小年祭灶忙，年味日渐长
小年祭灶忙，年味日渐长

Little New Year, or Xiaonian, comes about a week before the Spring Festival. It is also called the Festival of the Kitchen God. People believe this god takes care of their homes.
On this day, families often give sweet food like candy or sticky rice cake to the Kitchen God. They may burn a paper picture of him to send him to heaven. They hope he will then say good things about the family. Later, a new picture is put up in the kitchen.
Before Little New Year, people do a thorough house cleaning. They sweep and wash everything. This means saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new year.
There are other traditions too. Many people put new paper-cuts on their windows. It is also common to take a bath and get a haircut for a fresh new start.
After Little New Year, families start to prepare for the Spring Festival. They buy food, snacks, and new clothes. They also make special dishes. Everyone is busy getting ready for the happy festival.
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1.1.Little New Year is also known as ________.

A Spring Festival

B Kitchen God Festival

C Cleaning Day

D Paper-cut Day

解析：选B。1.B细节理解题。文章第一段明确写道：“It is also called the Festival of the Kitchen God.”（它也被称为灶神节）。因此，正确答案为B。A项“春节”是小年之后的主要节日，C项“清洁日”和D项“剪纸日”都是小年的部分习俗，并非它的别称。故选B。

2.2. Why do people offer sweet food to the Kitchen God?

A To make him happy.

B To ask for more food.

C To keep him at home.

D To clean the kitchen.

解析：选A。2. A推理判断题。文章第二段提到，人们给灶神供奉甜食，并希望他“说这家人好话”。虽然原文没有直接说“让他开心”，但通过“供奉甜食”和“希望他说好话”之间的因果关系可以推断，供奉甜食是为了让灶神心情愉悦，从而为家人美言。B、C、D在文中均未提及。故选A。

3.3. What does the underlined word “thorough” mean in Paragraph 3?

A 快速的

B 局部的

C 周密的

D 全面的

解析：选D。3. D 词义猜测题。第三段中“thorough”修饰“house cleaning”，后文紧接着解释“They sweep and wash everything.”（他们清扫和擦洗一切）。这说明清洁是彻底、全面的，而非快速（A）、局部（B）或仅指周密（C，“周密”多用于计划，不太贴合清洁的具体动作）。因此，“全面的”最符合上下文。故选D。

4.4. People take a bath and get a haircut to ________.

A have a fresh start

B follow new rules

C meet old friends

D keep healthy

解析：选A。4. A 细节理解题。第四段最后一句直接说明：“It is also common to take a bath and get a haircut for a fresh new start.”（洗澡和理发也是为了一个崭新的开始）。因此A是原文直接表达的目的。B、C、D在文中均未提及。故选A。

5.5.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A Living a busy daily life.

B Making special festival dishes.

C Preparing for the Spring Festival.

D Shopping for food and new clothes.

解析：选C。5. C 段落大意题。最后一段首句是主题句：“After Little New Year, families start to prepare for the Spring Festival.”（小年之后，各家开始为春节做准备）。后文列举的购买食物、新衣、制作特色菜等都是准备春节的具体活动。因此，整段的核心是“准备春节”。A项“忙碌的日常生活”过于宽泛，B和D都只是准备活动的细节之一，不能概括整段大意。故选C。