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Now, the young red leaves of the Chinese tree are being talked about as a hot topic among the middle class. The spring vegetable, which tastes a bit like onion and is used in many kinds of dishes, is not cheap. And in some places in the north of the country, like Beijing, its popularity has been driving up prices. It has been selling for 80 yuan to 200 yuan ($12 to $30) for 500g at markets in Beijing in recent weeks. That has led some consumers to take to social media, complaining they can no longer afford to buy the vegetable, which is famous as xiangchun in Chinese.

“You can buy this vegetable to show off your wealth,” one person said. Another said, “There are plenty of xiangchun trees at my grandmother’s house. I feel like I’ve just found the path to riches.”

The first spring leaves of the tree are traditionally used in Chinese cooking, especially in the north where they are fried with eggs, mixed with tofu, or used in stuffing for dumplings. But the price in Beijing makes xiangchun more expensive than pork, which costs an average 8 to 10 yuan for 500g there.

In other cities, xiangchun is cheaper. The leaves are being sold for 40 yuan for 500g in Qingdao, Shandong Province, Xiaogan in Hubei and Xi'an in Shanxi. And in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, the price is much lower, at 18 yuan for 500g.

Social media users complaining about the cost of the vegetable refer to people who can afford to buy it with the term “xiangchun freedom”—the same word used earlier in the year to describe those who could buy expensive imported cherries.

1.What does the spring vegetable taste like?

A Onion.

B Cabbage.

C Carrot.

D Meat.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第一段The spring vegetable, which tastes a bit like onion and is used in a kind of dishes, is not cheap.可知它的味道有点像洋葱，故选A。

2.What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A Xiangchun is very expensive.

B All the people can’t afford xiangchun.

C Only rich people can afford xiangchun.

D You will become a rich man by selling Xiangchun.

解析：选A。推理判断题。根据第二段内容如果买得起香椿可炫耀财富，再联系上文，我们可以得知如今香椿的价格昂贵，故选A。

3.In which city the spring leaves are the cheapest?

A In Beijing.

B In Zhengzhou.

C In Xiaogan.

D In Qingdao.

解析：选B。细节理解题。通过第一段北京香椿的价格和第四段其他城市的香椿价格比较得出，郑州的香椿价格最便宜，故选B。

4.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A Some people found the path to riches.

B The price of Xiangchun is high.

C The taste of Xiangchun is not good.

D The vegetables are expensive in cities.

解析：选B。主旨大意题。根据全文来看，一直围绕高价的香椿而展开，故选B。