Between 139 and 126 BC, Zhang Qian traveled to Central Asia as a diplomat（外交家）for the Han emperor. As a result of his efforts, Chang'an became the starting place of the Silk Road, a network of trading routes that went all the way to the Roman Empire. People who traveled on the Silk Road     1    (carry) more than just silk. Merchants also used the Silk Road     2     (bring) tea, spices, and Chinese inventions such as paper to Europe.     3    return, Chinese received fruits and vegetables, some of     4     were unknown in Asia before then, along with glass products and carpets.

    5    , in many ways, Chang'an was the most powerful during the Tang Dynasty(618-907). During that time,     6    had as many as one million people, and was in fact the     7    (large) city in the world.

Meanwhile, Chang'an was also the center of Asia.     8    (near) everything produced in the world could    9    (find) on the streets of Chang'an. A large percentage of the population: merchants, students, artists, and diplomats, came from other     10     (country), and the city served as the model for the design of the ancient capitals of Korea and Japan.

Longjing tea,     1     has topped the list of the ten most famous teas in China with its color, taste and shape,     2     (name) after its region of production—Longjing Village of West Lake. The good environment and water resources are good for the     3     (grow) of the tea, confirming (证实) the saying that “Longjing tea is the     4     (good) among all of the teas in the world”.

Thanks     5     Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the tea has earned a high reputation. It is said that Emperor Qianlong visited a mountain of Longjing Village of West Lake on his travels in Hangzhou, and he saw some ladies picking the tea at     6     foot of the mountain. He was so interested in their movements that he decided to have a go himself.

While     7     (pick) the tea, he received the news of his mothers illness, so he carelessly put the leaves in his pocket and     8     (leave) Hangzhou for Beijing. He visited his mother immediately upon     9     (he) arrival in Beijing, and his mother smelt the pleasant smell of the tea leaves from his pocket and wanted to have a taste. After drinking a cup of tea, she found herself completely     10     (energy), and she even praised it as a cure for all illnesses.