随身英语
The return of the cassette tape 音乐磁带再度流行
爱听音乐的大有人在，但大家都是怎么听音乐的？当下，在线播放可能是最流行的收听方式，但与此同时，一些怀旧科技却重新流行了起来。本期节目介绍看似平凡无奇的磁带，并讨论为什么几十年后，它再度俘获了音乐爱好者们的心。
词汇：technology 科技
How do you consume your music? What format do you listen to it on? Technology now allows us to stream and download our favourite songs through websites and apps. This means it’s easy to access and it’s very portable, so we could enjoy it whenever and wherever we like. So, it’s surprising to know that the popularity of some old tech is increasing.
A number of musicians have been releasing their albums on vinyl and cassette tape. While this latter analogue technology lacks the good digital audio quality that we expect to hear today, in its heyday, it was a popular way for teenagers to enjoy recorded music. The introduction of the Walkman portable cassette player in 1979, made by Sony, meant people could listen to music on the move for the first time. By the end of 1989, 83 million tapes were bought by British music fans, but the invention of the compact disc in the 1990s changed that.
Despite the demise of the cassette tape in the 90s, in the first six months of 2020, nearly 65,000 music cassettes were sold in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company – double the sales from the same period the previous year. Although this is only a small fraction of overall music sales, cassette tapes are physical items that can be kept and collected – not stored in the cloud. And the resurgence of the cassette has been helped by big names such as Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, who have released their music on this format.
To listen to music on a cassette, you need a tape player or a personal stereo to play them on, but this hasn’t deterred the new younger audience – its recent popularity seems to be more about buying memorabilia. Gennaro Castaldo from the British Phonographic Industry told the BBC: “Younger consumers are now buying into their collectible appeal – as they have done with vinyl – and the more they do this, the greater the demand for labels and artists to cater to.” But although cassettes won’t replace streaming as a way of listening to music, it does go to show how some tech never dies!
词汇表
format 载体形式，格式
stream 在线收听
portable 轻便的，便携的
tech 科技，技术
vinyl 黑胶唱片
cassette tape 录音带，磁带
analogue 模拟录音的
digital 数码的，数字的
recorded 录制的，录下的
cassette player （盒式）磁带播放器
compact disc 光盘
physical 实物的
the cloud 网络云
resurgence 重新兴起
personal stereo 随身听，便携式袖珍播放器
memorabilia 纪念品
collectible appeal 值得收藏的魅力
label 唱片公司
cater to 迎合、满足…的需要
测验与练习
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What is wrong with the sound quality on a cassette tape?
2. Which invention made listening to music on the move possible for the first time?
3. What has helped to make cassette tapes popular again?
4. True or false? It’s not possible to store cassette tapes.
5. Name another old format that can be used for listening to music and that has seen a resurgence.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. You must watch this live pop concert. It’s _______ now on social media!
formatting streaming digital analogue
2. I have _______ the school concert on my video camera, so we can watch it later.
recorded record recording recordable
3. The record _______ has signed a new singer with a great voice – I look forward to hearing her first album.
format vinyl label resurgence
4. I love going to fairs and buying old movie _______.
memorabilia memorabelia memories memorabilias
5. The hotel appeared to ________ large groups and didn’t have much character.
catering to caters to cater at cater to
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What is wrong with the sound quality on a cassette tape?
It is analogue technology, which means it does not have the sound quality that a digital recording does.
2. Which invention made listening to music on the move possible for the first time?
The introduction of the Walkman portable cassette player in 1979, made by Sony, meant people could listen to music on the move for the first time.
3. What has helped to make cassette tapes popular again?
The popularity of the cassette has been helped by big names such as Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber releasing their music on this format.
4. True or false? It’s not possible to store cassette tapes.
False. They can be stored at home, but they can’t be stored in the cloud.
5. Name another old format that can be used for listening to music and that has seen a resurgence.
Vinyl – or records – is another old format that you can listen to music on.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. You must watch this live pop concert. It’s streaming now on social media!
2. I have recorded the school concert on my video camera, so we can watch it later.
3. The record label has signed a new singer with a great voice – I look forward to hearing her first album.
4. I love going to fairs and buying old movie memorabilia.
5. The hotel appeared to cater to large groups and didn’t have much character.
