Great changes have taken place in people's lives in the past 20 years．In many ways，people live better than before，as we can see from the following points．

In the past，every family had several children．They lived a hard life．Many of the children couldn't get a good education．But recently，people have been changing their ideas．Now，families have fewer，but healthier children．Many of the children can go to college．

People used to keep in touch with relatives of friends mainly by sending letters．Now people can talk to others on the telephone or Internet an home．Also，people used to listen to the radio for news and other information．But now they can get the information in many ways，such as TV，Internet and so on．

Transportation（交通）has also changed．People used to walk to work and children used to go to school oil foot or by bike．It often took a lot of time．Today some families are rich enough to send their children to school in their own cars．The traffic is very convenient．People can save a lot of time for doing other useful things．

Lastly，big families used to have small rooms．The whole family had to live in a small apartment．These days，more and more buildings have been built，so more and more people have moved into big and bright apartments with several rooms．

In all，I think people's lives are becoming better and better．

1．How many points were mentioned?

A．Two                    B．Three                         C．Four                      D．Five

2．In the past，why couldn't many children get a good education?

A．Because of their hard lives

B．Because their parents didn't let them go to school．

C．Because they didn't want to go to school．

D．Because they had new thoughts．

3．Today people can talk to others _________．

A．by telephone                                            B．on the Internet

C．only by sending letters                                 D．Both A and B

4．According to the fourth paragraph we know that _________．

A．children go to school only by bus                 B．children go to school only by bike

C．children go to school only on foot                D．the traffic is very convenient

5．According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?

A．After a family plan was carried out，every family still had several children

B．Most families have their own cars

C．More and more buildings age being built

D．There are no buses between cities and counties

Dubai is a city of big business, expensive hotels, skyscrapers (摩天楼), and shopping malls. In the early 20th century, Dubai was a successful trading port. People from the world stopped in Dubai to do business. But it was still a small city, and most people lived as fishermen and businessmen. Then in 1966, oil was discovered. This brought a lot of money into the area, and soon Dubai began to change.
Today Dubai is one of the world’s most important business centers. In fact, each year the city gels its money mainly from business, not oil.
Recently Dubai has attracted more and more visitors from abroad. They come to relax on its beaches, and every year, millions visit just to go shopping!
Dubai is also one of the world’s fastest growing cities. Many tall buildings are built in months. The city also has many man-made islands. One of these, the Palm Jumeirah, is like a palm tree (棕桐树) and is very beautiful.
The city is still an amazing mix (混合体) of people from different countries. The people from 150 countries live and work in Dubai, and foreigners now outnumber Dubai natives ( 本地人) by eight to one!
Many people welcome the city’s growth. But an increasing number of Dubai natives worry about the speed of change. As a Dubai native says, “We must always remember where we came from. Our kids must know we worked very, very hard to get where we are now, and there’s a lot more work to do.”
【小题1】Why did people stop in Dubai in the early 20th century?