1 . With nations preparing to spend billions to redesign their cities with a new focus on cycling, it's worth remembering how the invention of the bicycle changed societies all over the world.

The person generally credited with inventing the modern bicycle was an Englishman named John Kemp Starley. In 1885, the 30⁃year⁃old inventor began experimenting in his workshop with a chain⁃driven bicycle featuring two much smaller wheels. When it first appeared at a bicycle show in 1886, his invention was regarded as a curiosity. But two years later, when the next model was paired with the newly invented rubber tire—which not only cushioned the ride but also made the new bicycle about 30 percent faster—the result was magic.

For a few years in the 1890s, almost anyone wanted to learn to ride, and almost everyone did. The sultan of Zanzibar took up cycling. So did the czar of Russia. But it was the middle and working classes around the globe that truly made the bicycle their own. For the first time in history, the masses were able to come and go as they pleased. No more need for expensive horses and carriages.

The rocketing demand led hundreds of new companies around the world to offer their own versions. At the Stanley Bicycle Show in London in 1895, about 200 bicycle makers exhibited 3,000 models. One of the biggest makers was Columbia Bicycles, whose factory in Hartford, Connecticut, could turn out a bicycle a minute thanks to its automated assembly line (流水线)—a pioneering technology that one day would become the backbone of the automobile industry. By 1898, a third of all patent applications in the US were bicycle⁃related.

The bicycle even improved the human gene (基因) pool. Newly liberated young people rode around the countryside at will, meeting up in distant villages. Women were especially enthusiastic. They abandoned their troublesome skirts and took to the road in groups. Marriage records in England show a marked rise in inter⁃village marriages during the bicycle craze of the 1890s.

2 . From hawk hikes to private sleepovers at the zoo, there is a great selection of animal-related experiences available to groups. Here are some top options to get closer to various wonderful wildlife.

Chester Zoo

The newest attractions here are the Madagascar Lemur Walkthrough experience, which gives visitors the opportunity to walk alongside ring-tailed and red-ruffed lemurs, and the interactive American Wetland Aviary, which is home to birds like scarlet ibises and flamingos. Group rates are available for parties of 15 or more and there are various catering options, including sit-down meals at the restaurant at the heart of the zoo.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Until September 2022, it is offering groups of up to 60 the opportunity to experience a private Nature Night, on which they’ll get to explore the zoo privately after the public has left, take part in activities like quizzes, camp overnight, and get up early for a private tour along the green trail before it reopens to the public again.

West Midland Safari Park

The latest attraction at the park is the new African Walking Trail. Opened in May, the trail features three viewpoints that allow visitors to see the park’s African animals on foot. There’s also a four-mile drive-through safari area with red panda, penguin and lorikeet areas. Groups of ten plus, arriving in the same vehicle, can save more than 40%.

Knowsley Safari Park

The five-mile safari drive through the site takes you past free-roaming lions, rhinos and more than 100cheeky baboons. There’s a foot safari area, where the highlight is the Amur Tiger Trail with transparent walled viewing areas where you can get nose-to-nose with 450-pound tigers. Groups of 15 people and more, arriving in one vehicle, qualify for special ticket rates.

4 . How many sides does a circle have?

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