The Silk Road is a historically important international trade route （路线）between China and the Mediterranean（地中海）. It began during the Western Han Dynasty and has been 【小题1】 bridge between East and West for over 2,000 years. Some people may think it is【小题2】[ɪm'pɒsɪb(ə)l] to exist（存在）.Now let me tell you the history.

The ancient road started from Chang’an（now Xi’an) and ended in East Europe, near 【小题3】（today）Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 6,500【小题4】(kilometer) long and covered one 【小题5】 （four）of the planet. The Silk Road got its name because Chinese silk used to be carried along this road. Silk, jade（翡翠）, ceramics（制陶术）and iron【小题6】 （go）west to Rome. And from the west came glass, gems and food 【小题7】carrots and sesame（芝麻）.The Silk Road was very important to both China and the rest of the world. It was   more than an ancient international trade route. Besides trade, knowledge about 【小题8】 [‘səʊʃəl] arts, science , literature, crafts（工艺）and technologies was shared across the Silk Road. In this way, the languages and cultures developed   【小题9】(quick)and influenced each other. Today, along the Silk Road there are 【小题10】 [‘sevrəl] places of interest, such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. Now a new train line runs from Beijing across the Silk Road.

I live in Pennsylvania. It is a 【小题1】 （north）state of America, which is the 33rd【小题2】 （large）state in America. You might know some of the cities, like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown. The state capital is Harrisburg. Now let me tell you a little more about my state.

Several Indian tribes（部落）lived in Pennsylvania before 【小题3】（Europe）came. The Dutch came first, 【小题4】（follow）by Sweden. England started colonies（殖民地） later. After a few fights, they【小题5】（take）control of the land.

Pennsylvania 【小题6】（give）to the Penn family later. That is how Pennsylvania got its name. Pennsylvania was the【小题7】（two）to join the nation. The city of Philadelphia 【小题8】（be）an important city since the colony was founded. It was even the capital of America, too!Today, Pennsylvania is sometimes regarded as the snack capital of the country. It is famous for snacks, like pretzels and chips, Heinz ketchup and sauces. There is also Hershey, which is well 【小题9】（know）as the chocolate company.

There are steel companies in the state, as well as a lot of colleges. There are plenty of things 【小题10】（do） in Pennsylvania. There are several major sports teams. Pennsylvania has 121 state parks, and they all have free 【小题11】（enter）. Hunting is popular here, too.

Are you thinking about【小题12】（visit）the state?

People have had illnesses and doctors have tried to c【小题1】them since the beginning of time. In the past, because of people's little knowledge of m【小题2】theytried some cures which were really strange and h【小题3】 . Take a【小题4】 Egyptians for   example, those with t【小题5】 didn't use to see the dentist. Instead, they put a dead       mouse in their mouth and left it there for s【小题6】 hours. People suffering from       backache often have much p【小题7】 , because a vertebra is not in the right p【小题8】 .     In those days, the patients in Greece were t【小题9】 to a ladder which was p【小题10】 up high and then dropped to the ground. It was expected to help the vertebra go back into place. Unbelievable, isn't it?

People have been showing great interest in lost cities and mythical ones. In the summer of 1848 in Guatemala, Ambrosio Tut and the l【小题11】 governor found a        Mayan city in the j【小题12】 , where temples, pyramids, squares and houses were built     and kings had lived when the Mayans r【小题13】 the region. When the lost city was       found again, people went there to see it at once. Some people have been looking for Atlantis, which was said to be a l【小题14】 island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.     Thanks to the natural r【小题15】 on the island, people there were very rich. They lived     s【小题16】 lives for hundreds of years. But slowly they became g【小题17】 and wanted p【小题18】 . So the gods decided to d【小题19】 Atlantis. All of a sudden, the island and its people were s【小题20】 by the sea and were never seen again.