_______the traffic jam, we should have arrived earlier.

　　[A]: Because of

　　[B]: But for

　　[C]: Hadn’t it been for

　　[D]: Instead of

　　【世博精解】：主句用了与过去事实相反的虚拟结构。“But for”意为“要不是”可用在虚拟结构中。“Because of”表示原因，“Instead of”是“代替；不是……(而是)”的意思。“Hadn’t if been for”错在表示词“not”的位置。“If it had not been for”省略“If”时，应改为“Had it not been for”

　　Key to exercise: B

　　注释：traffic jam n.交通阻塞