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The Silk Road went from China to Eastern Europe. It went along the north of China, India, and Persia and ended up in Eastern Europe near today's Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea.

It was called Silk Road because one of the major products (产品) traded was silk cloth from China. Chinese silk was soft and of high quality. So people all over the Asia and Europe loved it very much. Even the Romans called China the "land of silk".

Besides silk, the Chinese also sold tea, salt, sugar and porcelain (陶瓷) . This was because it was a long trip and traders didn't have a lot of room for goods.

Traders travelled in large caravan (旅行队). They would have many guards with them. Most of the road was through dry land. So camels were popular animals for transport.

Although there was some trade between China and the rest of the world for some time, the silk trade developed quickly during the Han Dynasty which ruled from 206 BC to 220 AD. During this time the Mongols (蒙古) controlled most of the trade road, and Chinese traders travel safely. Also, traders had a higher social position during the Mongol rule.

It not only helped to develop trade between different countries, but also helped for ideas, culture and inventions to spread across the world.

A. The Silk Road was important.

B. Most of the goods were expensive.

C. The Chinese sold silk for thousands of years.

D. The Silk Road was full of wealth as well as danger.

E. Traveling in a big group like a caravan helped in protecting themselves.

F. Later, under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, trade China along the Silk Road was fully developed.

But at the beginning, these reforms were not easily carried out. Only a few people in the state understood Shang's talent and the advantages of his plans. Most people had little trust and confidence in him.

To solve this problem, Shang came up with an idea. He ordered some soldiers to put a thin wooden pole at the south gate of the Qin state capital. This attracted many people. Then, in front of the crowd, he said loudly, "People of Qin, whoever takes this pole to the north gate will get a reward of 10 gold pieces."

It was a simple task and the reward was big. Some people passed and no one stepped forward. They all thought that Shang was joking. Hearing no answer, Shang stepped forward and said, "I will increase the reward to 50 gold pieces."

The words sounded even more unbelievable. Finally, a man from the crowd came forward to take the pole. He put the pole on his shoulders and walked to the north gate. True to his word, Shang paid the man 50 gold pieces.

Soon, the people were saying that Shang was a man of his word. When he began promoting (推行) his reforms, they followed and did not question him.

Under the great reforms, Qin grew strong and united all the states, becoming the first empire (帝国) of China. Later, people drew the Chinese idiom "立木取信" from this story.

The most recent collapse (倒塌) happened between last Thursday and Friday after a storm caused powerful waves along Rodanthe. The house was empty, and officials have been in contact with the house owner. Less than a mile away, three other homes had fallen down in September. Since 2020, a total of 11 houses in the area have been washed away into the ocean.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore said strong winds, large waves, as well as rising sea levels—which are caused by climate change—are causing beaches on the Outer Banks to wash away. "Many buildings close to the beach in Rodanthe are either partially or fully covered with ocean water on a regular basis," the Seashore said.

It's a problem faced by coastal communities around the country. In North Carolina, over 750 homes along the state's beaches are considered in danger from erosion, according to an August report released by the state's Department of Environmental Quality and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Erosion in these coastal villages affects tourism and destroys sea turtles' home, and when homes fall down, it leaves ruins (废墟). The situation is expected to worsen as a result of rising sea levels and more coastal storms.

National Seashore officials have warned owners of unsafe houses to either strengthen their home's supports or move to a safer location if possible.

China has many heroes in science. Nan Rendong is one of them who is well-known for his great (achieve) in building the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the largest radio telescope (无线电望远镜) in the world.

Nan Rendong spent over twenty years (work) on this project. At first, he had to go to many far-away places across the country. Without good paths, he had to walk for hours (get) to proper spots. When he (meet) bad weather, like heavy rain and strong winds, he never complained. He faced lots of problems, he never stopped trying. His efforts and determination led to his success.

Nan was undoubtedly a man of great (intelligent) and responsibility (责任心). He always thought about the project first. When there was problem, he was always the first to come and help. He actually devoted (he) to his career. Even after his death, people still remember him and are proud him. His story tells us that if we keep trying, we will solve any problem. He is (real) a role model of our time.

