【正文】 important for graduate students in humanities B. difficult for graduate students in humanities C. mon for undergraduate students in science D. easy for undergraduate students in science. 52. What did the science professors learn after the experiment? A. They should change the way they teach B. A poem could be explained in clear definitions. C. A poetry class could be more informative. D. Their teaching was an enjoyable experience. D Runners in a relay(接力 ) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road. The Silk Road was not a simple trading work. It passed through thousands of citied and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B, C, to about A, D, 1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路線 ) , It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe. The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接 ) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to worldwide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web. The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交 ), and religion (宗教 ) 53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed . A. to remember the entire trade route B. to know the making of products C. to receive certain special training D. to deal with a lot of difficulties 54. The Silk Road became less important because . A. it was made up of different routes B. silk trading became less popular C. sea travel provided easier routes D. people needed fewer foreign goods 55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people . A. learned from one another B. shared each other’s beliefs C. traded goods along the route D. earned their living by traveling 56. What is the best title for the passage? A. The Silk Road 。 Pathways for Learning E Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聰明的 ) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it es to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who e out on top every time. There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空間的 ) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to! The differences begin when fetuses(胎兒 ) are about mine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children ad young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障礙物 ) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while mor