a puma at large是新概念英語第三冊的一篇課文，a puma at large中文翻譯是逃遁的美洲獅。at large是一個慣短語，它的含義為“（囚犯）在逃， 逍遙法外”，puma意思是美洲獅。

a puma at large課文翻譯

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.

New words and expressions 生詞和短語

puma(title)/'pju:m+/n. 美洲獅

corner(1. 9)/'k&:n+/v. 使走投無路，使陷入困境

spot(1. 2)/sp&t/v. 看出，發現

trail(1. 11)/'treil/n. 一串，一系列

evidence(1. 4)/'evid+ns/n．證據

print(1. 12)/print/n. 印痕

accumulate(1. 4)/e'kju:mjuleit/v. 積累，積聚

cling(1. 12)/kliR/(clung/kl)R/, clung)v. 粘

oblige(1. 5)/+'blaid{/v. 使……感到必須

convince(1. 14)/k+n'vins/v. 使……信服

hunt(1. 7)/h)nt/n. 追獵；尋找

somehow(1. 16)/'s)mha(/adv. 不知怎么搞地

blackberry(1. 8)/'bl$kb+ri/n. 黑莓

human being(1. 9)/?hju:m+n-'bi:iR/人類

disturb(1. 17)/di'st:b/v. 令人不安

Notes on the text 課文注釋

1、at large是介詞短語，此處表示“逍遙自在”、“行動自由”的意思。

2、When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London.

當倫敦動物園接到報告說，在倫敦以南45英里的地方發現一頭野生美洲獅時。這個從句中以that引導的從句是reports的同位語，用于進一步說明報告的內容。

3、feel obliged to do sth. 是“感到不得不做某事”的意思。

4、it left behind it a trail of.它身后留下一串……。

a trail of作left的賓語，behind it是狀語，提到賓語之前是為了使句子結構更緊湊。

5、puma fur was found clinging to bushes中，clinging是現在分詞，此處作主語puma fur的主語補足語。下文中As no pumas had been reported missing…一句中，missing也是現在分詞作主語補足語。

6、in the possession of, 為……所有。

參考譯文

美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動物，產于美洲。當倫敦動物園接到報告說，在倫敦以南45英里處發現一只美洲獅時，這些報告并沒有受到重視。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。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時的看見“一只大貓”，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只美洲獅，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。有人抱怨說夜里聽見“像貓一樣的叫聲”；一位商人去釣魚，看見那只美洲獅在樹上。專家們如今已經完全肯定那只動物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來的呢？由于全國動物園沒有一家報告丟了美洲獅，因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養的，不知怎么設法逃出來了。搜尋工作進行了好幾個星期，但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧靜的鄉村里有一頭危險的野獸繼續逍遙流竄，真令人擔心。