Pudong Developmental Zone is no longer a rural area ________ it used to be.
If the boy had _____ the dog alone it wouldn't have bitten him.
They were so far away that I couldn't _____ their faces clearly.
Achieving a high degree of proficiency in English as a foreign language is not a mysterious _____ without scientific basis.
I must go now. _____, if you want that book I'll bring it next time.
A completely new situation is likely to _____ when the school leaving age is raised to 16.