1．Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America.
美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大动物，产于美洲。

which引导定语从从句，修饰cat-like animals。

派生词cat-like由名词词根+后缀(-like)构成。-like意为“像…的，有…特征的”，
例：child-like像孩子似的。

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.
当伦敦动物园接到报告说，在伦敦以南45公里处发现美洲狮时，这些报告并没有受到重视。

when引导时间状语从句，that引导的从句that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London是reports的同位语，进一步说明报告的内容。此处的they指代的是前面的reports。

take … seriously认真对待…。
例：He is joking. Don’t take it seriously.
他是跟你开玩笑呢。你别当真。

此处的spot用作动词，表示“发现”，此外，spot常与on the连用，构成搭配on the spot，表示“当即；当场”，
例：James was called to see the producer and got the job on the spot.
詹姆斯被叫去见那个制片人，当即得到了那份工作。

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.
可是，随着证据越来越多，动物园的专家们感到有必要进行一番调查，因为声称见到过美洲狮的人们所描述的情况竟是出奇地相似。

本句话中，as引导原因状语从句，主句是experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate，介词短语from the Zoo作定语，修饰experts。此处for引导并列分句，对前面的分句加以解释，补充说明推断的理由。

过去分词短语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，同时轻便简练，使文字干净利落。此外，还能避免句型的重复。who引导定语从句，修饰people。

obliged to不得不（做）。例：
She was obliged to keep to bed because of a fever.
她因发烧而不得不躺在床上。

obliged to还有“感激，感谢”的意思，例：
We are much obliged to you for your help.
非常感谢您对我们的帮助。

claim to do sth. 声称做过某事。例：
Fishermen and sailors sometimes claim to have seen monsters in the sea.
渔民和水手有时声称看到过海里的妖怪。
补充说明：as作从属连词可以引导时间状语从句、原因状语从句、让步状语从句等。as引导时间状语从句，表示“当…的时候”或“一边…一边…”，强调主句的动作和从句的动作同时发生。例：The boy was singing a popular song as he was bicycling. 这男孩边骑车边唱歌。as引导原因状语从句常放在主句前，表示“因为，由于”，其语气不如because强，通常为附加说明的理由，且是已知晓的原因，主句与从句没有逻辑上的因果关系。例：

As she was not well, I went there alone. 因为她身体不好，所以我独自到那里去了。

as引导让步状语从句要求将主语和谓语或谓语的一部分倒装。例：
Old as he is, he is still full of energy.
尽管年纪大了，但他依然精力充沛。

4．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.
搜寻美洲狮的工作是从一座小村庄开始的。那里的一位妇女在采摘黑莓时看见“一只大猫”，离她仅五码远。

where引导定语从句，修饰先行词a small village。现在分词短语picking blackberries作后置定语，修饰a woman，相当于定语从句who was picking blackberries。

此处的hunt用作名词，hunt用作动词时，也常与for搭配，构成词组hunt for，表示“搜寻，寻找”。例：
I’ve been hunting for you everywhere for several hours.
我到处找你已找了好几个小时。

5．It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.
她刚看见它，它就立刻逃走了，专家证实，除非被逼得走投无路，美洲狮是不会伤人的。

前半分句中，when引导时间状语从句。后半分句中，that引导的从句作confirmed的宾语，该宾语从句又包括一个由unless引导的条件状语从句。

需注意：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。此处corner表示“使走投无路，使陷入绝境”，例：
A police motorcycle chased his car twelve miles, and cornered him near Gainsborough.
一辆警车追踪他的汽车12英里，在盖恩斯堡附近把他逼得走投无路。

此外，corner常用词组around the corner，表示“即将到来；在拐角”，例：
Economic recovery is just around the corner.
经济复苏即将到来。

6．Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits.
无论它走到哪儿，一路上总会留下死鹿及死兔子之类的小动物的痕迹。

