Question

Silk. The word itself is beautiful. The story of silk starts in China over 4,000 years ago. It is said that a cocoon（茧）fell into a woman’s tea cup. It then opened into a single thread（线）. This was an important discovery. The Chinese learned they could use the cocoons of silkworms（蚕）to make clothes, both beautiful to look at and soft to touch.

Making silk was a secret in China for many years. In other countries, silk was hardly seen and valuable. Often it was worth more than gold. By the year 1 A.D., silk was sold as far west as Rome, and all along the Silk Road. It connected China with places in the Middle East and Europe. Thanks to the Silk Road, the communication between China and West was greatly improved. Centuries later, in 1522, the Spanish brought silkworms to Mexico.

Now people around the world still make many beautiful things from silk. But silk isn’t only beautiful. It looks delicate, but it’s very strong. For example, it has been used to make bicycle tires（轮胎）. Silk is also light and warm. This makes it great for clothes like winter jackets.

All of this comes from a little silkworm. That is the wonder of silk.

1.What was the important discovery about a silkworm’s cocoon?

A.It could become a thread. B.It could be made into tea cups.

C.It was beautiful to look at. D.It was very soft to touch.

2.What can we learn about silk from Paragraph 2?

A.It was carried to Mexico by Chinese businessman.

B.It was commonly seen in many other countries.

C.It was sold to Rome through the Silk Road.

D.It was used as money along the Silk Road.

3.The underlined word “delicate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.

A.漂亮的 B.脆弱的 C.牢固的 D.平静的

4.The passage is mainly about ______.

A.a single thread B.the secret of the Silk Road

C.a beautiful tea cup D.the wonder of silk

Answer 1