A Guide Dog
A guide dog is a dog especially trained to guide a blind person. Dogs chosen for such training must show good disposition, intelligence, physical fitness and sense of responsibility.
At the age of fourteen months, a guide dog begins an intensive course that lasts three to five months. It becomes accustomed to the leather harness and stiff leather handle it will wear when guiding its blind owner. The dog learns to watch the traffic and to cross the street safely. It also learns to obey such commands as "forward", "left", "right" and "sit" and to disobey any command that might lead its owner into danger.
The most important part of the training course is a fourweek program in which the dog and its future owner learn to work together. However, many blind people are unsuited by personality to work with dogs. Only a tenth of the blind find a guide dog useful.
[点评]
文章浅显易懂，描述清楚，是一篇好范文。
[参考译文]
导盲犬
导盲犬是专门为盲人做向导的狗。选来接受这种训练的狗必须有很好的脾气、智力、体格和责任心。
在14个月大的时候，导盲犬就开始接受精良的训练课程，为期3到5个月。它要逐渐习惯于将来导引盲主人时所戴的皮革脖套具和僵硬的皮缰绳。导盲犬要学习观望交通情况并能安全穿越街道。它还要学习服从“向前”，“向左”，“向右”及“坐下”等命令，同时学习拒绝服从有可能给主人带来危险的任何命令。
训练课程中最重要的部分是4个星期的专门课程。在这个课程中，导盲犬和它未来的主人要学会一同共事。然而，许多盲人由于个性原因无法适应与狗共事。只有十分之一的盲人觉得导盲犬能帮上忙。
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