For most of history, people lived in small groups of up to 150 people. Then villages and small towns developed, offering safety and support through the sharing of resources. As time passed, urban living brought additional advantages such as better jobs, schools and healthcare. Larger towns also gave people more chances to meet and interact. This is important. 【小题1】

Today, over half of the world’s population currently lives in towns and cities. But this has resulted in a strange paradox (悖论). Although social opportunities are one reason people choose to live in large cities, research suggests that city life can be lonely. 【小题2】 People from all over the world can join online communities and make virtual friends without leaving their home.

The development of virtual communities can be traced back to the 1860s. Back then, telegraph operators exchanged messages and gradually formed friendships over long distances. 【小题3】

Later, in the 1960s, radios started to provide a means of short-distance communication and developed communities with their own unique language and usernames.

【小题4】 Computers were not very powerful yet, so people could post messages and share news and stories but not music or photos. Still, people loved being able to make friends online and then hang out with them. As technology became more powerful, online communities for fun, education and business emerged, where people could explore a virtual 3D world, have online lessons, and even buy things with virtual money.

These days, there are thousands of virtual communities and that number keeps growing. Many people believe they will become more important. 【小题5】 Particularly, they’re concerned that posting personal information online might lead to a loss of privacy. So perhaps the future will be more like the past. People will spend most of their time in real communities.

A．This trend, however, is not likely to continue.

B．As Aristotle said, the nature of humans is to be social.

C．That may explain why virtual communities are so popular.

D．The first popular online communities developed in the 1980s.

E．Before cell phones existed, radio was an easy way to communicate.

F．Nevertheless, others worry about problems with these communities.

G．This is among the earliest examples of virtual community interactions.