1 . My 14-year-old son, Gus, is severely allergic to peanuts and other nuts, so for years we’ve been washing hands like surgeons, and we wipe down surfaces every time we eat out. We know the closest emergency room and exactly what to do during a reaction. Our preparedness to guard against a worst-case situation felt like a win when the pandemic hit. Our everyday caution, which can be exhausting and make us feel awkward at social events, is now a great advantage.
As it turns out, COVID-19 life has had multiple advantages for food-allergy families like mine. Stuck at home with just the food we cook ourselves, we’ve been safe from all the land mines, like big holiday parties with boxes of walnut cookies, or Halloween, with kids eating Snickers while sticking their hands into shared bowls. Not to mention restaurant meals that have unexpected ingredients.
So the pandemic gave me a gift I didn’t even know I needed: I felt seen. The whole world was in prevention mode, weighing what might have touched their groceries or takeout food. We all wash our hands now whether our kids have food allergies or not. We all might call ahead to double-check a restaurant’s precautions and whether the chef wears gloves. I didn’t feel strange anymore.
Of course, the limitations on regular life will ease up soon, and families like mine will need to be on guard again. When I think about the new normal, I’m fine with that post-COVID-19 life. I hope we can keep this appreciation that not everyone’s immune system functions in the same way and some people do need to be more cautious. This makes me think of the classic home-design advice: “You need to take everything out of a room to know what you want to put back.” We’ve taken everything out of the room, and I hope we put back empathy, understanding and tolerance.
1. What can we know about the author’s family?| A．They are very sociable. | B．They were exhausted by emergencies. |
| C．They have comprehensive medical knowledge. | D．They were always in emergency-preparedness mode. |
| A．Enjoying Snickers with other kids. | B．Playing games with kids on Halloween. |
| C．Giving home-made cookies to his friends. | D．Wiping the table down when eating at home. |
| A．Everyone paid great attention to health. | B．She became accustomed to COVID-19 life. |
| C．More people became particular about food. | D．She succeeded in affecting people around her. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Concerned. |
2 . The Walt Disney Company wasn’t about to let COVID-19 stop the company from developing. In the past year, some Disney theme park innovation (革新) have been designed.
For example, Disney had always encouraged face-to-face interactions between cast members and customers. It made perfect sense since Disney spends so much time training its workers in providing good customer service. In fact, Disney is known for pleasing its guests, which explains why it scores so high in customer satisfaction surveys. Well, COVID-19 turned personal interactions into problematic exchanges, as they increased the risk of spreading COVID-19. So, quickly, Disney added cast member virtual chat to its app My Disney Experience. Now, you can rely on a cast member’s knowledge whenever you have a question about Disney visit. It's like having a tour guide on your phone!
There is also the Walk-Up Waitlist. Before 2020, Disney had made strict rules for its Table Service restaurants. Once something sold out, would-be diners had no means of booking a table. COVID-19 has affected park guests, though. Some of them booked tables but then decided not to eat there. This cost Disney money, and it prevented you from dining at your favorite places. So, restaurant managers felt unhappy about the poor business practice, and Disney’s IT department reached a solution. The Walk-Up Waitlist in My Disney Experience allows you to add your name at a restaurant. A previously booked restaurant will find a table for you to dine there. My Disney Experience shows the waiting time. You’ll know whether the wait will fit with your tour. For Disney, the Walk-Up Waitlist improves services and can make it earn more money while increasing customer satisfaction.
In the face of COVID-19, Disney somehow made its parks better and more modern. The company is really worth praising for such great innovations.
1. What can park guests do with the Walk-Up Waitlist?| A．Check whether there's a meal left. | B．Know when to dine in the booked restaurant. |
| C．Dine at any restaurant at any time. | D．Book as many tables as they can. |
| A．It benefits both Disney and its customers. |
| B．It is supposed to be used at a restaurant only. |
| C．It is aimed at more customers during COVID-19. |
| D．It allows Disney to have the most guests at a time. |
| A．How Disney Keeps Its Park Popular. |
| B．How Disney Controls the Flow of Traffic. |
| C．Ways to Tour Around Disney During COVID-19. |
| D．Disney’s Innovations Responding to COVID-19. |
3 . 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.
1. Why did Novo visit older New Yorkers?| A．To take care of them. | B．To give them haircuts. |
| C．To communicate with them easily. | D．To inspire them to fight against diseases. |
| A．It created good feelings. | B．It strengthened his family ties. |
| C．It excited his interest in painting. | D．It helped him get to know his neighbors. |
| A．It is challenging. | B．It is unexpected. | C．It is amusing. | D．It is beautiful. |
| A．Generous and sporty. | B．Creative and courageous. |
| C．Caring and warm-hearted. | D．Far-sighted and strong-willed. |
4 . If businesses are to get workers back into the office, finding ways to keep social distancing will be important. An Israeli company thinks it can help, using smart sensors installed on workplace ceilings.
PointGrab developed its technology before COVID-19 to help workspace managers optimize(优化) how employees use office space. About the size of a smoke alarm, the sensors can record the exact number and location of people in buildings including offices, hotels and restaurants. One of the company's first clients was Deloitte, which installed the system at its London office last year. PointGrab's sensors were connected to screens in the building to show the availability (利用率) of desks and shared areas in real time. PointGrab CEO Doron Shachar says it was one of a series of innovations(创新) that helped Deloitte fit 30% more people into 3% less space.
Now to prevent the coronavirus spreading face to face, PointGrab has modified the technology to some degree so the sensors can also monitor social distancing by keeping track of how far apart people are, and whether they're traveling in one direction around a building. Workspace managers can set up alarm for when two people are closer than two meters for more than 30 seconds, for example. The sensors have been included in the “six feet office” concept created by a company Cushman & Wakefield to encourage employees to practice social distancing. They are currently being used in this way at a university in the Netherlands, and at an innovation centre in Belgium. While the social distancing innovation is new, PointGrab has installed more than 10, 000 sensors for workspace optimization, including in the offices of Coca-Cola, Facebook and Dell.
Workers might not like the idea of being monitored, but PointGrab says no images or identifying features are recorded. Instead, each employee is represented as a dot on a screen. “The sensor does not violate people's privacy.” Shachar says. This is extremely important in the workspace.
1. What were the sensors used to do before COVID-19?| A．To identify employees. | B．To record locations. |
| C．To keep track of employees. | D．To make better use of office space. |
| A．Introduced. | B．Adjusted. | C．Formed. | D．Boomed. |
| A．How we can get workers back into their office | B．How we can improve the employees’ efficiency |
| C．Smart sensors make office social distancing easier | D．Smart sensors are a key technological innovation |
