Lesson 1 A puma at large
Part 1 Words and Expressions
(1) puma n. 美洲狮 (a large American wild animal of the cat family, with yellowish-brown or greyish fur)
(2) spot v. 发现 (to see or notice a person or a thing, especially suddenly or when it is not easy to do so)
我在人群中看到了我的父亲。I spotted my father from the crowd.
这个好莱坞巨星和她那亿万富翁的男友在太阳谷度假村时被狗仔队拍到。
The Hollywood star was spotted by a paparazzi at the Sun Valley Resort with her billionaire boyfriend.
由上2个例子归纳：spot作动词表示不易地找到
n. 点，斑点
翻译以下斜体部分：
This ancient town is a scenic spot in Shanghai.景点
Can the leopard change his spot?（谚语）江山易改本性难移
(3) evidence n.证据 = proof (the facts, signs or objects that make you believe that sth. is true; the information used to try to prove sth.)
(4) accumulate v. 积累，积聚 (to gradually get more and more of sth. over a period of time)
翻译例句中的斜体字部分，并分辨accumulate在句中是及物动词还是不及物动词：
Most humans and other animals gain weight because they accumulate fat.
积累脂肪 及物动词
His homework accumulated during a long week’s holiday.
作业越积越多 不及物动词
辨析以下近义动词并选词填空：
A.accumulate长期的积累过程，数量逐渐增加
B.gather用于人时指按要求或自发地“集合”或“聚集”在处。用于物时指分散之物或将分散之物汇总、聚集在一起。
C.collect采集某物作某种用途或作为兴趣爱好收藏
D.assemble用于人时，指“集合”、“聚集”，用法同gather，但比gather正式。用于物时，指“组装”、“装配”，即将组件汇总成整体。
Lead can A in the body until toxic levels are reached.
It takes about two days to D a bicycle.
One of Tony’s hobbies was to C rare birds.
In the evenings, we B around the fireplace and talked.
(5) oblige v. 使……感到必须 (usu. passive; to force sb. to do sth., by law, because it is a duty, etc.)
词组对比：
feel obliged to do sth. 感觉有必要做某事
be obliged to do sth. 被迫做某事
翻译下句（重点判断该例句运用以上哪个词组？）
我感到不得不把事实告诉你：我不是你的生父。你是领养的。
I feel obliged to tell the truth to you thatI’m not your birth father, and you are adopted.
（学生版不出现：以上例句中birth father和that同位语从句判断可以成为讲解重点）
猜猜看：oblige的名词形式和中文意思：obligation义务
(6) hunt n. 追猎，寻找 (an act of looking for sth. that is difficult to find)
(7) blackberry n. 黑莓 (large sweet black or very dark purple edible aggregate fruit of any of various bushes of the genus Rubus)
猜猜看：job hunting 找工作
(8) human being人类(any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage)
(9) corner v. 使走途无路，使陷入困境 (to get a person or an animal into a place or situation from which they cannot escape)
温故知新：corner n. 角落
介词填空：on/at the corner of the street
in the corner of the room
on the corner of the desk
动词词组：be cornered by被逼得走投无路(常用于被动语态)
我被这道数学题难倒了。I was cornered by the maths problem.
A dog doesn’t bite unless it is cornered. （打一成语）狗急跳墙
(10) trail n. 一串，一系列 (a track, sign or smell that is left behind and that can be followed, esp. in hunting)
翻译以下例句的斜体字部分，并判断trail的词性：
The typhoon has left a trail of death and destruction across much of central Japan.
一串死亡足迹 名词
The police trailed the criminal to the place where he was hiding. 追踪犯罪者 动词
(11) print n. 印痕 (a visible indication made on a surface)
猜猜看以下相关合成词：
fingerprint 手印
footprint 足迹
printer 打印机
(12) cling vi. 粘 (clung-clung) ≈ stick (to hold on tightly to sb. / sth.)
结构：cling to粘住，坚持
e.g. 她总是粘着她的妈妈。 She is always clinging to her mother.
他坚持相信他会成功的。He clung to the hope that he would succeed.
(13) convince v. 使……信服 (to make sb. /yourself believe that sth. is true)
结构1：convince sb. of sth. 使某人相信……
翻译：The suspect tried to convince the jury of his innocence.
疑犯试图让陪审团相信他是无罪的。
结构2：sb. be convinced that…某人相信 = sb. believe that…
总统相信中国将会是美国的一大威胁。
The president is convinced that China will be a big threat to America.