此处wherever引导地点状语从句，表示“在任何地方”。
wherever还可以引导让步状语从句，相当于no matter where（无论何地），例：
Wherever you go, you can always find time to study.
不管走到哪，你都能挤出时间来学习。

leave sth. behind把…留在身后；忘带；在…之后造成。例：
You’d better run or you’re going to be left behind.
你最好跑步去，否则你会被落下的。

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。

此处trail表示“痕迹”，trail用作动词时，常表示“跟踪”，例：
Two detectives were trailing him.
两个侦探正在跟踪他。

7．Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes.
在许多地方看见了爪印，灌木丛中也发现了粘在上面的美洲狮毛。

现在分词短语clinging to bushes用作puma fur的主语补足语。
分词起补足语作用的结构常用于see, hear, notice, watch, keep, find, get, have, feel, smell等词之后。例：
Can you hear someone calling in the neighbourhood?
你能听见附近有人在喊叫吗？

a number of与the number of的区别：a number of表示“一些，许多”，其后接可数名词复数，谓语动词多用复数。the number of表示“…的数目”，后面接可数名词复数，但谓语动词要用单数。

8．The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma.
专家们如今完全肯定那只动物就是美洲狮。

that从句作convinced的宾语。convince说服；使确信，使信服。常用convince sb. of或convince sb. + that…表示“说服某人某事”，例：
I try to convince him of the reality of the danger.
我试图使他相信危险的确存在。

9．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.
由于全国的动物园没有一家报告丢了美洲狮；因此这只美洲狮一定是某位私人收藏者豢养的，不知怎么设法逃了出来。

as引导原因状语从句，表示“因为”。此处，missing是形容词作主语补足语。

must have been是对过去事实的肯定猜测，表示“一定”。

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。

somehow表示“以某种方法；莫明其妙地”，例：
He could have finished it on schedule, but somehow he fell behind.
他原本能按预定进度做完这件事的，但不知怎地却落后了。

manage to do设法完成某事。例：
We will manage to accomplish the task in time even though it is difficult.
纵然任务艰巨，我们也要及时完成。

10．It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.
想到在宁静的乡间有一头危险的野兽仍在出没，真令人担心。

本句中，it作形式主语，真正的主语是不定式to think that… 。that引导的从句，作think的宾语。

at large逍遥法外的，未被捕的。例：
The murderer is still at large.
杀人凶手仍逍遥法外。

at large还有“详尽的；整个的”的意思，例：
He talked at large about his plan of writing a play for children.
他详细地谈了他要写一本儿童剧的计划。
The people at large support the policy of the open door.
一般老百姓都拥护开放政策。

disturbing令人不安的。例：
A disturbing thought crossed my mind.
我突然想起一件令人心烦的事。

puma [‘pju:mә] n.美洲狮
spot [spɔt] v.看出，发现
evidence [‘evidәns] n.证据
accumulate [ә’kju:mjuleit] v.积累，积聚
oblige [ә’blaidʒ] v.使…感到必须
hunt [hʌnt] n.追猎；寻找；v.打猎
blackberry [‘blækbәri] n.黑莓
human [‘hju:mәn] 人类
corner [‘kɔ:nә] v.使走投无路，使陷入困境；n.角落
trail [treil] n.一串，一系列
print [print] n.印痕
cling [kliŋ] v.粘
convince [kәn’vins] v.使…信服
somehow [‘sʌmhau] ad.不知怎么搞的，不知什么原因
disturb [dis’tә:b] v.令人不安

学习词汇时仅知道汉语语义是不够的，要把单词放在语句中体会其应用

学习关键句型结构时则要把它放在段落结构或文章里

• spot 看出，发现

to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize

e.g:I spotted a police car behind us.

It can be hard for even a trained doctor to spot the symptoms of lung cancer.

I spotted someone coming out of the building.

pick out / see / recognize / catch sight of

eg: A tall man is easy to spot in the crowd.

