Chinese is becoming the language to be learned in the 21st century. With the continuous improvement of China’s international status, Chinese is very important to those who wish     1    (visit) China or learn about its culture and history.

    2    (master) Chinese well, you must make great efforts and find your own way. As we all know, the world’s best way     3    (grasp) a language is in the environment where it’s spoken, so try to expose yourself to Chinese. Keep going and you’ll be pleased     4    (witness) your progress.

Important as words are, body language can also give     1     (we) information about people’s     2     (feel). However, some body language means differently in different countries. The meanings of some gestures, like     3    (make) eye contact and OK vary     4    culture to culture while other gestures mean the same worldwide. Some body language, like     5    smile, has many different uses.

“Food is the first necessity of the people,” said historian Sima Qian of the Western Han dynasty. Today, these words still ring true. The Chinese respect and passion for food are     1     (deep) rooted in the cultural landscape.

In Zhengzhou, the main city of Henan Province, thick noodles are braised(炖)in a rich meat soup     2     is made mainly with mutton. According to legend, Li Shimin,     3     second emperor of the Tang dynasty, was ill and tired while     4     (escape) from his enemies. A poor farmer’s wife cooked him a bowl of noodles     5     the only meat she had — some elk(麋鹿)meat.     6     (support) by the hot meal, he recovered quickly, won the battle and established himself as an emperor.

In Shanxi, sliced noodles, or daoxiao mian, is a typical one. In the 13th century, the Mongolians     7     (establish) the Yuan dynasty. The Han people lived under strict rules, including the rules about the ownership of     8     (knife). Several families shared only one knife and noodle making became almost     9     (possible). One day, a smart cook decided to use a small piece of metal to slice the dough directly into the pot, so daoxiao mian     10     (make).

It comes as some surprise to discover that, in previous centuries, this pretty simple backwater was one of the main     1     (stop) in a Caucasian branch of the classic Silk Route. And the work being done here today is part of a far     2     (wide) recovery of East-West trade across the area.

The Great Silk Route, or Silk Road, was the fabled overland supply chain famously     3     allowed the supply of Chinese goods     4     (reach) ancient Rome from the second century BCE.

In an ancient world without trains or planes,     5     (transport) valuable goods across vast inhospitable lands of Eurasia required well equipped teams of pack animals—    6     (typical) camels travelling in groups known as caravans (商队).

These would usually seek overnight     7     (safe) in solid walled fences where the traders could find accommodation and food. This developed     8     caravanserais (商队旅馆) all along the trade routes: precursors (前身) of traveller’s inns, but for a pre-motorized age.

Despite     9     name, the Silk Route was always a separate network rather than a single “route” and that trade was in much more than just silk. Pepper and spices     10     (be) also in demand in pre-medieval Europe, while so much silver and gold flowed east to pay for these luxuries (奢侈品) that Rome faced a balance-of-payments reduction in the third century CE.