Chapter 4

Every morning after that, the mice the little people dressed in their running gear and headed over to Cheese Station C.  It wasn’t long before they each established their own routine.

Sniff¹ and Scurry² continued to wake early every day and race through the maze³, always following the same route.

When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes, tied them together and hung them around their necks – so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed them again.  Then they enjoyed the cheese.

In the beginning Hem⁴ and Haw also raced toward Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the tasty new morsels⁵ that awaited them.

But after a while, a different routine set in for the little people.

Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese Station C.  After all, they knew where the Cheese was now and how to get there.

They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there.  They hung up their jogging suits, put away their running shoes and put on their slippers⁶.  They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.

“This is great,” Hem said.  “There’s enough Cheese here to last us forever.”  The little people felt happy and successful, and thought they were now secure.

It wasn’t long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at Cheese Station C as their cheese.  It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer to it, and built a social life around it.

To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and Haw decorated the walls sayings and even drew pictures of Cheese around them which made them smile. One read”
Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C, and point to it with pride, saying “Pretty nice Cheese, huh?” Sometimes they shared it with their friends and sometimes they didn’t.

“We deserve this Cheese,” Hem said.  “We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it.” He picked up a nice fresh piece and ate it.

Afterwards, Hem fell asleep, as he often did.
Every night the little people would waddle⁷ home, full of Cheese, and every morning they would confidently return for home.

This went on for quite some time.
 

从那以后，这四个家伙，小老鼠和小矮人，每天早上穿上他们的跑步装备后便毫不犹豫地直奔奶酪C站。不久，他们都建立了熟悉的路线，并形成了各自的生活习惯。

　　嗅嗅和匆匆仍旧每天都起得很早，然后沿着相同的路线跑进迷宫中。

　　当老鼠们到达目的地后，他们脱下自己的跑鞋，有条不紊地将两只鞋系在一起，挂在脖子上——以便需要的时候能够很快穿上。然后，他们才开始尽情地享用奶酪。

　　在刚开始的一段时间里，哼哼和唧唧也是如此行事，每天早晨赶到奶酪C站，按部就班的把鞋子挂在脖子上，享用在那里等着他们的美味佳肴。

　　然而，不久以后，小矮人们改变了他们的常规。

　　哼哼和唧唧每天起得比老鼠们晚一些，懒懒地穿好运动服，然后信步走到奶酪C站。不管怎样，反正已经找到了奶酪。

　　他们从没想过，奶酪是从哪里来的，是谁把它们放在那里的。他们只是理所当然地认为，奶酷总是会在那里的。

　　每天，哼哼和唧唧到达奶酪C站以后，就像回到了自己家一样，舒适地呆在那里。他们脱下身上的运动衣，把它们挂起来，甩掉脚上的鞋子，换上拖鞋。他们找到了奶酪，感觉实在是太惬意了。

　　“真是太好了！”哼哼说：“这里有这么多的奶酪，足够我们享用一辈子了。”小矮人们充满了幸福和成功的感觉，觉得从此可以无忧无虑了。

　　不久，哼哼和唧唧更理所当然地认定，他们在奶酪C站发现的奶酪就是“他们自己的”奶酪了。这里的奶酪库存是如此的丰富，于是他们决定把家搬到更靠近奶酪C站的地方，还在周围一带开展了他们的社交活动。

　　为了使这里有更象家的感觉，哼哼和唧唧把墙壁装饰了一通，还在墙上写了一些格言，并且精心地画上了一些非常可口的奶酪的图案。他们看着这些图画和格言，会心地笑了。其中一幅图画的内容是：

　　拥有奶酪，就拥有幸福。

　　有时，他们会带朋友来参观他们在奶酪C站里成堆的奶酪，自豪地指着这些奶酪说：“多么美妙可口的奶酪呀，不是吗？”有时，他们还会与朋友们一起分享这些奶酪，而有时则单独享用。

　　“我们应该拥有这些奶酪，”哼哼说，“为了找到它们，我们可是付出了长期而艰苦的努力的，我们当然有资格拥有它们。”他一边说着一边拿起一块鲜美的奶酪放进嘴里，享用起来，脸上流露出幸福的光彩。

　　然后，就像往常一样，哼哼享受完奶酪便睡着了，梦中还露出满足而惬意的笑容。

　　每天晚上，小矮人们在美美地饱餐了奶酪后，就摇摇摆摆地走回家，第二天早上他们又会信心十足地走进奶酪C站，去享用更多奶酪。

　　这样的境况维持了相当长的一段时间。

1 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

2 scurry   

vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马

参考例句：

• I jumped on the sofa after I saw a mouse scurry by.看到一只老鼠匆匆路过,我从沙发上跳了起来。
• There was a great scurry for bargains.大家急忙着去抢购特价品。

3 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

4 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

5 morsels   

n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑

参考例句：

• They are the most delicate morsels. 这些确是最好吃的部分。 来自辞典例句
• Foxes will scratch up grass to find tasty bug and beetle morsels. 狐狸会挖草地，寻找美味的虫子和甲壳虫。 来自互联网

6 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

7 waddle   

vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子)

参考例句：

• I am pregnant.I waddle awkwardly and my big stomach pressed against the weight of the world. 我怀孕了，我滑稽可笑地瞒珊而行，大肚子上压着全世界的重量。
• We waddle and hop and have lots of fun.我们走起路来摇摇摆摆，还一跳一跳的。我们的生活很有趣。