3．People all over the world love listening to music and most have their favourite songs which they listen to again and again．But how did it all start？When could people first choose the music they wanted to listen to？
The 1900s：The player radio
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries，pianos became very popular and rich families bought"player pianos"．A player piano played music that was programmed on paper rolls with holes in them and you could also play it like a holes in them and you could also play it like a"normal"piano．In the mid 1920s player pianos began to disappear mainly because the radio got more popular．
The 1910s：The first phonographs （留聲機）
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 （鋁箔）．People could listen to them only a few times before the foil broke．Later the music was on wax cylinders （蠟筒）．There 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 20minutes 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 （便攜式的） 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．
21．What happened to the player piano in the mid 1920s？C
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．
22．What do we know about phonographs and gramophones？A
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．
23．The text is mainly aboutD．
A．the history of music．
B．the popularity of music．
C．the different types of music．
D．the development of listening to music．
分析 文章按時間順序介紹了不同時期人們聽音樂的不同設備---自動演奏鋼琴、留聲機和隨身聽等．
解答 21-23 CAD
21．C 細節(jié)理解題．根據第二段介紹的 In the mid 1920s player pianos began to disappear mainly because the radio got more popular．可知，這一時期無線電逐漸取代了自動演奏鋼琴．
22．A．細節(jié)理解題．該句第三段和第四段可知，phonographs和gramophones都是留聲機，但一個是通過蠟筒唱片播放音樂，而另外一個則用圓盤唱片播放音樂．
23．D 主旨大意題．文章按時間順序介紹了幾種音樂播放設備-自動演奏鋼琴、留聲機和隨身聽，故本文是關于人類聽音樂設備的發(fā)展歷程．
點評 閱讀理解題測試考生在閱讀基礎上的邏輯推理能力，要求考生根據文章所述事件的邏輯關系，對未說明的趨勢或結局作出合理的推斷；或根據作者所闡述的觀點理論，對文章未涉及的現象、事例給以解釋．考生首先要仔細閱讀短文，完整了解信息，準確把握作者觀點．
