Why should you learn Sign Language? Do you want to improve your communication with a family member or friend who is deaf? Do you want to be able to communicate with deaf people in general? Would you like to advance in your career by being able to communicate in ASL? Do you want to be a Sign Language interpreter?

Sign language is not just a random (随意的) collection of gestures but a full-blown (完全成熟的) language in its own right, complete with its own grammatical rules. Each country or region has its own sign language, as different from each other as English is from Spanish. Each version of sign language is somewhat linked to the spoken language in its region. For example, American sign language does share similarities with English, even though it is its own language.

The advantages of knowing sign language in addition to a spoken language are many. Communication becomes possible on many levels with the deaf community, with other people either hearing or not in any of the above situations, as well as many more.

While other languages take years to learn, American Sign Language can be taught in a much shorter time period. It is one of the easiest languages to learn because most of the signs were developed to mimic the actual word or phrase it is representing. Even the alphabet signs look like the letters of the English alphabet.

American Sign Language, or ASL, is the third most used language in the United States. Used by the deaf community, interpreters, and friends and family of the deaf. There are a lot of sites on the internet that not only shows you the sign with video, but will help you practice reading signs as well.

Teaching even hearing babies sign language seems to be the fashion in recent years and for good reason. Communicating in sign language is fun and natural as babies naturally use body gestures in early communication. Teaching baby sign language actually appears to enhance the learning of verbal skills and brain development of the children involved.

小题1:Which two regions share similarities in their sign language?

A. Spain and Britain.

B. Mexico and USA.

C. Australia and Canada.

D. Japan and Korea.

小题2:Sign language ________.

A．is a collection of gestures

B．is easier to learn than English

C．is not very popular in USA

D．has no link to the spoken language小题3:One of the reasons for learning sign language is that it ________.

A．increase self-confidence

B．provides more choices of career

C．trains brains

D．is interesting小题4:Babies’ learning sign language cannot ________.

A．help them talk sooner

B．help them walk sooner

C．increase communication at a very early age

D．enrich relationship with parents and the people who take care of them小题5:Which of the following topics is not discussed in the passage?

A．What is sign language?

B．The advantages of knowing sign language.

C．The relation of American sign language and English.

D．Ways of learning sign language.