He has good eye for spotting mistakes. 他有敏锐的识别错误的能力。

spot(做动词时候) = see:强调结果、辨别出、看见、识别、发现。

同意词比较：

find 强调发现的结果。

find out 查出事实真相。

discover 做出重大发现

notice 注意到

observe 观察

watch 观察活动中的人或画面

spot  n. 斑点

eg: There is a white spot on the shirt.

on the spot

1,立刻，马上（at once, immediately ）

Anyone breaking the rules will be asked to leave on the spot.

2,at the place of the action 在现场

Wherever she is needed , she is quickly on the spot.

★evidence [u]n. 证据 不可数名词

When the police arrived, he had already destroyed the evidence.

evidence=proof(n.证据)

in evidence:显而易见的.

He was in evidence at the party.

evident adj./evidently adv.

• accumulate vt,vi. 积累，积聚

accumulate  强调积累的过程

As the evidence accumulates, experts from the zoo felt obliged to investigate.

gather vt. 聚集，把某人召集在某处

we gathered under tower clock.

The teacher gathered his students in the class.

collect 收集，采集

Do you collect stamps?Yes,I collect stamps as my hobby.

assemble  集合，集会， vt. 装配

A large number of people assemble on the square.

hoard  大量地贮存hoard up= store up

The squirrel hoards up nuts for the cold winter. (squirrel n.松鼠;  nut n. 坚果)

amass 积聚（主要用于诗歌和文学作品）

The clouds amassed above the hills.

★oblige  v. 使…感到必须make sb feel it is necessary to do sth

feel obliged to do sth. =feel that you have a duty to do something感觉有必要做某事

I feel obliged to say no to his demand(n.要求).

I felt obliged to invite him.

be obliged to do sth 被迫做某事

They were obliged do sell their car to pay their debts off.(debt n.债务, 罪过)

Circumstances had obliged him to sell the business.

• hunt n. 追猎；寻找

The experts form London zoo bagan to hunt(vt.) for a puma.

The hunt(n.) for the puma proved the difficulte.

search 搜寻某处为了寻找到某人或某物,与hunt意义极其接近

The ploice were searching the forest for the missing boy.And the search for that boy proved the difficulte.

run after 强调追赶、追求.

Look,a dog is running after a cat.

What are you running after in your life?

seek  追寻（梦想，理想= pursue）多用于书面

chase 追赶.They are chasing a thief./They are running after a thief.

★corner  v. 使走投无路，使陷入困境

corner n. 角落

 at the corner of the street

 in the corner of the room

 on the corner of the desk

be cornered ………被逼得走投无路

常用于被动语态：

The thief was cornered at last.

The problem cornered me.这个问题把我难倒了。

★trail n. 一串，一系列 a trail of blood一串串血痕

trail==follow  vt. 跟踪

eg: The police trailed the criminal to the place where he was hiding. （criminal n.罪犯, 犯罪者）

★cling (clung, clung,clinging ) v. 粘

eg: She is always clinging to her mother.

He clung to the hope that he would succeed.(抱有，怀有[梦想、希望])

stick v.粘住 stick the envelop (envelop n.信封)

stick to 坚持 stick to the plan/stick to one’s promise.

sticky adj. 粘的 sticky fingers

★convince vt. 使…信服

-convince sb. of sth   使某人相信某事

I convinced him of my honesty.

-和宾语从句that 搭配使用

没有宾语的情况下要采用主系表结构：be convinced

The experts from the zoo were convinced that the animal was the puma.

sb be convinced  sb相信

I am convinced that she is a honest girl.

★somehow  adv. 不知怎么搞地，不知什么原因

by some means, in some way, for some reason unknown

I’ll get the book back somehow.无论如何

I get lost somehow. 不知怎么搞地

somewhat adv.(==a little ) 稍微, 有点, 有些

The price is somewhat higher than I expected.

• disturb 令人不安

You disturb me.

        disturbing adj.   令人不安的                 disturbed        感到不安的

       surprising            令人吃惊的                 surprised        感到吃惊的

       exciting                令人激动的                 excited          感到激动的