HSG TIẾNG ANH 5 - NO 030

Madeleine came from Dakar to London twelve months ago. In the beginning, she missed everything – the weather, the food, her family. But now, she owns a profitable business with her two sisters and her brother. They run a pound shop in London's West End. Madeleine's boyfriend is now her husband, and they have three children who go to British schools. When asked why she came to England, Madeleine says immediately, 'Because I'd like to work hard and be successful.' She works very hard. She's at the shop all day and then she works as a nurse in the evening. 'That's why I love England,' she says.' You can be whatever you want to be. ''When I first came to England, I spoke basic English, and it was autumn. It was so cold and rainy! Now almost all my family are here, not only in London, but also in Scotland, and Wales. We meet about twice a year and have a huge Senegalese meal that takes about three hours! We're all happy here."

I was 12 when I ___(47)___ playing the guitar. My parents ___(48)___ classical musicians, so they encouraged me to play the violin when I ___(49)___ five, I think, and piano when I was eight. I certainly picked up some fundamentals from all that. I didn’t really ___(50)___ for it at that time. When you’re a boy that age, you just want to play with your ___(51)___ Star Wars action figures and be a football player pretty much.

Well, ever since primary school, I knew I ___(52)___ to play an instrument. When I saw the middle school orchestra playing, I ___(53)___ it was something I wanted to be a part of. The sixth form was the first opportunity I had to ___(54)___ learning an instrument. At first, my band teacher told me to play the trumpet, so I ___(55)___ to the local music shop to try one out. I ___(56)___ up the trumpet, put it to my lips, and I couldn’t ___(57)___ a sound.