1. Originally the sonnet was an Italian poetical form which attained great popularity in the Renaissance, and ____ it was natural, ____ not essential for Shakespeare and his contemporaries to use it.

2. Despite the gusty wind they were able to put out the fire before it ____ .

3. Today the United States, still by far ____ prosperous country in the world, is increasing its working hours ____ creating a more positive balance between work and leisure time.

4. The true ecologist need not be a specialist at all, ____ his views should reflect the practical wisdom of ordinary people.

5. _____ the terrible state of the roads following the heavy rains, it is almost impossible to reach the village except in a tractor.

6. The doctor advised him to have monthly check-ups ____ any return of symptoms might be detected immediately.

7. We know nothing at all about the company’s new chairman ____ that he’s just had his fiftieth birthday.

8. ____ the embargo imposed on us is lifted in the near future, we can’t hope for any economic recovery.

9. ____ proving useful in many scientific fields, computers-generated knowledge, ____ Professor Hayes acknowledges, is not without pitfalls.

10. Germany’s weight in the European Union is known, ____ what is not known, even to the Germans themselves, is ____ they are to use it.