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The Incredible Cardboard Bicycle

Izhar Gafni, 50, from Israel, had a dream. He wanted to build a bicycle that almost everyone couldafford. The bike would have to be lightweight but very strong, durable but chea. !ith so manycontrasting secifications, Gafni did not know how he would construct such a bicycle. Then one daythe answer came to him" cardboard#

$ardboard% &ure, cardboard can be used to make bo'es, but the idea of using cardboard to make a bikewas radical, no one had ever done it before. (ccording to Gafni, making a bike from cardboard )wase'tremely difficult and I had to find the right way to fold the cardboard in several different directions. Ittook a year and a half, with lots of testing and failure until I got it right.)*ut what e'actly does getting it right mean% ( bicycle is usually made of a variety of material, such assteel, aluminum, titanium and even carbon fiber. There+s also a lot of rubber used and some fiber glasstoo. (ll these materials make a bike that is strong, durable, as well as fireroof and waterroof. *utGafni+s bike will have none of those materials. How is it ossible%To make the cardboard fireroof and waterroof, Gafni coats it with a secret recie of organicingredients. ater in the roduction rocess, the cardboard is lac-uered and ainted. To make sure thematerial is waterroof, Gafni soaked the cardboard in a tank of water for several months. He roudlysays the cardboard remained firm and strong.*ut Gafni has more surrises u his sleeve. The comleted bike will have no metal arts at all, evenarts like brakes and the chain. Instead of metal, Gafni will use a to"secret material made fromrecycled resources. This mystery material must remain a secret until Gafni gets a atent for it.(nd so will the cardboard bike change the world% Gafni thinks so. irst, the use of organic andrecycled material to make durable goods could dramatically change the way things are manufactured.(nd second, the bike will cost no more than /0, meaning that eole who have never been able toafford a conventional bicycle can soon find themselves much more mobile.Gafni is so sure of his bike that he has lans in the future for a moed version. He also thinks that oneday, even cars and lanes could be made from his cardboard. *ut that, he says, 1is still a way down theroad.)

Excercise: What is stuff made of?

Put the following items, A-H, with the material it is made from. All items can go in more than one

category.

(. Guitar*. $omuter$. The *rooklyn *ridge2. $ar3. $anned vegetables. 3ye GlassesG. ootball GoalH. Helena 4ondr6kov 7or here could be $anned $ola8 98

Material

:. &teel9

. ;lastic

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=. Iron

5. !ood

>. ?ubber

@. Aylon

Answers:

1:a, b, d, f

2:a, b, d, f

3:b, d, f, h (canned cola

!:c ,d

":a, g

#: b, d

$: a, b, d, g