World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March， and was declared by UNESCO （the United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization） in 1999. Its purpose is to promote the reading， writing， publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world and， as the original UNESCO declaration says， to “give fresh recognition and impetus1 to national， regional and international poetry movements”.
　　1999年，聯合国教科文组织（联合国教育、科学及文化组织）宣布，在每年3月21日庆祝世界诗歌日。其目的是促进全世界诗歌的阅读、写作、出版和教学，并且正如联合国教科文组织最初的宣言中所说的，是“为国家、区域和国际诗歌运动提供新的认知和动力”。
　　World Poetry Day is a celebration of our favourite poets and poems， and reminds us of the great importance poetry has in child development.
　　世界诗歌日是对我们最喜爱的诗人和诗歌的庆祝，提醒着我们诗歌在儿童发展中的非凡重要性。
　　Reading poetry aloud helps children develop an awareness of the sounds of words through rhyme2， rhythm3 and repetition4. They can bring stories of life in the mind of a child， help children learn new words， become stronger readers and extend5 their vocabulary.
　　朗读诗歌有助于孩子们通过韵律、节奏和背诵来提高词语的发音意识。它们能让孩子理解生活的故事，帮助孩子学习新的词语，增强阅读能力，扩大词汇量。
　　Words and phrases are often used in slightly different ways in poetry， allowing children to engage6 with language in a way that’s different to normal texts.
　　在诗歌中，词汇和短语的使用方式略有不同，这使孩子们能够以不同于普通文本的方式接触语言。
　　If you find a poem to read today， read it aloud.
　　如果今天你找到了一首诗，那么大声朗读吧。