If the poems you read as part of the curriculum at school made you think poetry is old-fashioned, has to use fancy language, must always rhyme or is simply out-dated, then you’ll be pleased to know it doesn’t have to do any of these things.
Here are four poets whose work will make you look at poetry in a different and more positive light.
Misha Collins
Fans of Misha Collins may know him as Castiel in the TV show Supernatural, but he has never hidden the fact that he also writes poetry. Last year, he released his first book, Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You. This contains many of his poems that are expressed as simple thoughts and experiences, making them easy to read.
Most are about his wife and are bittersweet because at the end of the book, he reveals that they have parted ways.
Tracy K Smith
Tracy was the winner of the Cave Canem prize for the best first book by an African American poet, with her 2003 collection, The Body’s Question.
Her poems cover important issues around race, family, transcending from childhood into adulthood and much more. Each is easy to understand and relate to, while at the same time, deeply personal.
Rupi Kaur
Rupi Kaur has connected with a large audience, partly because her collection, Milk and Honey, has been translated into 42 languages to reach readers throughout the world. Her universal themes of migration, healing, loss, grief and trauma are another reason for her success.
While more traditional poetry also talks about some of these subjects, Kaur’s work is brutally honest and hard-hitting in ways that wouldn’t have been acceptable in earlier poetry.
Mel Wardle Woodend
Mel was the poet Laureate of Staffordshire between 2019 and 2022. She has several published collections to her name. This includes two dyslexic-friendly books for children, making poetry more accessible to them.
She also has a collection called Just a Thought, which raises awareness of mental health issues. This topic was rarely discussed at school, so Mel’s work is progressive and inviting to those who may not tick the typical boxes of someone who enjoys poetry.
1. In which book has the poet conveyed his/ her mixed feelings of pleasure and pain based on his/ her own personal experience?| A．Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You. | B．The Body’s Question. |
| C．Milk and Honey. | D．Just a Thought. |
| A．Themes of romance. | B．Conventional styles. |
| C．Narrative techniques. | D．Multi-language versions. |
| A．They are incomprehensible. | B．They are accessible. |
| C．They are personal. | D．They are rhyming. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Our library buildings are home to a wide range of subject-specific resources and facilities to support your studies, which will remain open during the summer holiday.
The COVID-19 safety measures
* Face coverings must be worn at all times inside the library, including at study space.
* Keep your distance: Please sit at your designated study space and keep your distance from others.
* Food is not allowed in our libraries. Drinks are permitted but please replace your face covering immediately.
PS: To help keep everyone safe, anyone failing to follow the COVID-19 safety measures above will be asked to leave the library and will be unable to book study space for seven days.
About opening hours
* The library is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
* You must bring your Library Card for entry to the library.
* Advance booking is not required for study space from 9 p.m.
* Library staff’s service is available until 8 p.m. every day to answer any questions about resources or facilities. After this time, the library spaces are monitored by Octavian Security.
Fine rates and lost books
*You will be fined at a rate of ￡1 per day on any book that is returned late.
*When you reach a limit of ￡10 in fines your library account can no longer be used until you pay the outstanding charges.
*You can pay fines/charges through your library account, or your credit card.
*Tell us if you’ve lost a book and we’ll let you know the replacement cost.
1. Which of the following will get you kicked out of the library?| A．Drinking water. | B．Eating sandwiches. |
| C．Wearing a face mask. | D．Keeping a safe distance. |
| A．For 7 hours. | B．For 8 hours. | C．For 12 hours. | D．For 13 hours. |
| A．Cover the fine of ￡1 per day. | B．Pay the cost of replacement. |
| C．Provide a replacement copy. | D．Stop using your library account. |
【推荐2】2023 was a good year for archaeological discoveries. Here are some of the most interesting new finds.
A moai
In February, volunteers unearthed a stone head called a moai on Easter Island. The statue is small for a moai — a little over five feet tall, while others of the roughly 900 statues on the island are up to 33 feet tall.
Most of the moai were created between 1250 and 1500, and local people regard them as the living faces of their ancestors. But nothing is known about this new moai, including which ancestor it represents.
Two mummy workshops
Archaeologists announced in May that they discovered two more workshops near the ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis. One of the workshops features stone beds meant for the preservation of human bodies, while the other one has smaller beds that were used to mummify animals.
