这篇介绍性的论文最开始是以太坊的创始人Vitalik Buterin2013年发表的，之后该项目于2015年启动。值得注意的是，与许多社区驱动的开源软件项目一样，以太坊从一开始就在不断发展。
    【原文】This introductory paper was originally published in 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, before the project’s launch in 2015. It’s worth noting that Ethereum, like many community-driven, open-source software projects, has evolved since its initial inception.
    【生词】（1）introductory：adj. 引导的，介绍的；开端的；（2）inception：n. （机构，活动的）开始，开端

    虽然这篇文章已经有几年的历史了，但我们仍然保留这篇文章，因为它仍然是一个有用的参考，并准确地代表了以太坊及其愿景。为了了解以太坊的最新发展，以及如何对协议进行更改，我们推荐本指南。
    【原文】While several years old, we maintain this paper because it continues to serve as a useful reference and an accurate representation of Ethereum and its vision. To learn about the latest developments of Ethereum, and how changes to the protocol are made, we recommend this guide.
    【生词】accurate：adj. 精确的；