III-one:A puma at large

Questions:Where must the puma have come from?

Text:

       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 samll 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 tweety 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 aniaml was a puma,but where had it come from? As no puma had been reported missing from any zoo in the country, this one must have been in the possession of 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.

 

Languge points:

be at large

The escaped prisoners are still at large.

feel obliged to:must ,have to

I felt obliged to invite him.

hunt

go on a deer / fox hunt

the hunt for the remains of the Titante

hunt for second-hand books.

job-searching

pick

pick cotton

We need to pick someone reliable

pick and choose.

prove

vt  confrim: they proved her innocence.

vi turn out to be: The rumour proved false.

cling-clung-clung

cling to

His wet shirt clung to his body

She clings to the belief that her husband will come back.

complain of (诉说) complain of a headache

complain about (抱怨) complain about the weather

disturb

sorry to disturb you

Do not disturb

His strange behaviour disturbed me.

It is disturbing to think / It is worring to think.