新概念3笔记 lesson 1

At large 在逃的，未被捕获的

    Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. 

Be found in 习语，产于，存在于,所以用的一般现在时 Which are 可以省略，关系代词做主语谓语动词是be

When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously. 

在when时间状语从句中Reports 主语 came谓语 into London zoo宾语  That 是report 同位语从句为了句式平衡就隔开了 take ... seriously认真对待…… Spot 动词表示发现

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.

feel obliged to do sth:觉得有义务/应该/不得不做某事。 felt是系动词，而obliged是形容词。这句话是系表结构 given by people作定语，修饰descriptions，相当于descriptions which were given by people，用这种分词结构的好处是：分词结构跟在名词后面，衔接更加紧凑

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. 

Picking 非谓语主动，当后置定语修饰women 

It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered. 

宾语从句中的will不是用来表示将来时的助动词，而是用来表示习惯性或动作特征的情态助动词，表示“就，就会，总是”之意，例： Mary will read for hours. 玛丽常常一连读书几小时。 human being是一个词组，意思是“人”

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. 

https://baike.baidu.com/item/系动词/3638954?fromtitle=联系动词&fromid=387904&fr=aladdin prove (to be)+adj/n 被证明是……/联系动词直接跟表语 -His injury proved (to be)fatal

-The operation proved (to be) a success

Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. 

leave sth. behind把…留在身后；忘带；在…之后造成。 此处由于宾语a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits较长，如果直接将其放在谓语left之后，则会显得头重脚轻，因此此处将状语behind it放在句子中间，以平衡首尾。 a trail of: 一连串的

Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes. 

现在分词短语clinging to bushes用作puma fur的主语补足语。

Several people complained of 'cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. 

on a fishing trip：去钓鱼 那么同样的，去出差或是公干也能说成是“on a business trip”。

The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from ? 

Be convinced that 使某人相信，被动语态

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

had been reported” 根据上下文语境来看发生在

第二句中“

The experts were now fully convinced

”之前，所以用过去完成时态。 in the possession of sb. 被某人占有；属于…；为…所有。例： The keys are in the possession of the caretaker. 那些钥匙由管理员持有。 Missing 形容词，丢失的

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