1     a Chinese student, you must know something     2     the Silk Road.

Long ago, traders (商人)     3     treasures from the East to the West. These treasures, like silk and spices (香料), were not goods to get     4    . Many people wanted     5     and it was a good way to become rich.

The Silk Road     6     not a real road. It was a route (路线) between the East and the West. It went through     7    , Turkey, and Greece. Some traders travelled over land and others sailed     8     the sea. There was danger (危险) along both routes. Traders who     9     over the land used camels and horses. First, the traders crossed the desert (沙漠). Then, they climbed over mountains. After that, the traders still had     10     of miles to go.

The Silk Road has been a bridge     1     East and West for more than 2,000 years. The Silk Road has been     2     included into the UNESCO World Heritage List(世界文化遗产名录) at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha. But the Silk Road is not a single route(路线)! It is a series of     3     and cultural transmission(传递) routes. The trade route starts from the city of Xi’an in Shanxi Province and     4     in Eastern Europe, near today’s Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road was about 6,500 kilometers     5    . It went across one-fourth of the planet.

The Silk Road got its name     6     Chinese silk used to be carried along this road. Apart from silk, jade, ceramics(瓷器) and iron went west to Rome. From the west came glass, gems(宝石) and food     7     carrots and sesame(芝麻).

The Silk Road was very     8     to both China and the rest of the world. Besides trade, knowledge about science, arts and literature, as well as crafts and technologies was shared across the Silk Road. In this way, languages and cultures developed and influenced     9     other.

Today,     10     along the Silk Road are great travel destinations(目的地), such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an and Mogao Grottoes(莫高窟) in Dunhuang, Gansu.

Why are so many British people interested in historical (历史的) television programs like Downton Abbey ( 《唐顿庄园》) ? Maybe because they want to see how both     1     and poor people lived years ago. Or is it because they like looking at the beautiful buildings people lived in—the country     2    ?

Downton Abbey is not a real place,     3     the house they used for the program is real.

Highclere Castle in the     4     of England was a castle (城堡) 900 years ago, but in the 9th century (世纪), people changed (改变) it into a house.

Why did people     5     country houses? Probably because they wanted other people to see how much money they had. These houses often had lots of furniture(家具) and paintings, as well as servants (佣人)     6    , clean and look after the family and guests (客人).

But as we know from the story of Downton, the     7     of the families who lived in these houses did not last.

Today, many country houses are open to     8    . People pay money to take a look inside.

Some of the houses were sold and     9     hospitals, schools, hotels, and     10     prisons (监狱).

And some are used for making films and TV programs like Downton Abbey.

A road is a bridge between two places. The Silk Road has been a bridge between East and West for more than 2,000 years. The Silk Road has been     1     included into the UNESCO World Heritage List (世界文化遗产名录) at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha.

But did you know the Silk Road is not a single route (路线)? It is a series of     2     and cultural transmission (传送) routes. It began during the Western Han Dynasty. The trade route starts from the city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province and     3     in Eastern Europe, near today’s Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road was about 6,500 kilometers     4    . It went across one­ fourth of the planet.

The Silk Road got its name     5     Chinese silk used to be carried along this road. Apart from silk, jade, ceramics and iron went west to Rome. From the west came glass, gems and food     6     carrots and sesame(芝麻)．

The Silk Road was very     7     to both China and the rest of the world. Besides trade, knowledge about science, arts and literature, as well as crafts and technologies was     8     across the Silk Road. In this way, languages and cultures developed and     9     each other.

Today,     10     along the Silk Road are great travel destinations (目的地), such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang Gansu.

The Silk Road has been a bridge     1     the East and West for more than 2, 000 years. But you know the Silk Road is not a single route (路线)! It is a series of trade and culture transmission (传送)routes. It     2     during the Han Dynasty (朝代). The trade route starts from the city of Xi’an in Shanxi Province and ends in     3     Europe. The Silk Road was about 6, 500 kilometers     4    . It went across one fourth of the planet.

The Silk Road was very     5     both China and the rest of the world.     6     trade, knowledge about science, arts and literature, as     7     as crafts and technologies was shared across the Silk Road. In this way,     8     and cultures developed and influenced each other.

In ancient times, the Silk Road was very important. It     1     Europe with Asia. The Silk road got its name because businessmen     2     silk along it. Besides silk, there were many other     3     that traveled along the silk road.

The Chinese learned to make silk     4     of years ago. For a long time the Chinese were the only ones who knew how to make silk. They kept this     5     carefully. In ancient China, silk was very     6     material. Only the emperor（皇帝）， his family and his     7     were allowed to wear clothes made of silk.

The ancient Romans were the first Europeans     8     knew this wonderful material. Indians exchanged silk for wools, gold, and silver with them.

There were deserts and high mountains in the way,     9    the trip along the Silk Road could be very dangerous. For businessmen, it was never easy to travel from China to Rome. But it was     10     it. As the years went by, some cities were built along the Silk Road.

Have you     1     a group of boys dancing hip­hop together? The music beat is usually exciting and cool! And the people dancing hip­hop seem     2     what they are doing. What is the real meaning of "hip­hop"? Some people say it is the motion(动作，姿态) that people make while they     3    . They move their hips(臀部) sideways when they dance. That's very interesting. The first hip­hop music     4     to the world at the beginning of the 1970s by DJs. A Jamaican known as Kool Herc was the first person who performed hip­hop music. Whenever people     5     of hip­hop, music and dance are the first things that come into their minds. There is a certain style of fashion. They don't wear formal suits but prefer bigger­sized jeans, casual shirts, sneakers, and colorful caps. They call it "hip­hop fashion".