们不需要当真。他补充道，有学生假扮警察，跟人们开各种玩笑。结果警察和工人都对学生事先通报情况表示感谢。
    PS: take … seriously， 把…当真
    PS++: be grateful to，感谢…

    The student hid 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.
    然后该学生就躲在附近一个门洞里，在那儿可以看到、听到现场发生的一切。果然，一个警察来了，并且礼貌地要求工人离开。在他得到工人粗暴的回复后，他威胁他们，并强行把工人驱离开。
    PS: by force, 暴力、强行

    The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policaman 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 pheumatic drill. The workmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper.
    然鹅工人说随球你意，然后警察就打电话寻求帮助了。不一会儿，又来了4个警察，一起规劝工人离开。由于工人拒绝停下手头工作，警察就试图抢夺风钻。工人就紧紧握住，其中一个就爆发了。
    PS: lost one’s temper, 情绪失控、爆发

    He threatened to call the police. At this, the police pointed out ironcally 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.
    他威胁他要报警。这时，警察戏谑地说，这大可不必，因为他俩已经被逮捕了。其中一个工人还假模假样地问道，在被逮捕之前是否可以打个电话。
    PS: be under arrest, 被捕

    Permission was granted and a policaman 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.
    警察同意了，其中一个警察陪着他去投币电话亭。只有当他看到那个工人真的打电话报警时，他才意识到他们都是这场骗局的受害者。
    PS: Only 引导一个全格式倒装，when…是时间状语从句，应放在hoax之后