Oil and gas firm Faroe Petroleum has described 2011 as a "truly exceptional year of success".

BBC: oil rig

As soon as I worked with him, I thought he was truly exceptional.

BBC: Richard Briers, The Good Life star, dies aged 79

But come mid-May, you don't even need a chopper to access a truly exceptional ski or boarding experience.

WSJ: New Heights: Winter Sports Holidays With a Difference | Carving Fresh Ski Tracks

"No other vertebrates have ever been found like these, so these are truly exceptional fossils, " Joyce said.

MSN: Fossilized turtles' sex act frozen in time - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience | NBC News

Chris France, of the North York Moors National Park Authority, said government policy was to refuse planning permission unless there were "truly exceptional circumstances".

BBC: Consultation starts on North York Moors mine plan

But the spotlight must shine on Rooney after a night when a truly exceptional England talent officially announced his arrival on the world stage.

BBC: Rooney the shining light

As I've discussed many times, the Bank of England is betting that this period will turn out to be truly exceptional - and temporary.

BBC: Inflation: Balancing the risks

Any limitation to freedom of expression must be imposed as a truly exceptional measure, must be provided by law, and in the pursue of legitimate purpose and be proven as necessary and the least restrictive means possible .

UNESCO: World Press Freedom Day 2013

Now that the prosecution and defense have rested in the Enron trial, we turn to the closing arguments, where exceptional lawyers truly shine and bad ones crash and burn.

FORBES: Case Closed For Lay, Skilling