In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

1. A
   importance
2. B
   emphasis
3. C
   consequence
4. D
   insignificance