Chinese youth are losing themselves in “digital pickled vegetables”, a term for short videos that they can watch while eating during their precious lunch breaks.

Between unexpected lockdowns and busy work schedules, many young people in China don’t have the luxury of enjoying conversations with friends and family at the dinner table. Instead, they find themselves eating alone. Chinese youth are kept company during these 20- to 30-minute lunch time by TV shows or short videos, which they watch online on their phone, computer, or television.

Many find that it’s impossible to enjoy a good meal without watching something interesting, funny, or relaxing. Some popular picks include classic Chinese dramas and sitcoms like Empresses in the Palace(《后宫甄嬛传》) and My Own Swordsman(《武林外传》). American sitcoms such as Friends and How I Met Your Mother are also favored for their interesting jokes and simple storylines. You don’t need to know anything about either to get a good laugh from any episode(一集).

Popular digital pickled vegetables also include short videos and mini-series posted on the Internet. These include short videos with titles like, “Watch The Shawshank Redemption in 5 minutes” and “What happened in the book Little Women? Let me tell you in this 3-minute video.”

Low-budget(低成本), independently made mini-series began popular on the Internet about two years ago. Some have questioned the value of such videos, pointing out that such kinds of videos spoil good films and books. But others see nothing wrong with some harmless fun to accompany a meal after a long day of work.

“The true meaning of food is the happiness it brings after a long wait. A bowl of hot tofu rice cake, fried chicken fingers, and my digital pickled vegetables, ‘Empresses in the Palace’, after a tiring workday. Life couldn’t get any better,” shared a Weibo user.

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1. What does the underlined word “spoil” mean?（词义猜测）

A    Alleviate.

B    Appeal.

C    Protect.

D    Destroy.