The 1910s: The first phonographs (留声机)

　　As early as 1877, there were phonographs to play music on and by the 1910s, many families had one. The music was on "records" made of aluminum foil (铝箔). People could listen to them only a few times before the foil broke. Later the music was on wax cylinders (蜡筒). These could hold longer recordings (two to four minutes), and people could play them more often.

　　The 1920s: Gramophones and record players

　　Gramophones were similar to the phonographs, but they used flat vinyl (乙烯基) disks and not cylinders to hold the music. The disks went round, and first a steel needle, then later a small diamond, "took" the music off the record. Some of the disks could play for more than 20 minutes per side. Today some music lovers who are crazy about disks still use vinyl records.

　　The 1960s－1970s: Cassettes and the Walkman

　　In the 1960s, the first cassette recorders became popular. A big step towards modern technology was the invention of the first portable (便携式的) cassette player, the "Walkman"， by the Japanese company, Sony in 1979. For the first time, people could listen to their favourite music while they were travelling, doing sports, or going for walks.

　　1．What happened to the player piano in the mid 1920s?

　　A．Only the rich could afford it.

　　B．It began to be used as a "normal" piano.

　　C．It was gradually replaced by the radio.

　　D．It was improved and played music automatically.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据第二段介绍的"In the mid 1920s player pianos began to disappear mainly because the radio got more popular."可知，这一时期无线电逐渐取代了自动演奏钢琴。

　　2．What do we know about phonographs and gramophones?

　　A．They used different records to hold the music.

　　B．They are still popular among music lovers now.

　　C．Gramophones were easier to carry than phonographs.

　　D．Phonographs held longer recordings than gramophones.

　　解析：选A　细节理解题。根据第三段和第四段可知，phonographs和gramophones都是留声机，但一个是通过蜡筒唱片播放音乐，而另一个则是用圆盘唱片播放音乐。

　　3．The text is mainly about .

A．the history of music