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P1 The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported anet loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenseshave exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfundedliabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are manyreasons to lead the company to its bankruptcies. [36题] Fundamentally, the USPSis in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanentlydecreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and aregulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust itsoperations to the new reality.
P2 [37题] And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-cardmakers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimateoverseer-Congress-insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service,aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeatedattempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving 
the PostalService unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.
P3 Now comes word that everyone involved—Democrats, Republicans, the PostalService, the unions and the system’s heaviest users—has finally agreed on a planto fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPSan estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for newvehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from apenny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees intoMedicare. [38题] The latter step would largely offset the financial burden ofannually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standingcomplaint by the USPS and its union.
P4 If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through theSenate – where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bareminimum
necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform.There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omissionconsidering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Alsomissing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. Thatcommon-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, atleast in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign thatlegislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-termcollapse at the USPS. [39题] It is not, however, a sign that they’re gettingserious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.
36. The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by
[A] its unbalanced budget.
[B] its rigid management.
[C] the cost for technical upgrading.
[D] the withdrawal of bank support.
37. According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to
[A] the interference from interest groups.
[B] the inadequate funding from Congress.
[C] the shrinking demand for postal service.
[D] the incompetence of postal unions.
38. The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressedby
[A] removing its burden of retiree health care.
[B] making more investment in new vehicles.
[C] adopting a new rate-increase mechanism.
[D] attracting more first-class mail users.
*注：the latter step 所指紧跟前文。
39. In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with
[A] respect.
[B] tolerance.
[C] discontent.
[D] gratitude.
*注：最后一段作者表示，it is not a sign that they’re getting serious about …(这并没有表明他们在认真对待…), 所以态度是discontent (不满的).
40. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good Old Days
[B] The Postal Service: Keep Away from My Cheese
[C] The USPS: Chronic Illness Requires a Quick Cure
[D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid
注：本文探讨了USP的没落，没落的原因，相关的对策，对策实施的困难，主旨需要涵盖以上所有内容。
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