Text description of cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi

Ye yuankai

The cave life in northern Shaanxi is determined by the local environment and conditions. Thousands of years of war, in addition to the Yellow Emperor Mausoleum surrounded by pine and cypress, there are few trees in other places, and the wood for building houses is also very scarce. In addition, the climate in northern Shaanxi is cold and windy, so it is difficult for brick and wood structures to keep out the cold. On the other hand, the loess plateau has a thick soil layer, high viscosity and no impurities. As long as you are willing to make efforts, the caves dug out are good places to live except a little wood for doors and windows, closet, pots and pans, etc. They are all dug on the spot according to local conditions.

The temperature difference inside and outside the cave is two worlds. It's like turning on the air conditioner in summer and feeling warm in winter. The cave is safe, it is difficult for thieves to make holes and it will not catch fire. This cave is strong and durable. I had a home visit, and the parents of the students told me that his cave was left by the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 400 years. In the mid-1930s, the Shaanxi Special Committee also held a meeting in his cave.

Cave dwellings are basically divided into earth kilns and stone kilns. The earth kiln is dug in along the soil slope, and the terrain is suitable. Several holes can be dug continuously. Parents, children and livestock all have their own kilns, and a short wall surrounds them to form a small yard. I also stayed in a cave hotel in Tongchuan. A big cave was divided into many small rooms and became a guest room. You can also dig a kiln on the flat ground. Xianyang Zhouling Middle School is an old school founded before liberation, located in the northern tableland. At that time, the founder dug deep in the flat ground, dug a pit, and then dug holes in the four walls to form a quadrilateral with steps on one side of the earth wall. This quadrangle has become their girls' courtyard, which is safe, practical and material-saving.

The caves on the flat ground are all stone kilns. Bridge opening is made of triangular stones, and the stones are pressed against each other, which is very stable. The top is filled with thick soil, surrounded by bricks, and the facade is painted with inscriptions, which is very beautiful. The dormitories in Mizhi Middle School are all stone kilns with dozens of holes in a row, and the five or six floors are terraced fields, which look like tall buildings from a distance. Each class is divided into five or six holes, where the head teacher lives and the boys and girls live on both sides. Some fellow villagers in northern Shaanxi entered xi 'an and other big cities and had to live in caves. Because they are used to living in northern Shaanxi and cannot live without kang, there are also some stone kilns in xi 'an.

The structure of the cave is relatively simple, with doors and windows on the front. It used to be a paper window lattice, but now aluminum alloy sliding windows are also popular. The stove and the kang are connected together, which is a unique setting in the kiln. The coal stove burns lump coal called steel charcoal in northern Shaanxi, which has great firepower and hot water all day. The kang surface is paved with thin slate or adobe, and the fire path below passes through in the form of mosquito-repellent incense, and then leads to the chimney at the top of the kiln through the kiln wall. The stove is burning, the kang and the wall are always warm, and the bed is always warm. So the guests are here, please go to the kang to keep warm. But the firepower is too big, the slate is hot, and it is easy to burn the bedding. Southerners always have to go through this time to get the experience of northern Shaanxi. Experienced people often put a stick between the kang skin and the reed mat to raise the reed mat a little when they go out. You can also drill a hole in the kiln to one side, only open the window, not open the door, expand the living area and improve privacy. The partition walls of kilns and kilns are at least one meter thick and very strong.

1. According to the selected article, in what order did the author explain the caves in northern Shaanxi?

2. What are the advantages of caves compared with ordinary houses?

3. Point out the explanation methods used in the underlined sentences and analyze their functions.

4. Can the underlined words in the following sentences be removed? Why?

Some fellow villagers in northern Shaanxi entered xi 'an and other big cities and had to live in caves. Because they are used to living in northern Shaanxi and cannot live without kang, there are also some stone kilns in xi 'an.

In fact, caves in northern Shaanxi not only provided people with a place to live, but also made immortal contributions to the victory of the China Revolution. Please contact the relevant subject knowledge and list the revolutionary historical facts related to caves.

"Extracurricular reading" answer:

1. The selected articles are explained in the logical order of things. Firstly, the environment and conditions of caves in northern Shaanxi are introduced, then the advantages of caves are explained, and then the types and structures of caves are explained.

2. Warm in winter and cool in summer, fireproof, anti-theft and durable.

3. For example, compare the fire path of a kang to "mosquito-repellent incense", which is vivid and easy to understand.

4. No, the "some" here has a specific meaning, which means only some villagers in northern Shaanxi, not all of them. If it is removed, the introduction will be unrealistic and the language expression of the article will be inaccurate.