The Silk Roads: Threads Connecting Continents

课文

1. For over 1,500 years, a network of trade routes linked China, Central Asia, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean.

   一千五百多年来，一条贸易路线网络连接了中国、中亚、印度、波斯和地中海地区。

2. Merchants carried silk, spices, paper, and horses, while also exchanging religions, languages, and technologies.

   商人们运送丝绸、香料、纸张和马匹，同时也传播宗教、语言与技术。

3. Buddhism traveled west from India along these paths, reaching China by the 1st century CE.

   佛教沿这些路线自印度西传，于公元1世纪抵达中国。

4. Camel caravans crossed deserts and mountains, relying on oasis towns for water, food, and shelter.

   骆驼商队穿越沙漠与群山，依赖绿洲城镇提供水、食物和庇护。

5. The Roman Empire valued Chinese silk so highly that its import drained silver reserves significantly.

   罗马帝国极度珍视中国丝绸，大量进口导致其白银储备大幅流失。

6. Papermaking spread westward after the Battle of Talas in 751, when captured Chinese artisans shared their craft.

   751年怛罗斯之战后，被俘的中国工匠传授造纸术，造纸术由此西传。

7. Diseases like the Black Death later moved along the same routes, showing how deeply connected the world already was.

   后来黑死病等疾病也经由同一路线传播，印证当时世界已深度互联。

8. Though not a single road, this web reshaped economies, art, and thought across Eurasia.

   尽管并非单一道路，这张网络却重塑了整个欧亚大陆的经济、艺术与思想。