As the saying goes, “All roads lead to Rome”—but was that really the case? The answer is not as easy as an unqualified “yes” or “no”. It’s a little more complicated than that.
In 2015, three researchers at the Moovel Lab dropped a uniform grid (网格) of almost 500,000 points across a map of Europe. These points were simply random spots from which to start a journey to Rome. The team then developed a method to calculate the best route to Rome using modern routes from each of those starting points. The more frequently a road was used across the different points, the thicker it was drawn on the map. Their results showed many roads led to Rome, connecting other major cities along the way, such as London, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and Paris, which were also part of the ancient empire.
News of the map spread quickly, but it didn’t actually prove that all roads lead to Rome. If the researchers had conducted the same exercise and looked at the quickest way from those same 500,000 points to Berlin or Moscow, the map would also show similar results.
The team used computer modeling to look at most logical routes that connect two points on the landscape, and then compared that with their knowledge of Rome roads to see if they’re similar. Modern routes are often the same in most cases. In other words, many of Europe’s multi-lane highways are the successors of Rome roads.
In ancient times, roads were mainly built to ensure people could travel around within a short time. This has changed in recent years, however; newly built motorways avoid populated places to save money in acquiring land.
The main roads in ancient Rome were straight lines whenever geography allowed. These major roads were built with different layers like earth and rock, and finally big pieces of stone on the top. They weren’t flat, but had a round roof to allow proper drainage (排水). Then came other secondary dirt roads that weren’t paved. They connected smaller towns and cities, rather than offering any sort of a route to Rome.
So, was the saying in Paragraph 1 right? No, but an awful lot of important ones eventually made their way there.
8. What did the team do with the new method mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A.Drew the map of ancient Rome. |
B.Showed the layout of cities in Europe. |
C.Counted all the existing roads in Rome. |
D.Found the best web of roads leading to Rome. |
9. What might be a significance of building Rome roads?
A.It connected urban areas and rural areas. |
B.It changed the history of European roads. |
C.It set a good example to European road styles. |
D.It contributed to traffic rules of two runways. |
10. What did people attach importance to while building roads in ancient times?
A.Whether the roads were wide enough. |
B.Whether the roads helped people save time. |
C.Whether the roads helped collect rainwater. |
D.Whether the roads were close to people’s residences. |
11. Which can be the best title for the text?
A.Do all roads lead to Rome? |
B.Why does Rome have so many roads? |
C.Was ancient Rome an empire in Europe? |
D.How were roads built in ancient Europe? |