F2F Class Notes (Lily)[R]

An amusement park is an outdoor area with games, rides and shows. They are spread over a large area, often many square kilometers. Young and old visitors can enjoy many types of attractions. They can ride on roller coasters, go high up in the air in a Ferris wheel or ride on carousels. Amusement parks also offer restaurants and bars to eat and drink, as well as green areas with grass to sit down or relax.

Most amusement parks have a fixed location. Some of them are open all year round, others only during the warmer season. Today amusement parks have been replaced by theme parks. These places focus on a certain topic of history or natural life. The first theme park, Disneyland, opened in California in 1955.

Rides and Attractions

Rides are the greatest attractions of amusement parks. By the 19th century many entertainment parks had carousels or merry-go-rounds. They began to become popular during medieval tournaments where knights fought against each other. Later on roller coasterswere added to the attractions of amusement parks. They featured steep drops from high altitudes. Roller coasters originated from Russian ice slides that were built for the people as early as the 17th century.

Today almost every amusement park has a Ferris wheel. The first original Ferris wheel in the United States was built for the Chicago Exhibition in 1893. It allowed visitors to rise to about 80 meters. Today Ferris wheels are not only located in amusement parks but in other places as well. London Eye, for example, is situated on the Thames River and gives visitors a breathtaking view of London.

Vocabulary

knight:a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.

ex: Little girls always want to be married to a knight.

tournaments: a meeting for contests in a variety of sports, as between teams of different nations.

ex: It’s interesting to watch pingpong tournaments.

breathtaking: thrillingly beautiful, remarkable, astonishing, exciting, or the like

ex: I’ve seen some breathtaking scenaries in China.

Pronunciation

various- VAY- rious