The true origins of silk fabric will likely never be known. The best that can be done is    1     (search) the archaeological (考古) record for its earliest traces. A silkworm cocoon (茧) was discovered at a site in China     2     (date) to 5,000-3,000 BCE. Those    3    found it thought that the cocoon had been cut open    4     (deliberate).

This seems unlikely to have been done if the cocoon was to be used to produce silk     5    cutting the cocoon reduces the length of the silk fibres. Silkworm larvae (幼虫) have been, and still     6     (eat) in several countries, so it may be that this example was used for food rather than fashion.The    7     (old) examples of silk fabric that still exist were discovered in Qianshanyang from 2,700 BCE. These    8     (part) of threads and ribbons show how threads of silk were woven at    9     early stage. Discoveries of artefact (人工制品)     10     (use) in spinning and weaving also point to an early development of silk fabrics in China.