þÿAlonso s English teacher asked each of her students to write a report about an admirable person. Alonso wrote this report about a famous neurosurgeon. 
He would like you to read his paper and think about the corrections and improvements he should make. When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.

Striving for Greatness
(1) Dr. Benjamin Carson is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  (2) He is renowned for his expertise
in separating conjoined twins.  (3) He has also refined some brain surgery techniques that control seizures.  (4) His list of accomplishments and honors
is long.  (5) Because of his success, you might be surprised to learn what Carson s childhood was like.
(6) Carson was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan.  (7) Today about one million people live in Detroit.  (8) When he was only eight, his father left the family, and his parents subsequently divorced.  (9) His mother had only a third-grade education and worked long hours as a maid to support her two sons.  
(10) The family lived in poverty.
(11) Carson went to school, but he was not a good student.  (12) He called himself the dumbest kid in the class.  (13) The other children frequently teased him.  (14) Carson s mother knew that it was the answer for her children, education.  (15) She made Carson and his brother limit there television viewing to two programs a week.  (16) Each week they were also required to read two books and submit a written report to her on each one.  (17) Years later Carson learned that his mother had never even been able to read the reports.
(18) Eventually Carson s life begun to improve.  (19) In fifth grade he visited an eye doctor and was fitted for glasses.  (20) For the first time since he had started school, he could see the chalkboard.  (21) He was thrilled to watch his grades go from Fs to Ds.  (22) But his mother continued to insist,  You can do better than that. 
(23) As time went on, Carson rose to the head of his class, won the respect of others, and started to recognize his own abilitys.  (24) He became an avid reader, and this offered him new possibilities.  (25) He started to believe that he could create his own future.  (26) And became determined to achieve his potential.
(27) Today Carson is an unquestionably gifted neurosurgeon.  (28) He is also a motivational speaker.  (29) He encourages people of all backgrounds.  
(30) He reminds his audiences that education is the key to success and that children need to reach for excellence.  (31) Although his early days were quite challenging Ben Carson overcame the obstacles in his path and is now making a profound impact on the world.
Photo courtesy of © AP Photo/Roswell Daily Record, Aaron J. Walker.