雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning. Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Although many people credit the invention to the 19th century, the first two-wheeled vehicle, called the draisine, appeared in 1817 in Germany. It had no pedals; riders pushed their feet along the ground. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel, creating the velocipede, which was nicknamed the 'boneshaker' due to its rough ride. By the 1880s, the chain-driven bicycle with two equal-sized wheels became popular, making cycling safer and more efficient. This design remained largely unchanged for over a century.