年兽来了
The legend of Nian, the Chinese New Year monster
Name: ________________ Date: ________
除夕晚上，外面的鞭炮一直在响。我问奶奶：“过年为什么要放鞭炮？门上为什么要贴红纸？”
奶奶笑了：“因为年兽啊。”她给我讲了一个很老的故事，是她的奶奶讲给她听的。
很久以前，大海里住着一只怪兽，名字叫“年”。它又高又大，样子很可怕。它一年只出来一次，就在一年的最后一个晚上。它会来到村子里，吃村里的鸡和羊，有时候还吃人。
所以每年的这一天，村里的人都会带着老人和孩子到山上去。
有一年，村里来了一个白头发的老爷爷。只有一位老奶奶给了他一碗饭，对他说：“快跟我们上山吧，年兽要来了！”
老爷爷笑着说：“让我在你家住一个晚上，我能把年兽赶走。”老奶奶不相信，可是他不走，她只好一个人上山了。
半夜，年兽来了。它走到老奶奶家门口，突然停了下来。门上贴着红纸，房子里的灯亮亮的。
年兽正要进去，院子里突然响起了很大的声音：“啪，啪，啪！”原来是老爷爷在火里烧竹子。他穿着红衣服，站在火旁边大笑。
年兽害怕极了，头也不回地回到了大海里。
第二天，大家回到村里，看见村子好好的。老奶奶这才明白：年兽怕红色，怕火，也怕很大的声音。
从那以后，每年的最后一个晚上，家家都贴红纸，挂红灯笼，放鞭炮，一晚上不睡觉，等新年来。人们说，这就叫“过年”。
奶奶刚讲完，外面又“啪”的一声。我马上站到了奶奶的后面。
奶奶笑着说：“你又不是年兽，怕什么？”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一直 | yìzhí | always; all along; continuously |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to say; to tell |
| 故事 | gùshi | story; tale |
| 久 | jiǔ | long (time) |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; previously; formerly |
| 最后 | zuìhòu | finally; in the end; last; final |
| 鸡 | jī | chicken; fowl |
| 羊 | yáng | sheep; goat |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old person; the elderly |
| 山 | shān | mountain; hill |
| 只有 | zhíyǒu | only; only if; unless |
| 碗 | wǎn | bowl |
English (for the teacher)
On New Year's Eve the firecrackers outside wouldn't stop. I asked Grandma, “Why do we set off firecrackers at New Year? Why do we put red paper on the doors?”
Grandma laughed. “Because of the Nian beast.” She told me a very old story, one her own grandmother had told her.
Long ago, a monster lived in the sea, and its name was Nian. It was huge and it looked terrifying. It came out only once a year, on the very last night of the year. It would come into the village and eat the village's chickens and sheep, and sometimes people too.
So every year on that day, the villagers took the old and the children up into the mountains.
One year, an old man with white hair came to the village. Only one old woman gave him a bowl of rice and told him, “Come up the mountain with us, quick, the Nian is coming!”
The old man smiled. “Let me stay in your house for one night, and I'll drive the Nian away.” The old woman didn't believe him, but he wouldn't leave, so she had to go up the mountain alone.
At midnight the Nian came. It reached the old woman's door and suddenly stopped. There was red paper on the door, and the lights in the house were bright.
Just as the Nian was about to go in, there was a huge noise in the yard: “Bang, bang, bang!” It was the old man, burning bamboo in a fire. He stood by the fire in red clothes, laughing out loud.
The Nian was terrified and went straight back into the sea without looking back.
The next day everyone came back and found the village perfectly fine. Only then did the old woman understand: the Nian was afraid of red, afraid of fire, and afraid of loud noises.
From then on, on the last night of every year, every family put up red paper, hung red lanterns, set off firecrackers and stayed up all night waiting for the new year. People say that is why it's called guònián, “getting past Nian”.
Grandma had only just finished when there was another bang outside. I jumped behind her straight away.
Grandma laughed. “You're not the Nian, so what are you scared of?”