Listen to the passage and fill in the missing words. Please click here moster nian.rm Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts at the beginning of spring. Its 1___ is too old to be traced. All agree though that the word "nian," which in modern Chinese only means "year," was 2___ the name of a 3____ that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year. A long time ago there was a monster called Nian. It was very ugly and ferocious(凶残的). The monster would come down from the mountains to 4___ people. People were very afraid of it and 5___ inside their houses before sunset on the days it would come. There lived an old wise man in a village. He thought it was the 6____ in people that made the monster so bold(大胆的) and furious(愤怒的). Thus the old man asked people to organize together and 7______ the monster by 8_____ of beating (鼓) and gongs(锣), burning bamboo and lighting fireworks in the 9____ that the noises would frighten the hateful monster. On a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster Nian appeared again. The 10_____ it opened its mouth, the villagers burst out(冲出来) with their frightening noises and fire. Wherever the monster went, it was 11_____ the terrible noises.The monster was forced around until it fell down in exhaustion and was then killed. Savage(残暴的) as the monster was, he lost in the end to the 12____ of the villagers. 13________, people have kept the tradition by beating drums(鼓) and gongs(锣), and lighting fireworks on the coldest day in winter to drive the 14_____ monster away and to celebrate victory over it. They also wear red clothes to scare the monster.Today, "nian" refers to New Year's Day or the Spring Festival. People often say "guo nian," which means "survive the nian." 15____ has become the color of 16____.