雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Now, many people assume that the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but actually the first two-wheeled vehicle, called the 'draisine', appeared in 1817. It was made of wood and had no pedals. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel, creating the 'velocipede'. However, riding it was very uncomfortable because of the solid wheels and rough roads. Then, in 1885, the 'safety bicycle' was introduced. This design had a chain drive to the rear wheel and equal-sized wheels, which made riding much safer and more efficient. This is the design we still use today.