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Text 4
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality
And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseer-Congress-insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.
Now comes word that everyone involved---Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system's heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPS and its union.
If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate – where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.
单选题
The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】根据题干判断本题考查因果细节。第一段的前三句都是有关USPS的具体数字，属于细节信息。第四句出现many reasons很多原因。紧接着下面就有fundamentally根本原因是， 所以定位在第一段的最后一句。然后分析这个长难句，USPS 处在squeeze between 1 and 2,中，1是technological change, 2是structure. 2的structure后定语从句：denies management flexibility 对应选项B: rigid management。
【干扰项分析】：选项A，budget文中未有涉及。 选项C，虽然有提到technological ,原文technological change 后的定语从句说的是：技术改革降低需求，并没有提到cost成本问题。选项D，the withdrawal of bank support 银行支持撤销了，原文并没有提及银行支持，直接排除。
单选题
According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】根据题干due to，判断本题考查因果细节。根据题干关键词：USPS fails to modernize 定位到原文第二段最后一句，在这句前leaving，留下，导致这个结果，往前找原因，前一句提到reform legislation, 而且这句前还有this is why，只要找到代词this指代就可以判断选项。代词往前推，根据这句主干interest groups exerts pressure on Congress选择选项A，interference 对应 exert pressure on。
【干扰项分析】选项B，the inadequate funding from Congress,原文虽然有提到Congress国会，the aspect of status quo get protected, 国会保护USPS，并没有提及inadequate funding基金不足。选项C，the shrinking demand for postal service 邮政需求缩减，文中没有提及。选项D, the incompetence of postal unions 邮政工会的不作为。文章有提到工会，但是只提他们是属于Interest groups,并没有提到无作为。
单选题
The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】因果细节题。根据38题题干The long-standing complaint by the ....回文定位到第3段，最后一句：“ The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus....” .再根据题干中“ can be addressed by” 即：通过哪种方式解决，此处为解题要点，通过哪种方式来解决，前后明显为结果与途径的关系，即可理解为因果关系。文章此句后半句正是题干，thus前半句为答案The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care。与 A. B . C .D 四个选项匹配后，正确答案为 A removing its burden of retiree health care。
单选题
In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据题干可以判断本题为观点态度题。回文定位到最后一段。题干“the author seems to view legislators with”, 具体定位到最后一段倒数第2句：“ The emerging.....is a sign that legislators are getting frightened.......” 再根据题干，问作者最终态度，本段最后一句，转折句是作者最终的态度：“ It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about....” , 即作者认为他们并没有认真对待。所以此处作者态度为否定。匹配A B C D 四个选项 只有C discontent( 不满）为负向信息，所以为正确答案。
单选题
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据题干特征词“best title”，这是一道主旨题。根据前四道题问的主题，第一道题和第二道题是USPS出现了问题，并分析原因，第三道题给出解决方法，第四道题提到作者对于这个方法的态度，即提出问题—分析问题—解决问题，并在最后给出作者对这个解决方案的评价。根据这个文章框架，首先A选项“USPS开始错过了它的好时光”，这只是提出问题，相对片面；B选项“USPS：不要动我的奶酪”, 这是拒绝解决问题的态度，不符合文章的写作思路；C选项“USPS：慢性病需要快方法”，这个chronic和quick都没有在文中提到；D选项“USPS需要的不仅仅是权宜之计”，这说的其实作者对于解决方案的评价，在文章最后一段。这段最后结尾有But，有however， “it[指代前文讲的方法] is not a sign……”，对此作者表示否定态度。所以D选项为正确答案。