Third Grade
Worksheets
An Up and Down Ride
"I'm really not sure about this," Meghan said to her brother Kyle. She lifted her head to stare at the top of the monster.
"Oh, come on," Kyle urged, pushing her gently in the long line that wound like spaghetti through the gates. "You can't come to Fantastic Mountain and not ride the Beast!"
Meghan wasn't so sure. She had never been very fond of roller coasters. On her very first experience, the coaster stopped at the top of the first hill. It seemed like forever before they got the ride going again, but it had really only been about ten minutes. After sitting still for that time, the ride suddenly had lurched forward, speeding down a huge hill and back up into a loop in no time. Meghan had hung on so tightly that her hands were white at the end of the ride.
She watched the train of screaming rides zoom over her head. The corkscrew twist was over the waiting area, so people could easily watch the rider's faces as they spun over top of their heads. Each step closer made Meghan's stomach do more flips. Why was she doing this?
Kyle could hardly wait. "I've wanted to go on the Beast ever since they created it," he said. "It's the tallest coaster in the United States now. It's over 350 feet high!"
"Goody," said Meghan, rolling her eyes.
Kyle ignored her. "It goes over 60 miles an hour down the first hill. There are four loops and three corkscrews. The ride is a full three minutes long--the longest ride of any coaster in the country!"
"You aren't helping," Meghan said.
"Ah, you aren't going to be a chicken, are you?" Kyle teased.
"No, I'm not," Meghan said with determination, although her mind didn't necessarily agree with her mouth!
Meghan wondered to herself, "Why am I doing this?" She tried to answer the questions in her head.
