1. What is oas?

2. With what country does Canada share undefended borders?

3. Is Canada a member of nato?

Administrative divisions

A geopolitical map of Canada, exhibiting its 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon Territory.

The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.

The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as health care, education, and welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas, such as the Canada Health Act; the provinces can opt out of these, but rarely do so in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.

All provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures headed by a Premier selected in the same way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a Lieutenant-Governor representing the Queen, analogous to the Governor General of Canada, appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, though with increasing levels of consultation with provincial governments in recent years.

Geography and climate

A satellite composite image of Canada. Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in the Arctic and through the Coast Mountains and Saint Elias Mountains, and the relatively flat Prairies facilitate agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where lowlands host much of Canada's population.

Canada occupies most of the northern portion of North America. It shares land borders with the contiguous United States to the south and with the US state of Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W longitude; this

claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada (and in the world) is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450 nautical miles) from the North Pole. Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area, after Russia.

The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometre (9.1/mi²) is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast. To the north of this region is the broad Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers—Canada by far has more lakes than any other country in the world and has a large amount of the world's freshwater.

The Horseshoe Falls in Ontario is the largest component of Niagara Falls, one of the world's greatest waterfalls, a major source of hydroelectric power, and a tourist destination.

In eastern Canada, the Saint Lawrence River widens into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary; the island of Newfoundland lies at its mouth. South of the Gulf, the Canadian Maritimes protrude eastward from the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are divided by the Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world's largest tidal variations. Ontario and Hudson Bay dominate central Canada. West of Ontario, the broad, flat Canadian Prairies spread toward the Rocky Mountains, which separate them from British Columbia.

Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from coniferous forests to tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast archipelago containing some of the world's largest islands.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada range depending on the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the Prairie provinces, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F), but can drop below -40 °C (-40 °F) with severe wind chills. Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter.

Average summer high temperatures across Canada range depending on the location. On the east and west coast average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (68 to 74 °F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature range between 25 °C to 30 °C (78 to 86 °F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).

ANNOTATIONS

revenue – доход, выручка, opt out – не принимать участия, unicameral – однопалатный, boreal – северный, арктический, prominent – рельефный, facilitate – содействовать, продвигать, contiguous – граничащий, estuary – устье, protrude – простираться, barren – бесплодная земля, mainland – континент, материк, archipelago – архипелаг, группа островов

Comprehension Check Exercises

I. Fill in the blank with the correct word:

1. The provinces of Canada are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, ¼ .

2. The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs such as ¼ .

3. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where ¼ host much of Canada's population.

4. To the north of this region is the broad Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted ¼ .

5. In eastern Canada, the Saint Lawrence River widens into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ¼ .

6. Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and ¼ .

II. Find out whether the statement is true or false according to the information in the text:

1. The provinces and the territories have an equal degree of autonomy from the federal government.

2. The federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas, such as the Canada Health Act; the provinces cannot opt out of these.

3. Boreal forests prevail throughout the country.

4. Canada occupies most of the northern portion of South America.

5. Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area.

6. The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometre (9.1/mi²) is among the highest in the world.

7. Canada by far has more lakes than any other country in the world and has a large amount of the world's freshwater.

III. Questions:

1. What is Canada composed of?

2. What is its geographical position?

3. Name the largest component of Niagara Falls.

4. Where does the island of Newfoundland lie?

IV. Do you remember?

1. How many provinces and territories are there in Canada?

2. Describe the climate of Canada.

Economy

Five denominations of Canadian banknotes, depicting (from top to bottom) Wilfrid Laurier, John A. Macdonald, Queen Elizabeth II, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and Robert Borden.

Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per capita income, a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Group of Eight (G8). Canada is a free market economy with slightly more government intervention than the United States, but much less than most European nations. Canada has traditionally had a lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP) than its southern neighbour (whereas wealth has been more equally divided), but higher than the large western European economies. For the past decade, after a period of turbulence, the Canadian economy has been growing rapidly with low unemployment and large government surpluses on the federal level. Today Canada closely resembles the U.S. in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. While as of October 2006, Canada's national unemployment rate of 6.3% is among its lowest in 30 years, provincial unemployment rates vary from a low of 3.6% in Alberta to a high of 14.6% in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the past century, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. As with other first world nations, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs about three quarters of Canadians. However, Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of the primary sector, with the logging and oil industries being two of Canada's most important.

