Literacy International: How Do We Get There? - Transportation Vehicles Through History

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Aria

A simple English nonfiction overview explains how people travel from one place to another by introducing transportation as the means of movement and vehicles as the moving objects. It traces key forms of transport across time—from animal riding and carts to Roman chariots, wagons, horse and carriages, and rickshaws. The guide then covers bicycles and their working parts, motorcycles powered by motors, and modern urban options like cars, taxis, buses, and trucks, emphasizing capacity and practicality.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time32 min

AccessFree to download

Transportation and Vehicles

Early animal transport and carts

Chariots, wagons, and horse-drawn vehicles

Rickshaws, bicycles, and motorcycles

Cars, taxis, buses, and trucks

Literacy International: How Do We Get There? Copyright © 2022 Literacy International [info@literacyinternational.net](info@literacyinternational.net) English Non Fiction Literacy International: How Do We Get There? Copyright © 2022 Literacy International [info@literacyinternational.net](info@literacyinternational.net) English Copyright © 2022, Literacy International [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) You are free to make commercial use of this work. You may adapt and add to this work, but you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one. You must keep the copyright and credits for authors, illustrators, etc. We live in a big beautiful world. Sometimes we want togo from one part of our world to another part. How do we get there? If the place is close to us, we can walk. If it is far, we will need another way. A way to move from one place to another is called “transportation.”The thing that moves us is called a “vehicle.” The earliest way of transportation was probably riding on an animal. A person can sit on a horse, camel, donkey or some other animal. Then the animal moves and takes him to another place. People rode animals thousands of years ago, and they still ride animals today. A long, long time ago we did not have many machines. We did not have motors. But people knew how to make wheels. They connected the wheels to a kind of box. The box did not have a lid. It was usually made of metal or wood. In this way, they would make a “cart.”Some carts had two wheels but most of them had four wheels. A person could sit in the box or he could put things into the box. Then an animal would pull the cart or another person would pull the cart. It would move from one place to another. Some carts did not have sides. They just had a flat surface to carry the load. People used carts for transportation long ago, and they still use carts today. About 2000 years ago the Romans used chariots. A chariot was like a cart but it had only two wheels. A person could stand up in it. The front and sides of the cart were high enough to keep a person from falling off. A horse pulled the chariot. A wagon is almost the same as a cart. It has short sides. It often has a long handle that a person can pull. People still use wagons today. Children especially like to play with wagons. In the early days of the United States, there were many “covered wagons.” People used them when they wanted to move to another part of the country. They were very big. They had to hold all the members of a family and all their belongings. They had heavy cloth covers that could keep out the rain. Horses pulled them. About a hundred and fifty years ago, some people would ride in a “horse and carriage.” The carriage was like a cart, but prettier. It was higher off the ground. A person would climb up steps to get into it. A horse would pull it. The “driver” controlled the horse. A tanga is like a horse and carriage, but it has a roof on it. There are tangas in India and Pakistan. A horse pulls the tanga. People pay money to ride in a tanga. A person who pays to ride in a vehicle is called a passenger. In China and some other countries, we can see a lightweight vehicle with two wheels. A man pulls it anda person rides inside. He pays the man who pulls it. This kind of vehicle is called a ricksha. Bicycles are another good way to move from one place to another. A bicycle has two very large wheels, with a seat between them. It is made of metal. Sometimes we call it a “bike.” A bicycle has a long, curved bar called a handlebar. The rider holds onto the handlebar. He can turn it to the left or to the right. That makes the bicycle change direction. The person riding the bike pushes flat“pedals” around in circles with his feet. The pedals are connected to the wheels; they make the wheels turnaround so that the bicycle moves forward. A motorcycle is

FAQs

What does “transportation” mean in this text, and what is a “vehicle”?

Transportation is the way to move from one place to another. A vehicle is the thing that moves people or goods.

How were early carts used and what were they like?

People made carts by connecting wheels to a box-like structure without a lid. Animals or people pulled the carts, and they could carry loads on a flat surface or with sides.

What key differences distinguish a bicycle, a motorcycle, and a car?

A bicycle has two large wheels and is powered by the rider turning pedals that move the wheels. A motorcycle is heavier, includes a motor for power, and uses different pedal controls. A car is a closed vehicle with a motor and rubber tires that protect passengers from the weather.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Aria