ACS Middle School is delighted to announce the 10-day Morocco Challenge 2015. We are planning another exciting adventure to Morocco with the support of World Challenge, a global leader in service and adventure based trips. What sets this programme apart from other middle school trips is that the students will have the opportunity to help plan and lead their own expedition(考察探险).
This experience gives ACS Middle School students an opportunity to do something really unique that will make them stand out from the crowd. The experience will provide students with a wealth of new skills which they will find invaluable in school, college, university and the world beyond.
We invite you to join us for an informative parents’ presentation, given by World Challenge, where you will have the opportunity to hear all about the amazing challenges that your son or your daughter will have the chance to experience.
Initial Information Evening for interested students and parents:
Date: MONDAY, September 22nd, 2014
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: ACS Middle School
The presentation will be an informative and interactive presentation with plenty of opportunities for questions, along with videos and images of the expeditions and what it will be like to take part. There will be lots of information on how the students will fundraise to take part in this expedition, what they will do while overseas, the safety and back-up on the expedition and the benefits they will obtain from taking part.
We hope you and your son(daughter) are able to attend the Parents’ Presentation. We are sure you will find it interesting and see why ACS values the outcomes of this programme so highly. If you are unable to attend then your son or your daughter can attend on your behalf and collect the information needed.
Email enquiries to: cobmsclubz@acs-schools.com Subject: Morocco Challenge 2015
According to the passage, the Morocco Challenge 2015 _______.
| A．is the first adventure by World Challenge |
| B．was announced about 10 days ago |
| C．will start on 22nd September 2014 |
| D．differs from other middle school trips |
The passage is most probably found in_______in a newspaper.
| A．tour | B．sport |
| C．economy | D．education |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
| A．The informative Presentation will be given by World Challenge. |
| B．For more information, you can send email to World Challenge. |
| C．Students cannot be allowed to attend the Parents’ Presentation. |
| D．Parents are not allowed to go on the expedition along with their children. |
The passage is written to _______.
| A．advertise World Challenge and appeal to more volunteers. |
| B．inform students how to fundraise to join in this expedition. |
| C．invite parents to attend an interactive Parents’ Presentation. |
| D．guide students to organize their own expedition. |
We all know that the cost of heating our homes will continue to be a significant burden on the family budget.Now millions of people are saving on their heating bills with the EP portable heater.With over one million satisfied customers around the world，the new EP heats better and faster，saves more on heating bills，and runs almost silent. 
The EP has no exposed heating parts that can cause a fire.The outside of the EP only gets warm to the touch so that it will not burn children or pets.
The EP will not reduce oxygen in the room.With other heaters，you’ll notice that you get sleepy when the heat comes on because they are burning up oxygen.
The advanced EP also heats the room evenly，wall to wall and floor to ceiling.It comfortably covers an area up to 350 square feet.Other heaters heat rooms unevenly with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room.And they only heat an area a few feet around the heater.With the EP，the temperature will not vary in any part of the room.
The EP comes with a 3year warranty (保修) and a 60day，no questions asked，satisfaction guarantee.If you are not totally satisfied，return it at our expense and your money will be given back to you.
Now we have a special offer for 10 days，during which you can enjoy a half price discount and a free delivery.If you order after that，we reserve the right to either accept or reject order requests at the discounted price.
Take action right now!What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 2?
| A．The heat of the EP. |
| B．The safety of the EP. |
| C．The appearance of the EP. |
| D．The material of the EP. |
From the passage，we can learn that the EP________.
| A．doesn’t burn up oxygen |
| B．runs without any noise |
| C．makes people get sleepy |
| D．is unsuitable for children and pets |
The underlined word“evenly”in Paragraph 4 probably means________.
| A．continuously | B．separately |
| C．quickly | D．equally |
The main purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．persuade people to buy the product |
| B．advise people to save on heating bills |
| C．report the new development of portable heaters |
| D．compare the functions of different heater brands |
(2013·高考新课标全国卷Ⅱ，C)Given that many people’s moods (情绪)are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate，it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drugstore of Chinese medicine.Looking like a setting from the film Charlie&the Chocolate Factory，Singapore’s Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.Its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents’ corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets.
If the CRF seems to be a smart idea，that’s because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi’s and Sony.That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored (味道) chocolates.
