In ancient China, letters were sent by pigeons and packages (包裹) by horses. Common people could hardly afford it. In 1896, China opened its very first post office. That was the beginning of China’s own postal service. With a small stamp on the cover, people in big cities could send letters and packages. Bikes, ships and trains carried them across mountains and rivers in the country, even abroad.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the postal service grew rapidly. Post offices were set up all around the country. Their services stretched to even the quietest, farthest villages. That made communication much easier for people in every corner of the country. College students could write to their parents in faraway hometowns. Friends and relatives could send packages on festivals to greet each other.

Since the 1990s, a new branch (分支) of postal service, the delivery (快递) industry, has also grown rapidly. Take the year 2025 for example. Every second, over 6,000 packages were on the move. Every day, more than 500 million packages were processed and put into trucks. In the whole year, over 180 billion were sent across the country. And the fastest delivery took only several hours!

Now, “speed” is no longer the only key word in this industry. Many delivery services have started to go green. Each year, more than 800 million boxes are reused or recycled. Besides, smart packing models are widely used. There’s no doubt that delivery services are smart in our life and friendly to our environment.

From pigeons and horses to delivery trucks, China’s postal history shows how this old great nation has developed and progressed. Looking forward, will China’s postal service fly to the moon and other planets in outer space?

1.1.What happened in 1896 according to the passage?

A Stamps were invented in China.

B China’s first post office was opened.

C People stopped using pigeons and horses.

D Ships and trains began to carry passengers.

解析：选B。细节理解题 解析：原文第一段 “In 1896, China opened its very first post office.”，1896 年中国开办第一家邮局。 A 文中未说邮票发明；C 人们并没有立刻停止信鸽马匹；D 轮船火车运送邮件而非乘客。故选B。

2.2.What does the underlined phrase “stretched to” mean in Paragraph 2?

A Reported

B Moved

C Reached

D Missed

解析：选C。词义猜测题 解析：stretched to 所在句：邮局遍布全国，服务延伸、抵达最偏远村庄。 report 报道；move 移动；reach 到达、延伸至；miss 错过。stretched to 此处含义为 “延伸到，抵达”，故选C。

3.3.Which can best describe the delivery services according to paragraphs 3&4?

A Faster Greener Smarter.

B Greener Smarter Cheaper

C Smarter Faster Safer

D Safer Cheaper Greener.

解析：选A。细节理解题 解析：第 3 段讲快递速度快 (faster)；第 4 段 go green 绿色环保 (greener)、smart packing 智能化 (smarter)。对应 Faster Greener Smarter。文中没有提到 cheap、safe，故选A。

4.4.What can we learn from the last sentence of the passage?

A The writer hopes to live on other planets.

B The writer shows interest in space history.

C The writer wants to check the delivery address.

D The writer has confidence in China’s postal service.

解析：选D。推理判断题 解析：最后一句 “will China’s postal service fly to the moon and other planets in outer space?” 作者畅想未来邮政甚至可以去往太空，体现对中国邮政事业充满信心。 A 移居星球无依据；B 不是对太空历史感兴趣；C 核对地址错误。故选D。

5.5.How does the writer organize the passage?

A In the order of time

B In the order of space.

C From opinions to facts.

D From reasons to results.

解析：选A。推理判断题 解析：文章依次出现时间：In ancient China →1896→1949→Since the 1990s→Now，按照时间顺序行文。 A 时间顺序；B 空间顺序；C 观点到事实；D 原因到结果。故选A。