The problem is not ________ so easy as you think．It’s far from being settled．

hardly

nearly

almost

rarely

Cambridge is admitting students who, ________, cannot write grammatical English．

bright as they are

bright as are they

bright although they are

as they are bright

Working hard is not only a ________ of great success, but it is among the essential requirements．

sign

signal

mark

guarantee

Helping others is a habit, ________ you can learn even at an early age．

it

that

what

one

________ the house is empty, memories flood my mind of a time when it was filled with life．

Since

Unless

As if

Even though

China’s star hurdler LiuXiang seized the silver medal at the World Championships while his competitor Dayron Robles of Cuba was disqualified for ________ LiuXiang．

holding up

holding down

holding back

holding out

Water quality ________ the coast of the Bohai Bay has been becoming worse, due to huge waste carried by rivers into the sea．

off

on

in

at

A turning point won’t appear suddenly because there must be a certain process ________ many factors lead to the change．

which

what

where

that

The 13^th International Sand Sculpture Festival, with the ________ “Disneyland in Sand Sculpture,” will open on Saturday in Zhoushan in east China’s Zhejiang Province．

subject

theme

topic

project

________ world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has opened its ________ third store in Beijing, which means the firm now has 52 stores in China．

The; a

A; a

The; the

The;/