Our neighbor Uncle Johnson is a stubborn man. Needless to say, we tried ______ to make him change his mind.
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】 四个选项的词义是:“in short”指“简而言之”;“in secret”指“秘密地”;“in vain”指“徒然”;“in danger”指“在危险中”。