Question

The Chinese New Year is now known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of spring. Though there are some sayings about its origin(起源), all agree that the word Nian, the name of a beast. The beast started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year. It has a very big mouth that would take in a lot of people at one time. People were very frightened. One day, an old man came to help and said he would stop this. Then the old man came to Nian and said, “ I hear that you are very strong , so can you eat up all the beasts instead of people who are too weak（弱）to be your enemy?” “Yes” Nian agreed with him and killed many other beasts on the earth. People were very happy because those beasts also did bad things to people and killed farm animals.

In fact, the old man was a god, he rode on the beast Nian and left. Nian was gone, and other beasts also went into forests. People began to enjoy their happy lives. Before the old man left ,he had told people to put up red paper cuts on their window and doors at each year’s end to drive(驱赶) Nian away, because Nian was afraid of the color red.

From then on, every year at the beginning of spring, people “Guo Nian”. The word “Guo Nian” means “Go through the Nian safely”. People also made dumplings for a better mew year. However, people today have forgotten why they are doing this, they just feel the color and the food make the New Year very happy.

(    ) 1. The Chinese New Year is also called _______________.

        A. The beginning of spring.      B. The Spring Festival.

        C. The New Spring.            D. The New Year.

(    ) 2. How did the old man stop Nian from eating people?

        A. By putting red paper cuts on windows.

        B. By telling Nian to eat up other beasts.

        C. By fighting against with it.

        D. By giving Nian some food.

(    ) 3. Why did people put up red paper cuts instead of other colors?

        A. Because Nian liked the color red.

        B. Because the old man liked the color red.

        C. Because Nian was afraid of the color red.

        D. Because people like the color red..

(    ) 4. Which of the sentences is true?

A. Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time.

B. Nian is a big beast that liked eating people and farm animals.

C. Nian is afraid of black paper cuts.

D. Nian likes red paper cuts.

(    ) 5. The best title of the passage is ______________.

        A. What is Nian?      

B. The Old Man and the Beast Nian.

C. How to Go Through the Nian Safely.  

D. The Origin of the Chinese New Tear.

Answer 1

 1A  2B  3C  4B  5D