Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 BC to about 1300 AD, when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway.
However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft (嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit.
They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy, and religion.
【小题1】It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed .A．to deal with a lot of difficultiesB．to know the making of productsC．to receive certain special trainingD．to remember the entire trade route【小题2】The Silk Road became less important because .A．it was made up of different routes B．silk trading became less popularC．people needed fewer foreign goods D．sea travel provided easier routes【小题3】New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people .A．shared each other’s beliefsB．learned from one another C．traded goods along the routeD．earned their living by traveling【小题4】What is the best title for the passage?A．The Silk Road: Past and PresentB．The Silk Road: East Meets WestC．The Silk Road: Routes Full of DangersD．The Silk Road: Pathways for LearningA
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(答案→)A
解析：本文介绍了丝绸之路在历史上的重要性，通过丝绸之路，新的技术可以通过丝绸之路传到各个国家，东西方文化也得到了融会贯通。
【小题1】细节题：根据The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.可知丝绸之路上的商人要克服很多困难。故选A。
【小题2】细节题：根据短文第二段描述It was used from about 200 B.C. to about A.D.1300, when sea travel offered new routes (路线).可知因为海上交通提供新的线路，丝绸之路不那么重要的，故选D。
【小题3】推理题：根据第三自然段The Chinese had learned to……,可以看出新的技术可以通过丝绸之路传到各个国家，是因为彼此之间相互学习缘故。故选B。
【小题4】主旨题：根据The People along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs．The silk Road provided pathways for learning，diplomacy(外交)，and religion.。这篇短文，作者介绍了通过丝绸之路，东西文化及技术得到了融会贯通，故选B。