Canada is one of the few developed nations that is a net exporter of energy. Canada has vast deposits of natural gas on the east coast and large oil and gas resources

centred in Alberta, and also present in neighbouring British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The vast Athabasca Tar Sands give Canada the world's second largest reserves of oil behind Saudi Arabia. In Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario and Manitoba, hydroelectric power is a cheap and relatively environmentally friendly source of abundant energy.

Canada is one of the world's most important suppliers of agricultural products, with the Canadian Prairies one of the most important suppliers of wheat and other grains. Canada is the world's largest producer of zinc and uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as gold, nickel, aluminum, and lead; many, if not most, towns in the northern part of the country, where agriculture is difficult, exist because of a nearby mine or source of timber. Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing sector, centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with the automobile industry especially important.

Canada is highly dependent on international trade, especially trade with the United States. The 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the U.S. Since 2001, Canada has successfully avoided economic recession and has maintained the best overall economic performance in the G8.^[45] Since the mid 1990s, Canada's federal government has posted annual budgetary surpluses and has steadily paid down the national debt.

Demographics

The 2001 national census recorded 30,007,094 people; the population is currently estimated by Statistics Canada to be 32.623 million people. Population growth is largely accomplished through immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 160 kilometres (100 mi) of the U.S. border. A similar proportion live in urban areas concentrated in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor (notably the Toronto-Hamilton, Montreal, and Ottawa census metropolitan areas), the BC Lower Mainland (Vancouver and environs), and the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor in Alberta.

Toronto, Ontario is one of the world's most multicultural cities.

Canada is an ethnically diverse nation. According to the 2001 census, it has 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members each. The largest ethnic group is "Canadian" (39.4%), followed by English (20.2%), French (15.8%), Scottish (14.0%), Irish (12.9%), German (9.3%), Italian (4.3%), Chinese (3.7%), Ukrainian (3.6%) and First Nations (3.4%). Canada's aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the rest of the Canadian population. In 2001, 13.4% of the population belonged to visible minorities. In comparison with most developed countries, Canada maintains a relatively high immigration rate. Immigrants are particularly attracted to the major urban areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Canadians adhere to a wide variety of religions. According to 2001 census, 77.1% of Canadians identified as being Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group (43.6% of Canadians). The largest Protestant denomination is the United Church of Canada; about 16.5% of Canadians declared no religious affiliation, and the remaining 6.3% were affiliated with religions other than Christianity, of which the largest is Islam.

In Canada, the provinces and territories are responsible for education; thus Canada has no national department of education. Each of the 13 education systems are similar while reflecting their own regional history, culture and geography. The mandatory school age varies across Canada but generally ranges between the ages of 5-7 to 16-18, contributing to an adult literacy rate that is 99%. Postsecondary education is the responsibility of the provincial and territorial governments that provide most of their funding; the federal government provides additional funding through research grants. In 2002, 43% of Canadians aged between 25 and 64 had post-secondary education; for those aged 25 to 34 the postsecondary attainment reaches 51%.

ANNOTATIONS

logging industry – заготовка и транспортировка леса; lead – свинец; surplus – избыток; mandatory – обязательный; attainment – знания, достижения

Comprehension Check Exercises

I. Fill in the blank with the correct word:

1. Canada is a free market economy with slightly more government intervention than the United States, but much less than ¼ .

2. In the past century, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into ¼ .

3. Canada's aboriginal population is growing almost ¼ as the rest of the Canadian population.

4. Postsecondary education is the responsibility of the ¼ and territorial governments.

II. Find out whether the statement is true or false according to the information in the text:

1. Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per capita income.

2. For the past decade, after a period of turbulence, the Canadian economy has been growing rapidly with low employment.

3. Today Canada closely resembles the U.S. in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards.

4. About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 160 kilometres (100 mi) of the U.S. border.

5. In comparison with most developed countries, Canada maintains a low immigration rate.

6. Canadians adhere to a wide variety of religions.

7. Canada has a national department of education.

8. The mandatory school age varies across Canada.

III. Questions:

1. What are Canada’s most important industries?

2. Which proportion of Canada’s population live in urban areas?

3. Where in particular are they concentrated?

4. How many ethnic groups has Canada?

5. What are the largest ones?

6. What major urban areas are immigrants particularly attracted to?

7. Who is responsible in Canada for education?

8. What provides the federal government? How does it do?

IV. Do you remember?

1. Whom depict five denominations of Canadian banknotes?

2. Name one of the world's most multicultural cities.

Language

The population of Montreal is predominantly francophone, with a significant anglophone community.

