（A）

A cannon (大炮) sounded as Jonny Fry took off on his horse through the streets of St. Joseph, Missouri. Crowds lined the streets, cheering and waving. Fry rode west for 90 miles at full speed. He then passed a leather bag full of letters to another rider. Eventually a chain of riders carried the letters across nearly 2,000 miles of wilderness, and the Pony Express was born.
Between California and the rest of the U.S. lay a vast wilderness. Mail service was slow and often delayed. As war among the states seemed likely, people wanted news more quickly.
In December 1859, William Russell, owner of a transport company, decided to meet that need. He and partners William Waddell and Alexander Majors worked constantly for months. They selected a route from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. Then they purchased 400 horses, hired workers and set up relay stations (驿站) every 10 to 15 miles. Riders would change horses at these stations, and every 90 to 120 miles a new rider would take over.
Shortly before Jonny Fry set out, another Pony Express rider set off from Sacramento for St. Joseph. These first deliveries reached their destinations in close to the 10 days Russell had promised.
But the route was far from safe. On April 18, 1860, a rider’s horse stumbled (绊倒) and fell on the rider, killing him. Riders faced rivers, mountains, extreme temperatures—and very unfriendly natives. In May 1860, tensions between the settlers and Native Americans turned into fighting. Native Americans attacked several Pony Express stations, forcing some of them to close temporarily.
Despite the risks, the Pony Express lost only one delivery during its one and a half years in operation. And when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the Pony Express carried the news to California in only five days. It also spread news of the beginning of America’s Civil War.
The Pony Express service ended in October 1861 after a telegraph line across the U.S. was completed. Yet the riders’ courage and accomplishments still hold a place in legend(传奇).

66. The passage is mainly about the _____ of the Pony Express.

   A. function B. influence     C. history D. operation

67. To _____, William Russell decided to set up the Pony Express.

   A. shorten the time of sending mail  B. deliver mail farther and more safely

   C. meet people’s different needs D. help people keep in contact in war 

68. What might Russell have promised about the first deliveries?

   A. To make the destinations closer. B. To make the deliveries within 10 days.

   C. To ensure the deliveries with two riders. D. To complete the deliveries before the war.

69. What can be learned from the passage?

   A. The Pony Express had an insignificant position in the development of mail service.

   B. The fighting between the settlers and Native Americans ended the Pony Express.

   C. The Pony Express became successful as a result of the dangers on the route.

   D. The Pony Express not only delivered mail but spread news as well.

66-69.CABD

本篇文章主要讲的是Pony Express的出现，发展和消失。1859年，人们对邮件递送的要求不断提高，以及由于内战临近人们对信息及时性的要求，William Russell和William Waddell 以及Alexander Majors建立了以马为邮件递送工具的第一家通信驿站：Pony Express。连接了密苏里的圣约瑟夫到加利福尼亚萨克拉门托。Pony Express克服重重困难为人们带来了便利。直到1861年电报线在美国的普及，Pony Express才终止运营。

66. 解析：C。纵观全文，本篇文章主要就讲述了Pony Express的出现，发展和最终的消失，通过文中出现的时间点也不难看出，本片文章讲的是Pony Express的一段历史。

67. 解析：A。首先，从第二段 Mail service was slow and often delayed. As war among the states seemed likely, people wanted news more quickly.可知，Russell当初建立该公司的最直接原因就是希望更快收到邮件。

68. 解析：B。从第四段These first deliveries reached their destinations in close to the 10 days Russell had promised.可知，第一次的邮件送达用了接近十天，就像Russell自己承诺的那样，因此，B符合题意。

69. 解析：D。A选项虽跟文章主题接近，但是文中并没有谈及其他mail service，更没有说到Pony Express对其他快件运送的影响；B选项只是Pony Express 在发展中遇到的苦难之一，部分店停止运营，但没有因此终止；C选项错误，Pony Express并没有因险路成为成功的公司；因此D选项正确。