That is good news, and not just for Unilever. Since January the company has been on the front line of the covid-19 outbreak.
As one of the world’s biggest consumer-goods firms, it sells food, hygiene products and other more or less essential staples to 2.5bn customers in 190 countries.
Without continued availability of its wares the pandemic’s toll would almost certainly be even greater.
Listening to Mr Jope it becomes clear how many rules of business the pandemic has shattered.
The impact on production, consumption and generation of profit is even greater than on office work.
The nature of the top job, which he has held since January 2019, has changed, too.
In the past the hallmark of a good boss was a strategic mind. The covid era is all about the here and now.
這是《經濟學人》2020年3月刊的一篇文章'A dispatch from the home front'第2、3段，共7句。
1、
這是一個好消息，不僅僅是對聯合利華。從1月開始公司就已經處在covid-19爆發的最前線。
2、
{'hygiene':'n.衛生'}
{'staples':'訂書釘，基本食物，主食'}
最為全球最大的消費者商品公司，聯合利華為190個國家近25億用戶提供食物，衛生用品以及其他或多或少的必備主食
3、
{'wares':'商品，貨物'}
{'toll':'（災難造成的）毀壞'}
沒有持續的供給商品的能力，可以確定的是這次災難的破壞力將會更大。
4、
{'shattered':'破壞'}
聽Jope先生的講話，很清晰的知道這次有多少商業規則遭到疾病大流行的破壞。
5、
對生產，消費和創造利潤的影響甚至比對辦公室的影響更大。
6、
2019年1月以來，他擔任最高職位的性質也發生了變化。
7、
{'hallmark':'特徵、特點'}
here and now：此時此刻
在過去，一個好的老闆的特點是具有戰略思維。眼下“covid時代”就是全部。
--總結--
詞彙依然是讀懂文章最根本的條件，但也是需要持續積累的一件事，只要堅持下去，慢慢就能掌握。
【詞彙部分】
{'hygiene':'n.衛生'}
{'staples':'訂書釘，基本食物，主食'}
{'wares':'商品，貨物'}
{'toll':'（災難造成的）毀壞'}
{'shattered':'破壞'}
{'hallmark':'特徵、特點'}
here and now：此時此刻
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