Grade 9 Unit 5 Topic 2 Section D

The compass was a great gift to the world from ancient China. Before it was invented, sailors ^[1]sailor: 美: [ˈseɪlər]  英: [ˈseɪlə(r)]  n. 水手；海员；驾船人 had to depend on ^[2]depend on: 依赖；取决于；视……而定 the star to find the right direction. After it was invented, the oceans were open to sail. And many discoveries ^[3]discovery: 美: [dɪˈskʌvəri]  英: [dɪˈskʌv(ə)ri]  n. 发现；发觉；被发现的事物（或真相、人） were made with its help.

Gunpowder ^[4]gunpowder: 美: [ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdər]  英: [ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə(r)] n. 火药 was one of the greatest inventions. It is said that in the 3rd century a Chinese man wrote about how to make it. At first ^[5]at first: 起先；最初；起初, it was used for making fireworks ^[6]firework: 美: [ˈfaɪrˌwɜrk]  英: [ˈfaɪə(r)ˌwɜː(r)k]  n. 烟火. At the end of ^[7]at the end of: 在…末端；在…的结尾 the Tang dynasty, people began to use it in wars. The method of making it was brought to the Arab ^[8]Arab: 美: [ˈerəb]   英: [ˈærəb]  adj. 阿拉伯的；阿拉伯人的；阿拉伯语的  n. 阿拉伯人 world and Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Before paper-making was invented, the ancient Chinese carved characters on animal bones and stones. China was the first country in the world to make it. During the Western Han dynasty, it was made in some places in China and was developed in the Eastern ^[9]eastern: 美: [ˈistərn]  英: [ˈiːstə(r)n]  adj. 东方的；向东的；东部的；东方国家的 Han dynasty by Cai Lun. He made it with bark ^[10]bark: 美: [bɑrk]   英: [bɑː(r)k]   n. 树皮；（狗等的）吠声；枪声；短促响亮的人声   v. （狗）吠叫；厉声发令；厉声质问；擦破（或蹭掉）…的皮, ropes and rags ^[11]rag: 美: [ræɡ]  英: [ræɡ]   n. 抹布；破布.

Printing ^[12]printing: 美: [ˈprɪntɪŋ]  英: [‘prɪntɪŋ]  n. 印刷；印刷术；（书籍的）一次印刷；印刷字体 was developed in the Song dynasty by Bi Sheng. He carved characters on pieces of clay ^[13]clay: 美: [kleɪ]  英: [kleɪ]  n. 黏土；陶土 or wood, and then brushed ink ^[14]ink: 美: [ɪŋk]   英: [ɪŋk]  n. 油墨；墨水；墨汁  v. 给…上油墨（以供印刷）；签署 on them. After the characters were printed on paper, the pieces of clay or wood could be used again. Later this technology spread to Korea, Japan and Europe. It was the basic method used at that time.