单选题 The steadily rising cost of labor on the waterfront has greatly increased the cost of shipping cargo by water.
A. gradually B. suddenly C. excessively D. exceptionally

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】steadily的意思是“稳步地、不断地、一点一点地”，所以这里应选gradually。又如：With the joint efforts of various parties, the traffic in the city has been improving steadily. 在各方的共同努力下，这个城市的交通不断好转。suddenly恰好和steadily意思相反，excessively是“过度”的意思，exceptionally则是“例外地”意思。