Question

【題目】Decades before the first unaccompanied child was put on a plane to grandma’s in the care of a flight attendant, a few resourceful parents accomplished the same end by simply dropping their kids in the mail.

This was in the earliest days of the parcel post service, which launched in 1913. Before that, U.S. Postal Service packages were capped at four pounds, which limited the goofy things people tried to send by post.

But when the parcel service began, all kinds of cargo showed up in the mail stream, including coffins, eggs, dogs and, in a few cases, human young.

According to National Postal Museum historian Nancy Pope, the first known case of a mailed baby was in 1913 when Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge of Glen Este, Ohio, shipped their 10-pound infant son to his grandmother’s home about a mile away, paying 15 cents in postage and springing for $50 in insurance (because they were worriers).

But some children were mailed much farther, Pope said. Edna Neff of Pensacola, Fla., was 6 when she was packed off — or packaged off — to her father’s home in Christiansburg, Va., 720 miles away.

The precious parcels weren’t truly parcels in the brown-paper. Instead they were more like companions in the arms of their carriers or walked along the route(路線). But the most famous mailed child, May Pierstorff, was indeed sent by an Idaho railway mail car in 1914 with the appropriate stamps stuck to her traveling coat. May’s picture survives, but no physical evidence of her trip. “We would sure love to have that coat,” Pope said.

In 1914, the postmaster general instituted a rule about the mail that stands to this day: no humans. But that didn’t stop an ambitious thief from crating himself up and shipping himself airmail. When William DeLucia, packed in a trunk labeled “Musical Instruments” along with food and an oxygen tank, was airborne, he climbed out, pilfered thousands of dollars’ worth of goods from the registered mail and sealed himself back up. He was arrested at the Atlanta airport in 1980 after his trunk popped open as it was being unloaded.

“We have his oxygen tank” at the Postal Museum, Pope noted with pride.

【1】What did U.S Postal Service put a limit to before 1913?

A. The value of the mail.

B. The weight of parcels.

C. The content in the mail.

D. The postage for packages.

【2】How was Jesse Beauge’s son mailed?

A. Packed in a mailbox.

B. Walked along the route.

C. Sent by a railway mail car.

D. Carried in the arms of the postman.

【3】What does Nancy Pope wish to be exhibited most in the Postal Museum?

A. May’s picture.

B. The brown-paper.

C. May’s traveling coat.

D. Idaho railway mail car.

【4】Who discovered William DeLucia at last?

A. The airport porter.

B. The airport police.

C. The passenger victims.

D. The postmaster general.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】D

【3】C

【4】A

【解析】本文簡介了美國郵政郵寄孩子服務(wù)的歷史。幾十年前，第一個(gè)孤身一人的孩子被帶上飛機(jī)去奶奶家。而有些父母只是簡單地把孩子丟在郵包里。而這些珍貴的“包裹”并不是真的棕色紙包裹的郵件，他們更像是郵遞員臂彎里的同伴。更離奇的是竟然有小偷藏身于包裹中盜竊貴重物品，結(jié)果還是沒有逃脫機(jī)場卸貨員的檢查。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段This was in the earliest days of the parcel post service, which launched in 1913. Before that, U.S. Postal Service packages were capped at four pounds可知，1913年前，美國郵政限制郵件的重量不超過4磅重。故選B。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段the first known case of a mailed baby was in 1913 when Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge of Glen Este, Ohio, shipped their 10-pound infant son to his grandmother’s home about a mile away可知，1913年，Beauge夫婦把自己的兒子通過郵寄的方式送到一英里外的祖母家。孩子只有10磅重，當(dāng)然是郵遞員抱著小孩子送過去。故選D。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段But the most famous mailed child, May Pierstorff, was indeed sent by an Idaho railway mail car in 1914 with the appropriate stamps stuck to her traveling coat. May’s picture survives, but no physical evidence of her trip. “We would sure love to have that coat,” Pope said.得知，Pope希望May在郵寄旅行中穿的外套被郵政博物館展覽。故選C。

【4】推理判斷題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段He was arrested at the Atlanta airport in 1980 after his trunk popped open as it was being unloaded.可知，小偷的藏身箱在被機(jī)場工作人員卸載時(shí)突然開箱被發(fā)現(xiàn)。故選A。