---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/01-a-puma-at-large.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：A Puma At Large。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 01 · 逃遁的美洲狮

### 第1段

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.

中文理解：美洲狮是一种生活在美洲的大型猫科动物。伦敦动物园陆续接到报告，说有人在伦敦以南45英里处发现了一只野生美洲狮，起初这些报告并未受到重视。然而，随着证据不断积累，动物园的专家们觉得必须展开调查，因为那些声称见过美洲狮的人，描述的情况竟然出奇地相似。
搜寻从一个小村庄开始。一位妇女在那里采摘黑莓时，看见离自己仅5码远的地方有“一只大猫”。她一发现它，它就立刻跑开了。专家证实，美洲狮不会攻击人，除非被逼得无路可逃。搜寻却并不顺利：人们常常早晨还在一处看见它，傍晚它就出现在20英里以外的另一处。它所到之处，总会留下死鹿，以及兔子之类小动物的尸体。好几个地方都发现了爪印，灌木上也粘着美洲狮的毛。几个人反映，夜里听见过“像猫一样的叫声”；还有一位外出钓鱼的商人，曾看见它待在树上。专家们这时已经完全确信，那只动物就是美洲狮。但它究竟从哪儿来的呢？全国没有一家动物园报告丢失美洲狮，因此它一定原本归某位私人收藏家所有，后来不知怎么逃了出来。搜寻持续了好几个星期，美洲狮却始终没有被捕获。一想到这样一只危险的野兽仍在宁静的乡间游荡，就令人不安。

* **taken seriously**：被认真对待；take something seriously；被动时用 be taken seriously，不是表情严肃。

* **felt obliged to**：觉得有必要；感到有责任；强调责任或情势促使行动，不只是想做。

* **ran away**：逃跑；表示逃走，from 后说明离开或躲避的对象。

* **proved difficult**：结果发现很困难；prove + 形容词说明实际结果，不加 to do；可换为 proved useful。

* **a trail of**：一连串；留下的一串痕迹；leave a trail of + 痕迹；可用于脚印、线索，不只说小路。

* **a number of**：许多；若干；表示若干个；加 great 或 large 强调数量多，后接复数谓语。

* **complained of**：抱怨；反映令人不满的情况；本课指反映夜间的叫声，并非身体症状；complain of 不能限定为只能诉说疾病。

* **fully convinced**：完全确信；be convinced that + 判断；它说明信念强，不自动等于判断正确。

* **in the possession of**：由……持有；描述物的归属；某人拥有某物用 in possession of。

* **managed to**：设法成功做到；不仅尝试，而且最终做到了；try to 不保证成功。

* **went on**：继续；持续；go on for + 时长；不要与 go on to do（接着做另一件事）混淆。

* **at large**：未被捕获；在逃；常用于逃犯或逃脱的危险动物，不等于面积很大。

#### 原文注释 · Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.

注释：①at large 还可有 as a whole（总体）、in detail（详尽）等意思；本课标题中的含义是“未被捕获、在逃”，应按美洲狮仍未被捉住的上下文理解。②spot v.看出、发现 = see；n.斑点on the spot 立刻、马上 = at once, immediately；在现场 = at the place of the action。③accumulate v.积累、积聚，强调积累的过程 = pile up。 ④obliged to = bound to（在表示责任或义务的语境中意思接近）。本句 felt obliged to investigate 是“觉得有必要、不得不调查”，不要与 bound to 表示“一定会发生”的预测义混淆。⑤claimed = stated。⑥extraordinarily similar = surprisingly alike\[感谢微博匿名读者指出20200325]。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]Pumas 作主语，画双横线；are 是系动词，画波浪线；large, cat-like 作定语，用括号表示；animals 作表语，画虚线，前面的定语整体可以跟animals 一起理解为表语，故也画了虚线；which are found in America 是定语从句修饰animals，从句中which 作主语，双横线；are found 作谓语，波浪线；in America 作地点状语，中括号；这里定语从句整个用括号表示，其中第二个括号“)”需要把点句号包括进来，即放在句号右边“.)”。

\[2]前半句是时间状语从句，该从句中，reports 作主语，双横线；came into 作谓语，波浪线；London Zoo 作宾语，横线；该状语从句中含有that 引导的同位语从句，其中， puma 作主语，双横线；a wild 作定语修饰puma，括号；had been spotted 作谓语，波浪线；forty-five…London 作地点状语，中括号；时间状语从句的第二个中括号“]”需要把逗号包括进来，同时，同位语从句的第二个括号“}”也要把逗号包括进来，均表示该从句到此结束。因为时间状语从句中含有同位语从句，故以“,}]”表示。

