请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

    TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It is a set of meetings, held in various (不同的) cities around the world every year. TED meetings invite speakers to give reports on different topics. The speakers are from different parts of the world. They are usually experts in their fields and talk about new ideas and recent developments that are important to their work. The speakers are often also well-known with people such as Microsoft giant Bill Gates and the world-famous expert, Jane Good all, having given talks. There are many talks on environment and international development, aid work, and how to help poor people with all kinds of new ideas. There are also a number of talks about education and education reform (改革).

    As the talks cover a wide variety of topics, all speakers have a strict time limit — each report must last no longer than 18 minutes.

    Like all organizations, however, TED has had its downs as well as ups. Some people think the organization is turning intelligent members of the scientific and other communities into entertainers (表演者). What else, those who attend must be very privileged (有特权的) with tickets for TED events costing about $ 6,000 (or more).

    However, www.ted.com, the organization's website can make many great talks become accessible to everybody who has an Internet connection. Every weekday, a new video is uploaded (更新) from a TED event, allowing people around the world to listen to the talks for free. At only 18 minutes, even if the video is not that interesting, you know you are not going to waste too much time.

Most TED talks are in English but there are talks available in other languages, too. As a result, the site is excellent for practicing English and learning new vocabulary, especially in a topic that you find interesting and enjoyable.

    When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

    I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

    In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

    However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn't want to hear.

    After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don't respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don't show my feelings through words.

By Jack

    These days, anyone who uses the Internet on their phone understands the power of different kinds of pictures. They are emojis (表情符号) which have swept the world since the late 1990s. One could say that, in the Internet age, emojis are the world's most widely understood language.

    However, on Chinese social media, just understanding how to use emojis is not enough. Now young Chinese enjoy an even more complex (复杂的) form of emoji called biaoqingbao, or sticker sets. Much like emojis, sticker sets are groups of pictures used to express feelings.

    Sticker sets are popular among the young people, especially those born in the 1990s. During a recent conversation with a friend of mine—a 90s kid—on WeChat. I wrote that l disagreed with something he had said. In response, he sent back a group of stickers. The first was a screenshot (截图) taken from the Chinese political drama In the Name of the People, in which an actor, Xu Yajun, purses his lips in a look of doubt. Next came a popular Internet picture of a girl pulling a face of exaggerated (夸张的) anger. Then quickly by an image of an orange cat that has funny drawn-on frown. At last, my phone lit up with the baby face of Huang Zitao. None of these stickers expressed teal anger. Instead, they meant: "Why don't you agree with me?"

    Using sticker sets skillfully can express the speaker's mind correctly without misunderstanding.

    The sticker sets can also end the conversation when its user is ready to go to bed. Between close friends or couples, only saying "Goodnight" might seem common. Instead, imagine a man with a sweet heart beside, his face red with words: "I'm going to bed." Not only is this sticker able to end the conversation, but it also refers to a closer relationship between speakers.

    Sticker sets are the new language of China's youth. They now need more ways to express themselves. We must allow them to speak more freely and independently. For the moment, at least, sticker sets are playing this important role.

Royal party in the UK

    On May 19, a grand event took place in the UK. At noon that day, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

    About 100, 000 people went there to witness the union of the now Duke (公爵) and Duchess of Sussex. As Harry and Meghan were pronounced husband and wife in the chapel, the crowd outside cheered so loud that the people inside could hear it!

    Those who couldn't attend the wedding in person watched the royal wedding live on TV. They also organized garden or street parties to celebrate, laying out long tables along the streets and inviting neighbors to come and dance. Many people wore masks that looked like Harry and Meghan while they danced.

    Although it has no say in any political matters, the Royal Family is an important symbol of the UK. A recent survey shows that 40 percent of UK citizens support the royals; while 20 percent don't and the other 40 percent are in the middle.

    ________ Most countries' leaders are not passed on by inheritance (世袭)—that is to say, if you were born into a royal family, you are a prince or princess. However, others dislike the royal family because they think that a life of luxury and wealth should be earned by effort, not because you were born into it.

    In my eyes, the royal wedding brought the British people together. It was like a Cinderella story come true. It was also a great excuse to party, have fun and enjoy the sun!