Keep tradition alive

四川 練家容

In the rich green fields of Egypt's Delta Valley,farmers and artisans are struggling to make a living as they keep alive the tradition of making papyrus（紙莎草紙）.

The papyrus plant,with its fan-shaped foliage（枝葉）,grows in water and can reach four meters in height.Its form has served as inspiration for decorating the columns of ancient Egyptian temples.In the 1970s,an art teacher in the village of Al-Qaramus taught farmers the ancient techniques for transforming the plant into paper decorated with drawings and text.The village and its surrounds,located about 80 kilometers northeast of Cairo,now make up the largest center of papyrus production in the country.

Once used by ancient Egyptians as writing paper,local artists now decorate the papyrus and create souvenirs for eager visitors.Today,Al-Qaramus has 25 farms trying to make ends meet by selling papyrus.Farmer and artist Tarakhan said,“I lost about 80 percent of my total income—I used to earn nearly $1,000 a month and now it's almost zero.”

To make paper,workers use wire to cut the stems into thin strips,which are immersed（浸）in water and then layered（分層堆放）on top of each other to create sheets.The sheets are placed into a compressor to press them firmly,and the resulting paper is left to dry in the sun before being decorated with writing or colorful designs.

Tarakhan said he was trying to branch out into other papyrus products such as notebooks and sketchbooks.A few months ago,his son opened an online store to sell their new range.“At first,we were just selling locally to those who came to us,but later we thought that we could reach more people,and even foreigners through the Internet,”the 30-year-old said.

Near the famous Giza Pyramids around 100 kilometers away,Ashraf al-Sarawi displays papyrus paintings in his large shop,short of tourists.He said he lost most of his income last year due to the pandemic,but expressed hope that tourism would pick up soon.“Tourism never dies.It may get sick for a while,but it will return.”

Reading Check

1.What provided inspiration for decoration of ancient Egyptian temples?

A.The form of wires.

B.The form of compressors.

C.The form of notebooks.

D.The form of papyrus plants.

2.What is papyrus used to do by local artists now?

A.To create souvenirs.

B.To write.

C.To draw.

D.To decorate houses.

3.What does paragraph 4 try to express?

A.The popularity of papyrus.

B.The processes of making papyrus.

C.The advice on storing papyrus.

D.The functions of papyrus.

4.What's the attitude of Ashraf al-Sarawi to tourism?

A.Unclear. B.Tolerant.

C.Positive. D.Skeptical.

Language Study

熟詞生義

Tarakhan said he was trying tobranchout into other papyrus products such as notebooks and sketchbooks.塔拉汗說，他正試圖把紙莎草紙應用到其他的產品中，如筆記本和素描本。

branchv.分開；分岔

branch out（into sth）拓展（新業務）

e.g.The company branched out into selling insurance.該公司業務擴展到保險銷售領域。