Breaking News English

The BBC reports that in 2102, more bicycles were [sales / sold] than cars in 26 out of 28 countries in the European Union. There [appearing / appear] to be several reasons behind this growing [trendy / trend] . One is because of the recession experienced [in / at] many countries after the global financial crisis. Many countries introduced austerity [measurements / measures] , which took away the [spending / expenditure] power of consumers who might [ordinarily / ordinary] have bought a car instead of a bicycle. The continuing rise in fuel prices is also making motorists thing [twice / double] about driving. Another reason is that more people are getting [out of / into] cycling. The BBC reports that: "The popularity of cycling appears to be going [behind / beyond] the traditional 'cycling capitals' of northern Europe."

A [whopping / whipping] 50 per cent more bicycles were sold than cars. Europeans bought just 12 million cars in 2012, [comparison / compared] to 19.2 million bicycles. Sergio Marchionne, the head of the Italian car [monster / giant] FIAT, said this was a sorry [nation / state] of affairs for the car industry, and described it [has / as] "carmageddon". Car sales in Italy [slumped / swamped] so badly that they were at their lowest levels since 1965 – a five-decade [down / low] . The head of the Italian cycling federation believes there has been, "a small [resolution / revolution] in terms of lifestyle". The head of Italian cycling manufacturer Bianchi [agreeing / agreed] . He said: "Customers these days want bikes they can commute with, and top-of-the-[range / ranger] bikes. They are looking for long-term investments."