主句中they 作主语，双横线；were not taken 作谓语，波浪线；seriously 作方式状语，中括号。take something seriously 表示“认真对待某事”；本句用了被动形式，意思是“这些报告没有受到认真对待”。

\[3]However 作状语，中括号；as the evidence began to accumulate 是时间状语从句，从句中，中括号标记，其中第二个括号“]”把accumulate 后的逗号包括进来 “accumulate,]”，表示该从句到此结束，as 是连词，不划分成分（全书同），the evidence 作主语，双横线；began 作谓语，波浪线；不定式to accumulate 作宾语，横线。

主句experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate，其中experts 是主语，双横线； from the Zoo 作定语修饰experts，括号表示；后面的felt obliged to investigate 作谓语，波浪线；接着是一个for 引导的原因状语从句，该从句第二个中括号“.]”把点句号包括进来。该从句继续划分，the descriptions 作主语，双横线；given by people 作后置定语，括号；系动词were，波浪线；extraordinarily 为程度状语，中括号；similar 是表语，虚线。

who claimed to have seen the puma 是定语从句，修饰people，属于原因状语从句中的一个从句，我们继续细分，who 作主语，双横线；claimed 作谓语，波浪线；to have seen the puma 动词不定式短语作宾语，横线；该定语从句的第二个括号“)”因为在句子之中，故没有标点符号可以包括进来，此时主要看内部句子是否继续划分来标记是否为从句，一般属于从句，就会继续划分成分。

#### 原文注释 · 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.

注释：①immediately = at once。②like = such as。③cling，过去式clung,≈stick。 ④covinced = sure，convince sb. of sth.。⑤in the possession of someone / in someone’s possession 表示“归某人所有”；someone is in possession of something 表示“某人拥有某物”。注意两种结构的主语和宾语方向相反。⑥it 是形式主语，to think 到countryside 是真正的主语，主语里面有一个宾语从句。

\[语法符号讲解] \[1]本句为并列句，and 后句中为主谓宾结构，that 引导一个宾语从句，我们在that 的“th”处画横线，表示宾语从句的开始，该从句中有一个unless 引导的条件状语从句，该从句的右边括号需要把句末的点句号包括进来，即“.]”以表示该状语从句到此结束，又因为该状语从句是包含在宾语从句中的，所以在 cornered 的“ed.]”下画横线，表示该宾语从句到此结束，且包括了状语从句。

\[2]that 引导的从句作convinced 的宾语，这里同样在“th”下画横线，表示宾语从句的开始，然后在a pumu.这里，“a pu”下面画虚线，表示a puma 作表语，而 “a,”画横线，表示该宾语从句到此为止。

#### Summary 摘要

The reports received by London Zoo that a puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London were similar in nature(本质上，事实上). A woman picking blackberries saw it first, but the puma moved from place to place, leaving a trail of dead deer and small animals. Paw prints and puma fur were found as well. "Cat-like noises" were heard at night and the animal was seen up a tree. Now experts were convinced that the animal really was a puma. (79 words)

#### Composition 作文

Mrs. Stone had spent the whole morning picking blackberries in the countryside near her home. It was nearly lunch time, so she decided to return for lunch. She was just picking up her basket when she heard a noise in the bushes. Then she saw an animal which looked like a cat. She knew it was not a cat because it was so large. The animal suddenly turned round to look at her and she thought it was going to come towards her and perhaps attack her. She dropped her basket and screamed loudly. Hearing the sound, the animal disappeared into the bushes, after which Mrs. Stone picked up her basket and ran all the way home(跑回家). She told her neighbors that she had seen a puma in the countryside, but they did not believe her. She also telephoned the police but they didn't believe her either. (148 words)

## 学完这一课

用“收到报告说……，起初没有受到重视”写一次需要核实的消息。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第10—13页，2022年2月第3版。*