雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service. Before the 19th century, mail delivery was slow and unreliable, often taking weeks for a letter to travel between cities. The invention of the postage stamp in 1840, specifically the Penny Black in Britain, revolutionized communication. For the first time, the sender paid for the postage, not the receiver, which reduced disputes and encouraged people to send more letters. This led to a rapid expansion of postal networks worldwide. However, it wasn't until the late 19th century that mail began to be delivered to rural areas, a service that was initially subsidized by the government.