A
Urban poetry is a literary art form in which poetry is used to express feelings or to share experiences that are related to living in urban areas. Common themes include poverty, social injustice, stress, struggles and survival. As with many other forms of poetry, it is common for the lines of an urban poem to rhyme, but it is not necessary all of the time. Urban poetry also can be different in length and rhythm.
Although many people consider the term “urban” refers to modern cities full of brick and steel structures, flashing lights and hundreds of thousands of people, forms of urban poetry have sprung out of cities for centuries. Although cities have become more modernized, many of the conditions that inspire urban poets are much the same as they were hundreds of years ago. One of the most important themes of urban poetry is the condemnation of social injustice. Modern urban poets tend to focus on problems that have bad effects on the lives of minorities.
Rather than express an opinion about a problem, many urban poems would tell the story of someone living in a city to allow the reader to gain a better idea about an urban problem by learning about the storyteller's personal experiences dealing with this problem.
Although urban poetry might be not real, it typically settles a situation that the poet has personally experienced. The motivation for settling unfair or difficult situations that the poet has experienced often leads to powerful feelings on the part of both the poet and the audience, particularly during a live performance. Some people believe that urban poetry is more appropriate as a spoken art form than as literature. Therefore, this type of poetry frequently can be found as audio recordings rather than in books or other printed material.
1．What characteristic does urban poetry have?
A．Its length is strictly fixed.
B．Its lines rhyme all the time.
C．It can be found in printed material frequently.
D．It is about feelings or experiences of living in cities.
解析：选D 细节理解题。由第一段的第一句可知，城市诗歌主要描述人们生活在城市中的感情和经历。
2．Which of the following is the most important theme of urban poetry?
A．Strong disapproval of social unfairness.
B．The struggle for survival against illness.
C．Continued efforts to fight urban poverty.
D．Great social stress under modernization.
解析：选A 细节理解题。由第二段的“One of the most important themes of urban poetry is the condemnation of social injustice”可知，城市诗歌最重要的主题之一是抨击社会不公。
3．Why do many urban poems tell stories instead of expressing opinions?
A．To reduce the audience's strong feelings.
B．To give common readers access to urban poems.
C．To help readers better understand urban problems.
D．To make storytellers' experiences seem more personal.
解析：选C 细节理解题。由第三段可知，城市诗歌往往采用讲述故事的写作手法，目的是让读者更好地理解城市问题。
4．What would be the best title of the text?
A．What is urban poetry?
B．How does urban poetry develop?
C．Why might urban poetry be unreal?
D．In what forms does urban poetry appear?
解析：选A 标题归纳题。综合全文可知，文章主要介绍了城市诗歌的概念、常见主题、写作方式和表现形式等，故A项最为全面。
