Lesson 1 A puma at large 逃遁的美洲獅
Listen to the tape then answer the question below. 聽錄音，然後回答以下問題: Where must the puma have come from?
靜聽錄音，然後大聲朗讀課文，再試著回答上述問題。
【原文】
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.
【譯文】
美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動物，產於美洲。當倫敦動物園接到報告說，在倫敦以南45英里處發現一隻美洲獅時，這些報告並沒有受到重視。可是，隨著證據越來 越多，動物園的專家們感到有必要進行一番調查，因為凡是聲稱見到過美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出奇地相似。 搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開始的。那裡的一位婦女在採摘黑莓時的看見“一隻大貓”，離她僅5碼遠，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實，美洲獅非 被逼得走投無路，是決不會傷人的。事實上搜尋工作很困難，因為常常是早晨在甲地發現那隻美洲獅，晚上卻在20英里外的乙地發現它的蹤跡。無論它走哪兒，一 路上總會留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動物，在許多地方看見爪印，灌木叢中發現了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說夜裡聽見“像貓一樣的叫聲”；一位商人去 釣魚，看見那隻美洲獅在樹上。專家們如今已經完全肯定那隻動物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來的呢？由於全國動物園沒有一家報告丟了美洲獅，因此那隻美洲獅一 定是某位私人收藏豢養的，不知怎麼設法逃出來了。搜尋工作進行了好幾個星期，但始終未能逮住那隻美洲獅。想到在寧靜的鄉村裡有一頭危險的野獸繼續逍遙流 竄，真令人擔心。
【詞彙】
學習詞彙時僅知道漢語語義是不夠的，要把單詞放在語句中體會其應用
學習關鍵句結構是則要把它放在段落結構或文章裡
★puma n. 美洲獅
★spot v. 看出，發現
pick out,see,recognise,catch,sight of
spot=see : 強調結果、辨別出、看見、識別、發現
find : 強調發現的結果
find out：查出事實真相
discover：做出重大發現
notice：注意到
observe：觀察
watch：觀察活動中的人或畫面
A tall man is easy jto spot in the crowd.
He has good eye for spotting mistakes.
spot n. 斑點
There is a white spot on the shirt.
on the spot
1.立刻，馬上（at once ,immediately)
Anyone breaking the rules will be asked to leave on the spot.
2.at the place of the action 在現場
Wherever she is needed,she is quickly on the spot.
★evidence n. 證據 (不可數名詞)
When the police arrived,he had already destroied the evidence.
evidence=proof
in evidence: 顯而易見的
He was in evidence at the party.
evidently adv. 顯而易見地
★accumulate v. 積累，積聚 (強調積累的過程)
As the evidence accumulates,experts from the zoo felt obliged to investigate.
gather vt. 聚集，把某人召集在某處
collect 蒐集，採集
assemble 集合，集會，vt.裝配
hoard vt. 大量的儲存
hoard up＝store up
amass 積聚（主要用於詩歌和文學作品）
The squirrel hoards up nuts for the cold winter
★oblige v. 使……感到必須
feel obliged to do sth 感覺有必要做某事
be obliged to do sth. 被迫做某事
★hunt n. 追獵；尋找
run after 強調追趕、追求
seek/pursue 追尋
chase 追趕
hunt for
search 搜尋某處為了尋找到某人或某物
★blackberry n. 黑莓
★human being
人類
★corner v. 使走投無路，使陷入困境
n.角落
at the corner of the street
in the corner of the room
on the corner of the desk
經常使用被動語態
The thief was cornered at last
The problem cornered me.
★trail n. 一串，一系列 （vt.)trail：follow
The police trailed the criminal to the place where he was hiding
★print n. 印痕
★cling v. 粘 (clung)
She is always clinging to her mother.
He clung to the hope that he would succeed.
stick 粘住； stick to 堅持； sticky 粘的
★convince v. 使……信服
convince sb.of sth.
和賓語從句that搭配使用
沒有賓語的情況下要採用主系表結構：be convinced
★somehow adv. 不知怎麼搞地，不知什麼原因
by some means,in some way ,for some reason unknown
somewhat : a little
★disturb v. 令人不安
disturbing: 令人不安的
disturbed: 感到不安的
exciting：令人激動的
excited：感到激動的
at large:逃遁的，沒有被控制的 詳細地
首先呈現給讀者的是結果 寫議論文的時候要注意把握觀點 ：
Pandas are large cat-like animals which are found in Asia.
l一般來講定語從句和同位語從句緊隨在被修繕名詞後面，但為了保持句子平衡，也可以把謂語動詞放到從句之前 定語從句只是對於被修繕詞的補充說明、修繕； 同位語從句則是講述被修飾名詞的內容 定語從句的引導詞：
指人：主語who; 賓語who/whom; 定語 whose
表達事物：that（也可以指人）/which
時間狀語：when;
地點狀語：where;
原因狀語：why
同位語從句：名詞作主語、賓語等，
關係詞用that而不是which
時間－when；
地點－where An idea came to her that she might do the experiment in another way. I have no idea what has happened to him。
定語從句中沒有what這個關係詞，但它可以引導同位語從句 take sth.seriously :deal with sth.seriously take sth.lightly as: 隨著 過去分詞做定語 聲稱曾經做過某事：claim to have done sth. I still remember the school where I studied English. confirm: be sure,be certain search=hunt
把某物留在後面：leave behind 英文的表達方式重點在於突出客觀事實，而中文則善於運用動作的執行者 complain of /about 抱怨 on + 名詞：強調動作正在進行
on the rise :在上升
on the increase: 在增加
on the watch: 在觀看
on the match: 在比賽中
on the fishing trip: 在釣魚的途中
on holiday: 在度假
fully: completely,entirely
in the possession of sb.=in sb.'s possession 歸某人所有
in possession of sth. 擁有某物
take possession of 擁有
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.
It is disturbing to think that... 想到... 令人擔心
關鍵字: possession large was
