Today we take for granted that the mail will be delivered __1__
7 T' k7 ?. }3 p$ {" n2 c daily at our door. But many years ago it might have been& y1 G/ v: C' m
placed in a tree trunk and underneath a rock. In the early __2__. Y7 y/ M; T' c1 u8 ?( F& \- R8 s' Q
days of the mail no one could be sure about where or when it will arrive. __3__
' b3 ]% W$ z2 n. g At the southern tip of Africa there was once a post office& A/ ^( I- b1 h- Q# [! f
under a rock. At the old days the route from England to __4__
) @) d7 Q- O% c. { India was around the Cape of Good Hope. The journey was' N3 }6 s8 s0 v" E9 h5 @( d
stormy and danger. It took six long months. Sailors often __5__
( F# j1 [, k9 y wished to send mail home, but they seldom met ships bound+ L! `3 h/ i$ n7 `- q" ^, M
back to England. So at the cape the sailors would go on
) t3 e9 i# U. h9 G, p ashore. They headed for a certain large stone. On the __6__
, r! b/ N5 `: R4 n2 p3 x1 B stone scratched the words “Look here under for letters.” __7__
: [. P/ g0 T( I4 P They would leave their letters there, knowing that the
. j7 }, c {# H4 a$ }; y& U next homeward ship would stop and pick it up. __8__
4 t3 r4 I: r& s; |3 Y There was another post office like this at the southern
" ~6 q' a4 F5 i. D) F) { tip of South America. During the golden rush days, boats __9__
9 L; p: w; b5 q sailed around Cape Horn to California. At Cape Horn was( S, E+ B: ?8 J
a keg(小桶) nailed to a post. Boats coming from the east# G" ^6 A8 D* s* P z0 r, H5 x
coast would send some sailors to this post office. They
* M# g- p7 M8 F2 T- k4 z5 X1 U picked up any letters in the keg. At the same time they1 o; R# H9 f h m5 ^6 |
mailed letters home that boats sail east could pick up. __10__ |