英语新闻视频：俄罗斯的艺术工艺品中心

Although there are many handicraft centers in Russia, only one town can be called its capital. About five hundred kilometers to the east of Moscow, the town of Semenov is renowned¹ for producing khokhloma --- a very special style of Russian wood painting.
     Pavel Toropov has been working as a wood carver in this factory for around 25 years.
     Pavel Toropov, wood carver of Khokhloma painting company, said, "This is my first work. It’s not only for decoration, but also for daily use." Now Pavel’s two sons are following in his steps.
    Alexander Toropov, Pavel’s elder son, said, "My father teaches me how to think creatively, and to produce new items. Though there are other carvers in the khokhloma factory, not everyone can design new items."
   Wood carving² is the essential first step in making khokhloma. The form guides the painting, and is central to the look and feel of the piece.
  Pavel Toropov, wood carver of Khokhloma painting company, said, "I carved this, and my wife did the paintings. This is our collaborative work. Of course, this is a source of pride."
  Pavel’s wife is a painter in the factory. She was honored as Russian Meritorious³ Artist in 1999. Though she has been working here for more than 20 years, she is not bored with her job.
  Svetlana Toropov, painter of Khokhloma painting company, said, "If you are doing something new every time, to a creative person, how can you be bored? What I am not doing is printing the same thing over and over."
  Wang Ying, Semenov, said, "So what would a room decorated with khokhloma look like? Here we have an example. The combination of red, golden and black is not a rare scene in traditional Russian arts. But these colors are especially important. Red adds warmth and strength to the artificial gold, whereas the black emphasizes its brilliance⁴."
  Though the items are wooden, they look gilded⁵. The secret lies in a unique technique.
  Oksana Razumova, painter of Khokhloma painting company, said, "We cover the items with tin powder, then put them in the kiln⁶. At 120 degrees the silver color turns gold."
 Today's popular painting themes have changed very little since the art was originally conceived in the 17th century.
 The handicraft was named Khokhloma after a trade settlement in Nizhny Novgorod, where craftsmen⁷ were known for making and selling their handmade goods.
 The Khokhloma handicraft seemed to be fading away in the early 20th century, but it was revitalized during Soviet⁸ times. Nowadays, this company is one of the two largest khokhloma manufacturers in Russia.
 Wang Ying, Semenov, said, "The saying on the factory gate means 'golden khokhloma: Russia's heart' To foreigners, khokhloma is just a painting style, but to many local people, it represents a lifetime of devotion to art and technique."
 A Semenov resident, said, "My mother has been working in the khokhloma factory many years, since she was young."
 Mr. Toropov may embody⁹ this attitude best. He once almost lost his left hand while carving, but the pain is long forgotten when he thinks of his work today.
 Pavel Toropov, wood carver of Khokhloma painting company, said, "When you touch the linden wood, even though you haven't started, you can feel its warmth. It seems that it's full of life. Perhaps it's a craftsman's intuition. The feeling is that it is alive."
 Svetlana Toropov, painter of Khokhloma painting company, said, "Why is it called the heart of Russia? That is because all the artists devoted¹⁰ their hearts to the work."
 

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

3 meritorious   

adj.值得赞赏的

参考例句：

• He wrote a meritorious theme about his visit to the cotton mill.他写了一篇关于参观棉纺织厂的有价值的论文。
• He was praised for his meritorious service.他由于出色地工作而受到称赞。

4 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

5 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

6 kiln   

n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑

参考例句：

• That morning we fired our first kiln of charcoal.那天上午，我们烧了我们的第一窑木炭。
• Bricks are baked in a kiln.砖是在窑里烧成的。

7 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 embody   

vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录

参考例句：

• The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
• Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。