Technology and Books

What did people read before books and e-books? People started writing thousands of years ago. They cut pictures in stones. They wrote marks on wet clay (泥土). In Egypt, people wrote on papyrus (草纸) for other people to read. Papyrus was made from reeds (芦苇) that grew along the river. Papyrus was rolled up into a scroll (卷轴).

Hundreds of years ago, people started using parchment (羊皮纸). It was made from sheepskin. Pages of parchment were made into a book. Much later, books were made of paper. Every book had to be written out by hand. Then, in about the year 1455, Johannes Gutenberg made a printing press. It printed copies of a book more quickly.

E-books appeared around 1998. The letter “e” stands for electronic (电子的). You store and read e-books on an electronic device (设备). E-books use computer technology.

【小题1】In Egypt, people wrote on papyrus ________.
【小题2】Hundreds of years ago, people started to ________ parchment.
【小题3】Much later, every book had to be written out ________.
【小题4】The letter “e” in E-books stands for ________.
【小题5】You can ________ e-books on an electronic device.