氣質姐與可愛可

　　Taller, faster, and with more exciting twists and turns, modern roller coasters have come a long way from their simple beginnings. Most historians1 trace the origins of the roller coaster2 back to the ice slides3 in 17th-century Russia. These structures were long, steep wooden slides covered in ice, with some as high as 20 meters and having a 50 degree drop. Then in 1817, the French improved on the ice slide to create the first roller coaster with wheels and tracks4.
      By the mid-1800s, the first American roller coaster came into being. The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway5 was built in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Originally used to send coal to another railway, the track was converted to give tourists a scenic6 tour to the top of the mountain before sending them back down on a wild, bumpy ride. By the 1920s, some 2,000 roller coasters were thrilling people around the US. The most famous and historic is the wooden roller coaster called the Cyclone7 at Coney Island, New York. It opened on June 26, 1927 and is still making riders scream to this day.

　　和其最初簡易的雛形相比，現代雲霄飛車已有了全然不同的樣貌，它們衝得更高更快，而且還有更多刺激的翻轉和急彎。大部分歷史學家將雲霄飛車的起源追溯至十七世紀俄國的冰滑梯。這些冰滑梯是一座座上頭覆滿了冰、又長又陡的木製滑梯，當中有些冰滑梯的高度高達二十公尺，而且落下的俯角更達五十度。接著在1817年，法國人將冰滑梯加以改良，建造出第一座有輪子及軌道的雲霄飛車。

　　美國的第一座雲霄飛車則是到了十九世紀中期才問世。Mauch Chunk Switchback鐵路建於賓夕法尼亞州的山區。這條鐵軌原先是用來將煤炭運送至另一條鐵路，後來則進行了改建，用來將觀光客載到山上，讓他們欣賞沿途美麗的景色，然後再將他們送下山，體驗一段瘋狂顛簸的車程。到了1920年代，全美各地約有兩千座令人大呼刺激的雲霄飛車。其中最著名且最具歷史意義的就是一座位於紐約康尼島、名叫『龍捲風』的木製雲霄飛車。此座雲霄飛車於1927年六月二十六日開始啟用，而且至今仍讓乘客驚叫連連。