After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack on the tennis court, my world crashed around me. I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and just keeping my head above water.

I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly I was uneasy.

One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd on our doorstep. He gave every indication that he intended to enter the house and make it his home. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day.

The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results. German, meanwhile, actually made himself part of the family. Saturday night he was still with us, sleeping in the basement.

On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He settled down in the back for the ride to the picnic.

Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn’t come back. As evening came and German didn’t appear, we were all disappointed. We were convinced that he had gone home or been found by his owner, and that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again we took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived.

This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German and we took comfort in his strong, warm presence, and we felt safe with him near us.

Each week, between German’s visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver and more able to cope; every weekend I enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. We never saw or heard of German again.

I think of him often. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how abandoned and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone.

61. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?

  A. trying to keep calm in public                B. avoiding being neglected by others

C. showing her high spirit in the face of trouble   D. managing to continue to live

62. Why did the German shepherd come to the author’s house?

   A. He was hungry and had no place to live in.     B. His owner went away on weekends.

C. He couldn’t find his way to his owner’s house.  D. The passage doesn’t tell us directly.

63. We can conclude from the passage that ________.

   A. German liked to have a picnic with the family  B. German’s owner put an ad for him

C. German was fond of living with the family   

D. the writer was not very willing to find German’s owner

64. Which of the following doesn’t agree with the passage?

   A. The children needn’t go to school on the weekend.

B. The housekeeper only came on weekdays.

C. But for the dog the writer would have broken down.

D. German’s coming was a great comfort for the writer.

65. Which is the best title for the passage?

   A. We are not alone                B. Love from a dog  

C. Raising a dog can be beneficial    D. Keep up when in trouble