纸是怎么从树皮变出来的？
How Did Tree Bark Become Paper?
Page 1
纸出现以前，书很重
Before Paper, Books Were Heavy
Before paper, many words were written on bamboo slips. A long book could become heavy and hard to carry.
在纸发明以前，中国人常常把字写在竹简上。竹简就是一片一片细长的竹片，用绳子串起来，就成了一卷书。
这样的书能看，也能保存，可是有一个大问题: 太重了。书越长，竹简越多，搬起来就越吃力。
那时候也有人把字写在丝上。丝很轻，也很漂亮，可是太贵了。普通人不可能拿它来写很多很多字。
Before paper was invented, people in China often wrote on bamboo slips. Bamboo slips were long, narrow strips tied together with cords to make a book.
These books worked, but they had one big problem: they were heavy. The longer the book was, the harder it was to carry.
Some people also wrote on silk. Silk was light and beautiful, but it cost too much. Most people could not use it for lots of writing.
Page 2
蔡伦怎么改进了纸？
How Did Cai Lun Improve Paper?
Workers pounded bark, hemp, old cloth, and worn fishing nets into pulp, then lifted a thin wet sheet on a bamboo screen.
后来，人们慢慢发现，把植物纤维打散，再铺平晾干，就有可能做出轻薄的纸。
东汉的时候，蔡伦把树皮、麻头、旧布和旧渔网这些废料一起用起来，做出了更好写、也更好用的纸。
这种纸比竹简轻得多，比丝便宜得多。字写上去更方便，卷起来、叠起来、搬起来也容易多了。
Later, people slowly discovered that if plant fibers were broken apart, spread out, and dried, they could become thin sheets of paper.
In the Eastern Han period, Cai Lun used bark, hemp, old cloth, and worn fishing nets together to make paper that worked much better.
This paper was much lighter than bamboo slips and much cheaper than silk. It was easier to write on, easier to roll up, and easier to carry.
Page 3
一张纸走了很远
A Sheet of Paper Traveled Far
Paper later traveled along trade routes to faraway places, helping more people write and read.
纸做出来以后，不只在中国有用。后来，造纸的方法一点一点传到了很远的地方。
纸比竹简轻，比很多旧材料便宜，所以书更容易做出来，学生也更容易拿到手里。
今天你写作业、画画、翻课本的时候，也还在用这种老办法变来的东西: 把植物纤维变成一张薄薄的纸。
After paper was made, it was useful far beyond China. Later, the way to make paper slowly traveled to distant places.
Paper was lighter than bamboo slips and cheaper than many older writing materials, so books became easier to make and easier for students to hold.
Even today, when you do homework, draw, or turn the pages of a textbook, you are still using something that came from this old idea: turning plant fibers into a thin sheet of paper.
一张轻轻的纸
One Light Sheet
纸看起来很普通，可它让书变轻了，也让知识走得更远了。
有时候，最厉害的发明不是最吵的那一个，而是一张安安静静的白纸。
Paper looks simple, but it made books lighter and helped knowledge travel farther.
Sometimes the most powerful invention is not the loudest one. Sometimes it is a quiet white sheet of paper.