There is much more to growing up in a bilingual(双语的) family than learning two languages, and the cultural influences from both cultures are just as important.
In July we had a curious incident that shows the slight differences between cultures. My son has already changed a few of his baby teeth and since we lived in Italy we decided to go with the Italian version(版本) of the Tooth Fairy, which is not a fairy(仙女) but a little mo
use. So last year when he lost his first tooth we had a visit from the little mouse who took the tooth away and left a rather good amount of coins --- when he lost the second tooth a few days later, however, the amount was significantly less! That in itself caused quite a few questions, but the real questions started when in July during a visit to the UK another tooth left my son’s mouth in Tooth Fairy land! The grandparents made a real problem out of it --- it was their first grandson’s tooth they got to say Goodbye to, so it was Tooth Fairy and rather generous, too!
The Qs & As
Son: Mum, how is the little mouse going to smell my tooth all this way? (as the story goes the little mouse smells a milk tooth and comes to collect it)
Me: No dear, it won’t! We are in England now so the Tooth Fairy will come.
Son: Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse? (I knew where this was going)
Me: She is very strong, and she is magic.
Son: What does the Tooth Fairy bring? (straight to the point)
Me: I am not sure. We’ll find out maybe a nice message.
Son: So is the little mouse coming too?
Me: No, it won’t make it all the way from Italy.
Son: But why don’t they have little mice in England?
Me: Because here the Tooth Fairy collects all baby teeth and she’s too fast, so the little mouse would always get there late.
Son: Oh!?
小题1:Italian kids are supposed to believe ________ will come and collect the milk teeth.
A．a little mouse
B．Tooth Fairy
C．their parents
D．the grandparents小题2:The author thought Tooth Fairy would be rather generous because ________.
A．Italian parents often give much money for their kids’ lost baby teeth[
B．she knew Tooth Fairy was more generous than the little mouse
C．she knew the grandparents would give her son a big gift
D．English people are usually more generous than Italians小题3:Hearing “Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse?”, the author knew her son was actually worried about ________.
A．the tooth fairy’s health
B．the little mouse’s coming
C．the amount of coins he could get
D．the story his grandparents know小题4:By telling this story, the author intends to say it’s important to _________ in a bilingual family.
A．make kids know the folk stories
B．help kids choose one of the cultures
C．teach kids two languages
D．keep the balance of both cultures
