雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. In the 19th century, mail was delivered by horse-drawn coaches, which could take weeks to cross a country. The invention of the railway in the 1830s dramatically reduced delivery times. By the 1850s, trains carried most long-distance mail. However, the real revolution came with the introduction of the postage stamp in 1840, which made prepayment possible and encouraged more people to use the service. Interestingly, the first stamps were not adhesive; they had to be cut from a sheet and glued on. This changed in 1854 when perforations were introduced.