『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 30 Lec 4听力练习：What distinguished Les Paul’s guitar from electric guitars that preceded it?原文题目答案解析，TPO/Official 30 Lec 4听力原文范文音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 30 Lec 4听力原文What distinguished Les Paul’s guitar from electric guitars that preceded it?【新东方在线】

旁白：听一段音乐历史的讲座。

Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a music history class.

The professor has been discussing music of the twentieth century.

教授：当你想到摇滚乐的时候，你会想到什么乐器？

Professor: And what instrument comes to mind when you think of rock ‘n’ roll?

教授：非常正确。我认为，说电吉他是摇滚乐的代表并不为过。摇滚乐在20世纪50年代非常的流行。

Professor: Exactly. I think it’s fair to say that the sound of the electric guitar typifies the rock ‘n’ roll genre, which became popular in the 1950s.

但是，事实上我们现在所知道的乐器，是20世纪20年代，为了我们实际的用途不断发展的产物。

But really the instrument we know today was the result of a continuing development that started for all practical purposes in the 1920s.

但是，甚至在很早之前，人们试了几种方法去改良传统的原声吉他。

But long before that even, people were experimenting with ways to modify traditional acoustic guitars.

这是一把西班牙吉他，它的弦是用动物制品制作的。

This is the Spanish guitar and the strings were made from animal products.

这个就导致了钢吉他的产生，这个同样也被称作为钢弦吉他，这是因为表演者在颈部的钢拉杆上上下滑动。

And that led to the lap guitar, which is also called the steel guitar because the player slides a steel rod up and down the neck.

但是，最终，我们有了电吉他。

But then eventually we have electric guitars.

多年以来，很多发明家和音乐家都对这种乐器的设计，做出了贡献。

Over the years, many inventors and musicians contributed to the design of these instruments.

并且，每一款设计都想要在某种方面改变声音。在起初至少是使电吉他声音变大。

And each design was intended to alter the sound in some way, at first at least with the electric guitar, to make it louder.

让我们回到钢弦吉他第一次被引进到美国的时候。

So let’s get back to when the steel guitar was first introduced in the United States.

这个就发生在19世纪90年代，西美战争之后。

It was right after the Spanish-American war in the late 1890s.

在夏威夷驻扎的美国海员们——之后变成了美国领土——对于他们在那里听到的音乐非常着迷。

US sailors who were stationed in Hawaii—then a US territory—were very enamored with the music they heard there.

夏威夷音乐用的是我之前说过的钢弦吉他。

Uh, Hawaiian music was based on the steel guitar I just described.

一些海员们学会了弹奏钢弦吉他，并且把它带回了美国。

Some sailors learned how to play the steel guitar and brought it home to the States.

不就以后，夏威夷钢弦吉他音乐在美国本土风行。

Before long, Hawaiian steel guitar music was all the rage in the mainland US.

事实上，它对于很多种音乐都产生了强烈的影响，最显著的就是摇滚乐，但是同样地也对爵士和蓝调产生了影响。

It actually had a strong influence on the development of several musical genres, rock ‘n’ roll most notably, but also jazz and blues.

不管怎样，到20世纪20年代位置，随着全民舞蹈运动的出现，人们聚集成一个大群体来听钢弦音乐。

Anyway, by the 1920s, with the advent of the public dance movement, people were gathering in large groups to listen to steel guitar music.

但是，他们要听清出这个音乐有点困难，尤其是在大的公共场所。

But they had trouble hearing it, especially in large public settings.

就像我之前提过的，这个乐器是水平演奏的，在膝盖上。

As I mentioned, the instrument was played horizontally, on the lap.

由于琴弦是朝上的，声音向天花板传播，而不是向观众那边传播。

Since the strings faced upward, the sound was projected toward the ceiling rather than outward toward the audience.

必须要做点什么，因为音乐的场地和观众群越来越大。

Something had to be done, because the music venues and the audience kept getting larger and larger.

学生：找一种可以将声音放大的方法？

Student: Find a way to amplify the sound?

教授：是的。为了做到这一点，发明家们开始将电子仪器连接上去，将电子线圈链接到原声吉他上。

Professor: Yes. And to do that, inventors started attaching electronic devices, electrical coils to the acoustic guitars.

但是，将电子产品连接上去不仅仅影响了音量。

But attaching electronics didn’t just affect how loudly you could play.

It also changed the quality of the sound.

这些早期的电吉他是中空的，并且这些早期的扩声器引起了乐器主体的振动。

These early electric guitars were hollow and these early amplifiers caused vibrations in the bodies of the instruments.

所以随着声音变得更响，声音就变得越发扭曲失真。

So as the sound got louder, it became more distorted, fuzzy-sounding.

在当时，音乐家们想要的是纯粹的、干净的声音。

And what musicians at the time wanted was a pure, clean sound.

学生：所以Les Paul是怎么发挥作用的？

他是第一个电子化原声吉他的人么？

Wasn’t he the first to electrify acoustic guitars?

教授：不是的。在1940年左右，当Les Paul出现的时候电子化的吉他已经有了。

Professor: Uh…no. Electrified guitars already existed by the time Les Paul came into the picture around 1940.

他所做的就是尝试着将失真的声音去除，并且，他成功了。

What Paul did was experiment with ways of removing the distortions and he succeeded.

他设计了一个只用电的实心吉他。

He designed a guitar with a solid body that relied solely on electronics.

Paul的实心主体去除了振动和失真。

Paul’s solid body eliminated the vibrations, and thus the distortions.

