Reading
Read the text, for each question 1 - 5 choose the correct answer.
Jim Benson, pianist and songwriter
People often ask me who I have to thank for my success as a pianist and songwriter. They expect to hear that I was born into a musical family and had an excellent piano teacher. However, the truth is different. When I was little, nobody played an instrument at home. I learnt to play the piano and sing because there was a piano in my house and o just wanted to make music.
My parents allowed me to sit at the piano and sing for as long as I wanted. If they were afraid that I would break the old piano, they never mentioned it. They didn’t suggest that I should take lessons, either. The songs just came to me when I had my hands on the piano. I suppose I had musical talent and that is all you need.
I started writing proper songs when I was a teenager. The music was mine, but the words were from other song writers. It seemed so easy. When you start to compose, you do that, you copy other people’s best songs. Then you start changing the melodies and the words and you develop your own style. That only happened later, when I had grown beyond my teenage years.
For a time, I thought music would be just a hobby. My parents had developed a strong belief that I would be able to make a living as a musician, but I had my doubts, so after school I took a job in radio advertising. Then one day one of my songs won a prize and that changed everything. I realized my happiness was in music. I have been a musician ever since that day.
What is Jim Benson’s main purpose in writing the text? to complain about his lack of musical trainingto describe his life as a successful musicianto explain how he became a musicianto suggest how children can be taught music
When Jim Benson started making music on the piano, his parents… saw the need for a piano teacher.wanted him to play his own songs.said the piano might get damaged.seemed happy to let him play it.
What does Jim Benson say about the songs he wrote as a teenager? They were nor well-written.They were not very original.They took a long time to write.They showed his personal style.
Jim Benson took a job in advertising because… he had learnt about advertising jobs at school.his parents suggested it was a good career for him.it offered him the opportunity to change his life.he thought he might not earn enough as a musician.
Which advice would Jim Benson give talented young people? It is not a good idea to write songs when you are very young.If you want to be successful, you must have good music teachers.You need somebody in your family to guide you when you start.It’s OK to copy other people’s songs when you are learning.