A．It is an ancient tradition.B．The wine producers lived……
TEXT C
The traditional image of
cave dwellers is probably ape-like creatures clad in skimpy animal skins,
complete with clubs and matted hair and chewing unidentifiable bones. But in the
region around Saumur, living in caves is making a comeback. Not that it ever
completely disappeared.
In a region famous for its wine
production( Anjou), it is hardly surprising that caves form a part of local
life, but it was the nineteenth century quarries cut into the local tuffeau
stone which provided an impetus for cave dwellers. Excavating the stone for
building purposes left arched caverns, and local inhabitants found that these
provided cheap living quarters. If you wanted to extend them, all you had to do
was to hack away a bit more of the easily worked rock. Build a wall across the
front, with a door and windows and you had a home.
"It’s
possible to drive through this area without seeing it properly because so much
is underground," says Michel Renou, director of a recently opened study center
at Doue la Fontaine.
Until recently many cave houses were used
for storage, for maturing wine and for growing mushrooms rather than for
habitation, but now there is a definite trend back to cave dwelling. Caves are
proving particularly popular with painters, sculptors and craft workers. There
is even a building firm that specializes in restoring and making safe disused
cave houses.
Bernard Foyer, once an electronics executive, moved
to a cave this summer, selling his conventional home. "It’s more tranquil," he
explains. "It suits my state of mind: I like to be left alone in my cave." He
claims that the authorities pay little attention to cave dwellers and, knowing
that they often have small incomes, the tax collectors by and large leave them
be.
"And they’re a lot cheaper to buy than any normal house,"
says Mr. Foyer. "I bought my first cave 15 years ago. It had five rooms, a lot
of storage space and cost me 1,000 francs (about ￡ 100)."
How did cave dwelling start in this region7
A．It is an ancient tradition.
B．The wine producers lived near their stores.
C．Local people moved into holes made when rock was cut.
D．Persecution made it necessary for people to live secretly.
