postal service
noun /ˈpəʊstl sɜːvɪs/
/ˈpəʊstl sɜːrvɪs/
- a system of collecting and delivering letters, etc.
邮政业务 - a good postal service
良好的邮政服务
- a good postal service
- the Postal Service(US English)(British English the Post Office)the national organization in many countries that is responsible for collecting and delivering letters, etc.
邮政部门；邮政系统
Culture postal servicespostal servicesMost letters and many packages sent in Britain are dealt with by the Royal Mail, which is part of the Royal Mail Group Ltd. The Post Office manages the country's many post offices. The Royal Mail is a private limited company, having been sold by the government in 2013. As well as selling stamps, post offices take in letters and packages that are to be sent by special delivery. They also offer foreign currency exchange. Small post offices are now often based in a newsagent's or other shop, rather than being in a separate building. In recent years, many smaller post offices have been closed because they do not make a profit, though this has led to protests from local people.Mail is often called post in British English. When sending a letter, people can choose between two levels of service, first class or the cheaper second class. Normally, first-class mail is delivered the day after it is posted and second-class mail within two or three days. Every address in Britain includes a postcode of letters and numbers, for example OX2 6DP for an address in , that makes it possible to sort the post by machine. Letters are posted in red postboxes, also called letter boxes. Each has a sign giving times of collections. Postmen and postwomen deliver mail Monday to Saturday direct to homes and businesses. They put the mail through a flap in the door, which is also called a letter box. In rural areas they travel round in red vans, but in towns and villages they usually go from house to house on foot or on bicycles.The system that deals with mail in the US, the US Postal Service (USPS), is an independent part of the government. Its head is the Postmaster General. Mail carriers, sometimes called mailmen or mailwomen, deliver mail to homes and businesses once a day, Monday to Saturday. Most homes have mailboxes (= small boxes where letters can be put) fixed outside, near the door. It is very unusual for a house to have a letter box in the door for letters. People whose houses are a long way from the road have a special rural mailbox by the road for mail to be delivered to. The mailbox has a flag which is raised to let the mail carrier know when there is mail inside to be collected for sending. In cities and towns letters to be sent are posted in one of the many blue mailboxes. Every address in the US includes an abbreviation for the name of the state and a ZIP code, which is used to help sort the mail. Post offices sell stamps and deal with mail that has to be insured. Most cities have one post office which stays open late. Americans complain about the Postal Service, but it usually does an efficient job at a reasonable price.In the US only the Postal Service can deliver mail to letter boxes and the Service has a monopoly on first-class mail that is not urgent. In Britain the post office does not have a monopoly on delivery of post. In both countries there are many companies who provide courier and messenger services for urgent mail. The largest of these include FedEx and DHL. In Britain private companies may also deliver mail to letter boxes.