Reading Comprehension

 Read the article about a young artist called Kieron Williamson, and then answer the following questions.

Keiron Williamson – Teenage Artist 

Like many other 14-year-old boys, Kieron Williamson spends as much time as he can playing football with his friends. Off the pitch, however, he has less in common with his peers. Since the age of six, when some of his drawings and paintings were first exhibited, he has been called a 'mini genius; and his art has made him a millionaire.

 After being given a sketchbook and some colouring pencils during a family holiday, Kieron, then five, set to work. 'I'd never drawn anything before; he says, 'but I fell in love with it straight away' When they saw his first efforts, Kieron's parents, Michelle and Keith, quickly realised he had an unusual ability, and it wasn't long before a local gallery invited him to contribute to an exhibition— something he was very happy to do. Michelle and Keith were amazed when they found out that the gallery had sold all of his work within a few days. 

The popularity of Kieron's art has grown remarkably ever since. 'It's crazy; his father admits. But despite all the money he has earned, Kieron doesn't spend much. He has little interest in computer games, unlike most of his friends, and although he's very keen on cycling, he's satisfied with the rather plain bike that he's had for some years. What he likes most is to work on his art, although he does take pleasure in listening to music while painting. Recently, he has included more people in his pictures, but the majority have always been of countryside scenes. 

Kieron paints quickly and produces hundreds of paintings a year. They all get bought up by collectors from around the world. How does he manage it? He realises he has talent, but he believes the key is his determination. He puts pressure on himself to maintain standards, although this sometimes brings frustration can spend all day trying to make a picture work without success; he says. He's worked out what to do about it, however. He leaves the picture for a day. Then, when he eventually comes back to it, a solution often comes. 

When Kieron's artistic career took off, his parents gave up their own jobs so they could look after the sales of his art. They also wanted to deal with the public attention that his art was attracting. In order to protect their privacy, Michelle and Keith eventually concluded the family had to move to a quieter location. They all miss their old village, but they are happy in their new house and have made friends in the local community. 

Michelle and Keith also took Kieron and his sister Billie-Jo out of school and started to home educate them. Both siblings wish they still had the chance to carry on joking around with their friends, as they used to do in class, but both respond well to the individual attention they now get. Kieron is particularly grateful for the time he can now devote to art. 

Kieron thinks he is very lucky to have had the chance to explore his creativity, and he is keen to help other teenage painters explore theirs. He thinks they should learn from each other in art groups, and he is looking into ways of setting up something that would help in this respect. He also recommends that teenagers paint outside. He believes that he himself has benefited hugely from doing this. 

The house where he now lives has fields and woods all around, and it is a great place for observing animals. This is one of his favourite pastimes, in fact, and he even has a plan to buy and keep a few cows nearby.

1. How old was Kieron when his art began to attract public attention? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. How did Kieron's parents feel when people started to buy Kieron's paintings? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. What is the main topic of Kieron's paintings? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4.  What does Kieron think is the most important quality he has? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. What does Kieron do when he can't make progress with a painting? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6.  Why did Kieron's family decide to leave their old home? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7.  What does Kieron miss most about his old school? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

8.   What advice does Kieron offer young artists? Give two details. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. What hobbies apart from art does Kieron have? Give four details. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………...........................................................................................................................................................................................