Riding a bike is good exercise and great fun. But what do you do with a bike after you outgrow it? Nicole
Basil, 12, has a terrific answer to this question. When she was 8 years old, she Joined Pedal Power. It is a
charity that collects bikes that kids have outgrown and donates them to Chicago public schools.
Since 2008, Nicols has collected and donated more than 1000 bikes. In addition to the bicycles, Pedal Power
supplied riders with 400 helmets（头盔）last year. “It is important to ride safely on a bike, and helmets are a
big part of that, ” Nicols says. The Wilmette Bicycle & Sport Shop helps to ensure that all donated bikes are
safe to ride. Each bike receives a five-minute check-up by the shop’s employees.
The bikes are given to students who have good grades and perfect attendance. Nicole says:”Some kids aren’t
as lucky as others, but they still do well in school. I think they should be rewarded for that .” Nicole has
received e-mails and phone calls from parents and teachers that say test scores are improving. “Bikes can take
you far,” she says. “Good grades can take you even further ”
Barton Dassinger is the principal of Cesar E.Chavez school in Chicago. Students in his school have received
bikes. “It’s been a great way to motivate students to do their best, ” Dassinger says. “They work hard to make it
happen.”
骑自行车不但是一项很好的锻炼，而且很有趣。但是当你长大了而不适合骑自行车时你会怎么办呢？
12 岁的妮可·巴兹尔对此给出了一个极好的答案。她在8 岁时，加入了“踏板的力量”，这是一个慈善机构，
主要收集孩子们骑不了的自行车并把它们捐给芝加哥公共学校。
自从2008 年开始，妮可收集并捐献了1000 多辆自行车。除了自行车外，去年“踏板的力量”还为骑自
行车者提供了400 个头盔。“安全骑车很重要，其中头盔是安全骑车的很大一部分”，妮可说。Wilmette 自
行车运动商店帮助确保所有捐献的自行车都安全使用。每辆自行车都接受过店员为时5 分钟的检查。
自行车被分给那些成绩好而且出勤率高的学生。妮可说：“一些孩子不像其他孩子那样幸运，但是他
们在学校的表现也很优秀。我认为他们应该为此得到奖励。”妮可接到很多来自家长和老师的邮件和电话，
说孩子的考试分数在提高。她说：“自行车可以带你去向远方，好的分数能使你走得更远。”
Baraton Dassinger 是芝加哥塞萨尔·查韦斯学校的校长。他所在学校的学生收到了自行车。Dassinger 说：
“这是一个激励孩子精益求精的好方法。他们努力学习使其发生。”