The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years. According to one of the most famous legends (传说), in ___16___ China there lived a monster named Year, who lived deep at the ___17___ of the sea all the year round and climbed up to the ___18___ only on New Year’s Eve to eat the cattle and kill people’s lives. Therefore, on the day of every New Year’s Eve people from all villages would flee (逃离) to the mountains so as to ___19___ the monster of Year.
On the day of that New Year’s Eve the people of Peach Blossom village were ___20___ their houses when there came from outside the village an old beggar (乞丐). Seized with ___21___
the villagers were in a great hurry to run away and no one was ___22___ the mood to care for the beggar.
Only a grandmother living in the east end of the village gave the old man some food and advised him to ___23___ to the mountains to avoid the Year monster. But the old man said with a smile, “If you allow me to stay at your home for the night, I’m sure to ___24___ away the monster Year.” The old woman was surprised to hear this. She went on to ‘persuade him to take flight. But he only smiled without ____25____. Thereupon the grandmother could not help ____26____ leave her home and flee to the mountains.
Around midnight the monster Year rushed into the village. He found the house of the grandmother in the east end of the village was brilliantly illuminated (照亮的), with bright red paper stuck on the doors: Greatly ____27____, the monster Year made a dash for the house. As he ____28____ the door, there came all of a sudden the exploding sounds of bang-bong. Trembling (颤抖) all over, the monster dared not make a step ____29____ . And when the door of the grandmother’s house was thrown open and an old man in a red robe (袍服) burst out laughing in the courtyard, the monster Year was scared out of his wits and ran away.
The next day when people came back from their hideouts and found everything safe and ____30____. The old woman suddenly ____31____ what had happened and told the villagers about the old beggar’s ____32____. The villagers rushed into the grandmother’s house, only to find that the doors were stuck with red paper, the ember (余火) of a pile of bamboo were still giving out exploding sound of bang-bong in the courtyard, and a few ____33____ were still shining in the room.
From then on, on each New Year’s Eve, each family ____34____ on their doors antithetical couplets (对联) written on red paper, blow up firecrackers, keep their houses brilliantly illuminated and stay up late into the night. These customs are spreading far and ____35____ and kept for generations. It becomes the most ceremonious traditional festival of the Chinese people.
16. A. great B. ancient C. unique D. traditional
17. A. surface B. centre C. stage D. bottom
18. A. shore B. sky C. trees D. mountains
19. A. avoid B. search C. accept D. lift
20. A. gathering B. leaving C. decorating D. repairing
21. A. happiness B. sorrow C. panic D. sickness
22. A. in B. with C. under D. on
23. A. hide B. flee C. follow D. beg
24
A. put B. break C. take D. drive
25. A. question B. shame C. prejudice D. reply
26. A. and B. or C. yet D. but
27. A. valued B. disappointed C. shocked D. honored
28. A. approached B. broke C. knocked D. opened
29. A. forward B. backward C. upward D. downward
30. A. healthy B. sound C. reliable D. strong
31. A. reflected B. remembered C. realized D. thought
32. A. promise B. purpose C. request D. sense
33. A. eyes B. candles C. bowls D. stars
34. A. stick B. strike C. draw D. write
35. A. near B. close C. square D. wide
