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When she was given up at only eight weeks old because she was deaf, Alice, who was dirty, sick and nervous, had a difficult start in life. But less than a month after being saved, the little dog is learning to recognize sign language commands with her new family and now she has already learned the signs for several basic commands.

Marie Williams, 41, and her husband Mark Morgan, 43, who are themselves both deaf, adopted the small dog from the animal charity, the Blue Cross, which depends on public donations, provides home for thousands of dogs, cats, horses, and small animals every year. The couple and their three sons Liam, 16, Lewis, 13, and Owen, 5, who have normal hearing, are teaching the lovely dog sign language commands, including instructions for sitting and coming.

Marie Williams, from West Mersea, Essex, said, “We were thinking about getting a dog but when we saw Alice was deaf, we just couldn't believe it. She was so beautiful and the fact that she was deaf just made us fall in love with her even more—we knew that she would fit right into our family. When we went to visit her at the centre, I had tears in my eyes because she was so lovely and we got on well immediately.”

Julie Stone, manager of the Blue Cross, said, “It was surprising to see how Marie, Mark and their children immediately got along well with Alice and how they knew just how to get her attention.”

1.Why was Alice abandoned when she was younger?

A Because she was dirty.

B Because she lost her hearing.

C Because she was sick.

D Because she was nervous.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第一段第一句的When she was given up at only eight weeks old because she was deaf, Alice...可知这只狗被遗弃的原因是她没有听力，故选B。

2.How old was Marie Williams when she had her first son?

A Twenty-five.

B Twenty-eight.

C Thirty.

D Thirty-six.

解析：选A。A 数字计算题。Marie Williams今年41岁，最大的儿子Liam是16岁，由此计算出她生第一个儿子的时候应该是25岁，故选A。

3.What’s the crucial reason for the family to adopt Alice?

A Her being deaf.

B Her beautiful appearance.

C Her attention paid to the family.

D Her ability to fit into the family.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据第三段的We were thinking about getting a dog but when we saw Alice was deaf, we just couldn’t believe it. She was so beautiful and the fact that she was deaf just made us fall in love with her even more可知由于这对夫妇本身是聋人，看到这只狗是聋的，他们就更喜欢这只狗，由此推断他们领养这只狗的直接原因是因为狗没有听力，故选A。

4.The purpose of the passage is to ______.

A show a deaf dog can learn sign language

B call on people to treat deaf dogs well

C prove the importance of an animal charity

D show a blind couple’s kindness to animals

解析：选A。A 目的意图题。纵观全文内容，本文主要讲述了一条耳聋的狗被主人训练后，能理解手语听懂指令这一事实，故选A。