Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees.
Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies.
As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The clerk booted out the outgoing mailbag before snatching the incoming bag.
B. Clerks couldn’t often see what they were doing.
C. The Railway Mail clerk’s job was considered elite because it was safe and exciting.
D. Despite their success, railway mail clerks only handled a small proportion of all non-local mail.
Đáp án B
Dịch: Đâu là mệnh đề đúng, dựa theo thông tin trong bài?
A. Nhân viên cho túi thư đi vào trước khi lấy túi thư đến ra.
B. Nhân viên không thể thường xuyên nhìn những gì họ đang làm.
C. Công việc của những nhân viên thư tín đường sắt được coi là ưu tú vì nó an toàn và thú vị.
D. Mặc dù thành công nhưng những nhân viên thư tín đường sắt chỉ xử lí một khối lượng nhỏ những thư không thuộc địa phương.
Thông tin nằm ở đoạn 2: Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. (Các nhân viên giàu kinh nghiệm được xem là tầng lớp ưu tú của Dịch vụ Bưu điện, luôn tự hào vì có thể thực hiện những chuyển đổi này vào ban đêm mà không cần gì ngoài đường cong và cảm giác tàu tới để cảnh báo họ rằng sắp có một đợt bắt hàng).
=> Vào ban đêm họ chỉ cần cảm giác để làm việc nên không phải là họ thường xuyên nhìn thấy những gì họ làm.
Ý A sai vì: As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. – Họ lấy thư đến trước rồi mới cho thư đi vào.
Ý C sai vì: They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. – Thực tế là nó nguy hiểm chứ không an toàn.
Ý D sai vì: During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees. – thực tế thì họ xử lí rất nhiều, tới 93% chứ không phải là ít thư địa phương.