14 H E A D

the World’S greeneSt City

Scenic, futuristic Vancouver

my first impressions of Vancouver were those of an ultra-clean, futuristic city. Where else could you literally eat off the platform of a railway station? i imagined an invisible army of cleaners working non-stop!

Vancouver is a very young city. This year, 2012, it celebrates its 126^th anniversary. Just over a century ago, what is now Vancouver was a forest! Granville Street, the busy main street, was a logging path¹ cut through the forest.

Today, Vancouver is one of the largest Canadian cities, with a population of more than 2 million in the metropolitan area (that is if we count all the suburbs² ). It is an ethnically diverse³ metropolis. The Chinese are the biggest ethnic group, making up almost 30 % of the population. English is the first language of only 49 % of Vancouver residents.

The city is set in stunning⁴ scenery, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean

and surrounded by the North Shore Mountains. This is where you can ski on snowy mountain slopes and swim in the ocean, all in one day! Vancouver has a pleasant climate, with average summer temperatures of 18°C and winter temperatures of 3°C, making it one of Canada’s warmest cities.

The city cares a lot for the environment. The mayor promised that “Vancouver will be the greenest city in the world by 2020” and his wish does seem to be coming true. Vancouver has many parks, one of which – Stanley Park – is the largest city park in Canada.

Cycling is actively encouraged, with cycle tracks along the sides of most

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m At U R I tA / C A n A D A

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1Stanley Park is an oasis surrounded by skyscrapers 8 , home to a variety of wildlife and local
tree species. A big part of it is a forest, but there are
also several attractive beaches along the shoreline.
The park has forest trails, cycling, jogging, walking
and roller-skating tracks. You can also see totem poles
by Native Americans there.
2the Vancouver Public Library occupies a whole The architecturally impressive central branch 9 of
city block. Its shape resembles 10 that of the ancient
Colosseum in Rome. The library contains light, airy
spaces for reading, internet facilities and bistros.
Granville Island is a paradise for artists. Abandoned (no longer used)

3Granville Island is a paradise for artists. Abandoned (no longer used) warehouses¹¹ and factories are now colourfully painted and contain woodcarving¹² , painting and sculpting¹³ studios, and arts and craft stores¹⁴ . Emily Carr University, one of the world’s leading art and design universities, is situated there. The photo shows some of the luxury floating homes (boat houses) moored (anchored) at Granville Island.

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4ball and features interactive scientific displays Science World resembles a huge, glittering¹⁵ golf and exhibits.

5The SkyTrain is one of the longest automated (operating without a driver) transport systems in the world. It hurtles¹⁶ along at high speed, far above the city streets. It is just like riding on a roller coaster¹⁷ , especially when you fly around sharp bends¹⁸ or race downhill at dizzying¹⁹ speeds!

6The Sea-to-Sky Highway connects Vancouver with Whistler, which hosted important events in the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is a scenic route²⁰ with the ocean on one side, rocky cliffs on the other and snow-capped²¹ mountains in the distance.

streets. All buses have a special rack⁵ to carry bicycles in the front. Bikes are allowed free on city trains, called SkyTrains. The doors of the SkyTrain are level with the platform⁶ , so you just push your bike into the train without any problem. Of course, all stations have lifts, so you don’t have to carry your bike up or down any steps.

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Vancouver repeatedly appears on the list of “World’s Most Liveable⁷ Cities”, and with its scenery, active lifestyle and friendly citizens, it is easy to see why. pearl harris (South Africa)

VO CaBUlary

• 1 logging path – dřevařská stezka

• 2 suburb [“sVb3;b] – předměstí

• 3 diverse [daI”v3;s, “daIv3;s] – rozmanitý, pestrý

• 4 stunning – úchvatný

• 5 rack [r&k] – držák

• 6 are level with the platform – jsou v jedné úrovni s nástupištěm

• 7 liveable [“lIv@b(@)l] – příjemný k životu

• 8 skyscraper [“skaIskreIp@] – mrakodrap

• 9 branch [brA;n(t)S] – pobočka

• 10 to resemble [rI”zemb(@)l] – podobat se

• 11 warehouse [“we@haUs] – skladiště

• 12 woodcarving – řezbářský

• 13 sculpting [“skVlptIN] – sochařský 19 dizzying – závratný 14 craft stores [krA;ft] – obchody 20 scenic route [“si;nIk ru;t] – s rukodělnými výrobky vyhlídková trasa

• 15 glittering [“glIt@rIN] – lesklý, třpytivý– lesklý, třpytivý

• 15 glittering [“glIt@rIN] – lesklý, třpytivý– lesklý, třpytivý 21 snow-capped – se zasněženými 16 to hurtle [“h3;t(@)l] – řítit se vrcholky

• 17 roller coaster [“r@Ul@ “k@Ust@] –

• horská dráha

• 18 sharp bends – ostré zatáčky

BRIDGE | May–June | 2012