雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to look at the history of the bicycle. Now, many people think the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but its early ancestors date back much further. For example, a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, from around 1490, shows a machine with two wheels and a chain, though it was never built. However, the first practical bicycle, called the 'draisine', appeared in 1817. It had no pedals; you pushed it along with your feet. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel, creating the 'velocipede'. But it wasn't until the 1880s that the chain-driven 'safety bicycle' became popular, making cycling much safer and more efficient.