节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-12-13
难易度:Medium
关键字:frame, maintenance, grease, inspection, handlebar, wind resistance
We are continuing our lesson All About Bikes.
And today so far we have talked about bikes built for speed, road bikes that
have a much lighter frame than other bikes.
But they aren't made to handle going over small holes that you might find in
roads.
These bikes are good, however, because they have more gears to help you go up
steep mountain roads.
Now we want to make sure that you're able to take care of whatever bike you
happen to have, so let's continue learning with the next part of my lesson.
(Music).
All About Bikes.
Bike care and maintenance.
Whatever bike you choose to ride, bike company Merida suggests doing a few
things before every ride.
These include checking and greasing the chain, checking the tire pressure and
testing the brakes.
For new bikes, Merida recommends an inspection after three to six weeks of
riding.
The reason?
Several parts on the bike will shift and change, so fixing them will help your
bike last longer.
All right. It's good to know how to take care of and maintain your bike.
Well, let's go back to the beginning of this section, and we see a key word
right there: maintenance.
Maintenance, how to maintain something.
That means you are taking care of something and keeping it in good shape.
That is very important, especially when it comes to your transportation.
A lot of times we talk about having regular car maintenance.
It's important to take your car to the mechanic to make sure that everything is
working properly.
That is also true for your bike, which is why we have a section here: Bike care
and maintenance.
Well, I have a scooter.
And of course that needs maintenance as well.
I need to make sure it has good oil.
I need to change the oil every once in a while.
I need to make sure the tires are good, too.
That's very important.
Now we talk about high-maintenance and low-maintenance people as well.
If you're a high-maintenance person, that means you need a lot of things done
for you, you need people to take care of you, and it's hard to please you.
But if you're a low-maintenance person, that means you're easy-going, you're
laid-back.
It doesn't take much to please you.
That's right.
Well, we continue reading in our article:
Whatever bike you choose to ride, bike company Merida suggests doing a few
things before every ride.
So it's important to take care of your bike.
So what things do they recommend, Gabe?
Well, I'm really glad that this is in our lesson, Carolyn, because I don't
usually think about doing some of these things before I ride my bike.
OK. Some of these things include checking and greasing the chain, checking the
tire pressure and testing the brakes.
All right.
So those are all different parts of your bike that you need to check before you
go for a bike ride.
And that's right.
And it says to do this before every ride.
Yeah.
I know I do not check these things before every time I ride my bicycle.
But they recommend it.
And that first one right there, checking and greasing the chain, I think that's
something a lot of people forget.
And we have a word from our Word Bank: grease.
To grease something just means to put oil on something.
Now if you're greasing your chain, that means that you're putting some oil on
the chain of your bike so that it will turn properly through all of the gears.
That's right. It will go smoother.
What else do you need to grease?
Well, sometimes I talk about greasing the hinges of a door.
If you open a door and there's not enough oil in the hinges, then it will make a
creaking sound.
And you need to grease the hinges or grease other things so that it doesn't make
that sound.
Now Carolyn, when you're cooking, do you ever have to grease a pan?
Well, sometimes if you are baking something or if you want to cook something in
oil,
it's important that you grease the pan first before putting in the rest of the
food to cook.
All right.
So there are different ways you can use this word "grease." Now I don't usually
think about greasing my bike chain.
But something I do do is check the tire pressure.
And I think I do that before every ride.
So at least I did one of these things.
Well, that's good.
I always check my brakes because regardless of what anything else is doing on my
bike, I want my brakes to work.
That is true.
It could be quite dangerous if your brakes are not working.
All right. Well, what else does Merida recommend?
Merida recommends an inspection after three to six weeks of riding.
That's right.
And that is for new bikes, not just for any bike but for new bikes, they
recommend an inspection after three to six weeks.
And that is very interesting.
We have that word "inspection." Let's look at that first.
What does... what is an inspection, Gabe?
Well, that means you are carefully checking something.
And it usually means someone with a little more professional experience is
checking something.
All right. So you need to have someone come in and inspect.
That's the verb form, I-N-S-P-E-C-T.
They're... inspecting to make sure that everything is all right.
That's very important.
And as we said earlier, with cars and scooters, you want to maintain them, have
their maintenance checked.
It means that you also want to take those in for an inspection as well.
Now where else in life might you have an inspection?
Well, if you ever were in the army, then maybe you had your room inspected.
Someone came in and did a room inspection.
They check to make sure everything was very clean.
OK. Here we're talking about the inspection of a bike.
And the reason?
Well, several parts on the bike will shift and change, so fixing them will help
your bike last longer.
Carolyn, what does it mean to shift?
Well, it means to change positions, so.
Things on a new bike might change positions as you ride it, so it's important to
take it in for an inspection.
Well, right now it is time for us to enjoy a review skit, and then learn with
Michelle in the Language Lab.
Wow! Look at all the bicycles.
Yes. You should buy a bike and hit the road.
Well, I haven't ridden a bike in years.
Well, chances are you still remember how.
Yes, I suppose so.
Then there's no excuse not to get out and ride!
Maybe you're right.
So what kind of bicycle should I get?
Well, some bicycles are for commuting.
Like getting to work?
Yes. Bikes for commuting are comfortable and sturdy.
And expensive.
A cheaper alternative is a city bike.
But those are not very attractive.
And I really don't plan on commuting.
For riding on dirt and rocky trails, nothing beats a mountain bike.
Oh, a mountain bike.
But I really don't plan on riding in the mountains.
Well, some bikes are built for speed.
Road bikes are lighter, so you can go faster.
But the handlebars look different.
Yes. Road bikes force the rider to bend forward while pedaling.
Oh. That's uncomfortable.
Besides, I really don't plan to ride fast.
Well, then what kind of bike do you want?
Hmm... Oh! How about a red one?
(Music).
OK.
(Chinese).
And let's head back to our lesson now.
So far today we've talked about road bikes.
Those are bikes built for speed.
We've also talked about how important it is to take care of your bike, to have
bike maintenance.
Now something else that's very important is how else you can protect your bike.
What's another way you can protect your bike, Carolyn?
Well, locking your bike properly to prevent it from being stolen is very
important.
And a lot of bike companies and lock companies recommend that you use a U-lock
instead of a chain lock because roadblocks or chain locks can be cut very
easily.
A U-lock is much more difficult.
All right. And what is a U-lock?
Well, it's easy. You can remember it by the shape.
It looks like a U and is very sturdy.
All right. It's important to lock your bike.
You don't want it to get stolen.
We have more to learn All About Bikes next time right here at Studio Classroom.
See you.
(Music).