雅思词汇课文（8）· The Silk Road 丝绸之路：古代的全球化
历史主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思历史类核心词。
🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）
📖 课文 Text
The Silk Road
Long before the internet connected continents, there was the Silk Road — a network of trade routes that linked China, India, Persia, Arabia and Europe for over 1,500 years. The name suggests a single road, but it was not: it was a web of tracks, deserts and mountain passes along which goods, ideas and diseases travelled between civilisations.
The trade itself was ancient. Chinese silk, prized in Rome for its lightness and shimmer, travelled westward; in return, horses, spices and glass moved east. But the more profound exchange was not material. Along the same routes, Buddhism spread from India to China, and Arabic numerals travelled from the Middle East to Europe, where they replaced the clunky Roman system. Paper-making, invented in China, reached Europe only after the techniques were captured in a battle in 751.
The Silk Road also carried less welcome cargo. The Black Death, which killed a third of Europe's population in the fourteenth century, almost certainly travelled the same routes that had previously carried spices and silk. The lesson — that connections bring both prosperity and risk — was not lost on later empires.
By the sixteenth century, the Silk Road had declined. Ocean-going ships, faster and safer than camel caravans, shifted trade to the sea. The great cities of Central Asia — Samarkand, Bukhara — shrank into provincial towns. Yet the memory of the Silk Road never died. In recent years, China has revived the idea under the name "Belt and Road", investing billions in railways and ports across Eurasia. Whether history will repeat itself — with both benefits and risks — remains to be seen.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| route | /ruːt/ | n. | 路线 | trade routes |
| link | /lɪŋk/ | v. | 连接 | linking China, India |
| continent | /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ | n. | 大陆、洲 | connected continents |
| network | /ˈnetwɜːk/ | n. | 网络、网状系统 | a network of trade routes |
| track | /træk/ | n. | 小路、小径 | a web of tracks |
| desert | /ˈdezət/ | n. | 沙漠 | deserts and mountain passes |
| civilisation | /ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | n. | 文明 | between civilisations |
| trade | /treɪd/ | n. | 贸易 | the trade itself was ancient |
| silk | /sɪlk/ | n. | 丝绸 | Chinese silk |
| prized | /praɪzd/ | adj. | 受珍视的 | prized in Rome |
| spice | /spaɪs/ | n. | 香料 | horses, spices and glass |
| profound | /prəˈfaʊnd/ | adj. | 深刻的、深远的 | the more profound exchange |
| Buddhism | /ˈbʊdɪzəm/ | n. | 佛教 | Buddhism spread |
| numeral | /ˈnjuːmərəl/ | n. | 数字 | Arabic numerals |
| capture | /ˈkæptʃə/ | v. | 俘获、夺取 | techniques were captured |
| cargo | /ˈkɑːɡəʊ/ | n. | 货物 | less welcome cargo |
| plague | /pleɪɡ/ | n. | 瘟疫 | the Black Death |
| prosperity | /prɒˈsperəti/ | n. | 繁荣 | both prosperity and risk |
| decline | /dɪˈklaɪn/ | v. | 衰落、下降 | the Silk Road had declined |
| caravan | /ˈkærəvæn/ | n. | 商队、车队 | camel caravans |
| shrink | /ʃrɪŋk/ | v. | 缩小 | shrank into provincial towns |
| revive | /rɪˈvaɪv/ | v. | 复兴、恢复 | China has revived the idea |
| invest | /ɪnˈvest/ | v. | 投资 | investing billions |
| repeat | /rɪˈpiːt/ | v. | 重复 | whether history will repeat itself |
| risk | /rɪsk/ | n. | 风险 | both benefits and risks |
| ancient | /ˈeɪnʃənt/ | adj. | 古代的 | ancient routes |
| technique | /tekˈniːk/ | n. | 技术、工艺 | the techniques were captured |
| expand | /ɪkˈspænd/ | v. | 扩张、扩展 | expanding influence |
| shift | /ʃɪft/ | v. | 转移 | shifted trade to the sea |
| exchange | /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ | n. | 交流、交换 | the more profound exchange |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. The Silk Road was actually...
- A. a single paved road
- B. a network of many routes across deserts and mountains
- C. an ocean route
- D. a modern railway
2. What moved from east to west along the routes?
- A. horses and spices
- B. Chinese silk
- C. glass
- D. paper from Europe
3. The writer uses the example of the Black Death to show that...
- A. trade always brings prosperity
- B. connections carry benefits as well as dangers
- C. diseases are harmless
- D. the Silk Road was only about trade
4. Why did the Silk Road decline?
- A. wars destroyed the cities
- B. sea trade became faster and safer
- C. silk went out of fashion
- D. China closed its borders
5. The modern "Belt and Road" initiative is described as...
- A. an exact copy of the ancient Silk Road
- B. a revival of the idea with uncertain outcomes
- C. a failure so far
- D. limited to tourism
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| ancient / decline / invest / network / prosperity / repeat / revive / route |
- The company plans to ______ heavily in renewable energy.
- The ______ empire of Rome still influences modern law and language.
- Traffic has forced the government to build a new bus ______ through the city centre.
- The economy enjoyed a period of ______ after the war.
- Sales began to ______ after the product was recalled.
- The museum hopes to ______ interest in local history through a new exhibition.
- History has a habit of ______ itself.
- The railway ______ connects all the major cities.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B（"not a single road... a web of tracks, deserts and mountain passes"）
- B（"Chinese silk... travelled westward"；horses/spices/glass moved east）
- B（"connections bring both prosperity and risk"）
- B（"Ocean-going ships, faster and safer... shifted trade to the sea"）
- B（"revived the idea... remains to be seen"）
Vocabulary
- invest 2. ancient 3. route 4. prosperity 5. decline 6. revive 7. repeating 8. network
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