雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Before the 19th century, delivering letters was extremely slow and expensive. In the UK, the cost was based on the distance traveled and the number of pages, and it was usually paid by the recipient. This often led to people refusing to pay for their mail. In 1840, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the Penny Post, which charged a flat rate of one penny for any letter weighing up to half an ounce, regardless of distance. The sender paid the postage in advance, and stamps were introduced as proof of payment. This reform greatly increased the volume of mail and made communication affordable for ordinary people.