64. Which of the following will the author probably agree with? A. For children’s benefits, the earlier the better. B. Children’s spare time should be carefully designed. C. Spare time for children is becoming a thing of the past. D. Parents should be forgiven if they have a good reason.
B
For as long as humans have existed, there has been a need to keep in touch, to send information between people in different places. Before writing was invented, spoken messages were carried from one person to another and it was not easy to send longer messages. Writing changed the situation, but it was still difficult to make sue that your message got to the right place.
The Romans created an organized system of mail delivery (投递), called Cursus Publicus. This was used by the Emperor and officials to send information throughout the Empire (帝国) Staging posts and a relay system with horses and carriages meant that messages could move quickly, by using many riders instead of one. However, the Romans were not (as many people think) the first to realize this. In 2000 BC the Egyptians used a similar system to keep people informed about the laws in the country. The Chinese and Persian empires also used systems of horses and riders more than 500 yeah before the Romans.
After the Roman postal (邮递的) service disappeared, other systems were created in Europe, but never again as large as the Roman’s. Rulers of countries or regions and even churches created their own official mail network. It was also very important to business between countries that good communication existed. International traders set up many unofficial postal links. There was one such link between Venice and Constantinople in the 14th century.
Until the mid-1600s in Europe, only official messages could be carried by the state networks; everyone else had to we less secure, unofficial networks. However, as more roads were built, unofficial networks became safer, more reliable and very profitable. Realizing they could make money, governments in most countries took control of their own public postal system, making the unofficial networks illegal.
A number of countries claim to have invented the idea of stamps-placing a piece of paper on the letter showing that the postage had been paid for. But the first widely-available stamp was
the Penny Black, introduced in Britain by a man called Rowland Hill in 1840. It was a black stamp with a white picture of the Queen’s head on it. Hill changed the idea of payment from distance to weight. The year before its introduction, about 75 million letters had been posted in Britain, yet only 10 years later over 340 million letters were sent using stamp. It was a very important invention and completely changed the postal system. To buy a first-edition of this stamp today can cost over ￡1000.
Until the 1870s it was still very expensive to send mail to other countries. The Universal Postal Union was created in 1874 to make sure that “all people in the world have affordable and reliable access to postal services”. It cannot tell countries how much to charge, but it helps countries work together and set reasonable international mail prices.
With the creation of airmail, it’s now cheap and quick to send letters to most parts of the world. Unfortunately, the growth of new technology (the Internet, emails, fax machines) means that traditional postal services are becoming less popular. Many people now call traditional post “snail mail”, because it does not ha.ve the speed of an email or a text message. Remember, though it has been here for over 2000 years, and is still a way of delivering a personal message. 65. Sending longer messages became easier because of . A. the invention of paper
B. the invention of writing D. the need of communicating
C. the invention of language
66. According to the passage. Cursus Publicus . A. was the largest mail network in Europe B. was the first mail network in human history C. provided postal service for everyone in Rome D. was 500 year earlier than the similar system in Egypt 67. It can be learned from Paragraph 5 that before 1840 . A. the stamp was very expensive
B. most people in Europe had no idea of stamps C. Britain had the best postal system in the world
D. the postage on a letter was decided by how far it traveled 68. What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A. The airmail system grows rapidly.
B. The postal system will become more popular. C. The speed of traditional post will be improved
D. The traditional postal services remain important in mail delivery.
C
“Father, do you see Mother in your dreams?” the young girl asks. “You know sometimes I do.”
“Mother comes to see me a lot, you know. We sit and talk.” The father smiles. “How is your homework coming along?”
“Why do I have to study so hard?”
“It is what your mother would have wanted!”
She regrets speaking her mind. “I’m sorry, Father, I shouldn’t have said that.” She looks up and sees his eyes well up with tears.
“It’s okay, love,’’ he gets up and pours himself a drink. “I’ll just sit outside for a while. You finish up your work, okay?”
“I’m sorry, Father; Mother did love you very much. She told me all the time.” “Homework, first, eh? Then we can chat about your mother.”
He heads off outside and sits in his usual chair, looking around the courtyard. The whole area relaxes the mind and somehow soothes the soul.
“All finished, Father. May I get a drink and sit with you? I have some questions.’’ She comes with two drinks one for him and one for herself. He looks surprised. She never really liked him having a drink. Although he had cut back a lot from before he brought her here, it still seemed strange.
“Mother told me all about you. That is before she passed away. We would laugh together at your love stories.”
He listens without uttering a single sound.
“Why didn’t you come and take her away with you? She really wanted that. Did you know that?”
Her father looks at his daughter lovingly. “Circumstances were difficult back then. It was just the way things were. When it came time to...” He sighs. “To visit her it was too late.”
The girl smiles. “I hope I will have the same kind of love you and mother had.”
“Without all the heartache,” her father adds.
“She always knew you loved her. She told me every day,” the child mentions cheerfully. “I saw her crying sometimes when she read your letters.”
“Did she make you promise to look after me?” She inquires. “She asked me to take care of you.” “You promised her, didn’t you?” “Yes, I did.”
“It is nice out here, isn’t it? Mother would have been very happy here.”
She talks with some authority. Her father remains silent. A smile comes to his weary brow. He nods his head.
“Mother wanted me to give you something. I think now the time is right.” She runs to her room. Upon returning she hands her father a book. “It’s mother’s diary! She wanted me to give it to you.”
He takes the book and holds it in his trembling hands, “Thank you.” “Mother said you would understand things better.” “Wise woman, your mother.”
He places the book on the table as he gets up. The girl gets up and wraps herself around her father.
“I love you.” she looks up at his face.
He picks her up and hugs her. “I love you, too.” His voice trembles. “It’s okay, Father. We have each other now and mother is in both of us.” He kisses her head.
“Time you went to bed,” her father softly says.
He puts her down and she scampers off to get washed and ready for bed.
Clearing up everything he checks on his daughter. She is in bed waiting for her good night kiss. He tucks her in and bids her goodnight.
Just as he is to leave she tells him. “Mother told me she adopted me when I was a baby.” He stands at her bedroom door. Words fail him. Yes, he knew she was adopted. “I am really lucky for being loved by my parents, even if I am not really theirs.” “You trying to bring on the water works?” he tells her.
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