Many students found the book （）;it provided them with a large amount of information on the subject.

The noise of the traffic（）Paul from his work.

Mr. Edward was not in, so his brother acted as （）at the party.

Since we can't hear you at the back of the hall, you'll have to（）your voice.

People appreciate（）with him because he has a good sense of humor.

The student's first attempt at writing a play was a far（）from the work of Shakespeare.

I tried very hard to persuade him to join our group but I met with a flat（）

I expected a bigger payment, but I suppose you have to be（）for small mercies.

The weakening housing market continued to take its（）on the industry.

I want you to succeed without（）and firmly believe that you will succeed if you try hard enough.