3 Listen and read.
Mum: It's getting late, Betty. How is your homework?
Betty: Nearly finished. Mum, do you think that life is better today than in the past?
Mum: Yes, of course, I do.
Betty: I do too. People are wealthier today, and they live longer than they did in the past.
Mum: That's true. We know more about medicine today, and there's less fear of getting ill because we know how to deal with the ordinarydiseases. But people don't take as much exercise as they used to.
Betty: I suppose that's because more people have cars, and they walk or use their bikes less.
Mum: Some people think life in the past was simpler and healthier than today. More wealth sometimes means less health. When the number of cars is doubled, the pollution is also doubled, or even worse.
Betty: What about work? Do people work as hard as they did fifty years ago?
Mum: Yes, and they sometimes work harder. People seldom say they have enough spare time! Why don't you go and ask Mrs Li, our neighbour? She's over seventy years old. She's seen how life has changed.
Betty: That's a good idea. I'll go and ask her.
Mum: Remember to speak up! She's a bit deaf now.
