雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. As you know, the modern bicycle has two wheels of equal size, but early versions were quite different. In 1817, a German inventor created a wooden frame with two wheels, but the rider pushed along the ground with their feet. This was called a 'hobby horse'. Then, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel, making the 'penny-farthing' popular, which had a very large front wheel and a small rear wheel. However, this design was dangerous because riders could easily fall forward. It wasn't until the 1880s that the 'safety bicycle' with a chain drive and two equal-sized wheels was introduced, which is the basis for modern bicycles.