Page 1
People spoke to one another long before they had writing.
在人类发明文字之前，人们早就已经会说话、会交流了。正文预览
Page 2
Because spoken words fade as soon as the sound is over, people invented writing to keep records of trade, names, events, and ideas after the voice was gone.
因为说出来的话一旦声音结束就会消失，所以人们才发明文字，好把交易、名字、事件和想法在声音过去以后继续留下来。
Page 3
Early marks may have begun as simple signs for counting goods, marking ownership, or recording events.
最早的一些符号，可能先是用来记数、标记物品归属，或记录某件事情发生过。
Page 4
Over time, early marks became more organized symbols, so people in the same place could read them more consistently and use writing more reliably.
随着时间过去，最早的记号慢慢变成更有规则的符号，这样同一地区的人就能更稳定地读懂它们，也更放心地使用文字。
Page 5
Some writing systems began with picture-like symbols, while others grew into marks that represented sounds or parts of words.
有些文字系统起初很像图画，也有些后来慢慢发展成代表声音或词语部分的符号。
