雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. In the 19th century, the introduction of the postage stamp revolutionized mail delivery. Before stamps, the recipient, not the sender, usually paid for the letter, which often led to refused deliveries. The first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in Britain in 1840. It featured a portrait of Queen Victoria and was printed in black ink. Interestingly, the stamp was so successful that within a few years, other countries, including Brazil and the United States, adopted similar systems. However, early stamps had no perforations, so clerks had to cut them with scissors, which was time-consuming.