Cold settled on the world. 天寒地冻。

　　The pasture was bleak and frozen. 牧场冷得刺骨，样样都冻住了。

　　The cows stayed in the barn all the time now, 现在牛一直待在谷仓里，

　　except on sunny mornings when they went out and stood in the barnyard in the lee of the straw pile. 只有阳光明媚的早晨，它们才到外面去，站在谷仓院子里麦草堆挡住风的地方。

　　The sheep stayed near the barn, too, for protection. 羊也待在谷仓附近的背风处。

　　When they were thirsty they ate snow. 它们渴了就吃雪。

　　The geese hung around the barnyard the way boys hang around a drug store, 鹅围着谷仓院子转，就像男孩围着杂货铺转一样，

　　and Mr. Zuckerman fed them corn and turnips to keep them cheerful. 朱克曼先生给它们喂玉米和萝卜，让它们高兴。

　　"Many, many, many thanks!" they always said, when they saw food coming. “非常，非常，非常感谢！”它们一看到食物来了就这么说。

　　Templeton moved indoors when winter came. 入冬以后，坦普尔顿一直在户内活动。

　　His ratty home under the pig trough was too chilly, 猪食槽底下的那个老鼠洞太冷了，

　　so he fixed himself a cozy nest in the barn behind the grain bins. 因此它在谷仓里的粮仓后面给自己做了个舒服的窝。

　　He lined it with bits of dirty newspapers and rags 它在窝里垫上肮脏的报纸碎片和破布片，

　　and whenever he found a trinket or a keepsake he carried it home and stored it there. 什么时候一找到点小玩意儿或者纪念品，它就把它们拿回家储存在那里。

　　He continued to visit Wilbur three times a day, exactly at mealtime, 它一天三次去看威尔伯，准时在吃饭时间，

　　and Wilbur kept the promise he had made. 威尔伯遵守自己作出的诺言，

　　Wilbur let the rat eat first. 让老鼠先吃。

　　Then, when Templeton couldn't hold another mouthful, Wilbur would eat. 等到坦普尔顿吃得一口也再吃不下去了，威尔伯才吃。

　　As a result of overeating, Templeton grew bigger and fatter than any rat you ever saw. 吃得过饱的结果就是，坦普尔顿比你见过的任何老鼠都更大更胖。

　　He was gigantic. He was as big as a young woodchuck. 它大得像只小旱獭。

　　The old sheep spoke to him about his size one day. 有一天，老羊就它的个子对它说：

　　"You would live longer," said the old sheep, "if you ate less." “如果你吃得少一点，你就可以活得长一点。”

　　"Who wants to live forever?" sneered the rat. “谁需要长生不老呢？”老鼠讥讽说，

　　"I am naturally a heavy eater and I get untold satisfaction from the pleasures of the feast." “我天生是个大食鬼，从大吃大喝的乐趣中得到说不出的满足感。”

　　He patted his stomach, 它拍拍肚子，

　　grinned at the sheep, and crept upstairs to lie down. 对老羊龇着牙齿笑笑，爬到上面粮仓去躺下来。