Canada's two official languages, English and French, are the mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population, respectively. On July 7, 1969, under the Official Languages Act, French was made commensurate to English throughout the federal government. This started a process that led to Canada redefining itself as an officially "bilingual" nation.

English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French. While multiculturalism is official policy, to become a citizen one must be able to speak

either English or French, and 98.5% of Canadians speak at least one (English only: 67.5%, French only: 13.3%, both: 17.7%).

French is mostly spoken in Quebec, but there are substantial francophone populations mainly in the northern parts of New Brunswick, eastern, northern and southwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba. Of those who speak French as a first language, 85% live in Quebec. Ontario has the largest French population outside Quebec. French is the official language of Quebec and New Brunswick is the only bilingual province in the country. No provinces other than Quebec and New Brunswick have constitutionally official language(s) as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and other government services in all of the majority English or Inuktitut speaking provinces and territories. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official. Several aboriginal languages have official status in Northwest Territories. Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.

Non-official languages are important in Canada, with 5,202,245 people listing one as a first language. Some significant non-official first languages include Chinese (853,745 first-language speakers), Italian (469,485), German (438,080), and Punjabi (271,220).

Culture

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, seen here at Expo 67, are the federal and national police force of Canada and an international icon.

Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by English, French, Irish, Scottish and Aboriginal cultures and traditions, and over time has been greatly influenced by American culture because of its proximity and the interchange of human capital between the two countries. Many forms of American media and entertainment are popular, if not dominant in Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the US and worldwide. Many cultural products are now marketed toward a unified "North American" market, or a global market generally.

The creation and preservation of distinctly Canadian culture has been partly influenced by federal government programs, laws and institutions such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

A Kwakwaka'wakw totem pole and traditional "big house" in Victoria, BC.

As Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country, there are cultural variations and distinctions from province to province and region to region. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by more recent immigration of people from all over the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism, indeed some see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural. Multicultural heritage is enshrined in Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

National symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and First Nations sources. Particularly, the use of the maple leaf, as a Canadian symbol, dates back to the early 18th century and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms. Other prominent symbols include the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, the Crown, and the RCMP.

Canada's official national sports are ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer). Hockey is a national pastime, and is by far the most popular spectator sport in the country. It is also the most popular sport Canadians play, with 1.65 million active participants in 2004. Canada's six largest metropolitan areas - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton - have franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL), and there are more Canadian players in the league than from all other countries combined. After hockey, other popular spectator sports include Canadian football and curling. The Canadian Football League (CFL) is the nation's second most popular professional sports league, and plays a large role in Canada's national identity. Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are also widely played at youth and amateur levels, but professional leagues and franchises are not as widespread. Canada will host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.

ANNOTATIONS

Commensurate - соответствующий

Comprehension Check Exercises

I. Fill in the blank with the correct word:

1. Canada's two official languages, English and French, are ¼ of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population.

2. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive ¼ in either English or French.

3. French is mostly spoken in Quebec, but there are substantial francophone populations mainly in ¼ .

4. Canadian culture has historically been heavily influenced by ¼ .

5. Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in ¼ .

6. After hockey, other popular spectator sports include Canadian ¼ .

7. Many forms of American media and entertainment are popular ¼ .

II. Find out whether the statement is true or false according to the information in the text:

1. The population of Montreal is predominantly francophone, with a significant anglophone community.

2. English and French have no equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions.

III. Questions:

1. What started a process that led to Canada redefining itself as an officially "bilingual" nation?

2. What should one do to become a citizen of Canada?

3. What province is bilingual in Canada?

4. Where is the largest French population?

5. What are the Canadian symbols?

6. What are Canada's official national sports?

IV. Do you remember?

1. What significant non-official first languages do you know?

2. Name Canada's six largest metropolitan areas.

CN Tower

Toronto's CN Tower. The CN Tower has been the world's tallest freestanding structure on land since its opening in 1976. Information Location Toronto, Canada Status Complete Constructed 1973–1976 Use mixed use

