在疫情防控過程中，追蹤感染者的密切接觸者是很重要的。如果完全靠人力追蹤，既耗時又費力，還容易遺漏，所以就有人開發了手機App來幫助追蹤。
Using apps to track COVID-19
by Kate Baggaley
In California, early signs have begun to appear that the state's swift and aggressive social distancing measures have slowed the spread of COVID-19. Now, the city of San Francisco is assembling a task force to prevent the disease from surging back once they relax stay-at-home orders. They plan to do so by tracking down everyone who has come into contact with those who test positive for COVID-19.
California /ˌkælɪˈfɔːniə/ n. 加利福尼亞（美國西部的州）
swift /swɪft/ adj. 迅速的
aggressive /əˈɡresɪv/ adj. 積極進取的、主動作爲的
distance /ˈdɪst(ə)ns/ v. 疏遠
measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ n. 措施
slow /sləʊ/ v. 變慢、使變慢
spread /spred/ n. 傳播
COVID-19 是新冠肺炎的正式名稱
assemble /əˈsemb(ə)l/ v. 聚集、集合
task /tɑːsk/ n. 任務（task force指爲解決某個問題而專門成立的工作組）
surge /sɜːdʒ/ v. 急升、突增
track /træk/ v. 追蹤
contact /ˈkɒntækt/ n. 接觸
positive /ˈpɒzətɪv/ adj. 陽性的
This technique, known as contact tracing, will be necessary across the United States to tamp down transmission levels until a vaccine comes along. However, traditional contact tracing is time- and labor-intensive, and will be difficult for public health officials to enact on the scale needed across the country. It also depends on people's ability to remember everybody who they encountered over the preceding two weeks. But research groups across the U.S. are creating tech they hope will help.
technique /tekˈniːk/ n. 技術、方法
trace /treɪs/ v. 追溯、溯源
tamp /tæmp/ down 減少、減輕
transmission /trænzˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 傳遞、傳染
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平、數量
vaccine /ˈvæksiːn/ n. 疫苗
come along 出現
labor /ˈleɪbə(r)/ n. 勞動、勞動力
intensive /ɪnˈtensɪv/ adj. 集中的、密集的（time-intensive指耗時的，labor-intensive指耗費人力的）
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ n. 官員
enact /ɪˈnækt/ v. 把某事付諸實施
scale /skeɪl/ n. 規模
encounter /ɪnˈkaʊntə(r)/ v. 偶然遇到
precede /prɪˈsiːd/ v. 在…之前
"We're looking at some sort of automated（自動的） technology-based contact tracing," says Tyler Yasaka, a software engineer at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He and his colleagues are among many teams of researchers around the world who have developed mobile apps to track the spread of COVID-19.
-based 後綴，意思是基於
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的後綴-er）
mobile /ˈməʊbaɪl/ adj. 移動的、手機的
app /æp/ n. 應用程序
Yasaka's app, called TrackCOVID, is easy to use. People would use their smartphone camera to scan a QR code – perhaps posted at the entrance to a grocery store or other public place – that would open a web page confirming that they have successfully checked in. The app would link them anonymously to other people who recently used the same checkpoint. A user could also choose to create a checkpoint when she meets with friends. In that scenario, her phone would generate a QR code that each of her friends could scan.
smartphone /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ n. 智能手機
scan /skæn/ v. 掃描、掃碼
QR code = Quick Response code 二維碼
post /pəʊst/ v. 張貼
grocery /ˈɡrəʊs(ə)ri/ store 食品雜貨店
confirm /kənˈfɜːm/ v. 證實、確認
check in 登記後進入
link /lɪŋk/ v. 連接、聯繫
anonymously /əˈnɒnɪməsli/ adv. 匿名地
checkpoint /ˈtʃekpɔɪnt/ n. 檢查點
scenario /sɪˈnɑːriəʊ/ n. 場景
generate /ˈdʒenəreɪt/ v. 產生、生成
People who test positive for COVID-19 can report their status anonymously and people linked to their chain of transmission would be notified that they may have been exposed to the virus.
status /ˈsteɪtəs/ n. 狀態、狀況
notify /ˈnəʊtɪfaɪ/ v. 通知
expose /ɪkˈspəʊz/ v. 使（無防護地）接觸（有害物質）
virus /ˈvaɪərəs/ n. 病毒
"As you move from one checkpoint to another, those checkpoints do get connected together, but your identity is not involved in that and the app never collects any information about you," Yasaka says. "You don't have to register anything."
connect /kəˈnekt/ v. 連接、聯繫
identity /aɪˈdentəti/ n. 身份
register /ˈredʒɪstə(r)/ v. 註冊、登記
However, one challenge for all of these apps will be ensuring enough people use them to create an accurate picture of COVID-19 transmission. "I think there is value in having something that is an active and social process," Yasaka says. When somebody scans a QR code, people around them will notice. "If other people are doing it, that might prompt you to also take part in it," he says.
ensure /ɪnˈʃʊə(r)/ v. 確保
accurate /ˈækjurət/ adj. 準確的
picture /ˈpɪktʃə(r)/ n. 景象、形勢
process /ˈprəʊses/ n. 過程
prompt /prɒmpt/ v. 促使
Another issue is making sure the self-reported data is accurate. Coordinating with public health authorities could be helpful, Yasaka says. Authorized users who deliver test results to people could print out a QR code and ask folks to scan it to notify others that they may be at risk. "That little prompt could help participation be higher," he says.
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 數據
coordinate /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪt/ v. 協調
authorities /ɔːˈθɒrətiz/ n. 有關部門
authorize /ˈɔːθ(ə)raɪz/ v. 授權、批准
folks /fəʊks/ n. 人們
risk /rɪsk/ n. 風險
prompt /prɒmpt/ n. 提示
participation /pɑːˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 參與、參與度（由participate加後綴-ion變成名詞）
（如果您發現某些行的最後一個單詞被分成兩半了，請把您使用的瀏覽器升級到最新版本就能正常顯示了。）