Silk is a thin and pretty strong fiber(纤维制品). Thousands of years ago, in ancient China, people began making the silk fiber into a soft fabric(织物). It was very beautiful. However, silk could only be used in the palace(宫殿) because of its high 1 at first.
The silk in China was not a secret. When the Chinese government paid visits to other countries, they carried gifts made of silk. The people in other countries started to use this 2 thing. It became popular in the West 3 .
Silk business always encouraged people who traded (从事贸易) to 4 ways to travel from Europe to the Far East. Later they came to be known as" the Silk Road". At the same time, some people 5 sea routes(路线).
The Silk Road played a(n) 6 role in bringing people from different countries into communication. To make 7 deals, people had to learn the languages and cultures of other countries first to make better communication. Through communication, people could 8 knowledge about arts, science and technology with each other. The Silk Road has always been of great 9 to the tour of the countries along the route.
The Silk Road has a far greater 10 on history than we can imagine. It made China famous and popular around the world in ancient times.
