（天津卷5）. People have always ______ about exactly how life on earth began.
| A．curious | B．excited | C．anxious | D．careful |
. He looked rather untidy as there were two buttons _____ from his coat.
| A．loosing | B．losing | C．off | D．missing |
We all knew from the very _____ that the plan would fail.
| A．outcome | B．outset | C．income | D．output |
It is wrong for someone in such a high _____ in the government to behave too badly in public.
| A．situation | B．position | C．employment | D．profession |
The finance minister has not been so _____ since he raised taxes to such a high level.
| A．popular | B．well-known | C．favorable | D．preferable |
I left for the office earlier than usual this morning _____ traffic jam.
| A．in line with | B．in case of |
| C．for the sake of | D．at the risk of |