I began to play the piano at the age of eight. From then on, there was one thing I was afraid of every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital 36 I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I would ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) something about building self-confidence and working toward a 37 .
So it was with really great 38 that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and
39 my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt before rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t 40 lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, as too many of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn’t
41 there. When he retired three years ago, he 42 his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he 43 stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the notes? I worried, remembering those split seconds 44 ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would 45 . But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the 46 fingers that once baited(装饵于) my fishing lines. And I realized he had been doing what music teachers always stress:
47 the music and pretend the others aren’t there. He certainly gave an excellent performance!
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
36. A. reflected B. explained C. meant D. proved
37. A. goal B. stage C. journey D. chance
38. A. trouble B. satisfaction C. strength D. disappointment
39. A. kept B. sent C. watched D. felt
40. A. miss B. afford C. select D. understand
41. A. educated B. protected C. stuck D. spoilt
42. A. allowed B. invited C. inspired D. persuaded
43. A. roughly B. simply C. merrily D. curiously
44. A. decades B. weeks C. hours D. moments
45. A. play B. adjust C. click D. freeze
46. A. same B. warm C. different D. dirty
47. A. pass over B. turn up C. bring in D. concentrate on