1998/02（追試）
Mr. Taylor raised himself up in his bed and held his beautiful old violin out to Julie. “I want to give this to you for your first wedding anniversary.” he declared. “Take it to the orchestra rehearsal and tell them you want to sell it.” Julie was very surprised. She said, “It’s wonderful of you to want to give this to us. but I wouldn’t dream of taking anything so valuable.”
“Listen,” said Mr. Taylor, “every time you celebrate something, like an anniversary or a birthday, that celebration is the most important one because there may not be another. On my first wedding anniversary some friends came from the orchestra and played Mozart’s A Little Night Music. I have never forgotten. The next year my wife died. Now I sit here in bed and I wonder what I have lived for. Maybe it’s just so I can give you my violin. So please accept it from me.” Julie reached out, took his hand and said, “Thank you. It’s the nicest gift well ever have.”
Julie and Steve lived in a one-room apartment just below old Mr. Taylor. Life was still ahead of them and they looked forward to having six children and a house in the suburbs. Almost every day Julie ran up the fire escape to visit Mr. Taylor. He had spent his life as a violinist with the symphony orchestra and Julie, his only visitor, liked to listen to him talk about music.
When Steve came home Julie showed him the violin. “I took Mr. Taylor a bottle of wine for his birthday, and he gave me his violin because it’s our anniversary. I couldn’t refuse it, the way he insisted.”
That evening Julie took the violin to the rehearsal hall, The concertmaster, Mr. Klein, held the violin up in the air. “Old Taylor’s violin. This young lady wants to sell it. You, Joe,” he said to one of the musicians, “you were one of Taylor’s students, weren’t you?” “Yes,” replied Joe, “hut I supposed he had died. I lost touch with him during the war. Is he in need?”
Julie said, “Well, he has enough to get along on, but he’s awfully lonely. He lives upstairs over us, and I took a little birthday present up to him today, and he gave me his violin.”
“Mr. Taylor gave me my lessons for free,” said Joe. “I mean, at the end of my instruction he gave me back every cent I’d ever paid him, because he knew I needed the money. I should have kept in touch with him. I’d like to call on him.” “Maybe we all ought to go and see old Taylor,” Mr. Klein said. “I guess the old guy’s done something for most of us at one time or another.”
That night there was a knock on their door, and Steve and Julie found Mr. Klein outside with some of the other musicians behind him. He led the way through the apartment and up the fire escape, where they arranged themselves on the ladder and began to play. “Mozart’s A Little Night Music,” Julie said. “Of course! It’s a birthday present for Mr. Taylor. They’re all ashamed of having forgotten him since he left the orchestra.”
The music seemed to descend from out of the night itself. Windows were thrown open and shadowy faces appeared, listening. When the music ended there was a roar of applause from the darkness around them. Mr. Taylor called the musicians in to his room and passed around Julie’s birthday wine. Mr. Klein said to Julie, “The old boy liked it. And about the violin, I’m sure one of my own students will buy it. Ill get you a good price.”
Steve and Julie glanced at each other. Steve said, “I’d prefer to keep it.” “So would I,” agreed Julie, “Surely out of six, one should be able to use it.” “That’s what I was thinking,” said Steve.
- Why did Mr. Taylor decide to give away his violin?
① He could no longer play it and wanted someone in the orchestra to have it.
② He wanted to give the young couple something special for their anniversary.
③ It was old and he felt it was time to buy a new instrument.
④ It would be a means of repaying his debt to the concertmaster. - Why did Julie hesitate to take the violin from Mr. Taylor?
① She felt that his children should have it in the future.
② She thought it was worth too much for Mr. Taylor to give away.
③ She would be unable to practice playing it in her apartment.
④ She would no longer be able to hear him play music when she visited him. - What happened at the rehearsal hail that evening?
① Julie explained to the musicians that Mr. Taylor was willing to give them free lessons.
② The concertmaster managed to sell the violin to one of the musicians.
③ The musicians realized it was not too late to show their gratitude to Mr. Taylor.
④ The orchestra arranged a concert for Julie’s wedding anniversary. - Why did Mr. Klein and the musicians call at Julie’s apartment that night?
① Mr. Klein wanted to tell Julie that she could get a lot of money for the violin.
② One of the musicians wished to play a tune specially on Mr. Taylor’s violin.
③ Julie had suggested that they hold a party there for Mr. Taylor.
④ They wanted to play music on the fire escape outside Mr. Taylor’s apartment. - What reason did Steve and Julie give for not selling the violin in the end?
① They couldn’t agree whether to not they should sell it.
② They didn’t want to hurt Mr. Taylor’s feelings by selling it.
③ They hoped that one of their children would learn to play it,
④ They were not satisfied with the price offered for it.