(14) somehow adv. 不知怎么搞地，不知道什么原因 (in a way that is not known or certain; for a reason that you do not know or understand)
不知怎么地，他又犯了一个低级错误。He somehow made another stupid mistake.
形近词区分：somewhat表示一点儿
e.g. My girlfriend was somewhat angry with me.
(15) disturb v. 令人不安 (to make sb. worry)
e.g. 在我工作时，不希望有任何人来打扰我。（动词不定式的被动式，分词作状语）
I don’t want to be disturbed when/while working.
（【学生版不出现】：以上例句中to be disturbed和while working是必用结构，可以考验到学生应有的语法水平）
Wind disturbs the water. 风吹皱水面。
口语：当你打扰到别人的工作时，你会说Sorry to disturb you.
disturbing adj. 令人不安的
disturbed adj. 感到不安的，精神错乱的
形容词2选1：
It is disturbing to think that the earthquake victims are crying in the sheltering while we are sitting in the room safely.
Mentally disturbed people use the yellow color so much in their paintings.
Part 2 Text
(1) (Ph1) Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.
l 单词：America 美洲
l 词组：cat-like adj. 像猫一样的
模仿：
an innocent girl: an angel-like girl
life-like 栩栩如生的
l 句型模仿：UFO是一种像盘子一样的巨型飞行物，在全世界都有发现。
UFOs are large, plate-like flying objects which are found all over the world.
l 阅读理解：对比标题和课文首句，分析选择文章结构走向：大→小 小→大
（课文第一句定义美洲狮，而标题中的美洲狮有限定成分，即at large, 从文章走势来看，下文写的是具体的一只美洲狮，而非笼统的，所以从大写到小【学生版不出现】）
(2) When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.
l 词组：take sth. seriously = deal with sth. seriously 认真对待某事
l 语法：that引导的同位语从句，说明前面名词reports的具体内容
请区分以下从句类型：
The news that she heard is true. 她听到的消息是真的。定语从句
The news that she will go abroad is true. 她将出国这消息是真的。同位语从句
（【学生版不出现】：定语从句修饰的名词在定语从句中充当成分，而同位语从句则不充当成分）
l 句型亮点：在英语中，改变一切用“人”作主语的习惯，学会直接用“物”作主语，该句中用come into London Zoo代替people in London Zoo got the report
仿写：老师们收到消息，说取消这周的英语测试。
The news came to the teachers that the English test in this week will be cancelled.
(3) 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.
l 单词：investigate v. 调查 investigation n.
l 词组：claim to have seen声称看到过
l 句型分析：the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar找出此句中的主干部分：the descriptions were similar
l 亮点：英文句子强调灵活多变，可以把主语不同的小句子通过不同连词巧妙而紧密的连接，如本句中as引导时间状语从句，for引导原因状语从句，given by people 分词作后置定语，who引导定语从句，主干部分为experts felt obliged to investigate.
(4) (Ph2) 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.
l 单词：confirm v. 证实，证明，确认
l 句型：will not和unless构成双重否定，比用will和only更加强调
模仿：外星人除非被打扰，不然是不会袭击人类的。
Aliens won’t attack human beings unless they are disturbed.
l 阅读理解：本段后两句话的逻辑关系：因果
(5) 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.
l 阅读理解：本段体现了puma的一大特性：mobility（英文单词）
l 语法：划线部分在句中成分是：宾语
(6) 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?
l 词组：on a fishing trip在钓鱼的旅途中
相关：on the increase 在增加
on the match 比赛中
l 阅读理解1.原文be convinced可否替换成并sure等常规词？
（【学生版不出现】：sure主要是因为这些词主观性较强，而be convinced则注重客观，更符合说明文的特点）
阅读理解2. 在上文中puma存在的证据（或证人）有：a woman picking blackberries, a trail of dead deer and small animals, Paw prints, puma fur, ‘cat-like noises’, a businessman on a fishing trip
(7) 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 toescape. 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.
l 词组：sth. be in the possession of sb. = sth. belong to sb.
对比：sb. be in possession of sth.= sb. have sth.
词组：at large 在逃的
l 语言亮点：最后一句中的wild/dangerous和quiet形成对比
l 句型模仿：想到另一群生物从天上俯视我们确实令很多人感到担心和不安。
It is disturbing for us to think that some creatures are looking down at us from the sky.
Part 3 Critical thinking / Cultural background
思考：What do you think about the image of the zoo experts in this passage? Find some adjectives to support your ideas.
参考答案： not credulous, incompetent（无标准答案，学生能自圆其说即可）
