Everything from photos of ex-lovers to lousy report cards could be cut into small pieces, as the organizers had announced 28 the event.
答案：(B) prior to
prior to 是介系詞片語「在…之前」，後面直接接名詞 the event：正如主辦單位在活動前所宣布的；until 語意不合，above all（最重要的是）不合，beforehand 是副詞，後面不能接名詞。
四個選項的中文有兩個都能講成「之前、事先」，你會想從語意挑一個順的。但這一題語意分不出來，真正決定答案的是詞性——空格後面接了什麼，就決定了空格能放什麼。
先看空格後面：緊接著 the event，是一個名詞。後面是名詞，前面就要放介系詞。四個選項裡能當介系詞用、後面直接接名詞的只有 prior to，它是幾個字合起來當一個介系詞，等於 before。這一步句法就把答案鎖定了，不必比語意。這個順序可以固定下來，往後遇到同型的題目都能用：空格後面是名詞，就找介系詞；是完整子句（有主詞有動詞），就找連接詞；後面什麼都沒有、直接接逗號或句號，才輪到副詞。再用文意確認一次。本句 as the organizers had announced ___ the event 用了過去完成式 had announced，本身就標示這是更早之前發生的動作，與「在…之前」的語意吻合。順帶把意思相近但詞性不同的一組整理起來，寫作時最容易用錯的就是這幾個：before 既是介系詞也是連接詞（before the event ／ before the event started）；prior to 只能當介系詞，後面接名詞或動名詞；beforehand 與 in advance 是副詞，單獨使用、多半放句尾。
beforehand 的中文與 prior to 幾乎相同，都是「事先」，但它是副詞，只能單獨用（Let me know beforehand. 請事先告訴我），後面不能再接名詞，寫成 beforehand the event 不成立——這一題的分界就在這裡。until 是「直到」，會讀成「宣布直到活動為止」，時間關係講不通。above all 是「最重要的是」，屬於轉承語，用來標示重點，與時間先後無關，而且它後面也不接名詞。
prior to + N／V-ing（在…之前）、before + N／子句（在…之前）、beforehand（事先，副詞）、in advance（事先）、subsequent to（在…之後）、announce（宣布）。
A new year means a new beginning for most of us. On December 28th last year, the New York City sanitation department offered people a new way 26 farewell to 2007.
For one hour on that day, a huge paper-cutting machine was set up in Times Square so people could 27 their lingering bad memories. Everything from photos of ex-lovers to lousy report cards could be cut into small pieces, as the organizers had announced 28 the event. Recycling cans were also provided for items such as 29 CDs and regrettable fashion mistakes.
Former schoolteacher Eileen Lawrence won the event's $250 award for the most creative memory destined for 30. She had created a painting from a photo of her ex-boyfriend, who Lawrence was happy to say goodbye to.