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 travelling 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 200B.C to about A.D. 1300, when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, 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 as 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 share their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathway for learning, diplomacy (外交), and religion.
53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed____
A. to remember the entire trade route             B. to know the making of products
C. to receive certain special training                   D. to deal with a lot of difficulties
54. The Silk Road became less important because____.
A. it was made up of different routes              B. silk trading became less popular
C. sea travel provided easier routes                        D. people needed fewer foreign goods
55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people____.
A. learned from each other                                B. shared each other’s beliefs
C. traded goods along the route                     D. earned their living by traveling
56. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Silk Road: Past and Present                       B. The Silk Road: East Meets West
C. The Silk Road: Routes Full of Dangers           D. The Silk Road: Pathways for Learning 

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