单选题 Around the corner from the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential library in Abilene, Kansas, is the Museum of Independent Telephony. Its 20, 000 visitors a year see a bewildering collection, ranging from wooden wall phones, " candlestick" phones and old pay phones, to switchboards and a reconstructed operator's lair. Despite their years, some of the artifacts continue to work as interactive exhibits. The museum has been receiving more than usual interest in recent years, for Abilene has become a focus for a new American phenomenon. In this age of modems, mobiles and voice mail, Americans are going all gooey over old phones. The ancient railroad town has arguably become the antique phone center of America—the Antique Telephone Collectors Association is also headquartered in Abilene. It owes its status partly to the generosity of the Sprint Corporation, a telecommunications giant which funds the museum because someone called C. L. Brown founded the company there many years ago. Ironically, a big factor in the birth of the old phone market has been the Internet. It has allowed enthusiasts to link up with like-minded souls thousands of miles away. "There are too few collectors to form local organizations of any size, but the Internet has been a wonderful way for people to connect, " says Karen Poza, who two years ago joined the ranks of collectors. "We collectors are like vultures, "says Paul Wiltfong of Lenexa, Kansas, a construction worker who has collected some 14, 000 items since 1981. Auction websites like eBay offer a lively marketplace for the buying and selling of old phones and switchboards. Many vintage phones now cost between $500 and $1, 000, with a few exceptional ones running into five figures. The most popular collectable phones tend to be the ones that people remember using themselves. For instance, interest in early 20th century wooden wall phones—once the most popular models—has waned because fewer people are now alive who remember using them. One aspect of older phones that attracts aficionados is their reliability. Back in the days when the phone company—not the consumer—owned most phones, it was in the company's interest to provide durable machines that cut down on repair trips. Many collectors actually use the rotary-dial phones that they buy. Indeed, many old models are still compatible with current phone networks. "There's no such thing as an unfixable phone, " says Steve Hill who repairs phones and writes troubleshooting guides for old-phone users. Dealers say that some of the new buys in the market are people who have decorated their houses in retro styles and need "era-appropriate"phones. Indeed, some upmarket retailers are already serving this market by reproducing the old-fashioned designs. How long will it be before they end up in Abilene?

问答题 What practical purposes do some old phones displayed in the Museum serve?

问答题 What contributed a lot to the popularity of old phones?

问答题 Why does Paul, the construction worker, draw an analogy between collectors and vultures?

问答题 What phones are most expensive?

问答题 Why were old phones intended to stay in service longer than today's phones?