参考翻译：
　　The Silk Road is a historically important international trade route between China and the Mediterranean. Because silk comprised a large proportion of trade along this road, in 1877, it was named the Silk Road by an eminent German geographer. This ancient road begins at Chang’an, then by way of the Hexi Corridor，and it reaches Dunhuang, where it divides into three, the Southern Route，Central Route and North¬ern Route. The three routes spread all over the Xinjiang Uygur Autono¬mous Region, and then they extend as far as Pakistan, India and even Rome.