阅读理解

　　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．

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阅读理解

　　“I hate school, and I’m not going back!”Have you ever had that thought?

　　Lots of kids have had．Usually this feeling doesn’t last long．But what if you feel this way too much?

　　If you are stressed out, you might have a hard time making decision．In the morning, you can’t decide what to eat, what to wear, or what to take for lunch．

　　Sometimes it’s a problem with your classes and schoolwork．Maybe the work is too easy and you get bored．Or maybe the work is too hard, or you don’t feel as clever as the other kids．Reading may be difficult for you, but you are asked to do a lot of it．

　　You may be getting farther and farther behind, and it may seem that you will never catch up with others．

　　When you know why you don’t like school, you can start taking steps to make things better．It’s a good idea to talk to someone about your problems at school．Your mom, dad, friends, teachers, or even classmates will be able to help you．

　　Another good idea is to write down your feeling about school．For instance, keep a diary or just write in a notebook．It’s a great way to let out emotion that may be stuck inside you．And you don’t have to share(分享)what you have written with others．

　　The next time you find yourself disliking school, this will also help you：

　　Make a list of everything you dislike or enjoy－even there is only one thing．See what you can change on“don’t like”list．Could you find a way to show off your special interests and talents on what you like? Which activities could you try that would help you solve these“don’t like”problems? Focus on what you can change and you might be able to put the good feeling back in school!

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