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Joy English · Level B2 · Historyjoy-english.com

The history of the bicycle

Name:Date:

Follow the stages of a historical development in a lecture.

Listen to each sentence and write what you hear.

Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/the-history-of-the-bicycle

Words to know

pedal
The part you push with your foot to make a bicycle move.
enormous
Very large.
lane
A part of a road for one kind of traffic.

Answer key

  1. Early bicycles had no pedals and were pushed along with the feet.The -ed of “pushed” is a t sound.
  2. Later models had an enormous front wheel, which made them dangerous.“Them” is weak: “made-em”.
  3. The modern design, with two wheels of equal size, appeared in the late nineteenth century.“Of equal size” means the same size. “Nineteenth” or “19th” are both accepted.
  4. Rubber tyres filled with air made cycling far more comfortable.British “tyres” and American “tires” are both accepted. “Far more” means much more.
  5. Today, many cities are building special lanes to encourage cycling.The stress in “encourage” is on “cour”.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/listening-lessons/the-history-of-the-bicycle