The Printing Press

Before the printing press, books were copied by hand, which made them rare and expensive.

在印刷机出现之前，书籍靠手工抄写，因此既稀少又昂贵。

In the fifteenth century, movable type made it possible to produce texts far more quickly.

十五世纪，活字印刷使文本的生产速度大大加快。

Within decades, millions of books were circulating across Europe.

几十年内，数百万册书籍就在欧洲各地流通。

This dramatic increase in information helped to spread new scientific and religious ideas.

信息的这种急剧增长，有助于传播新的科学和宗教思想。

Literacy gradually became more common as reading material grew cheaper.

随着阅读材料变得便宜，识字率逐渐提高。

Authorities, however, were sometimes alarmed by the rapid circulation of controversial opinions.

然而，当局有时对争议性观点的迅速传播感到担忧。

Historians often compare the impact of printing to that of the internet today.

历史学家常把印刷术的影响与如今互联网的影响相比。

Both technologies made it easier to share knowledge, but also to spread misinformation.

这两种技术都让知识更容易分享，但也让错误信息更容易传播。

The lesson is that powerful tools always bring both opportunities and risks.

这给我们的启示是：强大的工具总是同时带来机遇和风险。