The winter just ending was ______ severe, causing great hardship to the poorer people in this are
D.expressively

A.A.exceptionally
B.explosively
C.extensively

【参考答案】

A
解析：刚刚过去的冬天情况格外严峻，使该地区贫困人民的生活十分艰难。只有exceptionally符合本句的意思。