In 1850, an American lawyer, James N. Bethune, bought a slave to work in his home. The slave, a woman, had a small child (call) Tom, who was blind and autistic(自闭症的).
One day, Bethune (walk) around his garden when he heard music coming from the house. He went inside and found young Tom playing on the family piano. Bethune (instant) realized that the boy, who was only four, had special abilities. He asked a band of (music) to come to the house and play in front of him. Tom reproduced perfectly the music he had heard. It was obvious that Tom had the ability to memorize and repeat pieces of music after
(hear) them just once.
In 1857, "Blind Tom" took part his first public performance. The reviews were so good that Bethune took him on a tour of the US. Three years later, "Blind Tom" (invite) to the White House, he performed for the President. Over the next forty years, Tom performed
(enjoy) shows all over the US, as well as visiting Canada, the UK and several South American countries. His concerts were mixture of classical music and his own compositions.
"Blind Tom" died in 1908.
