Toronto's Museum

Hello and welcome to the eighth article in the series ‘Postcards from Toronto’. These articles are written to help you learn about life in Toronto and teach you some useful expressions for spoken and written English.

Like many big cities, Toronto is famous for its museums. This article will not only describe some of the well-known museums, galleries and other institutions, but will also mention some less well-known museums that you might like to visit. Many of these (1) ____________ museums are very interesting for those people who want to know more about Canada’s (2) ____________ history and culture.

Probably the three most famous museums in Toronto are the "ROM, or Royal Ontario Museum"; the "AGO, or Art Gallery of Ontario"; and the "Ontario Science Centre". If you have not visited the ROM yet, my advice is that you go as soon as possible, (3) ____________ on a Friday after 4:30pm when entrance to the main exhibits is free. The ROM is the biggest museum in Canada and one of the largest museums in North America. It has over five million items in its (4) ____________, ranging from dinosaurs to diamonds, Egyptian art to everything else. The museum often has special tours and events on Sundays. The ROM is (5) ____________ very close to Queen’s Park subway station on the University line.

The AGO is another place that you should definitely visit. It has (6) ____________ different galleries and exhibitions, including some special exhibitions of Canadian and Native Canadian art. If you decide to visit the AGO with a few friends, ask whether it would be possible to have a special tour for ESL students. Such a tour would give you a wonderful opportunity to improve your English skills and learn more about art. You may need to (7) ____________ this in advance, however, and it may not be possible if your group is small. The AGO is located very close to St Patrick subway station on the University line.

The Ontario Science Centre is not such easy museum to visit as the ROM or the AGO if you are using public transportation. You will need to take a subway to either Eglinton or Pape stations and then get a bus. However, it is definitely worth visiting, in my opinion, especially if you like science, of course. Even if you are not a science (8) ____________, though, the Science Centre is interesting. The exhibits tend to be much more (9) ____________ than either the ROM or AGO, and I am sure that you will have a good time.

In (10) ____________ to these three museums, Toronto has plenty of other places to offer. For example, if you like sports, you should probably visit the "Hockey Hall of Fame". This museum has a lot of interactive exhibits as well as all kinds of information about Canada’s favourite sport. The hockey season will be starting soon, so this might be a great time to visit. If you prefer history to sport, make a note to visit "Casa Loma", "Fort York" or several other fascinating historical museums. Finally, for something different, why not visit the "Bata Shoe Museum" on Bloor Street West (near St George subway station)? Wherever you decide to go, have a great time!

Vocabulary Challenge
Choose the most natural word from each pair of words to complete the article.

(1) unfamiliar / uncertain
(2) regular / rich
(3) preferably / rather
(4) catalogue / collection
(5) located / designated
(6) number / numerous
(7) book / register
(8) geek / fan
(9) international / interactive
(10) extra / addition