Height

Antenna/Spire 1.3 m (1,815 ft) Roof 457.2 m (1,500 ft) Top floor 446.5 m (1,465 ft) Technical Details Floor count 181 (equivalent) Elevator count 6 Companies Architect WZMH Architects

The CN Tower, at 553.33 metres (1,815 feet, 5 inches) tall, is the world's tallest freestanding structure on land. It is located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is considered the signature icon of the city; more than two million international visitors are attracted annually to the tower. Guinness World Records has listed the CN Tower as the world's tallest "building" for 31 years.

CN originally referred to the Canadian National Railway, but following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets, prior to the company's privatization in 1995, the CN Tower was transferred to the Canada Lands Company (CLC), a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. Since the citizens of Toronto wished to retain the name CN Tower, the abbreviation CN now officially stands for Canada's National rather than the original Canadian National.

Structure

The CN Tower seen when looking directly up from the ground level.

The CN Tower consists of several substructures. The main portion of the Tower consists of a hollow concrete pillar containing the elevators, stairwells and power and plumbing connections. On top is the 102 m (335 ft) metal broadcast antenna, carrying TV and radio signals. There are two main visitor areas, the main seven-story pod located at the 330 m (1,100 ft) level, and the SkyPod at 447 m (1,465 ft), just below the antenna. Microwave antennas ring the lower portion of the main pod, protected in a large white donut-shaped radome.

The Sky Pod, situated high above the main observation floor, is the highest public observation deck in the world. From its top, it is possible on a clear day to see approximately 100-120 km (62-74 mi) away and even see an outline of the city of Rochester across Lake Ontario in the United States, or the mist rising from Niagara Falls.

At 342 m (1,122 ft) is the Glass Floor and Outdoor Observation Deck. The Glass Floor is 23.8 m² (256 sq ft) and can withstand a pressure of 4,100 kPa (600 lbs/sq in). The glass floor consists of thermal glass units that are 64 mm (2½ in) thick, consisting of a pane of 25 mm (1 in) laminated glass, a 25 mm (1 in) airspace and a pane of 13 mm (½ in) laminated glass. Some people experience vertigo by walking out on the glass floor and looking down at the ground below.

At 346 m (1,136 ft) is the Horizons Cafe and the Lookout Level, and at 351 m (1,150 ft) is the 360 Restaurant, which completes a full revolution once every 72 minutes.

The structure's microwave receivers for distant signals are housed at 338 m (1,109 ft), and the top of the transmission antenna is at the apex of the tower.

A metal staircase with 1,776 steps reaches the Lookout level, reaching 2,579 steps by the SkyPod, and is the tallest metal staircase on earth. These stairs are intended for emergency use and are not open to the public, except for thrice per year for charity stair-climb events: around Earth Day in the spring by the World Wildlife Fund and in the fall by the United Way's Toronto chapter. The average climber takes approximately 30 minutes to climb to the base of the radome (the white ring around the bottom of the main pod), but the fastest climb on record is 7 minutes and 52 seconds in 1989 by Brendan Keenoy, an Ontario Provincial Police Officer. The fastest record for a woman belongs to Chrissy Redden, who climbed the stairs in 2000 in 11 minutes and 52 seconds. In 2002, Canadian Olympian & Paralympic Champion Jeff Adams climbed the stairs of the CN Tower in a specially designed wheelchair.

History

The concept of the CN Tower originated from a 1968 Canadian National Railway desire to build a large TV and radio communication platform to serve the Greater Toronto Area, as well as demonstrating the strength of Canadian industry, and CN

in particular. These plans evolved over the next few years, until the project became "official" in 1972. The Tower would have been part of Metro Center (see Cityplace), a large development south of Front Street on the Railway Lands, a large railway switching yard that was being made redundant by newer yards outside the city. Key project team members were NCK Engineering as structural engineer; John Andrews Architects; Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects; Foundation Building Construction and Canron (Eastern Structural Division).

