Mr. Popper’s Penguins（Ⅶ）波普先生的企鹅 （七）

波普先生去遛企鹅，当地人从前甚至没听说过这种生物，连新闻记者都来采访他和库克船长了。不过，意外的事情发生了，之前一直快活又淘气的库克船长忽然变得郁郁寡欢。慢慢地，它甚至不愿意进食了。这可着实让波普先生着急坏了！

All the Poppers had grown terribly fond of the funny， 1）solemn littlechap， and Mr. Popper’s heart was frozen with 2）terror. It seemed to himthat his life would be very empty if Captain Cook went away.

Surely someone would know what to do for a sick penguin. Hewished that there were some way of asking advice of Admiral Drake，away down at the South Pole， but there was not time.

In his despair， Mr. Popper had an idea. A letter had brought him hispet. He sat down and wrote another letter.

It was addressed to Dr. Smith， the Curator of the great Aquarium inMammoth City， the largest in the world. Surely if anyone anywhere hadany idea what could cure a dying penguin， this man would.

Two days later， there was an answer from the Curator.“Unfortunately，” he wrote， “it is not easy to cure a sick penguin. Perhapsyou do not know that we too have， in ouraquarium at Mammoth City， a penguin from the Antarctic. She is failing rapidly， in spite of everything we have done forher. I have wondered lately whether or not she is suffering from loneliness.Perhaps that is what ails your Captain Cook. I am， therefore， shippingyou， under separate cover， our penguin. You may keep her. There is just achance that the birds may get on better together.”

And that is how Greta came to live at 432 Proudfoot Avenue.

1） solemm adj. 表情严肃的 2） terror n. 惊恐；恐惧

波普一家都太爱这个好玩又严肃的小家伙了。（剩余400字）