Colin’s English teacher asked each student to write a biographical report about an interesting person. Colin wrote this report about a cartoonist. He would like you to read his paper and suggest the corrections and improvements he should make. When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.
(1) Walter loved animals. (2) He especialy loved watching them in the forest near his Missouri home. (3) Fascinated, the boy would spend endless hours in the woods, quietly and patiently observing. (4) As he watched, he would sketch his observations. (5) By the time Walter was seven years old, everyone in the neighborhood knew about his drawings.
(6) When he was a teenager, Walter discovered that he enjoyed entertaining people. (7) He would show them his art and sometimes even sell sketches to friends and neighbors. (8) During world war I, when Walter was just 16, he joined the Red Cross and reported to France to drive an ambulance. (9) He didn’t cover his vehicle with the traditional camouflage. (10) He covered it with his own drawings.
(11) Soon after his return to the United States, this passionate artist developed his own animation company. (12) Unfortunately, the business failed, but Walter wasn’t ready to give up on his dream. (13) He decided to partner with his older brother Roy and starts another company. (14) Walter spent hours at the drawing board and eventually developed a cartoon character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. (15) People liked the character, but it didn’t bring Walter fame or fortune. (16) Determined to become successful, he created a new character, a perky little mouse named Mickey. (17) When Mickey was featured in the short film Steamboat Willie, Walter began to get the recognition he had always wanted. (18) Mickey Mouse was such a hit that Walter began producing monthly cartoons starring the animated mouse. (19) Soon Walter added some sidekicks, including Donald Duck and Goofy.
(20) In time, one of the most beloved and recognized cartoonists in history is what Walter became. (21) At one point he developed an idea for a feature-length animated movie, but his colleagues scoffed at them. (22) “Your plan will never work,” they said. (23) “No one will come to see such a movie.” (24) Walter proved everyone wrong; when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released, it was a huge national success.
(25) You have probably figured out that the boy named Walter was Walter Elias Disney. (26) During his lifetime Disney and his staff created 18 animated feature-length films and won 48 Academy Awards. (27) With a steadfast determining to reach his goals and a desire to share his appreciation of animals, Walt Disney enriched the lives of millions of people around the world. (28) He also produced television shows, such as Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and The Mickey Mouse Club, and founded California’s Disneyland.