1. (2022高二上·邹城期中) 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。

During my university years in the early 2000s, I worked part-time with kids at a neighborhood YMCA, which mainly focused on child care. Each year, we hosted a Christmas party for the community.

Most of the people working there were women, so we had to search for a male volunteer to play Santa Claus. We didn't have many choices. John was a tall, twentyish man who was much too thin to be Santa Claus. No amount of stuffing (填充物) could possibly make him look like a common Santa Claus. He was, however, available.

On the day of the party, John put on his costume (戏装) and waited for the children. Many of the children who knew John said, "It's just you, John." If they didn't know him, they said, "You're too thin to be Santa." We thought it might be a bad decision, but then everyone seemed to enjoy their time there, so it didn't really matter.

Then, a lovely little girl entered the room. She was dressed beautifully to see Santa and seemed a little shy. Her mother brought her up to our Santa. "She's deaf," the mother explained." If she could just sit on your lap (大腿) and have her picture taken, she would be happy." John, the skinny Santa, smiled at the little girl, and she sat on his lap.

Then, the skinny Santa began using hand gestures to communicate with the girl fluently, and the little girl smiled happily and answered him quickly with her hands. Their conversation lasted quite a while. When I looked at the mother, I saw that she was crying. In fact, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. Santa Claus really was there.

There was so much we didn't know about what was happening. This girl had never met John before, and few of us were aware that he knew how to sign—it all added up to a magical surprise.

1. （1） Why was John chosen to play Santa Claus?

   A . He was tall. B . He was male. C . He was young. D . He was popular.
3. （2） What did people probably think of John's playing Santa Claus at first?

   A . Disappointing. B . Interesting. C . Surprising. D . Inspiring.
5. （3） What can we know about the little girl?

   A . She was talkative and lively. B . She often came to the child care. C . She was friendly to other children. D . She expected to take pictures with Santa.
7. （4） What contributed to the touching scene on that day?

   A . The little girl has a nice character. B . John's knowledge of sign language. C . The warm and friendly environment. D . The participation of the little girl's mother.