In a small village in England about 150 years ago, a mail coach (邮车) was standing on the street.  Around the coach many people were talking to one another about it.  Mail coach did not come to that village so often in those days.  People had to pay a lot of money to get a letter.  The person who sent the letter did not have to pay.  The person who got the letter had to pay the postage (邮资).  “Here?s a letter for Miss Alice Brown,” said the mailman.  Everyone turned to a girl of about eighteen who was standing by the coach.  “I?m Alice Brown,” she said in a low voice.  The mailman gave her the letter.  Alice looked at the envelope for a minute, and then handed it back to the mailman.  “I’m sorry I can?t take it,” she said.  “I don?t have enough money to pay the postage. ” The people standing around were very sorry for the girl.  They were silent for a while.  Then a gentleman came up to the mailman and paid the postage for Alice’s letter.  When the gentleman gave her the letter, she said with a smile, “Oh, thank you very much, sir.  This letter is from the young man I’m going to marry.  His name is Tom.  He went to London to look for work.  He has to get enough money for our marriage (结婚).  I’ve waited a long time for this letter, but now don’t need it.  I don’t have to open the envelope because there is nothing inside. ” “Really?” the gentleman said in surprise.  “How do you know that?” “He told me that he would put some signs on the envelope.  Look, sir, this cross in the corner means that he is well, and this circle means he has found work.  That’s very good news. ” The gentleman was Sir Rowland Hill.  He did not forget Alice and her letter.  “The postage to be paid by the receiver has to be changed,” he said to himself.  He thought and thought for many years.  At last he had a good plan.  “The postage has to be much lower,” he said.  “What about a penny (便士) for a letter? And the person who sends the letter pays the postage.  He has to buy a stamp and put it on the envelope. ” “A good idea!” people said when they heard of his plan.  The Government decided to adopt (采纳) the plan.  The first postage stamp was put out in 1840.  It was called the “Penny Black”.  It had a picture of the Queen on it.  
【小题1】The first postage stamp was made ________.  

In a surprising result, the No. 69 Middle School girls' football team yesterday beat their school's boys' team. The boys' team often helped the girls with their training (训练). They had never lost to the girls before, but this time the girls beat them 4 — 3.
After the game, Wu Nai, head of the boys' team, was very unhappy. "We all thought this would be an easy game," he said. "We never thought a team of girls could beat us. This is the saddest day of my life. "
But Mr Hu, the boys' PE teacher, said he thought the girls should win. "The boys were too confident (自信)," he said. "I told them before the match that they needed to play well. They all thought that girls' football was a joke. Now they know better. They didn't play care­fully, and they lost."
The match had started well for the boys. After 30 minutes, they were winning 2 - 0. Their best player, Lu Ming, scored in the thirtieth minute. Earlier, the mid-field player, Ma Zhengquan, had scored the first goal in only the second minute of the match.
After the first half hour, the boys seemed to become too confident. At first, the girls had felt a bit nervous (紧张), but then they became more and more confident. Just before half time, Li Xiaolin made the score 2 - 1.
In the second half, the boys were the first to score. It was from Lu Ming. After that the boys became lazy, but the girls kept on working hard. Hao Meiling scored in the 68th minute, to make the score 3 — 2. Then Li Xiaolin scored twice in the last six minutes to make the last score 4-3. It was a surprising finish.
The girls' PE teacher, Miss Wang, was very pleased with their work. "They were great!" She said. "I told them they could win. I told them that the most important thing was teamwork. The boys' team had some good players, but my girls were a better team!"

1. 1.

      Who scored the first goal in the match?

   1. A.
      Lu Ming.
   2. B.
      Ma Zhengquan.
   3. C.
      Li Xiaolin.
   4. D.
      Hao Meiling.
2. 2.

     How many goals did Li Xiaolin score?

   1. A.
      One.
   2. B.
      Two.
   3. C.
      Three.
   4. D.
      Four.
3. 3.

      Why could the girls' team beat the boys' in the football match?

   1. A.
      Because the boys' team helped the girls with their training.
   2. B.
      Because the boys had never lost to the girls before.
   3. C.
      Because the boys' team won the first half.
   4. D.
      Because the girls played together better and worked harder.
4. 4.

      Which of the following is right?

   1. A.
      The girls made only one goal in the first half.
   2. B.
      The girls even made 3 more goals than the boys in the second half.
   3. C.
      Many people thought the girls could beat the boys before the match.
   4. D.
      The girls' team had some better players than the boys'.
5. 5.

      Choose the right order according to the passage.
   a.   The girls' PE teacher told them that they could win.
   b.   Wu Nai, head of the boys' team was very unhappy.
   c.   The match started well for the boys.
   d.   The girls kicked the second goal in the match.

   1. A.
      a-b-c-d
   2. B.
      b-c-d-a
   3. C.
      d-c-a-b
   4. D.
      a-c-d-b