NEW CONCEPT ENGLISH BOOK Ⅲ
L1-(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 45 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 20 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.
at large 逍遥自在，行动自由
puma [ˈpuːmə] 美洲狮
spot [spɑːt] 发现
evidence [ˈevɪdəns] 证据
accumulate [əˈkjuːmjəleɪt] 积累、积聚
oblige [əˈblaɪdʒ] 使。。。感到必须
investigate [ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪt] 调查 研究
description [dɪˈskrɪpʃn] 描述
corner 使走投无路
trail [treɪl] 一串、一系列
cling [klɪŋ] 粘
bush [bʊʃ] 灌木;
convince [kənˈvɪns] 使。。信服
possession [pəˈzeʃn] 个人财产;拥有;具有 in the possession of 为。。。所有
somehow 不知怎么地
private collect 私人收藏拳养
disturb [dɪˈstɜːrb] 令人不安，打扰;干扰
全文朗读完了才发现，从第三册起，每篇课文是分两天来学习的。一不小心就把大年初一的作业做了。文章越来越长了，生词也多了，用了不少时间来查生词，读顺句子。今天是大年三十了。坚持完成任务。今天从成功晋级澳网16强的朱琳那学到一句话，特别好，也要送给2023年的自己：梦想需要没有回头的坚持。
