My dad is very interested in the Silk Road. He has told me many things about it. Although it is called the Silk Road, people traded much more than silk. It went through Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It was 6,500 km from Xi'an to Rome and played an important role in the development of the world. Last summer, my family got away for a holiday and visited some famous places along the original road.

We started at Lanzhou and went on to Wuwei. It was a very important city on the Silk Road. It connected three main cities in the area and was also a capital in ancient times. Although it is now a modern city, you can get a sense of history when you visit it. We saw lots of very old stone monuments and people there were very proud of their city's long history.

The next stop was Jiayuguan on the edge of the desert. It was a busy city with a lot of people coming and going. Even today, it is a city that many business people travel through. An important part of the Great Wall was also built here.

After that, we went on to Yumenguan. I first found out about it in the famous poem written by Wang Zhihuan. It was in the Gobi Desert and was the only connection between Central Asia and China. I wonder how people ever made it through the hot desert so long ago.

Finally, we arrived in Dunhuang, a city with long history and great artwork. It was influenced by many different cultures over time. Now, it is a major place of interest in north-west China.

This trip wasn't just a scenic journey. It helped me understand more about the history of the area and see how people from different places influenced each other in many ways.

1.1. Why did the writer's family travel along the Silk Road last summer?

A They wanted to visit Xi' an.

B They live near the Silk Road.

C The writer's father likes its history.

D The writer's father made him a promise.

解析：选C。答案：C 解析：定位原文第一段首句 “My dad is very interested in the Silk Road.” 和尾句 “Last summer, my family got away for a holiday and visited some famous places along the original road.”，可知全家游览丝路的原因是父亲对丝路（其历史）感兴趣。A 项文中未提及此次旅行前往西安；B 项无中生有，原文未说家人住在丝路附近；D 项原文未提及父亲做过相关承诺。

2.2. What do the people in Wuwei think of their city?

A They take pride in the history of the city.

B It wasn't an important city on the Silk Road.

C It is still the capital city on the Silk Road now.

D Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the desert there. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the desert there.

解析：选A。答案：A 解析：定位原文第二段最后一句 “We saw lots of very old stone monuments and people there were very proud of their city's long history.”，可知武威人对家乡的历史深感自豪。B 项与原文 “ It was a very important city on the Silk Road.” 相悖；C 项与原文 “was also a capital in ancient times” 相悖，武威只是古代曾为都城，并非现在；D 项武威并非沙漠地区，沙漠相关描述属于嘉峪关和玉门关，与武威无关。

3.3. Where could the writer's family visit the Great Wall on this journey?

A In Wuwei.

B In Dunhuang.

C In Jiayuguan.

D In Yumenguan.

解析：选C。答案：C 解析：定位原文第三段最后一句 “An important part of the Great Wall was also built here.”，句中的 “here” 指代前文的 Jiayuguan（嘉峪关），因此在嘉峪关能看到长城遗迹。A、B、D 三项对应的地点，原文均未提及有长城相关景观。

4.4. What can we learn from the passage?

A Lanzhou is the start of the Silk Road.

B The Silk Road went from Asia to Europe.

C Wuwei connected China with Central Asia.

D The writer first knew about Yumenguan on this journey.

解析：选B。答案：B 解析：定位原文第一段 “It went through Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.”，可知丝绸之路途经亚洲并延伸至欧洲，即从亚洲通往欧洲，B 项表述符合原文。A 项原文说丝路从西安出发，此次旅行从兰州开始，并非兰州是丝路起点；C 项原文表明玉门关是中亚与中国的连接点，并非武威；D 项与原文第四段 “I first found out about it in the famous poem written by Wang Zhihuan.” 相悖，作者在旅行前就从诗中知道玉门关了。

5.5. What did the writer say about his trip?

A The trip made him feel very disappointed.

B The scenery was more attractive than the history.

C He made it through the hot desert on this journey.

D He had a better understanding of the area's history.

解析：选D。 答案：D 解析：定位原文最后一段 “This trip wasn't just a scenic journey. It helped me understand more about the history of the area...”，可知这场旅行让作者对该区域的历史有了更深入的理解。A 项 “失望的”，原文无任何消极情绪，与文意相悖；B 项原文表明旅行不只是赏景，更重在感悟历史，并非风景比历史更有吸引力；C 项原文仅作者好奇古人穿越沙漠的经历，未提及自己完成了沙漠穿越。