Canada is surrounded on three sides by oceans.
To the north, the Arctic Ocean borders Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Off the west coast of British Columbia is the Pacific Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, sits to the east of Canada’s Maritime provinces, which include Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Dear Gemma,
It was a pleasure meeting you at Parents’ Night last week at the school. It’s great that you and your children, Jack and Beth, will join us for our Fun Day at Wet World Amusement Park. In terms of the number of attractions available to enjoy, Wet World is the largest park of its kind in our province. As of today, we have a dozen parents and an equal number of children planning to attend. That includes you three!
We will meet at 8:00 a.m. at Red Oaks School. The bus will pick us up and take us all to Wet World Amusement Park—just under an hour from the school to the park gate. All the children should wear yellow T-shirts and red baseball caps. This way they will be easier to see, especially if the older ones want to go off and explore on their own! I’ve bought all the admission tickets to the park. The tickets don’t include food but do give the children admission to the rides and water park.
Park safety rules state that children under 12 years old cannot ride the large roller coaster and some of the other rides. Certain optional special events are available for children under 12 at a reduced cost. They can enjoy activities designed just for their age group: watching cartoons in a theatre, or attending a 1-hour magic show in the afternoon. The older children and teens can visit the science centre to see robots and a fossil display. Or they can just take it easy by the wave pool before heading back to the roller coaster!
We’ll meet at the Parkside Restaurant in the food area for lunch at half past noon. You can join us there if you’d like. The park also allows bringing in packed lunches from home. Wet World has several different kinds of restaurants, but you may have to wait for a place to sit. Like most amusement parks, their food prices are probably a bit high. Finally, I’ve heard we will see a record high temperature on Saturday, so please pack accordingly!
I look forward to seeing you and your kids on Saturday, Gemma!
Best wishes, Moira

A.Have you ever run a marathon? According to recent statistics, marathons are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, the number of people in North America who have run the traditional marathon distance of 42.2 km (or 26.6 miles) has increased twentyfold over the last 40 years. In recent years, almost half the runners have been women. A staggering 746 different marathons were scheduled across North America in 2014. One of the most popular, the Boston Marathon, had more than 35,000 official runners in 2014, of which more than 31,000 finished the race. However, running a marathon is not a simple feat.
B .Training for a marathon demands a great deal of time and dedication. On average, trainees need to dedicate 5 days a week to running, with one of these days devoted to a long run. The long run can range anywhere from 16 km at the start of a training program to 32 km in later weeks. It is typical for a person to run up to 80 km in a single week while training. During training, runners need to pay strict attention to their diet and include high-quality foods such as whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, and fruits.
C.Even though training for a marathon is rigorous and requires firm commitment, many people are enjoying the experience. One reason for this is that, increasingly, running is viewed as a way to become physically fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Runners who regularly train for marathons can experience health benefits such as an increased metabolism and strengthened heart and lungs. Another reason is that running is inexpensive and can be done just about anywhere; all you need to do is put on a pair of sneakers and step outside. Some people also report experiencing a runner’s high which has been defined as a feeling of extreme euphoria or happiness.
D. Some experts believe that running a marathon is too extreme to be healthy. The reason why a marathon is 42.2 km is because a man in ancient Greece ran the distance from Marathon to Athens to share the news of a victory. Apparently, he died immediately after making his announcement. Even now, several people die each year after running a marathon. Serious health risks can include dehydration or water intoxication. Scientists believe, however, that the reasons are not always related to running. Some deaths, for example, are attributable to pre-existing heart conditions. Marathon runners need to be fully involved in designing their own healthy training program.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Producing graduates who are prepared for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers has been a major concern for international corporations and government agencies. However, the belief that this focus could harm the creativity required to train STEM grads who can think outside the box is becoming increasingly common.
Business analyst Eduardo Gomez contends that without a liberal arts education, an essential component for advancement would be lost. According to Gomez, many of today’s students are under intense pressure from parents opposed to the liberal arts. These “helicopter parents” go so far as to determine their children’s choice of school, program, and future STEM career. Some young people respond to this authoritative behaviour through pre-professionalism—learning elements of their future profession as early as secondary school. “I believe that a STEM degree on its own is an insufficient tool to access one’s capacity for innovation,” says Gomez. “It should be mandatory for STEM grads to complete a predetermined number of hours in the liberal arts stream.”
Financial advisor Naomi Yukawa is skeptical of Gomez’s approach. “Extra credit hours are costly and can result in students missing the economic boat as they enter the workforce with insurmountable debt. She cites cautionary statistics from the Canada Student Loans Program of graduates with an average of over $25,000 in debt last year, and pleads for students to treat their current undergraduate years as a future economic investment by minimizing debt accumulation.
Fears of falling off the economic ladder—often perpetuated by well-meaning family members—mean that students often dismiss career exploration through double majors as an unaffordable luxury. Victor Klein, an advisor at an innovative university focused on the cultivation of broad knowledge, wants to quell this financial anxiety. “Advance University is Canada’s first independent university and offers only one type of degree: a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences.” Klein insists employers are searching for candidates with the ability to think critically and analyze logically—the exact qualities that a liberal arts education is meant to develop.