A path across Canada – A2 English Reading Test

A path across Canada

Thirteen-year-old Kara Finch writes about The Great Trail – a footpath that goes across Canada.

The Great Trail goes from one side of Canada to the other. At 24,000 km, it is the longest trail in the world. The Great Trail project began in 1992 and took 25 years to complete. It opened in 2017, exactly 150 years after Canada became one country.

The Great Trail is actually lots of paths joined together. You can cycle, walk or horse-ride on most of it, but there are parts where the only way you can travel is by boat. And there are others where the trail is part of the highway, which doesn’t sound very safe to me.

My father and I spent a day walking along part of the Great Trail that was surprisingly busy. We were told you don’t usually see bears when there are lots of people, but we did. It was moving through the trees, quite close to us, and I felt a little afraid. ‘I don’t think it’s hurry!’ laughed my dad.

At lunchtime, we talked to an old man on the trail. Dad asked him if he thought the path was going to help Canadians learn more about their countryside. ‘Not really,’ he said. ‘We’ve always loved to be outdoors. But it will bring us tourists from around the world, which is important.’

In the future, the path will probably change, and new parts may open. We saw nothing to tell us we were on the Great Trail, which is a shame. I know there’s information on the website, but it’s good to know when you’re walking on a special path. They need to add some signs, I think.

1   What is Kara doing in the first paragraph?

      A   telling tourists how long it takes to walk the Great Trail

      B   explaining the history of the Great Trail

      C   giving walkers advice about walking in Canada

2   What does Kara think is dangerous?

      A   Some parts of the path are on roads.

      B   You need a boat for parts of the path.

      C   Bikes and horses share the same path.

3   What does Kara say about the bear she saw?

      A   It looked hungry.

      B   It was on the path.

      C   It walked near her.

4   What did the old man say about the trail?

      A   People from other countries will come to see it.

      B   People will go into the countryside more because of it.

      C   People from Canada will use it to see other parts of their country.

5   What does Kara say should happen next?

      A   There should be a website about the trail.

      B   Some parts of the trail should close.

      C   There should be more signs along the trail.