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

    Before I turned 29, my parents moved to Queensland, where I arrived for a visit six months later. I 1 upon my mother with hugs, and for the first time in my life I said, “I love you, mom!” Then I gently 2, expecting some kind of reciprocation. But it never came. Instead, she appeared 3 in horror.

    When I was back at work, I overheard a workmate on a call to her mother and she concluded it with “I love you, Mum.” As 4 as that. Why wasn't it like that in mine? Something had to be done about this 5situation once and for all.

    My 6 came the next Sunday during my weekly phone call to my mother. After we had shared our usual pleasantries and7, I took a deep breath and asked, “Do you love me, Mum?” After a short 8, she replied, “I love you. Don't be silly. You know we never said things like that in my family.”

    “Well, I want it to be said in ours. From now on I want to 9 our conversations with 'I love you.'”

    In May 2000 my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was 10 to hospital, and I phoned every day to 11 her. One evening when I rang, a nurse answered the phone and regretfully informed me that my mother's condition had rapidly worsened. She wasn't expected to 12 it through the night.

    Knowing I couldn't get a flight in time, I asked the nurse to put the phone next to my mother's ear so I could talk to her. “She's 13 conscious,” the nurse replied. “It's unlikely she'll hear you.” But I didn't care. I wanted to do it 14.

    15 she'd placed the phone by my mother's ear, I started 16 and telling Mum over and over again that I loved her. At first, all I could hear was “Hmmmm”—but then, like a miracle, with a deep 17she said, “Love you … love you, darling.” It was the last thing she said before drifting into 18.

    Although I was overwhelmed by her death, the surprising part was how well I 19. Of course, losing a parent is extremely painful and I shed many tears, but receiving those lovely last words made it much more 20. I had closure in the best possible way.

    Recently, my family and I visited Kaikoura, a coastal town in New Zealand. The first evening it seemed a1 place, but the next day I remembered what I'd 2about it in a magazine. It was often 3 to see dolphins (海豚) and whales there!

    My family and I 4  on a grey, windy morning on a small boat. 5, the sky turned blue ten minutes later. Soon we  6 the place where we were supposed to go swimming. To my 7, this was more than 40 km from land. I was quite 8by this time, and wondered why we came all the way out there, when 9someone shouted “Dolphins!”

    All I could 10were fins (鱼鳍) everywhere — there were about one hundred dolphins, all 11towards our boat! Many of them were jumping around in the water12they were asking us to come and play. I 13my snorkel (潜水通气管) and jumped into the sea. Then I tried to make 14in the water to attract them. What made me 15was that they heard me and came to swim around me. Amazingly, a dolphin kept following me, but then changed his 16and swam in another direction. It really made me realize how 17these animals are.

    About an hour later, it was time for us to get back onto the 18. I really enjoyed myself, but I was a little cold and 19 to leave the water. I noticed that everyone on board was smiling and I realized what a very20moment we'd had.

    Johnny lived with his mother and father in a small town in the mountains. One day there was an earthquake near the 1. Many houses were 2. Everyone thought that there would soon be another earthquake.

    They were 3 that the second earthquake would be worse than the first. “We 4 send Johnny to a safe place,” Johnny's mother said to her husband, “Many of our friends are sending 5 children to relatives in other towns.”

    “We'll 6 him to my brother, Peter,” Johnny's father said. “He lives a long way away. Johnny will be 7 with him.”

    He telephoned Johnny's uncle Peter and asked him 8 he would let Johnny 9 with him.

    “He is a good boy,” he said. “He won't give you any 10 .”

    “11 , Johnny's uncle Peter said. 12  I'm not 13  to children. I 14  a very quiet and peaceful 15 .”

    “You won't know Johnny is in the house.” His father told him.

    16  Johnny, 17  was five, went to live with his uncle.

    Two days 18 , his mother and father 19  a telegram from Peter.

    It said, “I'm returning the child. Please send the 20 .”

