VOA慢速英语2014 Do You Want Milk with Magazines?

 

As It Is - Do You Want Milk with Magazines?

The United States Postal¹ Service wants to bring food and other goods from grocerystores to American homes. Officials say the transport of groceries may help reduce the amount of money the postal service is losing. The organization is an independentagency of the federal government. It has lost billions of dollars over the past six years as Americans send less mail.

Last week, the Postal Service asked the Postal Regulatory Commission for permission to test its planbeginning in late October. The tests would last for two years. If it proves successful after that time, or even before, the postal service could offer the program permanently².

Under the program, grocery stores would bring cooled containersof food and other products to post offices between 1:30 and 2:30 in the morning. Postal workers would then deliver these packages to homes between three o’clock and seven o’clock in the morning. That is a period when few postal vehicles are being used. People do not have to be awake when the packagesarrive.

The postal service noted³ that grocery delivery services “are expanding across the nation.” And it says offering such services is, in its words, “likely to contribute to the financial stability of the postal service by generating more package deliveries.”

Postal Service officials did not announce the cost of the delivery services. The postal service says the test program will help it decide how much people should pay. And it did not note where the tests would take place or which companies it would partner with. The postal service has already been working with Amazon to deliver food and other goods early in the morning in the San Francisco, California area. 

The American Postal Workers Union represents employees who work in post offices and mail processing centers, drive large trucks and repair buildings and equipment. It does not represent mail carriers. A union official told VOA that the union is studying the postal service plan. The official said “we generally enthusiastically embrace the postal service offering more services.” She said that, in addition to offering grocery deliveries, the postal service should offer banking⁴ services. She noted that millions of Americans do not have bank accounts.

The Washington Post newspaper reports the postal service has been creating partnerships⁵ with private companies for some time. In November, it agreed to let Amazon ship packages on Sundays at the same cost as weekday shipping⁶. And the postal service said it would open 82 postal centers at Staples⁷ office supply stores throughout the country.

I’m Christopher Cruise.

Words in This Story

groceries – n.food sold by a grocer; food bought at a store. “She stopped to pick up some groceries for supper.”

independent – adj.not influenced by or controlled by another or others; free; separate

plan – v.to organize or develop an idea or method of acting⁸ or doing something (“They plan to have a party.”); n.an organized or developed idea or method (“The plan will not work.”)

container – n.an object (such as a box or can) that can hold something

package – n.a box or large envelope that is sent or delivered usually through the mail or by another delivery service. This word is mostly used in the United States; in other places, the word that would be used is “parcel.”

1 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

5 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。