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 mouse. 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!?
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

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

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

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