CELPIP Reading Part 3 Practice Test: Cave and Basin: Where Canada’s National Parks Began

Paragraph A

In 1883, three men working on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway were exploring the lower slopes of Sulphur Mountain, near what is now the town of Banff, Alberta. They came across a hole in the ground and, lowering themselves inside, found a cave holding a pool of warm mineral water. A second pool lay in the open air just outside. The men quickly understood that such a place might attract paying visitors, and they set about claiming the land so that they could build a bathing business there.

Paragraph B

Their plans soon ran into difficulty. Other people also claimed the springs, and the dispute drew the attention of the federal government. Rather than let the springs become private property, Ottawa set aside a small reserve around them in 1885 for the benefit of the public. The idea of protecting wild land so that everyone could enjoy it was still quite new; the United States had created Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, only in 1872. Two years later, the protected area was greatly enlarged and became Rocky Mountains Park, known today as Banff National Park. For this reason, the Cave and Basin is often called the birthplace of Canada’s national park system, which now includes parks in every province and territory.

Paragraph C

As the railway brought more tourists west, the springs became a popular place to bathe. Many early visitors believed that soaking in the warm, mineral-rich water could ease aches and illnesses, and the railway was eager to promote Banff as a mountain resort. At first, visitors could only enter the cave by climbing down through the opening in its roof, but a tunnel was later dug through the hillside so that people could simply walk in. Bathhouses were built beside the pools, followed by a large outdoor swimming pool that drew crowds of swimmers for decades. The pool eventually closed, however, and bathing at the Cave and Basin is no longer permitted. Visitors who want to soak in mineral water now go to the Banff Upper Hot Springs, higher up the same mountain.

Paragraph D

Today, the warm pools are home to a creature most visitors never notice. The Banff Springs snail, which is smaller than a kernel of corn, lives in only a handful of hot springs on Sulphur Mountain and nowhere else in the world. It is listed as endangered, and even a visitor dipping a hand into the water can disturb the conditions it depends on, so signs at the site ask people to stay out of the pools entirely. The Cave and Basin is now a national historic site run by Parks Canada, where visitors can walk through the tunnel into the cave, view the pools and learn how the park system began.