Today, the British economy .................... .

When, in addition to wool and linen, cotton and silk became available for making textiles, the organisation of the supply of raw material became more intricate, for cotton and silk were imported from distant countries. The new materials required ocean-sailing ships for their transport, ports and
docks, agents in foreign countries and elaborate methods of payment both for the material and the finished goods. Never before had such large quantities of raw material been imported for manufacture in this county and never before had British exports been so valuable. This set the pattern for the present society which is largely dependent on materials brought from abroad.