We still cannot persuade him to give up smoking ____ hard we tried.

 After ____ seemed like hours he came out with a bitter smile.

The seaside here draws a lot of tourists every summer. Warm sunshine and soft sands make __________ it is. 

(南京市2008—2009学年度第一学期期末调研测试卷)—Is this the painting ______ you offered $1000 for on the Internet? —Yeah, I will give you 15% discount if you like it.

 The number of the audience, ______ we had expected, was a thousand.