雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people assume that postal systems were invented in Europe, but in fact, the earliest recorded postal service dates back to ancient China, around 2000 BC. However, it was the Persian Empire that introduced a more organized relay system, using mounted couriers to speed up delivery. Later, the Romans adopted and improved this system, establishing post houses every few miles. Interestingly, the first public postal service, where ordinary citizens could send mail, was not established until the 16th century in England. This was a major shift from earlier systems, which were exclusively for government use.