世界节假日博览 第37期:全国牙仙日

 　　February 28 is National Tooth Fairy Day. This day celebrates one of childhood’s make-believe visitors. Others include Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. The Tooth Fairy comes in the middle of the night after a child loses a milk tooth. Parents tell the child to put the tooth under his or her pillow and in the morning they will find some money from the Tooth Fairy. Of course, in reality, parents sneak¹ into the room and replace the tooth with the cash. This part of growing up makes children worry a little less about losing a tooth. They are more excited about the Tooth Fairy’s visit and how much money she’ll leave. National Tooth Fairy Day is also a good day to make sure children understand the importance of brushing their teeth regularly.

　　2月28日是全国牙仙日。这一天庆祝的是传说中牙仙的到来。这些传说人物还包括圣诞老人以及复活节兔子。乳牙脱落后，牙仙会在夜半来到。父母会告诉孩子将牙齿放在枕头底下，早上，他们会收到牙仙给他们的钱。当然，事实情况是，父母会偷偷摸摸进入房间，用钱来换取牙齿。这会让成长中的孩子减轻对掉牙所造成的担心。他们对牙仙的到来以及给几张钞票兴奋不已。全国牙仙日也能够让孩子了解按时刷牙的重要性。

　　No one knows the real origins of the Tooth Fairy. It started in Europe hundreds of years ago and spread around the world. There are different traditions in other countries for when a child’s tooth falls out. In Japan, children throw a lower baby tooth up onto the roof so the next tooth grows healthily upwards²; an upper tooth goes under the house so the new adult tooth grows downwards³. Korea and Vietnam have similar customs. In parts of India, children wrap their milk teeth in cotton and offer it to the sun. In many parts of Europe, a fairy mouse takes away the teeth. This may be because mice have strong teeth that never stop growing. What happens in your country when a child loses a tooth?

　　牙仙的真正起源人们不得而知。它开始于数百年的欧洲，并传播到全世界。在其他国家，孩子掉牙时也有许多不同的风俗和传统。在日本，孩子会把下齿的乳牙放到房顶上，这样的话下颗牙将会长得结结实实；上齿牙会扔到地上，这让孩子的上齿牙会往下健康地成长。韩国和越南也有着相似的习俗。在印度的部分地区，孩子们会用棉花将乳牙包裹起来，并奉献给太阳。在许多欧洲地区，仙鼠会将牙齿带走。这可能是因为老鼠有着一副永不停止生长的强壮牙齿。如果孩子掉牙，你的国家又会怎么办呢？

1 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

2 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

3 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。