春节的由来
The Origin of the Spring Festival
A long, long time ago, there lived a horrible monster called Nian. Every end of the lunar year, it would rush out from the mountains to harm people and damage their homes. The villagers lived in constant dread.
很久很久以前，有一只可怕的怪兽叫“年”。每到农历年末，它就会从山里冲出来伤人毁屋，村民们整日生活在恐惧之中。
One year, an old wise man came to the village. He told everyone that Nian was terrified of three things: the color red, bright lights, and loud noises. So, the villagers hurriedly cut red papers into various shapes and pasted them on doors and windows. They also lit candles all around and set off firecrackers when Nian approached.
有一年，一位睿智的老者来到村子。他告诉大家，“年”惧怕三样东西：红色、亮光和巨响。于是，村民们赶忙把红纸剪成各种形状，贴在门窗上，还在四周点上蜡烛，等“年”靠近时就燃放鞭炮。
True enough, Nian got so scared that it scurried away and never bothered the village again.
果真，“年”被吓得仓皇逃窜，再也没来骚扰村子。
After that, every year before the New Year arrives, people would clean their houses thoroughly, put up red couplets, light red lanterns, and set off firecrackers to welcome the coming of a brand-new year and pray for good luck. This is how the wonderful tradition of the Spring Festival came to be. It shows us that even in the face of great fear, we can find solutions with wisdom and carry on hope.
从那以后，每年新年将至时，人们都会大扫除，贴上红色春联，挂起红灯笼，燃放鞭炮，迎接崭新一年的到来，祈愿好运相伴。春节这个美好的传统就这样流传了下来，它告诉我们即便面对巨大恐惧，也能用智慧找到解决之道，怀揣希望前行。
关键词
1. monster [ˈmɑːnstər] 怪兽
2. lunar year [ˈluːnər jɪr] 农历年
3. dread [dred] 恐惧
4.wise man [waɪz mæn] 智者
5. bright lights [braɪt laɪts] 亮光
6. firecrackers [ˈfaɪərkrækərz] 鞭炮
7. red couplets [red ˈkʌpləts] 红春联
8. tradition [trəˈdɪʃn] 传统
问题
1. What three things was Nian afraid of?
2. Why do people clean their houses before the Spring Festival?
