VOA常速英语:US Postal Service on 'Brink of Default'

短语讲解：

1. One of America's oldest institutions, the U.S. Postal Service, is teetering on the edge of default and must be radically restructured.

teeter on the brink/edge of sth处在(灾难或危险的)边缘；濒临
例句：The country is teetering on the edge of civil war.
这个国家正处在内战的边缘。

2. The mail service Americans have known for generations is losing billions of dollars a year, as handwritten communication has all but disappeared -  replaced by emails, text messages, and social-media -  and billing and other commercial transactions are increasingly conducted over the Internet.

know for知道, 认识, 以…而出名
例句：It is well known for its lead mines.
它因有铅矿而非常出名。

3. The changing technological landscape has left the regular mail service, what many Americans now refer to as "snail mail," in dire financial straits.

refer to as被称为, 被认为
例句：All his classmates referred to him as “Blackbeard.”
他的同学都称他为“黑胡子”。

4. Without the enactment of comprehensive legislation by September 30, the Postal Service will default on a mandated $5.5 billion payment to the Treasury to pre-fund retirement retiree health benefits.

default on拖欠…
例句：He defaulted on his payments for support of the child.
他拖欠孩子的抚养费。

5. As a self-financing entity that depends on the sale of postage for its revenues, the Postal Service requires the ability to operate more as a business does.

depend on随…而定
例句：Whether the game will be played depends on the weather.
比赛是否举行要看天气而定。

6. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have put forth proposals to reform it and ensure its solvency.

put forth提出;发表
例句：Darwin put forth the theory of evolution,.
达尔文提出了进化论。

7. Americans learn of the Postal Service from an early age.

learn of听说…
例句：They offered help as soon as they learned of the accident.
他们一听说这件意外就立即提供了帮助。