History of Disneyland

浙江 周晨曲

體裁：說明文 文章詞數：351 建議用時：7分鐘

Walt Disney once said, “It was all started by a mouse.” But in reality, Disneyland started with a problem.Watching his daughters on the carousel (旋轉木馬) in Griffith Park, he wondered, “Why isn't there some sort of amusement experience that the entire family can enjoy together?”

In the early 1950s, Disney came up with a great idea: to build a park that was safe and inviting for families while also allowing people to meet their cartoon characters and ride their trains.When Disney decided that he would be building a place that told a story, he knew that he would need people and technology to help create the magic and tell the stories.In 1952,Disney raised and set aside money to create WED Enterprises, standing for Walter Elias Disney.WED Enterprises would include all of the people and technology he had chosen to create his theme park.It consisted of the best from his studio, together with carpenters, engineers, and scientists who would help him create his dream.

Disney's vision was that he would tell the story and his workers would create the technology that would bring it to life.Disney himself loved technology, seeing it as a canvas (畫布), on which he could tell a magical story.For example, when he wanted to have a boat ride that went through the rivers of the world, with visitors seeing real animals, zoologists told him that this was impossible.So instead, Disney decided to have his team create robotic animals to live in his “Jungle Cruise”.

To build his park, Disney raised money by convincing consumer product companies to sponsor the park.The money provided from the sponsorships was very important as the park cost more than $17.5 million to complete, almost double the original predictions.

Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland is not just another amusement park.It's unique,and I want it kept that way.” The purpose of Disneyland isn't to amaze.Yes, it does those things,but its purpose is to tell a story.That is the key factor that other parks cannot copy.

Reading Check

1.What plays an important role in Disney's theme park building?

A.Consumer.B.Drawing.C.Weather.D.Technology.

2.Which of the following words can best describe Walt Disney?A.Humorous.B.Ambitious.C.Dutiful.D.Generous.

3.What's the purpose of Disneyland?

A.To amaze people.B.To educate people.

C.To tell a story.D.To admire nature.

Language Study

熟詞生義

In 1952, Disney raised and set aside money to create WED Enterprises, standing for Walter Elias Disney.1952年，迪士尼籌集并撥出資金創建了WED企業，WED代表沃爾特·伊利亞斯·迪士尼。

raise v.籌集資金

e.g.We are raising money for charity.我們在進行慈善募捐。