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IELTS Reading B1 • 15 Minutes Unit: Ancient Trade Routes

🐪 The Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Explore UNESCO's historic trade route connecting ancient China to Central Asia and practice key B1 reading skills.

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For the Teacher

• Use this 15-minute lesson to build B1 IELTS reading skills, focusing on locating details and recognizing Not Given information.

• Have students complete the 8 questions independently, then check their work using the explanations shown after each answer.

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For the Learner

• First, read the short passage from paragraph A to D carefully to understand the main ideas and order of facts.

• Next, answer the 8 practice questions below and read the explanation notes to learn why each answer is correct.

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Reading Tip & Sentence Pattern

When matching statements or finding facts, look for the source of information to confirm where the idea comes from.

Example: "According to the guide, the market opens at dawn."

Reading Passage: The Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Passage Paragraphs A–D

Paragraph A

The Chang'an-Tianshan corridor of the Silk Roads is a famous historical trade section that stretches about 5,000 kilometers long. According to UNESCO, it connected Chang'an and Luoyang, which were the capital cities of China during the Han and Tang periods, with the Zhetysu region located in Central Asia.

Paragraph B

Historical records show that this corridor slowly took shape between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. People actively used this massive trade network for many generations to exchange items and ideas until the 16th century, when trade patterns began to change across the region.

An ancient Silk Road caravan with camels walking past ancient stone towers and mountain passes under a warm sunset sky,

Merchants and pack animals travelling along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Paragraph C

The UNESCO reports state that these ancient routes carried raw materials, food, and luxury goods across long distances. China supplied silk to many different regions, including Central Asia and the Mediterranean world. Pack animals and river boats carried many of the goods along the journey, and it is likely that many different merchants passed them on from one stop to another.

Paragraph D

In 2014, UNESCO officially added the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor to the World Heritage List. The protected heritage area contains 33 historical sites, including ancient palace cities, Buddhist cave temples, remote beacon towers, and surviving parts of the Great Wall.

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.

1. Traders stopped using the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor after the 16th century.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Silk was the most expensive luxury item transported along the corridor.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

3. How were goods moved along the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor?

____ A. Entirely by ships travelling across the Mediterranean Sea. ____ B. By river boats and pack animals passed between different merchants. ____ C. Only by government officers riding horses from Han to Tang capitals. ____ D. By a single merchant carrying items from China all the way to Zhetysu.

4. What is mentioned about the sites included in the 2014 World Heritage listing?

____ A. They consist only of military walls and watchtowers. ____ B. They were all built during the 16th century by UNESCO. ____ C. They include 33 historical locations such as palace cities and temples. ____ D. They are located exclusively inside the modern capital of China.

Questions 5–6: Paragraph Matching

Which paragraph contains the following information? Select the correct letter, A–D.

5. Information about the geographical length of the route and its starting capitals.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

6. A list of specific heritage structures and architectural monuments.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

7. Many items were moved along the route using river boats and ____ to carry trade goods.

8. Among the 33 protected historical locations are Buddhist cave temples and remote ____ .

Reading: The Silk Road Trade Routes

🐪 The Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

For the Teacher

For the Learner

Reading Tip & Sentence Pattern

Reading Passage: The Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

Questions 5–6: Paragraph Matching

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

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