Passage 1

Task 8

Read the passage again and supply the missing words or expressions to complete the following statements in pairs.

1．The first use of textiles was probably__________,which dates back to the late Stone Age,roughly 100,000 years ago.

2．Before the Industrial Revolution,textile manufacture was a__________practiced by cottage spinners and weavers and small groups of skilled artisans.

3．As a predominant route of international trade,the Silk Road was an integral part of the sharing of__________.

4．With the invention of the flying shuttle,the width of cotton cloth and speed of production of a single weaver at a__________was increased.

5．Invented in 1764,the spinning jenny greatly increased the__________of a single worker—initially eightfold and subsequently much further.

6．A new demand for__________had been created since cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1792,which could clean harvest cotton with great speed.

7．The__________is characterized by the creation of the factory system and the profound changes in family and community life.

8．Driven by competition,computer-controlled__________was developed to reduce labor needs and improve quality.

Task 9

Work in groups and discuss the following questions.

1．What is the textile industry all about?

2．How much do you know about the Silk Road?

3．When was spinning jenny invented?What's the significance of it?

4．Was the commercialization of sewing machine smooth?Why or why not?

5．What is the historical role of the textile industry?

Task 10

Read the following sentences taken from Passage 1 and work in groups to translate them into Chinese.

1．The term textile industry,originally applied to the weaving of fabrics from fibres,is primarily concerned with the production of yarn,and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution.

____________________

2．During the 14th century,however,advances in dyeing and tailoring accelerated the spread of fashion throughout Western Europe,and drastically altered the mind of both wealthy man and commoner alike.

____________________

3．The invention of cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1792,which could clean harvest cotton with great speed,created a new demand for cotton fabrics.

____________________

4．Isaac Merritt Singer created the first large-scale consumer-appliance enterprise,which featured such innovations as an advertising campaign,selling the machines on the installment plan,and providing a service contract.

____________________

5．The changes in the textile industry continue today as large textile establishments move from the old industrialized areas and countries to new places that promise cheaper labor and sources of energy.

____________________

Task 11

Work in pairs to complete the statements with the information from Passage 2.

1．As the largest country in East Asia and the most populous country in the world,China is presently the biggest__________country globally.

2．According to WTO,as of 2006,about 20 million people were employed in China's__________.

3．China's National Bureau of Statistics published a report,stating that the country's textile industry witnessed__________of__________in July 2009.

4．After joining the Switzerland-based__________as a member association,__________hosted the ITMF Annual Conference in Shanghai in October 2009.

5．With the largest domestic market and fast-growing economy,China will be more and more important__________as as well as__________.

6．According to the statistics of__________,China's January-June 2009 textile and apparel exports fell__________compared to the same period in 2008.

7．The approved__________by the State Council in April 2009,calling on the industry to stabilize and open up export markets.

8．To accelerate replacement of outdated production capacity,the government plans to eliminate 2.3 million tons of outdated__________.