14．Try to imagine a world without noodles and you may begin to realize just how widespread this thin，tasty food has become．Discoveries in archaeology（考古學(xué)） have proven it to be a surprisingly ancient food，dating back at least to 4000B．C．Not surprisingly，however，given the noodle's widespread appeal and high status in more than a few culinary（烹任的） traditions，the claim（聲稱） to its invention is often a hotly discussed subject．
Many peoples have laid claim to its origination．Historically，both Italy and the Middle East have particularly battled for the title．Italian cooking is closely connected with the pasta noodle，but surprisingly the oldest recorded use of noodles in Italy only dates back to the 8th century，during the Arab conquest of Sicily an island of Italy．This fact，along with the appearance of wheat flour in the Middle East around 5000B．C．，has led some to favor the Arab world as the more likely one to have first created noodles．However，recent evidence has cast some doubt on this theory，when the oldest known bowl of noodles was discovered in northwestern China．
In 2002，a sealed bowl was unearthed from beneath ten feet of soil at the Lajia archaeological site，and found to contain a bowl of amazingly well-preserved（保存完好的） noodles．After examination，scientists considered them to be about 4，000years old．It was also determined that the noodles were not made of the wheat flour known at that time throughout the Middle East，but instead of two types of millet grain，which was widely grown throughout China as far back as 7，000years ago．
One of the most remarkable aspects （方面） of the finding，however，as archaeochemist Patrick McGovern at the University of Pennsylvania points out，isthe degree of skill required to fashion long，thin noodles like those found at Lajia．"This shows a fairly high level of food processing and culinary techniques，"he said．
Although the Lajia discovery makes China home to the oldest known noodles，the origin of the noodle itself remains one of ancient history's many secrets．
32．There has been a worldwide debate overB．
A．what food is the oldest
B．where the noodle was invented
C．when the oldest food was discovered
D．whether the noodle is the world's most popular fod
33．What can we conclude from Paragraph 2？D
A．Wheat flour may come from Sicily Island．
B．People in the Arab world first made noodles．
C．The first noodles were made in the 8th century．
D．Italy is less likely to be the noodle's birthplace．
34．What can we learn about the noodles found in 2002？A
A．They were in good condition．
B．They were made of wheat flour．
C．They were made 7，000years ago．
D．They were discovered in the Middle East．
35．What did Patrick McGovern wonder at？C
A．The long history of the noodles．
B．The unique way of storing food．
C．The way the noodles were made．
D．The value of the archaeological find．
分析 本文是說明文．面條是何時出現(xiàn)的？中國西北的喇家遺址出土的面條或許是面條的"先祖"．
解答 32．B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第一段的the claim to its invention is often a hotly contested subject和第二 段的 Many peoples have．laid claim．，to..its origination可知，國際上一直有關(guān)于面條起源于 何處的爭論．所以答案選B．
33．D．推理判斷題．根據(jù)第二段可知，意大利面條 的出現(xiàn)可能要比中東地區(qū)晚，因此意大利不大 可能是面條的發(fā)源地．所以答案選D．
34．A．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第三段的a bowl of amazingly well-preserved noodles 可知，面條保存完好．所以答案選A．
35．C．推理判斷題．根據(jù)第四段的the degree of skill …a fairly high level …techniques 可知，McGovern對這碗古面條的制作工藝表示驚嘆．所以答案選C．
點評 本文是說明文．面條是何時出現(xiàn)的？測試考生在閱讀基礎(chǔ)上的邏輯推理能力，要求考生根據(jù)文章所述事件的邏輯關(guān)系，對未說明的趨勢或結(jié)局作出合理的推斷；或根據(jù)作者所闡述的觀點理論，對文章未涉及的現(xiàn)象、事例給以解釋．考生首先要仔細(xì)閱讀短文，完整了解信息，準(zhǔn)確把握作者觀點．
