The Story Of Silk — IELTS Reading Answers

“It just so happened that while she was sipping some tea, one of the cocoons that she had collected landed in the hot tea and started to unravel into a fine thread.”

The gap is the drink the cocoon fell into; the passage says it landed in hot tea and started to unravel into a fine thread.

“She also devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon into a single thread so that they would be strong enough to be woven into fabric.”

The gap names the device used to draw fibres into thread; the passage says she devised a special reel for the purpose.

“Originally, silkworm farming was solely restricted to women, and it was they who were responsible for the growing, harvesting and weaving.”

The gap names who was solely responsible for silkworm farming; the passage says it was solely restricted to women.

“Silk quickly grew into a symbol of status, and originally, only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk.”

The gap names those originally allowed silk clothes; the text says only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk.

“silk was so prized that it was also used as a unit of currency. Government officials were paid their salary in silk, and farmers paid their taxes in grain and silk.”

The gap is what silk became a unit of; the passage says it was used as a unit of currency, and officials were paid in silk.

“The earliest indication of silk paper being used was discovered in the tomb of a noble who is estimated to have died around 168 AD.”

The gap names the product made from silk found in a noble's tomb; the passage mentions silk paper being used.

“taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East.”

The gap is one of the goods traded eastward; the passage lists gold, silver and wool being brought to the East.

“According to another legend, monks working for the Byzantine emperor Justinian smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople (Istanbul in modern-day Turkey) in 550 AD, concealed inside hollow bamboo walking canes.”

The gap names the people who smuggled eggs inside hollow bamboo canes; the passage says monks working for Justinian did it.

“Then in the twentieth century, new manmade fibres, such as nylon, started to be used in what had traditionally been silk products”

The gap is an example of a twentieth-century manmade fibre; the passage names nylon as replacing silk in traditional products.

Gold was the most valuable material transported along the Silk Road.

“It was named the Silk Road after its most precious commodity, which was considered to be worth more than gold.”

The road's most precious commodity, silk, was considered worth more than gold, so gold was not the most valuable item traded.

Most tradesmen only went along certain sections of the Silk Road.

“Few merchants travelled the entire route; goods were handled mostly by a series of middlemen.”

Few merchants travelled the entire route, with middlemen handling goods mostly, so most traders covered only certain sections.

The Byzantines spread the practice of silk production across the West.

“The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese, however, and for many centuries the weaving and trading of silk fabric was a strict imperial monopoly.”

The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese and kept silk a strict imperial monopoly, so they did not spread the practice west.

Silk yarn makes up the majority of silk currently exported from China.

“However, in more recent decades, China has gradually recaptured its position as the world’s biggest producer and exporter of raw silk and silk yarn.”

China is called the biggest producer and exporter of raw silk and silk yarn, but no share of its exports is given, so majority is unsupported.