People have long enjoyed the sensation of falling for fun. In 17th-century Russia, the rich started building slides of ice into hills purely for entertainment purposes. This practice caught on, and drops of 50 degrees and wooden reinforcements▼ were even added. It's interesting to note that the original roller coasters were called Russian mountains, and to this day in some languages, they are still translated as this. French people strongly disagree that these mountains were the first roller coasters, though. Instead, they believe in 1817 they were the first ones to build roller coasters with wheels securely attached to a track. As a matter of fact, the first looped▼ roller coaster was built in Paris in 1846. In 1884, the Coney Island Amusement Park in New York jumped on the roller coaster bandwagon, made roller coasters and let riders on them, starting the race for bigger and better rides.
At the time, these roller coasters were incredibly dangerous and people would get off the cars feeling dizzy or becoming very sick. With their increase in popularity, though, the safety standards were also raised. In 1959, the Disneyland Theme Park debuted▼ the first steel roller coaster. The Matterhorn Bobsleds were much safer for people, and the steel could be twisted into ways that wood could not. This meant all kinds of new designs with twists, corkscrews, as well as double and triple loops could be built.
Nowadays, each summer brings new roller coasters promising the biggest, fastest, or scariest rides ever. The Formula Rossa Roller Coaster in Dubai, in which riders sit in a replica Ferrari, can accelerate to a speed of 149 miles per hour in just three seconds. This is the fastest roller coaster in the world at the present time. For those that like fun, there is nothing like the thrill of roller coasters.
1. Why do French people believe they invented roller coasters?
(A) They do not like Russians.
(B) They believe that they made the first coasters that were attached to a track.
(C) Their winters were not very cold.
(D) Few people in France are afraid of heights.
2. What did NOT happen in 1884?
(A) Roller coasters appeared at an amusement park in New York.
(B) Coney Island decided to build roller coasters.
(C) The race to make bigger and better roller coasters began.
(D) Three people died from a roller coaster accident.
3. Why were steel roller coasters special?
(A) Steel is more flexible than wood.
(B) They could be built much more cheaply than wooden roller coasters.
(C) Steel was what the first roller coaster was made from.
(D) They just started being built a few years ago.
4. Why is the Formula Rossa Roller Coaster mentioned in the article?
(A) It is the only roller coaster in Dubai.
(B) It can go faster than a Ferrari.
(C) It is the fastest in the world.
(D) Everyone is scared to ride it.
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