At the time, Toronto was a "boom town" and the late 1960s and early 1970s had seen the construction of numerous large skyscrapers in the downtown core. This made broadcasting into the downtown area very difficult due to reflections off the buildings. The only solution would be to raise the antennas above the buildings, demanding a tower over 1,000 ft (305 m) tall. Additionally, at that time most data communications took place over point-to-point microwave links, whose dish antennas used to cover the roofs of large buildings. As each new skyscraper was added to the downtown, former line-of-sight links were no longer possible. CN intended to rent "hub" space for microwave links, visible from almost any building in the Toronto area.

The original plan for the tower consisted of three independent "pillars" linked at various heights by structural bridges. This design would be considerably shorter than the Tower as it is today, the TV antenna located roughly where the concrete section between the SkyPod and Space Deck lies today. As the design effort continued, it evolved into the current design with a single continuous hexagonal core to the 447 m (1,465 ft) Space Deck level, with three support legs blended into the hexagon below the SkyPod level at 335 m (1,100 ft), forming a large Y-shape structure at the ground level.

The idea for the SkyPod in its current form evolved around this time, but the Space Deck was not part of the plans until some time later. One engineer in particular felt that visitors would feel the higher observation deck would be worth paying extra for, and the costs in terms of construction were not prohibitive. It was also some time around this point that it was realized that the Tower could become the world's tallest structure, and plans were changed to incorporate subtle changes throughout the tower to this end.

Construction on the CN Tower started on February 6, 1973 with massive excavations at the tower base for the foundation. By the time the foundation was complete, 56,234 metric tonnes (62,000 tons) of dirt and shale were removed to a depth of 15 m (50 ft) in the center, and a base incorporating 7,034 m³ (9,200 cu yd) of concrete with 454 metric tonnes (500 tons) of steel re-bar and 36 metric tonnes (40 tons) of steel cable had been built to a thickness of 6.7 m (22 ft). This portion of the construction was fairly rapid, with only four months needed between the start and the foundation being ready for construction on top.

To build the main support pillar, a hydraulically-raised slipform was built at the base. This was a fairly impressive engineering feat on its own, consisting of a large metal platform that raised itself on jacks at about 6 m (20 ft) per day as the concrete below set. Concrete was poured continuously by a team of 1,537 people until February 22, 1974, during which it had already become the tallest structure in Canada, surpassing the recently built Superstack which was built using similar methods. In total, the tower contains 40 524 m³ (53,000 cu yd) of concrete, all of which was mixed on-site in order to ensure batch consistency. Through the pour, the vertical accuracy of the tower was maintained by comparing the slip form's location to massive plumbobs hanging from it, observed by small telescopes from the ground. Over the height of the tower, it varies from true by only 2.9 cm (1.1 in).

In August of the same year, construction of the SkyPod commenced. Using 45 hydraulic jacks attached to cables strung from a temporary steel crown anchored to the top of the tower, twelve giant steel and wooden bracket forms were slowly raised, ultimately taking about a week to crawl up to their final position. These forms were not only used to create the brackets which support the SkyPod, but also as a base for the construction of the SkyPod itself.

The Space Deck was built of concrete poured into a wooden frame attached to rebars at the lower level Deck, and then re-enforced with a large steel compression band around the outside.

The antenna was originally to be raised by crane as well, but during construction the Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter became available when the US Army sold off their examples to civilian operators. The helicopter was first used to remove the crane, and then flew the antenna up in 36 sections. Flights were a minor tourist attraction of their own, and the schedule was printed in the local newspapers. Use of the helicopter saved months of construction time, with this phase taking only 3 and a half weeks instead of the planned six months. The tower was topped off on April 2, 1975 after 40 months of construction, officially capturing the height record from Moscow's Ostankino Tower, and bringing the total mass to 117,910 metric tonnes (a weight of 130,000 tons).

Two years into the construction, plans for Metro Centre were scrapped, leaving the Tower isolated on the Railway Lands in what was then largely abandoned light-industrial space. This caused serious problems with access to the tower. Ned Baldwin, project architect with John Andrews, wrote at the time that "All of the logic which dictated the design of the lower accommodation has been upset," and that "Under such ludicrous circumstances Canadian National would hardly have chosen this location to build."

