Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional festival where Chinese pay respects to their ancestors and the dead. People in different regions of the country consume different foods on the day according to local customs. From green rice balls and omelets (煎蛋饼) to fried dough twists and pancakes, here are some traditional foods people eat on the special day.

Qingtuan, or green rice balls, are widely consumed in China’s Jiangnan area—the region south of the Yangtze River—around Qingming Festival. The seasonal delicious food is usually made from glutinous rice (糯米) mixed with pounded mugwort—an eatable wild herb thought to prevent toxic insect bites.

In both northern and southern China, it is an age-old tradition to eat sanzi, or fried dough twists, on Tomb-Sweeping Day. However, the sanzi in North and South China are different from each other in terms of size and material. Northern people prefer larger ones made from wheat, while people in the South enjoy smaller ones made from rice.

Thin pancakes are a popular food for people in Xiamen in Southeast China’s Fujian province on Tomb-Sweeping Day. To make it tastier, they usually add dried seaweed, omelet, vegetables and chili sauce to the pancakes.

In Qingdao in East China’s Shandong province, people eat spring onion and omelet on the day. They believe the special combination makes eyes brighter. In ancient times, pupils often sent eggs to their teachers to show respect on the day.

In many places in Southeast China’s Fujian province, people thought eating steamed rice with leaf mustard (芥菜) on Tomb-Sweeping Day could help prevent scabies and other skin diseases for the whole year.

The steamed bun is named after Jie Zitui, a famous hermit of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). People in Shanxi province have a tradition of eating the bun on Tomb-Sweeping Day. Colorful dough animals and flowers are frequent decorations, while eggs and jujubes (红枣) are added inside to increase sweetness.

1.What’s special about sanzi?

A People in South China prefer sanzi made from wheat.

B People in North China prefer smaller size of sanzi.

C It is only accessible on Tomb-Sweeping Day.

D The sanzi varies in different places.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第三段第二句“However, the sanzi in North and South China are different from each other in terms of size and material.”可知，馓子(麻花)在中国南方和北方尺寸和所用原材料均不相同。故选D。

2.Why do people in Qingdao eat spring onion and omelet on Tomb-Sweeping Day?

A To help improve eyesight.

B To show respect to ancestors.

C To exchange eggs with teachers.

D To make the omelet tastier.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第五段第二句“They believe the special combination makes eyes brighter.”可知，山东青岛的人们在清明节吃大葱和蛋饼，是因为他们相信这两种食物可以使眼睛更明亮，即可以改善视力。故选A。

3.What do Qingtuan and steamed rice with leaf mustard have in common?

A They are both made from glutinous rice.

B They are believed to be beneficial to health.

C They are both popular around China.

D They have the same eatable herbs in them.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据第二段的“an eatable wild herb thought to prevent toxic insect bites”和倒数第二段的“help prevent scabies and other skin diseases for the whole year”可知人们认为青团和芥菜饭都对健康有好处。故选B。

4.What is added to the steamed bun to make it look better?

A Red flowers.

B Dough animals.

C Dough eggs.

D Jujubes.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句的“Colorful dough animals and flowers are frequent decorations”可知，五彩缤纷的面团动物和面团花式是用来让子推馍更漂亮的装饰。故选B。