INVISIBLE HELMET FOR CICLISTS INVENTED
Two Swedish design students have invented a totally new kind of bicycle
helmet. People are saying it's invisible because you cannot see it on a
cyclist's head. The "invisible" helmet is really a kind of airbag. It
is inside a large collar. People wear it around their neck like a scarf. When
the cyclist falls off his/her bike, the collar quickly fills with gas and an
airbag surrounds the head. The two students, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin,
wanted to change the way people cycle. They said: "Bicycle helmets have
always been the same. They're so bulky, like a hard mushroom on your
head." They called their new invention the Hövding. The pair said it looks
so fashionable that "people would be happy to wear it".
The inventors started research and development on the Hövding in 2005. They
examined thousands of cycling accidents. They wanted to find out how to make
the safest helmet. They then teamed up with a Swedish airbag company called
Alva. Today, the Hövding company has a staff of 17 employees. They hope their
helmet will change how people all over the world cycle. In their video, Haupt
and Alstin said: "Cars are so yesterday. Bikes are the future." They
also said their invention would make them millionaires. People can only buy the
Hövding helmet online in Europe. It sells for around $530. The company did not
say when it would be available in the rest of the world.
ACTIVITIES
1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the
headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
|
a.
|
The two inventors of the
helmet are from Norway.
|
T / F
|
|
b.
|
The helmet is really a
collar with an airbag inside it.
|
T / F
|
|
c.
|
When a cyclist falls off
his/her bike, he/she quickly fills with air.
|
T / F
|
|
d.
|
The new helmet was designed
to look like a bulky mushroom.
|
T / F
|
|
e.
|
The inventors started work
on their helmet more than five years ago.
|
T / F
|
|
f.
|
The two women teamed up with
a cycling goods company.
|
T / F
|
|
g.
|
The women believe they will
become millionaires from their helmet.
|
T / F
|
|
h.
|
People in Europe can buy the
helmet today, but not those in the USA.
|
T / F
|
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the
following synonyms from the article.
|
1.
|
invented
|
a.
|
collaborated
|
|
2
|
quickly
|
b.
|
big
|
|
3.
|
surrounds
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c.
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on sale
|
|
4.
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bulky
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d.
|
created
|
|
5.
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fashionable
|
e.
|
workers
|
|
6.
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examined
|
f.
|
stylish
|
|
7.
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teamed up
|
g.
|
speedily
|
|
8.
|
employees
|
h.
|
looked at
|
|
9.
|
buy
|
i.
|
encircles
|
|
10.
|
available
|
j.
|
purchase
|
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