新概念第三册第1课 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.

puma 美洲狮

定义式造句：熊猫是黑白相间的一种熊，爱吃竹子主要分布在中国。

Pandas are black and white bears which love eating bamboo and are mainly in China.

reports that 同位语从句，从句后置；接同位语从句的词往往：words, reports, news, message,hope等抽象的，可以进行详细描述的单词。

消息传遍世界，他是一个叛国贼,她大吃一惊。

When the news was spread out all over the country that he was a traitor, she got such a shock.

spot （vt.to notice, find out with difficulty; n. place or a round area or dot; mark ）

a spot of  一点点

forty-five miles south of London  在伦敦以南45公里，south 是副词

Guangdong lies south of China.=== lies in the south of China.

Most of the birds had already flown south. 大部分的鸟都已南飞

take sth seriouly 严重对待某事；

他告诉工人们如果警察让他们走，他们不用当回事。

He told the workers that if policemen asked them to leave, they didn't take them 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 it were extraordinarily similar.

accumulate （v. increase, or get more）

evidence  U. proof (of)

as...随着。。。As the weather turns cold, birds fly south. 随着天变冷，鸟往南飞了。

oblige sb to do sth == sb has to do sth because of situations of law, etc

feel obliged to do sth ==== have to do sth

description (C,U) ====v. describe  make/give a description of sth/sb

for 引导原因状语从句，往往是显而易见的原因，而且不放于句首

given 过去分词引导的短语充当定语

who 定语从句修饰people， 不定式使用完成时，强调claim之前已经发生

claim: say loudly or strongly; claim lives of....

The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a big cat' only five yards away from her.  It immediately ran away as she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.

hunt U. the hunting activity; v. search (for); n. hunter

where 定语从句修饰village,  a woman picking blackberries 现在分词充当定语，后置

There is a man swimming in the river.

will 这里是情态动词，表示总会是发生（would 相对表示过去总是会发生）

Oil will float on water. 油总是浮于水面。

The pirates would often bury gold in the cave and then fail to collect it.

a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.这里讲的是一个常态，因此条件状语从句使用主“情”从一般现在时

human being:c. human

corner: force some animal or person into a position that it can't escape

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.

prove + adj 这里的prove是一个系动词常常也可以用成 prove to be difficult.

The design proved to be a success. 设计证明是成功的。

prove 可以作及物动词 Can you prove what you've said? 你能证明你说的吗？

proof 证据（C,U）

at one place  在一个地方 (强调某一个点)

If you park your car in the wrong place, the police will soon find it.

one... and another...

twenty miles away 充当定语后置，修饰place 类似于

A book on the floor is mine. on the floor 可以视为修饰book的后置定语,也可以视为地点状语。

The village ahead is a famous one. ahead 副词同样后置，充当定语或地点状语

Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. Puma prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes.

wherever=== no matter where

a trail of: 一串。。。（的痕迹)

left behind it ,behind it 前置到了a trail of dead.....rabbits 之前。因为宾语很长，所以后置了。类似的现象也出现在从句中

They will know from the facts that we are strong.

a trail of dead deer.. deer单复数一样

in a number of places 在许多地方（可以理解为在这些范围内)

cling to 粘在 现在分词补充说明，充当补语,往往这些动词后面会出现补充语 found, hear, see, watch, notice 等等表示看到，发现意思的词会跟补语

I found a lot of people gathering under the town hall.

Several people complained of 'cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw a puma up a tree.  The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from?

complain +of/about 抱怨  to sb

He complained to the manager of the bad service. 他向经理抱怨服务太差了。

on a fishing trip 在。。。的路上

saw a puma up a tree 动宾+介宾（位置）的结构

I saw a cat in the garden.

convince sb of sth 使。。。相信

come from：from 不可省略

As no puma 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.  It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild pump is still at large in the quiet countryside.

as 因为。。之前的原因，所以使用了过去完成时 must have been 对过去事情的猜测

missing 修饰puma 主语 补语结构， I found her beautiful.  这里是宾语补充语

in the possession of a private collector ：属于。。A 被B所有。

A be in possession of B ：A有B

somehow 某一种方式

manage to do 成功的做了某事（具体的一件事，这里和 was/were able to 类似 成功的做成了一件事)

It is disturbing to think that ....

首先是一个It 充当形式做主语，不定式充当真正主语的结构。think + 宾语从句

at large 逍遥法外