Lesson 1 A puma at large
Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously. However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.
The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat' only five yards away from her. It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered. The search proved difficult, for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening. Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes. Several people complained of 'cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from? As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country, this one must have been in the possession of a private collector and somehow managed to escape. The hunt went on for several weeks, but the puma was not caught. It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside. Language points
Pay attention: The points below are not covered by the mp3. It is better for you to listen to the mp3 first and try to take notes by yourselves. 1，a puma at large at large
1：逃遁的，没有被控制的。
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2：详细的(in detail) 3：总体来讲（as a whole）
2，Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.
tip: 在英文的表达方式中，首先呈现给读者的是结果。写议论文的时候要注意把握观点。 体会课文第一二句话，乃至第一段在全文中的作用。 cat-like 像猫的，偷偷摸摸的 life-like 栩栩如生的
3，When report came into London zoo... 当伦敦动物园接到报告...... 同种结构的句型：(An idea) come to sb.某人突然想到了...... 4， They were not taken seriously.
take sth. seriously: deal with sth. seriously 认真（严肃）对待某事 take sth. lightly 草率对待某事
注意：例句的they指的是reports, 意思是：The experts did not take the reports seriously.
5, The descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.
claim to have done sth 声称曾经做过某事
6， Experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.
confirm: be sure, be certain 7，The search proved difficult. 这个语境中：search=hunt
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8， Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits.
leave behind: 把某物留在后面
9， A businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. on + 名词：强调动作正在进行 on the rise:在上升 on the increase: 在增加 on the watch: 在观看 on the match:在比赛中
on the fishing trip:在钓鱼的途中 on holiday: 在度假
10， The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma. fully: completely, entirely
11，This one must have been in the possession of a private collector. in the possession of sb==in sb's possession 归某人所有 in possession of sth. 拥有某物 take possession of 拥有
tip: 请大家体会下同种意思的不同表达，让我们的语言丰富起来！
eg: The beautiful car is in my possession / in the possession of me. I am in possession of the beautiful car.
The person in possession of the big house is excited.
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12， It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.
It is disturbing to think that 一想到.........就心里不安 key structure & grammar 1. simple sentence, compound sentence and complex sentence(check NCE2 L73)
本文主要有复杂句组成，复杂句是由简单句构成的，分析复杂句的意思： 1）先看句子由几个部分组成；
2）通过link word来判断主从句关系；
e.g. However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar. 分句1：The evident began to accumulate. as 表示伴随主句同时发生的状态
主句：Experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate. tip: 在阅读中，先看主句有助于全文理解和提高阅读效率。
分句2：The descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar. for 表示原因，翻译做：因为 这个分句还可以再细分：
句子的主干部分是：The descriptions were similar given引导的部分是过去分词作定语，修饰description
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而这一成分中，who引导的定语从句，用来修饰people 2.被动语态常用于表达事实的客观性
tip: 英文的表达方式重点在于突出客观事实，故常用被动语态；而中文则善于运用动作的执行者,常用主动式
被动语态的特殊结构：被动语态＋现在分词
e.g. puma fur was found clinging to bushes 现在分词clinging起补充说明主语的作用
3，定语从句和同位语从句
一般来讲, 定语从句和同位语从句紧随在被修饰名词后面，但为了保持句子平衡，也可把谓语动词放到从句之前。让我们来看两个文中的例子：
(1)Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.
(2)Reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London.
现在让我们来回顾下两种从句的区别：
(1) 定语从句只是对于被修饰词的补充说明、修饰。 定语从句的引导词：
指人：主语 who; 宾语 who/whom; 定语 whose 表达事物：that(也可指人)/ which
时间状语：when; 地点状语：where; 原因状语： why (2) 同位语从句则是讲述被修饰名词的内容 同位语从句的引导词：
名词做主语、宾语时，关系词用that 而不是which
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(完整版)新概念英语第三册课文及详解第1课
