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(2021·È«¹úпθÄÊ¡ÇøT8Áª¿¼)When I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010, we were in the fallout of the recession(¾­¼ÃË¥ÍË). She said a polite “No”£®

That didn’t stop me. I searched for the __1__ for a keyboard on the Internet, drew the keys on a piece of paper and __2__ it on my desk. I would click notes on an online __3__ and “play” them back on my paper one — keeping the __4__ they made on the computer in my head. Once my mom saw that I was __5__£¬ she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.

I still remember the first one. I was __6__ by how real the sound of the piano was. I __7__ my grade one test after eight lessons. But when I started secondary school, we couldn’t __8__ lessons again. I passed grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.

When I was about 13, my mom said she had a __9__ for me; it was an electronic keyboard, bought with __10__ borrowed money. It was the first time I’d played for her.

Later I found the Purcell School for young musicians. The tryouts were __11__. Some of the questions __12__ an assessment of the composer or when the music was written. I felt stressed out. To my amazement, I was offered a __13__. At Purcell, I saved enough to buy my first piano.

When I left Purcell, I was awarded the senior academic music prize. I am now at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, one of the world’s leading music schools. I feel proud: it’s been 10 years __14__ I drew my paper piano. I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano: what we call __15__ practice. The paper piano helped solve my curiosity about how music works and what forms the masterpieces.

1£®A. measurements                   B£®tunes

C£®paintings                         D£®scales

2£®A. folded                         B£®piled

C£®wrapped                           D£®stuck

3£®A. screen                         B£®course

C£®keyboard                          D£®website

4£®A. voice                          B£®sound

C£®whisper                           D£®record

5£®A. nervous                        B£®disappointed

C£®satisfied                         D£®serious

6£®A. amused                         B£®frightened

C£®struck                            D£®accessed

7£®A. ran into                       B£®got across

C£®passed by                         D£®went through

8£®A. afford                         B£®perform

C£®postpone                          D£®participate

9£®A. secret                         B£®task

C£®question                          D£®surprise

10£®A. longer                        B£®faster

C£®greater                           D£®more

11£®A. easy                          B£®tough

C£®enjoyable                         D£®fulfilling

12£®A. related                       B£®completed

C£®involved                          D£®collected

13£®A. role                          B£®prize

C£®place                             D£®refund

14£®A. after                         B£®since

C£®until                             D£®before

15£®A. mental                        B£®abundant

C£®false                             D£®fancy