索尼宣布在日本停售磁带随身听

    索尼公司近日宣布，诞生于1979年、全球销量超过2.2亿台的索尼Walkman（随身听）将在日本国内停售。据了解，索尼最后一批磁带随身听生产于今年4月份，现有商品在日本售罄后将不会再上货。不过，该产品在中国的生产仍将继续，以满足美国、欧洲以及部分亚洲国家少数用户的需求。上世纪八、九十年代，随身听曾经盛行一时，它改变了人们听音乐的习惯，并创造了“耳机文化”的概念。进入21世纪后，互联网逐渐普及，以MP3为代表的数字音乐格式逐渐流行，更多的年轻人选择从网络下载音乐，而不是去商店购买磁带和CD，随身听的主流地位也逐渐被MP3播放器所取代。有趣的是，索尼公司宣布这个消息的日子正好是苹果iPod诞生9周年纪念日的前一天。
    The Walkman was the world's first commercial personal stereo system and revolutionized how people listened to music.
    Often cited as one of the greatest gadget¹ inventions of all time it has been squeezed out by portable CD players and latterly the advent² of digital rivals, most notably³ Apple's iPod.
    Since its launch in 1979 around 220 million Walkmans have been sold worldwide and the ground-breaking, pocket-sized music player was cherished by a generation of joggers and teenagers.
    While the last batch⁴ has already been produced for the Japanese market, Sony said it will continue making the device in China to accommodate a dwindling⁵ band of users in the US, Europe and some Asian countries.
    George Boyd, a spokesman for Sony in Tokyo, said: "There is still demand in certain regions, including emerging markets, but in Japan there has been a shift to other forms of recording⁶ media."The Walkman was dreamed up by Nobutoshi Kihara, an engineer in Sony's audio division, in response to a request from Akio Morita, the company's joint⁷ chairman, who wanted to listen to operas during his frequent long-haul business flights.
    Initial public reaction to the Walkman was lukewarm but it took off when it was marketed at younger consumers.
    Its popularity began to fade with the arrival of CDs and was further eroded⁸ by downloadable music and devices that can store thousands of songs, while also delivering better sound quality.
    The retirement⁹ of the Sony Walkman in Japan was announced the day before the ninth anniversary of the release of the iPod.
 

1 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

2 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

3 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

4 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

5 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。