Another World（12）

Teachers and fellow schoolmates, we hope all of you are well. With this familiar melody, the sound of our campus radio station begins now. 

Welcome to Another World, another wonder.

Today, I would like to share with you an exciting theme--bicycle.

Bicycling is a pretty exciting stuffily in fact just thinking about it, makes me want to jump on my bike and ride off right now! Today I've got a question for you--Who invented the first pneumatic -or air-filled-cycle rubber tyre in 1888? Well, he is John Boyd Dunlop, a Scottish inventor and veterinary surgeon. Although it was invented as an improvement on the bicycle, the pneumatic tyre arrived on the scene just in time to contribute to the success of the car.

Firstly, I'd like to tell you a bit about the history of the bike. Before the modern bike was invented in 1885, people rode boneshakers, high wheelers, and even tricycles. A tricycle is a three-wheeler bike that young children ride before they learn to balance on a two-wheeler. But what's a boneshaker? It was the first bike with pedals, called a velocipede by its manufacturers. Others called it a boneshaker. Because its tires were made of iron so it was very uncomfortable to ride -especially over cobblestone streets.Oh,that sounds awful! 

Now, moving on, the bicycle started out as an expensive toy for the middle classes– but when manufacturing costs dropped, they became a vehicle for social change. By the late nineteenth century, bikes had become affordable for a large proportion of the population-and the technology had moved on so they weren't so dangerous-or so uncomfortable to ride. And for the first time in history, people had the freedom to travel where they wanted when they wanted-including women! Do you know, when women first rode bicycles they were expected to ride in long ankle length skirts and voluminous petticoats. Of course that was entirely impractical so they adopted what was called rational dress-a better fitting jacket and pantaloons trousers which were cinched below the knee.Pantaloon trousers were baggy-though they were cinched-or gathered in-below the knee. They wouldn't catch in the bicycle chain. But pantaloons for women still caused outrage-or shock and anger. Because although they were baggy, they were still trousers and they didn't go down to the ankle. So bikes played a part in women's struggle for emancipation-or freedom.

Now we already know that bikes help women to be free.But do you know it also plays a role in our evolutionary history.It definitely shored up the gene pool in countries like Britain. Because it meant that people could go further than they ever had before in order to find a partner for life. And so what started as a really faddish leisure pursuit, within a decade of 1885.Now you must can't wait to ride your bike and look for your lover. Good luck!

Would you look at that, once again, time has flown. Thanks for listening, my friends. Have a pleasant week. 

Another World, another wonder. See you next Wednesday. Bye！

节目制作：雷佳欢、李庚桐、李翰麒

        编辑：夏志道