Discovery

Bicycles
Sa
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions
1 What do you think the
first bicycles looked like?
2 How are bikes like airplanes?
m
3 Are bicycles popular in your country?

B. Vocabulary Preview
Match up as many words and meanings as you can.
Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1 steer a very big

ple
2 pedal b almost the same

3 giant c a person who rides a bicycle

4 cyclist d to turn in a certain direction

5 similar e a flat square that you push with your foot

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Reading
Sa
Bicycles
1 Did you know that the first bicycles didn't have foot
pedals? Cyclists had to run down a hill and jump on
the seat. There was no way to steer either. These
bikes were called "hobbyhorses. "

2 The next bicycles didn't have foot pedals either. Inventors

added hand pedals first. When inventors finally added
foot pedals, they also added a giant front wheel. These
early bikes had metal tires and weren't very safe. People
nicknamed them "boneshakers."
m
3 Did you know that riding a bicycle is a lot like flying an
airplane? The way that you balance, turn, and glide is
similar for both. The first flying machines were made of
bicycle parts. The Wright Brothers loved bicycles. They
had a bicycle shop. In the back of the shop, they invented
the airplane. They attached wings to their bicycles.
This helped them learn about speed and wind.
ple
4 Can you guess which country
has the nickname "Bicycle Kingdom"?

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Comprehension
Sa
Discuss these questions in pairs, and write the answers below.

1 What was the first type of bike pedals?

2 What was funny about the first bikes with foot pedals?

3 Why do you think people called these bikes "boneshakers"?

m
4 What is riding a bicycle similar to?

5 Who used bicycle parts to invent a flying machine?

Bonus Question
ple
Can you guess which country
has the nickname "Bicycle Kingdom"?

The United States

England

China

The Netherlands

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Practice
Sa
A. Odd One Out
Look at the three words in each list. Two words in
each list are related. Circle the one that doesn't belong.

1 giant 2 inventor 3 alike 4 attached 5 bike

large creator a lot connected turn
glide either similar flew steer

B. Word Jumble
m
Read the clues and try to unscramble the words. Then gather up all of the
bold letters. Can you unscramble the mystery word to complete the sentence?

# Clue Scrambled Unscrambled

1 give a different name to a person or object mecknian

ple
2 the negative form of "too" herite

3 the opposite of "dangerous" fesa

4 has two wheels and two foot pedals yicbel c

5 very big ntgai

6 you make these go around with your feet dalpes

A person who rides a bike is a                 .

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Listening
Sa
Listen to a recording of this reading.
Fill in the gaps. Listen again and check your answers.

Bicycles
1 Did you know that the first bicycles didn't have foot
pedals?                   had to run down a hill and
jump on the seat. There was no way to              either.
These bikes were called "hobbyhorses. "

2 The next bicycles didn't have foot pedals either. Inventors

added hand pedals first. When inventors finally added foot
m
              , they also added              front
wheels. These early bikes had metal tires and weren't
very safe. People nicknamed them "boneshakers."

3 Did you know that riding a bicycle is a lot like flying

an airplane? The way that you balance, turn, and
glide is                  for both. The first flying
machines were made of bicycle parts. The Wright
Brothers loved bicycles. They had a bicycle shop.
ple
In the back of the shop, they invented the airplane.
They attached              to their bicycles.
This helped them learn about speed and wind.

4 Can you guess which                

has the nickname "Bicycle Kingdom"?

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Answer Key
Sa
Lesson Description: Level: Low Int – Int

Students learn about the history of the bicycle through Time: 1–2 hours
reading, speaking, listening, and vocabulary tasks.
Tags: 
bicycle, bike, reading, discussion,
vocabulary, discovery

Pre-Reading Comprehension
A. Warm-Up Questions 1. Hand pedals were the first type of bike pedals.
2. The first bikes with foot pedals
Answers will vary.
m
had a giant front wheel.
3. These bikes were called "boneshakers"
B. Vocabulary Preview because they had metal wheels and
were not very safe or smooth.
1. d 2. e 3. a 4. c 5. b
4. Riding a bicycle is similar to flying a plane.
5. The Wright brothers used bike
Reading parts to invent the airplane.

Bonus Answer:  China

Read individually, in small groups, or as a class.
You can also play the listening as your students
Practice
ple
read along. A gap-fill version of the reading is
available on page 5. Help your students with
vocabulary and expressions that they are A. Odd One Out
unfamiliar with.
1. glide 3. a lot 5. bike
2. either 4. flew

B. Word Jumble

1. nickname 3. safe 5. giant

2. either 4. bicycle 6. pedals

Mystery Word:  cyclist

(continued on the next page...)

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 Bicycles
Discovery

Answer Key cont.

Sa
Listening
1. Cyclists, steer 4. wings
2. pedals, giant 5. country
3. similar

More Facts to Share:

1. In New York City, people can usually

get to work faster by bicycle than by car.

2. A cyclist once rode his bicycle across

the US with only his back wheel on the
m
ground. This trick is called a "wheelie."

3. There are close to 300 million bicycles

in China. However, China is now entering
its "automobile age."

4. In 1979, a cyclist crossed the English Channel

in a human-powered flying machine. It was
part bicycle, part hang glider.

5. When he was a teenager, Lance Armstrong

ple
got hit by a truck and fell off his bike. He
wasn't wearing a helmet and almost died.

6. About 18 bicycles can fit in one parking spot.

Editor's Note:

Students who complete a task quickly

can color in the image on page 2.

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