A
Make the Best of a Bad Situation
Since Covid-19 spreads all over the world, many people have to stay indoors and work from home. For most of us, it greatly challenges our lives and brings boredom. But for a few people, working at home brings more creativity. Here are three famous historical figures who let their creativity flow during past pandemics.
Giovanni Boccaccio （1313-1375）
When a plague （瘟疫）hit Florence in 1348, Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio lost his father and stepmother. In order to survive, he left the city and hid in the countryside. Inspired by the experience. Boccaccio wrote The Decameron(《十日谈》), a collection of short novels framed as stories told by a group of friends, while he was quarantined （隔离）inside a house during the plague.
William Shakespeare （1564-1616）
In the early 17th century, a plague hit London, UK. When the number of deaths grew, the government postponed many celebrations and closed all the theaters. This meant that the entertainment industry at the time was paralyzed （瘫痪）for much of 1606. As an actor and dramatist, Shakespeare had to stop working in the playhouse. But he didn't waste a second of his time off. Instead, he used the time productively and wrote some of his most famous plays. Before the year was over, Shakespeare completed three plays — King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra.
Isaac Newton （1642-1727）
In 1665, when English mathematician Isaac Newton was in his early 20s, one of the last major outbreaks of the plague hit the UK, and many classes were canceled. Newton, as a student, went back home to continue his studies.
He devoted himself to his studies. The young mathematician produced some of his best works during his year in quarantine, writing the papers that would later become early calculus (微积分学), and developing his theories on physics in his bedroom. While working, an apple dropped from the apple tree outside his window and hit him on the head, which may inspired his theory of gravity.
1. What did Boccaccio do during the plague?
A. He left Italy and hid away.
B. He stayed indoors and read books.
C. He told his friends many interesting stories.
D. He finished the great work: The Decameron.
2. How did the plague affect Shakespeare?
A. He got more entertainment.
B. He began to show interest in acting.
C. He got more free time to write plays.
D. He was inspired to evaluate history.
3. What can we learn about Issac Newton in quarantine?
A. He got an idea for the theory of gravity.
B. He put the focus on physics study.
C. He had to stop his study on math.
D. He worked hard and completed his last work.
