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.

Hello, boys and girls! My name is Tim. These are four photos of my friends. 

When you have a cold drink in summer, you may get a toothache. If eating ice cream or drinking cold drinks make your eh hurt, it could be a kind of protein(蛋白质) called TRPC5 at work.

A new study which came out on March 26 answered a long-lasting question about our teeth—why do cold food and drinks make our teeth hurt? Actually, when you feel a toothache, it's because a kind of protein feels a drop in temperature and sounds an alarm to your brain. The research team found this protein 15 years ago. But they didn't know where in the body it felt the temperature. Now they know it—it's in a kind of tooth cell.

David Clapham from the research team explained how our teeth sensed cold. When someone is eating ice cream, for example, cells with TRPC5 in teeth feel a change in temperature and send a signal to the brain. As a result, you will be sensitive to the cold food and feel pains. I is also found that here will be more TRPC5 if your teeth are worn away(磨损), so a great way to prevent a toothache is to treat it gently. If you don't know what to do, the following tips can help you out;

●Don't brush your teeth too hard. Brush up and down to keep them clean and strong.

●Say goodbye to soda and sticky candy, because they can wear your teeth away.

●Stop grinding(磨) your teeth. That will make your teeth more sensitive(敏感的) to coldness.

If all of these don't work, go to the dentist!