The First Bicycle
The history of the bicycle goes back （追溯）more than 200 years. In 1791，Count de Sivrac (1) delighted （“delight”：及物動詞，是某人愉悅）onlookers in a park in Paris as he showed off （炫耀；展示）his two-wheeled invention （雙輪車）, a machine called the celeriferé. It was basically an (2) enlarged （擴大版的兒童玩具）version of a children’s toy which had been in (3) use （“in use”在使用）for many years. Sivrac's "celeriferé had a wooden frame，made in the (4) shape （形狀類似一匹馬；有一個馬形狀的木框） of a horse ，which was mounted （“fixed”分別安裝有一個輪子） on a wheel at either end （兩端）. To ride it ，you sat on a small seat ，just like a modem bicycle ，and pushed (5) hard （雙腳用力蹬地）against the (6) ground with your legs—there were no pedals（腳踏板）. It was impossible to steer （“steer”：操縱方向；掌握方向）a celeriferé and it had no brakes，but despite （盡管）these problems the invention very much (7) appealed（吸引）to the fashionable （趕時髦的青年男女） young men of Paris. Soon they were (8) holding（舉辦比賽）races up and down the streets. attracted
Minor (9) injuries （受傷；輕傷是很普遍的）were common as （當…的時候）riders attempted a final burst of ( 10 ) speed （“speed”：速度；當騎手嘗試最后沖刺的時候）. Controlling the machine was difficult ，as the only way to change (11) direction （改變防線）was to pull up the front （拉起車的前部） of the "celeriferé" and (12) turn it round （調(diào)轉(zhuǎn)車頭）while the front wheel was (13) spinning in the air （當前輪還在空中空中打轉(zhuǎn)時就要調(diào)轉(zhuǎn)車頭）. "Celeriferés" were not popular for long ，however ，as the (14) combination （綜合各方面的問題）of no springs（沒有彈簧） ，no steering（沒有方向舵） and rough roads （道路不平整）made riding them very uncomfortable. Even so （即便如此），the wooden （木質(zhì)的“celeriferé”）celeriferé was the (15) origin （起源，始祖）of the modem bicycle.
詞匯：
count / kaunt / n. 伯爵 brake / breik / n. 閘，剎車
onlooker n. 觀眾 burst / bə:st / v. 爆發(fā)，突發(fā)，爆炸
pedal / 'pedl / n. 踏板，腳蹬子 spring / spriŋ / n. ' 彈簧
steer / stiə / v. 駕駛，操縱，控制 rough adj， 粗糙的，不平整的
注釋:
1. ... which was mounted on a wheel at either end: ……兩端都裝上了輪子
2 ...as riders attempted a final burst of speed:……當騎手嘗試最后沖刺的時候