In response to threats of President Bush's declaration of a war on drugs, the main Columbian drug producers banded together and formed a __________ to defend profits and wipe out the threat of attack.

The chairman of the Heineken Brewing Company, Freddy Heineken, was_________ in 1983 and only released nearly a month later when a ransom of 35 million gilders was paid.

The CFO was widely applauded for his _______ management of the company budget during the worst recession in living memory.

As early as 2006, a New York University professor, Nouriel Roubini, gave __________ warnings about the risk of a deep recession that would reverberate around the world.

The French are known throughout the world for their stylish fashion, elegant manners and ________ appearance.

Doctors in the pain management field strive to ________ the worst symptoms as much as cure the underlying causes.

The fates of both the hostages and the kidnappers became

________ as the government forces threatened to launch an all-out attack to resolve the crisis.

The rescuers were devastated even before they managed to get to the cave which trapped the miners, as the ________ of death reached their noses.

Over the centuries many people have claimed to understand the reasons behind the Mona Lisa’s ________ facial expression.

Many guests were surprised when they arrived at the hotel only to find the receptionist insensible in a semi-conscious drunken ___________ .

The president was widely criticized for his foreign and domestic policies, but his _____________ to the use of force won him many supporters.

The fire investigation team labored in vain to find what had __________ the fatal conflagration at the shoe factory.

After a long and controversial enquiry the committee found that Professor Li had not been given the leadership role because he was of Chinese heritage and supported his claims of outright ________ in the selection process.

Mr. Patmore was proud of himself when he landed the new job and confidently waved goodbye to his colleagues at the soap factory. It was not long though till he realized his mistake and had to __________ to get back his previous position.

There were more people there than I expected, and it took me more than an hour to ___________ my way to the front of the queue.

In many cultures arranged marriages are the norm, but as societies modernize only __________ relationships are considered appropriate.

It had been raining for several days when the expedition set off and rather than finding the going smooth, they encountered __________ conditions.

Unlike his predecessors, the new teacher _________ much better and managed to achieve higher than expected results with his new class.

Despite his supposedly outgoing personality and _________ nature, Graham failed to make any new friends and left the company after only a few months.