单选题 In the old days, sending a thank-you note to a relative was easy. You wrote it, (1) , a stamp on the envelope and dropped it (2) a mailbox. (3) it went in a red-white-and-blue U.S. Mail truck, and (4) of days later the friendly neighborhood mailman walked it, (5) . weather, right to the recipient's door.
(6) you’re as likely to send a fax, e-mail, or instant message. (7) you cling to traditional pen and paper, it's no longer clear (8) it will travel. Airborne Express? Overnight? Two-Day Priority?
(9) it moves into the 1st century, the American mail system (13) to survive. In the past few years, the U.S. Postal Service(USPS) has (11) many new services, (12) stamps over the Internet, electronic bill payment, and a service that prints and mails electronic documents Yet revenues depleted by alternative communications (e-mail, electronic banking), (13) with rising fuel and operating costs, led to a $150 million loss in 2000.
Meanwhile, private carriers are competing (14) business, forcing the Postal Service to contract with the likes of DHL and Emery Worldwide just to maintain its global reach. (15) still delivering 20 percent of the world's mail, the men and women in the blue uniforms of the Postal Service just can't seem to (16) .
The problem is that the U.S. hasn't (17) grips with the fact that in a fast-changing world, mail delivery is better run as a competitive business than as a government monopoly. (18) many countries have privatized their postal systems, the USPS has attempted to maintain business in both the public and private worlds. It is a semiprivate corporation with a lumbering government bureaucracy. It is (19) by a board of governors (20) a blend of local politicians, small-town business leaders and federal bureaucrats.

单选题 A. put B. stuck C. took D. had

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】stuck a stamp(粘贴邮票)，其余选项A．put(放)，C．took(拿，取)，D．had均不合题意。

单选题 A. to B. in C. into D. with

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】dropped it into a mailbox(丢进信箱)，D．with(用……工具)，器具。

单选题 A. Off B. Out C. Before D. Beyond

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】Off it went(它离去。)此处为倒装句，正常语序为：it went off，其余选项B．Out，C．Before，D．Beyond不符合上下文搭配。

单选题 A. few B. a few C. a couple D. some

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】a couple of days later(两三天之后)，其余选项A．few，B．a few，D．some均为形容词，不能与后面的of搭配。

单选题 A. regardless B. regardless of C. regarding D. with regard to

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】regardless of weather(不管天气如何)，其余选项A．regardless缺一介词，C．regarding，D．with regard to均为关于之意。

单选题 A. Now B. Then C. When D. Since

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】Now you're as likely(现在你很可能)，其余选项B．Then，C．When，D．Since不能与前一段的过去时态形成对照。

单选题 A. Unless B. Until C. If D. Even if

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】Even if you cling to(即便是你坚持)，此处为让步状语从句，A．Unless(除非)；B Until(直到)，C．if(如果)，都不合题意。

单选题 A. what B. how C. where D. why

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】it's no longer clear how it will travel(再也不清楚信件将怎样邮递)。根据常识我们知道应该选C，因为对A．what，C．where，D．why，写信人是心中有数的。

单选题 A. For B. Until C. As D. Since

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】As it moves into the 1st century(随着进入1世纪)；此处的it指时间。A．For，B．Until，D．Since都没有表示伴随的意思。

单选题 A. struggles B. is struggling C. struggled D. has struggled

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】is struggling to survive(正为生存而努力拼搏)，从时态上看，应该选B，其余选项A．struggles表示一般状况，C．struggled为过去时，D．has struggled为完成时，均不妥。

单选题 A. set B. formed C. established D. launched

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】launched many new services(开展很多新的服务项目)，从搭配上看，只能选D，A．set，B．formed，C．established均不合题意。

单选题 A. including B. ranging C. covering D. stretching

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】including意为包括，其余选项不合题意。B．ranging(范围)，C．covering (覆盖)，D stretching(延伸)。

单选题 A. combine B. combining C. combined D. combination

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】combined with(与…结合)此句谓语动词为led to，所以首先排除掉 A．combine；现在分词B．combining为主动含义，也排除。剩下的D．combination，名词前没有冠词，答案自然便是C了。

单选题 A. for B. with C. in D. to

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】are competing for(正在为…而开展竞争)；选项B．with(与……竞争)，C．of，D．to均不符合题意。

单选题 A. However B. Therefore C. Despite D. Although

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】Although still delivering 20 percent of the world's mail(尽管仍然投递全世界20%的邮件)，此处根据上下文应该是一个让步状语，而不是其他的转折或递进关系。

单选题 A. keep abreast B. keep pace C. catch up D. catch up with

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】keep pace(保持不掉队)，其他选项不合题意：A．keep abreast(并肩的，相并的)；C．catch up(赶上)，D．catch up with(赶上某人)。

单选题 A. come to B. arrive at C. found out D. made out

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】come to(达到……地步)：其他选项B．arrive at(到达)，C．found out(发现)，D．made out(弄清)。

单选题 A. While B. When C. Where D. How

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】While(虽然，尽管)，此处表示对照关系，而不是时间上和方式上的状语。所以B．When，C．Where，D．How都不宜选。

单选题 A. done B. perfumed C. set D. run

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】run by a board(由董事会经营)，本句中的代词It指的是USPS；所以A． done，B．perfumed，C．set都不是恰当的搭配。

单选题 A. made B. made up C. made up of D. made out of

A
B
C
D

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】made up of(由……组成)，固定搭配，其余选项A．made，B．made up， D．made out of都存在种种搭配问题。