Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps?
In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal（封印）. The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it.
In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the “Post Office Reforms” in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the “Penny Black” was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the “Penny Black”. This is now the world’s most famous stamp. This new system spread fast.
小题1:The best title for this passage should be______
| A．The First Stamp. | B．How Stamp Was First Made |
| C．Why the First Stamp Was Made | D．When Was Stamp First Made |
小题2:Before stamps were used,______ would pay for the letter.
| A．the sender | B．the receiver | C．the government | D．no one |
小题3:The first stamp was made______.
| A．more than 160 years ago | B．more than two centuries ago |
| C．less than 100 years ago | D．about 100 years ago |
小题4:Which of the following is true about the first stamp of China?
| A．It was made much earlier than the first stamp of the US |
| B．The stamp had a snake on it |
| C．The stamp couldn’t be found now |
| D．The stamp had a picture of a dragon on it |
