The first people to build ships (1) ______ the Egyptians 5000 years ago. They use (2)______ to travel on the River Bile, the longest river in Africa. In the sixteen century, people from Europe travelled thousands of kilometers in large ships. It was important that they found new ways around the world. Life was hard for these sailors and on the journey many died because they often didn’t have (3)______ food. In the nineteenth century, ships called “clippers” (4) _____ tea from China to Britain and wool from Australia to the USA. In very strong winds, clippers could sail 650 kilometers a day. In modern times, the largest ships are oils tankers. (5) ______of these are 400 metres long so the sailors have to use bicycles to travel round the ship!