The CRF’s produce is “green ”，made within the country and divided into 10 lines，with the Alcohol Series being the most popular.The Exotic Series－with Sichuan pepper，red bean (豆)，cheese and other flavors－also does well and is fun to taste.And for chocolate_snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others，the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo，Cuba，Venezuela，and Ghana，among others.What is good about chocolate?
| A．It serves as a suitable gift. |
| B．It works as an effective medicine. |
| C．It helps improve the state of mind. |
| D．It strengthens business relations. |
Why is Chris Lee able to develop his idea of the CRF?
| A．He knows the importance of research. |
| B．He learns from shops of similar types. |
| C．He has the support of many big names |
| D．He has a lot of marketing experience. |
Which line of the CRF produce sells best?
| A．The Connoisseur Series. |
| B．The Exotic Series. |
| C．The Alcohol Series. |
| D．The Sichuan Series. |
The words “chocolate snobs” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to people who________.
| A．are particular about chocolate |
| B．know little about cocoa beans |
| C．look down upon others |
| D．like to try new flavors |
Using too much water or throwingrubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger，but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways.You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water.A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater.Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers.It comes from underground.The more roads and parking lots we pave，the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall，but in any case，good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference，too.In the United States，a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live，but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home.To start with，use the same glass for your drinking water all day.Wash it only once a day.Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full.Help your parents fix any leaks in your home.You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. |
| B．Throwing batteries away. |
| C．Paving parking lots. |
| D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
The last paragraph is intended to________.
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
The text is mainly about________.
| A．Why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how human activity affects our water supply |
It’s such a happylooking library，painted yellow，decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven，it’s pedestrianfriendly，too，waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach County Estates，along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago，shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization，a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available，she announced to her family of four，“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break！”
Son Austin，now a 10thgrader，didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox.But Janey insisted，and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses，and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点)，the family hung a signboard on the front，instructing users to“take a book，return a book，”and making the Henriksen library，now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world，the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read，a mix of science fiction，reference titles，novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them，keep in mind that you might not see it again，”said Janey，a stayathome mom.
Since then，the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself，thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff，says Peter，are the thankyou notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”？
| A．It owns a yellow roof. |
| B．It stands near a sidewalk. |
| C．It protects book lovers from the sun. |
| D．It uses palmtree stickers as decorations. |
Janey got the idea to build a library from________.
| A．a visit to Brian Williams |
| B．a spring break with her family |
| C．a book sent by one of her neighbors |
| D．a report on a Wisconsinbased organization |
The library was built________.
| A．by a ship supply company |
| B．on the basis of toy horses |
| C．like a mailbox |
| D．with glass |
What can we infer about the signboard?
| A．It was made by a user of the library. |
| B．It marked a final touch to the library. |
| C．It aimed at making the library last long. |
| D．It indicated the library was a family property. |
The passage tells us that the users________.
| A．donate books to the library |
| B．get paid to collect books for the library |
| C．receive thankyou notes for using the library |
| D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily |
One day，when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office.It was David.He kept walking up and down restlessly，his face pale，and his hands shaking slightly.His head teacher had referred him to me.“This boy has lost his family，”he wrote.“He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others，and I’m very worried about him.Can you help？”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair.How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to，and which no words can describe.Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met，David didn’t say a word.He sat there，only looking up to look at the children’s drawings on the wall behind me.I suggested we play a game of chess.He nodded.After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon—in complete silence and without looking at me.It’s not easy to cheat in chess，but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually，he arrived earlier than agreed，took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down.It seemed as if he enjoyed my company.But why did he never look at me?
“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with，”I thought.“Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.”Some months later，when we were playing chess，he looked up at me suddenly.
“It’s your turn，”he said.
After that day，David started talking.He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club.He wrote to me a few times，about his biking with some friends，and about his plan to get into university.Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something.But I also learned that one—without any words—can reach out to another person.All it takes is a hug，a shoulder to cry on，a friendly touch，and an ear that listens.When he first met the author，David________.
| A．felt a little excited |
| B．walked energetically |
| C．looked a little nervous |
| D．showed up with his teacher |
As a psychologist，the author________.
| A．was ready to listen to David |
| B．was skeptical about psychology |
| C．was able to describe David’s problem |
| D．was sure of handling David’s problem |
David enjoyed being with the author because he________.
| A．wanted to ask the author for advice |
| B．needed to share sorrow with the author |
| C．liked the children’s drawings in the office |
| D．beat the author many times in the chess game |
What can be inferred about David?
| A．He recovered after months of treatment. |
| B．He liked biking before he lost his family. |
| C．He went into university soon after starting to talk. |
| D．He got friends in school before he met the author. |
What made David change?
| A．His teacher’s help. |
| B．The author’s friendship. |
| C．His exchange of letters with the author. |
| D．The author’s silent communication with him. |