25. What a dangerous scene! A car has missed the boy playing on the roadside _____ only an inch.

   A. within               B. for                  C. by                   D. at

26. —Was the exam you took last week easy?

     —_____ but easy but I did my best.

   A. Something        B. Everything       C. Nothing           D. Anything

27.The global economy cannot have seen _____ time in the past year, but now most companies are becoming optimistic.

   A. the best             B. a better            C. the worse         D. a worse