New Destinations B2 Module 9

Read a magazine article about rollercoasters in amusement parks. Choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

ROLLERCOASTERS

Imagine you're on a rollercoaster in an amusement park. Palms clammy with fear, nails digging Into the harness, you come to a grinding halt and inhale sharply before the carriage creeps slowly upwards. A pause. Then a sharp drop and your stomach is suspended in the air. Teeth gritted, you hurtle quickly forwards, sharply left, then upside down. Your senses a blur, you let out a roar of fear that comes from the pit of your gut. But you only have yourself to blame: after all, like hundreds of millions of others each year, you were happy to pay the price of getting into a theme park.

What’s somewhat mystifying to me is that amusement parks, with their hairraising rides aimed at pulling in crowds, are a huge industry. To deliver the thrills and ultimate-escape-from-reality that guests seek, behind the scenes there are huge teams of highly inventive - and arguably a little cruel - structural, mechanical, industrial and electrical engineers, as well as designers and marketing experts.

‘Rollercoaster designer’ sounds like the career aspiration of a primary school child when asked what they want to be when they grow up. In reality, it’s a big challenge: not just creating the perfect balance of pleasure and fear while ensuring that passengers are not in any danger, but also introducing enough novelty to keep visitors wanting more.

While the layperson may imagine that rollercoasters have become ever more intense, in fact, most of the techniques used today - including the wheel that allows rides to go upside-down - were invented by the USA designer John Miller In the early 20th century.

I spoke to three experts on rollercoasters. The skill,’ said Professor Brendan Walker, a ‘thrill engineer' with a background in aeronautics, ‘is in compiling the pieces.’ And what that means, said Dr John Roberts, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is ‘swapping very rapidly between plus and minus, so people get the sense of being sort of thrown around but kept safe. It's a very fine line between people feeling the ride is thrilling and that feeling they've been bumped around.

In the search for a superlative ride, the teams behind rollercoasters must piece together a strong narrative, be it a space adventure or a high-paced chase in the jungle, that works with any innovations - the tallest ride, the most twists, the steepest drops - to create a seamless experience. However, said Professor Walker, in the end, as in many creative industries, gut instincts, years of experience and trial-and-error are what work. ‘It helps to be a bit of a thrill-nut if you are designing rollercoasters. In order to understand exactly what passengers are looking for, and to test your rides before they’re opened to the public,’ agreed Jeff Hornick, a senior director of theme park development.

Surely though, l asked them, as technology has transformed industry after industry, rollercoaster designers will also have to embrace the latest advances, such as virtual reality? Walker said we shouldn’t hold our breath. ‘Virtual reality can add a veneer, but only in the way that an old fashioned rollercoaster was fantastically painted,' he said. ‘New technology comes along all the time, and the parks are very quick to embrace it because it is exciting and can add to ride experience. But underpinning that is the physical coaster experience, and I think that will remain king for many years to come.'

What does the writer say in the first paragraph about people who ride on rollercoasters?

Read a magazine article about rollercoasters in amusement parks. Choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

ROLLERCOASTERS

Imagine you're on a rollercoaster in an amusement park. Palms clammy with fear, nails digging Into the harness, you come to a grinding halt and inhale sharply before the carriage creeps slowly upwards. A pause. Then a sharp drop and your stomach is suspended in the air. Teeth gritted, you hurtle quickly forwards, sharply left, then upside down. Your senses a blur, you let out a roar of fear that comes from the pit of your gut. But you only have yourself to blame: after all, like hundreds of millions of others each year, you were happy to pay the price of getting into a theme park.

What’s somewhat mystifying to me is that amusement parks, with their hairraising rides aimed at pulling in crowds, are a huge industry. To deliver the thrills and ultimate-escape-from-reality that guests seek, behind the scenes there are huge teams of highly inventive - and arguably a little cruel - structural, mechanical, industrial and electrical engineers, as well as designers and marketing experts.

‘Rollercoaster designer’ sounds like the career aspiration of a primary school child when asked what they want to be when they grow up. In reality, it’s a big challenge: not just creating the perfect balance of pleasure and fear while ensuring that passengers are not in any danger, but also introducing enough novelty to keep visitors wanting more.

While the layperson may imagine that rollercoasters have become ever more intense, in fact, most of the techniques used today - including the wheel that allows rides to go upside-down - were invented by the USA designer John Miller In the early 20th century.

