When people think of China, silk is among the first things that pop into their mind. The best place in China     1     (discover) the wonder of silk is the city of Suzhou. 90 % of the genuine-silk trade in the world comes from China,     2     one third of the silk products exported from China is from Suzhou. It was in this place     3    some of the first silk embroideries (刺绣) were born. Suzhou Silk can be made     4       a great many products, the most common being clothing and scarves.

Silk is a natural protein fiber. The protein fiber of silk consists mainly of fibroin,     5     protein produced by certain insects to generate cocoons.

Chinese legend gives the title Goddess of Silk to Leizu, wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor in about 3000 BC. She     6       (credit) with the introduction of silkworm ever since. During the Western Han Dynasty, the Emperor assigned special envoys, like Zhang Qian,     7     (routine) to the Western Regions, which facilitated the     8     (form) of the Silk Road.

Silk is the symbol of     9     (distinguish) ancient Chinese culture and the old silk industry formed one of the most splendid chapters in the history of the Chinese culture, remarkably     10     (contribute) to the development of the world civilization.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site today, the ancient town of Pingyao in Shanxi province formed China’s economic backbone during the Qing Dynasty. The town was home     1     the country’s first piaohao (money exchange house) that financed the empire during a period when all bookkeeping was on paper, and the only way     2     (deal) with numbers involved the abacus (算盘) .

In the 19th century, merchants from Shanxi were making their     3     (present) felt in many other nations. They had to rely on security guards for transferring their wealth--gold and silver. The method was hardly safe and thus     4     (lead) to the emergence of piaohao.

The bank of Rishengchang, which     5     (literal) means “sunrise prosperity”, was established in 1823 and it became the prototype (原型) of China’s early financial system. At its peak, the Rishengchang bank had more than 30 branches across the country, with business     6     (reach) as far as Europe and the US.     7     more than a century later, in 1932, the exchange house halted (终止) its operations, the antiques displayed in the museum today continue to fascinate people.

In 2006, Rishengchang museum was named     8     “major national cultural relic” under protection by the State Council. Since then, it     9     (make) its way across the country and abroad. The museum now preserves original account books, letters, bills of exchange and seals,     10    existence reflects the spirit and wisdom of the Shanxi merchants.

China’s Grand Canal(大运河)

For centuries, the power of Chinese emperors rose and fell with     1    (they) control of the Grand Canal. Today, this important waterway is shorter than it once was,     2     it is still the longest man-made river in the world and continues to play an important cultural and     3    (economy) role in modern China.

The original canal system began around the year 605,     4    Emperor-Yang realized that-in order to feed his army--he needed a way to move food quickly from China’s southern rice -growing region to the country’s north.     5    (complete) in 611, the canal grew more and more important throughout China over the next 500 years. In 1279, Kublai Khan began to repair and build new parts of the canal. This rebuilding work created a more direct north-south route to and from Beijing. Future     6    (rule) then continued to expand and improve the canal. In addition to     7    (move) rice around China, the Grand Canal was also an important cultural waterway. Ideas, regional foods, and cultural practices were transported from one part of China     8    another along the county’s watery highway.

Today, boats still carry tons of coal, food, and other goods to points between Hangzhou and Jining. In 2014, the historic Grand Canal was made a UNESCO World Heritage site.It     9    (hope) that Grand Canal, one of the world’s great engineering accomplishments, will continue to link north and south China for centuries     10    (come).