The Silk Road

The routes

For centuries,the Silk Road was the most important line of communication connecting modern day Xi'an with the Middle East and Europe,today one area in particular is associated most closely with the name of the Silk Road.This area is Xinjiang in Northwest China,through which two major routes of the Silk Road passed on the northern and southern side of the Taklamakan desert.

The name

The Silk Road got its name in the 19^th century when a German geographer identified it as the route through which the Romans got their silk from China.However,silk wasn't the only thing that passed along the Silk Road;anything that had buyers was traded along the road.Goods were traded from market to market passing through many hands before they reached their final destinations.

Buddhism

The Silk Road was not just the route through which goods were carried.It was also important for the exchange of ideas.Buddhism from India entered China along the Silk Road and had a huge influence on Chinese culture.Greek art styles were popular along the Silk Road and gave Buddhist statues in Northern India classical Western faces.These styles from Northerm India were also found in Xinjiang.

The people

One of China's famous monks,Xuan Zang,followed the Silk Road in the 6^th century to collect Buddhist scriptures from India.Around 600 years later,one of Europe's famous travellers,MarcoPolo,entered China along the Silk Road.Both Xuan Zang and Marco Polo left detailed records of their journeys along the Silk Road.

The Silk Road today

Today, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region remains an international crossroad where traders from surrounding countries,and tourists from all over the world regularly meet.Trade in precious stones,food,drinks,crafts,art,and of course,silk,contimues,too.

    In summer, it's common on the street to see many Chinese women holding parasols¹ to protect themselves from the sun.  But when Amy, an exchange student in Beijing from the US, first saw this, she found it strange, even impossible to understand.  She wrote on her blog, "Unlike Chinese women, American women like to put on their tank tops and sunglasses during summer. If you walk around an American college campus², you will probably see girls out on the grassy fields reading, but they really hope to get a head start on their summer tan³."

    This may be caused by the different standards of beauty between the US and China. Many Americans don't want white skin. They would rather be tanned³. Amy also wrote, "Having darker skin is so popular that many women and men will pay for fake⁴ tans so that they can keep their sun-kissed appearance during the winter months, too."

    Why do they like tanned skin? Michelle Louis reported in her research, "The process of tanning can help make people's skin smooth and hide marks." She further explained, "Tans make people's skin appear healthier and make them appear thinner than when they have pale skin."

    Perhaps there is no real ideal standard of beauty. In different cultures and at different times of history, the standards change. On Amy's blog, she also gave two examples: Some women carried parasols around trying to keep their white skin in the US 150 years ago; During the Tang Dynasty in China, heavy women were thought attractive. But now, Chinese women prefer to be slim.

    In a word, different standards of beauty should be respected. People may grow up with only one idea of what beauty is, but it doesn't mean that it's necessarily the correct or the best idea.

New words:

①parasol n. umbrella used to protect people from the sun 阳伞

②campus n. grounds of school, college or university校园

③tan n. the brown colour of sun-kissed skin 晒成的棕褐

④become brown by the sun 晒成棕褐色，晒黑

⑤fake adj. not real 假的

A

    Libraries are wonderful places，full of stories，nice and quiet，and free for everyone．Here are some of the most breathtaking libraries in the world．

Binhai Library：Tianjin，China

    Since its opening in October，2017，people have been interested in the eye—shaped of the building which is quite modern and unusual．They call the library "the eye of Binhai"．The library can house 1.2 million books．It has round bookshelves built into the walls from floor to ceiling，and these bookshelves can also serve as stairs and seating areas．

Central Library：Seattle，U．S．

    It's shiny，modern and unusual and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours．In its first year，more than two million tourists visited the library．The library holds different art exhibitions，book signings and other events．The library offers free selfguided cell phone tours，along with group tours．

Trinity College Library：Dublin，Ireland

    It's the oldest library in Ireland．founded in 1592 by Queen ElizabethⅠ．It has rights to receive material published in the Republic of Ireland free of charge．It is also known as the Long Room，which has more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books．One of the most famous manuscripts is "The Book of Kells" ．Every year more than 500,000 visitors visit the library because of it．

A

    Come to Austria!

    Soll is a village in the mountains in western Austria.The Post Hotel, opened by a local family, is clean and not expensive.From the hotel you can see the whole village, the forests and the mountains.The temperature in summer is usually between 20℃ and 25℃ in the daytime, but much cooler at night.

    Enjoy Thailand!

    When you visit Bangkok(曼谷) in Thailand, do not miss the early morning riverboat trip to the Floating(漂浮的) Market just outside the city.There you will find many kinds of fruits and vegetables.And you can pay for them when you sit in your boat.Don't forget your hat and sunglasses: the sun can be strong and it may be as hot as 40℃ at noon!

    Visit Hawaii!

    Maybe the most beautiful place in Hawaii is Kauai.You can visit its long, sandy beaches in the south and west of the island, and mountains and forests in the north, but be  careful: there are many mosquitoes(蚊子), and don't be surprised if it rains in the center of the island.The daytime temperature there is usually between 24℃ and 26℃ by the sea，and it is only a little cooler in the late evening.