学生：不好意思。但是当我想到电吉他音乐的时候，我就会想到Jimi Hendrix。

Student: Excuse me. But when I think of electric guitar music, I think of Jimi Hendrix.

教授：Jimi Hendrix是我最爱之一。

Professor: Jimi Hendrix, one of my favorites.

学生：但是Jimi Hendrix的音乐事实上就是为了失真，这也是他音乐最棒的地方，那些特别的效果。

Student: But Hendrix’s style really was all about distortion, that’s what’s so great about his music, all those special effects.

我认为，比起纯粹的声音，很多摇滚乐的粉丝都会喜欢那个。

I think a lot of rock ‘n’ roll fans prefer that to a pure sound.

教授：是的。你说到我前面了。

Professor: Yeah. You are getting ahead of me here.

但是，很好，因为我正要说的就是随着时间的流逝，摇滚乐的声音也产生了变化。

But good, because the point I was going to make is that the sound of rock ‘n’ roll changed over the years.

并且电吉他的设计和技术使得这些变化可以实现。

And the designs and technology of electric guitars made those changes possible.

和Les Paul去除失真相反的是，后期的音乐家们想要制造出它，

So whereas Les Paul’s goal was to remove the distortion, later musicians wanted to produce it.

And by the time Jimi Hendrix came around.

从本质上来说，就他创造出的惊人的效果和振动而言，Hendrix彻底改造了电吉他，这彻底的改变了摇滚乐的声音。

Well, essentially, Hendrix reinvented the electric guitar, in the sense that he created amazing effects and vibrations that changed the sound of rock ‘n’ roll completely.

所以最终，人们试着去改善Les Paul的模型，我应该说是改良它。

So eventually, people tried to improve on Les Paul’s model, well, to modify it I should say.

What does the professor say about the sailors who were stationed in Hawaii after the Spanish-American War?

Why does the professor mention that the steel guitar was played horizontally?

What distinguished Les Paul’s guitar from electric guitars that preceded it?

What can be inferred about the woman who mentions Jimi Hendrix?

What does the professor mean when he states that Jimi Hendrix’s reinvented the electric guitar?

Narrator 
Listen to part of a lecture in a music history class. The professor has been discussing music of the twentieth century. 
Professor 
And what instrument comes to mind when you think of rock ‘n’ roll? 
Student 
The electric Guitar? 
Professor 
Exactly. I think it’s fair to say that the sound of the electric guitar typifies the rock ‘n’ roll genre, which became popular in the 1950s. But really the instrument we know today was the result of a continuing development that started for our practical purposes in the 1920s. 
But long before that even, people were experimenting with ways to modify traditional acoustic guitars. The first guitars were wooden. This is the Spanish guitar and the strings were made from animal products. Then came steel strings. And that led to the lap guitar, which is also called the steel guitar because the player slides a steel rod up and down the neck. And those are all acoustic guitars. OK? 
But then eventually we have electric guitars. Over the years, many inventors and musicians contributed to the design of these instruments. And each design was intended to alter the sound in some way, at first at least with the electric guitar, to make it louder. 
So let’s get back to when the steel guitar was first introduced in the United States. It was right after the Spanish-American war in the late 1890s. US sailors who were stationed in Hawaii—then a US territory—were very enamored with the music they heard there. Uh, Hawaiian music was based on the steel guitar I just described. Some sailors learned how to play the steel guitar and brought it home to the States. Before long, Hawaiian steel guitar music was all the rage3 in the mainland US. It actually had a strong influence on the development of several musical genres, rock ‘n’ roll most notably, but also jazz and blues. 
Anyway, by the 1920s, with the advent of the public dance movement, people were gathering in large groups to listen to steel guitar music. But they had trouble hearing it, especially in large public settings. As I mentioned, the instrument was played horizontally, on the lap. Since the strings faced upward, the sound was projected toward the ceiling rather than outward toward the audience. Something had to be done, because the music venues and the audience kept getting larger and larger. 
So what would you do? 
Student 
Find a way to amplify the sound? 
Professor 
Yes. And to do that, inventors started attaching electronic devices, electrical coils to the acoustic guitars. And the electronics worked! But attaching electronics didn’t just affect how loudly you could play. It also changed the quality of the sound. These early electric guitars were hollow and these early amplifiers caused vibrations in the bodies of the instruments. So as the sound got louder, it became more distorted, fuzzy-sounding. And what musicians at the time wanted was a pure, clean sound. 
Student 
So where does Les Paul fit in? Wasn’t he the first to electrify acoustic guitars? 
Professor 
Uh…no. Electrified guitars already existed by the time Les Paul came into the picture around 1940. What Paul did was experiment with ways of removing the distortions and he succeeded. He designed a guitar with a solid body that relied solely on electronics. Paul’s solid body eliminated the vibrations, and thus the distortions. 
Student 
Excuse me. But when I think of electric guitar music, I think of Jimi Hendrix. 
Professor 
Jimi Hendrix, one of my favorites. 
Student 
But Hendrix’s style really was all about distortion, that’s what’s so great about his music, all those special effects. I think a lot of rock ‘n’ roll fans prefer that to a pure sound. 
Professor 
Yeah. You are getting ahead of me here. But good, because the point I was going to make is that the sound of rock ‘n’ roll changed over the years. And the designs and technology of electric guitars made those changes possible. So whereas Les Paul’s goal was to remove the distortion, later musicians wanted to produce it. And by the time Jimi Hendrix came around. Well, essentially, Hendrix reinvented the electric guitar, in the sense that he created amazing effects and vibrations that changed the sound of rock ‘n’ roll completely. So eventually, people tried to improve on Les Paul’s model, well, to modify it I should say.

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