When lock downs began in March, the retailer (零售商) saw customer behavior go through five years’ worth of evolution in just five weeks, says White Side. Consumer needs changed on almost a daily basis early on. First, toilet paper and cleaning supplies were the focus. Then there was a shift to at-home activities and personal grooming (梳妆) and finally to home improvement. “We saw that the pandemic was changing the way that customers shop,” says White Side. “And we knew that we had to deliver something that allowed them to get access to goods quickly.”

The brand responded with innovations like two-hour Express Delivery and the Walmart membership program. Meanwhile, existing innovations like digital payment service Walmart Pay and road side pickup were more valuable than ever because they provide con tactless experiences. White Side says Walmart also considered its role in U. S. Communities during an unusual summer, which was the beginning of a virtual camp and the transformation of 160 parking lots into drive-in movie theaters. “We’re really proud to be a company that is focused on being there for our customers in any way we can, not just for their day-to-day supplies, but as a partner in their life,” she says.

This past February, Walmart debuted its first official Super Bowl ad, which showcased the convenience of road side pickup with famous faces like Buzz Light year, martins from Mars Attacks.

In April, with the pandemic darkening the national mood, Walmart launched an ad featuring Walmart employees singing the Bill Withers song “Lean on Me” as a message of hope. The company has now achieved great success, with the e-commerce sales rising 97 %.

“We’re going to continue to evolve how you engage with Walmart,” says White Side. “We’re going to continue to evolve how we tell our story through our customers and through our associates with the aim of creating those emotional connections that go beyond just buying stuff.”

4. What’s the root cause of the retailer’s innovation?

A．Pandemic lock downs.	B．Customers’ behavior.
C．Supply short ages.	D．Customers’ beds.

5. What do paragraphs 2 and 3 mainly talk about?

A．The retailer’s rules.	B．Innovative digital payment service.
C．The road side pickup.	D．Walmart’s new marketing strategies.

6. What might White Side’s job be?

A．A delivery worker.	B．A music composer.
C．A movie promoter.	D．A marketing officer.

7. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Being there for the customers.	B．Focusing on changing.
C．Achieving commercial success.	D．Removing dark mood.

A selection of wildlife sculpture made out of recycled rubbish is being displayed a tan exhibition at the barley gallery in Not ting ham shire, England, until 24 July. The sculptures have been created by Nottinghamshire-based artist Michelle Jones who has been working with recycled materials to over 20 years.

Fly-tipping--illegally dumping rubbish or littering in a public place — was on the increase during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Jones told the BBC, “Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust showed me some of the materials that were found on their nature reserves-a washing machine, rusty bike, car tyres.” She decided to create wildlife sculpture out of these materials to encourage people to think about the damage fly-tipping can do to the environment

and wildlife. Her three-dimensional art works included recycled items such as skis, a gas mask, and washing machine parts.

Jones often draws inspiration from the “beauty of the natural world” and said that the large model of the white-tailed bumblebee(大黄蜂) was inspired by the many hours she spent on her garden during the pandemic. Another sculpture, a bearded vulture(秃鹫 ), was inspired by the sighting of one such bird in the Peak District in July 2020. This was only the second time it had been spotted in the UK.

Using rubbish found in rivers, such as plastic bottles, tennis balls, footwear and toys, Jones created a large wave sculpture to highlight the problem of littering.

Jones says that through her sculptured she draws attention to environmental issue in an attractive and humorous way. Her work has a humour and warmth that makes people smile, making people think twice about what waste is and the value of materials, as well as the impact of over-consumption on the environment and its wildlife.

8. What is the purpose of this exhibition?

A．To raise money for the wildlife trust.	B．To blame rubbish dumping.
C．To promote environmental protection.	D．To show ways of recycling.

9. What is the inspiration behind the sculpture displayed at this exhibition?

A．The problem of illegal littering.	B．The familiarity with used materials.
C．The beauty of the natural world.	D．The suggestion from a wildlife trust.

10. Which of the following best described Jones’s works?

A．Useless but beautiful.	B．Attractive and natural.
C．Dirty but enlightening.	D．Humorous and meaningful.

11. Which column is this passage probably taken from?

A．News.

B．Health.

C．Entertainment.

D．Advertisements,

My grandmother could communicate to us only in Mandarin. A few phrase in Mandarin are particularly vivid to me. Mamahuhu is the most striking of all, which means “so-so” .

Mamahuhu became a family joke for me and my siblings. At first we found the concept funny and the sound of it, too. Sometimes my brother and I sang the string of vowels, hosting the “hu” like owls before bursting into laughter. But as we grew older, we realized mamahuhu also described our family.

My parents and my grandmother could be precise when it mattered. For example, my mother is a re i red plant physiologist. Her research led to multiple patents related to improving plant growth and food safety. But when she helped me on an elementary-school project, she used steamed rice instead of a glue stick. My paper crown fell apart in class. The mamahuhu attitude sometimes embarrassed me, But it also taught me not to get hung up on mainstream ideals of perfection.

Out of a sense of pride, my siblings and I transformed mamahuhu from an ordinary adjective into an ethos(精神特质). It’s the philosophy behind my brother’s repairs around the house or on vehicle: “So-so, good enough,” he told me. “Because most of the time, that’s all that’s needed.” Growing up, I talked about mamahuhu only at home. But lately, as elements of Chinese culture have spread throughout the world, I realize my family isn’t alone in our affection for the term. Various accounts on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram use the word in their names; it’s also an entry in the Urban Dictionary.

It’s our family practice to make do, and as the pandemic set in, the philosophy helped us survive. With this clear-eyed worldview, my 10-year-olds don’t rely on tradition or precedence (优先权)as their only guide. Last summer our family considered visiting Hawaii, and again for spring break earlier this year, but we’ve repeatedly postponed the vacation because of the pandemic. In the end, we settled for a road trip to Southern California to see their grandparents and baby cousin. I asked the boys if they were excited. “This trip is mamahuhu,” one joked. Everyone laughed.

12. How did the author find Mamahuhu at the beginning?

A．Embarrassing.

B．Funny.

C．Understandable.

D．unusual.

13. Why are the author’s examples cited?

A．To show that his family can be precise.	B．To tell funny stories of both his parents,
C．To note how mamahuhu described his family.	D．To clarify the differences between family members.

14. What lesson did the author learn from his family?

A．To accept imperfection.	B．To rely on tradition.
C．To take pride in their Asian origin.	D．To avoid being affected by other cultures.

15. What do we know from the last two paragraphs?

A．The author’s family were always easily satisfied.

B．The author’s children didn’t depend on precedence.

C．The term of mamahuhu has been spread worldwide.

D．The mamahuhu philosophy helped the author survive.