介绍:
今天我们终于来更新part 4 啦！！
From his vast(大量的) collection9（收藏品）, it was not difficult for Mr Hoppy to find just the tortoise he wanted. He wanted one that weighted fifteen ounces exactly on his kitchen scales, no more and no less. When he had got it, he put it on the kitchen table beside Alfie, and even he could hardly tell that one was bigger than the other. But it was bigger. It was bigger by two ounces. This was Tortoise Number 2.
Mr Hoppy took Tortoise Number 2 out on to the balcony and gripped(紧咬) it in the claws of his tortoise-catcher. Then he lowered it on to Mrs Silver’s balcony, right beside a nice fresh lettuce.
Tortoise number 2 had never eaten tender（嫩的） juicy lettuce-leaves before. It had only had thick old cabbage leaves. It loved the lettuce and started chomping（格格地咬牙） away at it with great gusto（由衷的高兴）.
There followed a rather nervous two hours’ wait for Mrs Silver to return from work.
Would she see any difference between the new tortoise and Alfie? It was going to be a tense （紧张的）moment.
Out on to her balcony swept（扫除） Mrs Silver.
“Alfie, my darling!” she cried out. “Mummy’s back! Have you missed me?”
Mr Hoppy, peering（凝视） over his railing, but well hidden between two huge potted plants, held his breath.
The new tortoise was still chomping away at the lettuce.
My my, Alfie, you do seem hungry today,” Mrs Silver was saying.” It must have been Mr Hoppy’s magic words I’ve been whispering to you.”
Mr Hoppy watched as Mrs Silver picked the tortoise up and stroked his shell. Then she fished Mr Hoppy’s s piece of paper out of her pocket, and holding the tortoise very close to her face, she whispered, reading from the paper:
ESIOTROT, ESIO TROT,
TEGREGGIB REGGIB!
EMOGNO, ESIO TROT,
WORGPU, FFUP PU, TOOHS PU!
GNIRPS PU, WOLB PU, LLEWS PU!
EGROG!ELZZUG! FFUTS! PLUG!
TUP NO TAF, ESIO TROT, TUP NO TAF!
TEGNO, TEG NO! ELBBOG DOOF!
Mr Hoppy popped his head out of the foliage（植物） and called out,” Good evening, Mrs Silver. How is Alfie tonight?”
“Oh, he’s lovely,” Mrs Silver said, looking up and beaming（喜气洋洋的）.”And he’s developing such an appetite（食欲）! I’ve never seen him eat like this before! It must be the magic words.”
“You never know,” Mr Hoppy said darkly（秘密地）. “You never know.”
Mr Hoppy waited seven whole days before he made his next move.
On the afternoon of the seventh day, when Mrs Silver was at work, he lifted Tortoise Number 2 from the balcony below and brought it into his living-room. Number 2 had weighted exactly fifteen ounces. He must now find one that weighted exactly seventeen ounces, two ounces more.
From his enormous（庞大的） collection, he easily found a seventeen-ounce tortoise and once again he made sure the shells matched in colour. Then he lowered Tortoise Number 3 on to Mrs Silver’s balcony.
As you will have guessed by now, Mr Hoppy’s secret was a very simple one. If a creature grows slowly enough- I mean very slowly indeed- then you’ll never notice that it has grown at all, especially if you see it every day.
It’s the same with children. They are actually growing taller every week, but their mothers never notice it until they grow out of their clothes.
Slowly does it, Mr Hoppy told himself. Don’t hurry it.
So this is how things went over the next eight weeks.
In the beginning
ALFIE weight 13 ounces
End of first week
TORTOISE NO. 2 weight 15 ounces
End of second week
TORTOISE NO.3 weight 17 ounces
End of third week
TORTOISE NO.4 weight 19 ounces
End of fourth week
TORTOISE NO.5 weight 21 ounces
End of fifth week
TORTOISE NO.6 weight 23 ounces
End of sixth week
TORTOISE NO. 7 weight 25 ounces
End of seventh week
TORTOISE NO. 8 weight 27 ounces
Alfie’s weight was thirteen ounces. Tortoise Number 8 was twenty-seven ounces. Very slowly, over seven weeks, Mrs Silver’s pet had more than doubled in size and the good lady hadn’t noticed a thing.
Even to Mr Hoppy, peering down over his railing（栏杆）, Tortoise Number 8 looked pretty big. It was a amazing that Mrs Silver had hardly noticed anything at all during the great operation(操作). Only once had she looked up and said, “You know, Mr Hoppy, I do believe he’s getting a bit bigger. What do you think?”
“I can’t see a lot of difference myself,” Mr Hoppy had answered casually（随意地）.
But now perhaps（或许） it was time to call a halt（命令停止）, and that evening Mr Hoppy was just about to go out and suggest to Mrs Silver that she ought to weigh Alfie when a startled（受惊吓的） cry from the balcony below brought him outside fast.
“Look!” Mrs Silver was shouting.” Alfie’s too big to get through the door of his little house! He must have grown enormously（巨大地）!”
“Weigh him,” Mr Hoppy ordered. “Take him in and weigh him quick.”
Mrs Silver did just that, and in half a minute she was back holding the tortoise in both hands and waving it above her head and shouting,” Guess what, Mr Hoppy! Guess what! He weighs twenty-seven ounces! He’s twice as big as he was before! Oh, you darling!” She cried, stroking the tortoise.”Oh, you great big wonderful boy! Just look what clever Mr Hoppy has done for you!”
Mr Hoppy suddenly felt very brave .” Mrs Silver,” he said.” Do you think I could pop down to your balcony and hold Alfie myself?”
“Why, of course you can!” Mrs Silver cried. “Come down at once.”
Mr Hoppy rushed down the stairs and Mrs Silver opened the door to him. Together they went out on to the balcony. “Just look at him!＂Mrs Silve said proudly.” Isn’t he grand（宏伟的）!”
“He’s a big good sized tortoise now,” Mr Hoppy said.
“And you did it!” Mrs Silver cried. “You’re a miracle-man（创造奇迹者）, you are indeed!”
“But what am I going to do about his house?” Mrs Silver said.” He must have a house to go into at night, but now he can’t get through the door.”
They were standing on the balcony looking at the tortoise, who was trying to push his way into his house. But he was too big.
“I shall have to enlarge（扩大）the door,” Mrs Silver said.
“Don’t do that,” Mr Hoppy said. “ You mustn’t go chopping up such a pretty little house. After all, he only needs to be just a tiny bit smaller and he could get in easily.”
“How can he possibly get smaller?” Mrs Silver asked.
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