There are various reasons why people compose poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe a certain image in the readers’ mind. Others try to convey certain f    1     such as joy and sorrow. The distinctive characteristics of poetry often include economic use of words, descriptive and v    2     language, integrated imagery, l    3     devices such as similes and metaphors, and arrangements of words, lines, rhemes, and rhythm. Poets use many different forms of poetry to e    4     themselves. Now we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

Some of the first poems a young child learns in English are nursery r    5    . They are usually the traditional poems or f    6     songs. The language of these rhymes, like Poem A, is to the p    7     but has a storyline. Many children enjoy nursery rhymes because they rhyme, have a strong rhythm, and often repeat the same words. The poems may not make s    8     and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and r    9    . By playing with the words in nursery rhymes children learned about language.

Imagine having the o    1     to sing together with hundreds of other people while you are at home alone. You can do this in a virtual choir. Virtual choir members record themselves while they p    2     alone on video. These videos are uploaded o    3     the Internet, and then they are put together into the video that you can see online—a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere—all you need is a video camera and an Internet c    4    . You do not even need a s    5    . A virtual choir helps connect o    6     people together. Many people do not have close friends or contacts who have the same interest in m    7    . Many others do not have the chance to join a local choir. A virtual choir e    8     them to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has p    9     to be a positive influence on the lives of many people. A    10     one virtual choir member said, “Music helps me to forget my problems. With music, I become someone else.”

Have you ever faced a time when things looked dark and you had no hope at all? Two years ago, I was told I had a serious     1     which was difficult to cure. My body     2     all the time and thus I thought I didn’t have much longer to     3    . I was very afraid and I felt so alone and discouraged. Then one day, I had to go through a two-hour medical     4    . The doctor wanted me to     5    , so he had me listen to some music, and one of the songs was “Happy”. The song made me feel so much better that from then on I began to listen to music all the time. John A. Logan said, “Music is the medicine of the     6    .” And it’s-true. Music helped me recover.

Music gave me happiness. When I listened to music, it made my     7     fly like a kite in the wind. Music gave me     8     and brought me relief. It was the rock I leant on to become strong and to get through those hard times. Moreover, music gave me hope and a sense of     9    . It became my best friends. It spoke words of encouragement to the deepest part of my     10    .

My hotel is near d    1    , in the Mission District, one of the oldest p    2     of the city. Many of the p    3     living here are from Mexico or Central America. This d    4     used to be a poor area of town, but is now a centre for art, music and f    5    . In fact, an art m    6     called the “ Mission School” started here. It’s influenced by graffiti art and c    7     art. I walked around looking at the street art for a few h    8    . It was quite modern and lively. Afterwards, I ate some d    9     Mexican- Chinese n    10     from a food truck. A real mix of cultures here!

I have just     1     a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there     2     six months. Tim is an     3    . He is working for a big     4     and he has already visited a great number     5     different places in Australia. He has just bought     6     Australian car and has gone     7     Alice springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been     8     before, so he is     9     this trip very     10    .

Next week I’m t    1     to Australia to visit a friend there over the school holidays. I plan to keep this b    2     to record my experiences and what I learn. I have already done some r    3     on the country. L    4     to the south of the e    5    , below many other countries on the globe, it’s often informally r    6     to as “down under”.

I have also read about some i    7     sites, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Great Ocean Road, and animals like the cute koalas and kangaroos. I can’t wait to see all of them! H    8    , as I’m    9     in social studies, I’m more interested in meeting people in Australia and e    10     their culture, food, and way of life.

…They make     1     to carry brave people into space to find out the secrets of the     2    …“That’s one small     3     for (a) man, one giant     4     for mankind.”

...it     1     feels good to be back in the city again. And what a city—a city that was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake that     2     in 1906...My hotel is near     3    , in the Mission District...