APIEVocabulary and Pronunciation: The Silk Road
The Silk Road and old trade routes
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
The Silk Road and Old Trade Routes
Learn 10 key words, practice using them in sentences, and train your speech pronunciation.
📋 How to use this lesson
👩🏫 For the Teacher
Spend 5 minutes on the word table, 10 minutes on practice items, and 5 minutes on shadowing.
Check practice answers as a class and listen to individual recordings during shadowing.
🎒 For the Learner
First, read the word table carefully and try the memory tips to fix each word in your mind.
Next, complete the 16 practice questions and record your voice in the 12 shadowing tasks.
📖 Word table
Study these 10 essential words organized into 3 themes before doing the practice exercises.
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| goods | items made to be sold | trade goods, imported goods | Merchants carried valuable goods across the desert. | Sounds like "good": goods are good things to sell. |
| bazaar | a large market with small shops | busy bazaar, ancient bazaar | Travelers bought spices at the local bazaar. | Say it as "ba-ZAR" and picture a busy market full of colours and noise. |
| pearl | a hard white gem inside a shell | sea pearl, pearl necklace | The trader swapped silk for a rare white pearl. | PEARL has EAR in it: picture a pearl earring. |
| cotton | soft white cloth material | soft cotton, raw cotton | Farmers traded raw cotton for Chinese silk. | Soft like a cloud (COTTON candy). |
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| empire | a group of lands ruled by one leader | ancient empire, powerful empire | The Roman empire bought silk from Asia. | An EMPEROR rules an EMPIRE. |
| dynasty | rulers from the same family | Han dynasty, ruling dynasty | Art and poetry grew during the Tang dynasty. | DYNA- means power: the power stays in one family. |
| emperor | the male ruler of an empire | powerful emperor, Chinese emperor | The emperor ordered the long road to be built. | EMPEROR = EMP- (empire) + -OR (person). |
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| historian | a person who studies the past | famous historian, local historian | A modern historian wrote a book about trade routes. | HISTORy + AN = a person of history. |
| research | detailed study to find facts | historical research, do research | New research shows the route was very safe. | RE- (again) + SEARCH (look) = look again and again. |
| source | a book or record giving information | primary source, historical source | Old maps are a great source of information. | A river starts at its source. A source is where information starts. |
Practice
Complete these 16 exercises step-by-step from easy to hard.
Part A: Word combinations
Select the best noun that pairs with each verb.
1. Which noun pairs naturally with the verb "buy"?
2. Which noun pairs naturally with the verb "rule"?
3. Which noun pairs naturally with the verb "interview"?
4. Which noun pairs naturally with the verb "conduct" (to do)?
Part B: Fill in the blank
Choose words from the word bank to complete the sentences.
5. Merchants sold silk and spices at the busy ____.
6. The trader found a shiny white ____ inside the shell.
7. The powerful ____ ruled over many lands.
8. The student did deep ____ about old trade routes.
Part C: Choose the right word
Select the option that correctly fits the meaning of each sentence.
9. The trader bought a shiny white _____ from the seller.
10. The powerful _____ ruled the land for forty years.
11. Students read a reliable historical _____ to write their essay.
12. The busy city market was a colorful _____ full of noise.
Part D: Sentence building
Type the words in the exact correct order to make a good sentence.
13. Reorder these words:
14. Reorder these words:
15. Reorder these words:
16. Reorder these words:
Shadowing
Listen to the audio clip, then record yourself repeating the words aloud.
Part 1: Common phrases
busy bazaar
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____valuable goods
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____ancient empire
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____primary source
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Part 2: Short sentences
Merchants sold soft cotton at the market.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____The emperor ruled a vast ancient land.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____A famous historian wrote this old book.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____They found a bright pearl in the box.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____This primary source gives us true facts.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____New research explains how people traded goods.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Part 3: Word focus check
historian
Pronunciation: /hɪˈstɔːriən/
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____emperor
Pronunciation: /ˈempərə(r)/
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Related lessons
Grammar: Saying where information comes from
The Silk Road and old trade routes
Grammar · 12 min
Reading: The Silk Road Trade Routes
The Silk Road and old trade routes
Reading · 15 min
IELTS Speaking: The Silk Road Trade Routes
The Silk Road and old trade routes
Speaking · 25 min
Writing: The Silk Road and Trade Routes
The Silk Road and old trade routes
Writing · 30 min
B1 Vocabulary: Studying and Collocations
Education
Vocabulary · 10 min
Vocabulary: Everyday Phrasal Verbs
Daily life
Vocabulary · 10 min