烙画葫芦，千年传承

周晨曲

烙画葫芦，又称烫画葫芦，是以烙痕代替笔墨，在葫芦表面作画的一种艺术表现形式。它不仅是一种中国传统工艺美术品，更是一项非物质文化遗产。

1 Niu Chengguo was beyond proud and excited when  he  knew  his  handmade  gift—a  fire⁃painted bottle gourd （葫芦） had been well received by a special international guest named Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.

2 Nius bottle gourd works feature elements of plum blossom （梅花）， orchid， bamboo and chrysanthemum （菊花） —four of the favorite subjects of well⁃known Chinese painters and calligraphers throughout the course of history. The four plants are famous for their characteristics of a strong will and the ability to overcome hardship. The bottle gourd presented to Samaranch featured orchids， symbolizing wealth， peace， good fortune and goodwill.

3 Niu has taken up the gourd art for more than 40 years. The art was named a local intangible heritage by the Beijing government in September， 2021. He learned it from his grandfather. As a child， he watched his grandfather burn patterns with heated pieces of metal， and Niu found it very magical.

4 The bottle gourd has long been considered auspicious （吉祥的） by the Chinese. Its shape made it an ideal container in the past. In ancient times， many doctors used bottle gourds to hold medicine and hung them at the front of their clinics. And the gourd has turn⁃ ed into a symbol of traditional Chinese medicine.

5 Bottle gourd pyrography （烙画） is the art of decorating gourds by burning a graphic design onto the surface. The technique known as pyrography can be traced back more than 2，200 years to the Qin Dynasty， but it was not until the end of the Ming Dynasty that the art was first applied （运用） to gourds.

6 Skilled craftsmen have applied pyrography to turn ordinary bottle gourds into artworks. The first step to making one is to pick a ripe and golden bottle gourd. Then， the artist has to design a creative pattern before applying it. Finally， skilled artists usually take advantage of the natural shape and texture （质地） of the gourd， using a heated tool or wire to burn the designs onto it， which can take on a three⁃dimensional （立体的） appearance.

1. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about？

A. Nius attitude to his works.

B. Features of Nius works.

C. Popular flowers in history.

D. Nius relationship with his grandfather.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 refer to？

A. A kind of medicine.

B. A piece of metal.

C. A bottle gourd.

D. A clinic.

3. When was the art of pyrography used in decorating gourds？

A. At the beginning of the Qin Dynasty.

B. In the end of  the Ming Dynasty.

C. About forty years ago.

D. In September， 2021.

4. How many steps are mentioned to turn ordinary bottle gourds into artworks？

A. One.

B. Two.

C. Three.

D. Four.

Ⅰ.  Useful expressions

plum blossom 梅花

orchid 兰花

bamboo 竹子

chrysanthemum 菊花

a strong will 坚强的意志

intangible heritage 非物质遗产

Ⅱ. Difficult sentence

The bottle gourd presented to Samaranch featured orchids， symbolizing wealth， peace， good fortune and goodwill. 送給萨马兰奇的葫芦以兰花为特色，象征着财富、和平、好运和友好。

【点石成金】该句中，symbolizing wealth， peace， good fortune and goodwill为现在分词短语作伴随状语。