On a cold Chinese New Year’s Eve long ago, villagers were preparing to flee to the mountains, as they feared a monster named Nian. Just as they were about to leave, an old man with a white beard and kind eyes arrived, walking with a stick and carrying a small bag.
Everyone was busy closing their doors and packing their things. Only an old woman at the east end of the village noticed the old man. She gave him some food and asked him to run away from the monster. But the old man smiled and said, “If you let me stay in your house tonight, I will drive the monster away.”
The woman tried again to ask him to leave, but the old man just smiled quietly. Finally, she had to go to the mountains without him.
At midnight, Nian entered the village. It felt something was different. The old woman’s house had red Spring Festival couplets on the door and bright lights inside. When Nian rushed toward the house, loud cracking sounds came from the yard. The monster was so scared that it stopped. Then the door opened, and the old man in red came out laughing. Nian was frightened and ran away, never to return.
The next morning, the villagers returned and found the village unharmed. The old woman told everyone what had happened. They saw the red Spring Festival couplets, heard the sound of cracking bamboo, and noticed the red candles. Then they realized: Nian feared red, fire, and loud noises. Since then, every Chinese New Year’s Eve, people have put up red Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, and kept their houses brightly lit. This is how the tradition of “Guo Nian” for the Spring Festival originated(起源).
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1.1.Why did the villagers go to the mountains?
A To find food.
B To hide safely.
C To have a party.
D To welcome a guest.
解析：选B。1.B细节理解题。根据第一段“flee to the mountains, as they feared a monster”“they were about to leave”可知，村民们要离开村子，前往山里去（躲起来），因为他们害怕一个怪兽。故选B。
2.2.What was the old woman like?
A Cold and busy.
B Brave and strong.
C Shy and worried.
D Kind and caring.
解析：选D。2.D.推理判断题。根据第二段可知，在众人忙碌时，只有她注意到陌生人并给予食物和警告（“gave him food and asked him to run away”），这体现了“善良与关怀”。故选D。
3.3.What finally happened to the old woman?
A She stayed behind.
B She followed others.
C She fought the monster.
D She found a new home.
解析：选B。3.B推理判断题。根据第三段“she had to go to the mountains without him”可推知，她劝说老人未果后，最终的选择还是和其他村民一样上山躲避。故选B。
4.4.What first stopped Nian outside the house?
A The red color.
B The bright lights.
C The loud noises.
D The old man’s laugh.
解析：选C。4.C细节理解题。根据第四段“When Nian rushed toward the house, loud cracking sounds... The monster was so scared that it stopped.”巨响是其停下的首要直接原因。故选C。
5.5.What does the last paragraph mainly explain?
A How the villagers celebrated.
B Why Nian never returned.
C The start of a custom.
D The old woman’s sense.
解析：选C。5.C段落大意题。最后一段描述了村民从事件中明白年兽害怕什么，并从此形成了贴红春联、放鞭炮、亮灯守岁的习俗，解释了“过年”传统的起源，因此主要讲一个习俗的开始。故选C。
