__ The earth to be flat,many feared that Columbus would fall

__ The earth to be flat,many feared that Columbus would fall off the edge.
A.Having believed B.Believing C.Believed D.Being believed
请高手给个确切的答案,讲下其中的语法知识,再翻译下这句话,

B believing
许多人相信地球是平的,而哥伦比亚就是地球的边界.
这是动词的分词做短语来省略罗嗦的完整句
这句话如果完整的话就应该是：
Many believed the earth to be flat, they feared that Columbus would fall off the edge.
现在分词用来表示主语后面的动词是主动的
如：Eating the delicious bread, Tom thinks he's the happiest man in the world.(吃着如此美味的面包,汤姆觉得他是世界上最幸福的人）
过去分词用来表示主语后面的动词是被动的
如：Watched by so many guys, the girl is deeply shy.（被这么多男人看着,女孩万分害羞）