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阅读理解
Bicycles are very popular around the world today．People ride their bicycles for exercise and enjoyment．In some places, people use a bicycle to get to work．In other places, bicycle riding is a very popular exercise to people who live in cities．But who invented the first bicycle?In 1791, a Frenchman named Comte de Sivrac invented and owned the first bicycle．Mrs．Sivrac rode(骑)the bicycle in Paris．The handles(把手)and the seat were wooden．This bicycle was very difficult to move．A rider even had to pick up the front wheel to change direction．Finally, the bicycle had no brakes for stopping or pedals for the feet!Riding a bicycle was a great risk．
In 1817, a German named Baron von Drais de Sauerbrun made the first bicycle better．The seat became more comfortable．The wheel could now change direction．His ride in the forest took only one hour instead of three hours on foot, which surprised people at that time．
Sauerbrun brought this kind of bicycle from Germany to France．Then Denis Johnson, an Englishman, made a bicycle for women．It had space for their dresses to hang down．But these bicycles still had no brakes or pedals, and riders often got hurt．These bicycles and the people who rode them were not very popular．
It took another forty-five years for the bicycle to become popular．More than 100 years later, bicycle riding is more popular than ever．In fact, in India and China, there are still many more bicycles than ears．
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