参考翻译
Before printing was invented,a scholar had to copy characters one by one if he wanted to publish a new book.During the Northern Song Dynasty, Bi Sheng invented the movable-type printing after many years of experimentation.He engraved the characters on small pieces of clay,and heated them until they became hard movable characters.When printing a book,people placed the moveable characters in order into a whole block and then ran off a print.After printing, they took the block apart and reused the characters later.This method was both economical and time-saving.China's movable-type printing first spread eastward into Korea and Japan,then westward into Persia and Egypt,and at last,around the world.The invention of movable-type printing greatly promoted the cultural exchanges among countries all over the world.