2 . I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010. We were in the economic crisis. She said a polite “no”.

That didn’t stop me. I searched the measurements of 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, and 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. But I had to pass a difficult test. Some of the questions involved an evaluation of the composer or when some piece was written. I felt overwhelmed. To my amazement, I was offered a place.

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

When I left the Purcell School, 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 arouse my curiosity about how music works and the building blocks that form the pieces.

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

A．She was shocked by his first performance.

B．She had no doubt about his talent for piano.

C．She realized he meant what he said.

D．She suddenly made a fortune.

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

A．Honest.	B．Determined
C．Humorous	D．Optimistic

3. What did the underlined word “irony” in the last paragraph show?

A．The author felt surprised.	B．The author felt proud.
C．The author felt satisfied	D．The author felt disappointed.

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 describe how costly it is to learn an instrument.

D．To encourage people to stick to their dreams.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Music is one of the most     1     (power) things in my life. Listening to music can help to motivate me in trying time. When younger, I     2     (have) no great love for music as I do now. I mainly listened to what my parents were listening to. Whether I was in the car, the house,     3     anywhere else there was sure to be some Beatles, or Buddy Holly constantly playing in the background. Now as I’m     4    (old), I enjoy it for the reason that it allows me to remember my childhood.

I believe music has the power     5     (express) all sorts of emotion. The song “A little bit longer” by Nick Jonas is     6     an emotional and inspiring song that when I hear it, I always come close to     7     (drop) down tears, especially when I watch it being played live. The effect     8     music can have on our emotions is great, as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of     9     (laugh).

I believe music affects people in many ways. To me, music is     10     (extreme) important in my life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family.