Long, long ago people couldn't write and they had no books. But they had stories. People learned the stories by heart and taught new ones to one another. Sometimes it was hard to remember them all.
The ancient Egyptians wrote their stories on something made from papyrus (纸沙草) plants. People in other places wanted to learn from the Egyptians to use papyrus. So, parchment (羊皮纸), made from goatskin, later took its place.
In ancient China books looked a little different. People there used ink to write on bamboo or silk. And then they invented paper. Made of trees, paper was easier and cheaper to make than papyrus or parchment. Paper-making later spread to the West, but there was a big problem with these early books. Every single one had to be copied and written by hand.
They carved (雕刻) a page of words into a piece of wood or stone. They could then print the page by spreading ink on the wood or stone and putting it against paper. But it wasn't until a German printer invented movable, metal letters that books became fast and easy to make. The letters could be used to print copy after copy, and the letters put together again and again to print different pages of words.
Once a luxury (奢侈品) only the rich could buy, they soon became a treasure everyone could enjoy.
A. It took years to finish making just one book.
B. But papyrus grew mainly in Egypt.
C. Things grew a little easier when writing was invented.
D. Finally books could be printed by the thousands.
E. The Chinese were the first to think of a way to speed things up a little.
F. Books in the West didn't change for a long time after that.
G. Its surface was smoother and better for writing on too.
