花开旭航
LiDaiyuandhercousinLiuQianwereonatriptoCanadatovisittheircousinsinMontrealontheAtlanticcoast.Ratherthantaketheaeroplanealltheway,theydecidedtoflytoVancouverandthentakethetrainwesttoeastacrossCanada.Thethoughtthattheycouldcrossthewholecontinentwasexciting. Theirfriend,DannyLin,waswaitingattheairport.Hewasgoingtotakethemandtheirbaggagetocatch"TheTrueNorth",thecross-Canadatrain.Onthewaytothestation,hechattedabouttheirtrip."You'regoingtoseesomegreatscenery.Goingeastward,you'llpassmountainsandthousandsoflakesandforests,aswellaswideriversandlargecities.SomepeoplehavetheideathatyoucancrossCanadainlessthanfivedays,buttheyforgetthefactthatCanadais5,500kilometresfromcoasttocoast.HereinVancouver,you'reinCanada'swarmestpart.PeoplesayitisCanada'smostbeautifulcity,surroundedbymountainsandthePacificOcean.SkiingintheRockyMountainsandsailingintheharbourmakeVancouveroneofCanada'smostpopularcitiestolivein.Itspopulationisincreasingrapidly.ThecoastnorthofVancouverhassomeoftheoldestandmostbeautifulforestsintheworld.Itissowettherethatthetreesareextremelytall,somemeasuringover90metres."Thatafternoonaboardthetrain,thecousinssettleddownintheirseats.Earlierthatday,whentheycrossedtheRockyMountains,theymanagedtocatchsightofsomemountaingoatsandevenagrizzlybearandaneagle.TheirnextstopwasCalgary,whichisfamousfortheCalgaryStampede.CowboysfromallovertheworldcometocompeteintheStampede.Manyofthemhaveagiftforridingwildhorsesandcanwinthousandsofdollarsinprizes. Aftertwodays'travel,thegirlsbegantorealizethatCanadaisquiteempty.Atschool,theyhadlearnedthatmostCanadianslivewithinafewhundredkilometresoftheUSAborder,andCanada'spopulationisonlyslightlyoverthirtymillion,butnowtheywereamazedtoseesuchanemptycountry.Theywentthroughawheat-growingprovinceandsawfarmsthatcoveredthousandsofacres.Afterdinner,theywerebackinanurbanarea,thebusyportcityofThunderBayatthetopoftheGreatLakes.ThegirlsweresurprisedatthefactthatoceanshipscansailuptheGreatLakes.BecauseoftheGreatLakes,theylearned,Canadahasmorefreshwaterthananyothercountryintheworld.Infact,ithasone-thirdoftheworld'stotalfreshwater,andmuchofitisintheGreatLakes. Thatnightastheyslept,thetrainrushedacrossthetopofLakeSuperior,throughthegreatforestsandsouthwardtowardsToronto.
