That shabby unknown bundle of neglect and despair that was dropped off by the police six weeks ago — later to be identified by his mother, who turns up occasionally — is now a driving force on the infants’ ward. Once he was bathed a few times and his rashes were treated, he turned out to be a 14-month-old boy named Vergil, still recovering from premature birth — birth weight, 21/2 pounds. It came obvious he had never received any real attention, and practically no solid food, and it was never very clear who assumed responsibility for him in his family, if anyone. Miraculously he survived, with almost no outside help.

　　At first he just lay there, withdrawn, sucking on an empty bottle as he had been used to doing at home. After a few days it became clear he was ravenously hungry and he downed bottle after bottle of milk. Slowly he began to respond to the ward staff around him who hung over the side of his crib, tempting him back to life.

　　He started by cautiously “chewing” on people, sniffing and tasting them warily like a little wild creature. Gradually he climbed to a standing position, pulling himself up on the bars of his crib. Then he began to discover noise — that came from himself. When he learned that it was acceptable, in this place, to scream when enraged, he filled his corner of the room with garbled speech-like sounds, and loud baby-bellows of demand. If nobody responded he would fix each passerby with a coy look that evolved into a seductive grin, revealing four widely space little teeth. Someone always stopped, grinning back at this adorable creature, then picking him up and cuddling him. We on the staff took personal pride and delight in his steady progress.

　　During the day we moved his crib from the infants’ ward to the playroom where there are people coming and going. He loved it, standing and cruising in his crib, commenting happily on the scene, crowing and babbling. One afternoon, when his crib was moved adjacent to the wall, he became unusually quiet, deep in concentration. With the stealth of a cat, using his little fingers like tiny screwdrivers, he had taken apart the wall oxygen unit. Our delight in his progress turned to real respect. Perhaps we could steer him toward the right path before it was too late.

　　Vergil definitely had a future.

　　1. In the infants’ ward, Vergil .

　　 A．was treated as an orphan B．was born prematurely

　　 C．had himself renamed D．drove the staff busy

　　2. The ward staff must have been marveled at Vergil’s .

　　 A．vitality B．shabbiness

　　 C．premature birth D．physical well-being

　　3. How did Vergil begin to respond to people?

　　 A．By making loud baby-bellows of demand.

　　 B．By fixing each passerby with a coy look.

　　 C．By sniffing and tasting them.

　　 D．By yelling at them.

　　4. From the observation made by the physician in the clinic, we can say that Vergil .

　　 A．was appreciative of the ward staff

　　 B．was growing in a favorable environment

　　 C．was growing faster in mind than in body

　　 D．was proud of his physical and mental growth

　　 5. Through the mention of Vergil’s improper act, the writer is trying to imply .

　　 A．the existence of dangers in the infants’ ward

　　 B．the importance of guidance on babies’ growth

　　 C．the acceptance of inborn mischief

　　 D．the existence of a future for him

　　解析

　　本文叙述了一个在医护室里成长的小孩的历程。孩子的身心都有很好的发展，但引导总是对孩子的成长很重要。

　　1.【D】细节题。这里的关键是“In the infants’ ward”（在婴儿房里），找到了母亲所以不是（孤儿）A，B（早产）不是发生在婴儿房了的事，C（更名）在文章中未提及，所以答案为D，也就是孩子在婴儿房里得到了很好的照顾和治疗。

　　2.【A】推断题。本题题意是：“病房医护人员肯定为Vergil的生命力感到惊奇。”A活力，生命力；B破旧；C早产；D身体健康。根据文章对Vergil的描述可以看出，他从无人照管到学会吸引别人的注意到他的动手能力可以看出，他充满了活力。

　　3.【C】细节题。本题题意是：“Vergil是如何对别人做出反应的？”第二段最后一句话说：“渐渐地，他开始对站在他婴儿床边逗他的医护人员做出反应。”而第三段第一句话告诉我们：“他首先谨慎地研究人们，像个小野兽一样小心地用鼻子闻闻、用小嘴尝尝。”

　　4.【C】推断题。此题需要概括文章大意。本文描述了他所观察的这个早产儿在医院里的一举一动，可以看出虽然他是早产儿，但其生命力极其顽强，而且通过描述他在医院里与人交流的一举一动以及他在活动室里的表情、神态，可以说都是在对小孩的心智方面进行描述，而对于小孩身体方面的进展着墨偏少。所以我们可知这个孩子在在心智方面确实恢复或者说发展更快一些。另外题目是问通过医护人员的观察说明这个孩子如何，所以选项B不符合逻辑结构。

　　5.【B】推断题。本题题意是：“通过提及Vergil不合适的行为，作者想说引导在孩子成长中的重要性。”在第四段最后一句话告诉我们：“也许我们现在驾驭他走向正途为时未晚。”

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