1 . The Silk Road is a name given to the trade routes that connected Europe and the Mediterranean with the Asian world. The route got its _______ because the early Chinese _______ silk along it. In the course of time, medicine, perfumes, spices and livestock found their way between continents.

The Chinese leaned to _______ silk thousands of years ago. For a long time they were the_______ ones who knew how to make this material. It was so precious that only the emperor, his family and his highest advisers were_______ to wear clothes made of it. For a long time the Chinese _______ guarded this secret.

The ancient Romans were the first Europeans who became _______ this wonderful material.

Trading _______ often with Indians as middlemen who traded silk with the Chinese in _______ for gold and silver which they got from the Romans.   

Travelling along the route was ________ The hot desert, high mountains and sandstorms made travelling a rough business. Most of the ________ along the Silk Road were carried by caravans (运输队).

Over the centuries people ________ along the ancient route and many cities appeared. Then there were fewer hardships, but by no means was it ________.

In the early Middle Ages traffic along the route decreased because of the fall of the Roman Empire. But trading along the Silk Road became ________ again between the 13th and 14th centuries, when the Mongols controlled central Asia. Because ________ sea routes to Asia were discovered, the Silk Road lost its importance during the Age of Exploration.