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。

    It was Thanksgiving morning. In the crowded kitchen of my small house I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey 1the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in 2clothes and thin little sandals(凉鞋), staying together at the door on the top step.

    “Any old 3 ， lady?” asked one of them. I was4 . I wanted to say “no” until my eye 5their sandals, which were wet with heavy snow.

    “ 6and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”They walked 7and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks on the8 . I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight9the freezing cold outside. 10 I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget for Thanksgiving Day.

    The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a 11 voice，“Lady, are you 12?” “Am I rich? Pity. No!”

    I looked at my old sofa covers. The girl put her cup back in its saucer(托盘)13and said,  “Your cups match your saucers.” Her voice was flat with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that， 14their papers against the wind. They hadn't said “Thank you.” They didn't need to. They had 15me that I had so much to be grateful for. Plain blue China cups and saucers were 16worth five pence. But they matched.

    I tasted the potatoes and the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good and steady job—these 17 ， too.

    I moved the chairs back from the fire and 18 the living room. The muddy(沾上泥的) 19 of small sandals were still wet on my floor. Let them remain for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to 20how rich I am.

    I believe it is in my nature to dance by virtue of the beat of my heart, the pulse of my blood and the music in my mind. So I dance1.

    My dining room is now a2ballroom. Each morning when I3the house on the way to make coffee, I turn on the 4and it's dance time! I dance alone to whatever is playing.

    Tango(探戈)is a recent enthusiasm. It's a complex and5dance. The first time I went tango dancing I was too6to get out on the floor7 I stayed on edge of the dance floor when the dancing began. The fancy footwork8me. “Don't make a fool of yourself. Just9it. ” I thought10my mind, an older woman dropped out of the11sat down beside me, and said she had a secret for me. She12“If you do not join the dancing, we will know you are a fool. But if you dance, we will think well of you fo13 Inspired by her14words, I took up the15of tango.

    A friend asked me if I was a little too16“Tango? At your age? You must be out of your mind!" On the contrary, it's a deeply considered17I seek the sharp, scary18that comes from beginning something new, which19all my resources and challenges my body and mind. So, when people say, “Tango? At your age?” I20answer, “Yes!”

    This happened several weeks ago. On my way to work, I accidentally got on the wrong bus because I was1the news on my phone. I had to2and walk several blocks to work, a path I had never taken.

    I met a man sitting on a bench looking very 3 so I asked him what was wrong. He said his4had been dragged away (拖走) from a public lot and that he had no5to get to the airport to meet his wife. I told him that I could help him out and let him6there.

    I went to the7one block away and got cash. When I returned, the man was standing there, watching me8him. When I gave him the cash, he hugged me, thanked me, and started9!I nearly cried, too. I wished him to get to the airport safely, explained10he could take public transport to get there, and then continued to go to my office.

    I11at my usual restaurant for a to go (带走的) breakfast and, at the door, I met another man who12said, “Excuse me, sir. I don't want your money,13could you please help me get some food?” I said, “Of course, please come with me. ” I 14my breakfast and paid for this man's order. I15him a wonderful day.

    As you may16I was so thankful for putting 17on the wrong bus at the right time. This let me18two people who needed help and19. During each meeting, I never felt afraid; I only felt20to help them.

    Last summer, we went to Hawaii for holiday. During my1 trip with my husband, we spent most of our time2 during the day in the sea, and then enjoying walks along the beach in the evenings.

    We didn't take any3because we had enough. We had visited the island many times 4. On our way to the 5 we joked that other than our sunburnt skin, we had no way to show that we had 6 there!

    As we stood in line at the check-in, we noticed the 7 who had been on our plane the week before. 8, they all had tear-filled eyes this day. On the plane, we sat directly behind them: a mother and her four children without Dad's 9. We learned that the father had been 10 in a jet-skiing accident that week, and his wife and children had to 11 make their way home without him.

    We watched the children become 12while they were playing cards. But the mother stared at her knees, 13 to believe her husband's death. We could 14 feel her pain as we realized that this could have happened to any of us. 15 we were laughing and playing in the water, this poor family had been 16 the sufferings. The vacation they had dreamed about had17the terrible dream they would never forget.

    I suddenly 18 that we had no pictures for this vacation together. I closed my eyes, 19 that my mind had recorded all the wonderful moments that I had 20 with my husband that week. What a trip!

    The day I received my letter of acceptance to New York University, I was extremely excited. It was my dream university, and my1were pleased for me. But they also hadn't2me to get into such a competitive school. In fact, the best thing they ever did for me was to3me from doing things4—indeed, when I was in elementary school, they offered to buy me a present5I got a C.

    It6when I was in third grade. An only child in an Asian family, I had just7with my family from Taiwan to Los Angeles. Months into third grade, I developed a strong feeling of8about getting bad grades. Seeing my anxiety, Dad said, "Kate, tell you what. If you get a C or9, I'll buy you a present. If you score higher than that, I won't buy you anything, because you won't10it."

    Clearly my dad wasn't the11Asian tiger parent, pressuring me to work tirelessly for the best12, and neither was my mom. They didn't want to push me. They wanted me to be13and healthy. Dad's14of a "failing grade" gift amazingly15my worries and pressure. What's more，I16getting A's and B's throughout high school, but without the added stress and fear of failing. I think it was my parents' lack of stress on grades that gave me17to encourage my own desire for achievements.

    I now realize I was18when I thought I didn't receive a present from my dad that day. He gave me two invaluable19: the space to develop my own desire for excellence, and the healthy mind to20it.

    "None of us get out of life alive, so be brave and be thankful for all the opportunities (机会)you have." Those were 1 words said by 18-year-old Jake Bailey, a cancer patient.

    Bailey was in the leading position of the Students' Union. The young man had planned to2 at his high school's end-of-year ceremony (典礼)on schedule. 3, just the week before, he received shocking 4. After several weeks of not feeling well, tests showed that he had a fast-growing form of cancer. Doctors said, without 5, he would only have weeks to live, so they didn't 6 him to take part in the event. But Bailey put on his school uniform along with his 7 face and left his hospital bed to give the inspiring speech to his 8. Without doubt, his surprise appearance 9 everyone at the ceremony. Sitting in the wheelchair, he began to 10 his ideas. He expressed that a strong-willed person would not easily 11, no matter how hard life was.

    At the speech, Bailey encouraged his schoolmates to 12 their time. "The future is truly in our hands. 13 about having impractical long-term dreams. Let's be 14to short-term goals," He15. "We don't know where we might end up, or when we will end up, so work with pride on what is 16 us."

    When the senior 17 his speech with the school's 18, "Altiora Peto," which means "I fight for higher things", the entire room burst into cheers.19, Bailey's message was heard loud and clear. Bailey then closed his eyes and 20 the words "Thank you".