生日为什么吃长寿面？
Why do Chinese people eat noodles on birthdays?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
我第一次在中国过生日的时候，以为朋友会给我买一个大蛋糕。可是那天晚上，她给我做了一碗面条，上边还有一个鸡蛋。她说：“生日快乐！快吃吧，这是长寿面。”
“长寿”的意思是活得很久。面条很长，所以很多中国人觉得，过生日的时候吃一碗很长的面条，就能活得很久。
吃长寿面的时候，有一件事很重要：面条不能切断。最好也不要咬断，要一口一口地吃。有的地方，一个碗里只放一根面条，很长很长。
这样的面一般不难做：一碗面条，一点儿汤，一点儿菜，上边再放一个鸡蛋。在北京，很多人都是这样做的。
给老人过生日的时候，长寿面就更重要了。孩子给爸爸妈妈、爷爷奶奶做一碗面条，是希望他们身体好，活得久。在中国，有的饭馆也会在客人过生日的时候，送上一碗长寿面。
这个习惯是什么时候有的？有人说是从唐朝开始的，可是谁也说不清楚。
那天晚上，我吃得很慢很慢，一根面条也没有断。朋友在旁边看着，笑着说：“很好！你能活到一百岁！”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 快 | kuài | fast; quick |
| 意思 | yìsi | meaning; idea |
| 长 | cháng | long; length |
| 这样 | zhèyàng | like this; this way |
| 面 | miàn | noodles; flour |
| 爷爷 | yéye | grandpa; paternal grandfather |
| 奶奶 | nǎinai | grandmother (father's mother); grandma |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; to wish; hope; expectation |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body |
| 饭馆 | fànguǎn | restaurant; eatery |
| 慢 | màn | slow; to slow down |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside; next to; nearby |
English (for the teacher)
The first time I had a birthday in China, I thought my friend would buy me a big cake. But that evening she made me a bowl of noodles, with an egg on top. She said: “Happy birthday! Eat up, these are longevity noodles.”
“Longevity” means living a long time. Noodles are long, so many Chinese people feel that if you eat a bowl of long noodles on your birthday, you will live a long life.
When you eat longevity noodles, one thing matters: the noodles must not be cut. Better not to bite through them either; eat them one mouthful at a time. In some places a bowl holds just one single noodle, very, very long.
These noodles are usually easy to make: a bowl of noodles, a little soup, a few vegetables, and an egg on top. In Beijing, that’s how a lot of people make them.
On an older person’s birthday, longevity noodles matter even more. When children make a bowl for their parents or grandparents, it is a wish for good health and a long life. In China, some restaurants also bring a bowl of longevity noodles to a customer on their birthday.
When did this custom start? Some say it started in the Tang dynasty, but nobody can say for sure.
That night I ate very, very slowly, and didn’t break a single noodle. My friend watched from beside me and laughed: “Very good! Now you’ll live to a hundred!”