I spoke to three experts on rollercoasters. The skill,’ said Professor Brendan Walker, a ‘thrill engineer' with a background in aeronautics, ‘is in compiling the pieces.’ And what that means, said Dr John Roberts, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is ‘swapping very rapidly between plus and minus, so people get the sense of being sort of thrown around but kept safe. It's a very fine line between people feeling the ride is thrilling and that feeling they've been bumped around.

In the search for a superlative ride, the teams behind rollercoasters must piece together a strong narrative, be it a space adventure or a high-paced chase in the jungle, that works with any innovations - the tallest ride, the most twists, the steepest drops - to create a seamless experience. However, said Professor Walker, in the end, as in many creative industries, gut instincts, years of experience and trial-and-error are what work. ‘It helps to be a bit of a thrill-nut if you are designing rollercoasters. In order to understand exactly what passengers are looking for, and to test your rides before they’re opened to the public,’ agreed Jeff Hornick, a senior director of theme park development.

Surely though, l asked them, as technology has transformed industry after industry, rollercoaster designers will also have to embrace the latest advances, such as virtual reality? Walker said we shouldn’t hold our breath. ‘Virtual reality can add a veneer, but only in the way that an old fashioned rollercoaster was fantastically painted,' he said. ‘New technology comes along all the time, and the parks are very quick to embrace it because it is exciting and can add to ride experience. But underpinning that is the physical coaster experience, and I think that will remain king for many years to come.'

What do we learn in the second paragraph about the wnter's attitude towards rollercoasters?

Read a magazine article about rollercoasters in amusement parks. Choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

ROLLERCOASTERS

Imagine you're on a rollercoaster in an amusement park. Palms clammy with fear, nails digging Into the harness, you come to a grinding halt and inhale sharply before the carriage creeps slowly upwards. A pause. Then a sharp drop and your stomach is suspended in the air. Teeth gritted, you hurtle quickly forwards, sharply left, then upside down. Your senses a blur, you let out a roar of fear that comes from the pit of your gut. But you only have yourself to blame: after all, like hundreds of millions of others each year, you were happy to pay the price of getting into a theme park.

What’s somewhat mystifying to me is that amusement parks, with their hairraising rides aimed at pulling in crowds, are a huge industry. To deliver the thrills and ultimate-escape-from-reality that guests seek, behind the scenes there are huge teams of highly inventive - and arguably a little cruel - structural, mechanical, industrial and electrical engineers, as well as designers and marketing experts.

‘Rollercoaster designer’ sounds like the career aspiration of a primary school child when asked what they want to be when they grow up. In reality, it’s a big challenge: not just creating the perfect balance of pleasure and fear while ensuring that passengers are not in any danger, but also introducing enough novelty to keep visitors wanting more.

While the layperson may imagine that rollercoasters have become ever more intense, in fact, most of the techniques used today - including the wheel that allows rides to go upside-down - were invented by the USA designer John Miller In the early 20th century.

I spoke to three experts on rollercoasters. The skill,’ said Professor Brendan Walker, a ‘thrill engineer' with a background in aeronautics, ‘is in compiling the pieces.’ And what that means, said Dr John Roberts, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is ‘swapping very rapidly between plus and minus, so people get the sense of being sort of thrown around but kept safe. It's a very fine line between people feeling the ride is thrilling and that feeling they've been bumped around.

In the search for a superlative ride, the teams behind rollercoasters must piece together a strong narrative, be it a space adventure or a high-paced chase in the jungle, that works with any innovations - the tallest ride, the most twists, the steepest drops - to create a seamless experience. However, said Professor Walker, in the end, as in many creative industries, gut instincts, years of experience and trial-and-error are what work. ‘It helps to be a bit of a thrill-nut if you are designing rollercoasters. In order to understand exactly what passengers are looking for, and to test your rides before they’re opened to the public,’ agreed Jeff Hornick, a senior director of theme park development.

Surely though, l asked them, as technology has transformed industry after industry, rollercoaster designers will also have to embrace the latest advances, such as virtual reality? Walker said we shouldn’t hold our breath. ‘Virtual reality can add a veneer, but only in the way that an old fashioned rollercoaster was fantastically painted,' he said. ‘New technology comes along all the time, and the parks are very quick to embrace it because it is exciting and can add to ride experience. But underpinning that is the physical coaster experience, and I think that will remain king for many years to come.'

What is suggested about rollercoaster designers in the third paragraph?