This isn't a bad idea (Python not Java for a first language makes sense on a number of levels) but the example is setting up a straw-man. Why is the Java code handling exceptions when the Python code isn't? Why is the Java code reading the file line-by-line and the Python code isn't?

Further, you could easily write a simple file library in almost any language that abstracts over the difficulty of using the full file library if you're looking to ease people into programming.

All that being said, Python is a pretty good first language and there's a reasonable chance that someone who does one course in Python might be able to do simple tasks later on, which is nice. I think first languages should generally either be simple scripting languages or 'hazing' languages (i.e. something weird to put everyone on a more level playing field).