阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

    A white-bearded ancient man was walking over the hills and valleys of the world. On his back he carried a bag which moved uneasily as if something was trying to escape from it, but he 1 it between his shoulders and walked on.

    He was Father Time, travelling forever, and the bag he 2 was filled with Tomorrows, all struggling to get out.

    Each 3 at twelve o'clock, he opened the bag and 4outa Tomorrow, just one, with its wings of5, and its shining feathers rose with hope. All the rest were kept 6 by Time's strong hands and pushed7 in the bag.

    Down flew the Tomorrow 8 its lovely feathers, but as it touched the 9, off fell its blue wings and it changed to a(n) 10 white bird which could not fly. It had become a Today. Everyone knows that Today isn't as 11 as Tomorrow , for Today can be held in one's12, accepted, unloved, but Tomorrow is full of mystery and beauty. It is 13 by all the world. Even those with 14 hope sigh, “Tomorrow may bring a(n) 15. Tomorrow's life will be different.”

    Everybody tried to16 the Tomorrow before it fell to the ground. They thought if they17 beforehand what the Tomorrow carries, they could 18 for it. So they put great nets on the trees, seeking to catch one 19 it changed his feather. Yet although they tried every means, the birds 20 and flew to the ground as Todays.

    Mary and I , together with our husbands, helped look after our neighbors' children this weekend. Our1have two children aged 3 and 6 and my husband and I chose the six-year-old child. What a pleasure! We2last night with Mary who invited us to have dinner. They were looking after the 3-year-old boy for 3at their dining table.

    The 3-year-old child was 4his parents who were overseas for the weekend. When he saw his sister he 5with tears flowing on his face. I had “Plan B” in the back of my head. When I saw that the child was6and my friends who were looking after him were also 7 I offered to take both of them with us.

    I thought another8for the night wasn't the best idea, so we 9made a decision to go back to our own house. Then I 10the child's overnight bed 11 and we came back home together. I had a12night as the boy was awake 5 times through the night, crying for his mommy, and it took a while to13him down.

    Mary and her14came over this morning with their own children who are under 2 years old15I could have a short16 At noon, they left. I had just got to get through the17baths and dinner, and18 their parents would be back.

    At night, both my husband and I were tired but we thought it was good to have “Plan B”, and how happy we were with such 19friends that invited us for dinner, and were thoughtful enough to20me a break this morning.

    I come from one of those families where you have to yell at the dinner table to get in a word. Everyone has a strong1 and talks at the same time, and no one has a2leading to heated arguments. We often talk or even debate with each other on different topics.

    3 a family like mine has made me more 4 about the world around me, making me tend to 5 anything any one tells me. But it has also made me realize that I'm not a good listener. And when I say “listening”, I'm not 6 to the nodding-your-head-and-politely-answering-Uh-huh-or-Ooh-I-see variety. I mean the kind of listening where you find yourself deeply 7 with the person you're speaking with, when his story becomes so 8that your world becomes less about you and more about him. No, I was never very good at that.

    I spent summer in South Africa two years ago. I worked for a good non-profit 9 called Noah, which works 10 on behalf of children affected by AIDS. But 11 you asked me what I really did in South Africa, I'd tell you one thing: I listened, and I listened. Sometimes I 12 but mostly I listened.

    And had I not spent two months 13, I might have missed the 14moment when a quiet little girl at one of Noah's community centers, orphaned（孤儿）at the age of three, whispered after a long 15 “I love you.”16 that summer, I knew how to hear. I could sit down with anyone and hear their 17 and nod and respond at the18 time—but most of the time I was 19 about the next words out of my own month. Ever since my summer in South Africa, I have noticed that it's in those moments when my mouth is closed and my20 is wide open that I've learned the most about other people, and perhaps about myself.

    I grew up in a community which was called Estepona. I was 16 when one morning, Dad told me I could drive him into a 1 village called Mijas, on condition that I took the car in to be 2 at a nearby garage(汽车修理厂). I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas, and 3 to pick him up at 4 pm, and then dropped off the car at the garage. With several hours to 4, I went to a theater. 5, when the last movie finished, it was six. I was two hours late!

