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!”
【小题1】What would be the best title for the text?

Do you know the following expressions?

Faustian bargain

         According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．

A three-ring circus

When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion．There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed．The expression comes from the world of entertainment—the circus．The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”．In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different “rings”．The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on．

In the swim（of things）

When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty．So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!

1.If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．

A．he might come to a bad end

B．he would be considered clever

C．his life would become satisfying

D．he would gain power and knowledge

2.In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?

A.It was the audience’s requirement.

B. The time was limited.

C. The circus was very big.

D. They wanted to earn more money.

3.What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?

A．It means having a lot of things to do．

B．It has nothing to do with swimming．

C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"．

D．Patients use it to express their desire for health.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A．The development of English phrases

B．Some old and interesting stories

C．Some phrases' meanings and origins

D．Some misunderstandings about words

Do you know the following expressions?
Faustian bargain
According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion．There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed．The expression comes from the world of entertainment—the circus．The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”．In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different “rings”．The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on．
In the swim（of things）
When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty．So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!

1. 1.

   If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．

   1. A.
      he might come to a bad end
   2. B.
      he would be considered clever
   3. C.
      his life would become satisfying
   4. D.
      he would gain power and knowledge
2. 2.

   In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?

   1. A.
      It was the audience’s requirement
   2. B.
      The time was limited
   3. C.
      The circus was very big
   4. D.
      They wanted to earn more money
3. 3.

   What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?

   1. A.
      It means having a lot of things to do．
   2. B.
      It has nothing to do with swimming．
   3. C.
      Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"．
   4. D.
      Patients use it to express their desire for health
4. 4.

   What is the text mainly about?

   1. A.
      The development of English phrases
   2. B.
      Some old and interesting stories
   3. C.
      Some phrases' meanings and origins
   4. D.
      Some misunderstandings about words

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.

In the same time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s funeral(葬礼). He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

From: Your Departed Husband

Subject: I’ve arrived!

I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平静)as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

1.Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?

A. To visit their family and friends

B. To escape from their busy work

C. To escape from the cold winter

D. To attend a friend’s funeral

2.What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?

A. He checked into a wrong hotel

B. He forget to bring the laptop

C. He forgot to mail his letter

D. He misspelled her wife’s address

3.The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had.

A. died and gone to heaven

B. called his family to say hello

C. been awarded an honor

D. gone back to his hometown

4.How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?

A. Pleased            B. Frightened         C. Amazed         D. Moved

5.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error.

B. The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail

C. The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago.

D. The woman’s husband died of a heart attack