【翻译原文】

　　早在公元前200年中国人就开始食用面条，它在中国饮食中占据重要的地位，种类繁多，如鸡蛋面、米粉(rice noodles)，绿豆(mung bean )面和小麦面。在中 国北方地区，小麦面条作为主食(staple food)比人米吃得多。米粉则在南方地区更普遍。中国面条有不同的宽度和厚度，似通常都较长，因为中国人认为这象征着长寿，因此面条经常出现在生日庆祝活动中，被称为长寿面(longevity noodles)。

　　【参考译文】

　　Noodles were eaten by Chinese as early as 200 BCand occupy an important position in Chinese food.It has many kinds, such as egg noodles, ricenoodles, mung bean noodles and wheat noodles. Inthe northern regions of China, wheat noodles arethe staple food and eaten more than rice. Rice noodles are more commonly consumed insouthern China. Chinese noodles are of varying width and thickness, but they are usually longbecause they symbolize long life for Chinese, which is why noodles are commonly served atbirthday celebrations and called longevity noodles.

(责任编辑：田学江)