British postmen and milkmen have a

British postmen and milkmen have a reputation for being cheerful. As they both arrive very early in the morning, when you are perhaps not feeling very goodtempered, their brisk* knocking and bright whistling may get on your nerves. Of course, there are some gloomy postmen, who make you think that every letter contains tragic news, but the majority are jolly and good-humored. This is quite surprising, because delivering the mail each morning is a job which is not very well paid and there are a great many problems.The city postman has to go on foot, not only along streets but also up and down stairs, as many blocks of flats still have no lifts and no downstairs letterbox. If he has a registered letter to deliver, he has to wait for someone to come to the door to sign for it. That person may greet him in a most unfriendly way if he has just been woken from a deep sleep very early in the morning.In the country, a postman may have a bicycle or a small van, so he does not have to walk so far, but nevertheless he has his problems too. It is very annoying to be compelled* to go all the way to an isolated house simply to deliver a postcard or a circular, when this makes the journey half an hour longer. In winter, weather conditions are bad, but the postman must carry on in the rain or the snow. Sometimes it is impossible to use a van or a bicycle in these conditions, and he has to do his round* on foot, like his city colleague. Most country people keep a dog. Although there may be a notice on the gate, “BEWARE OF THE DOG”, this is of little help to the postman. He is forced to go in, whether the dog is dangerous or not. So every day the country postman knows that, if the dog is not safely tied up, it may bite him on the leg or tear* the seat* out of his trousers.Questions1. What are British postmen well known for?2. What does the sentence “... their brisk knocking and bright whistling may get on your nerves” mean?3. What will make you associate every letter with the bad news?4. If a postman faces the blocks of flats without any lifts or downstairs letterbox, what will he just probably do?5. In the country, what may a postman be armed with?6. The postman sometimes delivers the letter to an isolated house, what will he do in very bad weather conditions in winter?7. What is the most dangerous thing even if the postman notices the warning “Beware of the dog” at the gate?8. What can be inferred from this passage about British postmen’s life?