" They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I started to play . . . ! " These wo

rds may be among the most successful in advertising history. Although the ad has not run for many years, the slogan is still remembered. It was written in 1925 for the V. S. School of Music, to sell home music lessons.

The ad has great appeal. It pictures a handsome man sitting at a piano in front of smiling guests. It tells the story of Jack, who has secretly learned to play the piano through a mail-order course. His friends at a party all scoff when he sits at the keyboard. But as he plays the first notes of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata, " they all amazed. When he finishes his flawless performance, the listeners shower him with applause and praise.

Jack tells his friends that he learned to play through the V. S. School of Music. He explains that he was taught through a new method, using no laborious scales and no tiresome practicing. He didn't even have a special talent for music! In the ad, others, too, could increase their popularity and gain happiness.

The writer of this ad, John Gaples, called this style. the "Walter Mitty approach." Walter Mitty is a character in a short story by James Thurber, who daydreams of taking part in great adventures. Although this ad seems old-fashioned now, many people still dream of such easy social success.

The opening sentence catches your attention by______.

A．surprising you

B．describing a humorous situation

C．ridiculing someone

D．appealing to people's dreams of personal success