阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1--20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I'm left 1 .Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other 2 ?

    I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, 3 children from different races and religions played and studied 4  in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone's 5 from Ismail's. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu-we just 6 our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well 7 or otherwise.

    We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we'd 8 the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to 9 the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his 10.

    When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail's family later returned to their village, and I 11 touch with him.

    One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I 12 my destination. The driver acknowledged my 13 but did not move off. Instead, he looked 14 at me. “Raddar?”he said, using my childhood nickname(绰号). I was astonished at being so 15 addressed(称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two 16 we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something 17to describe.

    If we can allow our children to be 18 without prejudice, they'll build friendships with people, regardless of race or religion, who will be 19 their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies build and20 we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “we happy few, we band of brothers”.

       On our first anniversary, Jack bought a bottle of Casaque, an expensive cologne（古龙香水）for me. "We agreed to save the money for your postgraduate education", I said somewhat half-heartedly as I took it out from a beautifully-wrapped packet. "I am unable not to give something 1 to the world's most beautiful bride, honey!" I held it to my2, and smelled the most pleasant flavor I could ever3. Looking down at my4blue jeans and ugly, ragged tennis shoes, I wondered if I could ever be worthy of it. But I would 5. I used only a little of it every time 6Jack graduated and our life was financially easier. It's a 7the foolish love of a young husband.

       Then one day three-year-old Jim was sitting on the floor8the empty cologne bottle. His lips wet, he was making a(n) 9face. He drank my10cologne! "Jack, come quick," I cried, "can cologne11my baby? Jim drank the rest of it!" "It's mostly just alcohol, honey," Jack12me. Little Jim was fine, and my concern for my child was13. I now felt 14to see the empty cologne bottle.

      A few weeks later, Jack bought another bottle of my beloved cologne. I 15it as much as I had done to the earlier one. 16, it became three-quarters empty. I thought it best to buy another 17. But the shop assistant told me that there wasn't even a maker of that brand any more.

    Now I only use my special cologne on very important occasions, because there will be18to replace it when these last few precious19are gone. But from the bottom of my heart it's not three-quarters empty but still one-quarter full. Perhaps if I'm very careful, I can 20using it for the rest of my life.

    One day, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day and I was feeling1. As I paid for the gas, the attendant said, “How do you feel?” that seemed like a2question, but I felt fine and told him so. “You don't look 3.” he replied and continued to tell me my skin appeared 4.

    By the time I left, I was a little 5. About a block away, I 6 to the side of the road to look at my face 7the mirror. Was everything all right? Had I picked up 8rare disease? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a slight 9somewhere in my body.

    The next time I went into that gas station, I 10 what had happened: The place had recently been painted a bright, bilious yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside 11as though they were sick! That was the truth. 12, I let that short conversation change my attitude for an entire day. His 13 observation affected the way I felt and acted.

    This experience made me think a lot. It is the same with life, in which attitude 14. The way we look at life determines how we feel and how we 15. If we expect something to turn out16, it probably will. But 17 also works in reverse. If we expect good things to happen, they 18do. An optimistic attitude, I believe, is not a luxury but a(an)19. So after that, I chose to highlight the 20throughout the rest of my life.

    I was six years old. It was Halloween. The school was having its annual Halloween parade(游行) to 1 it. All the kids would march a few 2 through the neighborhood.

    “Just buy him a costume,” my father said. “ It doesn't cost much.”

    But no, my mother decided, 3 it was my first parade, she would 4 me a costume: the mummy(木乃伊), my favorite scary character.

    She 5 white rags(布片) and old towels and wound them 6 me, holding them in place with safety pins. Then she arranged the rags with toilet paper and tape. It took a long time, but I was still 7 enough to see the result. When she finished, I could 8 wait to look in the9 I was a mummy! I moved back and forth in front of it 10.

    “Oh, you're very scary.” my mother said.

    She drove me to school. We started our parade. The more I walked, the 11. the rags got. Then, about two blocks out, it began to 12 The next thing I knew was that the toilet paper was beginning to dissolve (溶解).13 the rags became even looser and fell to my ankles, wrists, and neck and you could see my undershirt and under pants, which made me extremely 14.

    “Look at Charley!” the other kids screamed. They were 15. I was burning red. I wanted to escape, but where did you go in the middle of a parade?

    When we 16 reached the schoolyard, I was all wet, with a mess of rags and toilet paper pieces. The parents were waiting there with 17, starting to take photos of us. I saw my mother first. As she spotted me, she 18 her hand to her mouth. I burst into19.

    “You20 my life!” I cried.

    I believe different people have experienced different adolescence, I must admit I was still an angry1in my first year of college. My 2 was that my parents didn't please me at all.

    Our finances were 3so I chose to go to a (n)4college and take a bus to classes every day. One day I had a(n)5fight with my father, We both explode into shouts,6 out of the house and missed my bus to school.

    I rushed all the way to school. As I7across the campus toward my class, I suddenly I realized didn't have the 8 that was due: a thought card. My professor asked us to 9 an index card with our names and the dales every Tuesday.10 what was to be on the rest of the card, we could write a thought, a question or something else.

    Now, outside the door, ten minutes later. I took an index card.11 to write something on it, I could only think about the 12 I'd just had with my dad. I wrote “I am the son of an idiot!” then13 into the room, and handed it to our professor.

    Next day, our professor 14 the thought cards and I 15 that he wrote, “What does the 'son of an idiot' do with the nest of his life?” The professor's innocent-seeming question16me to the issue: whose problem is it?17, my thinking began to shift, I realized that I had created a life18 I was not a central figure!

    The 19 of growth wasn't easy or fast. Years later, from a 20student, I became a successful student and then a successful teacher.

    As my husband, Doug, stood on the busy New York city street trying to stop a taxi, I tried to protect my daughter from the cold December wind and rain. I put my head down to kiss my daughter on her 1 where veins crept up (静脉突出) the side of her tiny face.

    Frustrated and wet, my husband gave up his attempt to flag down a taxi. I knew the feeling. Just after her first birthday, we were told our daughter Katie has a 2 brain illness. Since that moment, Doug and I felt like runners in a marathon race where the finish line kept 3. We knew Katie was running out of 4. It had taken months before we finally had a name for the 5, but we were told only a few specialists in the world were qualified to knew how to 6 the precious operations. Now, as we finally found a brilliant (杰出的) doctor to 7 our girl, we were 8 in a strange city in the cold rain.

    Just at the moment, a middle-aged woman pulled over and said, “Pardon me? May I offer you a(n) 9?” Before we could say anything, she continued, “It's really no 10 for me. Just get in.” It was then that I noticed her thick Irish accent, which 11 me up like hot soup.

    We simply said, “Thanks! Roosevelt Hospital, please,” as we 12 on her car for the ride.

    “Are you going 13 the baby?” she asked us.

    I nodded my head, holding back my 14.

    At the hospital, we 15 her over and over again for the ride. As the woman hugged me, I 16 her face was wet with tears in worry. She promised to 17 for us before she left.

    After three more visits to New York and two more 18 surgeries (手术), Katie is cured. But the 19 of the Irish Angel still rang as a constant reminder of a tiny ray of light that appeared in our 20 days.