A Maya city
In June, Mexican archaeologists discovered a lost city called Ocomtun. They thought it was a major center from about AD 250 until it was abandoned when the Maya civilization collapsed between 900 and 1000, possibly from drought and civil wars.
Ocomtun covers more than 120 acres and features well-preserved homes, raised platforms and pyramid temples. The remains of the largest pyramid are more than 80 feet high.
Roman jewelry
In June, dozens of precious stones were discovered by archaeologists in the ruins of an ancient pipe system that carried water away from public baths in the third and fourth centuries. It’s thought they were worn by wealthy bathers. Some of these precious stones are carved with images of Roman gods, such as Apollo, Venus, and Mars, while others show animals, such as rabbits and birds.
The public baths were found at Carlisle in England. The city was a regional center in Roman Britain, when it was known as Luguvalium.
1. What is the height of the newly found stone statue?| A．About 5 feet. | B．About 33 feet. | C．About 80 feet. | D．About 900 feet. |
| A．In Chile. | B．In England. | C．In Egypt. | D．In Mexico. |
| A．They are located in North America. | B．They were discovered by volunteers. |
| C．They were related to religious celebrations. | D．They can reveal ancient urban development. |
【推荐3】Are you looking for teen volunteer opportunities that provide a rewarding experience for high school students to be completely involved in new cultures while giving back to communities around the world? Whether you’re looking for volunteer opportunities for high school students, mission trips for teens, or teen summer service trips, International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) enables teen volunteers to give back on meaningful community development and conservation projects in destinations like Bali, Costa Rica, Portugal and more.
Sea Turtle Conservation Project in Bali
IVHQ’s Sea Turtle Conservation project is on the small but breathtaking island of Nusa Penida off the southeastern coast of Bali. Volunteers will gain experience in turtle care and marine conservation while helping to increase the population of these incredible creatures in Indonesia.
Animal Care Volunteer Project in Costa Rica
IVHQ’s Animal Care project sets volunteers up to assist at veterinary clinics (兽医诊所) and animal welfare programs that aim to re-home abandoned or stray (流浪的) animals. Volunteers gain experience caring for animals while helping to provide them with medical treatment, companionship and playtime so they are ready to find their forever homes.
Environmental Scuba Diving Volunteer Project in Portugal
IVHQ’s Environmental Scuba Diving project is an exciting opportunity for volunteers to assist with marine conservation efforts in Portugal. Volunteers gain scuba and environmental protection experience while learning about the challenges marine ecosystems face and what can be done to help overcome them.
1. What are volunteers expected to do in the project in Bali?| A．Take care of sea turtles. | B．Discover new turtle species. |
| C．Rescue endangered animals. | D．Post animal photos on social media. |
| A．They all provide medical training. |
| B．They all help with ocean ecosystem. |
| C．They all get communities connected. |
| D．They all engage teens in new cultures. |
| A．A brochure for a teen travel agency. |
| B．A plan for a social practice program. |
| C．A website of a volunteer organization. |
| D．A newsletter from a conservation organization. |
【推荐1】Pearl S. Buck was a very popular American writer of her day. She was famous for her books about China. Pearl was born in 1892 in West Virginia, America, but she spent almost half of her 81-year-long life in China.
Pearl spent her youth in Jiangsu Province, China. She learned to speak Chinese before she could speak English. Her mother had travelled widely in her youth and liked literature very much. After being educated by her mother and by a Chinese teacher, Pearl S. Buck went to school in Shanghai at the age of fifteen. She continued her education in the United States at a Woman’s College to study psychology（心理学）. After graduation in 1914, she returned to China. In the 1920s, her family moved to Nanjing, where she taught English and American literature at a university.
As a writer, Pearl S. Buck’s book, The Good Earth, appeared in 1931 and sold quite well in its first year. It has been translated into over thirty languages. In 1938, she became the third American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. By the time of her death in March, 1973, Pearl had published more than seventy books.
