Edward Sims was born in 1892. He was the fifth child and only son of Herbert and Dora Sims. Herbert was a blacksmith(铁匠), and had a thriving trade making horseshoes. He was determined that his first-born son would follow him into the blacksmith. For this reason, Edward had to leave school at the age of 12,and worked with his father.
However, Edward was not cut out to be a blacksmith. Although he has an athletic body, he didn't have strong arms like his father, and he felt dizzy in the heat of the smithy. When he tried to find alternative employment, he found it difficult because he had never learnt to read or write.
One day, he went for an interview at a solictior’s office. The job was a runner, taking documents from the office to other offices in the city. The solicitor was pleased to see that Edward was physically fit, but when he discovered that the young man couldn't read or write, he decided against employing him. "How can you deliver documents to other offices," he asked, "if you can't read the addresses on them?"
Bitterly disappointed, Edward left the building and went to wait for a tram to take him back to the suburb where his father’s smithy was. Next to the bus stop, a man was selling newspapers from a stand .
"Excuse me, son?" he said. "Would you look after my stand for a moment?"
For the next 20 minutes, Edward sold newspapers, lots of them. When the man came back, he was so delighted with his new assistant's honesty, that he offered him a job. Edward took it immediately.
In the next few months, the two men progressed from working on newspaper stands to selling newspapers, tobacco,confectionery（糖果点心）and other goods in a shop. Then they opened a second shop, and a third. Eventually, they had a chain of 25 shops in three cities.
Edward became very rich, so he employed a tutor to teach him to read and write. The tutor was amazed at what Edward had achieved. "Imagine what you could do if you’d been able to read and write when you were younger!" he said.
“Yes!” said Edward. “I could have run myself to exhaustion delivering documents for a solicitor!”
1.What would be the best title for the text?
A．Success of illiterate newsboy
B．Local blacksmith becomes famous
C．The thriving trade of the blacksmith
D．Reading and writing-the road to success
2.What can you infer from the underlined expression “not cut out to be” in the second paragraph?
A．Edward Sims did not like being a blacksmith.
B．Edward Sims did not like working with his father.
C．Edward Sims was not strong enough and it made him feel ill.
D．Edward Sims was good at it but wanted to do another job.
3.When Edward applied for the job as a runner for a solicitor, .
A．the solicitor turned him down because he wasn’t intelligent enough
B．the solicitor offered him the job because he was so fit
C．the solicitor gave him the job but told him he had to learn to read
D．the solicitor didn’t offer him the job because he couldn’t read
4.Which of the following is NOT ture about Edward Sims?
A．He was such a good salesman that he went on to own 25 newsagent shops with another man.
B．The newspaperman liked him so much he gave him a job.
C．He ran himself into exhaustion delivering papers.
D．He learnt to read and write.
Welcome to this Website on the British Isles. Over the coming months it will be expanded to allow you to find information on all aspects of life in the British Isles. The British Isles is visited by millions of people each year, many returning time and again.
Wales: Wales is full of fascinating places to visit and stay. The castles of Beaumaris, Conwy, Harlech and Caernarfon are officially listed as world heritage sites and provide an insight into the troubled past of this great land. The national park of Snowdonia is stunning and provides walkers and climbers with many opportunities to challenge their limits. South Wales also has interesting places to visit: Pembrokeshire is especially inviting for tourists.
England: We all know about the attractions lf London but England has a lot more to offer outside of the city. The “English Riviers”, Torquay, is blessed with good weather and is a major tourist attraction. This is a great place to stay and explore the local seaside resorts.
Windsor castle is a great place to visit and the town and surrounding areas are beautiful. Warwick castle in the centre of England is world famous and holds regular evens (同额赌注) to show how life was like in the time it was built.
Scotland: A great place to visit, Scotland still has many places that are relatively uninhabited(杳无人迹的) and are great for getting away from it all. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles and the numerous lakes provide great fishing. In parts you can still hear Gaelic spoken and we all know about the Scottish expertise in making Whisky! You can also visit the ski resorts of Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Glasgow, the capital is now recognized as a centre of culture as well as being a great shopping centre.
