精聽(tīng)建議：

先完整地把一條新聞聽(tīng)一到三遍，爭(zhēng)取掌握大意。然后，一句一句精聽(tīng)，力爭(zhēng)每句話都聽(tīng)明白。遇到實(shí)在不懂的地方，再聽(tīng)寫。

下面的文本材料中空缺部分里面要填的詞都很簡(jiǎn)單，不過(guò)是一些值得注意的連讀或者典型的美式發(fā)音哦，有些語(yǔ)速比較快。試試看，你能不能全部寫對(duì)？

（參考文本，歡迎指出錯(cuò)誤^^）

Lesson26 The First Stamp

Have you ever mailed letters to your friends? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. So how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who ___(1)___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. The person who got the letter had to ___(2)___ it and the cost was very high. Because of this, some senders would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, he would refuse to accept the letter ___(3)___ avoid the payment.
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. The cost was to be paid by the sender by placing a small ___(4)___ black paper on the letter. Thus was born the first stamp in the world and was known for its ___(5)___ “Penny Black”.

■填空答案■

第一張郵票

你曾給朋友寄過(guò)信嗎？如果寄過(guò)，那你一定在寄信之前在信封上貼上了郵票。那在郵票發(fā)明過(guò)去人們不使用郵票和信封。當(dāng)人們想寄信時(shí)，他們會(huì)在信紙上蓋封口章。收到信的人得付錢而且費(fèi)用非常昂貴。正因如此，有些寄信的人通常在信外面標(biāo)上特殊的記號(hào)，收信人會(huì)讀懂這個(gè)特殊的記號(hào)，然后他就拒絕收信，免付郵費(fèi)。
1837年，羅蘭希爾先生在英國(guó)倡導(dǎo)了“郵政改革”。他提出只要付一便士，信就可以寄到英國(guó)任何地方。費(fèi)用由寄信人通過(guò)在信上粘貼一張黑色小紙支付。這樣世界上第一張郵票就誕生了，人們昵稱它為“黑便士”。