The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people 【小题1】 to travel the Silk Road about 3,000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became 【小题2】 in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

Traders travelling 【小题3】 the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices (香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold.

There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers travelled through central Asia. They started to live 【小题4】 near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of 【小题5】 villages of China was started.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and 【小题6】. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods 【小题7】 new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they 【小题8】 goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed 【小题9】 trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China 【小题10】 the history of many countries and peoples.

Some people may ask, "Isn't it enough to just educate the offenders? Do we really need to fine them?" Well, in my opinion, in order to change a person's behavior, fines are 【小题1】. For example, car drivers had been encouraged for years to give 【小题2】 to pedestrians(行人)who were crossing the road. But few drivers did so until a new set of traffic regulations came out. Now, at 【小题3】 you can often see car drivers waiting for people to cross the road first.

Sometimes, we must use 【小题4】 methods if we want our society to become more civilized(文明的)and organized.

“What a great film!” says Dan.

Dan Parks and Sue Barrington are leaving the Odeon cinema in Oxford.

“I love Eddie Redmayne,” says Sue.

“Yes, he’s a 【小题1】 actor,” replies Dan.

He looks at his watch.

“It’s 【小题2】 o’clock already,” he says. “Time to get home.”

“Yes,” says Sue. “It’s beginning to get dark.”

They walk up the street and look for their bikes. There 【小题3】 a lot of bikes in Oxford. The city is flat and a lot of people cycle.

“There’s my bike,” says Dan. He looks for Sue’s, but he 【小题4】 see it.

“Where’s 【小题5】?” asks Sue. “It’s not here.”

Then they see her bike lock on the ground — 【小题6】 two bits.

“Oh no!” says Sue. “Bike thieves!”

Dan looks up and down the road. He sees a police car fifty metres away on the other side of the street.

“【小题7】 me,” he says to Sue, and runs across the street.

She watches him. He talks through the window of the police car and points 【小题8】 at her.

Then a policewoman gets out of the car and comes across the road with Dan.

“Hello,” says the policewoman to Sue. “I’m PC Jennings. Your friend tells me your bike is 【小题9】 . Now tell me about the bike.”

“Well, it’s blue,” begins Sue. “It’s a 【小题10】 bike. And it’s only a year old.”

Jennings writes everything in her notebook.

…