Starting a research project can be difficult. Encyclopedias are powerful tools to begin your journey into any topic. They can make looking for information easier.

Know your focus

If you're researching climate change, you can ask: "What causes it? How does it affect oceans?" Books provide fewer useless things to look at than websites. This stops wasting time on unrelated things.

Start with overviews (概述)

Modern encyclopedias like World Book Encyclopedia give trustworthy (值得信赖的) summaries. Their complete introductions help you know key information before you learn more.

Check different sources

Compare encyclopedia entries with books on that topic or expert writings. A study of dinosaurs might use information both from pictures in Encyclopedia of Life and expert writings.

Organize information

Use apps to save online encyclopedia links (链接). For print forms, taking notes on pages helps a lot.

Mastering these steps makes research easier. As the famous saying goes, "Knowledge is power." And encyclopedias hand you the first key.

A. Here is how to use them wisely.

B. They provide "big picture" views written by experts.

C. Before opening any book, write down some questions.

D. Using both ways can make things clear and research better.

E. You should avoid using unreliable websites to protect your data.

F. When you find information from different sources, you can see different views on the topic.

The 1700s saw major changes because of the use of the printing press (印刷机). Famous sets like Diderot's Encyclopedia in France and Encyclopedia Britannica in Scotland were printed. This technology allowed many copies to be made, making encyclopedias easier to get to society, though they were still expensive. These books became valuable sources of information in homes, schools, and libraries.

In the 1900s, new forms like microfilm (tiny photo film) and CD-ROMs (computer discs) appeared. They stored huge amounts of text and images, making encyclopedias much lighter and easier to carry than heavy book sets. However, the biggest change came with the internet. Free websites like Wikipedia (started in 2001) let anyone with a device find knowledge right away. Most importantly, they allow ordinary people worldwide to write, edit and update (给……增加最新信息) articles together—unlike traditional encyclopedias created only by experts. Today, online forms include videos and sounds and are available (可获得的) in many languages, keeping the ancient goal: to share knowledge with everyone globally.

Science & Health

Numbers keep us safe and healthy. Builders use special numbers like 3.14 (π) to make strong bridges that won't fall down. Doctors use numbers like 37℃ (normal body temperature) and 60-100 beats per minute (normal heartbeat) to check health.

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Numbers tell us about people. Did you know that Asia has around 4.8 billion people? That's more than half of all people on Earth! Leaders use these numbers to decide how many schools to build. In bad times, numbers help decide how much food or medicine is needed. Stores even use numbers to know which products sell well.

Everyday Uses

We see numbers every day. When baking a cake, you need twice as much flour as sugar. At stores, a 20% discount means you can pay less money. On the road, signs like "60 km/h" tell drivers the maximum speed. Dates also use numbers, like "June 26th".

There are also some fun facts about numbers. People think differently about some numbers. In China, people believe that the number 8 means good fortune. Meanwhile, in some Western countries, people think 13 is unlucky.

        Numbers help us describe everything—from small things to huge stars. They are the world's special language.

Clouds are floating (漂浮) water drops. They are made of small water drops. Each drop is made of many water molecules (分子). They stay together around a piece of dust. How2 are cloud drops? A shoebox of clouds might3 millions of cloud drops.

Clouds are4. They look light and soft, but they hold a lot of water. The water in an average (普通的) cotton-ball cloud may have a5 as much as that of a group of elephants.

Do you dream of walking on a cloud? It would probably be very6 and wet. You would even have no comfortable7 to sit down. But weather balloons found insects inside clouds as high as 20 miles above the earth. The wind blows most of the insects into clouds. Butterflies were once found at 10,000 feet (英尺).

Clouds don't last. They are always8. When the wind blows them, they will change their9. Will the shapes stay long? Some big clouds can last around all day. But some small soft clouds often last 10 minutes. So take a look at the cloud before it10. What does that cloud look like?