The four theme parks below offer the most thrilling(刺激的)rides and attractions in the world.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

    Located(坐落)in Virginia, USA, this theme paprk has some of the highest-rated thrill rides in the world. The park's famous roller coasters include Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, Griffon, the Loch Ness Monster and Verbolten. The park also has thrilling water rides, rides for kids, other rides, shows, tours, animal exhibits and more. Divided into nine areas representing European countries, the park has won an award for the quality of its food.

Everland

    One of the world's most popular theme parks, Everland is located in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea. The park has 40 thrill rides, including a world-famous wooden roller coaster, and many other attractions such as an hunting ride, a zoo, indoor and outdoor water parks, shows and more.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

    This Lancashire amusement park is one of the most visited theme parks in the United Kingdom. Among the park's 125 rides and attractions are the tallest and faster roller coaster in the U. K., a classic wooden roller coaster, a steel tower ride, the biggest indoor dark ride in the world, a host of rides for kids and more.

PortAventura World

    Located on Spain's Costa Daurada, this park is divided into six themed areas. Five areas represent different locations including Polynesia, Mexico, the American West, China and the Mediterrancan. The sixth and newest area has a Sesame Street theme. The park has many rides and attractions suitable for visitors of all ages.

    Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really made a conscious（自觉的）effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.

    Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before.

    Memory “trick” work the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber（理发师）shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.

    We always seem to find something funny and amusing（有趣的）in incidents caused by people's forgetfulness or absent-mindedness. Stories about absent-minded professors have been told for years, and we never got tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absent-mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “trick” of our memory can cause us great trouble.

    Professional athletes in most sports start to slow down after the age of 35. Some retire (退役). Jamaican Olympic runner Usain Bolt has talked about retiring, for example. He is only 30 years old. But on Thursday, Serena Williams earned a spot in the Australian Open finals. She will face her older sister, Venus, who won her semifinal (半决赛) match a day earlier. It is the first time that the Williams sisters will play in a Grand Slam final since 2009. Venus is 36. Serena is 35. One of them will win the championship (冠军) at last.

    One older champion will play in the men's final, too. Roger Federer qualified for the final by defeating Stan Wawrinka. Federer, like Serena Williams, is 35 years old It will be one of the sport's oldest finals in a long time.

    Ken Rosewall of Australia is the oldest winner of a Grand Slam. He was 37 when he won the Australian Open in 1972.

    Serena Williams is already the oldest winner of a women's Grand Slam match. She won Wimbledon last year at the age of 34.

    Many people are impressed that three of the finalists are 35 or older. All of the players have recently had injuries (受伤). Federer missed six months due to back and knee injuries.

    He told the crowd that he did not think he would be able to make it back to a Grand Slam final.

    The Williams sisters have had difficulties, too. Earlier this month, Venus won a match in New Zealand but withdrew (退出) from the final after hurting her arm. She also learned in 2011 she had the immune system disorder. The disorder kept her from practicing and staying in good physical condition for a number of years.

    Serena took time off to recover from knee and shoulder injuries after losing in the semifinals of the U. S. Open last September. It is the ninth time that the sisters will face each other in a major final. Serena has defeated her sister six of those times. If she wins, Serena will beat Steffi Graff's record for the most Grand Slam titles ever in women's tennis.

    In Britain, many theatres put on shows for children at Christmas and many theatres have a theatre­in­education team working there. This team, made up of actors and teachers, writes plays for children, usually performing them in schools. They do different plays for different age groups and the children often take part in the play in some way.

    Pantomime is a special kind of Christmas show for children. It is loved by people and also allows the audience (观众) to join in.＂Pantomime＂ was the name of the Roman actor who performed shows without speaking — this is where the English word ＂mime＂ comes from.

    A pantomime is always based on a well­known children's story. But there are always certain types of characters in the show and certain situations and events. For example, a pantomime must always include a hero, known as the ＂principal boy＂ and this principal boy is always played by a pretty girl wearing a short costume (服装). Then there is the comic older woman, known as the ＂dame＂ who is played by a man. There is always a group of men and women who sing and dance and often there is a pantomime horse. The horse is played by two men who form the ＂front＂ and ＂back＂ ends inside a ＂horse＂ costume. It is funny and it usually kicks the dame when she isn't looking.

    Members of the audience have to shout a warning to one of the characters and argue (争论) with the character (usually the dame) when she does not believe them. When she shouts, ＂Oh no, it isn't, ＂ the audience always responds with ＂Oh yes, it is!＂ The audience also learns and sings a simple song and a few children are sometimes invited to help one of the characters during the show.

    Most people know the feeling when you walk into a lift（电梯）with other people. A study has found that where people stand is based on their social position on entering the lift.

    Rebekah Rousi, a Ph.D. student, did a study of lift behavior in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide, Australia. As part of her research, she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings, and discovered there was a fixed order about where people chose to stand.

    In her research paper, she wrote that more senior men seemed to walk straight towards the back of the lift. She said “in front of them were younger men, and in front of them were women of all ages.” She also noticed there was a difference in the direction where people look during the ride. “Men watched the monitors, looked in the side mirrors (in one building) to see themselves, and in the door mirrors (in the other building) to watch others. Women would watch the monitors and avoid looking into others' eyes (unless in conversations) and the mirrors.”

    Rebekah Rousi concluded that shyer people stand toward the front, where they can't see other passengers, while fearless people stand in the back, where they have a good view of everyone else.

    Most foodies (吃货) agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be tough. Now, there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their diets and their dining out experiences.

Cheese & Wine Pairing app

    Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing app can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and advises wines to pair with each. Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing app is free for iPhones and iPads.

Calorific app

    What does 200 calories look like? It can be hard to picture. Calorific provides images of 200 calories worth of food. The pictures can help people on a diet and those who just want to eat healthier food. The app is free for iPads and iPhones. There is also a version that provides more information for a price.

    HappyCow app

    Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The HappyCow app is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world. A free version of HappyCow is available for Android that has ads and requires an Internet connection.

    LocalEats app

    Restaurant chains, like McDonald's, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. LocalEats is designed for that. It lists locally owned restaurants so users can try foods from that area. The app costs about a dollar.