How it all began
Ferris wheels have always been popular fairground attractions, but over the years interest had waned, until the London Eye was introduced for the new millennium.
Now Manchester, York and Birmingham have their own big wheels and according to Graeme Cross, the Manchester Wheel Manager, two more cities, will shortly get their own.
Graeme says that the wheel is popular because it is suitable for everyone including families and young people who want to see the city from a different view point.
London Eye
The London Eye has become one of the city’s landmarks and a great tourist attraction. The creator of this design, Julia Barfield, says on the London Eye website: ‘The ingredients of the wheel are simple - a universal desire to see the earth and cities from a great height and the natural human fascination with scale, daring and beauty.’
Hilary from Manchester, who visited the London Eye with her teenage daughter, says: ’The ride is so slow that you hardly feel that you are moving, definitely not one for the adrenaline thrill seekers. I on the other hand thought it was perfect. I felt safe in my little glass bubble, it was not claustrophobic and there were some spectacular panoramic views.’
Manchester Wheel
Luke, 21, an Australian tourist who visited both the London Eye and the Manchester Wheel, says: ’We are here for the day and we thought that this would be a cheap way to see the city from above. Manchester Wheel is quicker and smaller, London Eye took for ever!’
Katy, 20, an Australian tourist also found the Manchester Wheel more fun, but a bit scary when it stopped mid air. Both of them agreed that this is a fun and cheap way to see a city.
Heather, 17, and Jade, 19, from Middleton, who were on designers’ clothes shopping trip to Manchester, said: ‘It is nice to see Manchester from that high, you see more things than from the ground.’
Big wheels are now changing the skylines of many UK cities. Maybe they’ll be coming to a city near you.
摩天轮热始于为何
一直以来，费里斯摩天轮（Ferris wheels）都是游乐园吸引游客的重要设施，但近年来，其带给人们的乐趣已大大减弱，直到为迎接千禧年而建伦敦眼观景摩天轮（London Eye）亮相。
目前，曼彻斯特（Manchester）、约克（York）和伯明翰（Birmingham）都修建了摩天轮， 而且据曼彻斯特摩天轮经理格雷米.克劳斯（Graeme Cross）称，另外还有两个城市也将在短时间内建成摩天轮。
格雷米认为摩天轮之所以广受青睐，是因为它适合所有人群，包括家庭和年轻人，使他们从与众不同的视角来一探城市的真容。
伦敦眼
伦敦眼观景摩天轮已成为伦敦的一大标志性建筑，吸引了众多的游客，这一设计的创作者朱莉娅.巴菲尔德（Julia Barfield）在“伦敦眼”的网站上说:：“摩天轮的创意非常简单 – 来自从高空俯瞰大地和城市的大众心愿，以及人们与生俱来的对规模、勇敢和美景的迷恋。”
来自曼彻斯特的希拉里（Hilary），在和她十几岁的女儿一同乘坐了伦敦眼之后说到：“转动速度非常缓慢，以至于让你觉察不到你在移动，绝对不适合那些想要寻求极度刺激的人。从另一方面，我也认为它很完美。在小小的玻璃舱中，我感到非常安全，丝毫没有幽闭恐怖的感觉，同时还能欣赏到扣人心弦的城市全景。”
曼彻斯特摩天轮
卢克（Luke），21岁，是一名澳大利亚游客，在体验过伦敦眼和曼彻斯特摩天轮之后，他评论到：“我们来到这里，就是为了有朝一日能够乘坐摩天轮，以这种价格低廉的方式俯瞰城市。 相对而言，曼彻斯特摩天轮比较小且速度更快，而伦敦眼同样是我们不变的选择！”
凯蒂（Katy），20岁，也是一名澳大利亚游客，她同样认为曼彻斯特摩天轮更加有趣，但静止在半空中时有点让人害怕。他们都同意这是一种物美价廉、极富乐趣的观览城市的方式。
希瑟（Heather）和杰德（Jade），两人分别为17岁和19岁，来自米德尔敦（Middleton），他们为采购设计师服装来到曼彻斯特，他们谈到：“从那样的高度俯瞰曼彻斯特的感觉非常棒，你可以饱览更多在地面难以穷尽的景色。”
如今，各处兴起的摩天轮正在改变英国很多城市的空中轮廓线。 也许很快，在您附近的城市，一座摩天轮也将拔地而起。
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