雅思阅读真题（Part 1）

The history of bicycles

自行车的发展历史

本篇也叫：自行车历史、自行车发展史、velocipede、高轮自行车、penny-farthing、大小轮自行车

Part 1 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2024.10.12/2022.10.22/2019.11.23

本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 1）《The history of bicycles》，共 13 题，2024.10.12/2022.10.22/2019.11.23雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。

文章大意

文章讲述自行车从19世纪初苏格兰出现的velocipede（无脚踏板、靠脚蹬地前行）开始，经历法国发明家加装脚踏板、美国厂商用空心钢管减轻车架、英国工程师设计出前轮巨大的“高轮自行车”（penny-farthing）等阶段，历时约百年才演变成现代自行车，并改变了人们的出行方式。

题目原文

A 

The bicycle was not invented by one individual or in one country. It took nearly 100 years and many individuals for the modern bicycle to be born. By the end of those 100 years, bicycles had revolutionized the way people travel from place to place.


B 

Bicycles first appeared in Scotland in the early 1800s, and were called velocipedes. These early bicycles had two wheels, but they had no pedals. The rider sat on a pillow and walked his feet along the ground to move his velocipede forward.

 

C 

Soon a French inventor added pedals to the front wheel. Instead of walking their vehicles, riders used their feet to run the pedals. However, pedaling was hard because velocipedes were very heavy. The framework was made of solid steel tubes and the wooden wheels were covered with steel. Even so, velocipedes were popular among rich young men, who raced them in Paris parks.

 

D 

Because of the velocipedes were so hard to ride, no one thought about using them for transportation. People didn’t ride velocipedes to the market or to their jobs. Instead, people thought velocipedes were just toys.

 

E 

Around 1870, American manufacturers saw that velocipedes were very popular overseas. They began building velocipedes, too, but with one difference. They made the frameworks from hollow steel tubes. This alteration made velocipedes much lighter, but riders still had to work hard to pedal just a short distance. In addition, roads were bumpy so steering was difficult. In fact, most riders preferred indoor tracks where they could rent a velocipede for a small fee and take riding lessons.

 

F 

Subsequent changes by British engineers altered the wheels to make pedaling more efficient. They saw that when a rider turned the pedals once, the front wheel turned once. If the front wheel was small, the bicycle traveled just a small distance with each turn. They reasoned that if the front wheel were larger, the bicycle would travel a greater distance. So they designed a bicycle with a giant front wheel. They made the rear wheel small. Its primary purpose was to help the rider balance. Balancing was hard because the rider had to sit high above the giant front wheel in order to reach the pedals.


G 

This meant he was in danger of falling off the bicycle and injuring himself if he lost his balance. Despite this inherent danger, “high wheelers” became very popular in England. American manufacturers once again tried to design a better bicycle. Their goal was to make a safer bicycle. They substituted a small wheel for the giant front wheel and put the driving mechanism in a larger rear to wheel. It would be impossible for a rider to pedal the rear wheel, so engineers designed a system of foot levers. By pressing first the right one and then the left, the rider moved a long metal bar up and down. This bar turned the rear axle1. This axle turned the rear wheel and the bicycle minimized the dangers inherent in bicycle riding, more and more people began using bicycles in their daily activities.

 

H 

The British altered the design one last time. They made the two wheels equal in size and created a mechanism that uses a chain to turn the rear wheel. With this final change, the modern bicycle was born.

 

I 

Subsequent improvements, such as brakes, rubber tires, and lights were added to make bicycles more comfortable to ride. By 1900, bicycle riding had become very popular with men and women of all ages. Bicycles revolutionized the way people worldwide ride bicycles for transportation, enjoyment, sport, and exercise.

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题目与答案

  1. In the invention of the bicycle took part not only one individual or the country, but the world in general during the 1_____ years.

    答案：100

    原文定位：It took nearly 100 years and many individuals for the modern bicycle to be born

    同义替换：「duringtook」↔「took」

  2. 10 The changes by British inventors altered the wheels to make pedaling more efficient.
    • TRUE
    • FALSE
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：TRUE

    原文定位：Subsequent changes by British engineers altered the wheels to make pedaling more efficient

    同义替换：「inventors」↔「engineers」

  3. 11 The British inventors concluded that if the front wheel were large in _____, the bicycle would travel comparatively long distance.

    答案：size

    原文定位：They reasoned that if the front wheel were larger, the bicycle would travel a greater distance

    同义替换：「comparatively long distance」↔「a greater distance」

  4. 12 American engineers designed a system of _____ which was driven by pressing first the right and then the left pedals.

    答案：foot levers

    原文定位：so engineers designed a system of foot levers

  5. 13 The last, but not least alteration in creating of the modern bicycle was a making the two wheels equal in size and using the _____ to spin the rear wheel.

    答案：chain

    原文定位：They made the two wheels equal in size and created a mechanism that uses a chain to turn the rear wheel

    同义替换：「spin」↔「turn」

  6. This invention was firstly found in Scotland in the first decades of 1800, and was known as velocipedes. They did not resemble today’s bicycles and had two wheels, but they had no 2_____ .

    答案：pedals

    原文定位：These early bicycles had two wheels, but they had no pedals

  7. The rider sat on a pillow and walked his feet along the ground in order to move his velocipede forward. Soon, a French inventor added pedals to the front wheel. However, because of their difficulty in riding, nobody used them in a daily life, and they were accepted as 3_____ .

    答案：toys

    原文定位：Instead, people thought velocipedes were just toys

    同义替换：「accepted as」↔「just」

  8. Around 1870, manufacturers in America found that this invention is popular 4_____,

    答案：overseas

    原文定位：Around 1870, American manufacturers saw that velocipedes were very popular overseas

    同义替换：「found」↔「saw」，「this invention」↔「velocipedes」

  9. but with the difference: frameworks were made from 5_____, what makes them much lighter. Soon, the British inventors found the method which can make pedaling more efficient- to turn pedals one by one.

    答案：hollow steel tubes

    原文定位：They began building velocipedes, too, but with one difference. They made the frameworks from hollow steel tubes

  10. They designed a bicycle with a giant front wheel. However, as the rider had to sit high above the giant front wheel it was too difficult to keep the balance. The safer bicycle was invented by Americans. They designed the rear 6_____, which minimized the danger of falling and injuring. At last, the British changed the design one last time and added two wheels equal in size and the mechanism that induce a chain to turn the rear wheel. By this there was invented the example of the modern bicycle.

    答案：driving mechanism

    原文定位：They substituted a small wheel for the giant front wheel and put the driving mechanism in a larger rear to wheel

  11. 7 The bicycle was invented by Americans only.
    • TRUE
    • FALSE
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：FALSE

    原文定位：The bicycle was not invented by one individual or in one country

  12. 8 It was too hard to lead the velocipedes due to their heaviness.
    • TRUE
    • FALSE
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：TRUE

    原文定位：However, pedaling was hard because velocipedes were very heavy

    同义替换：「due to」↔「because」，「heaviness」↔「were very heavy」

  13. 9 The alteration of velocipedes made the life of people much more easy.
    • TRUE
    • FALSE
    • NOT GIVEN

    答案：NOT GIVEN

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