I was a smartphone addict.     1     The smartphone had taken up too much of my time, and I thought it was not easy to quit the habit.

One day, I looked down at my smartphone when crossing the road, and I was nearly knocked off my feet. At the moment.     2     我意识到我必须做出改变. The first day was the hardest. Very soon,     3     时间慢了下来. The empty hours stretched out in front of me, and I felt disconnected from everyone and everything. It was scary at first. Then somehow I began to feel free. Most important of all,     4     I began to appreciate the beauty in life with my own eyes, instead of through my smartphone camera. My offline relationships benefited as well. By the end of the week, I almost did not want to turn my phone back on. I cannot escape from the modern world, but I can cut back on the amount of time I spend on smartphone every day, and I do.     5     Life beyond smartphones is richer and more beautiful, and I am going to make use of it.

Dubai is a large port city but it has a desert climate. In the past, Dubai was not a big city. Most of its citizens lived simple lives.    1     他们通过捕鱼挣钱 or dived for valuable ocean pearls. Until recently, most people in the area around Dubai lived the same way that they had lived for hundreds of years before.

All that changed in1966,     2    .那时工人在迪拜发现了石油 At this time, the Maktoums were Dubai’s ruling family.     3    . Oil quickly brought them large amounts of wealth. But the family knew that the oil would not last forever. So they decided to put a lot of their money into other industries-like tourism and trade.

Now, tourism is a major industry in Dubai. Each year, millions of people come to visit the city. Many people come to see Dubai’s famous building projects.     4    . Dubai has the worlds tallest and highest priced hotel. It also has two sets of man-made islands. The Palm Islands(棕榈群岛)are a group of islands made in the shape of a date palm tree. Dubai’s World Islands look like a map of the world. And,     5    .它们是如此之大以至于你在太空都能看得到！