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 "normal" piano. In the mid 1920s player pianos began to disappear mainly because the radio got more popular.

　　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.