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Passage Two
文章2
Even before Colorado was a state, it had post offices.
科罗拉多甚至在成为一个州之前就有邮局了。
The first opened in 1859 in a settlement founded by migrants searching for gold.
第一家邮局于1859年开业，位置开在一个由寻找黄金的移民建立的定居点。
Life could be unpredictable out west.
西部的生活变化莫测。
Gold failed to appear, drought ruined farmers, and settlers clashed with Native Americans.
黄金没有出现，干旱摧毁了农民，定居者与美洲原住民发生冲突。
On the settlement's location, now stands a sprawling university campus.
在定居点的位置，现在矗立着一个庞大的大学校园。
Amid all the changes, one feature remained constant: the postal service.
在所有的变化中，有一个特征保持不变: 邮政服务。
The maps tracing America's westward expansion are telling.
追踪美国西进运动的地图很能说明情况。
In 1864 there were few postal branches on land controlled by Native Americans, which still accounted for most of the West.
1864年，美洲原住民控制的土地仍然占据西部的大部分地区，而在这些土地上几乎没有邮政分支机构。
Over the next 25 years, post offices grew quickly.
在接下来的25年里，邮局发展迅速。
Colonization of the West could be regarded as a result of big government rather than pioneers.
人们认为西部的殖民是大政府的结果，而非开拓者的结果。
As federal subsidies and land grants tempted people into the deserts and plains, the post kept them connected.
当联邦补贴和土地补助诱使人们进入沙漠和平原时，邮政使他们保持联系。
In the mid-19th century, the Post Office Department was far from a centralized bureaucracy.
在19世纪中期，邮政部门远不是一个中央集权的官僚机构。
To keep up with migration patterns, postal services were added to existing businesses.
为了跟上移民模式，邮政服务被添加到现有的业务中。
The federal government commissioned private wagons to carry the mail.
联邦政府委托私人马车运送邮件。
Short-term contracts were granted to local businessmen to act as postmasters.
与当地商人签订短期合同，让他们担任邮政局长。
These partnerships enabled the mail to quickly follow migrants, helping knit together remote parts of the country.
这些合伙关系使邮件能够快速跟踪移民，帮助将该国偏远地区联系在一起。
Mr. Blevins, a digital historian, wrote a book on the history of the US postal service.
布莱文斯是一位数字历史学家，他写了一本关于美国邮政服务历史的书。
He used data science to analyze historical trends.
他用数据科学分析历史趋势。
Most strikingly, he built an accompanying website complete with interactive maps.
最引人注目的是，他建立了一个配套网站，配有交互式地图。
They show readers how, within a generation, the postal service helped colonize a continent.
它们向读者展示了，在一代人的时间里，邮政服务如何帮助殖民了一块大陆。
These online interactive maps illustrate the formative power of snail mail.
这些在线交互式地图说明了蜗牛邮件（传统纸本邮件）的形成力量。
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
请根据你刚刚听到的文章回答12 - 15题。
Q12. What does the passage say about Colorado before it became a state?
问题12：这篇文章对科罗拉多成为一个州之前的情况说了什么？
Q13. How did the postal service contribute to America's westward expansion?
问题13：邮政服务对美国的西进运动有何贡献?
Q14. What did the federal government do to meet the increasing demand for the postal service in the West?
问题14：联邦政府做了什么来满足西部对邮政服务日益增长的需求?
Q15. What did Mr. Blevins do to study the history of the US postal service?
问题15：布莱文斯做了什么来研究美国邮政服务的历史?
