Part 6

Questions 27-32
For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.

A Strange Kind of Music

When I was fourteen, my aunt gave me a musical instrument for my birthday. It was not a guitar or a piano, 27 a small wooden flute she had bought on a trip to South America. I thanked her politely, but secretly I thought it looked like a toy. I put it on a shelf and forgot 28 it for almost two years.

Then, one rainy Sunday afternoon, I was bored and started looking through my old things. I found the flute, still in 29 original box, and decided to try it. The sound it made was unlike anything I had heard before. It was soft and slightly sad, and 30 note seemed to hang in the air for a long time.

I started practising every evening after school. My family were not very patient at first. My brother said it sounded 31 a cat in pain. But I kept going, and slowly I began to improve. I found videos online and learned how to play simple tunes. There was something calming about controlling my breathing and producing a clear note. It became a way to relax 32 a long day.

Now, several years later, I still play that same flute. My aunt passed away last year, and the instrument feels even more precious to me now. It reminds me that sometimes the best gifts are the ones you don’t appreciate straight away.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary