The great excitement began the night before the Spring Festival. Fireworks were being     1     across the city, suddenly lighting up the night sky. Children were covering their ears but with an     2     look on their faces. Mrs Chen said that it was to     3     the monster Nian.

When I was a kid, Spring Festival was all about firecrackers, sweets and     4    . As I get older, coming home and being with my entire family is the most important part of it.

Our house     5     with activities when everyone comes home. Our grandchildren run around shouting and playing, and the adults     6     around the table to talk about the past year. We always have jiaozi during this time, as they mean something special on this     7    ——they are a sign of our wishes for health and happiness in the coming year.