The CN Tower opened to opening date was October

the public on June 26, 1976, although the official 1st. The construction costs of approximately $330

million 2005 Canadian Dollars (approximately $260 million 2005 US Dollars) were repaid in fifteen years. CN sold the Tower prior to taking the company public in 1995, when they decided to divest themselves of all operations not directly related to their core freight shipping businesses.

As the area around the Tower was developed, particularly with the introduction of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Skydome (known as the Rogers Centre since 2005), the former railway "wasteland" disappeared and the Tower became the centre of a newly developing entertainment area. Access was greatly improved with the construction of the SkyWalk in 1989, which connected the Tower and SkyDome to the nearby Union Station railway and subway station. By the mid-1990s it was the center of a thriving tourist district. The entire area continues to be an area of intense building, notably a recent boom in condominium construction. Although the area did not develop as CN and CP initially planned, along an east-west axis, in the end the Tower terminated a long view south down John Street from Toronto's "entertainment district".

From 1997 to January 2004, TrizecHahn Corporation managed the building and instituted several expansion projects including a $26 million entertainment expansion and revitalization that included the addition of two new elevators (to a total of six) and the relocation of the staircase from the north side leg to inside the core of the building, a conversion that also added nine stairs to the climb.

ANNOTATIONS

deck – платформа, apex – вершина, evolve – развиваться, downtown core -деловой центр города, broadcasting – трансляция, dish antenna – зеркальная антенна, concrete – бетон, ludicrous – смешной

Comprehension Check Exercises

I. Fill in the blank with the correct word:

1. The CN Tower has been the world's tallest freestanding structure on land since its opening in ¼ .

2. Its location is ¼ .

3. The abbreviation CN now officially stands for ¼ .

4. The Sky Pod, situated high above the main observation floor, is the highest ¼ in the world.

5. The original plan for the tower consisted of three independent "pillars" linked at various heights by ¼ .

6. As the area around the Tower was developed, the former railway "wasteland" disappeared and the Tower became the centre of ¼ .

II. Find out whether the statement is true or false according to the information in the text:

1. Guinness World Records has listed the CN Tower as the world's tallest "building" for 100 years.

2. A metal staircase with 1,776 steps reaches the Lookout level, reaching 2,579 steps by the SkyPod is open to the public.

3. The average climber takes approximately 30 minutes to climb to the base of the radome (the white ring around the bottom of the main pod).

4. At the time, Toronto was a "boom town" and the late 1960s and early 1970s had seen the construction of numerous large skyscrapers in the downtown core.

5. Construction on the CN Tower started on February 6, 1937.

III. Questions:

1. What does the CN Tower consist of?

2. What did the concept of the CN Tower originate from?

3. When did the CN Tower open to the public?

IV. Do you remember?

1. What did originally CN refer to?

2. Who was the project architect?

Size comparisons

In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. The following year, the Guinness Book of World Records officially changed the CN Tower's classification to "World's Tallest Building and Free-Standing Structure". Today, the Guinness World Records state the CN Tower as the "Tallest Freestanding Tower". This is because the Petronius Platform oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico is taller, yet most of the rig is underwater.

There are also many guyed towers taller than the CN Tower, the current tallest being the KVLY-TV tower in North Dakota at 628 m (2,063 ft) tall (see List of masts), but these are guy-wire supported structures and not classified as free-standing.

There are currently five proposals for towers whose final heights are to exceed the CN tower's, three of which are currently under construction. At the forefront, the Burj Dubai would, according to present claims by its developers, become a taller free-standing land structure than CN Tower sometime in 2008; work on that tower has, as of October 31, 2006, reached the 80th floor and 277 metres (~908 ft).

View from the tower's Glass Floor.

The builders of the CN Tower did not expect that it would hold the tallest structure record for thirty years. Previous record holders had quickly been supplanted. Several rivals have been proposed and most schemes collapsed. This is partly due to the development of cable television soon after the tower was built which greatly reduced the need for such broadcasting centres, especially in urban areas. Only in cities are there enough tourists to make such a tower viable as a tourist attraction.

Use

The CN Tower has been and continues to be used as a communications tower for a number of different media, and by numerous companies:

Television broadcasters

· CBC

· CFTO-TV

· Citytv Toronto · Global Ontario

· LOOK TV (a digital cable provider) · Rogers Cable

· Sun TV

AM/FM radio