1.The highest mountain in the British Isles is in ________.
A．Wales B．England C．Scotland D．Chester
2.A mountain-climber will probably visit ________.
A．Wales and England B．Wales and Scotland
C．England and Wales D．Pembrokeshire and Torquay
3.Which of the following is NOT true about England?
A．Windsor castle is in the center of England.
B．London is the capital city.
C．You can enjoy good weather in Torquay.
D．There are more than one castles.
4.Where are you likely to get such information?
A．A TV program on tourism. B．A newspaper.
C．A geography book. D．The Internet.
Have you ever wondered what you’d do in a moment of danger and how you’d 36 to a terrorist on the plane or a guy wearing a mask and waving a gun while you’re standing 37 at the bank?
Stephanie Davies 38 .
The 21-year-old girl 39 such a moment last week in a 40 in Aurora, Colo., where she went to a late night showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” with her 41 , Allie. All of a sudden, a gas can flew by close to the two girls. 42 , Allie stood up and was shot in the 43 by a gunman. Stephanie saw Allie fell down in the aisle(过道), blood pouring out of her neck. 44 she moved on her knees to her friend, pulled her out of the aisle and pressed the wound with her fingers 45 the gunman moved around, firing into the 46 crowd. When the gunman again walked past the aisle, they played dead until he 47 .
Heroic? Well, clearly heroic.
“ 48 Stephanie’s timely actions, I just talked with Allie, who is going to be fine,” said President Barack Obama after meeting the two girls in the hospital.
And Stephanie wasn’t the 49 hero in the theater that dark night in Aurora. Three young men---Jon,26, Matt,27 and Alex, 24---used their own 50 to protect their respective(各自的) girlfriends from the gunman’s bullets. Jon took a bullet for his girlfriend. The stories were 51 for Matt and Alex. The three men were among the 12 who didn’t come out of the theater alive.
“The 52 actions of these young Americans,” President Obama said, “represent what’s best in us, and they 53 us that out of this darkness a brighter day is going to come. I have the greatest 54 for people like Stephanie, Jon, Matt and Alex who don’t 55 to do what the situation demands, bringing heroic light to the darkest of dark nights.”
1. A．refer B．respond C．adapt D．talk
2. A．in turn B．in silence C．in time D．in line
3. A．knows B．appears C．wonders D．imagines
4. A．missed B．faced C．expected D．enjoyed
5. A．street B．restaurant C．theater D．stadium
6. A．friend B．sister C．aunt D．cousin
7. A．Tired B．Annoyed C．Frightened D．Puzzled
8. A．leg B．wrist C．arm D．neck
9. A．Madly B．Suddenly C．Secretly D．Hurriedly
10. A．since B．as C．until D．because
11. A．waiting B．chatting C．staring D．screaming
12. A．passed B．stopped C．hid D．escaped
13. A．In spite of B．Regardless of C．Because of D．In terms of
14. A．typical B．unique C．usual D．only
15. A．methods B．bodies C．tools D．hands
16. A．common B．strange C．similar D．different
17. A．brave B．immediate C．generous D．active
18. A．warn B．show C．promise D．inform
19. A．hope B．concern C．pity D．respect
20. A．hesitate B．regret C．pretend D．refuse
What he wants is _______ his mother as quickly as he can; and what he must do is ____ to the hospital at once．
A．to see; going B．to see; go C．see; to go D．see; go
—How did you find your visit to the Summer Palace yesterday?
—_________．I got separated from my 80-year-old grandparents.
A．It couldn’t be better B．I have no idea
C．Good luck to me D．It couldn’t be worse
--Where did you ______ our English teacher?
--It was in the supermarket ______ I bought moon cakes.
A．come to, where B．come across, that
C．come across, where D．come to, that
