【翻譯原文】

　　算盤 (abacus) 是一種手動(dòng)操作計(jì)算輔助工具形式。它起源于中國(guó)，迄今已有2600多年的歷史，是中國(guó)古代的一項(xiàng)重要發(fā)明。在阿拉伯?dāng)?shù)字 (Arabic numerals)出現(xiàn)前，算盤是世界廣為使用的計(jì)算工具�，F(xiàn)在，算盤在亞洲和中東的部分地區(qū)繼續(xù)使用，尤其見于商店之中，可以從供應(yīng)中國(guó)商品和日本商品的商店里買到。在西方，它有時(shí)候被用來幫助小孩子們理解數(shù)字，而一些數(shù)學(xué)家喜歡體驗(yàn)一下使用算盤計(jì)算出簡(jiǎn)單算術(shù) (arithmetical)問題的感覺。

　　【參考譯文】

　　An abacus is a form of manually operated counting aid. It has originated in China over 2600 years ago. It is one of the most important inventions of ancient China. The abacus used to be the most widely used calculation tool before the appearance of Arabic numerals. At present, abacuses continue to be used in part of Asia and the Middle East, especially in the shops, and they are available in stores which stock Chinese or Japanese goods. In the west, it is sometimes used to help young children grasp numbers, and some mathematicians enjoy experimenting with the abacus to work out simple arithmetical problems.