单选题 The contract between the companies will ______ at the end of the year.
A. expire B. exceed C. terminate D. cease

【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] expire“期满，终止”；exceed“超过，胜过”；terminate“结束，终止”；cease“停止，终了”。根据常用搭配，正确答案为A。