A
Samuel Osmond is a 19yearold law student from Cornwall, England.He never studied the piano.However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them.He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts.Then he thinks about the notes(音符) in his head.Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata (奏鸣曲) by Beethoven.He surprised everyone around him.
Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable.They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn't even realise that what he can do is special.Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead.Now, he studies law and music.
Samuel can't understand why everyone is so surprised.“I grew up with music.My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar.About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons.It comes easily to me — I hear the notes and can bear them in mind—each and every note，” says Samuel.
Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college.The piece had more than a thousand notes.The audience was impressed by his amazing performance.He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can't play it.Samuel says confidently, “It's all about super memory — I guess I have that gift.”
However, Samuel's ability to remember things doesn't stop with music.His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.
Samuel is still only a teenager.He doesn't know what he wants to do in the future.For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.
语篇解读：本文是一篇记叙文。文章叙述了一个音乐天才塞缪尔·奥斯蒙德的故事。
1．What is special about Samuel Osmond?
A．He can write down the note he hears.
B．He is a top student at the law school.
C．He has a gift for writing music.
D．He can play the musical piece he hears.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第一段中的He never studied the piano.However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them.可知， 塞缪尔从未学过钢琴，却能把听到的乐曲弹奏出来，这是他的特殊之处。
2．Everyone around Samuel was surprised because he .
A．received a good early education in music
B．could play the guitar better than his father
C．played the guitar and the piano perfectly
D．could play the piano without reading music
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第一段中的He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts.Then he thinks about the notes (音符) in his head.Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata (奏鸣曲) by Beethoven.He surprised everyone around him.可知，他只是通过听一首曲子，然后凭着记忆把它弹奏出来，这使大家感到惊讶。
3．What can we infer about Samuel in Paragraph 4?
A．He became famous during a special event at his college.
B．He plays the piano better than many professional pianists.
C．He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately.
D．He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第四段内容可知，他现在正在学习一首很难的曲子，而这首曲子是许多专业钢琴家都演奏不了的。塞缪尔自信地认为他有这个天赋。由此可知，他对自己的记忆力是很自豪的。
4．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．The Qualities of a Musician
B．The Story of a Musical Talent
C．The Importance of Early Education
D．The Relationship between Memory and Music
解析：选B 标题归纳题。根据第一段中的He never studied the piano.However，he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them.及全文内容可知，本文围绕着塞缪尔的特殊天赋进行描述，因此本文讲述了一个音乐天才的故事。
