_____ his knowledge of the mountainous country, John Smith was appointed as our guide.
| A．In spite of | B．On account of | C．Regardless of | D．Instead of |
______ ，customers spend about 1.5 million pounds a day.
| A．In average | B．On average |
| C．In common | D．On the contrary |
His father came out of prison ______ Dickens have a chance to go to school.
| A．Not before; had | B．Only before; would have |
| C．It was until; had | D．Not until; did |
School children must be taught how to deal with dangerous ______ .
| A．states | B．conditions |
| C．situations | D．positions |
He has been to general manager because of his excellent work in the company.
| A．proposed | B．produced |
| C．promoted | D．programmed |
Despite some difficulties，China has achieved a lot in the past year ______ .
| A．off balance | B．in the balance |
| C．on balance | D．on the balance |