1 . The rolling plains of the Maasai Mara in Kenya are home to Maasai people as well as some most rare animals on the earth.

When it became clear that COVID-19 would destroy the tourism industry of the Maasai living in the breathtaking Nashulai Nature Conservancy, they asked Avaaz, a website connecting local people-powered movements, to try and organize a response call for help.

As a result, 100,000 people raised money to help pay the rangers’ (护林人的)salaries, ensuring that the travel of Nashulai elephants remained safe from poachers(偷猎者). The money was also enough to secure medical supplies and food for the Maasai community to survive the COVID-19 storm.

In 2016, Nelson Ole Reiyia and Margaret Koshal Reiyia placed a project on Avaaz to turn their home into a Nature Conservancy. “Avaazers” around the world offered help with hearts and wallets to launch the Nashulai Maasai Conservancy, to innovatively help the Maasai maintain their traditional way of living in a harmonious way with the land.

The conservancy brought outside money into the community through offering traveling and camping, as well as cultural homestays and other events. People there also got access to better education as well as more comfortable living conditions.

The Maasai are famous warriors(战士) , and the conservancy built a powerful force against poachers. Professional rangers and young warriors called “moran” who are trained in bush practices, now serve as “The Warriors for Wildlife Protection”, monitoring the animal populations and protecting against poaching.

COVID-19 has put much of the conservancy in danger. The tourist infrastructure (基础设施), which 90% of all the Nashulai Maasai depend on for income, has completely fallen apart. The community library has been repurposed as a storehouse for medical equipment.

“We’ve worked hard to create this unique conservancy, and we want it to be there for the people in their deepest moment of need,” writes Nelson Ole Reiyia on the Nashulai website.

2 . As the COVID-19 appeared, many people’s life changed.

At the beginning of March 2020, Boylan, a professor of Medicine Jon Bae, went from working onsite to being another role as a health economic analyst(分析家) of Duke University Health System. And a month into the pandemic(流行病), his daughter, Elora, was born. The past two years drew Boylan closer to his wife, Katie, “During the time of the pandemic, I am not one of those people who have time to learn how to bake bread or anything,” Boylan said. “I think, in terms of personal growth, I have learned much about how to live a happy life.”

By October of 2020, the pandemic had lasted for several months, and Melanie Thomas was feeling down. “How do I have a rich and full life during this special time and keep a positive attitude?” Thomas asked herself. She decided that she needed a goal that she could work out until the world opened up. For the next several months, Thomas began running, working out at a socially distant gym, and walked as much as she could every day. While the trip to Nepal was the goal, the exercise to prepare for it became a central piece of herself-care routine.

A few weeks ago, Mary Atkinson began spending the remaining daylight after work setting up a garden in the yard of her Greensboro home. She as well as her two-year-olds on, West, often played there with the sand and his toy truck. “This is something that never happened before the pandemic, and it gives much happiness to us,” said Atkinson.

During the pandemic, John Carbuccia, instead of eating lunch out or grabbing meals in the university canteen, found himself eating homemade breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Scrambled eggs with vegetables or simply prepared salmon fillets are some of his current favorites. And without having to rush to the company, he walks and runs around his neighborhood before and after work at home.

Stephen Hawking’s family have contributed the ventilator (呼吸机)    1     (own)by Hawking to the Royal Papworth Hospital to help coronavirus(冠状病毒)patients.

After a check by the hospital’s engineering team,   the hospital    2     (happy)accepted the ventilator. The hospital has expanded to more than double its usual size as a result of the increasing number of coronavirus patients. The     3    (contribute)from the Hawking family was    4     great help to the hospital.

“After our father passed away, we returned all the medical equipment(医疗设备)to the National Health Service(NHS),” said Lucy Hawking,     5     is Stephen Hawking’s daughter. “Even some items that he bought for himself    6     (give)to the NHS to fight against coronavirus. The NHS has played a huge part    7     our lives over the years. We fully recognize the efforts of NHS to help those in need." Besides, Lucy Hawking encouraged people    8     (support)the NHS in any way and take social distancing measures seriously.

Since the news was announced, it    9     (attract)national attention. Many people were    10     (touch)and said that even if the great physicist became a star, he still gave off light.

7 . Roberto Novo has styled the hair of a lot of stars. But during COVID-19, he’s turned his gifts to the heads of lesser-known, older New Yorkers- and he’s done it for free.

The Argentina-born stylist welcomes them to his Manhattan apartment or visits them in their homes. His two dogs keep everyone company. He calls his project “Free haircut and puppy love.”

It started last summer when he and his dogs visited a client who had been isolated (隔离) for months due to COVID-19. Seeing how happy it made her, he asked if she had friends in her apartment building who might be interested in a free hairdo.

“It doesn’t get any better than that — bring some joy to senior citizens in these hard times,” Novo said. “People are really suffering in this situation right now. So if I can help them with a simple haircut, that’s a gift.”

On a recent day, Novo and his dogs walked into Madelon Spier’s apartment and quickly turned the living room into a salon (美发厅). Sitting in a black chair, Spier waited to get her hair styled. “I think he’s an amazing artist. And we’re all pictures that he’s painting,” Spier said. “There’s his personality (特色), and his way of cutting — a way of looking at a person and knowing what’s right for them,” said Spier.

Neighbor Andrew Langerman said Novo also gave him his first haircut in months. “I’ve just been so lonely during COVID-19,” he said, and now, “I feel a lot better. I wasn’t really feeling very well when I came here but then I felt great just being with everybody. And I had a good haircut.”

As Novo finished a cut, he ordered pizzas that the group later shared. They talked and laughed.

“I always tell people if I die and I’m born again, I’ll do everything exactly the same way,” said Novo.