question: Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old 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 in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata 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 realize 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.
1. What does Samuel say he has been gifted?
2. How old is he?
3. What did his parents want him to become?
4. Where is he from?
5. Does he still go to school?
6. What kind of classes does he take?
7. When did he first play a song?
8. What was it?
9. Who wrote it?
10. Did he read it from a sheet?
11. How did he know it?
12. When he first played piano was he able to read the music?
13. What does his mother play?
14. His father?
15. When he was young how did he retell stories?
****
answer: 1. super memory
2. 19
3. a lawyer
4. Cornwall, England
5. yes
6. law and music.
7. Two years ago
8. Moonlight Sonata
9. Beethoven
10. no
11. by listening to it
12. no
13. piano
14. guitar
15. word for word

question: CHAPTER VII.

Something between a hindrance and a help. WORDSWORTH.

Etheldred awoke long before time for getting up, and lay pondering over her visions. Margaret had sympathised, and therefore they did not seem entirely aerial. To earn money by writing was her favourite plan, and she called her various romances in turn before her memory, to judge which might be brought down to sober pen and ink. She considered till it became not too unreasonably early to get up. It was dark, but there was a little light close to the window: she had no writing-paper, but she would interline her old exercise-book. Down she ran, and crouching in the school-room window-seat, she wrote on in a trance of eager composition, till Norman called her, as he went to school, to help him to find a book.

This done, she went up to visit Margaret, to tell her the story, and consult her. But this was not so easy. She found Margaret with little Daisy lying by her, and Tom sitting by the fire over his Latin.

"Oh, Ethel, good-morning, dear! you are come just in time."

"To take baby?" said Ethel, as the child was fretting a little.

"Yes, thank you, she has been very good, but she was tired of lying here, and I can't move her about," said Margaret.

"Oh, Margaret, I have such a plan," said Ethel, as she walked about with little Gertrude; but Tom interrupted.

"Margaret, will you see if I can say my lesson?" and the thumbed Latin grammar came across her just as Dr. May's door opened, and he came in exclaiming, "Latin grammar! Margaret, this is really too much for you. Good-morning, my dears. Ha! Tommy, take your book away, my boy. You must not inflict that on sister now. There's your regular master, Richard, in my room, if it is fit for his ears yet. What, the little one here too?"
1. Which section is this?
2. Who woke up early?
3. What did she do when she woke up?
4. Who was sympathetic?
5. What was her preferred plan?
6. What subject did she think about?
7. Until what time did she ponder this?
8. Where did she run to?
9. Who interrupted her writing?
10. What did he want?
11. What did she do after?
12. What would she do with her?
13. Who was with Margaret?
14. Was Margaret happy to see Ethel?
15. What did she want Ethel to do?
16. What is the baby's name?
17. What news did Ethel give Margaret?
18. Who broke up their conversation?
19. What did he want?
20. Who arrived and stopped the lesson?
21. What did he say to Tom?
****
answer:
1. Chapter VII
2. Etheldred
3. Pondered ger visions
4. Margaret
5. to earn money by writing
6. her past romances
7. until there was a little light
8. the school room
9. Norman
10. a book
11. visit margaret
12. concult
13. Daisy and Tom
14. yes
15. Take the baby
16. Daisy
17. she had a plan
18. Tom
19. to practice his latin lesson
20. Dr. May
21. Take your book away