阅读理解
The
Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa
and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists
believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time
the Chinese silk trade became important in the world. The Silk Road covered
almost 6500 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to
the Far East.
Merchants travelled along the
Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things
like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold.
Along
and around these ancient path(小路), have come many
fascinating and mysterious stories.
It is
said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They
decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these
Romans married local Chinese women and the legend of the blond-haired,
blue-eyed tribes of China was started.
Some
historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their
country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏) of war
almost 2800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk
Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.
During
its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures
and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of
valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from
different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road. And they shared
goods, stories, languages, and cultures.
In
modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are
still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses.
There is even silk route museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000
objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history
of many countries and peoples.
