Question

    I still remember I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010. We were in the fallout of the recession (经济衰退). She said a polite “no”.

That didn’t stop me. I Googled the measurements for a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one - keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. I spent six months playing without touching a real piano. Once my mom saw that I was serious, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.

I still remember the first one. I was struck by how real the sound of the piano was. I sat my grade one after eight lessons. Once I started secondary school, we couldn’t afford lessons again. I passed grade three, then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.

One evening, when I was about 13, my mom said she had a surprise for me; it was an electronic keyboard, bought with more borrowed money. It was the first time I’d played for her. She was in shock.

My school didn’t offer music A-level. I found the Purcell School for young musicians. The tryouts were difficult. Some of the questions involved an estimation (评价) of the composer or when it was written. I felt overwhelmed. To my amazement I was offered a place.

At Purcell, I spent two years working as hard as I could. I performed to raise money and saved enough to buy my first piano.

When I left Purcell, I was awarded the senior piano prize and senior academic music prize. I am now at the Guildhall School in London. I feel proud: it’s been 10 years since I drew my paper piano, and I’m at one of the world’s leading music schools.

The irony is that I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano: what we call mental practice. The paper piano helped spark my curiosity about how music works, the building blocks that form the pieces.

1.Why did the author’s mom buy him lessons at last?

A.She suddenly made a fortune. B.She had no doubt of his talent for piano.

C.She realized he meant what he said. D.She was shocked by his first performance.

2.Which of the following can best describe the author?

A.honest and practical. B.determined and hardworking.

C.humorous and reliable. D.rebellious and pessimistic.

3.The word “irony” in the last paragraph shows that the author was _______.

A.surprised B.absurd

C.satisfied D.curious

4.What’s the author’s main purpose of writing this article?

A.To introduce the method of mental practice.

B.To share how he convinced his mom to buy a piano.

C.To encourage people to stick to their dreams.

D.To describe how costly it is to learn an instrument.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了作者从小时候开始酷爱钢琴，但是因为家庭经济原因，买不起、学不起钢琴，通过自己画钢琴格，自学成才，最后进入了理想音乐学府的故事。告诉人们，如果有梦想，一定要坚持下去。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中Once my mom saw that I was serious, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.可知一旦我妈妈发现我是认真的，她就借钱给我买了10节课。由此可知，妈妈看到作者是真的想要学习，不只是玩玩而已，因此被打动了，所以给他买了10堂课。故选C。

2.推理判断题。结合文章大意可知，作者因为喜欢钢琴，在没有真正的钢琴、付不起钢琴课程的情况下，自己在纸键盘上练习，最后成功进入了世界顶级的音乐学校，因此，可以看出他是有决心的，努力的。故选B。

3.词义猜测题。根据后文I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano: what we call mental practice.可知作者的很多练习都是在钢琴之外的地方进行的：我们称之为心理练习，这是令人惊讶的。故划线单词意思为“令人惊讶的”。故选A。

4.推理判断题。结合文意可知，作者在家庭经济不佳的情况下，在纸钢琴上进行练习，最后成功进入了世界顶级音乐学校，是想要告诉大家，我们如果有梦想，一定要坚持下去，才会有成功的希望。由此可推知，作者写这篇文章的主要目的是鼓励人们坚持自己的梦想。故选C。