1. Pearl S. Buck was born in West Virginia, America in ______.| A．1892 | B．1901 |
| C．1906 | D．1913 |
| A．She lived in Jiangsu Province in her youth. |
| B．She was able to speak English before she spoke Chinese. |
| C．Her mother and a Chinese teacher had educated her. |
| D．She studied at a Woman’s College in the United States. |
| A．education in China | B．experience in America |
| C．The Good Earth | D．psychology books |
| A．Pearl S. Buck’s Family | B．Pearl S. Buck’s Life Story |
| C．Pearl S. Buck’s Books | D．Pearl S. Buck’s Job as a Teacher |
【推荐2】In October 1937, a newly published book became an instant hit in London, with more than 100, 000 copies sold in just a few weeks and still much sought after following three additional printings. That book was Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow, an American journalist who first made the Communist Party of China(CPC中国共产党) known to the world.
In the 1930s, China was in the war of resistance against Japan. The Long March finally took the Central Red Army to Shaanbei in October 1935. Yan’an, a small town in Shaanbei and then the base of the CPC, was like an isle (小岛) surrounded by the ocean of the Kuomintang’ s military and information blockage. The world knew little about the CPC and the Red Army.
In order to pursue valuable news in China, Snow made it to Yan’an after a long and difficult journey on July 13, 1936. After over 100 days in Shaanbei, Snow was fascinated by the unique charm of the East, something he believed representing the light of rejuvenation (复苏) for the ancient nation of China. For him, the Communists were the most outstanding men and women he had met in China in the past decade with the “military discipline, political morale, and the will to victory”. He recalled his four-month time with the Red Army as a most inspiring experience, during which he had met with the most free and happy Chinese he’d ever known. In these people who devoted themselves to what they believed was the right and just cause, Snow felt an energetic hope, passion and the unbeatable strength of mankind, something he had never felt again ever since.
In the preface (前言) to Red Star Over China, Snow attributed the global popularity of the book not to its style or form, but the stories. According to him, the stories were created by the young Chinese revolutionists and based on the accounts of them. What he did was simply writing them down in words as fair as the water running in spring.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 2?| A．To inform the readers of an important part of CPC’s history in Shaanbei. |
| B．To show the importance of Snow’s book in making the CPC known to the world. |
| C．To tell the readers that Yan’an was surrounded by Kuomintang. |
| D．To tell the readers that Long March finally took the Central Red Army to Shaanbei. |
| A．Modest and confident. | B．Strong and outspoken. |
| C．Determined and fair-minded. | D．Independent and easygoing. |
| A．It was the first book to publicize China to the world. |
| B．It was a reflection of the political wisdom of ancient China. |
| C．It was written to show Edgar Snow’s sympathy for the Red Amy. |
| D．It was filled with first-hand information from the young Chinese revolutionists. |
| A．A book review magazine. | B．A history textbook. |
| C．A short novel. | D．A travel guide. |
【推荐3】Best known as an author of fairy tales (童话), Hans Christian Andersen (1805—1875) wrote such children’s stories as The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. However, he was also an actor, a singer, and an artist. As an artist, he was particularly good at paper cutting.
Andersen had many reasons for making his paper cuttings, but the main one was to give pleasure. Andersen loved to tell his interesting stories to anyone who would listen. As he spoke, he would take out his scissors (剪刀) and make a wonderful paper cutting to help his words.
He also found that his paper cuttings helped with a better communication between himself and others. Although a shy man, he still loved to tell his stories face to face with his listeners. His stories and paper cuttings helped him to communicate when he would have otherwise felt uncomfortable.
The paper cuttings also became great gifts for friends and families. He would give his cuttings not only to children but also to grown-ups. When his writing became famous, these gifts were even more valued.
Now more than 100 years old, many of Andersen’s fine paper cuttings still exist in a museum in Denmark devoted to his works. While Andersen will always be remembered for his fairy tales, his beautiful works of art also remain for all to enjoy.
1. This passage mainly discusses Hans Christian Andersen as a(n) .| A．singer | B．artist | C．actor | D．writer |
| A．1500s | B．1600s | C．1700s | D．1800s |
| A．live quite a busy life | B．become a well-known writer |
| C．get along well with others | D．write wonderful stories for children |
| A．Why he was fond of paper cutting. |
| B．Which fairy tales he had published. |
| C．How he became good at paper cutting. |
| D．When he became famous as a story-teller. |
