On July1，2017，Canada turned 150. That day，more than half a million people visited Ottawa for the country’s biggest birthday celebration（庆祝）ever. At the same time，hundreds of parties，firework displays，and performances took place across Canada to mark the occasion.

As we all know，native people like the Inuit have lived in Canada for thousands of years. About 500 years ago，French and British people started arriving there. They claimed some of the land for their countries. The two countries often fought over control of the land. The British won full control of the area in1763. But French remains one of the official languages，along with English. Canada became fully independent of Britain in 1982.

Over the years，it is now the second-largest country in the world and its border with the US is the longest border between the two nations.

Canadians are proud of their country. Canada even made the list of the 10 happiest countries，according to a 2017 United Nations report. Located not far from the North Pole，its cold and icy north is home to about two-thirds of the world’s polar bears. Its icy and snowy land also helps explain why some of its popular sports are ice hockey（冰球运动），skiing and curling（冰壶运动）.

They are also very proud of the country’s history of welcoming people from around the world and of the diverse population. “It reminds us of the values that unite us—openness，and deep respect for our differences，”says Prime Minister Trudeau.“Today，and every day，let us celebrate the differences that make Canada strong, diverse and proud.”

   My daughter is a single parent. She works hard to_____ for herself and her three young sons. She carefully controlled how much money they spent and_____ to plan for the little luxuries（奢侈品）. When her eldest son，David，wanted a_____ so that he could do an after-school newspaper delivery job，she_____ and soon，he was the proud_____ of a good second-hand bike.

One afternoon，my_____ asked David to go to a local shop. He rode his bicycle，but foolishly left it outside the shop_____ locking it up. When David came out of the shop，it was_____. He walked home in_____ and then，together with his frustrated mother，went to the local police station to report the______ .

Imagine their______ when they arrived at the station：David’s bike was in a car’s boot（行李箱）.The_____ told them how he’d seen a group of kids______ the bike once my grandson went inside the shop.

The driver—in his late teens himself-called out to them to“leave that bike______”. Despite this，one member of the group______ on the bicycle and rode it away while the others followed. Not to be ______，the teen got in his car，drove after them and______ that they give the stolen bike back.

He was______ to be able to return it to my grandson together with a lecture about the bad result of______ to use the bike lock. ______，in all the excitement，he slipped away，without even giving them his name or telephone number.

   For many，running has never been their favorite activity. But running can certainly be a great way to get fit and stay healthy.

Getting started is difficult.【小题1】 Running can be boring at times，but the effect on your body and mind is well worth that struggle of just getting up and running.

【小题2】 Every major city and many smaller cities have running communities. They are quite organized and willing to help. They will help you see your running goals through.

Start with short distances. Though the running community would love to have a new long-distance runner tomorrow，the fact is that that will not happen overnight. Try running one mile every day for the next 3 weeks. After that，add it to two miles and so on.【小题3】

Take part in a race. By signing up for a race in the near future，you will focus on a goal and be motivated（激励）to keep practicing for that event. I suggest signing up for a 5-kilometer race that will take place within one month.【小题4】

【小题5】 Motivation is a major factor in running success. Bring a friend along to push you through the times and motivate you in his own way.