    In 2003 I started my work at my local animal shelter's Adoption Department. Over the years, more than 50,000 animals have 1 the doors of the shelter. Most of them, I do not remember. But occasionally there are animals who 2 me so deeply that I could never possibly 3 them. Tabby was one such animal.

    Tabby was an old dog, about 14 years old. What's more, she was blind and deaf. Tabby's chances at adoption seemed 4 at best. After all, we didn't have may adopters coming in5about her. We had all thought that Tabby would 6 the rest of her life at the shelter.

    One day a woman named Loretta came to the shelter. Her son, Gary, had 7 Tabby's picture and stories on the shelter's website. They were 8 in meeting her! It was the only 9 we ever received about Tabby. What could a young child 10 see in a 14-year-old dog who was both blind and deaf? Most boys would want a dog who could grow with him and 11 through grassy fields on summer days. Tabby would 12 be able to do that. But after meeting her, Loretta and Gary decided that she was the right dog for their family. They adopted Tabby!

    If Tabby's story had simply ended with her 13 adoption, it would still have been something very 14indeed. However, it was what happened after her adoption that some might label as "magical". Gary 15 from seizures(癫痫). As Gary and Tabby bonded they became 16 . They did everything together. They became so "intune" with one another that Tabby began to telegraph Gary's seizures 17 they occurred, giving his family warning that one was about to strike. What's more, Gary seemed to be having fewer and fewer seizures since Tabby's 18.

    How could it be? Nobody could explain 19 Tabby did it. But those of us who were 20enough to know her and her family had seen a real miracle(奇迹), the kind that has its roots in love.

    That day the college entrance exam 1were out at 11: 00 a. m., but I didn't know that. A friend of mine said my 2 remained the same as those I got last year. So I went into deep depression. My hard work 3 and I cried a lot in the bathroom. 4I motivated myself and came to the classroom at 5: 30 p. m. without 5the afternoon activities.

    Just then the headmaster came to our 6 and asked who Snehal Tanwar was. Hearing this I 7slowly and said" It's me". He said that I'd gotten the high score of 665. For a while my mind got struck and I asked him to 8 ; so I told him my hall ticket(准考证) number and waited for the result 9. He checked it in front of me and congratulated me. No words to 10 my excitement and I hugged my friends who were sitting beside me. My11were rolling out and I could not be able to speak a 12word and couldn't control myself. 13 in the class stood up, shouted my name and 14me. I was feeling on top of the world.

    15I was not the person who got the highest score in our high school. It was my best friend who attained the top. He was sitting beside me and at the moment he cried and hugged me tightly16I got my tears out again. I 17very happy and couldn't express the feeling of that moment Just 18the situation, the moment when both tears and happiness 19. Success is achieved by us. It was the best time in my life and of course, the 20moment. I was so happy not only for myself but also for my best friend.

    When I was a kid, I kept using a bike with training wheels. And I didn't1much, so, of course, I didn't learn how to2. One day I observed that my younger sister was getting closer to3 how to get rid of the assistance than I was. I couldn't let her4 me! Like an out­of­control mad man, I grabbed(抓住) my bike, 5the training wheels, pushed it out, and pedaled(踩踏板) all over the neighborhood. I tried to stay near the6 as close as I could, so when I fell, I'd7 crash onto the lawn(草坪) instead of the street. After many short­lived8, I finally learned how to balance!

    The process seemed9, since I was afraid of falling. I10 the fear which held me back and gathered the11 instead. I tried my best to fall as much as I might have to, to12 getting hurt, and to quickly get back on the bike and try again. There might be some pain and13, and if so, I'd get hurt and bleed and keep going. It took me probably less than an hour to master the basic skill.

    What14 pushed me to set aside the fear and take action? Nothing but the feeling that I was15. My sister could ride without the training wheels while I couldn't. This feeling of 16 gave me a much needed kick. Using such pressure to motivate(激励) progress is 17. Go take action. Make the attempt. Fall. Get hurt. Get up and try again18 the very moment you create the19 results. Everything can be as 20 as riding a bike.