CELPIP Reading Part 3 Practice Test: The Trans-Canada Highway

Paragraph A

Few roads in the world can match the Trans-Canada Highway for sheer length. Running roughly 7,800 kilometres from Victoria, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, it passes through all ten provinces and links many of the country’s largest cities along the way. Because the route begins on Vancouver Island and ends on the island of Newfoundland, travellers must take a ferry at both ends of the journey. In Victoria, a “Mile 0” marker near Beacon Hill Park has become a popular place for photographs, especially among people who are starting or finishing a cross-country trip. Along its length, the highway is marked by signs showing a white maple leaf on a green background.

Paragraph B

The idea of a national highway was discussed as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, when cars were still a novelty. Progress was slow, however, partly because building roads was the responsibility of the provinces rather than the federal government. In 1949, Parliament passed the Trans-Canada Highway Act, under which Ottawa agreed to share the cost of construction with the provinces. Even then, the work took far longer than planned. The highway was officially opened in 1962 at a ceremony in Rogers Pass, British Columbia, although several sections were still unfinished. It was not until 1971 that the route was considered complete, and in the decades since, many sections have been widened or rebuilt.

Paragraph C

Rogers Pass, in the Selkirk Mountains of Glacier National Park, was one of the most difficult stretches to build and remains one of the hardest to maintain. The area receives enormous amounts of snow, and avalanches are a constant danger in winter. To protect drivers, engineers built concrete snow sheds that allow sliding snow to pass over the road rather than across it. In addition, Parks Canada works with the Canadian Armed Forces to set off controlled avalanches using artillery before dangerous amounts of snow can build up on the slopes. While this work is under way, the highway may be closed for several hours.

Paragraph D

For many Canadians, the highway is more than a way of getting from one place to another. Travelling it from end to end is seen as something of a national adventure, and people have crossed the country along its route by bicycle, on foot and in wheelchairs, often to raise money for charity. Many small towns along the way have built roadside attractions, such as giant statues, to persuade passing drivers to stop. At the same time, long sections still have only one lane in each direction, particularly in northern Ontario, where a single serious accident or forest fire can leave travellers with no practical detour. Some communities along these stretches have called for the road to be widened, arguing that it would make travel safer.