雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people assume that the first stamps were introduced in the UK, but actually, the first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was indeed issued in Britain in 1840. However, the concept of a postal system dates back much further. For example, the ancient Persians had a relay system, and the Romans had a similar network. But the real innovation came in the 19th century with the introduction of prepaid postage. Before that, the recipient paid for the mail, which often led to refusal. The Penny Black changed this by making the sender pay upfront. Interestingly, the first stamp didn't have the Queen's head on it; it depicted a profile of Queen Victoria, but that was added later. The key point is that the invention of the stamp made postal services more efficient and affordable for ordinary people.