Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 莫扎特

More than 200 years ago, there was a little boy who learned¹ to play a musical instrument at the age of three. It was called a clavier, which was an old-fashioned² stringed instrument that also had a keyboard. By the time he was five, he was composing beautiful music—all by himself. At eight, he had learned to play two more instruments, the violin and the organ. Now he could play three instruments.

His father was a musician, too. He wanted everyone to pay attention to his talented son. But some people had a hard time believing that a small boy could be so talented. They thought his father had written the music for him. Or that the boy wasn’t a child at all, but a very small adult. There had to be some kind of trick.

A man who was both a lawyer and a musician decided³ to find out. He tested the boy for many hours. He asked the boy to play a very difficult piece of music. The boy played it easily and well. Then he asked the boy to make up a piece of music for him, right there on the spot. Again, the boy did an excellent job.

Then, a cat came into the room. Right away, the boy stopped playing music and got up to chase⁴ it. There was no doubt in the man’s mind. The boy was really just a boy, except when he played or wrote music. Then the boy was a genius.

Who was this boy? His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and here is his story.

1 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

2 old-fashioned   

adj.旧式的，保守的，挑剔的

参考例句：

• Why do you still dress in an old-fashioned mode?你为什么还穿款式陈旧的衣服？
• Here is an old-fashioned pump for drawing water from a well.这里有一个旧式水泵可从井里抽水。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 chase   

vt.追逐，追赶，追求；n.追赶

参考例句：

• The police grabbed the robbers after a long chase.警察经过长距离追赶后逮住了抢劫犯。
• Would you chase me if I did?如果我逃开了，你会来追吗？