The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal 2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities, mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many reasons this formerly stable federal institution finds itself on the verge of bankruptcy. Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological change that has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product, first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust its operations to the new reality.

And interest groups ranging from postal unions to greeting-card makers exert self-interested pressure on the USPS’s ultimate overseer—Congress—insisting that whatever else happens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on get protected. This is why repeated attempts at reform legislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Service unable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization.

Now comes word that everyone involved—Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system’s heaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation is moving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion over five years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survival measures. Most of the money would come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shifting postal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions.

If it clears the House, this measure would still have to get through the Senate—where someone is bound to point out that it amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Service afloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining at the USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturday letter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and would save the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem to have killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the bill is a sign that legislators are getting frightened about a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postal system for the 21st century.

1.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.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。第一段的前三句都是有关USPS的具体数字，属于细节信息。第四句出现many reasons很多原因。紧接着下面就有fundamentally，所以定位到第一段最后一句。然后分析这个长难句：USPS处在squeeze between 1 and 2中，1是technological change，2是structure，2的structure后为定语从句。其中denies management flexibility对应rigid management。故选B。

2.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.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据USPS fails to modernize定位到第二段最后一句，在这句前leaving“留下”，表明导致这个结果，故往前找原因，前一句提到reform legislation，且此句前还有this is why，只要找到代词this的指代就可判断选项。代词往前推，根据句子主干interest groups exerts pressure on Congress可知选A，interference对应exert pressure on。

3.The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by _________

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.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据题干定位到第三段，根据最后一句：The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus...结合题干的can be addressed by（通过哪种方式解决），通过哪种方式来解决，前后明显为结果与途径的关系，即可理解为因果关系。此句后半句正是题干，thus前半句为答案The latter step would largely offset the financial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care与四个选项匹配后，可知选A。

4.In the last paragraph, the author seems to view legislators with _________

A respect.

B tolerance.

C discontent.

D gratitude.

解析：选C。C观点态度题。根据the author seems to view legislators with定位到最后一段倒数第二句，再结合题干，问作者最终态度，本段最后一句，转折句是作者最终的态度：“ It is not, however, a sign that they’re getting serious about....”，即作者认为他们并没有认真对待。所以此处作者态度为否定。匹配四个选项，只有C项为负向信息。故选C。

5.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

解析：选D。D主旨大意题。根据前四道题问的主题，第一和第二题是USPS出现了问题，并分析原因，第三题给出解决方法，第四题提到作者对于这个方法的态度，即提出问题——分析问题——解决问题，并在最后给出作者对这个解决方案的评价。根据文章框架，首先A只是提出问题，相对片面；B这拒绝解决问题的态度，不符合文章的写作思路；C的chronic和quick都没有在文中提到；D意为“USPS需要的不仅仅是权宜之计”，这说的是作者对于解决方案的评价，在文章最后一段。这段最后结尾有But、however、it is not a sign...对此作者表示否定态度。故选D。