I’m writing to apologize for my absence from last week’s meeting. I was unexpectedly __ at work.

A．picked up            B．made up             C．given up             D．held up

Several decades ago, Chinese people were very curious about India and the lands _______ .

A．besides              B．beyond              C．away               D．off

The question then _______ , what shall we do with the remaining materials ?

A．rises                B．arises               C．raises               D．arouses

We could hardly believe what she says because she is _______ changing her mind.

A．regularly             B．steadily              C．suddenly     D．constantly

As we grow older, birthdays seem to _______ more quickly than when we were children.

A．come in             B．come around         C．come out            D．come over

During those struggling years abroad, Lang Lang worked hard enough for fortune to _______ .

A．take over            B．take up             C．take in       D．take on

As for diet, Michael Jacson chooses vegetables and fruit in _______ to any kind of meat.

A．comparison          B．preference           C．possession          D．advantage

Don’t worry, sir. If the plane is full, we’ll put you on an _______ flight.

A．accustomed         B．adequate             C．alternative           D．accessible

Experiments have shown that children generally relate to other children’s strengths and abilities, _______ to their weakness.

A．except for           B．instead of           C．but           D．rather than