雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Now, many people assume the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, and that's partly true. The first pedal-powered bicycle, called the velocipede, appeared in the 1860s in France. However, an earlier version, the draisine, was invented in 1817 by a German baron. It had no pedals; riders pushed their feet against the ground. Interestingly, the draisine was created in response to a volcanic eruption that caused a shortage of horses. So, the bicycle's origin is actually linked to a natural disaster.