When we send a letter or a postcard, we have to put stamps on the envelope or on the card. When did people first begin to use stamps? Who was the first to think of this idea? Here is some information about it.
当我们寄一封信或一张明信片时，我们必须在信封或卡片上贴邮票。人们什么时候开始使用邮票的？谁最先想到这个主意？这里有一些关于它的信息。
In the early nineteenth century, people did mot use stamps. They had to pay for the letters or postcards they received. People didn' t like it. First, it was not convenient. Second, sometimes they had to pay for the letters they didn't want to receive at all, such as advertisements. Third, the postage was high at that time. And it was difficult for postmen to collect the postage.
在十九世纪初，人们没有使用邮票。他们必须为收到的信件或明信片付款。人们不喜欢它。首先，这不方便。其次，有时他们不得不为那些根本不想收到的信付钱，比如广告。第三，当时邮资很高。而且邮递员很难收取邮费。
Then one person thought out an idea to solve this problem. He was Rolland Hill, a schoolmaster in England. He was the first to put forward a proposal to use stamps in 1850s. He thought it would be much more convenient for people. They could go to a nearby post office to buy stamps and put them on the envelopes before they sent letters. The post office could simply put seals on the stamps to prevent them from being used again. That was a good idea and it was accepted by tile government finally.
然后有人想出了解决这个问题的办法。他是罗兰·希尔，英国的一位校长。他在19世纪50年代第一个提出使用邮票的建议，他认为这样会更方便人们。他们可以去附近的邮局买邮票，在寄信前把邮票贴在信封上。邮局只需在邮票上盖上印章，就可以防止邮票再次被使用。这是个好主意，最后被政府接受了