Reading Comprehension

Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions below.

In the last 100 years, 11 different skyscrapers have held the world’s tallest building title. With improvements in technology and materials, humans are pushing the limits of what buildings can do. The National Geographic Channel reports on designers pushing the limits in Best of Megastructures.

Dubai is developing a reputation for being the home of the most extreme buildings on the planet. Measuring more than 320 meters high, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab is the tallest hotel in the world. As if being taller than the Eiffel Tower wasn’t enough, it also stands on a massive man-made island 270 meters off the coast. Inspired by the shape of a traditional sail, the Burj Al Arab has faced and withstood numerous challenges to become Dubai’s Dream Palace.

Another mammoth construction project is underway down the beach from the Burj Al Arab and four kilometres into the Persian Gulf. This one won’t break any records for height, but The World will become the most prominent man-made group of islands ever created. Requiring more than 320 million cubic meters of sand, The World will recreate a map of the globe in the form of 300 islands. After it’s completed, 250,000 people are expected to become residents of the World Island Wonder.

Of course, the best plans require the best materials. From the Roman Pantheon to the Panama Canal, a variety of buildings have stood the test of time because of concrete. Over 9,000 years after inventing bricks, we’re still using them by the billions. And speaking of the world’s most impressive buildings, it’s impossible to ignore steel. The past and future of these amazing building materials are revealed in Megastructures: Concrete, Megastructures: Brick, and Megastructures: Steel.

With the breathtaking structures that are being planned, the sky is literally the limit. Take a look at what architects are achieving and how they’re doing it in Best of Megastructures.