IV、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项。
Perhaps you do not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.
Doctors say that body contact(接触) is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血红蛋白) — a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen (氧气) reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the baby monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.
Human babies react (反应) in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery (托儿所) became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.
Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don’t like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of “happy brain” chemicals.
So let’s have a big smile and don’t forget to keep in touch.
1. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. People may not understand the importance of touching.
B. People may work harder because of body contact.
C. Your fingertips can do something wonderful.
D. Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier.
2. According to the passage, ______.
A. not all the people like being touched
B. touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment
C. new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers
D. human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then
3. The word “benefits” in the second paragraph probably means ______.
A. to be useful or helpful    B. to get something useful or helpful   C. to be ill     D. to be hurt
4. The best title for the passage might be ______.
A. Why People Touch      B. Smile and Touch C. Wonders of Touch    D. Touch or Not

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.”

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer(驯鹿). What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ______.

A. can offer the children some gifts  

B. help adults look after their children

C. have ability to make children happy

D. should be perfect in the mind of children

The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ______.

A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas  

B. earned money from its students

C. train perfect Santas for the world

D. show the world’s concern to the poor

According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ______.

A. Weir was short of experience 

B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

C. Weir did very badly in the game  

D. Weir was not a good student in school

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities^①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.

A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

Notes:

charity  n. 慈善，慈善团体

reindeer  n. 驯鹿

According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

        A. can offer the children some gifts        B. help adults look after their children

        C. have ability to make children happy     D. should be perfect in the mind of children

The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

        A. lots of money   B. many gifts    C. loves for children    D. gifts from children

The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

        A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas       B. earned money from its students

        C. train perfect Santas for the world         D. show the world’s concern to the poor

According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

        A. Weir was short of experience            B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

        C. Weir did very badly in the game         D. Weir was not a good student in school

How to become a Good Santa

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.

A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^（驯鹿）, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

60. According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

A. can offer the children some gifts               B. help adults look after their children

C. have ability to make children happy           D. should be perfect in the mind of children

61. The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

A. lots of money         B. many gifts            C. loves for children          D. gifts from children

62. The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas          B. earned money from its students

C. train perfect Santas for the world            D. show the world’s concern to the poor

63. According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

A. Weir was short of experience                 B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

C. Weir did very badly in the game             D. Weir was not a good student in school

                           After an earthquake most survivors can be expected to recover over time, especially with the support of family and friends. Some families will be able to return to their normal life quickly, while others will have to contend with the destruction（毁灭）of their homes, medical problems, and injury to family members. Children especially will need time to recover from the loss of a loved one or a pet or from the closing down of their school.

   Children often come to adults for information, comfort and help. Parents should try to remain calm, answer children’s questions honestly and remain understanding when they see changes in their children’s behavior.

   Children react(反应) differently to an earthquake depending on their ages, developmental levels and former experiences. Some will remain silent and not communicate with people, while others will have angry outbursts(爆发). Parents should keep an eye on each child’s reactions. Parents should spend time talking to their children, letting them know that it’s OK to ask questions and to share their worries. Although it may be hard to find time to have these talks, parents can use regular family meal times or bed times for them. They should answer questions shortly and honestly and be sure to ask their children for their opinions and ideas. Problems may come up more than once and parents should remain patient(耐心的) when you answer the questions again. After talking about the earthquake with young children, parents might read their favorite story or have a relaxing family activity to help them calm down. Parents should also tell children they are safe and should spend more time with them. They could play games outside or read together indoors. Most importantly, be sure to tell them you love them.

41. What’s the passage mainly about?

   A. How to prepare before an earthquake happens

   B. What to do in an earthquake

   C. How to face the loss of a loved one in an earthquake

   D. How to help children recover mentally(精神上) from an earthquake

42. The underlined phrase “contend with” in Paragraph One can be changed into “______”.

   A. deal with   B. make up   C. put off    D. turn back

43. When Children ask the same question again, parents should _____.

   A. read a favourite story to comfort them

   B. ask them to help do some housework

   C. be patient and answer the question again

   D. take them out to play games

44. Which of the following pieces of advice is NOT mentioned(提及) in the passage?

   A. Keep a close watch on children’s behavior

   B. Tell the children they are safe

   C. Tell the children you love them

   D. Ask educational experts(专家) for help

45. What can we know from the passage?

   A. All people will recover from an earthquake quickly.

   B. Children may need a longer time to recover after an earthquake.

   C. Children should turn to their classmates for help after an earthquake.

   D. Children react in the same way as adults do to an earthquake.