雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Many people assume that the first stamps were introduced in the UK in 1840, which is true. However, an earlier form of prepaid postage existed in France in the 1650s, but it was not widely adopted. The key point is that the UK's Penny Black revolutionized communication by making postage affordable for ordinary people. Interestingly, the idea of using adhesive stamps actually originated from a schoolteacher named Rowland Hill, who proposed it to the government. His proposal was initially rejected, but after public pressure, it was finally accepted. So, despite earlier experiments, the modern stamp system truly began with the Penny Black.