Cycling

BBC Learning English
News about Britain
August 2008
Cycling


News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 1 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com

What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at
most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the
road travelling solo from the UK to China, by bike?

For British cyclist Pete Jones, camping rough and cycling long distances through
inhospitable terrain are second nature. Mr Jones is currently undertaking a mammoth trip
across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.

Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his passion
for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while
there are an estimated 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred
form of transport, rapid economic growth has fuelled an explosive expansion in car
ownership.

Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back,
said one of his aims was to "promote cycling as a safe, sustainable and environmentally
benign means of getting about".

In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels
over four, with some estimates saying the number of people cycling to work has almost
doubled in the last five years.

Politicians also see cycling as a way to boost their eco-credentials, with people such as
London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work under his own steam. But we may have to
wait some time before we see him emulating Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to
China!


News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 2 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com


Glossary

trip - a short journey (usually going to a place
and then coming back)
solo - on his own, without anyone else
camping rough - spending nights in a tent in
difficult conditions
inhospitable terrain - ground/a piece of land
that is difficult to cross
second nature - integral part of his character mammoth - very long and very difficult
puzzled - slightly surprised/baffled rapid economic growth - when the
production and consumption of goods and
services becomes larger very quickly
fuelled - become the reason for explosive expansion - extremely quick
growth
car ownership - here, the number of people
who have cars
sustainable - that causes little or no damage
to the environment (and so can continue for a
long time)
environmentally benign - causing little or no
damage to nature/the environment
boost their eco-credentials - show people
that they care about the environment
under his own steam - if you do something
under your own steam, you do it without help
emulating - copying (someone else's
achievements)

Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/080812_cycling.shtml


News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 3 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com


1. Reading Quiz

Are these sentences true or false? Circle the correct answer.

1. Mr Jones is travelling on his own. True / False

2. Mr Jones only stays in hotels. True / False

3. Edward Genochio is concerned about the environment. True / False

4. Cycling is becoming more popular in the UK. True / False



2. Parts of a bicycle

Look at this picture of a mountain bike and match the words to the correct numbers.

pedal handlebars wheel chain brakes
frame




_(1)_________ _(2)________ _(3)________




_(4)_______ _(5)_________ _(6)__________



News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 4 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com


3. Vocabulary Exercise

Complete the sentences with the following words. You will need to use each word or
phrase once.



sustainable second nature fuelled
puzzled under his own steam



1. My friend was a bit ________ when I said I didn't want to earn lots of money.


2. These days there is a lot of talk amongst politicians about _________ development.


3. When I started using email I was a bit confused, but now it's _________.


4. A lot of China's economic growth has been ________ by the manufacturing sector.


5. Martin was going to ask a friend to pick him up from the airport, but in the end he got
home __________.








News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 5 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com


4. Wordsearch

Try to find some of the words from the text in the puzzle below.

There are seven words to find. Words can be written horizontally (g), vertically (i) or
diagonally (m)


c p l a t e a u i g e r
k s f j w e q e n a x p
x d u s u m y r h e p j
w f b s c u k h o t e i
o u t v t l j r s e d f
v e t e r a n a p d i p
y l r x j t i f i l t z
i l i s s i j n t g i y
e e p g t n c v a d o i
e d i a n g o r b b n n
m a m m o t h e l l l n
a m b p u z z l e d b e


mammoth puzzled fuelled trip
emulating sustainable inhospitable


News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2008
Page 6 of 6
bbclearningenglish.com


Answers

1. Reading Quiz

1. Mr Jones is travelling on his own. True

2. Mr Jones only stays in hotels. False

3. Edward Genochio is concerned about the environment.
True

4. Cycling is becoming more popular in the UK. True

2. Parts of a bicycle

1. frame
2. handlebars
3. brakes
4. chain
5. pedal
6. wheel






3. Vocabulary Exercise


1. My friend was a bit puzzled when I said I didn't want
to earn lots of money.

2. These days there is a lot of talk amongst politicians
about sustainable development.

3. When I started using email I was a bit confused, but
now it's second nature.

4. A lot of China's economic growth has been fuelled by
the manufacturing sector.

5. Martin was going to ask a friend to pick him up from
the airport, but in the end he got home under his
own steam.






4. Wordsearch


i
s e n
u m h
f s u o
u t l s
e a p
l t t i i
l r i n t
e i n a
d p g b b
m a m m o t h l l
p u z z l e d e