雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to look at the history of the bicycle. Now, many people think the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, and that's partly true. The first two-wheeled vehicle, called a draisine, appeared in 1817. But it had no pedals; you pushed it along with your feet. Then in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel in France. However, this design was unstable because the front wheel was small. It wasn't until 1885 that the 'safety bicycle' with a chain drive and two equal-sized wheels was developed in England. This design became hugely popular because it was much safer and faster.