第21题: [单项选择]Prior to his appointment as foreign minister, Mr. Li was the vice minister of foreign affairs. A. After B. Before C. During D. Previous 参考答案:B 答案解析:after在……之后；before在……之前；during在……期间；previous以前的。因为 prior to意为“(时间上)较前的，较早的”，故选B项。
第22题: [单项选择]If they think they are going to win over us by obstinately ______ and refusing to make the shghtest concession, they are mistaken. A. holding out B. holding to C. holding over D. holding up 参考答案:A 答案解析:hold out不退让，拒绝妥协，hold out obstinately顽强抵抗；hold to粘住，坚持，信守 hold over推迟，延期，保留；hold up举起，支持，提出。
