2024年云南省成人高考高起点《英语》冲分题兼答案（11）

Passage 4

When you send a letter or a postcard,you have to put stamps on the envelope or on the card.When did people first begin to use stamps?Who was the first to think of this idea?

In the early nineteenth century,people did not use stamps.They had to pay postage(邮费)when they received letters.Sometimes they didn’t want to receive a letter at all,but they had to pay money for it.They were unhappy about this.The postage was high at that time,because the post offices had to send many people to get the postage.

Rowland Hill was a schoolteacher in England.He was the first to think of using stamps in 1850s.He thought it would be much easier for people to use stamps.People could go to the post office to buy stamps and put them on envelopes before they sent the letters.The post office could just put seals(邮戳)on the stamps so that people could not use the stamps again.In this way,the post office did not need to send postmen to get postage.It only needed fewer postmen to send letters.

56.People began to use stamps ________.

A.at the beginning of the nineteenth century

B.in the middle of the nineteenth century

C.more than two hundred years ago

D.when people first sent letters and postcards.

57.Before stamps were used,postage ________.

A.was paid by the letter-writers B.was paid by the letter-receivers

C.was got by postmen D.both B and C

58.Rowland Hill ________.

A.invented the first stamp B.was a postman in England

C.gave the idea of using stamps D.was the first man to use stamps

59.After stamps were used ________.

A.postmen needn’t get postage B.people needn’t pay postage

C.the post office could get more postage D.people should pay more postage

60.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.How did stamps begin to be used?

B.Why were postmen sent to get postage?

C.When did people first begin to use stamps?

D.Who was the first to think of using stamps?

56-60 BDCAA