雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. While many people think the first stamps were introduced in Britain in 1840, actually the very first adhesive stamp, the Penny Black, was indeed British. However, an earlier form of prepaid postage existed in France in the 17th century, but it wasn't a stamp. Interestingly, the first official postal system was established in ancient Persia around 550 BC, which used mounted couriers to deliver messages across the empire. This system was remarkably efficient for its time, covering about 200 miles per day.