    I knew Dad would be very angry if he 6 I'd been watching movies. So I finally decided not to tell him the truth. When I 7 there I apologized for being late, and told him I'd 8 as quickly as I could, but that the car had needed some major repairs. I'll never forget the 9 he gave me. "I'm disappointed you feel you have to lie to me, Jason." Dad looked at me again. "When you didn't 10, I called the garage to ask whether there were any 11, and they told me you hadn't yet picked up the car." I felt 12 as I weakly admitted my 13 to the movie theater. A 14 passed through Dad as he listened attentively. "I'm angry with 15. I realize I've failed as a father. I'm going to walk home now and think seriously about 16 I've gone wrong all these years." "But Dad, it's 18 miles!" My protests and apologies were 17. Dad walked home that day. I drove behind him, 18 him all the way, but he walked silently.

    Seeing Dad in so much 19and emotional pain was my most painful experience. However, it was 20 the most successful lesson. I have never lied since.

    “This Friday we'll have the yearly Egg Drop Challenge,” said our science teacher, Mr. baker. “You can work alone or with a partner.”

   My friend, Cassie, and I smiled at each other. We always worked on projects 1.

The2of the challenge was simple—to build a protective container to keep an egg from breaking when 3the stadium wall.

   I made my sandwich that afternoon while waiting for Cassie.4the butter-cream gave me an idea.

    “I have a brilliant design for our5container!” I said when Cassie arrived. “We can 6the egg with some butter-cream. ”

    “Why not put the egg in a basket with a parachute (降落伞)7?” Cassie rolled her eyes. “The parachute is better than that stupid idea.”

   I couldn't believe it. Of course, we'd had our little 8in the past, but she'd never called any of my ideas “9” before.

    “Then I'll build mine and you build yours!”

    10words had been out, our friendship was challenged.

   When Friday finally arrived, I had to11Cassie's Egg Force One looked pretty good.12, my Egg--cellent Egg Cream didn't look quite scientific. We kids carried our containers up three stadium steps and dropped them over the side wall. Those whose eggs broke were out; those whose eggs survived 13three more steps and dropped them again. This would go on till the last egg broke.

    After four rounds, only Cassie and I were 14. I let go of my box. I heard someone say “ew” after seconds. Had my egg broken? I raced down the 15. The side walk was dotted with egg shells from those16drops. Finally I found my little Egg--cellent Egg Cream.

    “That looks like egg drop soup, Laura,” Cassie said. She was holding her Egg Force One. My17raced. Had she won? I looked at her basket.18.

    “My egg bounced(弹起)19, ”she explained, pointing to a broken shell.

    “A tie,”Mr. Baker said.

    Cassie looked at me, and her glare 20. I laughed. She smiled…

    Jason, our son, was born with cerebral palsy（脑瘫）. My wife and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his early years.

    It was 2 to see him regularly chosen last for baseball, but his most 3 time came when he began high school. One afternoon, Jason returned home in 4 and shouted: "I'm never going to school again!" He was 5 with food that other kids had 6 him on the school bus on the way home. Jason later told us what had 7. A few days earlier, Jason had 8 up for the school running team. That day, a few older students made 9 of his performance on the track. I called the headmaster about the 10, and it never happened again.

    One day, as the other kids exercised in the gym, they 11 one lonely runner-Jason jogging around the snow-covered track. A few weeks later, Jason said to me, "Dad, I was ready for the 12. He added that each month, each student 13 an "athlete of the month" and voted for the 14. Jason's name had never been 15. But that day, one student said: "Sir, I would like to propose Jason for athlete of the month. "The coach looked 16. "He works harder than any of us, Sir," the student continued. Tears 17 in Jason's eyes as everyone in the class put their hands up. We, also in tears, looked on as he 18 displayed his certificate.

    Whenever I despair, I think of this story. I 19 myself that challenges are not overcome by 20, but by patience, determination, and faith.