A puma at large 逃遁的美洲狮 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(adj.被困得走投无路的). 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.美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大动物，产于美洲。
当伦敦动物园接到报告说，在伦敦以南45英里处发现一只美洲狮时，这些报告并没有受到重视。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，因为凡是声称见到过美洲狮的人们所描述的情况竟是出奇地相似。
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的看见“一只大猫”，离她仅5码远，她刚看见它，它就立刻逃走了。
专家证实，美洲狮非被逼得走投无路，是决不会伤人的。事实上搜寻工作很困难，因为常常是早晨在甲地发现那只美洲狮，晚上却在20英里外的乙地发现它的踪迹。
无论它走哪儿，一路上总会留下一串死鹿及死兔子之类的小动物，在许多地方看见爪印，灌木丛中发现了粘在上面的美洲狮毛。有人抱怨说夜里听见“像猫一样的叫声”；一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。
专家们如今已经完全肯定那只动物就是美洲狮，但它是从哪儿来的呢？由于全国动物园没有一家报告丢了美洲狮，因此那只美洲狮一定是某位私人收藏豢养的，不知怎么设法逃出来了。搜寻工作进行了好几个星期，但始终未能逮住那只美洲狮。
想到在宁静的乡村里有一头危险的野兽继续逍遥流窜，真令人担心。
The Lion King 经典话语
1. Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. 世界上所有的生命都在微妙的平衡中生存。 2. I laugh in the face of danger. 越危险就越合我心意。 3. I"m only brave when I have to be. Being brave doesn"t mean you go looking for trouble. 我只是在必要的时候才会勇敢，勇敢并不代表你要到处闯祸。 4. When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world. 如果这个世界对你不理不睬，你也可以这样对待它。 5. It"s like you are back from the dead. 好像你是死而复生似的。 6. You can"t change the past. 过去的事是不可以改变的。 7. Yes, the past can hurt. But I think you can either run from it or learn from it. 对，过去是痛楚的，但我认为你要么可以逃避，要么可以向它学习。 8. This is my kingdom. If I don"t fight for it, who will？ 这是我的国土，我不为她而战斗，谁为呢？ 9. Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie. 我为何要相信你？你所说的一切都是谎话。 10. I"ll make it up to you, I promise. 我会补偿你的，我保证。
Lions are the only social wild cats. They live in family groups called "prides", which are made up of as many as 12 females and their young, and up to three adult males.
Most lions are found in Africa, but small populations still exist in north west India. They prefer habitats of grassy plains, savannah and open woodland, but can occasionally be found in areas of semi-desert.
Lions have tawny yellow coats. Males have thick woolly manes that darken with age, so old males are sometimes called black-maned lions. The main role of male lions is to protect the pride, and their manes make them look larger to other male rivals. If a new male does join the pride he will kill all the cubs and mate with the females so he becomes the dominant male, and father of all the young.
Lions are quite lazy creatures, and spend as much as 20 hours a day resting! Females do most of the hunting, and often work together in groups. They usually hunt during the day and prey upon mammals like antelope and zebra. The phrase "the lion"s share" comes from the males" habit of eating before the rest of the pride.
Lions will breed at any time of the year, and females give birth to litters of between two and six cubs. The cubs are born with spots, but they fade as they get older. Young cubs are extremely vulnerable and only 20% will survive to reach two years old.
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