While international trade has long been conducted in history, its economic, social, and political importance has been 28 in recent centuries.
答案：(B) on the rise
【句型】on the rise 固定片語「持續上升/增長中」，表示國際貿易的重要性近幾世紀持續上升；to the point（切中要點）、off the hook（擺脫困境）、for the record（為求紀錄）都不合。
rise 你最熟的是動詞「上升」（The sun rises in the east.），比較少注意到它也是名詞，而 on the rise 是整組使用的說法。四個選項的形狀又長得一模一樣，都是「介系詞 + the + 名詞」，看起來一樣工整，只能靠平時有沒有累積。劍橋詞典把 on the rise 收為獨立詞條，標示 C1，釋義是「在上升、在增長」。
填進去的東西要接在 has been 後面當主詞補語，主詞是 its economic, social, and political importance（它在經濟、社會與政治上的重要性）。「重要性」能怎麼樣？只能是提高或降低。往下讀一句，作者立刻把數字端出來當證據：During the 1990s, international trade grew by nearly 8.6% each year.（1990 年代，國際貿易每年成長近 8.6%。）In the year 1990 alone, the growth in trade in services was as high as 19%.（光是 1990 年，服務貿易的成長率就高達 19%。）兩個成長數字都是在支持上一句的「持續上升」。這是很典型的「先下結論、再舉數據」寫法，讀到數字時要回頭確認它在撐哪一句。時態也幫得上忙：has been 是現在完成式，配上 in recent centuries（近幾個世紀），表示從過去持續到現在，正好和 on the rise 那種「還在上升中」的語感相合。
to the point（切中要點的、簡潔中肯的）例 His speech was short and to the point.（他的演說簡短中肯。）off the hook（脫身、免於麻煩）例 let him off the hook（放他一馬）。for the record（正式聲明；供記錄在案）例 For the record, I never agreed to this.（我把話說清楚，我從未同意這件事。）三個都與「增加」無關，但形狀都很像，這種題目只能靠字詞搭配的累積。
on the rise（在上升、在增長）、a rise in（……的增加）、on the increase（在增加中）、to the point（切中要點的）、off the hook（脫身、免於麻煩）、for the record（正式聲明；供記錄）、grow by（成長了……的幅度）、as high as（高達）。
International trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries. Trade is driven by different production costs in different countries, making 26 cheaper for some countries to import goods rather than make them. A country is said to have a comparative advantage over another when it can produce a commodity more cheaply. This comparative advantage is 27 by key factors of production such as land, capital, and labor.
While international trade has long been conducted in history, its economic, social, and political importance has been 28 in recent centuries. During the 1990s, international trade grew by nearly 8.6 each year. In the year 1990 alone, the growth in trade in services was as high as 19. Today, all countries are involved in, and to varying degrees dependent on, trade with other countries.
29 international trade, nations would be limited to the goods and services produced within their own borders. Trade is certainly a main 30 force for globalization. It is also the subject of many international agreements that aim to govern and facilitate international trade, such as those negotiated through the World Trade Organization (WTO).