PREMIUM CULTURAL INSTITUTE

LISTENING COMPREHENSION CLUB

Three British Columbia Festivals: Reading Comprehension

Read the story and answer the questions.

Vancouver Island’s Pacific Rim Whale Festival

In British Columbia, people have festivals that celebrate the things that make their
hometown special. Every year, about ________ grey whales swim past the west coast of __________
________. The whales travel from________ to the Arctic and back again. The whole trip is
about_________kilometres. Every March, the people who live _________The Pacific Rim National Park
have a _______ to celebrate the whales’ journey. The festival is the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. The
whales ______ very close to the shore as they swim north. This allows people to gather ________ to
watch the whales from land and from boats.

Nanaimo’s Bathtub Race

On the east coast of _________ ________, you can see people moving through the
water in a strange type of______ . During the Nanaimo Bathtub _____, people have a big race in boats
made from bathtubs! The city of _________ is home to the oldest and most ________ bathtub boat race
in the ______. The race started as a silly event in ______. Today, Nanaimo’s World Championship
Bathtub Race is a serious ______ that brings racers and ________ from around the world.

Vancouver’s Dragon Boat Festival

Vancouver is home to another famous festival on the _______. This is the Dragon
Boat Festival. Dragon boat racing _______ in China more than _______ years ago. It was brought to
Vancouver during the World’s Fair called Expo 86. The Dragon Boat Festival ______ _____ to Vancouver
in ______ to celebrate the many cultures _______ together in the city. The festival begins with a
ceremony. The ________ wakes up the dragon and gives the ______ and boats the dragon’s strength.
Each boat has a dragon’s head on the _____ and a tail on the_____. The boat holds a team of about ___
people. The people in the boats paddle to the beat ___ a drummer. The drummer sits ___ the front of
the dragon boat.
1. How many grey whales swim near Vancouver Island every year?
A. ? 15,000
B. ? 30,000
C. ? 20,000
D. ? No one knows.
2. Where do the grey whales start their annual trip?
E. ? Vancouver Island.
F. ? The Arctic.
G. ? They start somewhere in the open ocean.
H. ? Mexico.
3. According to the reading, why is it easy for people to see the whales?
I. ? The people use binoculars.
J. ? The whales swim close to land.
K. ? The people are also swimming in the water.
L. ? They fly over the whales in helicopters.
4. Where does the Nanaimo Bathtub Race happen?
M. ? Far off the north coast of Vancouver Island.
N. ? On the South Shore of Vancouver Island.
O. ? On the west side of Vancouver Island.
P. ? On the east side of Vancouver Island.
5. What is special about every boat in the race?
Q. ? Each boat can carry three people.
R. ? Every boat is made from a bathtub.
S. ? Every boat gets a safety inspection.
T. ? All the boats have sails.
6. How did the Nanaimo Bathtub race change over the last 50 years?
U. ? The race became less popular.
V. ? There were not bathtub boats in the beginning.
W. ? The race started as a funny event, but it became a serious race.
X. ? In the beginning, all the boats were sailboats.
7. Where did dragon boat racing begin?
Y. ? China.
Z. ? British Columbia.
AA. ? The east coast of Canada.
BB. ? Japan.
8. How does the dragon boat festival begin?
 CC. ? It starts with races with only the fastest boats.

DD. ? It begins with a ceremony so that the rowers can be strong.

EE. ? The festival begins with music.
FF. ? The festival begins with a movie about Expo 86.
9. How do the people in the boat know to paddle together.
GG. ? They all paddle to the beat of the drummer at the front of their boat.
HH. ? They watch the person in front of them.
II. ? They stay together because of experience.
JJ. ? All the paddlers count the number of paddle strokes per minute.