Question

The distance between ancient Rome and ancient China was about 4,000 miles by land. There were terrible deserts and high mountains on the way. It was a very dangerous trip.

For a very long time, the ancient Romans did not know who was making this wonderful cloth called silk. The Romans first discovered pieces of silk in the goods they took from some of dead people they had conquered （征服）. But those people did not know where the silk was made. They only traded for the silk.

The Romans tried to find more traders as they came into villages to trade silk for other goods. But the traders did not know who made the silk either. In fact, the trading along the Silk Road was a relay （接力）system. One trader would travel for a while, stop and trade, and return home. The next trader would continue, stop and trade, and return home. And so it went. No trader made the whole trip because the trip was too dangerous.

As silk was becoming more and more popular, the demand for it in ancient Rome had grown. Ancient Rome had treasure. They hoped to find “The Silk People” to trade for more silk. But most never returned because they could not make it through the desert. They had to turn around and come back.

This went on for a very long time.

As the years went by along the Silk Road, temples appeared. There were even cities built on the oases （绿洲）. It was never easy to travel by land from ancient China to ancient Rome. But it was worth it. Ancient Rome traded treasure for ancient China’s silk and spices. In fact, more things travelled along the Silk Road than traders and goods. Ideas travelled along the Silk Road as well. The ideas changed the world.

1.Why was it difficult for the ancient Romans to know the silk maker?

A.Because the silk makers didn’t want to be conquered.

B.Because the silk makers wanted to make more money.

C.Because the traders never saw the silk makers.

D.Because the method of making silk was a secret.

2.Which of the words has the similar meaning to “demand” in paragraph 4?

A.Interest B.Price C.Need D.Value

3.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A.The discovery of ancient Rome. B.The importance of the Silk Road.

C.The history and value of the Silk Road. D.The international trade in ancient times.

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.The Silk Road made a great difference to the world.

B.The ancient Romans wanted to conquer the traders.

C.Silk was the only thing that people traded along the Silk Road.

D.After building the temples, the travel was much easier than before.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文介绍了“丝绸之路”的历史和意义。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段中“But the traders did not know who made the silk either.”可知，古罗马人很难知道丝绸制造者是谁，因为商人们也不知道是谁做的丝绸，从来没有见过制造丝绸的人。故选C。

2.

词意猜测题。Interest兴趣；Price价格；Need需要；Value价值。根据第四段中“As silk was becoming more and more popular…”可知，随着丝绸越来越受欢迎，说明古罗马对丝绸的需求也在增长，所以此处demand与need的意思相似。故选C。

3.

主旨大意题。结合全文内容可知，文章前半部分首先介绍了“丝绸之路”的由来，也就是丝绸之路的历史，在最后一段中介绍了丝绸之路不仅可以用来运送中国的丝绸和香料，也可以传播改变世界的思想，这属于“丝绸之路”的意义，所以文章主要讲了“丝绸之路”的历史和价值。故选C。

4.

细节理解题。The Silk Road made a great difference to the world.“丝绸之路”改变了世界。根据最后一段中“Ideas travelled along the Silk Road as well. The ideas changed the world.”可知，通过“丝绸之路”传播的思想改变了世界，所以A项正确；The ancient Romans wanted to conquer the traders.古罗马人想要征服商人。根据第三段中“The Romans tried to find more traders as they came into villages to trade silk for other goods. But the traders did not know who made the silk either.”可知，罗马人试图找到更多的商人以便了解丝绸的生产者是谁，而不是想要征服他们，所以B项错误；Silk was the only thing that people traded along the Silk Road.丝绸是人们在丝绸之路上唯一的交易品。根据最后一段中“But it was worth it Ancient Rome traded treasure for ancient China’s silk and spices.”可知，通过丝绸之路可以交易丝绸和香料，所以丝绸不是唯一的交易品，所以C项错误；After building the temples, the travel was much easier than before.在建造了神庙之后，旅程比以前容易多了。根据最后一段中“It was never easy to travel by land from ancient China to ancient Rome.”可知，从古中国到古罗马的陆路旅程从来都不容易，所以D项错误。故选A。